Right now it seems like I have a long way to go till my surgery, but life has taught me, time goes by before you know it. My year of working with the insurance company began on February 1st this year. I wish I hadn't waited so long to come to this decision. I kept thinking I could lose weight through Weight Watchers. I'd done it before but it always came back with a vengeance. Anyway, I'm imagining, if all goes well, that I'll have surgery mid-march, I hope. I have to do this for me.

My ankles seem to be always swollen, clothes never fit, my knees are starting to ache if I walk any distance. I still think I'm too young to be falling apart.

Anyway, nice to meet you and any advice you care to share, I am happy to listen. I live alone so an extended family here would be a good thing.

Thanks.

Bonnie

I was banded last Sept' date=' and its a journey. You remember how you feel about the weight that you had before and when it comes off you feel so much better. I know that is my story.

I was 59 and know that heading into the rest of my life wouldn't be easy at my weight. I watched my Dad and Father in law both die from complications from Diabetis. It was so upsetting that I didn't want to be like that. My husbandn is no over weight, but he is following my lead in this journey.

It helps to have someone on your side working with you, that what I have found. He has given up a lot of foods he likes for me. There are bumps in the road, eating out, social occasions. You will have to plan fo r those, but you can do this. I have lost 55 pounds.

If you want to write me and ask questions I wouldn't mind.

I live in Washington State. Not sure where you live. Time zone stuff.

Let me know how you are doing.

Most of all GOOD HEALTH[/quote']

Congratulations Kmkurtz. I'm in the home stretch (4 months) before surgery, doing everything required to meet the insurance requirements. I've been excited about the lapband surgery for over a year and I am ready.

Seeing everyone else's success has kept me going. I look forward to reporting my progress. That 55 pound weight loss would look so good on me. I might like shopping for clothes again. Thank you for letting me try it out.

I'm also hoping to get off some meds after weight loss. It is about good health more than anything.

Good luck to you in this adventure.

Bonnie

Good luck to you in this adventure.

Bonnie

Thank you but I am limiting my FB to family and close friends. I just don't have time to keep up with it anymore' date=' and I'm trying to keep up in person more.[/quote']

There are more and more ads showing up here. Thanks for letting others of us how to just say NO. .

I got my band at age 60. Prior to deciding on banding I tried hypnosis, which helped me to lose a whopping 9 lb, which I regained. My all time high weight was 290. I'm now about 209, so have lost 81 lb with my band, but it has been slow going. The first year, I lost about 60 lb, maintained for a year and started losing again after having my band unfilled in June. One thing I can say is that I have a very different outlook on food and eating. It's about getting my protein in, avoiding troublesome foods and babying my stomach. I have developed scar tissue under the band, around my stomach, so am very restricted. I only had 3.5cc in my 11 cc band, so was not overly focused on fills...I had two. 3cc at 3 months post op and .5cc at 9 months post op. I'm currently having issues with reflux, so taking a PPI first thing in the morning and mid afternoon on an empty stomach, which is helping me. VSG is a great option for many over 60, since there's no bypass involved and no follow up. Should I revise, it will be to VSG. I'm grateful for the weight loss, but concerned that I might have to have another surgery. Good luck to you!

I got my band at age 60. Prior to deciding on banding I tried hypnosis' date=' which helped me to lose a whopping 9 lb, which I regained. My all time high weight was 290. I'm now about 209, so have lost 81 lb with my band, but it has been slow going. The first year, I lost about 60 lb, maintained for a year and started losing again after having my band unfilled in June. One thing I can say is that I have a very different outlook on food and eating. It's about getting my Protein in, avoiding troublesome foods and babying my stomach. I have developed scar tissue under the band, around my stomach, so am very restricted. I only had 3.5cc in my 11 cc band, so was not overly focused on fills...I had two. 3cc at 3 months post op and .5cc at 9 months post op. I'm currently having issues with reflux, so taking a PPI first thing in the morning and mid afternoon on an empty stomach, which is helping me. VSG is a great option for many over 60, since there's no bypass involved and no follow up. Should I revise, it will be to VSG. I'm grateful for the weight loss, but concerned that I might have to have another surgery. Good luck to you![/quote']

Wow! 81 pounds is great, even if it does seem slow. We've always heard that a slow loss is better for you. Supposedly your skin sags less, but I don't know if that applies to those of us over 60. I'm sorry you're having reflux problems. I hope your doctor is able to help you resolve this. Good luck and keep us posted.

