gg2007BandSTAR

Hi JULES! Welcome to the forum, ive not been on her long myself but i have gotten great support from other members. I haven't had the band fitted yet, i am trying through the nhs and am waiting on a letter to see the surgoen. But from doing some research, even if i am accepted i may have to wait for up to three years. Im not prepared to wait that long so depending how how long the process takes i will be going private, sooner rather than later. Hows the pain? Does it really hurt, i hear people get alot of shoulder pain because of the gas in the stomach. Wish you all the best in your weight loss, let us know how you get on xxx

Hi everyone! At my highest i was 406lbs, Last year around this time i was down to 362lbs and now im 395lbs today is the start of my 12 week diet before surgery...i will update soon, hopefully it will be losses....fingers crossed! its quite surreal, i guess i feel comfortable talking about my weigh on these forums as i know everyone is going through the same thing. But to anyone else, there would be no way i would tell em how much i weighed. Harriet xxx

Hi all! Im Harriet from London, UK. At my heaviest i was 406 with a bmi of 59.9....(wats 0.01 between friends? lol). Im currently 392...well 395 (weighed in this morn and have put on 3lbs ). But his is day one of my 12 week diet to try and shift a few lbs before the op. Hopefully if all goes well i will have it in sept. i look forward to hearing about all of your journeys! and blg20002000, what a GREAT weight loss!!!!

Hey well done on finishing up on your weigh management, that means you are a step closer. :thumbup: I think im addicted to the forum! any chance i get im logged on, but really has been great for support. Congrats on getting approved by your insurance, have you been given a date for the op yet? i know the feeling, i feel nervous about the op and want to get it out of the way, but also really excited!! Your only 4lbs out hun, when are you going to be weighed. Im sure they wont deny you for 4lbs? I have my consultation booked for next week and should have the around sept time if all goes well! Wow that was really quick!! what insurance company are you with, how are you feeling about friday? Again the road wont be easy but with strengh, support and fighting sprit, you will get to the end before you know! i definatly agree...most people who i know dont really have a weight problem, so its nice to find a common ground where you can share things with people who are going through the same. Good luck to us all!! and look forward to hearing about all your journeys:biggrin2::thumbup:

Glad to see you back safe and well! How soon were you allowed home after the op? xx

Hi MsScorpio! Thanks for the reply! i can still add you if you have a yahoo add , the 5th of june is only 4 days away....how are you feeling? xxx

Hi All Im looking for a band buddy, would be great if you are in england but its not essential. I feel you dont need to be in the same country as another to get support. A lil about me, im 25 (26 nxt month), female, 392lbs, 5'10 and in london, uk. I have over 200lbs to loose, and am currently doing my own pre-op diet, getting ready to be banded around sept time. If you feel you could help out a fellow "to be" bandster, just drop me a pm. Thanks xxxx

Hiya!! That would be great! How many months into your pre-op diet are you? and well done on your loss so far!!!

Hi all, i signed up to the site about a week ago and have been addicted since!! Im still doing my info gathering about banding and know that it is definatly for me. Hopefully in the next three months i should be banded!! Im 5'10 and 392lbs:ohmy: so have a lot to loose, it wont be easy, but it CAN be done!! Would love to hear about all of your experiences, especialy from those who have lost 200lbs+. Am also looking for some msn band buddys......? If anyone is up for it, pls email your msn messenger address n i will add you. hope to hear from you soon. Harriet xx

:thumbup::thumbup: Thanks!! And i have:biggrin::biggrin:, i have found a surgeon who im happy with and am going to book a consultation with (self paying). Two reasons as much as i would like to get the op on the nhs for free, i really dont know how long i will be waiting for. Doing some research it could be anything from 6 months to 3yrs!!! having spoken to other people who have had the operation with the same surgeon, you could have the op as soon as a week after the consultation! I would like to provisionally book the op around sept time for two main reasons... 1. to drop some weight, anything i can loose will be an advantage. 2. to give me a chance to save up But in saying the above i will still wait and see what happens between now and sept with my GP referral. :thumbup: :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::biggrin::laugh:

Hey, ive not been banded yet. I have just been referred by my doc, and am trying to get it done on the nhs. But from the sounds of things there is a long waiting list. If that's the case then i will go private in september. But for the mean time am waiting for an appointment with the surgeon. How are you feeling? where are you getting banded?

