duckydoom

I think that the assumptions are the worst. It's bad enough to get it from the general public, but I'm starting to get it from my family as well. They'll load up extra food for me, or make a big production of "Oh, I made extra of your favorite dish just for you!" I don't know if that's more annoying, or being asked if I'm finally pregnant.
I do have to admit though, and I'm so ashamed of this, now that I'm getting so close to my surgery date and am painfully aware of what I'm eating, I'm also really aware of what others are eating and finding myself judging them for their food choices. I know what it feels like to be food shamed/fat shamed/whatever you want to call it though, so I'm careful not to call it out... but it's so weird to have that attitude. All I can think is "agh, now I really know what people think of me when they see me with food!"

My doctors office just called and set my surgery date for Tuesday 7/31! I cannot believe it...I have to start my pre-op diet now...but it's high Protein, low carbs, low/no suger(south beach). I'm so excite but now I have to take time off of my new job (just got a promotion from a teacher to a counselor). And then I'm not really sure what else I have to do....

Wow, this is a really great question...I started looking into Lapband years ago but was always convinced I could just "do it on my own." Well after fighting with infertility for 7 years, trying everything I could to try and lose weight, getting to the point that I could no longer do all the active things I loved to do (long hikes, ride roller coasters, camping, riding ATV's, etc) Plus, although I was in pretty good health considering my weight (no hypertension, heart disease) but I knew that wasn't going to be the case forever. I knew it was time to look into it again. I knew I needed another tool in my arsenal. This time I was really ready, emotionally and physically, and don't regret it for a second.

I was 30, had type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and doctor wanted to start me on heart medicine as a precaution. It was only 70 pounds but it has made all the difference in my health.

I love Vita-crave gummies, my husband picked them up for me at the store because I was having a hard time with so many reg Vitamins. I also take:
chewable acidophiles-helps keeping your bowels going helps with the band
chewable Vitamin c
Gummy Omega 3- Vitafusion
Gummy Vitamin D/calcium - Caltrate
I do not dread my Vitamins now, and it helps with the bathroom issues!

I always had problems with multi-Vitamins, but when I got the band it was even worse. Because I don't eat as much, I always got the children's gummy vitamins so it didnt upset my stomach so much, but I didn't feel like i was getting what I needed.
But I recently found the One a Day VitaCraves Multi-Vitamin. I LOVE them. I take the one with immunity support as I work in healthcare setting so high immunity is always a plus!
The bottle says to take 2 a day, so I take one in the morning and one before bed. I havent felt nauseous once from them, which is wonderful!
Just thought I'd share on here for those who may not have seen them before
http://oneaday.com/vitacraves_immunity.html

Hey everyone!! I am 5 days post op and doing well so far. I have to admit it was a little rougher than I had expected! I know several people who have gotten it done and they acted like it was nothing to it! I was in a lot of pain even from the time my eyes opened...I felt like a elephant was sitting on my chest and I couldn't breathe. My back hurt pretty bad too but I think that was just from laying on the hard table in the OR. I got out of bed immediately bc my back was hurting so bad. I started walking right away and as I started walking I started to feel better. The next few days were miserable. I wouldn't say painful..just miserable! I could not get comfortable no matter how I sat or layed. My stomach was surprisingly not so sore...I was able to get up and down out of bed fine. I slept with a heating pad on my back and I used a back massager a lot. I'm sure some of it was gas but some of it was just from my rheumatoid arthritis. The fourth day I felt like things were finally looking up but I still had that chest pressure. The doctor thought it may just still be a lot of swelling so he told me to take some sort of NSAID like liquid motrin. It got so much better right away! I am having a hard time keeping hydrated. I feel so full that I don't even want to drink anything but I am trying to make myself. I have tried a few things like yogurt and ice cream but after about 3 bites I'm done! I am surprised bc some people told me they really didn't feel any different as far as eating after a few days but I feel very full. Maybe still from swelling. Well I'm looking forward to reading posts from you guys and following everyone's journey!

Malpractice insurance is for doctors, not patients. And if something did go wrong, you would have zero recourse in the United States. All you could do is see what the Mexican laws were and if you had recourse there through the Mexican courts.
Considering the huge amount Medical Tourism in Mexico, I highly doubt you'd have any options as an American traveling there for a medical procedure.
I agree with elcee, if you're concerned then you shouldn't be going at all. Your health is too important to gamble with. Just my opinion.

Sounds like you are concerned about going to Mexico. If I was feeling the same way I think I would rethink my decision and find a DR that I felt comfortable with that was in my home country.

I've heard of it. I read you should use the organic apple cider vinegar vs store bought because of the processing it goes through.

One of the main reasons I decided on Lap Band was because I was dissapearing from history. I would cringe when someone got out the camera. I absolutely HATED the way I looked. I still have that knee-jerk reaction when someone starts snapping photos, and I'm still not madly in love with how I look, but it's not so bad.
Use that video for inspiration. Recognize where you are right now, and know that you're starting your journey so you never have to look back.

I am having my band in 4 days time and this evening my husband showed me a movie he 'd taken on his phone of our daughter learning to ride her bike. Behind her this old woman waddling along, it was me I am gutted at how awful I look and how I have allowedyself to become that thing in the picture. I realised before now I would have turned to food to squash my shame and fury ... Right now I am awash with feelings of pure revulsion of what I am and it hurts .... I know this is first of many times I have to deal with my emotions without the support of food .... Defining moment

I agree that attitude is everything. Every day we can either feel sorry for ourselves and what we've lost (being able to take the easy road and eat whatever, whenever) or go full steam ahead. Be prepared to work for it and have bad days. Do not expect perfection of yourself or compare yourself to other posters here. We all have different goals, personalities, and weaknesses. I am still new to this but I try to ignore negativity and do what works for me. I have no doubt you can succeed.

