Hi everyone. I am new here and I have not been banded yet. I joined as part of my research into making the final decision. I trust that the information I will get here will be very good knowledge. I hope along the way I am able to make a few friends as well. I am married, 3 grown sons and 2 grandsons. I would very much like to be around when my grandsons graduate high school around the year 2020. I would be over 65 then. My family has a short life span (into our mid to late 70's) so I am very determined to keep healthy for this reason. Right now I am anything but. This is the main reason I am considering this surgery. Chell

Welcome to the group Chell! I know that you will get all of your questions answered here so you can make the best decision for you.

welcome aboard chell . i was banded a month ago and i love it !! i have had no problems at all. surgery went well i had sorness for about a week took me 2 days after surgery to be able to really with out problem get in and outta bed but all and all i did great went and finished christmas shopping after i got out of the hospital! and had some left shoulder pain as the gas moved outta my system from the anestetia. but well worth it. good luck on your journey! you will love it if you decide to get it. its a road to health!!!

Hi Chell! I am also pretty new here, and not yet banded. Like you, I am finding out lots of information and going through the process of getting banded. I'm currently nearing the end of my 6 month dr supervised diet prior to getting insurance approval. I hope all will go smoothly. I have 2 sons, 15 and 19, and I also want to be around for a long time!!!!!! Take care and nice to meet ya! Laura:smile:

Got a question for you. Why a dr. superviser diet? Tell me about the diet please.

The diet is required by my insurance company as one of the things you must do in order to be considered for approval. The diet is not specific as far as what exactly to eat. I meet with a dietician about once a month, met with a trainer for an excercise program, meet with a dr or nurse practitioner every month. I keep a food journal and dietician reviews that, talks about portion size, health choices, eating slowly, etc. She also talks a lot about what you have to do after you are banded. It is really preparing me to be sucessful with the band I think, or at least I hope, lol. So far I have lost 25 pounds in 5 months. So I figure it will make the surgery just that much easier to do, plus that's 25 pounds I won't have to lose later. I think it also shows your commitment to make this change in your life.

Hi Chell, I was banded on 1/4/08 and I love it so far. I have lost 22lbs already. Surgery was simple, little sore after, I went back to work 2 days later! I go for my first fill on 2/4/08, but as of right now, I am not hungry at the least bit! It will be a great decision for you and it will help you in the long run! Good Luck!

welcome chell. Every insurance is different in their requirements. You will learn alot here. If you are serious about researching lapband start reading, join in on the chat, and ask questions on the forum and chat. I am learning tons. I checked with my insurance and they only approve two doctors so I started there. The doctors had two different requirements, one required a seminar so I attended that. It progresses, sorta slow but one step at a time...as you learn what they want, thats what you do. I am barely beginning, join in, the more the merrier...:smile:

Hi Chell,

I Haven't been banded yet either, but I can tell you from being on here that I have gotten so much information. More than I would have gotten on my own. You came to the right place!

i think its because some ins want u 2 start to lose wt and plus lapband is subpose to be a last resort

wishing lots of luck my banding is this monday

Losing weight is very hard for me. I am on Thyroid meds for a slow thyroid. I keep trying to remember to eat slow, chew very well. I am trying to use portion control but then I am hungry again in a hour. I do mean hungry, as in growing stomach. I am also trying hard to drink more water. This is why I liked the Merridia so much, it took away the hunger for me, the rest was easier, I could concentrate on the nutrition part. Other then having a sweet tooth (really a nite time sugar addition) I eat healthy food. I love salads, veggie, sea food....I just seem to eat too much of it. I am also trying to have more veggies and less of the meat.

Welcome Chelle! I'm not yet banded either, but have learned sooo much from coming here. Hopefully when I get insurance approval I will have learned even more to keep me on track. Good luck on your journey and keep us posted.