pamela3782

Good luck to you and okiekatt tomorrow. Mine is on Friday and I'm starting to get a little shaken up myself. I'm sure all will be fine. Take care!!!

Thank you all for your stories and input. I think it just helps to hear that I'm not the only one that goes through this. Congrats to all that have made the relationships work. Good luck to those making the changes you need to better yourselves. I think we are all really in that boat. I know I didn't mention it in my original post but I know one of the big things for him is his brothers wife left him after she lost the weight. I have heard from 3 of his family members and him "you're not going to pull a 'Sue' are you?" We had our problems way before I made any decisions to get this surgery. It's just hard to have little support and then hear that. Anyway thanks again!!! ~Pam

Hey Ladies!! I've already met Jennifer (shes a pretty cool chick) but you guys are more than welcome to message me as well. I'm 29 and my surgery is in The 15th of this month!! Hope to hear from you guys!! ~Pamela

I just posted this on another forum but it seems to fit here as well. First things first, take a deep breath. Yes surgery can be very scary and yes sometimes there are complications but if you are well informed and you fully trust that you have a competent surgeon that will do everything in his power to take care of you, you shouldn't worry about it to much. Of course there are always thoughts in the back of your mind that make you second guess your decision but you are doing this to be a better mom to your kids and just over all a better you. I look at it this way, the rates of something going really wrong are slim to none. Saying that you don't want the surgery due to the "what ifs" is like saying I won't ride in a car just in case I get into an accident or I'm not going to cross a street because I might get hit. As long as you are educated on what to expect and your doctor has been thorough with you, go for it with your head held high and don't look back. Your kids will have a better life because their mom will be happy and healthy. My surgery is on Friday and I have butterflies like crazy but I know in my heart of hearts it is what I HAVE to do in order to live my life to the best of my ability. I hope that everything goes smoothly for you and if you ever feel the need to talk message me directly. Hope to hear from you soon. ~Pam

First things first, take a deep breath. Yes surgery can be very scary and yes sometimes there are complications but if you are well informed and you fully trust that you have a competent surgeon that will do everything in his power to take care of you, you shouldn't worry about it to much. Of course there are always thoughts in the back of your mind that make you second guess your decision but you are doing this to be a better mom to your kids and just over all a better you. I look at it this way, the rates of something going really wrong are slim to none. Saying that you don't want the surgery due to the "what ifs" is like saying I won't ride in a car just in case I get into an accident or I'm not going to cross a street because I might get hit. As long as you are educated on what to expect and your doctor has been thorough with you, go for it with your head held high and don't look back. Your kids will have a better life because their mom will be happy and healthy. My surgery is on Friday and I have butterflies like crazy but I know in my heart of hearts it is what I HAVE to do in order to live my life to the best of my ability. I hope that everything goes smoothly for you and if you ever feel the need to talk message me directly. Hope to hear from you soon. ~Pam

April 15th for me.....wish me luck!!!! Hope all went well for Freelance Frog and Thatgurl today. You're both in my thoughts!!!

True that you may not have any medical complications but the mental difficulties are sometimes a much bigger issue. You are going to have to change your lifestyle and eating habits. You also need to try and figure out what your triggers are before you make your decision. When I started this I weighed 402 lbs, I am now down to 390 and I have my surgery on the 15th of this month. I hope that if you do decide to do this you really are 100% dedicated to doing it the right way. I also hope your consult went well today. Please keep us posted on your progress. Best of luck to you and if you ever need to talk please feel free to message me directly. Hope to hear from you soon. ~Pamela

Hey Steve!!! Welcome to LBT!! I'm pretty new to this as well but already I have met so many great people and have read the highs, lows, ups, downs, ins, outs, of many peoples experiences. You will find a lot of advice from people as you need it. The more proactive you are here the better the experience so good luck and keep us posted on the progress! ~Pamela

This surgery is just a small part in the process. The majority of this is mental. You said you felt like a whale (don't worry everyone has felt that way) so use that to your advantage. When you feel like you want to over indulge remember that feeling of inadequacy and tell yourself you NEVER want to go back to that. The band is a tool but your mind is part of the solution. Find yourself a "buddy" wether it be on here or a family member or friend you feel comfortable talking to and when you are having a "moment of weakness" talk to them. It may help. Good luck to you

