grumpys wife

I have been looking at the lap band surgery for about 7-8 years now. In those years I have lost weight successfully and gained it back successfully. I have never reached my goal weight though, I give up once I lose 20 #'s. I think I am finally going to get this done. It will be a self pay so it was hard for me to decide to spend this much money on myself. I have an appointment with my surgeon on Dec 1st to talk about it. Now that I have decided to do it I am nervous. All of sudden I started wondering, will I ever be able to eat good food again, remember I'm from Louisiana and we have real good food :thumbup: I do remember that on one of my many diets that we went to a popular steakhouse and I really enjoyed my meal. I couldn't eat the big bloomin onion or the bread and when my meal came I really enjoyed every bite of it. I'm hoping that is what it will be like after the band. I know I will have to stay on here for encourgement.

I am looking for a doctor that carries the BLIS insurance in Louisiana. I am a self pay and would feel better having insurance in case of complications. I am in the Lake Charles area and don't know of any in town that offer the insurance. Has anyone used Dr. Bellanger? thanks

hey twin, I just sent you a message. I am also looking at Dr. Shimer. Glad you are doing well

I am a 49 year old female with a BMI of 35, high blood pressure. For years I have been wanting a lapband but neither my insurance nor my husbands would cover it. Since the kids are now out of school my husband said if you really want this then do it. I talked with a surgeon in my city and then went to Houston to see one that my friend had used. I was all ready to get it scheduled and then when he heard that I wanted to lose 50-60 pounds he said, no I'm not going to do it because you will not lose that much weight and you will be wanting a revision in less than 5 years. He wanted me to do the sleeve and I said no and he still wouldn't do the lapband. Now I am a self pay and this is a real good surgeon. So after crying all the way home I started thinking why would he say this to me if its not true. I believe that you can search these forums and find the responses that you want to find, I always mostly read to good about lapband. I have to say that I can't find too much negative about the sleeve. My only problem is that I am so scared of complications since I am a selfpay. I don't want my family to have financial problems because of me. My husband says whatever I want to do he is behind me but added that he really doesn't think I am big enough to have the surgery, just exercise and follow my diet. Oh of course, I hadn't even thought about that. Anyway, I read these forums daily and just can't decide what to do, its not the money, its not having to deal with eating small portions, its just being scared of a leak. I just want to cry every morning when I get dressed cause I look so fat.

oh, I know I'm not getting the lapband. After the surgeon refused to do it and I got over the rejection, I started really reading about it and decided not to do the band. I just need to decide if to do the sleeve, just scared of costly complications. You have done so good, I enjoy reading your post

Good luck with the sleeve !! Really do you think that people that have "just" 60 pounds haven't tried all the diets that you have tried. I have tried most everything out there and I can lose 20 pounds and I can gain back 30. When I was researching the lapband I would see comments like this and wanted to ask, so when you only have 60 pounds left to lose will you have the band removed and do it on your own. Same goes with the sleeve, it isn't easy to lose 60 pounds and keep it off. I'm still not sure if I will get sleeved; I am a self pay, which is ok, but my doctor doesn't offer blis insurance for complications. He has had zero leaks but I'm so scared to put my family in a financial bind is complications arise.

I was so excited yesterday, I had my first visit with my surgeon to discuss the lapband. He is a very good surgeon and I have 3 friends that have used him in the past 2 years. I have a low BMI. After he was in the room about 2 minutes he said well how much weight do you want to lose. ok, 50#, he said well I don't think you will lose that, maybe 30. I could feel the pitch coming on about the gastric sleeve surgery. He said that 1 in 5 of his patients don't lose the weight, so 20 % failure. I looked at it as 80% success. I could lose 60 pounds and still not be at the bottom of the scale on my ideal weight. I was hoping for him to get me excited and cheer me on but instead I cried after I left his office. He told me to come back in a few weeks after I have thought about my options. Now I wish I would have stood up to him and insisted on the band. I need to find out if I will have his 100% encouragement when I tell him I want the band. I know people who have had the gastric bypass and sleeve and gained weight back so I think with each surgery there are failures but the band can be adjusted and that is what I like. Was hoping to be so happy today and ready to get on with this and now I just feel heavy and depressed.

I also get mad when I hear people say that 60 pounds is not much so here is the question. For the people who have much more to lose. When you get to within 60 pounds of your goal are you willing to have the band removed and lose the rest on your own? Are you ready to have no support from others because you "only" have 60 pounds to lose? Believe me 60 pounds of excess weight is unhealthy and it is also hard to lose.

