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Congrats Allison! I can't wait to hit that 110 mark! Only 74 more to go! MyJourney and Ready2BFit...God bless you both. A little fear is natural. I was afraid too.But I prayed and God calmed my fears, as I truly believe it was divine intervention that allowed me to have this procedure. And I thank Him for it. I feel so much better already! Prayer, a good support network, and a great doctor can calm the nervousness. Best wishes to you both!

I have to say, I am simply amazed by this journey thus far! I wanted to post my story (in a condensed version) for those of you who are thinking about getting this procedure or have just begun your journey. I have been overweight for as long as I can remember. I just ate what I wanted, and enjoyed it very much. I had little to no concern about my health. I remember in middle school, I would sit in my bedroom closet just eating a can of icing. How disturbing is that?! I finally started thinking about WLS about a year ago. My highest weight was 259 LBS. Although I didn't have any health issues, I had began to miss my monthly visitor (sorry for the TMI). This really concerned me because I desperately want children in my future and I knew that the direction I was going in would make that difficult. I went to meet with a surgeon, and got the ball rolling! My insurance required that I meet with a nutrionist for 6 months before surgery. Those 6 months just FLEW by! However, I had not originally planned on getting the Lapband. My heart was set on getting the Vertical Sleeve. A week before surgery, my Insurance Cordinator gave me a call saying that my insurance will not cover that surgery as I needed to have a BMI of 50. I was really far off. However, I COULD get the Lapband. So after crying my eyes out all day, I decided that this is how it was supposed to be and I agreed to get the Lapband. It was the best decision of my life! I stayed one night in the hospital. It was my first surgery ever, and was relatively easy. The only difficult part was that I felt more comfortable resting in a chair than I did in the bed. I did not sleep much that night. Also, the first time they got me up to walk, I thought I was going to throw up and/or pass out. It got better. Today, it is exactly 4 months since my surgery, which I got on November 21st 2011. Today, I am exactly 60 pounds lighter. Today, I am FINALLY in Onderland (199 pounds)!! It has been simply amazing! I have had 2 fills. My doctor decided to hold off on another one due to the amount of weight I have lost. My weight loss has slowed down a bit, but I am still losing about 2 pounds a week. I will probably ask for another fill when I see him next month. I know everyone says this, but the band really is a tool that YOU have to use. I believe you have to want to put some effort into this before even getting the surgery or it won't work for you. Your mind has to be in the right spot. You have to WANT to change. You have to be willing to give up some of the foods you love or at least only have them on a very rare occasion. You have to be willing to work out. I guess its possible to lose weight without working out, but you will lose more slowly and you may end up looking disproportionate. Thanks to the band, better choices, and the gym, I have lost 60 pounds. I never thought I would be here. I love to work out as it makes me feel so much better and I have so much more energy. I also do the Couch to 5K Program. I strongly suggest this program to anyone and everyone! Although I am only in the 4th week (9 weeks total) I am seeing an improvement. My thighs are smaller, I have lost inches, and I am more fit! Since my surgery, I have also lost 2 inches on my neck, 7 inches on my waist, and 6 inches on my hips. Oh, I also use myfitnesspal like a fanatic! Feel free to add me on there. My username is legnarevocrednu. Also, feel free to message me on here if you have any questions. Good luck to all of you on your journey! I still have about 54 pounds to lose, but I'm glad that I could finally post my story as a success!!

This is a positive twist on my needing encouragement post earlier today. Thank you for those that helped to lift my spirits. Today is my 1 year Bandiversary! I am down 73 pounds. There have been a lot of ups and down through out this year and by no means has it been easy. I have had about 3 platueas and even a small yo yo around the holidays (Dang Christmas cookies) but I really have worked hard and am proud of what I have accomplished! So happy Bandiversary to me!!! I made a new before and after photo, my before taken the day before surgery and my after I asked my daughter to help me with this afternoon and WOW what difference it makes when it is right there in your face!

