Hi All,

I've been lurking and finding so much valuable information on this website. Gee, how did we ever manage before the internet?

So let me introduce myself... I'm a fairly healthy 44 yo w/a bmi 39. I have about 75 lbs to lose. I'm going to self-pay and will get banded by Dr Ortiz in Mexico and he will fix my hiatal hernia too. I am currently looking for a doctor in Connecticut who would be willing to provide me with after-care & fills. I hope to have the procedure done late September 2006 in Tijuana. I've decided to keep this a complete secret from everybody, but my husband. My family will think I'm nuts to go to MX for this and just worry and give me all sorts of grief if they knew.

I just hope I will adopt better eating habits after getting the band. I'm fat - so of course I have bad habits. I eat when I'm not hungry. I'll even eat when I'm full. I especially love sweets. I've even eaten frosting right out of the can to get that sugar fix.

The hardest thing for me to understand is the banded feeling, and given all our life-long bad habits - how will this work? If I over-eat will the food come back up? Will cheese-cake still go down smoothly? Frosting? I understand I will need to adopt a some self-discipline if I want to see steady weightloss. But I've been a life-long failure as far as will-power and diets go.

Hopefully some of you will share your wisdom with me. This is a really awesome website and you are all such wonderful people. So glad to meet all of you!

Thanks & sincere regards, Susan

Cathy, I think I feel your pain and frustration and know that it is hard to do. I did go to the support group last night. It is almost 100 miles away from me. Thank GOD my mom lives in the town and I could spend the night with her.

My second fill was this afternoon. It did go much smoother and much less painful this time.

We have been having support meetings with the gastric bypasses. How utterly discouraging with their fantastic wt losses. There was talk last night about having a separate support meeting for just lap banders. That would be so much better.

I am losing slowly., Avergering a little better than a lb a week.

The head hunger is really hard and must be dealt with daily.

I am craving something chocolatety. But there is nothing in the house, so hopefully, I will be successful till it passes.

Please email me when you get to feeling down. Maybe we can help each other out. I also am an RN/ but have been disabled for over 2 yrs.

Maybe with some wt loss and I keep up the exercise, I can go back to work again.

Take care,

TinaH

Tina and Cathy,

maybe we could go even one step further and have a weight loss- lap band - RN group.

I think it's amazing how many nurses (me included)don't know how to take care of ourselves. I often wonder how much that plays into becoming one in the first place-it's always been easier for me to take care of everyone else. I realized recently that I am a terrible role model for my daughters in this respect. (sorry about my Fruedian slip showing) :drama:

What area of nursing are y'all in? I have always done pediatrics. Until last year I worked at Children's hospital. I don't do well with grown-ups.

i like you tired old man. i am sorry your family views it as a failure. but you know what - the greatest growth comes from failure so out of their opinion will come your success. you hang in there. losha

Tina: Are you eating enough or are you starving yourself? Not eating can cause your internal thermostat to horde fat to protect you from starvation. The thermostat is a remnant of our hunter/gatherer caveman days.

Losha: Thanks for the kind words. We shall overcome.

mbprn and cathy, thanks so much for your input. i know what you mean about taking care of others and not taking care of myself.

for all my life i have worried about what and how others were feeling and not even aware of my feelings. which i was stuffing with food anyway. i have lately come to the realization of all this. i have been seeing a therapist for another reason and we have talked about this. a real ephifany. i don't thik i spelled that correctly. but you know what i mean.

tired old man, i do believe that my body was hoarding what little i was eating. but thank GOD, with all the exercise that i have been doing, the metabolism is kicking in. i am 11 wks post op and have lost over 17 lbs since surgery. the dr, yesterday, was pleased with the loss. he said he reccommends between 1=2 lbs a week. for lab banders ,,,,,

uh oh, this is turning into a book. sorry, will cut it short.,

thanks guys for all the responses. i surely appreciate it.

please ,,,,,,lets do this for ourselves and help each other with our support.

mbprn, i have been a prison nurse and was lately into homehealth nursing. but had to go on disability after a wreck that left me in terrible pain. but, i am doing much better.

of course losing over 50 lbs in 2 yrs has been a great help.

now that i have had banding, i am looking forward to much better life ahead.

thanks

tinah