I have come to the cross roads where I NEED to do something to lose the weight and one of my doctors has mentioned lap band. I am pretty sure this is something I want to do and I have already made alot of the appointments that she told me to. I've made the appointment to meet with my regular general doctor and I have made the appointment to see the counselor about the whole mental health thing. Right now its all an information gathering and getting all my doctors on board with the idea. At this point I don't think it will be an issue to get them to agree on it.

I have never been a thin person I have always had a weight problem but it has gotten worse as I have gotten older and compounded even more with an accident that left me needing surgery on my knee 6 months after it happened. The orthopedic surgeon has been very vocal about me needing bariatric surgery.

I am scared!! Does anyone have any suggestions or stories that will help!

hey there.. I am not sure what type of story you are looking for but I can tell you the band saved my life. I had a cardiac cath done in march of 08 due to major chest pains from being so obese. Luckily it was just spazming capillaries but my doc said I needed to lose weight asap. I was banded june of 08 and reached goal within a year. I am now the healthiest I have been since before I had my children 20 years ago~! The band is a tool though not a cure. I wish you much luck in researching what is best for you. If you have any specific questions let me know.. I am a happy bander and really really love my band.

I completely understand where you are coming from! I'm currently in the pre-op stages. What really kick-started my decision to look into the surgery was the fact that I have had a series of injuries to my left knee (torn ligament, car accident, and currently a torn meniscus). I went to an orthopedic surgeon who was telling me about how 1 pound of your weight is the equivalent to 4 pounds on your knees. I have always been overweight (my parents took me to a nutritionist before I was a year old because of it), but was always able to exercise and stay active to somewhat manage my weight (although I was always significantly above average). Now I can't even go on the treadmill for more than 10 minutes. Just think about how much the quality of your life will go up, and how much less pain you will be in. I'm not sure exactly of your situation, but I know for myself, I was afraid I would be stuck at this weight (if not higher) forever with no exercise escape. Although it is not ideal to have a surgery, I feel like it will give me a fighting chance to a healthy life. :tongue:

I made the decision to have the surgery because I have a severly arthritic knee that will need a replacement, my doctor said it would fail if I was not under 200lbs when the surgery was done, I have now lost a bit over 50lbs and I can tell you my knee has improved 100%, so I feel with more weight loss that I may be able to prolong the surgery for a while longer than I anticipated. It is hard work, but oh so worth it.

Thank you for responses. The more I think about it I am really hoping that we can get things worked out to get this done. I have to go back and see the orthopedic surgeon on the 31st of this month I am NOT looking forward to it at all....:tongue:, but then again I might end up with another doctor to support the idea of having the procedure done. So for now I wont know much more until I meet with the doctor who suggested it in January!

Wow that is awesome....The more I read and the more I the more I chat with people it might be the tool I need to get the weight off...ive tried LA Weight Loss and Weight Watchers but it doesnt last long or its not the best plan. Thanks for your response

Thank you for responses. The more I think about it I am really hoping that we can get things worked out to get this done. I have to go back and see the orthopedic surgeon on the 31st of this month I am NOT looking forward to it at all....:tongue:, but then again I might end up with another doctor to support the idea of having the procedure done. So for now I wont know much more until I meet with the doctor who suggested it in January!

I didn't tell anyone, even my doctor that I was having surgery. He still does not know. I have lost 28lbs now and I am so so glad I did it. My mexican Doc didn't not require permission from my doc so I just went and did it. I am a type 1 diabetic so it was even more imperative that I do something about the weight. I can not remember the last time I was this excited. You will be fine!!! I promise!!!!