This is just my own personal experience till date.I just need to express how I feel and speak up my mind. Almost 4 weeks post op and I feel depressed, down and lonely. I am becoming so emotional and tearful. Small things make me crying. I am not catching up with our friends as before cause I feel like staying alone. Stalled at 2 weeks and hasn’t lost any since. It is like I need this on top. I did the surgery to lose weight and feel healthy but I feel weak, dizzy and always hungry. After few failed IVF, I am hoping this surgery will help but scared to death it wont make any difference. I have back pain since surgery and it is not going away. It is causing lots of pain especially when I am laid down on my back or sitting long. My scares still hurting and I can feel some tightness in my sleeve. Not knowing if it is something I should worry about or it is normal. My husband is supportive but will never understand what I am going through. Praying things will get better soon.

Monday, March 19 was a very emotional day for me. Today was my first meeting with the surgeon. I was scared, nervous, shaking, stomach pains and sweating profusely. ( It was warm on Monday.) Luckily, the Ambulatory Surgical center had complimentary valet parking. It was a blessing in disguise. As I walked to the building my legs felt like cement beams with every step I took. I glanced at the directory but already knew the office was on the second floor. I was a little thrown off because there were signs for center, west and east elevators. After getting to the secod floor I learned the office was on the west side of the building. I was 30 mins early so I sat for a minute to collect myself and mop up some of the sweat from my brow. The chairs in the lobby were snug so I figured I would be much more comfortable waiting in the doctors office. The girl at the desk was pleasant, Joan was sweet (Physicians Assistanct), Dr. Nusbaum was awesome and Denise was very informative in a matter of fact kind of way. Denise will be my point of contact because she handles the approval process with the insurance complany. Dr. Nusbaum calmed my fears and I feel completely safe in his hands. He explained the procedure and answered any questions I had. I didn't have many at the time but I'm keeping a journal of future questions to ask. I left the office feeling confident and ready to get my journey started. :wub: I was surprised that I do not need to follow a pre-op diet. I was hoping I would get to experience how it would feel to consume only liquids. I guess I will have plenty of time to do so my first week. Dr Nusbaum said I will need to stay in the hospital overnight and then after a week I can return to work. I have tons of tests and appointments with doctors for clearance. I've made all of my appointments and will have everything complete next week. Awesome!! Below is the list of things I have to do before my surgery can be approved by my insurance company. Letter of Medical Neccesity from my PCP Letter from my Nutritionist Pulmonology Consult Cardiology Consult Psych Evaluation Bloodwork Venous Doppler Lower Extremites Bilateral Filter to prevent Blood Clots inserted Trans-Nasal endoscopy I figure I'm on track to get sleeved mid April!

I'm ecstatic to get outside and to clean a little.sleeping last night was the best. I slept on my side a little. Went to Walmart and walked around.still a little pain in the belly.but soo much better than yesterday when I was still in so much pain.so everyone at day three hopefully only one more day and you'll feel better too.

"Broken pieces" says it all. I'm looking forward to reading about your journey. Thank you for opening your heart to us. xoxo

While Gastric Plication might be reversible should there be complications, the main problem I have with it or any stomach reducing procedure is that it's too easy to stretch it out again. Many people with emotional eating problems force feed themselves. The band is a solid object restriction. It wins the argument every time, the only way you could defeat it is by downing ice cream and shakes all day. Please consider that.

I also had my surgery on March 16th in Miami, by Dr. Jacobs, another incredible surgeon. Have lost 4 lbs already but having major constipation (guess because we are not really eating much). I am super excited to be on this journey and family and friends who were a bit skepticle, are starting to understand that this is only "a tool" and that it will take focus and dedication to loose this weight. We got this!!

I haven't had it done yet, but when I told my mother I was looking into it, she immediately went into negative mode. When I asked her to go online & just read about it (she doesn't know anyone personally that has had it done) she just ignored me. My bestfriend said I don't want to be negative, but.........and then proceeded to say nothing but negative things in a passive/aggressive manner. My husband is suoer supportive, he's my rock!!! My dad was great also. Funny but I knew these 4 important people in my life would react just exactly the way they did. So to tell or not to tell.......it's a personal decision and don't feel bad if you don't tell. What a shame that we feel something so positive is seen by others as negative and the lazy way out. They have not been in our shoes!