Dan5099

I have been a yo-yo dieter most of my adult life. I lost 80 pounds on Medifast in Spring, 2008. When I regained all of it plus some, I knew it was time to take the next step. I am sure that Type II diabetes and heart disease are in my future if I do not get my weight under control. After a severe bout with pneumonia, which I am sure was at least aggravated by my weight, I contacted Dr. Bono's office and scheduled an orientation session to attend. I was interested in RNY surgery, but Dr. Bono thought that I would be a good candidate for the Realize band. I did a lot of research and saw that the weight loss, although typically slower, approaches the same results as RNY in the long term. I have finished with my psych, cardiology, doppler-vascular, and pulmonary clearances. Everything is fine. I still have to get an upper g.i., p.t. eval, and nutritionist consult and then complete my required 6 month physician supervised diet program (which takes me to January 2010) and I'll be all set.I have been "lurking" on the forum for a few months and finally decided to come out from behind the curtain. I look forward to continued advice and encouraging posts by the members and will certainly post my experiences to help others who are in the same or earlier stage of the process as I am.Best wishes to everyone.<br />Dan S.<br />