So now I am set to have surgery and its been over a year of hard work to get here. It seems unreal and now the nerves are setting in, am I doing the right thing? I have sleep apnea , fibromyalgia and I want to be healthy again!! I live in Portland and I am having surgery done at OHSU by Dr,O'rourke.........has anyone else had any experience with him?? I thought bands were more popular than bypass since its less drastic but he told me 90% of the patients there are bypass not lapband , now im worried! If anyone has any knowledge or input pleaseeeeeeee let me know!

Take care everyone ~Kat

I am in Southern California and don't have any experience with your surgeon or the practice there...but I think everyone tends to go through a "what am I doing"? or "what have I done?" stage right around surgery. I was banded 10/20/08 and feel it was one of the best decisions I ever made. While I was heavy enough for either gastric bypass or Lap Band, my regular doctor, my husband and I all agreed that the Lap Band would be best for my health, age, situation, etc. I do not regret it for a minute, though I did in the first few minutes after waking up from surgery. It was just "cold feet" - and I was ready to be healthy.

Now that it's been 4 months I can say that it's been worth it, every bit of it. There's a lot of "re-learning" to do - how to eat (slowly, slowly, chew, chew), what to eat (protein, protein), when to eat (3X a day), it's been a great journey so far. I'm not even halfway there but it's not been that long. Sometimes I do better than other times with exercise, and actually lose more weight when I do faithfully exercise, but I still would do it all again. I've been reading books on Lap Band Life, settling into my new life as it will be from now on, and enjoying the benefits of feeling SO much better. It's worth it, it really is. Whether you go through bypass or Lap Band depends on a number of factors, but whatever you decide, do something. I personally am very glad I chose the Lap Band.