Hello everyone. I am Chrissie, from Muskogee, OK and today is one of the happiest days I have had in a very long time. Today I got an appointment with a surgeon for my gastric banding :biggrin1: I am so happy because I know once I have the surgery my life will truly begin again. I am 39 and weigh 360 lbs, my BMI is 51.3 :omg: Not numbers I am proud of, but certainly looking forward to starting my own little " ticker " on here and watching those numbers decline. I hope to make friends on here with people I can share experiences and support with. I cant wait to be able to walk and breath at the same time, to be able to sit in a booth at a restaurant again, to go the park and play on the swing and slide with my kids, to go swimming, to ride an amusement park ride again, to get hugged by my fiance and have him be able to clasp his hands together around me......oh my gosh the list goes on and on. Anyway, I've actually joined this list many months ago, but today I feel is the first day of my journey. Thanks to all who have have gone down the path before me and made it smoother. I am sure I will be leaning on you in the future. And hopefully one day I will be able to give the same back to others.

God bl;ess you all.

Chrissie

Chrissie,

I am so happy for you! Do you know when your big day is going to be? This site is wonderful. I have met some really nice people on here. I have been banded for 9 days now and just learning how to eat again but so far it is great! If I can help you with anything just let me know!:clap2:

MonicaP

So Chrissie does that mean you actually have a surgery date or an appointment to get the ball rolling for possible surgery?

Either way congrats on a life changing decision. Glad to hear from an Okie. My MIL is an OKIE.

Let us know how things go.

Myra

Congrats Chrissie from one Okie to Another!

I live in the Edmond, OK area. On Tuesday I had my appointment with my surgeon to get the process going. This is all that I can think about. My BMI is 40.2 and I'm at 249 lbs.

I too am looking forward to playing with the kids and hubby and riding rides and running and just being healthy and not taking any medications.

Let's keep in touch!

Tonja

Thanks to all of you. I really appreciate (and need) the support right now. I dont have a surgery date yet. But I do have an appointment with the surgeon, Dr. Katsis in Tulsa. This is a really big step for me. I have been researching this for years!!! Tonja, definitely want to keep in touch with you neighbor. Thanks again everyone.

Chrissie

Welcome....greetings from a neighbor just over the border right on Red River in Texas. I know your neighborhood well!

So happy for you! I understand your elation....I began to feel better the day I started my process and was getting around and doing better by the time of the surgery (due to the pre-op diet). Best wishes to you !:clap2:

Chrissie and Tonja, isn't this site grand! You gals are making friends already

Congratulations on making your decision on the Band! I remember how excited I was when I went to my first seminar, the hope I felt after was almost like a high... I remember all of the anxious feelings, mixed with happiness! I became addicted to LBT and learned so much :target:

I took 7 mo to make my decision. (No WLS insurance coverage - so, I went the self pay route)... but in all that time it was never far from my mind, I just had to decide for myself it was right for me!

I wish you all the best,

Something that I appreciated with my surgeon Dr. Gornichec is that when I met with him for my consult - he told me to keep getting online and looking for information - he said you can't have too much information. I've had endocrinologist in the past who didn't want to hear about what I had read online - it's sad - there is a lot of good info out there.

I'm hoping that soon we can have a "Greet N Meet" in Oklahoma and all of us 'neighbors' get together and support each other.

I am so excited to have found this board.

Tonja

Welcome, Chrissie! I wish you luck on your weight loss journey.