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Hi There,

I'm Virginia, although my original lap band surgery was Jan. 17, 2007 and have had incredible success with the band unfortunately I am one of the rarities that suffered a band slip so last week they had to go in and remove the old band and replace it with a new one. I am currently on the mend and hoping to continue on my road to my goal weight with the new band in place. At my highest weight before finding the Newstart program at St. Alexius and meeting Dr. Norbert Richardson I was an astounding 353 lbs and on my way to becoming a diabetic and possibly worse! I was diagnosed with sleep Apnea (which is what killed my mother) and in need of a knee surgery for which my doctors were telling me I needed to lose weight in order for the knee to heal properly. I did a lot of research before making the decision to have the surgery but have not had one moment since where I have had a shred of regret or second guessed my choice to do this! I have no doubt that had I continued on the path I was on I would have faced many of the same ailments that plagued my parents, grandparents, etc. such as heart disease, diabetes, breathing problems, and early death and those were things I was just not willing to accept! As a mother and grandmother I have far too much to live for!

It has been a little less than 2 yrs since my surgery and I am now down from a sz 28/30 to a sz 16, and at 204 lbs now actually can see myself reaching my goal weight! A few years ago I was feeling hopeless and doubted that I could ever feel Normal again and now Thanks to Dr. Richardson and the Newstart program I feel like a new woman! This year for the first time in more years than I can remember I was able to ride amusement park rides with my grandchildren, I have gone camping, rode four wheelers, went swimming and actually enjoyed my life for the first time in a very long time! I can tell you that the Lap Band changed my life for the better and I am so happy that I made the choice to do this not only for myself but for my family as well!

:smile2:

Edited by swbgal

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WOW! What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing that. It is truly life stories like yours that keep me going!

Thanks for sharing!

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OMG, can't wait to be where you are.. My numbers and circumstances are similar to yours. Congratulations.. You deserve to feel so good about yourself.. Some like to say that those kind of results aren't possible with LB, but you are proof that it is possible... Thanks for sharing... Julie

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Congratulations on your success. My weight wasn't quite as high as yours (I was at a group support meeting and a post-op told me I didn't look like I was heavy enough to need surgery--at 252, wearing 2X or 22-24W, with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, reflux, knee arthritis and such, I beg to differ) but I didn't want to wait. I was miserable. I hope I don't have a slippage like you did, but it appears all has turned out ok. Keep up the good work, and good luck with the rest of your journey.:smile2:

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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