Is it me or is it close to impossible to find other Lapbanded people in our area?

I've met others with the band, but they are from California, Florida, Indiana and Michigan. My surgeon's support group for WLS are all gastric bypass folks. Our needs and experiences are so vastly different, I want to meet up with other people going through the same stuff!

I know I can NOT be the only person in the nation's 15th largest city to have had this procedure.

Reply if you're local!

Juli

Hunter

You'll do well with the band. Follow the rules and don't make excuses and you'll lose weight.

Keep us posted. BTW, I've only heard good things about Dr. Meyers and Riverside's program.

I was at the same seminar! I filled out the stuff and waiting for them to call. Hoping Insurance will pick some of it up, if not I think I'll still go with Dr. Myers..

Did the seminar make you consider bypass at all?

Hi Hunter,

No, it didn't. I have a real aversion to permanently changing my body's

chemistry. Plus I've known so many people that lose a ton of weight through

GB and then gain it back. I'd love the quicker fix, but the band is pretty much the decision I've made.

Hey Hunter & Heather! Congrats on your decision!

Hi Thinner me, thanks!

Hi Hunter and Heather. My surgery is the 16th !! I think Dr. Myers is great. I had some serious reservations about some non-medical issues a few weeks ago and when I met with Dr. Myers he was really understanding and didn't try to talk me into having surgery. He just said 'call me back when you feel like you're ready'. That was the best thing he could have done!

Are you two in Columbus area or some other part of the state? Dr Myers has been doing bariatric surgery for a long time, but only started doing Lap band this year sometime I think.

Anyway - lets keep in touch!

Hi Topdownbug,

I am in the Columbus area :-) Are you from here also?

The 16th!!! I'm so jealous! How long ago did you attend the seminar?

Yes, Dr. Myers said he'd only been doing them since February I believe. I was hoping to find a doctor with more experience with them, but I felt so comfortable with him instantly and have heard nothing but good things about him from colleagues of my father that I've decided he's the man for me. :-)

Hello! I'm near the Columbus area (Canal Winchester) and would love to keep in touch. I will be getting banded very soon. Do you have any regrets?

Hi Hunter,

No, it didn't. I have a real aversion to permanently changing my body's

chemistry. Plus I've known so many people that lose a ton of weight through

GB and then gain it back. I'd love the quicker fix, but the band is pretty much the decision I've made.

Yeah that's my big issue with the bypass, too much cutting and changing. I'm a little uneasy about getting the band, but can get passed that.

So are there any support groups (for lap band) that meet in Columbus (and that welcome pre-banders)? I'm still curious about eating with a band and would love to talk to folks that have had it done!

Hello! I'm near the Columbus area (Canal Winchester) and would love to keep in touch. I will be getting banded very soon. Do you have any regrets?

Where are you getting banded at?

Hey Andydora and Welcome!

Yeah that's my big issue with the bypass, too much cutting and changing. I'm a little uneasy about getting the band, but can get passed that.

So are there any support groups (for lap band) that meet in Columbus (and that welcome pre-banders)? I'm still curious about eating with a band and would love to talk to folks that have had it done!

About support groups, I'm trying to find/create something.

My surgeon's office (OSU) has support groups but there's a 20 to 1 GB to Lapband ratio and most of the material pertains to GB. I went last week for the first time in 6 months and call the surgeon the next day to ask if that's the actual ratio of his surgeries. I was told no, he does many more LB than that, but by nature of who gets what surgery fewer LBers go to meetings.

We are more independant and we have far fewer complications after surgery. I suggested that their material just doesn't pertain so we only go once and quit. So they are going to seperate the LBs from GBs, hopefully.

If so I'll let you know about it.

Or if you want something more immediate, I'll be happy to chat you up about my experiences.

And Heather-

After being with the GB's for an hour, I'm so HAPPY I chose the LB and mostly because my anatomy still functions as God intended. The malabsorbtion is a scary prospect.

I think emotionally we all need to do the same work to figure out why we eat how we eat and make huge changes. GB is just too invasive! IMHO.

Juli

Yeah that's my big issue with the bypass, too much cutting and changing. I'm a little uneasy about getting the band, but can get passed that.

So are there any support groups (for lap band) that meet in Columbus (and that welcome pre-banders)? I'm still curious about eating with a band and would love to talk to folks that have had it done!

Hunter,

Dr. Myers said that there was a LB support group the night of our Seminar. I think he mentioned that there is a meeting every week but that it alternates between GB and LB groups. You might call the office to check. I'd definitely be up to attending a LB group if they welcome those of us just getting started.

About support groups, I'm trying to find/create something.

My surgeon's office (OSU) has support groups but there's a 20 to 1 GB to Lapband ratio and most of the material pertains to GB. I went last week for the first time in 6 months and call the surgeon the next day to ask if that's the actual ratio of his surgeries. I was told no, he does many more LB than that, but by nature of who gets what surgery fewer LBers go to meetings.

We are more independant and we have far fewer complications after surgery. I suggested that their material just doesn't pertain so we only go once and quit. So they are going to seperate the LBs from GBs, hopefully.

If so I'll let you know about it.

Or if you want something more immediate, I'll be happy to chat you up about my experiences.

And Heather-

After being with the GB's for an hour, I'm so HAPPY I chose the LB and mostly because my anatomy still functions as God intended. The malabsorbtion is a scary prospect.

I think emotionally we all need to do the same work to figure out why we eat how we eat and make huge changes. GB is just too invasive! IMHO.

Juli

I would love to attend a support group for LB'ers. I think that follow-up care and support will be instrumental to my success with this surgery. That's partly why I chose to investigate the Riverside program. The after-care program seems to be phenomenal.

I've only ever known people with GB... the only LB'er I've heard of, prior to investigating this surgery on my own, was Sharon Osborne. Anyway, I was not thrilled with the risks, the high percentages of complications and the fact that so many seem to gain it all back. That's not to say I don't have my worries about the LB, but apples to oranges it just seems the much better choice for me at this time. Plus... if worse comes to worst I can always go in an have GB down the road... though I truly don't see that as something I'll have to do.

Trace Curry will be performing my band surgery on 10/16/07 at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati. I really like Dr. Curry and his staff. He and his staff are quite knowledgable. He is one of the few surgeons which participates on these forums and is willing to help patients who had their surgeries in Mexico.

I'd love to join in some sort of support group. Right now, I'm looking mostly for more info and personal experiences from lap-banders.

HeatherA, you heard anything from Riverside yet?

Hi! How nice to get to hear comments and discussions from Banders who aren't too far from me. As I said, I live in the Mansfield area and I'm not banded yet - but in only 8 days I will be :clap2:

I don't know what the family situation is for the rest of you, but I'm single (divorced) and was thinking maybe it would be fun for some of us to get together - maybe halfway between Columbus and Mansfield somewhere for our own little LB group !

Something to think about. Looks like Juli is the only one of us who is already been through the surgery. I'm just getting ready to start the pre-op diet on Wed.

Judy

Hi! How nice to get to hear comments and discussions from Banders who aren't too far from me. As I said, I live in the Mansfield area and I'm not banded yet - but in only 8 days I will be :clap2:

I don't know what the family situation is for the rest of you, but I'm single (divorced) and was thinking maybe it would be fun for some of us to get together - maybe halfway between Columbus and Mansfield somewhere for our own little LB group !

Something to think about. Looks like Juli is the only one of us who is already been through the surgery. I'm just getting ready to start the pre-op diet on Wed.

Judy

Works for me! Now do we meet up at a restaurant? Is that wrong? Really I'd like to see what it's like to eat out with a band, as I eat out a bit. Maybe that's one of my problems!