Okay…a little bit of background before I ask my questions

I've been circling around the lapband surgery for a few years now. I've always been hesitant until the amputation of my left big toe in January 2010. I was scheduled to be banded a few weeks ago. I went through the pre-op process, has my surgery date picked out, and life was good. Or so I thought. I had some blood work done, and two things stood out. One, my thyroid TSH was out of sorts. Two, my A1C was terrible. I was told the surgery was scrubbed until I got some issues taken care of. Essentially, the thyroid was by far the biggest issue (at least that was the impression I was under), as the surgeon didn't want to take risks. I was completely mortified...I was so close to the surgery, yet now I have a setback to deal with. I was crushed, to say the least. I told my parents that I decided to postpone the surgery a month (giving the excuse that work was busy) so I could try and get things together. I didn't want to tell me mom and dad that I was a medical failure.

I have an appointment with my Primary Doc tomorrow afternoon to discuss the plan of action. The thyroid issue was my fault, as I was neglecting to take my thyroid meds each day for about 2 weeks (shame on me). I've been taking my thyroid meds faithfully for weeks now, so my next TSH reading should be normal. My diabetes is another thing in of itself. I've been a career "mess up" when it comes to taking care of it. I got a grip and am taking my insulin faithfully (as of the past week), so it's a start.

So my question is this. Since my Primary Doc is the gatekeeper (my lapband surgeon said my PD will be the one to give me the green light in regards to the thyroid / diabetes issue), is there any advice that I can use tomorrow? Essentially, I'm 100% contrite about being a failure in the past, and I really do want to be banded so I can get my life together. I'm 100% committed to the lifestyle changes, and will do whatever it takes to achieve weight loss success.

I know there's a lot of rambling in my post , but if anyone has had experience in dealing with their doctor and convincing them that you're not a screw up, please let me know.

The only way I see to convince him is to show him the lab results he wants to see! I'm assuming that the amputation is a result of the diabetes. Once you are banded and the weight starts to fall off, that should improve dramatically if not resolve completely. Take your meds and eat the way you are supposed to. If your doctor is familiar with your health issues and history regarding them then all the talking in the world isn't going to convince him. You have to show him!

The only way you're going to prove anything to your doctor is to DO IT. Do exactly what your'e supposed to and make the tests prove that you're doing what you should.

Now that I've said that...please please take a step back and take a very hard look at why you're wanting to be banded. You say you're 100% committed to lifestyle changes, but you didn't take your thyroid meds for the 2 weeks right before your blood tests. You knew you were almost through all of the hoops, and you failed the tests because of something that you chose not to do, even though you KNEW you were about to have surgery.

That worries me. the fact that you lost your toe in January of 2010, yet you still didn't get serious about your insulin until last week. Clearly I only know what you've told us, but your pcp knows your medical history, and I would be concerned if he didn't raise a red flag.

The band may help you feel satisfied after smaller meals... or it may not. It's not going to change what foods you eat, and it might not even change the amounts of food you eat. You have to do that all yourself, and for some of us it's a daily fight. I am 6 months out from surgery and I haven't had an easy day yet- but based on my weight loss, I sure consider myself a success. It's ALL in the choices I make and the days I choose to put my foot down and not take that one bite that leads to one more bite that leads to a handful that leads to a bowl that leads to the whole box. KWIM?

I guess the long story short is- I think most band patients find that the band requires a large amount of self control. You just need to make sure you take a good hard honest look at yourself and see if you'll be able to have success, or if this is going to be one more thing you decide to be lax about.

Please know that I am saying this all out of respect and care, NOT out of meanness. I worry that people just don't know going into this that it might not be the miracle cure they're expecting.

I agree with Rachel. The fact that you admit to being a non-compliant diabetic and not taking your thyroid meds is very concerning considering the considerable amount of work you will have to do to be successful with a band.

My suggestion for you would be to get your medical issues under control for several months before being banded.

After looking at your profile I see you've lost 45 pounds already! Way to go!! Stop beating yourself up and get busy getting those lab tests in the right numbers. You know what to do....so get started on your NEW life of taking care of yourself!

FYI-I'm a serious diabetic myself and although I've always been compliant with my meds...eating right has always been a struggle, so I really do understand. Best of luck to you.

Thank you for the words of support, and for the encouragement to get off my butt and get myself better

I did want to clarify a couple of things. I've taken my insulin for periods of time...just nothing that was a solid, concrete consistency. I am no saint,. but I'm also not completely oblivious to the merits of taking my meds

I appreciate the constructive feedback - I can say that with 100% thanfullness. I hope that in the near future, I'll be able to say "Hey...my bandiing date is now..." and Celebrate with you once I start shedding some more weight.

I appreciate the constructive feedback - I can say that with 100% thanfullness. I hope that in the near future, I'll be able to say "Hey...my bandiing date is now..." and celebrate with you once I start shedding some more weight.

Even better- I hope you'll be able to say "I've been banded since xxxx and have lost xx pounds and this is what works for me!"