Maribelle

Hi! I'm a bit behind you in the process, but in a similar situation. I am also 32, with an 11 month old daughter. I am only telling a few close family members and one friend (the only one who can keep a secret...LOL). So it's been a little rough so far? Do you have help with the children? I'm a little worried about caring for my daughter as she cannot walk or crawl yet on her own, but thankfully my hubby will take off work the first few days so I can veg out. Hope you're feeling better soon!

If I had lost 40 lbs. EVER in my whole life I would be thrilled! You have done a great job so far, even if it isn't what you imagined. Go to the grocery store and try to pick up 4 10lb. bags of potatoes. You have knocked that much weight off of your frame. And studies have shown that one lb. of weight loss = 4 lbs. of pressure off of your knees. You have reduced the strain on your knees by 160 lbs! That is something to be proud of, and now that yo are back on track, your accomplishments will be even greater.

Good job! Your date will be here soon enough.

Wow! That's awesome. It's nice to hear a good insurance story for once.

The posted stats usually say the mortality rate for banding is 1 in 2000 (or .05%), but based on my research I think this stat is relatively old. I think the decrease in surgery time over the past ten years due to the implementation of the low-calorie diet to shrink the liver and new technology makes a big difference in the safety of the operation. For instance, in the past five years, due to these factors, my surgeon's average band operation has gone from 1.5 hours to 45 minutes. That is half as much exposure to anesthesia than it would have been before. I've heard similar stories from other patients of other doctors, so I think that the real mortality rate would be MUCH lower.

Congrats to all of the newly banded on here. It is so reassuring to read the stories and to have some idea what to expect, especially since none of them have been too horrible yet. So many of the August All-Stars have already lost a lot of weight. That's so exciting! I'm feeling a bit guilty reading all of the wonderful pre-op weigh loss stories. I don't start my Medifast until Tuesday and I've been a bad, bad girl so far. But, on the bright side, I'm basically completely sick of food now and ready to start my new life with no regrets. I thought I was going to have some issues making my last payment since my student loan refund was accidentally mailed to my old address, but thnakfully the post office was quick and I received it yesterday, so it is all systems go for Aug. 26th. Now I just need to get my house cleaned so I won't have to come home to a wreck. It was pretty cool when I went to my nutrition and pre-op workup last week. There was a really beautiful, fit woman in the waiting room and I heard her tell the nurse at the check in station that she needed "a little more." I asked her if she was getting a fill and she said yes. She'd had the surgery in 2006 and lost 105 lbs. She gave all of us waiting a good pep talk. There were 4 of us (all women) waiting for the session. Then the nurse had me come back to take some "before" pics. I was the first one. When I went back into the waiting room with the other women, I said, "Gosh, I don't mind having my picture taken, but NUDE??? Is that really necessary?" I thought the one lady closest to me was going to choke on her drink. Hee hee. I'm mean. But Aug. 26th can't get here quickly enough for me!

Tim is a hotty now! Yay! Good job.

First, thank you for the suggestions and support. It gave me some back up ideas and I was a little less stressed. Luckily, the forwarding process went quicker than I expected and I got the check yesterday, so the bill was paid today. I can't believe I am all ready to go! The only thing standing between me and the surgery is 10 days and the Medifast diet. I am so ready to do this! Yay!

I have already paid $8000 of my self-pay cost but the balance was originally due on 8/12 (2 weeks before my surgery). I am using a school loan that was sent by mail on Friday, 8/8. It was supposed to be direct deposit but the school made a mistake and it was mailed TO MY OLD ADDRESS. Ack. It was my fault about the address. I had updated it online in my general info, but did not realize I need to change it with the accounting office, as well. So anyway, the last piece of mail that was rerouted to us took 13 days to get to me once it go tot the post office (I live in the same town, just a different street). I told the people in accounting at the surgery center on Tuesday that the check would be here anyday and they seemed cool with it, but now I am worried. I'm going to the post office tomorrow, but I know that they are really busy and it would be really hard to track down one piece of mail. I keep trying to think of someone I could temporarily borrow the money from for two weeks until the check gets here, but I hate asking. I might have to, though. Just needed to vent.

Had my pre-op physical and nutrition training today. Everything is ready to go for my Aug. 26th surgery date, except I am waiting on my school refund check. They sent it out on Friday, so hopefully it will be in the mailbox tomorrow. I paid them the $8000 I already have today, so I think that will be enough to hold them for a few days. I officially start my seven days of Medifast next Tuesday, but I am going to do a partial Medifast this week, too, with maybe a shake for breakfast and lunch and some pudding for a snack, with a regular dinner. I am SOOOO ready to get this all over with! Turtletears-I think you will have great results on your scan! I hope they get the results back quickly and don't make you wait around.

Hello! I am going tobe banded on the 26th and I'm very excited. The only worry I have is if I will be able to take care of my 11 month old very well in the days after the surgery. She is 11 months, 19 lbs., and she cannot get around on her on yet, so I do a lot of carrying. My doc said it is OK to lift up to 20 lbs., but I am more concerned with the bending and twisting that come with taking care of her. Has anyone dealt with taking care of an infant after surgery? Any tips or suggestions on how to reduce the stress of it upon my body? PS- Hubby is watching her the first two days and nights after surgery while I sleep and get the gas out.