I feel like I could have written all of these responses. I am going to be a self pay with a low BMI also. I told my doctor that I could lose 20# on a diet and I could gain 25# back but I can't get 50 off. I know if I could get down 50 that I would keep it off. He tried to talk me in to getting a gastric sleeve but I'm not going that route. Glad to hear these success stories from low BMI patients

I haven't been banded yet but I am wondering about this. How hard is it to chew, chew chew before you swallow your food. I was noticing yesterday than when I eat , as soon as I have the food in my mouth I am already starting to swallow some of it. Some gets chewed a little but some just goes on down. I'm sure this is a habit from eating on the run. How did yall handle this ? thanks

Well I had been dreading telling my boss that I needed off to go to a consult for the lapband. I am the office manager in a small office and have been for 10 years so, yes, I needed to tell him why I would be off. We are good friens so I don't have a problem with him knowing but...... He kinda shook his head, and I told him that I didn't want his opinion. He said ok but then said well have you tried losing it on your own with diet and exercise. Well yes for about 20 years. He said no I mean really try and stick to it, all you have to do is burn more calories than you eat. So there is the answer, boys and girls, just exercise and diet, lol . I told him I could lose 20 pounds pretty easy but then get comfortable and after awhile I gain 25 back. I need to really get it all off. Oh, well I didn't expect him to understand but it did make me feel like a failure

Look forward to seeing your progress. I will be starting at the same weight as you did. I have an appointment next week in Houston, 3 hours away, to see if I can set this surgery up for March.

Glad to read this topic because I have been getting real confused. I have not been banded yet but will be soon. I have read that people can't eat steak, hamburger, white chicken, pork..... and I am thinking well what the heck can you eat? I was hoping to be able to eat normal but just in small amounts. Sometimes it sounds like I will be eating soup forever. I will be looking here for meal suggestions for sure !!!

I just finished reading the BandWagon book and it was great. I have my appointment with my surgeon to discuss the surgery on December 1st. I am going from; I can't wait to be healthy and feel good, to; I can't believe I can't lose 50-60# on my own and then if someone asks us to a steak dinner I can actually eat steak, or a hamburger cook out. I hate when these thoughts creep up on me because I know I will be so glad to have this done but I am also sure that I will be mad sometimes because I did have it done. Does any of this make sense to anyone out there?

those are the same things that keep going thru my head. I can't believe that there is anyone out there that hasn't thought this. I know it will be so great to get healthy and back in shape but what do you do when someone invites you over for steak or grilled burgers.

Steriods ??????

I'm with you sister, mine is around 32-33 and I have an appoinment with a surgeon on Dec 1st. I have high bp, high cholesterol. I don't care if you have 60 pounds or 160 pounds to lose, if you aren't happy and healthy then do something about it. When I went to my seminar I was the smallest one there but it didn't bother me because everyone has their own story so I try not to judge and hope people don't judge me. I say stop the madness now and get in shape. Good luck to you

Red Beans, yummy. Yes my BMI is 32, I am 5'6 and weigh 205. I have an appointment with my surgeon on Dec 1st, I already went to the seminar. I don't think he will have a problem because I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol. I guess you know at this weight we can hide some of it really good so many people don't think we need surgery but I want to feel good and be healthy. I carry much of my weight in my stomach so it makes me miserable. To get pants to fit in the waist the butt and legs are so big on me so I look even bigger:sad: I have not always been heavy so this is just not acceptable for me. 23# lost, you go girl, that sounds great and that should show alot when you dont have so much to loose. My hairdresser had the lapband done and she was smaller than me and she looks so great now. I am going to her today so I should get a good pep talk. Can't wait to see my surgeon and get the go ahead. I guess if I have it done I won't be the champion crawfish eater at our crawfish boils any more :rolleyes2: Hope we can stay in touch through this

thanks for the reply. This will be alot easier now that I know I can talk to someone who knows "Gumbo" :thumbup:

I finally can afford to have the lapband surgery after several years of wanting to get it done. Now I am having second thoughts, is this normal. All of a sudden I am wondering, will I ever be able to eat good things again. I am also going to an all inclusive next year and wondering how that will work. I am ready to feel better and get off some of my medication so why do I have these feelings. My trip will be about 10 weeks after surgery so should I wait for first fill after I get back. Help I need some suport