Hi Baby! Welcome, im pretty new myself, but people have been so friendly and answered so many of my questions. Good luck with your band fitting, let us know how it goes. xx

i agree with the above, london is a great place to live! but also very expensive. But in saying that i cant picture myself living outside london. Good luck

hey!! You can get through it hun! This is just the start of transforming to the new trimmer you. I did the cambridge diet for a while and was living of 3 shakes a day, so i know how hard it can be. wish you all the best! xx

Hi All! Just a lil update for you all, had my appoint with the doc this afternoon and he finally referred me for surgery! Barrier 1 down.....woooo!! its just a waiting game till i get the next appointment letter through for consultation with the surgeon. Thanks to you all for your advice and suggestions!!

Hi Sydney. Im glad surgery went well! I was hoping you would come back and give us an update. I wish you a speedy recovery! :wink2:

Thank you all for the reponses! It is really good to know that others have been around my weight and have had the procedure done, and ARE loosing weight. How did you all find it adjusting to the your new diets after surgery was done? and how are you finding it adjustung to your new and changing bodies? I did the cambridge diet last yr and lost nearly 3 stone, but although i knew i had lost the weight i mentally didnt feel that i had lost anything. I dont know if it was because i was quite big and needed to loose more before i noticed...i dont know. I have been overweight since i can remember, the only time i remeber being average weight was about 7/8 yrs old. I know it seems weird but i can really picture myself being a size 12/14 because all i have known is being big.

Hi! I'm the same, would love the weight loses of gastric bypass but not the procedure!! But in saying that i would be very happy if i lost 2lbs a week if i got banded. I am still trying to loose weight at the mo, but my problem is: i loose it, put it back on again, loose it, put it back on again. How much did your doc ask you to loose before you had the procedure?

I defiantly will keep trying, if my doc thinks i'm giving up that easily he has another thing coming. Will let you know how it goes on Fri :smile2: How long ago did you get banded tricia? Have your losses been good?

Thanks for all the replys everyone. I have booked another appointment with my doctor to see what excatly what his reasons are, and if he still refuses i will see another doctor. Good luck with your surgery Sydney! Wish you all the best x by the way how long did it take you to loose 48lbs? H

Hi, I think that's a really important point that you made, about it being my decision and not the doctors. When he said that to me i felt he had no real background for saying it. Like you said people with bmi, in the 50 and even 60's have lost with the gastric band. I dont mind that the weight loss is slower, even if i loose 1lb a week i would be so happy. My problem is being consistant with my weight loss, im a typical yo-yo dieter and i feel it really time to stop and get serious about trying to drop my excess lbs. $30,000...wow! Was that the lap band procedure? Well done for putting your foot down with your insurance company, $30,000 is alot of money to shell out for an individual. How are you doing since you had your op?

That's exactly what i thought, i thought i would be a good candidate, but according to him guess not. Guess i will have to continue in my search. Like you said, the GBP route personally i dont feel is right for me, Good luck with getting your op done. Hope the insurance doesn't hold you up to much! Thanks for the reply stitchy, the way the doctors are going on over here looks likes im going to have to comes to the states to get banded. lol How much is the procedure privately in the states? Or does it vary state to state? Thanks H

Hi Drew, Im 5'10 Are you getting banded? H

Hi All Im a newbie, and am thinking about getting gastric banding done. Im still in the process of finding the right surgeon to do the op. I have approached a few and have been told that they dont feel that lapband would be suitable for me because of my high bmi. I don't really want to go down the route when they start taking bits of my stomach or gastric bypass. I'm currently 390lbs and wanted to know if anyone started around a similar weight and have or is going to be banded? if so, were to told to reach a certain weight before they would operate? Thanks H xx