Wow - Okay well I'm new to this forum, not really sure what I'm doing. I am 38 yrs old, and have 7 1/2 weeks until I am banded. I have read everything I can find on Lap Band surgery, and feel prepared medically............ but mentally - I am scared!! I am scared that if I put myself and my family through all of this, and it doesn't work - what then??? I am 114kgs (sorry not good with pounds - I'm Aussie) and am not very tall at 5ft 4....... putting my BMI at 45. I have waited 10 months for my insurance period to expire, so I can get this done, I have tried every other weightloss plan/diet known to man, and I have researched every detail............... why then do I feel like screaming or crying half the time, and excited the rest...................I feel lonely, and scared! I can't see myself losing the weight, and changing my life like so many of you have....... it does not seem real.

I don't have many close friends I can talk with, and the ones I do have don't understand.................. I'm hoping for support and motivation from this forum, and I look forward to getting to know you all - Cheers Karen

hey Twyla - nice to hear from you today, go sleep my friend, you have done a great job, bringing all those precious bundles into the world...K

Hi All who are worried about the surgery

Leading up to yesterday I was terrified --- but just to let you know there is nothing to worry about. I had the surgery yesterday morning at 10am and was up walking about at 6pm. There was discomfort more than pain really- mostly caused by trapped gas. The nurses gave me plenty of peppermint water and by this morning almost all discomfort had gone. Now at home - taking it easy but feeling fine. Hope that this has helped put your minds at ease a little

Maxine

Hi Ladies!

Maxine, yesterday??? How wonderful. I was banded 5-29-07 and you are right, it is more of a discomfort than pain. sleep with a pillow under your belly, it helps. And roll out of bed.

To all of you, keep talking. You will not regret this surgery. Good luck on the gallbladder surgery tomorrow. Yak with you all later!

Res883 :ranger:

Everyone having a great day???

Maxine - congratulations on a successful surgery, and thanks for sharing how you felt, it does help put our minds at ease....... keep us posted, i would love to hear about your journey, day by day, or whatever you can manage.......... hugs Karen

Janet - GOOD LUCK with your Gall Bladder surgery today, let us know when you are back home & safe. BIG HUGS FROM OZ - Karen

Hi winterwish - that is so great to hear, Big hugs to you!! What would you be eating in a normal day - what foods and what quantities??? thanks for sharing and caring - Karen

Hi Karen,

For Breakfast, coffee, a packet of plain Quaker oatmeal and a 6" banana. Midmorning, a little lunch pack of yogurt. For lunch, 1/2 a cup of leftover chicken, fish or turkey with a slice of toasted Spelt or Flax bread and wild blueberries. Mid afternoon I'll have a couple bites of chicken again. For dinner, whatever the family is having - from lasagna to whatever is on the barbeque, always aiming for a cup of solid food. It's amazing how much you can get in a cup - and they're talking about a smashed-down well packed cup, too. Before bed I have a little lunch pack of applesauce to help me get my meds down. I worked it out, and although I seem to be eating constantly, my intake is between 900 and 1100 calories a day. I'm a little behind on my Water intake, which is critical to maintaining the weight loss, but my schedule has been a little hectic lately and I don't want to have to stop and pee every 20 minutes! :omg:

Janey

Janey - that is cool, even though we don't have half of those products here, I got the gist of it - your descriptions are great! what about exercise......... much? (i'm a big couch potato at the moment) talk soon - Karen

You have to realize, it is a tool, its not an absolute solution. You need to diet after you get it. It makes it much easier to diet. But there are ways to sabatoge it so just be prepared to give up your relationship with food and be committed to doing this. Do it for yourself; dont do it for anyone else. I got my lapband in August and am equally afraid of blowing it by eating the wrong kinds of foods/too many calories. You just need to decided you are done being an overweight person and the comfort that food gives, and you need to make the commitment to yourself. Best of luck babe:)

Wow - Okay well I'm new to this forum, not really sure what I'm doing. I am 38 yrs old, and have 7 1/2 weeks until I am banded. I have read everything I can find on Lap Band surgery, and feel prepared medically............ but mentally - I am scared!! I am scared that if I put myself and my family through all of this, and it doesn't work - what then??? I am 114kgs (sorry not good with pounds - I'm Aussie) and am not very tall at 5ft 4....... putting my BMI at 45. I have waited 10 months for my insurance period to expire, so I can get this done, I have tried every other weightloss plan/diet known to man, and I have researched every detail............... why then do I feel like screaming or crying half the time, and excited the rest...................I feel lonely, and scared! I can't see myself losing the weight, and changing my life like so many of you have....... it does not seem real.

I don't have many close friends I can talk with, and the ones I do have don't understand.................. I'm hoping for support and motivation from this forum, and I look forward to getting to know you all - Cheers Karen

Janey - that is cool, even though we don't have half of those products here, I got the gist of it - your descriptions are great! what about exercise......... much? (i'm a big couch potato at the moment) talk soon - Karen

Hi Karen,

Where's "here", that you don't have yogurt and applesauce?

I have a giant dog to walk, which I used to to 5 times a day for a total of 2 1/2 hours. Since the surgery, I have done it once a day, for the last 3 days, for a total of 45 minutes. She pulls something fierce, and I was afraid she would hurt me, but it's actually fine. So now I have no excuse not to go back to 5 times a day except for pure laziness.

