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Why I chose to get Lap-Band?

Why I chose to get Lap-Band? It’s been a struggle my whole life trying to lose all this weight. I’ve been overweight pretty much my whole life. I don’t have an excuse why I’ve become this way, but I have to blame it mostly on emotional eating & low metabolism. I gotta admit I LOVE food! Who doesn’t!? But- I know I love food more than I should. Food is #1 worst addiction on earth. Because: it’s EVERYWHERE you go. It’s on TV, fast food is everywhere, it’s legal, and of course you have to eat to survive. There’s no way around it. I eat when I’m bored, mad, sad, or stressed. Food is my therapy. I gained ALOT when I started puberty. I didn’t like sports when I grew up; I was more of an artist than an athlete. I started to diet and exercise around my teen years, I never stuck by it. I would always give up within a month and go back to my bad habits. Then I went back to it again and failed again. I would lose 20 lbs then gain it back. I was yo-yoing with my weight all the time. I would try many different diets, and then I could not maintain at it. I was ALWAYS hungry… I tried and tried. Last year, when I lived with my parents in NH- Mom and I decided to do Weight Watchers together. I did lose 40 lbs and then when we moved back to Texas, I just stopped dieting and exercising and gained it all back! I was devastated. I was angry at myself for doing this to myself. I always have this issue on my mind, constantly- 24/7. In the back of my head I would be thinking of this and that- no matter how hard I try to stop thinking about it- it’s always in my face. I go to food a lot for comfort. I struggle everyday with this. I bumped into an old friend of mine that I’ve not seen in about 2 years; I could not recognize him at all! He lost about 100+ pounds. He was completely a different person, and I asked him how did you do it!? He said LAP-BAND! I was like, what is that? I had never heard of this procedure before. He explained to me about it and stuff. I asked him a lot of questions, poor him! Ha J I researched more about this procedure, because I’m a researcher and I love to research on new things. I saw that Lap-Band isn’t invasive like Gastric Bypass, and it’s irreversible. That got me hooked. Then I met another friend that also got hers done last year. I asked her more questions and she referred me to check out a seminar about the Lap-Band at the hospital with an interpreter provided. I called and found a seminar, and went to check it out. I was so intrigued about it, but I was also skeptical because I hate the thought of something foreign inside of my body. At the seminar, the surgeon gave a presentation and a slideshow all about statistics, facts, & how it works. He also brought a sample of a lap-band itself so we can get the feel of what it really looks like in person. I signed myself up to have the hospital to check if my insurance would cover for it, and etc. I heard back from them within a week, with the news that my insurance will cover 80% of everything. I gave this a lot of thoughts, talked about it with John (my darling & supportive boyfriend) and I decided it’s my last resort at losing weight and keeping it OFF. I want to be clear that Lap-Band isn’t my magic solution to my issues, but it’s a TOOL to help me feel full fast and control my meal portions. I wouldn’t be hungry all the time. I would still have to watch what I eat and add exercise into this. I don’t want people to think I got this procedure because I’m lazy or want an easy way out of this. It’s the opposite, because I’ve struggled all of my life with diet and exercise. I feel this procedure will definitely help me a lot, because statistics show that those people who go through this have much higher percentage of keeping it OFF than those who do it by themselves or with gastric bypass. I had to go through 4 nutrition classes, 1 exercise consultation, and 1 psychological evaluation as a requirement for my insurance to approve me for this surgery procedure. I started my 1st class in May, and finally got done with all these requirements! I am very excited to get my lap-band on Nov 10th! I am also nervous! I really hope I will become successful with this surgery. This is going to be a new chapter in my life and I am really looking forward to the road to healthiness! I want to thank my family, boyfriend and friends & lapbandtalk.com friends too, for all their support and encouragement throughout this period. Y’all rock!:crying:
MissWhitzel

MissWhitzel

9
 

Finally in the BANDED CLUB!!! :)

Today was .... interesting. I am BANDED! I'm in little pain so that's a great thing, I cant bear a lot of pain. The most pain was my throat near my heart because of the tube they put there while I was under. It was interesting to get the idea what's it like to be under... I cant remember the moment I went under. lol I was in recovery room for about 2 hours until I finally woke up. It was SOOO hard to wake up, I kept falling asleep lol My incisions are not bad, one of them (I think the port site) bled through the sterile strips. i was shocked to see how small they were. The worst thing I went through is the swallow test. The barium is sooo GROSS, I felt like I was gonna throw up! But good thing is I passed it. Then I was released to go home after that. I went home around 6:30pm. I didnt have any gas til about 2 hours ago. so I went to the grocery store with my hubby and walked around the store. I got gas meds, and some pads because I got my period today (just wonderful!) and some SF Popsicles. My throat has been dryyy all day and I keep sipping water all day. My darling has been sooo supportive all day for me. Thank god for him!!! I am scared to go to bed because I wasn't sure how painful it would be because I tend to toss around sometimes throughout the night. I will probably pack 2 pillows in between. I'm getting sleepy (from the pain meds) I'll be posting more this week. Laters!   GOOD LUCK to those getting banded tmw, & this week! You'll do fine! :confused:   Here's a picture of my stomach...
MissWhitzel

MissWhitzel

12
 

Day after the surgery...

I woke up so early (7am) cuz I couldn't sleep well I was sleeping on the sofa's recliner cuz I can't sleep flat on my back or stomach, or it'll hurt. Bleh! I'm having pains in my stomach this morning - I guess because the painkillers from the hospital is worn off. I do have rx for painkillers but its not as strong as the hospital's. So I'm hanging in there. Not hungry at ALL. I have no appetite right now. I haven't eaten in 2 days, so today hopefully chicken broth will go down with no problem. I've had one Popsicle and some jello so far. I can only sip a little at once because the dr said my stomach is still swollen- it shld get better in 2 days. Whenever I sip something, its weird because I can feel it going through my stomach. I can tell its tight but I'm able to hold my liquids down. For the next 1-2 weeks my food intake will be liquids only, then after that, it's the puree stage for 1 week and then soft food for a week, then finally slowly to normal foods. I can't shower within 48 hours of surgery. So thank god for my detachable shower head. John helped me wash my hair and everything else except the stomach area. I feel so much better now that I'm half clean. Took a short nap this afternoon, wasn't a great one but I'm getting there. Pain mostly in the stitches and my stomach. John (my hubby) is taking goooood care of me. He will go in work this afternoon then Ian (my best friend/roommate) will take over and be my nurse I've lost 14 lbs all together since I started the pre-op diet. Ill keep you updated! :confused:   <3 <3 <3
MissWhitzel

MissWhitzel

9
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