I am in need of encouragement at the moment! I feel as though my journey with the lap band procedure is not going well. I had the lap band surgery at the end of April, 2013. So far I have lost approximately 40 pounds. Not so much considering how much I want to lose. I am a diabetic and have cut my insulin intake in half. I don't gorge and eat like I used to. Still the weight will not come off like I thought it would. I am pre-menopausal and I am sure that hormones are a contributing factor. I had problems with the first few fills, choking, sticking, and vomiting. I plateaued for the last few months with very little weight loss and am now ready to move forward. I have to get back to measuring and walking away from the snacking. I was having so many problems with certain foods not going down that I picked up bad habits of eating things that would easily go down like shakes and sweets. Whew! It doesn't take long for things to go haywire! Emotionally I am ready to move forward but I need a strong support group to help motivate me. Here is a little background on my life the last few years. My father-in-law passed on March 29, 2010. He suffered with prostrate cancer and battled it for 9 years. At the end his wife and 11 children were with him. I admired him for being so patient and kind. I miss him dearly. The following year on Jan.2, 2011, my father passed away after fighting an infection and bladder cancer. It was quite unexpected and took an emotional toll on me. I became the caretaker of my 80 year old mother. This was challenging as my Dad did everything for my Mom. She wanted to live on her own and would not be talked into moving in with me until the following year in August, 2012. Little did I know that she must have not been well for a while as she passed away in my home 8 days after moving in with me. So emotionally I have pushed so much aside. I did not deal with my Mom's passing well. My husband has been truly wonderful through all of this! I am so very fortunate to have such a supportive person to share so many good and unfortunate things with. I quit my job of 17 years as a manager in June, 2012 to take care of my Mom. Yes, it took 2 months to talk her into moving in with us. I am still dealing with estate stuff so it feels as though the pressures will never end! I have to admit though that things are falling into place and all will be taken care of this year. My goals are to stay as positive as possible and take care of my health and move forward. My husband keeps telling me to look at the things I have and how fortunate we are to have two wonderful sons...I have to tell myself this even though there are times that I don't feel I will live through these boys being teens. I have two sons from a previous marriage that are in their twenties, I lived through their teen years so, yes, I will live through this! LOL! I am going through a career crisis as well. I want to start a new career outside of retail...this is not easy at 54 years of age and not knowing which way to turn. It will work out! I have so many irons in the fire that I am not sure which one to pull out, ha! Thanks for taking the time to read this and any encouragement would be appreciated! Carol

Hi Carol. You are obviously a very strong woman. Otherwise, you would be sitting in a corner drooling considering all you have been dealing with. You need to take that strength and use it to be successful. Don't make these adversities an excuse. Use them to motivate yourself to take care of you and your health. I was banded just three months before you and have made it to goal. I don't say this to make you feel bad. I say this because I didn't let anything get in the way. I was diagnosed with osteonecrosis in August and was told both my hips needed to be replaced and possibly my knees as well. You can imagine how thrown I was. I had terrible arthritic flares that had me bed-ridden. I was in such horrific pain that even oxycodone round the clock only took the edge off. Through all of this, I kept losing weight. I followed the rules. Then I got hit with another health issue that threw me so badly that I found myself in therapy just to cope with it. Still, I lost weight. I started to see again how wonderful it was to be normal sized and that was the thing I held onto when all else was in shambles. I'm finally coming out of alot of this and am reaping the rewards. I can walk without the horrible hip/knee pain. I'm off the cane, and can even exercise again. I'm on the verge of living a normal life again and it means everything to me. You can do the same. Focus on yourself. Again, don't use your challenges as excuses. Use them to your advantage and take the weight loss on full steam ahead. Stay on this site and read the stories that inspire you. I know that will help you to find the success you are hoping for.

Carol, you and I have a few things in common. I'm 54 and have two teenage boys left to raise. And, I also raised two daughters who are now in their mid twenties.... So yes,, we will survive their teenage years. I was banded four months after you, August of 2013. I also have an awesome husband, who is my rock and friend. I have not lost three parents/in laws in such a short amount of time..., I offer you my sincere condolences. That seems like a lot to have on one's heart and mind. Getting back to basics as far as food, fills, and exercising. Journaling food, exercise, thoughts and feelings. Perhaps a counselor. Perhaps a visit back at your doctor's office to discuss what's going on. I am participating in a biomedical research study as part of my WLS. The one sure thing about successful band steed is their follow-up care and appointments. That's where I would begin. Best wishes!

How are you doing, Carol? I've thought of you often since you posted this. Any updates?

Yes Carol please give us an update on how your doing. @@HealthyNewMe your a good friend to be checking in and following up, and your a great mentor if one was needed. I hope Carol reaches out to you and@@gowalking as well!!!

