I am fighting with myself wondering if I made the right WLS choice. I have been looking around alot of different websites and all I see is people that have had RNY surgery and have lost 100-150 pounds in 8-10 months! I am wondering if I made the right choice to have the LAP band done?? It seems as though RNY patients lose so fast with such little effort, and I just don't know if I can do it. I am having a very depressing evening. My fiance and I are fighting and I am feeling very down. Thankyou for listening to me everyone, you guys are the only ones I can talk to about this stuff.

Well, sweetie, only you can answer that question. There are many bandsters who've lost that kind of weight in a year, or two. There are also plenty of folks who've had the RNY or other GB and haven't lost that kind of weight.

And there is no saying that if the band doesn't work for you, that any other one will either. I have recently come to the decision that while the band isn't going to work for me the way it does for others, a malabsorptiive technique like the RNY or the DS probably won't work either. If I can't lose on 700 calories a day, then I probably can't lose at all.

But I'll keep my band, thank you very much.

And at the stage you are at right now, I think EVERYBODY second guesses their decision right about 2-4 weeks out. Some sooner, some later.

Seems like we have a lot in common. I was banded Wednesday and the tears won't stop coming and my fiance' and I are arguing too. I don't want to start the new year off like this, and I keep wondering if I made the right decision at all. Here it is almost day 4 and I think I'm hungry. I'm playing mental war games with myself. Drop me an email if you want to chat. Hugs and prayers going out to you tonight!

It's one of the "stages of banding" - shortly after surgery you wonder whether you made the right choice. I marked where you are in red, below.

Hang in there!

----------------------------------------------

From:

"Jessie H. Ahroni" (on SmartBandsters Yahoo Group)

SUBJECT: Stages of Banding

Discovering the Band

Wondering if this is for me

Investigation

Doing serious research

Joining a support group

Getting hopeful

Finding a doctor

Shock at the price

Deciding to do it

Making the arrangements

Wondering if you made the right decision

Getting nervous

Going ahead with it

Waking up and wondering what the hell you did to yourself

Post-op discomfort

Month of liquids- not being able to strictly adhere

Wondering if you've been scammed again

Seeing a little success

Getting your first fill

Changing your eating habits

Seeing more success

Getting second fill

Really losing

Seriously changing your eating habits

Being totally euphoric about your weight loss

Changing your thinking about eating

Wanting to tell every fat person you meet about the band

Realizing you really can't eat

Worrying about nutrition

Learning to eat healthy and wise

Finding other ways to meet your emotional needs

Realizing it takes a long time to lose 100lbs

Trudging along

My clothes are too big

Buying new clothes

Oops, I bought too much too soon...now these are too big

Buying more clothes

Getting near goal

Enjoying all the compliments

Feeling successful

Getting aggressive

Not taking crap from anybody

Realizing you can be assertive without steam rolling everybody

Finding balance

Wondering what comes next

**There are other stages and everybody does not go through them in

the same order or even go through all the stages. Some people might have

stages to add....and there is some looping back and forth. But these are

common stages that most Bandsters go through.

The bypass folks suffer as much if not more than us. I have a few friends who dropped weight and are now gaining. The reason I didn't choose the bypass was b/c I didn't want to drop 100 lbs plus lots of hair in 6 months.

Sara, did your doctor discuss after surgery depression? Hang in there girlie, your gonna be okay. Your body is going through alot right now with healing and no food so hang on...it does get better. The roughtest time for me was the first 4 weeks b/c of the liquid diet. But when I saw the pounds coming off it made it so worth it. You'll see.

Hugs to you both... don't be so hard on yourself right now, just heal and feel better.

"30 days smoke free' is your real issue, my dear. That's a huge life change, every big as big and drastic as WLS. First no ciggies, then a liquid diet for weeks? Who could cope?! No wonder you are depressed! You have lost 2 very important coping mechanisms within weeks of one another...I'd be schitzo. Seriously!

Give yourself a break. This is YOUR journey. You are comparing apples and oranges with RNY folks and honestly, what the heck are you gonna do about it NOW? There's nothing you can do right now. It's too soon to revise. You are wasting good energy being envious. Quit looking at RNY sites for a while.

Find some good relaxation techniques that will work for you. Seek counseling, or start your own NSV thread and journal your pretty little head to death...spill it all! And are you exercising or at least walking?

Your poor fiance. Tell him you are working on pulling your head out, be patient, tell him to give you a few extra hugs a day, you'll be okay. You just need to get over this hump. We are here for you!

BTW, well done on the smoking. You are doing great! You really are!!! Healthy new you is emerging. Yay!

Jack~

I always love your posts...they are always wise as well as usually funny. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

Emily

Jack - my sister also was 300+ lbs. and had the deudonal switch WLS. She also is suffering from the list of problems you mentioned your brother has suffered with.

I would prefer the SLOWWWWW Band anyday.

I know exercise (novel idea) would help me immensly right now - and my new years resolution is to stick to it for my own good.

Take care - nancy

I know its taking me forever also. Only 30 pds & already 6 months out. But I know beyond a shadow of a dought I made the right choice. How?? you may ask. The two people that I actually personally know that had RNY both lost 90 pds in a year & BOTH I said BOTH gained back 30pds & than the other 45pds total. They are very depressed & have no way of tightening up their guts to lose more. They do not think they made the right choice. Slow & steady wins the war. You'll do this.

Thankyou everyone for your posts! I am feeling a little better today. I am starting to notice my clothes aren't fitting so tight and my rings keep sliding around my fingers. So I feel better!! Thankyou again, I am so glad to have you guys to talk to!

Molly, thanks for posting the stages of banding! I've never seen that before. So very true...

Casinocat, hang in there! And great job with the smoking. You are tackling two huge things at once and doing an amazing job.

Thankyou everyone!! I really love the support on this forum!!!