Well, I needed to correct my last post. I must have been majorly retaining water the first time I weighed myself b/c I checked again and I have gained 3 lbs., not 10. Whew!

I won't miss: -avoiding high school friends when I see them in the store b/c I am embarrassed about how I look. -wearing bulky t-shirts and capris when it is 95 degrees outside. I wanna wear a tank top and shorts w/o being self-conscious! -tugging my short down every time I stand up. -missing out on roles in the community theater productions b/c I am too big to play the ingenue (and maybe too old now...LOL, but that's what makeup is for). -planning lunch while I'm eating breakfast. -elastic waist bands and the old lady clothes I wear b/c nothing else fits, or I don't want to spend the crazy money Lany Bryant and Torrid charge. I don't think there is one single thing I will miss about being able to eat what I want all of the time. I am pretty much sick of food, and sick of being a slave to it. Only 16 more days until I kick my bad weight habit forever!

OK, I am embarrassed to admit this as I am an English teacher, but I got "morbidity rates" and "mortality rates" confused, and when I read this, I was like WTF! LOL. I was wondering what I had gotten myself into. As far as your choice, I agree with what everyone else has said. I was speaking to a woman at the seminar I went to, and I asked her why she was choosing the gastric sleeve over banding. She said she had a history of problems with ulcers, and she was concerned that she might have a greater chance of erosion. Other than that, though, I can't think of any reason that I would personally choose GBS over banding. The shorter recovery time is imperative for me, as I have an 11 month-old who won't slow down. But you know what is best fo you, and I hope whichever path you choose, you are healthy and happy very soon.

Thanks for the welcome!

I think this surgery is going to do wonderful things for you and as others have said, stick to your guns. It time to focus on YOU. Not him, not the kids. Yourself. I have a feeling he is scared that when you lose the weight and find yourself, you may not be so easily controlled, and anyone who is domineering would be threatened by that. You can work on those issues later on down the road, though, because now you've got to get yourself right and things will fall into place later. Good luck on your surgery!

That name, Mrs. Pac Man, says it all for me! I am having the "Long Farewell to Food." I've gained 10 lbs. since my initial appointment July.2:eek:. I know very well that I will still be able to have many of the foods I am pretending to say goodbye to now after the surgery, but really it is more than that. I'm tired of the years of trying to control my weight. I'm being very lazy now. I will put up a great effort when the low-cal prediet starts, but until then, I am being a slug. I suppose it will irritate me when I have to relose those pounds soon, but I've stopped trying to understand my reasons for why I do what I do. I don't want to go into this experience already worn out and mentally starved. Stupid reasons, maybe, but I am just being honest. The good news is that my Medifast begins next week, so my screw up days are limited and I will have some structure again in my life, which will be a good thing. Good luck to you!

Wow! How exciting that you surgery is just a few days away. Your pic is gorgeous, BTW. I am scheduled for outpatient, too, and really happy about it. It seems impossible to get any good rest at a hospital with all of the nurses and housekeeping people dropping in. I'd rather be home, cozy in my own bed. Do you have anyone lined up to stay with you in case you need to be babied? I'm sure it will go great.

Hi, All! I'm getting banded on Aug. 26. My preop workup is Aug. 12, and I have to do a week of Medifast. I look forward to hearing all about the surgery and great weight loss from those who have been banded before me. MaryD-At my Dr.'s office, your BMI determines how long you have to do the preop diet. Over 40 BMI is 2 weeks, Under 40 is 1 week. This is because the higher the BMI, the greater the chance of a fatty liver. They want to give you enough time on a very low cal diet to make sure your body uses the fat reserves around the liver. I guess the drs who do not require it aren't too worried about dealing with an enlarged liver.

Hello! I'm 32 and scheduled for band surgery on Aug. 26 with Dr. Trace Curry. I have my nutrition thingy and pre-op workup on Aug. 12, so it is coming up fast. I am currently 250 lbs and 5'8", so I'd like to drop around 100lbs total. Even in high school when I was more active, I never weighed less than 165, so I'm not sure if that goal is achievable or not, but I figured why not go for it? I've been steadily putting on the weight for the past ten years, so I'm going to nip this in the bud before I end up on a TLC special...LOL. I like to exercise, but I have gotten lazy, so I look forward to getting back on track in that department. More than anything, I am excited about the possibility that thoughts of food will no longer rule my life. I spend a lot of brain power planning on what I'm going to eat next! My husband asked me how I am feeling about surgery and I just want to hurry up and get it done. I'm not nervous, or even excited yet, because it seems like it really won't happen. I am self-pay and paying part of it with a student loan, so I'm afraid something will happen and the loan refund will be too late. I'm sure it will all work out, but worry is my middle name. I'm glad to have found this site for support and to learn more about the process.