Hello all,

I just joined the forum. I have not taken any action (other than to join here) toward the lap band surgery. I'm researching it & wondering should I do it?

A little about myself--I live in Cullman Alabama. I'm very happily married to a wonderful man. He has 3 grown children--I don't have any children of my own. I am 45 yrs old. Monday at my sleep dr's office I weighed 265.5--I'm 5'9". I would love to weigh 155-160. I have lost the weight twice before--first, thru a low carb/high Protein dr monitored plan. That was 14 years ago. I lost 42 lbs then & got down to 169--looked & felt good. Gained it all back plus some--of course. In 2000 & 2001 & lost 50 lbs on Weight Watchers--got down to 176--looked & felt good then, too. Started dating my now dh in 1/2002 & immediately started gaining the weight back. We got married in 3/2003, I weighted 200. Now, nearly 6 years later 265. Sad huh??

I've tried going back to WW. Tried the low carb thing on my own. I have every diet book ever written I think & nearly every piece of exercise equipment. But I consistantly gain weight & consistantly fail to do what I know to do. I haven't used any of the exercise equipment in I don't know when. I know what to do--I just can't do it.

Is the lap band for me?

Things like vomiting, hanging skin, mucus, etc--scare me away from it. I really just want to stop obessing about weight & food & just live a normal life not thinking about it. Constantly searching the web & magazine covers for the "holy grail" that never is.

I need to know what it is really like. I know the weight loss & health improvements are great & in the end will overshadow the negatives. But while you're going thru everything from the seminar all the way to goal. What is the experience really like?

Are the negatives mild or so severe that at the time you feel like you are dying & wish you could?

I need some 'good ol', down to earth, tell it like it is' straight talk. Can I hear it from some of you please?

Thank you in advance--I'm desperate.

Pam

Ok, some times things do happen with this surgery - like any other, personally I do not have an issue with hanging skin but some people do, I do not vomit - have not vomited since my surgery to be honest and as far as mucous? Well, yes, I ate something more than once either too fast, not chewed well and or something that just wasn't going to work - however, I have that figured out and it doesn't happen now.

I can honestly tell you I would never, ever go back to before my surgery, I am so happy that I personally have the band, I am not shy about it and I share my experiences with anyone who asks, I cannot imagine being the person I was before, it isn't just the weight loss either, it is the knowledge that I have a chance using this tool that I never have had before.

Good luck to you regardless of what decision you end up making :bored:

Hello tgp157:

I have not experienced anything negative about the band. At least not yet, but I am newly banded, so there is some time.

It is nerve racking going through the insurance approval process, but you get through it.

It is nerve racking completing all the required tests, but you get through it.

It is nerve racking wondering if this is the right the decision, but you get through that.

It is nerve racking wondering if you will wake up after surgery, but you get through that.

It is nerve racking to see your hair falling out, but you get through that.

It is nerve racking to see the scale not move, but you get through that.

With the support of your family, friends, and LBT you will get through your journey and come out a healthier person for it.

Good luck!

Dear Pam: You said "I really just want to stop obessing about weight & food & just live a normal life not thinking about it." Well that statement pretty well sums it up for me, and probably more than a handful of other bandsters. I can say amen to what you say otherwise. I too have lost hundreds of pounds over and over, only to yo yo back to my weight plus some more. I started out at 140 lbs when I left the U.S. Army in 1967. I recall gaining my first 20 lbs and hating that my clothes did not fit. I went out and ran my self silly, eating tuna and boiled eggs and lots of salad. Next thing I knew I had gained the twenty pounds back and then some. During the next couple of years I gained enough weight to join the 200 lb group, but I was exercising and running and staying in good shape for a 200 lb fat boy. I must have looked good - - I found my wife and we have been married 25 years - - she is a size 12 and today I weigh 333 lbs. My Dr. at the VA Hospital told me yesterday that if I can lose 5% of my body weight in the next few months and complete the "MOVE" program which is a program for veterans to get fit, that she will recommend me for the lap band procedure. The truth of the matter is that when I came across this site I almost barfed with all the negative information that was being shared, but there is a lot of positive info also. The bottom line for me is that I too am tired of not just being fat, but tired of my overeating no matter how innocent or necessary it is - - a party, a wedding, a pity party, anxiety, depression, anger - - I can go on but I won't. I have used every excuse in the book to rationalize my overeating. I want to stop. Lap Band for me will be a tool to help me quit overeating which will result in a thinner me. My Goal is 140 lbs. I have a long way to go but with Gods help, my wifes support and the love of friends and relatives, and other bandsters I am determined to reach my goal. FYI I am 61 years old. Good luck to you and your family in your endeavor, keep the faith, God blesss you. art, a friend of Jesus.

Pam,

I, like you have lost and gained hundreds of pounds in the last 20+ years. So tired of all of the failures. WHY CANT I KEEP IT OFF? I start out sooo good, then lose the focus.

I can not tell you if the band is for you, but here is what I can tell you about MY experiance. Please remember that everyone is different, and lose at different rates.

I had my lap band surgery on Jan 3 2008, and in that 13 months, I have lost 121 lbs. MORE INPORTANT.... I am healthier, my blood pressure is down, my chance for diabetes is down, I can walk with out being winded... I can breath. I can sit on the floor, and reach things better.

Things like vomiting, hanging skin, mucus, etc--scare me away from it. SCARES YOU FROM BEING HEALTHY AND LIVING LONGER????? sorry to be so blunt. I do not like vomiting or mucus either, and I have learned what to do to avoid it. It still happens, but I just deal with it. IT IS WORTH THAT LITTLE "ICKYNESS". After losing this 121 pounds,,, I am starting to have the hanging skin. I do not LIKE it. but again, I didnt like being morbidly obese and having health issues more. I wear shirts that cover my upper arm, I wear the control panties to suck in. Again, I just deal with it. My life is worth so much more than hanging skin. Please do not let this keep you from being healthy and living longer. I am living life.... finally

I hope I have not been to Blunt.

Everyones experiance is differnet, I have had a few fills that left me to tight and had to have small unfills. But overall, I HAVE HAD NO SERIOUS PROBLEMS. I would do it again in a heartbeat.. I was self pay and would pay all over again, even double the price. It is so worth it.

I am not saying that there are not bad days... there are. but the positives FAR OUTWEIGH the negatives "in my opinion". Each day is a learning experiance, what you can eat one day, the next day you cant. You just have to go with it. I really thought that giving up certain foods would really bother me. but you know, your wants change. I can truely say the only thing that I miss is Soda. I was a die hard Diet Cherry Coke fan, drank 5-6 a day. I do miss it, I try to drink it but the carbination is just to much for ME. I know there are alot of people that can drink soda. It just is not worth it to me to feel bad for a day or so.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, I will give you my e-mail address if so.

Best of luck in your decision.

Lois