Calling all Feb. Bandsters! Tell us about yourself!

[Kittenqutie 0]

Hello,

I am 30 years only and a transplant to AZ, originally from NYC. Being overweight in all this heat is no picnic, but hopefully this summer will be different. I must admit I am scared:eek:, excited:biggrin:, overwhelmed:huh2: and wowed:w00t: all at the same time I am 1 week away in the liquid diet phase and can't wait to be banded. My motto is

"Bandland the Happiest Place on Earth:lol:" (okay I stole that from Disney but when your good; your good!)

[JaxBandster 11]

Hi I'm Karen, I live in Ponte Vedra, FL which is about halfway between Jacksonville and St. Augustine on the east coast of the state. I am 48, married to my third (and last!) husband who absolutely loves ample women and hence doesn't think there is a thing in the world wrong with me! He is very supportive though and is even on my pre-op diet with me which can't hurt as he is a Type II diabetic. My soon to be 16 year old daughter lives with us along with two dogs, an eight month old Rottweiler and 2-3 year old Corgi mix who showed up in our drive way right before Christmas, and also two fuzz ball cats who still insist that they are the top beasts in the house. I also have a 21 year old son who lives down in Tampa. My husband and I both have Harleys and we ride a lot!

My band date is February 7th and Dr. Cywes is doing my surgery. My start weight was 270 (277 was my highest several years back) and my doctor's goal is 170. I wouldn't mind getting to 160 though. My current weight is 256 and I've been on the pre-op high protein/low carb diet for less than two weeks now.

I think that's about it for me!

Looking forward to tracking everyone's journey!

[hijabigirl1973 0]

Hi all! My name is Stephanie, I'm in Urbana IL. I am married to a wonderful man, have a 14 yr old daughter, 2 furry kids (cats) and 5 feathered kids (birds). I have been overweight as long as I can remember. Right now I'm at my highest weight of 256 and my goal is to get down to 140, oh yes and I'm 5'2. I'll be banded on the 26th of Feb by Dr Joyce and Dr Lehman in Joliet IL. I want to wish all of us the best of luck and health on this journey. I also hope to get to know each and every one of you.

[smsmithart 4]

hi im shonda imfrom alabama but i live in west palm beach fl

im scheduled for surery with dr.k in co on feb 28th

i hope to find someone to hang out with while im there and share taxis from the airport and surgical center

[Danikagold 0]

Howdy. I am Staci from Montana. I am 246 down from 260 about 9 months ago and it wasn't from delivering a child, but sometimes I think I look pregnant. This is where I got the idea for the band. My husband and I had been unable to conceive for a year and instinctivly I knew it was my weight that was making me not ovulate. Sooooo, here I am. My band date is Feb. 12. My insurance is 10% with a max $600 out of pocket and the $300 program fee for the bariatric clinic (total $900).

I am 26. I have been married for 2.5 years. My husband and I have guardianship/are raising my 16-year-old brother. I work as a legal secretary for the best insurance company in the whole world in their corporate legal department. I have an associates degree and paralegal certificate. I am in school part time. My major is Business Administration-Information Systems. I AM NUTSO for doing so much at once, but oh well.

Nice to meet you all!

[bluelion 0]

Hi! I'm a 34 year old computer geek from the Middle East, I am married to the best and most beautiful woman in the world, with children, I currently weigh 149kg (328lbs) and my current target weight is a two-digit kg weight (99kg or 218lbs).

For the last 3 months I was saying goodbye to all the food around me, by eating a last meal of everything, a last chocolate bar of every kind ...etc. (sort of a reverse pre-op diet)

I have been drinking diet pepsi instead of Water for the last few years :eek:

Now i feel ready to deprive myself of everything :frown:

I did all the tests (thank god they're all good) and I have a date of Feb 18 set for surgery, just a week before our anniversary. :frown:

[GinaSue67 0]

Hey there! I am Gina, a 40-year-old teacher, from North NJ. I am scheduled to be banded on Feb. 18th, and I am getting soooo nervous!!! Well, I guess more anxious than nervous. I know I will miss chewing food for a while, but I also know I am saving my own life. I just want it done, so I can dive into this new lifestyle. I wish everyone the best success with this life-changing endeavor, and I look forward to reading up on everyone's progress!!! :confused:

[StLouisGal 1]

Hey there! I am Gina, a 40-year-old teacher, from North NJ. I am scheduled to be banded on Feb. 18th, and I am getting soooo nervous!!! Well, I guess more anxious than nervous. I know I will miss chewing food for a while, but I also know I am saving my own life. I just want it done, so I can dive into this new lifestyle. I wish everyone the best success with this life-changing endeavor, and I look forward to reading up on everyone's progress!!! :biggrin:

Welcome, I'm a 54 year old retired second grade teacher. I work in higher education now, quite a switch but rewarding none the less. :smile: I am scheduled to get my band on Feb. 15 so you are right behind me. I think, other than one final house cleaning, I am ready. I'm finishing up the stuff I have to do at work this week and next :willy_nilly:and then I am off for two weeks. I plan to enjoy the ride.

