Hello and welcome... I have been hanging out here for several months, but only since I set my date and started my pre-surgery diet have I felt like really getting connected --- as I know I might have the need for a lot of support at times in the future...
I am 56, have had problems with overweight since my late 20's, early 30's. I took off 65 pounds once with little difficulty --- but, unfortunately, I was dating a chubby chaser who managed to fatten me up way too quickly -- oh, the hours we spent in restaurants!! Yum Yum!
Then came the Internet ... and life alone. Where food too often substituted for companionship. And being around my parents --- for whom eating is a competitive sport! Best not leave dessert "til later" (or anything else, for that matter) for it will be gone, eaten by someone else, when you head back to the kitchen in a couple of hours..
I live in South Texas -- a place in the United States where law suits have driven all the WLS docs out of area. San Antonio, Houston and Victoria are as far south as you find anyone here in the state.
I am without insurance coverage for LapBand surgery (just the traditional Gastric Bypass types) so I am headed across the border.
With the encouragement of the local doctor, I am hoping to start an information and support group locally after the surgery, as most people have either never heard of LapBand surgery, knowing only the scariness of bypass surgery.
I love vbulletin boards --- thanks to the forum owner!
Theresa