Yesterday someone posted a comment on the regular forum. I replied along with a question to her. She then sent me a private msg telling me how horrible the band was...advising me not to get the band. She explained in detail her horrible experience with esophogal issues, how she cant eat or drink anything, the pain, the stuck episodes, etc. She is having her band removed. It scared the crap out of me. I then realized I have only looked at the happyside of lapband...so, I researched the dark side......for 4 hrs....until I fell asleep at the IPAD. I was all set for the band. Im 1.5 wks away. Im on pre op diet. Doing good. Yes, having my doubts..scared..worried, but moving forward. Why did this email pop into my LBT Inbox? Why were her issues related directly to my worst fears? What's going on? Why am I Seriously considering cancelling my surgery ? Was I just not serious enough to begin with? I've been in this for over a year now. Do I believe the scare stories over the success stories? The 20% failure rate? Do I really understand what a huge life change this will be? Do you? Considering the failure rate, do I want to gamble with my health? i ask all these questions in the utmost seriousness. Im scared and wish I had a crystal ball.

I meant to add this to my post above: Like I said, I have been on this forum for 14 months. In that time I have found 3 posters who are wise and knowledgeable. They strip through the BS and hand out sound advice. When these people post, I READ. Elcee, B52 and Corrigan

Elcee and B52 are at goal and Corrigan is close to goal.

I don't know what you should do, but I have a friend who got the band at age 70 (she was 260lbs) and she's kept 80 pounds off for the last 8 YEARS.

Glove I'm so happy you came back and shared. It sounds like you made a wise decision for yourself. How can anyone not honor that? I think each of us has to feel 100% certain about this and know that it isn't really the easiest way out. I'm thinking there are going to be months of struggles with my addiction to food, the physical effects of being banded, and how those around me will react to my weight loss. I watched my sister lose 125 lbs after her bypass and thought to myself there was no way in hell I would ever do that. Well here I am.

 

With as much work as you've done researching this surgery, you are really an asset to the group. I hope you do stick around. We're all going to need your emotional support and I value your insight.

hugs~

Julz, you sound like one terrific human being. What a blessing it would be to have you as a friend, a neighbor! There were sooo many things that went into this huge decision I made not to do the lapband at this time. A lot was fear of the unknown.. But much was the state of my being right now. i just retired from 36 yrs of an extremely stressful job. Stress that caused me to overeat and gain a lot of this weight. Hypothyroidism that went undetected for several yrs that caused weight gain. I feel that I need to allow my body to decompress from working...focus on what's important, which is health and see if I can make a change naturally. I love healthy food. im not a junk food addict. Never have been. I Dont want to restrict my body from healthy eating by putting a band in my body. I hated the idea that I couldnt eat asparagus without getting stuck. Not eating kale or lettuce was not an option for me. Besides all this, my 90 yr old parents were diagnosed with cancer and Alzheimer within 6 mo of each other. im the only child in the area to care for them. I cant be thinking of myself right now. Im thinking this kind of stress with a band will only lead to trouble. SO, I think you can see the sum of all of this is how I made my decision at this time. YES, banding is the most

personal decision and it must be honored. Thank you April Bandsters! Good luck.

I will be fine. i've lost weight before and I will do it again. I want to know how all the April Bandsters do so I will be lurking around and reading your posts, if you dont mind. God Bless and good luck on the other side. You will look awesome in just a few short months!!!!

Thank you for letting us know your decision. I was confident you'd make the right decision for yourself, and I support you 100%. With your current weight loss, you are already steadily traveling along a path that is working well for you, and with your level of commitment, you WILL continue to lose weight!

Through your posts, you have taught us so much and are an invaluable member of this group. I appreciate all the ways you've helped us and truly hope we will continue to receive updates from you when you have time to post.

Best wishes!

GLove, I wish you the best and yes please read our posts and chime in sometimes. You have put a lot of thought into this and with the reasons you have stated it makes perfect sense to me that you not have the lap-band at this time. You do need to think of yourself right now. I understand with two parents recently diagnosed with Alzheimers it would be extremely difficult to keep all of your needs after surgery in the forefront.

 

Also thanks about the advice of following Elcee, B52 and Corrigan. I also have found B52 cuts through the BS.

Glove - good luck i wish you the best and congrats on your decision.

Julz, you sound like one terrific human being. What a blessing it would be to have you as a friend, a neighbor! There were sooo many things that went into this huge decision I made not to do the lapband at this time. A lot was fear of the unknown.. But much was the state of my being right now. i just retired from 36 yrs of an extremely stressful job. Stress that caused me to overeat and gain a lot of this weight. Hypothyroidism that went undetected for several yrs that caused weight gain. I feel that I need to allow my body to decompress from working...focus on what's important, which is health and see if I can make a change naturally. I love healthy food. im not a junk food addict. Never have been. I Dont want to restrict my body from healthy eating by putting a band in my body. I hated the idea that I couldnt eat asparagus without getting stuck. Not eating kale or lettuce was not an option for me. Besides all this, my 90 yr old parents were diagnosed with cancer and Alzheimer within 6 mo of each other. im the only child in the area to care for them. I cant be thinking of myself right now. Im thinking this kind of stress with a band will only lead to trouble. SO, I think you can see the sum of all of this is how I made my decision at this time. YES, banding is the most

personal decision and it must be honored. Thank you April Bandsters! Good luck.

 

Glove I just treat people how I wish to be treated. Ya know, that golden rule?

Seems to work every time!

hugs~