hi

My name is "Desertmom" and I am petrified at the moment....

I live in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.It is a wonderful place to be.Yes, it is the middle east but we all get along just fine here.I am from South Africa and well, it is not to safe there at the moment..(saying that with all that's going on in this region sounds so...crazy)It is a bit like "pleasantville".People are mostly happily married.fortunate to have enough money...can belong to a beach club...camping,traveling..wonderful life....it is all short term..4-6 years at most (mostly 3 years..)

Except of course me.I have been dieting, not traveling...(to uncomfortable)no beach for me...camping with huge effort.the heat is of course a nightmare at my weight(up to 115 degrees in summer) It is the desert after all....

I have been fat since age 23.I am always on a diet.90 persent successful and 10 persent very unsuccessful.I mean very......

I can stay on a diet for 9 days and day 10 make up for the deprevation and way more.I have literally dieted myself morbidly obese.

Anyhow,have been lurking on this site for almost an awfully long time.

Never thought I would have enough guts to do any operation cause my pet fear is anasthetics.I am a qualified nursing sister and always said never any ops for me.

I went for a "free" consult the 18th and well, within 4 hours had all the pre-ops done except ecchogram and bloods.....found I have high blood pressure (started meds only 24th) My lungs look like a 78 year old according to computer (I used to smoke before....)and my operation date is 30 April....

Will see phisician 28th and he will say yes or no..meds must work first..but I am still thinking maybe I can run away...only I cant get away from myself can I?

I am positive if I can make it through the operation that this band will work for me.My best friend had it 2 months ago (got tired of me talking about it...)and she is absolutely crazy about it.....

I have 2 girls and I desperately need to show them how to live a good, fun balanced life and I just cannot do that.I have to say do what I say not what I do...I also want to live to see them grow up and not have all the aches and pains that goes with being so overweight.

All this doesnt change the fact that I am PETRIFIED and that I might still run away never to be seen again by anyone....ok just joking..I think..

Thanks for having somewhere to say these things......I surely can say this anywhere else...

Desertmom

Welcome to LBT! It is only natural to be scared, after all it is major surgery. I think we all go through the scared bit. Try to relax, it will be the best thing you ever did for yourself. There is a lot of infomation on this board and lots of support too. Please browse through the old and new posts and maybe you will feel a little bit better about the surgery.

Please keep us posted on your journey. Please don't run away, you will be glad you did this for yourself.

Hey desertmom! Glad you made it here. Okay UAE I know! I did the whole, what if I don't make it back? What if I'm not here to take care of this or that? Who will raise my kids with my hubby? Why am I doing this? Am I crazy? I'm just borrowing trouble. on and on and on. And look, I made it back! If you didn't worry some, you wouldn't be normal. I just knew I couldn't go on without trying. I would definately rather be fat than dead, but if I am to keep living, I at least want a chance at a healthy life and being a good example for my young children.

I know you are scared. If your doc doesn't see you fit for surgery, you can postpone it until you are. I hope you will keep us posted! Saturday's almost here!!!!

Hi Kathy

Thanks for replying.

I know (rationally) that I will be ok.I suppose being a nurse and being a control freak doesnt help this irrational part that says if only I could be awake when they do the operation everything would be fine and dandy.....

I keep saying to myself that if I can do a liquid diet for so long why cant I lose weight on my own..but I guess if I could have I would have done it before.

Please dont get me wrong.I know that once I have this operation I will make it work.I have lost weight very successfully before and just couldnt keep it off.It seems that this op will help with that in the long term if you are very compliant with all that needs to be done.

Well,I am saying all the things about what if I die......the same than you did and yet I know that I will go ahead and do the operation.I need to do something drastic.

And all will be well.....

It is good to see people like you doing so well and being so positive afterwards.

Keep posting.Reading keeps me busy at the moment.....

Have a nice day

Hi Desert Mom,

I am in Saudi and just got banded a week ago. Valid concerns all and unfortunately, there is a risk. But, for me the risk was worth the possible success. And good or bad they sure move fast in this part of the world....

Except of course me.I have been dieting, not traveling...(to uncomfortable)no beach for me...camping with huge effort.the heat is of course a nightmare at my weight(up to 115 degrees in summer) It is the desert after all....

I know EXACTLY what you mean here, it's been the same for me except the traveling part, I still did and do that, but as my weight was going up it was getting harder....the last trip we took home I noticed that the seat belt was at the end....

Have you done a lot of research? I found this to be REALLY helpful.

Please let me know if I can help you in any way.

hi Deb

Yes, it seems in Saudi they are even faster than in Dubai.It took my friend from 1st consult to operation day 12 days. Scary!!! Ok, I just noticed mine is 13 days......

I do go home regularly.And travel the region a little.Been to Europe but it is Disney world and the Maldives and ....that's the things I want to do.

