Bandista

Well I just got my letter written -- about six pages on hotel stationary I've been saving. I sealed the envelope and wrote my goal weight on it and it will be waiting in my jewelry box when I get there. It's congratulatory but also filed with reminders to be gentle with myself, to breathe and to remember to go do all the things I want to be able to do. Now I think I'll write one for the halfway mark.....when the going gets tough! Thanks again. I'm feeling very encouraged and less nervous about what's ahead.

So inspiring to those of us getting closer to the big event -- thank you for all these examples of what to look forward to in the coming year or so!

Thanks so much for a great idea. I have started a journal and will sit right down and write myself a letter......wondering if you might like to write yourself a new letter, an acknowledgment of how far you've come, how you feel. Thanks again from some one still waiting to begin. Best wishes!

Thanks for posting -- inspirational! I love how I feel when I eat "clean" -- energized and grounded at the same time. My problem has been an inability to sustain that mode -- the falling off the wagon. I am really hoping the band will work for me. No date yet (what a process!). These posts help keep me going.

Congratulations and best wishes for a speedy recovery! Tomorrow will be so much better!

I inquired at the facility where I intend to get the procedure about why it is that some hospitals are moving away from Lapband. Answer was cost. They will be seeing me 11 times in the first year after surgery and that makes administrators and insurers bristle. Perhaps this is what is going on in Europe. Thank you for posing this -- like you I want to talk about all aspects of LB surgery. That's why we are here!

Best wishes and congratulations -- exciting to read these posts and get an idea of what is to come. Thank you for that!

I WISH mine was tomorrow but I am just starting what looks like it will be a process of some months. Best wishes for a speedy recovery....I'm sure you are getting everything ready for rest and recuperation so your body can heal well and you'll be off to a great start in a new chapter of banded life. Chime in when you're ready and know that you are in the thoughts of so many before you and others, like me, after.....

Congratulations on making these great changes in your life. You are going to have so much fun biking in a healthy strong body. I think I'm going to make a list of what I want to be able to do again -- hiking our local mountain, yoga, etc. maybe I'll carry it around with me as I lead up to a surgery date (I am a couple of months out, I think, but hot on it -- quite the process!). It's so helpful to read other people's stories. Thanks for sharing and keep us posted! PS I love food, too -- cooking it, serving it, eating it. Husband and son are good cooks, too. I'm hoping to have everything I want, just in very small portions -- and being able to keep to the tasting portion because of the appetite suppression the band offers.

I also wondered about Gallbladder. Regarding potential Celiac or gluten intolerance, it's very common in our population now and it's never been easier to be gluten-free. Testing can be very unpleasant (sampling) but it is not always accurate and your chart may end up reading, "claims gluten intolerance," or "suspects Celiac disease." The important thing is that your digestion is working properly and wheat-free has solved many digestive problems for many people. We call it Franken-Wheat as it's so different now than the original crop.

I am so happy to have found this forum (now I need to learn how to use it!). Already I've learned so much about Lap Band surgery from reading other people's stories. The more I learn the more I am convinced that this is the right surgery for me -- a good thing since it is the only WLS performed at the hospital I will be using. Today I inquired about why some hospitals no longer perform Lap Band but have gone to Sleeve and Bypass only. Apparently it's all about the follow-up by the medical practioners -- Lap Band surgical staff have to do a lot of work with patients to get the adjustments right for optimal weight loss and many hospitals find this not to be cost effective. It's clear that regular visits are a key to success and statistics seem to indicate that 11 visits are necessary in the first year. I am reading about "Fluro" and finally figured out this must be filling using Fluoroscopy -- can any one tell me more about that? I've had some borderline BMI concerns and found out that the 40 BMI requirement quoted by my insurance company is actually a 35 for those with other issues. So, that high blood pressure and sleep apnea are finally doing me a little favor -- I won't get rejected by the program for not being quite heavy enough. I am interested in finding out just when the weight is calculated "going in" and whether it's alright to lose a little prior to the surgery without being rejected by the insurance company. My timeline begins with a mandatory session August 6th and I've been advised that surgeries generally take place 3-4 months after that. Of course I hope it's sooner, but I need to begin thinking that it's something I'm dealing with this year rather than this summer. My only other question so far has to do with Vitamins and supplments and whether it's possible to still swallow pills and capsules. Do people use liquid vitamins, etc. after the surgery? I have to say I was glad to learn that absorption of vitamins and minerals is not an issue with the Lap Band as it is with other WLS -- I want to be healthy inside and out. Good luck every one -- to those who are waiting to have their surgeries, those who are just doing it now and all the Lap Banders who are working hard to give themselves just the right amount of the right foods every day and take care of their bodies for life. That's what I want to do.

Me, too -- I am worried about this as my insurance requires a 40 and while I have been there recently I am now hovering below. I am considering weights in my pockets to make sure I hit the right number on the scale -- the opposite of my usual technique of taking off everything possible. How ironic, to be this fat but possibly not quite heavy enough -- crazy! I have a feeling the medical professionals will be on my side. I don't think a supervised diet in advance is required for my insurer. On a complete aside, we adopted internationally about 20 years ago and I was advised by the social worker to fudge my weight. Since the adoption application included a full medical report I had to ask the doctor to leave it blank. The whole thing was pretty humiliating. I filled in a number I thought would be considered respectable. Good grief! And I was thinner then, of course, not the 242 I am now. 252 seems to be the right # for my height -- I am trying to figure that out. I wish I had gotten the lap and back then -- so many years of struggling. I will not let the number on the scale dictate my future. I am very determined. Rolls of quarters in my pockets? Ankle weights? Oh, the absurdity!

Congratulations and thanks for all the great tips here. I am at the baby steps beginning of this huge project and it is so helpful to hear how the surgery has gone for others. Sending best wishes your way!

My insurance company requires a BMI of 40 or greater -- called the PCP and I hover just under, once over. So ridiculous -- I am 240 or so, sometimes 250. Perfect candidate. Maybe I should have lead earrings on for my pre-op weigh-in!

Me, too, new. I will get a photo up and look forward to learning a lot from every one her. Thank you!

My first post -- just logged in, don't even have a photo yet. Great to find others with same issues around privacy. One of the things I hate about being heavy is how it's all there for others to see. I'm not sure, but I think I want my surgery to be between me, my husband and a few close friends. And you guys, whoever you are! I think I am going to enjoy the online community. Thanks so much! Oh, and whoever wrote about their husband with no filters, I had to laugh. Mine has already had a lecture and hourly reminders that I don't want any one to know about this. I suspect I'll end up being very proud and wanting to speak out but for now it's such a big decision and it feels quite tender.