So i think i can be honest on this site.

So hes the man to see i hear (Watson). Im really nervous of asking my GP for a referal as he doesnt think im that fat. My Body BMI is 35. But with the way im going its just going to go up Im just getting bigger all the time and the straw broke when i worked out the kids were embarresed of me. I just dont seem to be able to stop binge eating. Wether its portion controle or the type of food i just seem to crave and be hungry all the time. Did anyone else have GPs that were a bit funny about refering?

Edited August 27, 200818 yr by Ke Bear
putting in correct terminology

Hey anyone out there? Im feeling a little alone. Anyone wants to add a comment or give me any advice at all in the area of going through the jouurney of obtaining a lap band im all ears. At this stage im at the beginning of my journey and am really very nervous of even asking for a referal. Like to hear from anyone in Perth especially those who have been banded or just completed the work up and about to do it.:smile2:

Hey, just read this. Everyone's journey is so different. My own, I almost threw up when I spoke to my Dr about getting a referral. But I did my home work first. The first call I made was to the insurance company. Karma - the womand I spoke to had a lap band and so did several of her co-workers. After I found out the the insurance (HMO) would pay, I spoke to my Dr. It helped that I had already done some research. But honestly, I didn't know squat. This site is so benefitial and just full of info. My surgeon made me attend a seminar, very very helpful. If you can find one in your area, do it. But my suggestion, research first and then present your case to the Dr, pros and cons. You will need to almost make a sales presentation. Tell him why this is the best choice for you. Have your supporting information, different diets you have tried and other information like this. Let me know how you do.

I hope you don't mind me jumping in Ke Bear.

I had a BMI of just over 35 when I went to see my Dr for my referral. I'd already lost some weight and I sure he would say I wasn't fat enough, or that I could do it on my own. So I was prepared that if he didn't give me a referral, I would look for a GP who would.

He referred me in the end (in fact he was surprisingly supportive) but like I said, if he didn't I would have found one who did.

Don't be scared of fighting for what you want. GPs will sometimes be opinionated, but they're not the only ones practising out there. Gastric banding is a long term solution and is a viable and legitimate medical procedure in the fight against obesity. If you're obese, why shouldn't you have access to it?

Thanks lellow and Deb,

Im also scared im going to regret getting the band once i do get it. I keep thinking if i just tried harder exersised more etc. My biggest thing is that i just eat too much and im emotional eater! So how do you cope with cravings / binges :cursing: once your banded?:biggrin:

None of us September Samurai have been banded. I believe GG is first, so I don't know the afters. But I know that if I don't do this I will slowly die. I have Diabetes and it will not be a pleasant death.

For me, the lap band is my last resort. I am ready for the striction the band provides and the help that gives you, but it is still up to me to make it work. The lap band is adjustable.

I do know that binging is not allowed. You have a pouch for a stomach the size of an egg and I hear the stoma, opening at the band is the size of a dime. If you don't chew chew chew you will get stuck, I believe that is slimed. You cannot drink carbonated drinks. You have to follow the instructions or You WILL stretch out your pouch. You may want to do more research.

Ke Bear,

I have to admit first thinking about the band 6 months before I made the call. I too kept thinking if I exercised more and ate better, I could do it all on my own. In fact last year I ate well and exercised and lost 10 kgs. But then I broke a bone in my foot and gained all 10 kgs back and then some. I realised that every time I've EVER lost weight I put it back on eventually. I was sick to death of it.

To me, it was the realisation that to have some success, I needed help. And there is no shame in that! If we quit smoking, we use nicotine Patches. If we quit alcohol, we need support. If we quit drugs, we need medical help.

food is my addiction, and I needed help with my addiction. Being banded means that I cannot physically give in to any cravings to eat more than I need. Of course, I can still sabotage myself by eating 'around' the band with milkshakes and high fat 'slippery' foods like potato chips, but if I am honest with myself, hunger was my problem, both physical and mental, and at least with the band, I'm not fighting both physical and mental hunger, just mental hunger, and with 50% of my 'enemy' being kept at bay with the band, it gives me a fighting chance of conquering that other 50% of my enemy - the head hunger! Yes, I still get cravings, but tbh when I know I can only eat x amount of food, I really don't want to waste that space on junk. So I tend to eat well, because I want eat like a queen, and queens don't eat KFC.

I know some people can lose weight with exercise and diet and keep it off forever. But there aren't many of them out there. And once I admitted I wasn't ever going to be that sort of a person, the band became a no brainer.

I've lost 10kgs already, and I'm only 1 month post op. My only regret now is not doing this sooner.