Hello Everyone,

I've been lurking in the shadows on this site since about December and have really appreciated all of the tips and support you all have shown for each other.

A little about me....I'm located in Bellingham Washington and have surgery scheduled for May 20 in Renton. I've been working on the preop requirements since the first part of January. I'm 5'6" and weigh 264. My goal is 150 or 160.

Tips from here have helped with the questions I have asked the nutritionist since my first appointment and now I have additional questions for my surgeon for my preop appointment in May.

There have been many threads I have read where people have expressed trepidation in having this procedure for many reasons and I have to say I have had some of the same reservations. It has really helped reading what everyone has to say as it made my decision that much clearer to me. I am self pay so this is a huge financial as well as health decision for me. I am now more afraid of the debt load than the surgery due to the many helpful things I have read here. I also now have a whole new vocabulary (PB, NSV, Sliming...eeeew!)

I also have a better idea what to expect in the weeks and months after I have this done from pain to odd noises. The tips and explanations you have all given has finally explained a lot of the things I am required to do. The doctor, nutritionist, psychologist and exercise physiologist all gave me guidelines of what to do and told me what I was required to do before surgery but sometimes it seems the explanations of why I was to do some of them were a little vague to non existant just that I needed to do them. I don't know about all of you but I usually need to know why and you all have answered the bulk of them either by asking the question I was wondering or answering the question.

Thanks for all your help, questions, answers and good humor from a long time lurker and now a new member.

Welcome out of the shadows Tuff Enuff! I LOVE B'ham!

Your surgery date is my birthday! Wooo hooo! Welcome out of the the shadows and into the band limelight!! I too find myself using lap band slang now. But I still have no idea what NSV is. I am still working on that one.

Hi TuffEnuff,

Welcome to LBT!

OK, so May 20th is Jenna's B-day and its also my wedding anniversary.... WOW! Special day for all of us!

Welcome to Bandland!!!!!

Welcome and congratulations on your upcoming banding! I'm a "show-me" kind of person too. LOL

OK Jenna NSV = Non scale Victory!! Get that or do I need to explain it more. LOL!! It is like putting on a pair of pants you saved from your skinnier days and they are TOO big. LOL!!

Welcome aboard Tuffenuff: Isn't this site the grandest thing ever?

Welcome, glad you came and posted!

Hello from Texas LBT!

Just like Tuff Enuff, I've been cruzin this site for a while now. The more I read the postings, the more I felt encouraged to participate in this forum. There is truly a wealth of information and all of the members appear to truly care for one another. It is so comforting!

After extensive research on lapbanding, I armed myself with courage and was banded in 1/21/05 by Dr. de la Garza in Monterrey. This was without doubt a life-altering decision, which was made a lot easier by selecting such a wonderful doctor! Dr. de la Garza and his staff are truly amazing.

The procedure itself did not worry me, it was the lifestyle change that was a bit scary. We are creatures of habits, and my eating habits were creature-like! I feel so much better since the surgery. I am now able to sleep, walk, excercise and have begun enjoying life again. I know we all have our reasons for taking this step, and besides the medical benefits - feeling pretty is a BONUS!

For those of you that are contemplating this surgery...do your research, select a doctor with whom you feel comfortable, and always remember that it is not the magical cure - it is a crutch to help us in our journey to healthier bodies and minds. It takes a lot of courage to do what we have opted to do - it takes a lot of work to succeed and reach our goals!

Thanks to all for the wonderful postings and useful advise. It is a blessing to be able to reach out and be understood, not judged.

Talk to you soon!

1/21/05: 211 lbs

Today: 176 lbs!!!

Goal: 130 lbs

Hi Tuff

Your stats are very similar to what mine were whne I started. I am 5'5 and weighed 265

My goal weight is 160. It has been a little short of a year and Iam down 85 lbs. So glad to read that you have gotten lots of info from LBT during your months of lurking, nice of you to join us. May 20th will be here before you know it Best Wishes to you

Welcome, and good luck to you... sip, sip, sip!!!

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. It's really nice to know there are people out there that completely understand where I'm coming from! With as fast as this year is going I feel like May 20 is coming up really fast!