Anyhow,I have done research into Duodenal switch,Gastric bypass,and the band for almost 2 years now.DS would be my first choice if I thought it was safe long term.However I think as older people one would have trouble with the switch.Bypass,dumping not for me....and the band seems the hardest work but i think not so radical and well,manageble.

I am doing this.I just have to get through the next few days.Thia website is what is keeping me "ok" at the moment.

Thanks for encouragement.It helps a lot to know that one is not alone.The family is not too pleased about this so we are not really talking about it.Mind you I have talked it to death for 2 years now and its just time to do it.

Are You going home for summer?

The family is not too pleased about this so we are not really talking about it.Mind you I have talked it to death for 2 years now and its just time to do it.

Are You going home for summer?

I don't know which family you mean but my mom takes the cake! I was originally scheduled for the 5th of April and I checked in and ended up getting a fever and had to go home...SO disappointed! Called my mom to tell her so she wouldn't worry and she said "good, I was praying you wouldn't get it done"! Talk about psyching someone out...I'm not particularly religious but the fact that she would do that annoyed me, So, I rescheduled and didn't tell her about it until after!

I have been researching it for about the same time...wonder if that's the going time table....

Did you ask your surgeon how many he's done? That can be very reassuring, it was for me....

Inshallah, we are scheduled to leave the 7th of June....last two years we've had to reschedule for one reason or another with his job....you?

Hello! And welcome to LBT! Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. I love talking to people from all over the world, and you're the first one from United Arab Emirates. (Sorry if I sound like an excited little kid, but the only other country I've ever been to is Canada, and that's only because it's right next to my state of Michigan, US)

Feel free to browse around the site, and ask any and all questions that you have to. And congratulations on a much healthier life too!

hi

Deb,no we are going to try and stay here this summer.Mind you I say that every year and then I leave...August too hot.How does flying affect the band?

Dillansmom,before moving here I havent been anywhere and South Africa is at the far end of the world.

Ok, I have a question.While on liquid diet what supplements did you take and what to do about the cramps that I get? It is awful and I just dont know what to do.....I take calsium,magnesium and zink and potassium.Will I be able to drink the Vitamins after being banded?

I have always had a lot of cramps (sometimes on my tumm,my back my legs my arms....sounds so stange.....) dr says its nothing but is sure doesnt feel like nothing....

Ok,have to run.Busy with the kids at least not sitting fretting today...

Haven't flown yet but doesn't appear to be a problem...Yeah summer sucks...it's so hot..

I take liquid Vitamins but you should definitely ask your doctor...

hi

Anyone know if flying affects the band?

Some say it seems to make you a bit more restricted for a day or two, then goes away. Could be stress-related? Could be the cabin pressure, etc? No science backing that up that I know of, but folks have reported such things. Otherwise, no problems. you don't beep at the airport security thingy anyway. hehe!

Ok,been to the dr's for final check-up and surgery has been given the go-ahead.......My blood pressure is still 140 over 90 and I dont know how to feel about that?Any comments?

My fasting sugar was 103 and I dont know how much elevated that is because he didnt tell me the normal values.....

They talk about high risk for anasthetic but not enough not to do the operation.I dont understand that either and my whole being is telling me to take the money and get on a plane and have a nice holiday where there is no doctors and lots of food.......still on liquids of course.......

My problem is before I went to see the surgeon I thought I was healthy.Yes I have had asthma all my life but that is it.Yes,I had osteo-arthritis but well,that is it....yes,I take a large amount of painkillers for that but...that is it.....

I now have high blood pressure,old lungs, high bloodsugar and I'm about to have an operation that sounded fine when I was still healthy a week ago...but now that I am this sick it sounds like a dumb idea to do this..

I have told the whole world about this operation.....every single person I know.I knew I was going to want to chicken out. Now I have to have the op just because it would be to embarrasing not to have it..........

ok,I am talking nervously to much......help....

You will be fine! When I had my surgery they took me off my BP medicine and didn't put me back on it till after I went home for a few days. My BP went down really low while I was in the hospital even off the meds. And, I didn't have to take one of my BP pills anymore at all.

If they thought for one moment that your surgery was a bad risk, they wouldn't do it!

Sometimes I think they just need to keep some of that stuff to themselves!

Well, this day is going by very fast and I have actually eaten 2 tortilla wraps with chicken and meat......and 100g of sugarfree ice cream........oops.......

Wish it could just be over and done with.

breatheeeeeeeeeeee! It will all be okay desertmom! trust me, you will not be eating the same portions that you did pre band. I am sure all will be okay! Being a ball full of nerves is totally and completely normal. Everyone on this board can attest that I was a total wreck for weeks before my surgery!

Take it one day at a time! Everyone here is going to be right there with you for all of it!

... and welcome to LBT!

Buckle up and enjoy the ride!!!