Well I had to come back to tell everyone about my journey..luckily for me it was not as hard as I thought.

Was banded 2 years ago..weighed 311 pounds before the surgery..got down to 303 the day of the surgery..and now I have stabled out today @ 178 pounds....yup..133 pounds gone..along with my Type 2 Diabetes and a much lower blood pressure.

Did I think I made a mistake at first...duhhh..you bet..those first few long weeks were both scary and

humbling but I was bound and determined to make this work for me.My main reasoning/rationale was

not only my health issues of course...but I was a self pay and every day I told myself not to mess this up due to all the money that I shelled out..lol..it helped!!

This forum was also a lifesaver...I was on everyday scouring for bits n pieces of any info that I thought would help me thru this journey.The main piece of info I would like to share is that..as we have all heard time n time again..IT IS A TOOL..not a miracle cure...you also must shift thru all the info and find what works best for you.WE are all individuals thus we are all different..what worked for me will not always work for you!

We all now know that different clinics have different sets of rules/guidelines..drove me bonkers at first reading about this Dr said yes to this...but this Dr said no..wow!! I shifted thru alot of info and it can be so frustrating and confusing!

Case in point..how long to wait before consuming liquids.The first year I stuck with what my Dr told me..wait at least 45 minutes to an hour before having liquids..set my alarm after every meal..stayed busy until I could drink!!Now I only wait 20- 30 minutes and have no problems at all.Will it work for you..I cannot answer that..but I experimented with everything that I read til I found a solution that I could live with.

I want to tell the newbies to stay focused...it can and will be difficult for some but the outcome is worth all the frustrations and self doubts!!

Do I know the band is still there..of course..I still follow some simple rules/guidelines...but it has become such a daily part of my life and I refuse to go back to the way I was before surgery.

I wish all continued success on your life changing journey!!

Congratulations on your success. Thank you for sharing your story.

Awesome.....thanks for sharing.

Good fo see postive posts... keep on your journey .. you health is worth it....

Congratulations. ..what a wonderful journey

Hi everyone, I am considering having lap band surgery especially since it is now classified as a disease. I'm hoping insurance will cover it. A couple of questions: how much does it cost without insurance or did insurance cover any of it? And, I am taking a lot of meds (12 pills a day) that are not related to obesity. How will that work with the lap band. I must, must, must take these medications. I'm so scared that something will go wrong and I won't be able to take the meds.

Congratulations and thank you for sharing your journey.

So glad when I see positive stories