Bandista

So funny! We call it Planet Hospital -- that whole medical world can be pretty crazy sometimes. My irony is having to keep my weight high for these months leading up to my surgery. Up. Just wasn't fat enough in the 240s, have to be 250 or else the whole thing is off. Good grief.

Great idea -- a way to look back and see your success and keep you motivated as you move toward your goal. I've been trying to figure out how to take a photo of myself in a setting where I can do it regularly in a similar outfit, etc., so I can watch that progress over time. I must have big blocks about this photo thing because I am stumped. I have an iPad or a camera -- how hard can this be? Maybe I need to get a friend in on the act -- one of the few people I have told. ACK!

So happy for you!

So sorry, Stacey -- don't give up on your path to wellness.....

Hi Debbie, Welcome! I had to look up weight of a stone......so you can tell I'm in the US not UK. Congratulations on your great success first time around and the baby! When do you get your new band? I am waiting for a surgery date -- quite eager to begin. Best wishes!

Very best wishes! A whole new chapter begins.......

You are ready! Best wishes for this new era -- exciting times ahead!

Congratulations -- you are doing beautifully!

Yippee! So happy for you. Hope you have a nice few days of R&R ahead......

Wow, you are doing great -- thats a lot of weight loss since March. Whatever the plateau is, it's temporary -- you are on your way to that goal. Best wishes!

Hi Stacey, I am pre-band as well and when I first started reading stories here I became nervous too. When I kept reading over the course of a few months, though, I began to be able to see the patterns -- for instance some one recently banded was in a panic thinking the band had to come out. When she went back to the surgeon they found she needed a different kind of protein -- there was a dairy sensitivity and that was the extreme discomfort. That's just one example of the kinds of things that at first seem extreme but are easily resolved. Actual port problems or difficulties with fills, etc. seem to be very rare and I think band replacements are about people from a while back and the bands are different now, improved materials. I'm choosing the band because I know I can't get the weight off otherwise. I am excited and while I've been frustrated by the time it's taken my hospital to get me through the process (still at it!), this has given me time to really study up. I am listening to the successful people and taking note as I intend to be one of them one day. I also notice the people who aren't really ready and when they get banded they are not prepared mentally. Participating in this forum is a great way to ready yourself in that way. Good luck with all and very best wishes!

Hi Zingy - maybe your weight loss and return of period means it's time for a fill? I have no idea but thought I'd put it out there. Best wishes!

Great post EmorieJai -- what is on your list?

What I look forward to: Losing the CPAP machine No BP medicine Bye bye arthritic pain Loving exercise -- craving that instead of food Dancing -- feeling light on my feet again Able to do Yoga, be on the floor (and get up!) Barge trip in France with our own little rented barge and bicycles on board Fun clothes like I used to wear, lingerie to jeans or an old evening gown Not cringing and hiding when a camera appears Strong and able in the garden Looking good for our son's graduation (June, yikes, better get this show on the road!) Happy beach times, snorkeling, not embarrassed in swimwear I want to swim with dolphins, too! (Thanks Sage Tracey) Cycling in Europe -- along the Danube there is a big bike path..... Ease while traveling, comfortable on planes, able to nap anywhere Not feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, really showing up for life each day Stopping thinking about food all the time! More comfortable interviewing, being in public, easier professional life Less shy and awkward, able to stand up for myself better Going sailing sometime, messing around with boats ENERGY ENERGY ENERGY

Congratulations -- you have really worked it and it shows! Thanks for the inspiration (waiting to begin).......your happiness is infectious!

Yippee! I've been following your process and am so happy it's all worked out now -- good for you. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and an easy transition into this big new chapter of your life. Very exciting times ahead! Look forward to hearing how it is all going.....and hopefully I'm right behind you in entering into Band Land.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Go, go, go! Congratulations!

Yippee! So happy for you!

Wow! Congratulations on a year of really hard work to get where you are today. This is very inspiring as I am waiting to begin. Good luck with your next goal -- you are nearly there. I look forward to thinking about exercise all the time instead of thinking about food. Do you think they could install a chip in my brain for that when they put in the band?

Best wishes for a speedy recovery -- a whole new chapter about to begin!

Yippee! So happy for you. Hope you have a smooth and speedy recovery. Let us know how you are doing......Best Wishes!

Oh it's nice to hear this -- I am pre-band and was adding this to my little list of jitters as I wait for a surgery date. Thank you! No need to bank anxiety over fills when I don't even have my band yet.

Welcome! I'm going to be 52 soon, too -- have just one child, a senior in high school. I'm with you on wanting more mobility -- can't wait to shed this extra baggage and feel better about myself. I have been on this forum a few months now while going through the hoops at the hospital where I will be banded. I have learned so much here -- way more than the doctors can provide as there is so much input from people who are at various stages. It's a warm, informed group all in all -- very compassionate as all have walked in the same shoes. You'll be chasing around those grand-kids before you know it. Best wishes.....

Phew! Always better safe than sorry. Don't these people rock (Cheryl, Missy)? I didn't know what a Doppler was either, nor these symptoms. Hope you are feeling better and now relieved of that huge worry. And Mis73 what an experience! Hope you are 100% recovered from that ordeal.