Hi, All. I certainly hope that I am not intruding by posting this thread, as I am not the one who had LapBand surgery (although I should), but my sister has. My sister was banded last Tuesday (8-19-08) and she is doing really well. I am trying to be very supportive of her, and she and I are very close. I have encouraged her to join a twelve step program for support and/or reach out to the LapBand community and find support groups. She is interested in doing so, but says that she is doing really well right now. I am nervous that when she goes back to work or leaves the isolation of her home or is faced with some HUGE food event, that she will be so psychologically tormented. I want to help her find friends/people with whom to gather. I DO NOT want to do the work for her, but thought that I could recommend, or rather, deliver to her, direct links to strong support. I have spent a large part of my life in a twelve step program, and can absolutely tell you that I would not have made it this far without the support of the people in the group. They have been crucial to my sanity, recovery and peace of mind.

My question is this; Because I have seen very few actual, in person, LapBand support groups, does anyone know of groups that meet in the Baltimore area (city or counties) on a regualr basis?

Thank you for considering my request. Fondly, Liz

Hi Liz, and welcome to the boards. This is absolutely an appropriate request and we are thrilled to see supportive family and friends seek information. You are always welcome to pop in an ask questions anytime!

I am going to be banded this Thursday and I have been VERY active in a discussion board here on the site that is used by over 400 people being banded this month. I think that it would be valuable to both you and your sister to hang out there and learn how people who have recently been banded are doing.

From the home page, scroll down the menu on the left and choose Monthly Lap Band Support Groups, then select August 2008. Or, you can use this link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f183/

Looking at the list of August Bandsters on there, I see that we have folks from Temple Hill, and Forest Hill, and one that just listed Maryland as where they were from. There is also someone from the District, and someone in Alexandria. You can also look to see if there are others from your area by checking out the Local Lapband Support Groups, USA, Maryland section. Follow the links on the menu on the left of the main page.

Good luck to you, and congratulations to your sis!

Most surgeon's offices have support groups or they can at least refer her to one in her area.

However, I'll warn you.....many support groups are not all that...uh, supportive. Many of them are just gripe sessions or people sharing 'tricks' on how to get around the rules. Not all - it depends on how well it's run and by whom.

Many people have found the message boards such as this one to be much more helpful than groups......and much more accessible. The ideal situation would, of course, to have a good local support group with accurate and helpful information combined with a good involvement in a message board....it's 24/7 access to support and information.

I'm glad your sister is doing well, but the first few weeks are the easy ones....other than being hungry after the swelling goes down from the surgery. After she begins to get fills, her eating and lifestyle habits will get a little more difficult to manage, especially since she works away from home. People react differently to fills, and she will need new ideas for appropriate foods, drinks, proteins, and managing the way you feel when you actually begin to get some restriction (sometimes it takes 2-3-4 fills).

She's lucky to have a caring sister....that's more than a lot of people have....but you are right - she needs to get a connection to some successful bandsters who can guide her through the changes she's facing.

I found forums such as this to be more helpful than support groups. It is important to be able to reach out and understand what other people are going through.

Does she have a computer at home and would she utilize a forum? Perhaps you could help get her started if she was up for it. The support will be helpful once she is through the honeymoon period.

My best suggestion would be do NOT push. As her life starts to change, she will find her way here, I promise.

I started out looking at videos on lapband on youtube...there are some very encouraging stories there, most are less than 10 min so it's a quick look into 'our world'. I liked that because I didn't feel the need to participate & there are way less of the videos than threads she'll find here...which can be very overwhelming.

So...when is your surgery!>!

as I am not the one who had Lap Band surgery, but my sister has.

Hey Liz,

First off I want to say you have to be a wonderful person in order to go onto a website looking for support for your sister. It's plain to see that you stand right beside her in her journey.

Your sister can come here and ask any question she wants and there is even a chat room on this site she can chat on.