Hi again Mimz.
Are you scheduled for surgery yet?
I've heard that GBP does wonders for GERD. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be finally free of that?!
Losing some weight would be an extra bonus.
Yes it is scary... no matter which way you/we turn it's pretty scary.
Here is my story.
Four years ago I went in for a lap band. My stomach was perforated but they didn't pick it up and I left the hospital in some pain which escalated over a few days to a 'please just kill me' type of agony. I was rushed in for emergency surgery one night and they opened me right up, took out my band, and cleared it up in there. The next three days I was in ICU and nearly died, and then the next seven days I was on the ward. Those seven days were the worst.
I have pretty bad back problems and can't sleep on my back. Because of the abdominal surgery it was impossible to sleep on my side. I was hooked up to all these machines and a catheter and they took my blood every three hours. I didn't sleep for just about all that time I was in hospital. I could only get somewhat comfortable in a recliner chair and the one they scoured the hospital for was small and crappy and they wouldn't allow me to hire a good one in.
It was pure psychological and physical hell.
In the end I signed myself out waiving them of responsibility because I knew I had to get home and get some rest.
I was so sad I went through all that and had nothing to show for it but ugly scars.
I thought there was no way I could ever go back in to hospital.
But, four months later I went back in got a lap band. Why? Because I resented paying out a few thousand dollars, having scars, no lap band... most of all because I was SCARED not to. I needed help.
I have lost and gained thousands of pounds in my life. My heaviest was 165 kilos (363 lbs). I had lost 20 kilos leading up to surgery and so went in at 147 kilos (323 lbs).
Anyway, it was keyhole (THANK GOD) and was a walk in the park after all I had been through.
So now I had my lap band... and guess what... I didn't lose any weight.
Yes I did everything I was supposed to and didn't lose anything.
My body has got to a point of having the worst metabolism ever. It doesn't care when I drop my calories to near to nothing. I might drop a little in the first few days then it STOPS!
I was bereft. Then I thought 'f*%k this'.
So I went on a year long super low carb, going to the gym nearly every day, routine and I did drop another 20ish hard earned kilos. So now I was at 121 and no matter what I did since I cannot get below that figure.
So after some time I put back on 10 kilos and then made myself get back into line and took it off and then hovered around 123 (270)for a couple of years... which in itself was an achievement. The band has NEVER helped me lose wight but I believe it did help me from piling it all back on.
Anyhow, I got it removed three weeks ago because it was more trouble then it was worth. It was a 10 ml band and the most I could ever get into it was 2 ml. I would choke at night and was convinced this was the way I would some day die. From choking on my own Fluid.
I have had GERD for 20 years but when the surgery was done the surgeon tightened up my stomach sphincter and that helped it not be so severe but the band caused its own problems in that regard.
So I still took Nexium every day.
Now, I have no band (which is bloody amazing lol... such a relief) , very little acid reflux, but I am scared to go too long without anything at all.
The surgeon told me there was a lot of scarring around the band and I have to go back and see him in a week. I'm hoping like hell he won't say he won't do it because of too much scarring.
I've read that most USA surgeons wait for several months for scarring to settle down and then do it so hopefully he will say that, but because he is Australian, and we don't do as many GBP ops here, I'm not sure he will.
I CAN'T be left with no options.
There you go, there's my story, sorry it was so long.
I know that there are people who have been through worse things, and I didn't want to sound too dramatic, but I'm just telling you how it was for me.
xox
