I will board a plane in 48 hours and fly to Monterrey, Mexico to undergo a radical surgical procedure to permanently implant a foreign device in my body. Hopefully this device will allow me to control how much food goes into my body.

Like all humans, I already have natural mechanisims that does this job, but for some reason, like 50+ percent of Americans, I have coached my body to override this natural mechanisim and eat more food than I require to live.

I am going to spend a lot of money for this procedure; I am going to risk my life when all it would take is to simply STOP OVEREATING. If I took the thousands of dollars I'm about to pay, and joined a fancy gym, or hired a personal trainer, or bought an expensive wardrobe 3 sizes too small...would I lose weight? Probably not.

What if the band fails, slips, erodes, infects, what will I do next? I am running out of options.

I think a lot of us had those questions and feelings when we were in the consideration mode. It is a terrifying thing to think of at times. But now, with most of my fears behind me, I am so glad I did it! There is always that little bit of what if something goes wrong but I have decided to put that behind me right now and concentrate on the present and attaining my goals. Good Luck!

I think most people considering the band have a lot of those same thoughts and questions. I know I did and still do. I have read the positives and negatives...the happy stories and the horror stories. I'm feeling that I'm well-informed and ready to change my life. What I've been doing sure hasn't worked. I read posts from others who seem to have been in my situation. If they are successful, why wouldn't I be? I plan to follow the rules and make good choices. Sure, there will be problems. I'll deal with them. And there could be an issue out of my control. I'll deal with that too if I have to. I just know that I don't want to spend any more time beating myself up for eating the wrong things, for having a freaking treadmill that I rarely use. Bought it with great intentions. It's gathering dust right now. I don't want to have ten different wardrobes...fat jeans, not-so-fat jeans, etc.

I hope that you find some inspiration on this forum. The people are great sources. They've BEEN there. They've had those same questions we're having. And they made the informed decision to change their lives forever. I hope and pray that I am also that strong, resolved, and successful. I hope you are too!!

I wish you the best of luck on this journey whatever you decide.:biggrin:

TPG

wow..they are going to band you with a BMI that low?

wow..they are going to band you with a BMI that low?

:biggrin: That frustrates me. Besides the fact that some surgeons will band at even lower BMIs, it really isn't "that low." . Sure in comparison to a BMI of 50 it's low, but it's still not healthy, still considered obese, can still lead to a handful of medical conditions, etc.

I applaud the OP for taking this step to prevent that number from creeping up any higher. I got banded at a BMI of 37 (maybe 36?) but that was the lowest BMI I've ever had and didn't ever want it to get higher again. It's just frustrating for us middle BMI-ers, seems like we can't get acceptance from the healthy low BMI because we're too fat and we can't get acceptance from the high BMI because we aren't fat enough. Let's just all support each other!

Jaciqltz, don't mind my rant it wasn't directed towards you, just triggered other thoughts and needed to vent about it.

I got banded with a 37 BMI in Monterrey as well. Are you going to Dr. Rumbaut? I had such a good experience and was VERY impressed with the hospital and hospital staff. This is the best decision I ever made for my personal health. So far (knock wood), I have not had any problems or complications, and the surgery was so much less of a big deal than I thought it would.

I can't remember if we've corresponded before, but there are photos of the hospital and some before & after (well, current!) pics on my blog. If you are feeling nervous, it might make you feel better to take a look.

Best wishes for a successful trip, surgery and beyond,

Catherine