Today my daughter got me up at 5:20 to take her to her train bound for college. I had a single cube of melon that I popped in my mouth before we hit the road. I bought a coffee on my way back, and started a banana while I nuked my oatmeal when I got home. I had to eat the banana in 2 stages, because the first half felt like it was getting a little stuck. So I showered, made a couple of phone calls, and walked the dog. When I got home I went to reheat my coffee, and there was my oatmeal still in the microwave. It's a marvel! Before I was banded I would never have missed any portion of any meal EVER!

When are you getting yours done?

Wow - Okay well I'm new to this forum, not really sure what I'm doing. I am 38 yrs old, and have 7 1/2 weeks until I am banded. I have read everything I can find on Lap Band surgery, and feel prepared medically............ but mentally - I am scared!! I am scared that if I put myself and my family through all of this, and it doesn't work - what then??? I am 114kgs (sorry not good with pounds - I'm Aussie) and am not very tall at 5ft 4....... putting my BMI at 45. I have waited 10 months for my insurance period to expire, so I can get this done, I have tried every other weightloss plan/diet known to man, and I have researched every detail............... why then do I feel like screaming or crying half the time, and excited the rest...................I feel lonely, and scared! I can't see myself losing the weight, and changing my life like so many of you have....... it does not seem real.

I don't have many close friends I can talk with, and the ones I do have don't understand.................. I'm hoping for support and motivation from this forum, and I look forward to getting to know you all - Cheers Karen

Hi Karen,

My name is Alex, I understand your fear. Mine is kinda the same, im 6ft tall, and 389 pounds. I want this to work because I have also tried every weight loss program ever created. I guess my ultimate fear is "what if this doesnt work", also of being put to sleep....I guess we have the stories of others like us that have shared the same experiences and have had positive experiences to keep us going. A great man once said "You have nothing to fear but fear itself", Good luck.

Alex

Hello all,

My name is Alex, i am finishing up my preop tests and paperwork for the lap surgery. I have read some of your messages and I am also feeling the same way about some of the issues. I guess the biggest fear is just hoping that all of this will work for me. I also have a fear of being put to sleep. Im open to all posts and suggestions from anyone that can give me some positive feedback.

Thankyou!:help:

Hey Alex, I know just what you mean..... the fear of "will it work for me", because nothing else has, and I know i will feel like a complete failure if it doesn't............... but I was speaking to my surgeon about this fear, and he said it was completely normal - he said it was his job to work with me, in making sure it does work.......... keep in close contact with your weightloss team, be honest, try your best, and don't throw your hands up in disgust......ever!!! You are worth the effort!!! Respect thy self!!!! Dont worry about being put to sleep, it is so quick you won't even realise, and hey presto you are waking up again - seriously these people do this day in day out, and the statistics on problems with anethestics are less than car accidents. Do you drive? Do you walk across a busy road? Do you fly on a plane? you can do this - we will support each other................ where are you? hugs Karen

Hi everyone:

I am new to this site so I hope I am responding to the correct thread. I am approved but not scheduled. I am most afraid of failing again like some of you have said. I am scared of giving up all the foods I love and being too weak again. Thanks to all of you for your support, I can see this will be an important part of my journey.

Penny

Hello Alex, my name is Dana. I was banded August 13. The only actual scary thing for me before I got banded was that my doctor required that I lose 10 pounds the week before surgery in order to "remove fat from my liver" or so he told me. The receptionists that work in the office said that if I didn't lose the 10 pounds he would not do the surgery and I would have to reschedule it. I was so freaked out by that that when I got on the scale at the surgery clinic the morning of my surgery I was relieved to have lost my 10 pounds that nothing else mattered!

The surgery is really fine. I have a sit-down job (I am a medical transcriptionist) and could have actually gone back to work the next day, though I have a lot of sick leave and took 2 weeks of it just to lay around and do nothing for once! I will be getting my first fill next week (they don't fill it for at least 4 weeks from your date of surgery), though right away you have to eat slow and once you get to solid foods you have to chew meat (especially tougher meats like steak and pork) very well. You get used to it pretty fast and how can it not work??? If you start gaining weight that means you have to get a fill--no problem!

hey Janey - I am in Queensland, Australia....we don't have quaker oatmeal - but I'm thinking that must be the same as porridge?? we don't have spelt or flax bread? wild blueberries - I tried some when we were on holidays down south....not readily available here though - too warm! and as for little lunch packs of applesauce - I don't think so, but we do sell it in big jars to have with roast pork!! Man - 21/2 hrs a day of exercise..............geez, when I'm being good, I'm lucky to get in 1/2 an hour...........crikeys - I hope thats going to be enough??....... xx Karen

Hi Dana & Penny - thanks for posting, Dana how did you lose 10lbs in that week?

Penny - I hear you, my surgeon told me that the surgery will be nothing compared to my 2 ceasarians.........I am focusing on that!

I have found these messages great for taking your mind off your fears, for being inspired by those who have succeeded, and..... when you are on the computer, you are not at the fridge!!! hugs to all - Karen