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Why I am in love with my Lap-Band



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What an amazing post! ????

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Update: Still in love and am now firmly in "ONE-derland"!

I've been 194! for awhile now, and the process to get there has been heavenly and fun. Yesterday I bought a pair of Size 14 skinny jeans that look and feel amazing. At this time last year (pre-surgery) I was a Size 22.

Someone on FB commented on my new profile pic (which shows off cheekbones (I have cheekbones??!) and my newly more-slender Self - "What on earth..?? The fountain of youth has found you. You are radiant"!

Getting banded is the best decision I have ever made for myself.

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Yes the horror stories are scary, aren't they? I've learned that being banded is a lifestyle change that has to be accepted by both the body AND the mind. I have adjusted very well to 'band-eating' - nothing carbonated, no bread, tiny amounts of Pasta, small bites, eating slowly... these changes are what has led to my success (so far!).

Seems a lot of the horror stories (not all) come from those who fought their band or refused to give up the bd habits that made them obese in the first place.

@@bel1995 Have faith that the band will work it's magic for you the way it has worked for me, provided you have an excellent surgeon and you follow-up the placement of the band with the changes your body deserves! Eating less, eating better, moving more...

Please keep us posted about your surgery and experience - we have all been where you are! As someone one year in and 3/4 of the way to my goal weight (having dropped from a size 22 last Christmas to a size 14 this Christmas!), I can only hope that you will be as in love with your band as I am with mine!

Wishing you the best!

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Thanks so much I will certainly post an update on how it all goes. You have definitely made me see more of the positive to the band thats for sure. Well done on veing so determined and sticking to the rules of the band :)

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Hi Emily!

@@EmilyMikulec

I'm doing great, thanks for asking. :-) I am so happy with my band. I took a discipline hiatus over Christmas and enjoyed wine again and just a wee bit too much brie. I stalled my weight loss, but now that I've been banded for over a year I know exactly how to break out of a stall.

How are you doing? You love your band, too?

Yay us!

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@@bel1995 - I am SO COMPLETELY EXCITED for you! You are almost there... stick with the pre-op diet and take it one Protein shake at a time!

Keep us posted - we love to support each other on this site!

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Hey there. Well this is why I love my band!!! My heaviest was 275+ after several years of being miserable and trying every fab diet I decided I needed to do the band. It took a year and a half for my insurance to finally approve my procedure. I was banded in March 2014. I struggled with it at first trying to get to my heavenly green zone and it also took my brain a while to understand that I don't have to eat everything is sight. It was a very slow weight loss the first year I think I only lost like 40 pounds. Then after my last fill which was in March of 2015 I was losing a lot of weight and I was doing my part to contribute to the weight loss. Also what really really helped me was talking to people like me that had the lap band because no matter how much support you have people will not understand unless they've gone through it. Little by little I continued to lose weight and when I gained a little I didn't get super upset I would just start again the next day. Oh and I weigh myself every Wednesday so I can take accountability for celebratory times when I lose and also for when I gain. If I gained I just really really watch what I eat the next week. You can't bully yourself into losing weight. Just realize what you did wrong and do it better next week. After my long struggle i weighed in this Wednesday at 164. I can't believe it. That's a weight loss of 111 pounds. It was the strongest, bravest and smartest thing I've ever done! My quality of life is so much better and I am so happy!!! Best thing I've ever done!!!

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Wow - now THAT is seriously inspirational!!!!

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Thank you! Your posting made me much more confortable to do this surgery. I am going for my first appointment with the surgeon in two weeks and I can't wait to get it done.

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Am a week away from being banded - Something i didnt think about. I was asked yesterday what my surgeon said my goal weight should be. We didnt discuss any of this. Is this normal? Should i be concerned? From what I have been told by others my surgeon is a good surgeon but doesnt seem to have the best bedside mannerism. He was friendly to me discussed my eating habits and band but as for other details nothing was mentioned. I plan on going back to the specialist for follow ups and refills but as for goal weight etc i can do that myself or go to my doctor. I do have two dietician appts booked in through my specialist rooms.

is there any thoughts?

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My surgeon never set my goal weight. Somebody, can't remember who, asked me what I wanted it to be. So I picked it myself.

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
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    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
      · 0 replies
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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