Yesterday my boyfriend & I took my daughter to the zoo. It was her first time. We had a great time but about an hour into the trip I was so tired, my knees hurt, my back hurt, my feet were killing me, and I was so out of breath. I was disgusted with myself. My surgery is September 6th & I can wait !! I have lost some weight during these last few months which I am proud of but yesterday really made me feel bad. I want to be able to keep up with my daughter for future trips.

Just got my first fill. It was no problem at all! I was so nervous and the surgeon even noticed! He put 4 cc in my 10 cc band. I only felt a prick from the numbing shot. Other than that, no pain! Water went down fine after.

thank you!
Good luck to you too..... less than a month left! Yeyyyy
I will definitely follow your progress
I love positive people.... just makes everything better

There are pros and cons to every procedure. You'll have people tell you that you definietly SHOULDNT get this surgery, then you'll have people like me and my four family members that say it's the best thing that's ever happened to them!
Here's my thought....the band is a TOOL. The operator, which is you, is the only thing that will make it successful. Yes, in the beginning you may lose lots of weight, but anyone would if they decreased their calorie intake by half or more. The real challenge is after you've lost a good amount of weight and your body requires less and less intake and more and more output. That's where most people struggle.
To get through that isn't easy, because of course, we are all bandsters and have the mindset of the larger person we used to be...however, it can be done.
Some people decide to get tighter and tighter to the point where they may not hardly be eating anything or may be drinking most of their meals. I, for one, do not agree with this method, because a lot of time it back fires and because you're not getting the caloric intake, you actually don't lose weight and sometimes even gain weight. And, if you do try to eat with such a tight band and end up PBing more it can cause long term problems with your esophagus.
I chose the traditional (and I feel most healthy) way to work with my band. I have pretty good restriction, but also can eat "normal". I say normal like that because, normal to me is about half of someone elses meal. But I can still eat. For instance, I have a cup of coffee for Breakfast, then two peices of toast. For lunch I have a salad, for dinner I have veggies and some sort of boca product or fish and have 100 cal Snacks usually around 10 and 2/3. Small meals through out the day. Weren't we all told this during our struggle of trying to lose weight pre-lapband, but could never do it because we always felt hungry? Well, now I can do it because I don't feel hungry. I feel satisified through out the day.
So anyways, my point to that long story was this.....yes, there will be negative nancy's and firm believers....but I believe the negative nancy's will be the ones that are not using the band properly as a tool in their weight loss and/or may have other medical issues that is preventing it from working.

I find myself doing the exact same thing but I work extremely hard not to judge, whatever someone is eating is right for them but not right for me and my daughter. My daughter and I are both working hard to be active every day for at least 1 hour, I love to run/jog and she loves to bike. Even if I have to get my run in, come in all sweaty load the bikes up and head to the park (she's picky, prefers the park because of all the fun hills). I also work 10 hours a day so it definitely is a struggle but I'm working hard to fit it in. I was thin until I hit my 20's so I didn't have problems in school regarding weight but I know how ugly kids are so I want my daughter to be healthy and active as well.
Americans have a larger struggle because food is marketed to the public with a vengence! I used to love going out to eat but lately I've tried my best to make it a once in a while treat and do more healthy cooking at home.

I'm in the same exact boat - reading that was like reading a bit of my own biography, lol. Good luck on your journey from here on! It's going to be a life change, for sure. I'm totally ready to adapt myself, and it sounds like you are, too! Keep us posted on your date. These boards are seriously awesome for any information you might need.
Take care!

One of my main reasons for me getting this done is stop all the assumptions! Why do people think because you are heavy that you're eating 2 and 3 plates of food at a time! Pisses me off, my daughter is heavy and I'm heavy and I had a waitress at Cracker Barrel ask if we wanted diet Maple Syrup, saying "no offense". I refuse to let my child be subjected to the crap the world doles out to overweight people. I'm bound and determined to address both of our weight issues. I know some people are just plain ignorant but it still gets to me.

I feel so inspired reading some of your posts. Thank you!
I have decided to have the surgery about few weeks ago. (I found out that Kaiser covers it with a $400 copay)
Going to my 1st class Aug. 15th.
Every day since I made my original decision I have had doubts : "Is it really for me?"
Finding this site & reading posts is really helping me.
I need to loose about 80-100 lbs which I have gained within the past 7-10 years.
I have tried many diferent diets but none of them stick. I did start regular excercise which is great! It gives me energy, however it doesnt help me much in weight loss.... it just keeps me from gaining more.
I am 38 & I need to make a change.

That's my problem too - I work in a call center/production environment, and everyone is always bringing in treats and offering them. Its frustrating since I'm trying not to make it well known that I'm having the surgery (I work in an office full of women and they gossip!), but I've made it clear I'm on a diet... but they still offer. I know they mean well, but dang. We also have monthly potlucks that you're expected to keep filling your plate at - I've actually had it mentioned to me that I only had one plate, why didn't I have more, I'd hurt so and so's feelings for not trying their dish etc.

Hi everyone. I'm scheduled for my band on August 7th. I began my first day of liquids today. It's going to be a long two weeks.

I go 26th for my pre-pp appointment and we decided to start my diet on the 27th. I am not looking forward to this but I am ready for the change