We all need inspiration and motivation now and then to keep our spirits high and keep us on our path. When there are so many things going on and so many irons in the fire it's hard not to get burned...and usually it's the person doing for everyone and everything that ends up hurting the most with the least amount of time for themselves. Trust me I know but I am my own worst enemy!

Teenage boys...yes that is a TOUGH one but you will survive. I made it through 5 of them..well one is still in the teens at 19, but I'm almost there!!!!!

Carol you have three of the best offering advice to your right now...I so hope things are getting better for you...I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers as well. I am hoping you got to see your doctor again or maybe a dietitian...but I sure hope things settle down for you and you can get back to looking after YOU!!! I have two boys and one daughter that are all grown now, but still need me all the time-it seems, but they also know that I'm here for them if they need me. But I am looking out for my health right now...they do understand I need to do that now-before it's too late and they don't have me at all. So Carol...life has dealt you quite a lot of hot irons in your fire of late...but you sound like you can do this standing on your head (OMG-4 boys-LOL)!!! Know that there are plenty of us out here...I am a newbie compared to these three ladies...but I just know that if you start back from square one you can do this!!! Asking for help is not easy to do, but you managed...we are here for you. Take care and lets hear from you really soon, okay?

Thank you to all of you for your support. I have been going to my doctor's appointments religiously and following the diet plan. Just recently though I have been eating slightly more and have had more cravings. I have discussed concerns with my doctor. He wants to check to see if there may be a leak in the band. We talked about hormonal issues with premenopausal symptoms and such. So many things and all I can do is keep my head up and move forward. I have lost inches just not weight. I am trying my best but have moments of relapse with being so dependent on food for comfort it is not an easy solution to let go of. Being diabetic does not help either. Can I add more? Please don't think that my situation is all "whoa is me"! it isn't by any means! So many have it worse and I empathize with anyone that has issues with losing weight. I know that we all have different ways of dealing with things and just wanted some way of communicating and maybe finding new means. Once again, thank you to those who took the time to read my blog and reaching out to me! It is very much appreciated. I have so much to be thankful for! Carol

I hope things are going better for you today, now that you see you have alot of support here. You and I have some very similar situations. Im almost 56, have a very supportive hubby, have raised 4 kids ( 1 still at home ) with interesting personal challenges, lost my older in laws 4-5 years ago , and lost both my older parents in the summer 2012. ( Difficult, but part of the circle of life) I continue to move forward in a healthy way because there is literaly no other choice . Im not perfect, I do eat healthy 95 % of the time, and exercise 3-5 times a week , this helps me handle the daily stress. One thing ( of many ) I would change if I could would be to get myself to a Naturepathic Dr. to help me deal with pre menopause. That would of been a lifesaver ! Hope things are going better for you today, sending hugs !!!!!

all that you have gone through you are still doing you best. Attend your support groups like your life depended on it. Yes, this is for the rest of our lives, but one day at a time. We will slip, I sure have. If I did not have my overeaters anonymous support people I would not have lost 90 pounds in 9 months with my band. Now, I am learning how to maintain at this weight even though my mind wants me to lose another 10. The old tapes are playing in my head, "great job, but if only I could lose another 10 pounds I would be happy!" Oh, brother where does that stuff come from. My OA friends keepm me in check as well as my PA and dietitian.

Hi all! It has been a few months and have finally started losing weight with the help of my Internal Medicine doctor. He has been working with my diabetes and we are trying Invokana and it is helping break down sugars that my body is not able to. I will be starting a once a week injectable medicine that will help with after eating blood sugar spikes.I have lost approximately 17 pounds since beginning the meds and my A1C is down to 9.3 which is considerably lower than the 11 and 12 previously, even after the lapband procedure. This whole journey has been an experience. The lapband is a tool just like the knowledge in your head, work with it and you will succeed, just don't give up. I will keep you posted on my progression. It really does feel good to be successful for a change....frustrating if you are following the suggested rules and not losing though. Keep asking questions. Thanks for being here! Carol

I'm glad things are looking up for you!

Keep up the good work!

Hi everyone! It has been awhile and thought I would sign in with an update on how things are going for me. I have lost a total of almost 80 pounds since my Lapband procedure. It has been a slow progress but I am still losing so I cannot complain. I am seeing an internal medicine doctor who is working better with me than my endocrinologist did. He prescribed Invokana which has helped with my blood sugars and weight loss. I am taking metformin and have cut my Humalog intake immensely. Feeling better which is the goal! I am wanting to start exercising more so that will be the next step! I appreciate the comments I received when I originally posted. It is encouraging to know so many people understand and care. Thank you! Hope all is well with everyone!

Great update. You're doing great!!

Another 12.5 lbs. down since last Dr. appointment 6 weeks ago...a total of 83 lbs. so far. It has been a long 2 years but results are finally happening! Got to keep plugging along!