Hi everyone,

I really enjoy reading the message boards as it has really inspired and added to my knowledge base. I got banded in Dec 2, 08 and to date have lost 25lbs. I originally weighed 200 lbs and now down to 175lbs, my 16 year old daughter soon to be 17 on Jan 1, 09 will be banded tomorrow 12/30/08. She lost 20 lbs pre-op and is now 190. I got inspired by my doctor who is one of the few doctors that bands teenagers. My daughter has been battling with her weight for over 5 years and her self esteem was really low. After my own banding and reading extensively on teenage bandsters, I realized it was to their advantage, minimal risk and as for their self esteem, it shoots up the roof. The several messages and insights on this site also made my decision effortless and reduced my fears. The consultants were very encouraging and told me of other teenagers who had been banded and were very happy with their lives. The restriction the band provides is like a thermostat that monitors how much we eat so nobody goes overboard. I am happy with my band and will have my 1st fill 7th Jan 09. My fifth week starts Dec 30th, the same day my daughter will be banded. I am still very nervous for her please pray her surgery goes well with less post-op band complications/discomfort. I will keep everyone posted on our progress.

You are wise to research well before being banded yourself and allowing your daughter to be banded.

If you haven't considered doing some mental health work along side getting banded it might not be a bad idea, well because I believe there is alway something to learn about ourselves when we go searching.

Good luck to you and your daugther.

Well, I think it is great that your daughter has you in the boat as her, if you know what I mean. At least you can understand each other and offer support. Good luck to both of you and try not to compare yourselves to each other. Sounds like you both will do great.

OH Juli....

We did a psych clearance prior to surgery and we were both cleared. I think it would be a good idea to attend local support groups and meet ups to keep motivated and learn more about "ourselves". Thanks for your reply.:frown:

My self and my daughter were also banded 4 weeks apart. I went in June 08 and she in July 08. She was 16 1/2 yrs old at the time. I did alot of research before our surgeries. I have lost 60 lbs since June! I am very glad I did this and was very psych to start this journey. I have another 20 to reach my goal. However, My daughter is losing much slower, She has lost a total of 20 lbs since July. I am very happy for her since she coulod be going the other way on the scale like she has been doing for the past 5 yrs. We have done everything to get this weight off of her...Fat camp 3x during the summers and lost alot of weight but to only come home and put it on and some. the money I spent at camp I couod have paid for her surgery back than. Thank Godness my insurance paid for both of us. They only problem I find is that there is no support for the teenagers in my dr.'s office. We were going to the support groups but she wasn't getting anything out of it. She felt that everyone could be her mother or grandmother in the group. I am trying to get her to find someone that she can connect with for support. None of her friends know she did this, and again it is none of anyone's business. I try telling her to go on this site for support which I found to be addictive to. I love this site for all the inspiration and support it gives me on a daily basis. Where do you live? Hopefully they can connect.

OMG. Your reply was soooo awesome because we can totally relate. It sounds just like a cookie cutter copy of our story except my mom is paying out of pocket for both surgeries. People know that my mom got her surgery but absolutely no one knows that ill be getting mine tomorrow. We use code words in our when we talk about it in front of my younger brother or in public to keep it top secret. My mom and i are very proud of you and your doughter's weight loss. It really inspires us. Like your daughter, I'm worried about attending the meetings with a bunch of middle-aged and older people. There are no groups specific to teenage bandsters where i live as well. We llive in dallas which is far from westchester (as a matter of fact we moved to tx from brooklyn ny almost 2 yrs ago!) so we cant really connect in that respect. But like emailing is always good. My email is himynameisbob77@yahoo.com. Tell your daughter to shoot me an email. It would be awesome if we could have eachother for support. Who knows, maybe next summer we can meet up hopefully at our goal weights, looking HAWT!!! lol jk. but really thanks sooo much for your reply. We should totally keep in touch. my mom says hi.

Edited December 31, 200817 yr by himynameisbob77

HImynameisbob77 it seems to me you and your daughter had low bmi's did your insurance cover the surgeries for both of you??? I have a lower BMI and am extremely worried about being denied. My BMI is 34.7 and I have 2 health issues.

Hello!

My mother and I also went through this process together. It was great to have her with me and go first, lol. She was banded Sept 12, and is going for her second fill tomorrrow. I was newly banded on December 22, so I'm 7 days post-op today. My mom was 197 and today she is 167. She is doing pretty good. I was 249, and today I am 227. We are both so happy for this. I think it is great that you will be able to share this experience with your daughter (s).

Also to the previous post, my mother's BMI was 35, and she had high blood pressure and high cholesterol.. She was approved by our insurance immediately. As long as you have health complications, your BMI can be below 40. Good Luck

My daughter had the surgery on Dec 26, 2007 she started at 337 and is now 201. Her insurance paid it all. I was banded on Dec 24th 2008 I started at 323 and am now at 309 we are doing this together. I had to pay for mine and it took me a year to get the money.

I have two other children who are over weight and we are hoping that they will both have surgery in the near future. :frown:

HM Bradley, my BMI is 34, and my moms was like 35. Yea, they were pretty low and since my mom didn’t want to be hassled with insurance companies or wait for their approval she decided to pay for both mine and hers in cash. She said it was a huge sacrifice to shell out the $20,000 but that it will all be worth it. I hope your insurance approves but if they don’t I think you should totally save up to get the surgery. I know its not easy but from what Ive seen and read about the band, getting banded is soooo worth the money.

LoveDK congrats on losing 22 lbs. That’s amazing. Stories like yours make me really inspired. I hope you continue to have success. You too jpward.

Thanks for replying you guys.

Hi, Stephanie got banded today and has now joined the bandsters, newbies, bandisters and whatever we call it in the lapband world. The staff was so nice and treated her like a princess. She is pretty much taking it easy, sore on the abdominal area, no vomitting, I am nursing her with gas x strips, MOM, and suppository phernagan to prevent nausea/vommmiting (Not good for the band) She is doing so much better than me; maybe because she is really young, but am happy with the results, the incisions are so tiny and will go in no time with some merderma and Vitamin E. Thanks everyone for ur posts, I took a bit of advice from the different experiences and used on my daughter, I have to be extracareful because of her age. Will keep everyone posted on our results.

Tina

HM Bradley, my BMI is 34, and my moms was like 35. Yea, they were pretty low and since my mom didn’t want to be hassled with insurance companies or wait for their approval she decided to pay for both mine and hers in cash. She said it was a huge sacrifice to shell out the $20,000 but that it will all be worth it. I hope your insurance approves but if they don’t I think you should totally save up to get the surgery. I know its not easy but from what Ive seen and read about the band, getting banded is soooo worth the money.

LoveDK congrats on losing 22 lbs. That’s amazing. Stories like yours make me really inspired. I hope you continue to have success. You too jpward.

Thanks for replying you guys.

Thank you!! It's a tough road, but im so determined! I had shrimp thursday and I was really nervous about it, but i could only have three, it was great, went down smoothly. Other than that i've been on my liquids. I have my follow up tomorrow, and today I weigh 222. I'm nervous. But Im so excited. You will be just as successful, if you want it bad enough, I promise!