[HappyOne 0]

Hello to everyone. I am a single parent of 2 wonderful daughters. One is 16 and a junior in high school, the other is 11. I know they love me but I also know that my weight embarasses them sometimes. It embarasses me too. I am at 230 lbs now but would like to see 135 again. I will be happy if I can get to 175 though. After 6 months of insurance required nutrition counseling I have been scheduled for surgery on 2/15-I expected it to take a little longer than 3 days to get the final insurance approval. The surprised me.:eek: This is my valentine's day gift to me. I am excited about what the future will hold but scared about the surgery. This forum has given helped me understand that there is nothing to worry about. Good luck to everyone.

[GinaSue67 0]

Thankfully, insurance companies have come a long way, when it comes to covering bariatric surgery.

I was denied, almost four years ago, because my ins. co. said I had not had enough counseling on nutrition and exercise. I was required 6 consecutive monthly visits to my surgeon and nutritionist. Did it. The second surgery was scheduled, and I was denied AGAIN.

This time they said I simply did not have enough weight-related ailments. I guess asthma, sleep apnea and diabetes were simply not enough. I really thought they were waiting for me to drop dead, and then some guy from my ins. co. would jump out and scream, "Okay, we approve!" :eek: After a few appeals, the ins. co. upheld its original decision, and I gave up on surgery.

After a brief bout with depression, I got myself to the gym on a daily basis, and I improved my eating habits tremendously. I lost about fifty pounds. Unfortunately, while on the treadmill, I suffered a tear in each of my achilles tendons. :eek: So much for aerobic exercises of any kind. I was told by my podiatrist, "No impact on the feet whatsoever!" So, I stopped going to the gym. I was told that I should keep my feet up, "as much as possible". Being a teacher, I had alllll summer to keep my feet up. And eat. And eat.

Now, I am back to square one, even heavier than when I first met with the surgeon in 2004. Finally, my ins. co. has come to terms with the fact that their standards regarding this surgery had to change. THIS time around, I only needed three months of counseling, and they even covered part of the psychological evaluation, something I was told they almost NEVER do. Well, today was my final 'counseling' session, and we've submitted our surgery date to the ins. co. If they approve, I will be banded on Feb. 18th. Keep your fingers crossed...it's been a long road, but I feel like my journey is FINALLY going to begin!!! :eek: Good luck to us all!

[momto2 0]

I am Donna from MA and this is my very first post! i am having my surgery tomorrow (!!) and I am mom to 2 great boys - 4, and almost 2. I am 36 and have been married for 8 years. I am 5'9" and would like to lose 100 lbs which would bring me to 15 lbs less than my skinniest ever, which was on my wedding day!

[JaxBandster 11]

I am Donna from MA and this is my very first post! i am having my surgery tomorrow (!!) and I am mom to 2 great boys - 4, and almost 2. I am 36 and have been married for 8 years. I am 5'9" and would like to lose 100 lbs which would bring me to 15 lbs less than my skinniest ever, which was on my wedding day!

Hey Donna!!!!! I am having my surgery tomorrow as well and I am the same height and want to lose the same amount as you do! Cool huh???? Unfortunately the similarities end there. I am 48 and have a 16 year old girl and a 21 year old boy who is about to move back in with us after his first attempt out of the nest! Maybe this time he will decide to stay in college!

Good luck tomorrow and let us know how you are doing!!!

[StLouisGal 1]

Hello to everyone. I am a single parent of 2 wonderful daughters. One is 16 and a junior in high school, the other is 11. I know they love me but I also know that my weight embarasses them sometimes. It embarasses me too. I am at 230 lbs now but would like to see 135 again. I will be happy if I can get to 175 though. After 6 months of insurance required nutrition counseling I have been scheduled for surgery on 2/15-I expected it to take a little longer than 3 days to get the final insurance approval. The surprised me.:eek: This is my valentine's day gift to me. I am excited about what the future will hold but scared about the surgery. This forum has given helped me understand that there is nothing to worry about. Good luck to everyone.

I'm on the 15th too. I agree surgery is scary but so is being obese for the rest of my life. We can do this. Your girls will be a huge support to you. Only nine days to go. :eek:

[Laurieloo 0]

Add me to the list with February 15 as the day!

I'm Laurieloo, which is a "bit" of a fictitious name. I've always teeterd on the border for having a band, so this fall I went and gained 20 pounds so I could qualify. To me, it was worth it becase for a short-term "hurt" I can finally get the long-term result of being healthy!

I'm 46 and have 4 kids and 4 grandkids. I work as a college professor. My teenage kids and hubby are very supportive. I'm so happy to finally get this done. I started yo-yo dieting when I was in Jr. High, and now I'm a grandmother. It's time to stop the madness!

I'm here to learn, gain knowledge and support, and share what I learn to help others around me.

[Diva2005 0]

Hi. I a m new here, from Colorado and was just banded on 2/4/08. Dr Brown was my surgeon. So far so good. I had a bit of pain on last night, but it seems day 3 was the charm. I feel so much better.

starting wt 260

banded 2/4/08

1 st goal - under 200

2nd goal - under 175