mom2twoboysinfl

My lapband story? Really there isn't enough room here; but I shall try and keep this brief. I had asked my PCP for a referral for a plastic surgeon in the area. After having 2 c-sections, I had what surgeons call an "apron" of skin that was left over from being large and getting much larger during pregnancy. I had been taking a common diet pill prescribed by my doctor for about 8 months and had lost about 35 lbs. I found my "apron" to be frustrating as well as really a motivational killer. My PCP explained to me that having my extra skin removed now would be a waste of money if i was to continue on my weight loss journey. Well, diets, weight loss, food restriction,....it's all been with me forever!  Naturally I was going to continue to attempt to loose weight, but I knew the diet pill, after much research, was not for me. My doctor asked me to turn my research to the lapband and said he would give me a referral for a surgeon at Memorial Hospital. So, I did my research, blogged and posted here at lapbandtalk.com for a few months and finally made the decision to go further, visit the surgeon's office and attend a seminar. At this time my biggest obstacle was traveling to and from Memorial Hospital. After all, the lapband surgery and it's follow-up can be up to 3 or 4 years. Did I want to travel all that way monthly? Nope! I expressed my concern to my Gynecologist during a yearly screening and he told me about North Florida Surgeons, right here in my very neighborhood. So, I scheduled my appointment with Dr. Stankard, thankfully I had no co-morbs at all and only had to see a Nutritionist and have a Psychiatric evaluation. I completed this within two weeks and then the real hard work came.....insurance approval. After two written request and several phone calls made by the surgeon's office as well as literally  of calls made by myself...finally after 6 months I had my approval...three weeks and a liquid diet later, I had my surgery. A full seven months later and I've lots a total of 73 lbs!  There have been a few bumps in the road, all caused by myself of course, but I had no complications, lasting side effects, issues of any kind at all with my band placement. The worst experience about the surgery itself was the gas. Because the abdominal cavity must be inflated in order for surgeon's to be able to see what they are doing inside the vicinity of your stomach, there is a lot of gas pumped in to expand the visual field.  The gas is painful and usually moves into your joints and can ache badly. I followed my post surgical diet(s)exactly and progressed rather easily and quickly. Of course sometimes I go to fast when eating, or get lazy and I make myself uncomfortable, every bit of food is trial and error, I keep a list of those that don't want to go down. I have had some PB, productive burping, everybody does and it can be intimidating at times, I often need to remind myself to slow down take my time, eat small bits, chew lots, don't drink when eating.....etc. Dining out has become a totally new experience that I once treated as a negative one, but have learned that eating slow and steady can be rewarding as long as I pay attention. My progress has been positive, slow and steady and very very rewarding. Nothing beats the feeling of feeling good in our own skin for the first time in 11 years. True success however is in knowing that the band is a tool and not a solution. As long as you stick to your diet, excersize three times a week and don't take steps toward sabotaging yourself you too will be successful. Good luck and God bless. Please feel free to message me with any questions you may have, I am more than willing to help and support where I can.  Thanks for reading this...Kerrie