Right now it seems like I have a long way to go till my surgery' date=' but life has taught me, time goes by before you know it. My year of working with the insurance company began on February 1st this year. I wish I hadn't waited so long to come to this decision. I kept thinking I could lose weight through Weight Watchers. I'd done it before but it always came back with a vengeance. Anyway, I'm imagining, if all goes well, that I'll have surgery mid-march, I hope. I have to do this for me.

My ankles seem to be always swollen, clothes never fit, my knees are starting to ache if I walk any distance. I still think I'm too young to be falling apart.

Anyway, nice to meet you and any advice you care to share, I am happy to listen. I live alone so an extended family here would be a good thing.

Thanks.

Bonnie[/quote']

Hi Bonnie, you're further along than me, I still haven't made a final decision, but I am searching for the motivations for a tough journey. I'm the ame age as you and our habits are no worse than someone younger but we have lived with them longer. I think that's part of the problem for us, they are part of us and our lifestyle is familiar and comforting. But we are transitioning at this point in our lives, we're getting closer to retirement, our kids are mostly grown, we have lost or are losing our parents, and we have a lifetime of health issues catching up with us. It's time to focus on ourselves, if we want to be there for our families and still participate in life, we need to take care of ourselves. Good luck to you, and I hope to read about your sucesses as you travel this new path in your life.

I just posted on the intro forum but now found this one. I am 61 years old and just beginning research on getting banded. I feared I was too old. My mind is very young but my body feels old and hurting. I am a Type 2 diabetic - well controlled with pills' date=', take high blood pressure meds, and both knees hurt badly. I want to play with my grandchildren. Right now my insurance company is saying they won't pay for the procedure....but I am going to keep at them and have my docs contact them . Hope it works. Any advice with insurance companies would be appreciated. So glad I dound this group![/quote']

I found out your never too old! I was banded almost a year ago and I was 69, type II diabetic, bad knee, on high blood pressure meds, and Fat of course. KEEP at them, and don't go away. That's what they want you to do. I'm on MEDICARE and Tricare for Life. It took me a year to get the surgery, but have a great Internist who documented the 8 months of monthly weigh ins and time out for a Cardioversion when it was discovered I was in A-Fib! The hoops I had to go thru for approval on banding, probably saved my life. Progress has been slow. I've lost 33 Lbs. it is NOT magic and I have had set backs, but it offers real hope where before there was none. Make it your job to find out what you need to do to get insurance to pay... And HURRY, because ObomaCare is coming like a truck in October, and I have been told (where I get fills) all bets are off. GOOD LUCK!

Sent from Angel's iPad using LapBandTalk

Woohoo!to us "oldies", I was 61 when I had my lapband, too. That was almost 4 years ago. I no linger take any pills except vitamins. I got off my blood pressure meds after 18 months. I am proud to say that my blood pressure last week was 118/70. Karen

I may have said this before, but when I went to the informational meeting, at least 1 1/2 years ago, I asked about the success rate for "older" patients having Lapband surgery. The surgeon told me that the success rate went down the older the patient was. My immediate thought was "Ha, you don't know me." I was and still am determined.

This morning I tried on pants that were too tight last week. They fit this morning, and as the day goes on, they have gotten looser. I've been playing with the same pound for the last two weeks, up and down and up again, but I'm exercising. the scale may not be telling me what I want, but my clothes certainly are. It's a great start to a week.

We're never too old to do something, if we want it badly enough. If you can't make up your mind to have surgery, take off your clothes and stand in front of the mirror. Be honest. Is this what you want for the rest of your life?

Hi Bonnie, you're further along than me, I still haven't made a final decision, but I am searching for the motivations for a tough journey. I'm the ame age as you and our habits are no worse than someone younger but we have lived with them longer. I think that's part of the problem for us, they are part of us and our lifestyle is familiar and comforting. But we are transitioning at this point in our lives, we're getting closer to retirement, our kids are mostly grown, we have lost or are losing our parents, and we have a lifetime of health issues catching up with us. It's time to focus on ourselves, if we want to be there for our families and still participate in life, we need to take care of ourselves. Good luck to you, and I hope to read about your sucesses as you travel this new path in your life.

I will say, I thought about surgery for several years until I saw a friend's success after surgery. I used to think surgery was cheating, that I had lost weight with Weight Watchers before and I should be able to do it again. Meanwhile, I wasn't getting anywhere. I was frustrated , depressed, and over eating. Not for one moment do I regret deciding to have surgery. It took a year to be approved by the insurance company, but years go by quickly. Good luck whichever way you go.