Hey there!

I figured i better make an introduction before i start in with the questions because a lot of the stuff people talk about here seems to be of a personal nature.

My name is Brendan, I live in L.A. I was banded at cedars hospital on feb. 28th. I have a thyroid condition, but i have been overweight my whole life. It had gotten to its worst point recently where I was about 280lbs. I'm about 5'11" so this made me pretty uncomfortably fat. I was a chain smoker and a non-exerciser as well.

Since the banding ive dropped about 80 pounds. I feel so much better! I credit the band for some of that, but Ive also made major lifestyle changes. I work out daily now, and i quit smoking.

I feel like this has been probably the best thing ive ever done for myself, but i remember how hard it was even to talk about it before I got it done. If anybody on here has any questions, feel free to ask me! I am here to help as well as have some of my own questions answered.

This is a great forum that i have been lurking on for a while, so I decided its time i made it official and finally joined!

What a great story and what great feeling you must have.. Welcome

Hey there!

I figured i better make an introduction before i start in with the questions because a lot of the stuff people talk about here seems to be of a personal nature.

My name is Brendan, I live in L.A. I was banded at cedars hospital on feb. 28th. I have a thyroid condition, but i have been overweight my whole life. It had gotten to its worst point recently where I was about 280lbs. I'm about 5'11" so this made me pretty uncomfortably fat. I was a chain smoker and a non-exerciser as well.

Since the banding ive dropped about 80 pounds. I feel so much better! I credit the band for some of that, but Ive also made major lifestyle changes. I work out daily now, and i quit smoking.

I feel like this has been probably the best thing ive ever done for myself, but i remember how hard it was even to talk about it before I got it done. If anybody on here has any questions, feel free to ask me! I am here to help as well as have some of my own questions answered.

This is a great forum that i have been lurking on for a while, so I decided its time i made it official and finally joined!

hey! i also was banded at cedar sinai:thumbup: i was banded June 26th of this year!!! who was your surgeon?

I just met with Dr. Phillips at Cedars to be considered for banding. I still have all the pre-op education and tests to go through but I would be interested to hear about your experience at Cedars. Congrats on making your decision and good luck with the weight loss.

I just met with Dr. Phillips at Cedars to be considered for banding. I still have all the pre-op education and tests to go through but I would be interested to hear about your experience at Cedars. Congrats on making your decision and good luck with the weight loss.

Cedars is amazing!!! my surgeons name is Dr.Khalili what an amazing place! you will be in great hands!

Congratulations to you Brendan. What a wonderful life change. We're really happy for you.

Thanks for all the replies!

Yes, cedars is great! From everything I've read about others experiences I have to say that cedars sounds like one of the best places to have the surgery!

My surgeon was dr. cuneen, and he was amazing. Dr. khalili has done one of my fillings, and dr. phillips did the other one. All of them are very very qualified and I would feel safe in any of their hands.

If you are going through the pre-screening thing, there is a nurse there named Brandy that is really amazing and will help you through alot of the hurdles.

I know they make it kind of difficult to get it right away, but i think the pre screening thing is really a positive aspect because it makes you fully commit to a lifestyle change. For instance, they made me quit smoking for 6 weeks before the surgery. Now as a chain smoker for over 10 years, that was hard. But after i did that it felt like I could take on anything!

I really cant say enough good things about the program there though. I think the fact that they are selective and thorough with their patients is one of the reasons why their sucess rates are so much higher than the national average. A nurse still told me that dr. cuneen performs about 35 bandings a week!

I had never had surgery before of any kind, but I must say that the whole thing was pretty easy!

My PCP went to medical school with Dr. Phillips and highly recommended him. With that, it's great to hear positive reviews from someone who's actually gone through the process. I don't mind the pre-op wait too much. It gives me time to make some of the lifestyle changes that I need to commit to. Good for you for giving up smoking. That must have been really hard. I just have to give up late night snacking, caffeine, and diet Coke. I also need to find a way to work regular exercise into my day. I see the nutritionist and social worker on August 4th so I hope to get a date after that. Good luck to you!

Congratulations on your weight loss and welcome to LBT! It's always wonderful to hear others awesome stories.

I cannot say enough BAD things about Cedars and Specifically "Dr" Khalili.

Edwards is good, he was in the original FDA trials for the lap band. He's been doing it a LONG time.

My experience with Khalili was one that will impact my life in a negative way for as long as I live.

Bsides, I want to give you my congrats on your success thus far. I didn't mean to come in and simply inject negativity....it's just that my blood boils whenever I see/hear the "K" word.

Also, give YOURSELF the credit, and not entirely the band. The band can be defeated. It still takes YOUR self-discipline and resolve to make it work. It's only a tool....YOU have to do the work. And it looks like you have!

Congrats on your new life!:thumbup: