Hi Everyone! My Name is Nettie and I am considering lap band surgery.

I have been through all the preliminary steps and am meeting with the Surgeon for the first time this coming Wed. I am scared to death. I keep questioning my decision big time.

I am in my early 40's and have type 2 diabetes, HTN and PCOS and have a family history of heart problems & cancer. I have had one major success in losing weight and keeping it off and that was in 1998 when I went from 280ish to 240. I have since then bounced around from 240 to 250 constantly. I have tried lots of ways to lose but I either don't give it my all or I don't get the desired results so I give up. I saw my Mother die this past summer from complications of not taking care of her diabetes. This has put unholy terror in my life.

I am a "good" diabetic. I follow the rules and do what I am supposed to hence my 6.5 A1C! However the other issues that go along with it keep changing. My HTN has gotten bad this year and it never was before. So I am trying this as a means to rid myself of all these health issues. I want to live a long healthy life. I have a great support system if I do this but I am still scared. What will I do if I can't make it work? Am I setting myself up for failure? What will happen if I don't get in the required exercise? I am not lazy but I just have a really hard time making myself do the exercise. What if I lose weight but can't lose the flab and can't afford surgery to get rid of it? All of this keeps going through my head. My brain hurts because of this.

I would appreciate any feedback or advice. Thank you.

I love my band and have no regrets, it gave me the push I needed to lose my weight. The one advice I have is, you have to walk into this with your eyes wide open. The band will only work if you work with it, it is not a quick fix and it will not stop you from eating things that are not healthy. I suggest doing all the before work, meeting with a nutritionist and a physiologist. Getting inside your head and finding what makes you eat is key to losing in my opinion. I am lucky, I have worked hard and the band has worked very well for me. As far as losing the weight and not losing the excess skin, this is a hard. I have lost all my desired weight. I lost 122 lbs and I am determined to tighten up as much as I can because I am choosing not to have a TT or any cosmetic surgery. It is hard but I am 57 and who at 57 does not have a few flaws. Like I said you really need to be mentally prepared for this process, my opinion is the mental part of this journey is the hardest and not facing issues before or early will prevent you from being successful,

talk to your surgeon about all these issues and since you are diabetic ask him how the follow up care is for diabetics as it can be a bit more of a challange but is doable. Wishing you the best!

Hi Everyone! My Name is Nettie and I am considering lap band surgery.

I have been through all the preliminary steps and am meeting with the Surgeon for the first time this coming Wed. I am scared to death. I keep questioning my decision big time.

I am in my early 40's and have type 2 diabetes' date=' HTN and PCOS and have a family history of heart problems & cancer. I have had one major success in losing weight and keeping it off and that was in 1998 when I went from 280ish to 240. I have since then bounced around from 240 to 250 constantly. I have tried lots of ways to lose but I either don't give it my all or I don't get the desired results so I give up. I saw my Mother die this past summer from complications of not taking care of her diabetes. This has put unholy terror in my life.

I am a "good" diabetic. I follow the rules and do what I am supposed to hence my 6.5 A1C! However the other issues that go along with it keep changing. My HTN has gotten bad this year and it never was before. So I am trying this as a means to rid myself of all these health issues. I want to live a long healthy life. I have a great support system if I do this but I am still scared. What will I do if I can't make it work? Am I setting myself up for failure? What will happen if I don't get in the required exercise? I am not lazy but I just have a really hard time making myself do the exercise. What if I lose weight but can't lose the flab and can't afford surgery to get rid of it? All of this keeps going through my head. My brain hurts because of this.

I would appreciate any feedback or advice. Thank you. [/quote']

Wow, with your family history and your current health problems I can't imagine you not wanting to have lap band. If you can't make it work you are right where you are now. If you follow your diabetics rules then you could follow the lapband rules.

Walking 20-30 min a day anyone can do. Exercising more will help the speed of weightless and will help burn fat. Depending on nature it helps reduce saggy skin too. How tall are you?

I think you should only concentrate on the health risks and benefits. If you prolong your life then having wls is a no brainer!

I didn't exercise during my losing stage other than walking. I am not proud of it but it is what it is. That said I have some loose skin and am actually considering a tummy tuck and breast lift. Because of age, gravity and nursing The breast lift was needed before I lost weight, losing just made it more apparent. The tt isn't necessary really....I am 52 and I suppose I could live with it... I did wear a bikini in vacation last month but i was pretty uncomfortable....i didnt enjoy looking at a frowning belly utton. ...so for me it's the crowing glory on my journey and If I need to sacrifice another luxury to get it then it will be worth it to me.... If i decide against it i certainly am happier being thin and a little flabby rather than fat, unhealthy and wondering when the heart attack is for going to happen.

It sounds like a good decision for you, given your history and health. I wish you every success.

Thank you all for your replies!

@Banding Mi : I am 5'7".

@ Lovingthe NewMe:I was never told to see a physiologist-what do they do? A Nutritionist I believe is the next step after the surgeon they said. I am excited about seeing her!

20-30 minutes of walking is definately do-able! I walk with a Biggest Loser workout for a mile and it takes about 15-18 minutes so if I do two of them or get a Leslie Sansone dvd I think that is manageable! I was thinking like heavy aerobics everyday or something like that. I am glad I can start off with walking! I am glad to have found this forum and am thankful that you are all so very friendly! Thank you again! Nettie

@Floridays: Just took a look at your before & after pics! No one can tell that you require any surgical work! You have done fabulous! I will try to get hubby to help me post pics this week. I think that has a lot to do with success on these programs! And you are absolutely right about the heart attack, I don't want to think about it happening either! Thank you!

Nettie, not a problem. It seems like you have a lot of good habits in place already. The band is a powerful tool to take you the extra mile. I was banded 10/5 and love it so far. I love eating on a small plate and feeling satisfied. I never did before. I was a bottomless pit. And I love my success so far. It has been a lifeline for me.

I track everything I eat and my exercise on myfitnesspal.com. User is micheleost

Please keep us posted on your journey!