I bought the tropical ones for while I'm on the clear liquids. It is terrible warm but when refrigerated or on ice its not so bad. Mine came in a pack of 6 8oz bottles for about 5 dollers. Another good one is unjury which was recommended by my doctor. You can go to unjury.com and order it. I think GNC may also carry it. Good luck

Everyone I have talked to has been different. One friend of mine lost 38 lbs his first month, another of my friends lost 15 her first month. Don't get discouraged if the lbs. are not flying off. From what I was told a 1-3lb per week weight loss is expected. I go for my surgery on Friday so watch for my progress Good luck!! ~Pam

Hi all! My name is Pam and I am a 29 year old married woman. I don't have any children yet but eventually plan to. So I just want to tell everyone a little bit about my story. I have always been on the heavier side. Even as a child I was the "chubby kid" . My mother passed away when I was 11 and my weight went up like crazy. I went on a diet when I was in 9th grade and lost a lot of weight. I was down to about 160 (from 230) and felt really good but as soon as I wasn't under the watchful eye of my family I ate what I want, when I wanted, and how much I wanted. Over the course of the next 15 years or so my weight got completely out of control. Stress, depression, loss of family and friends, and a complicated marriage all took a toll on me. My weight got up to 393lbs. I am 5' 4" so you can imagine how it looks. Luckily I have had my wake up call....... Back in January a very important person in my life had gotten sick. It turned out that due to his weight his body turned toxic on him and he was about 2 days away from dying. He is now getting the care that he needs and is on his way to recovery but it set off a spark in me. I decided that I am tired of the life I am living and the only person that can change it is me. On March 2nd I went to my first appointment with a bariatric surgeon (Dr. Richard Pucci in Suffern/Goshen NY). He gave me a list of things that I need to do (blood work, see a nutritionist, get a psychological evaluation, and get cardiology clearance just to name a few). By March 9th I had everything done. They told me it would take a while for my insurance company to approve or deny me. On March 15th all of my records were submitted to the insurance company. I got a phone call on March 18th from my doctor saying that I was approved! I went to the doctors today (March 22) and set my date to get the lap band. My surgery will take place on April 15, 2011. I am so grateful for the way things have played out. Although I would never in a million years want this person to go through what he has again I can’t help but be thankful that he did. If not for him I would not be so quick to make this change in my life. I really hope that this will help me turn over a new leaf and make me the person that I want to be. I plan on becoming an inspirational person doing either motivational speaking or counseling of some sort. This may just be my niche. I appreciate the support that I have gotten thus far and look forward to the support in the future because lord knows I’m going to need it. It is going to be a long journey but it is one that I can’t wait to take. I am really glad that I have found this web site as well. Hoping to make some great friends along the way. I'm an open book so if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Well welcome to the wagon Jennifer I wish you the best of luck with everything and please feel free to message me any time. Please keep me posted on your progress.

I also used my consult weight. You are tracking your progress over all so that would definitely be where to start

I will say one thing and leave it at this..... If ANYONE thinks for one freaking second that WLS isn't hard work they need a swift kick into reality. I would like to see these ridiculous women try for one week to have the will power and self control that someone going through this needs to have. Lazy my *#&. Who are they to pass judgment on anyone?? I can't wait until you show those skinny idiots how successful you are. BE PROUD AND STRONG!!! Chin up always!!! Everyone goes through that moment where we beat ourselves up over how we got the way we did but kudos on realizing that you are doing this to change all of that. Best of luck to you!

I too am a week away from surgery and the answer to your question is YES! My original surgery date was April 27th and the called me a few days ago and asked me if I could do it on the 15th. Although it is only a difference of 12 days I went into panic mode!!! I took a day to really mull it over and then thought about all of the goals I have set for myself by getting this surgery and that helped me work through my moment of craziness. My advice to you is to get a pen and piece of paper and write down everything that you plan to accomplish with your surgery. The possibilities are endless and I'm fairly sure you will be as excited as I am now. now I'm not saying that all of these will pertain because I don't know your individual situation but here are a few off of my list: -being able to walk into any store I want to and pick out clothing that I like instead of just what fits -not being so socially awkward (ie. food shopping, going out to dinner, going to the beach, going to a bar ect.) -being a healthy person without such great risks due to being overweight -the positive compliments you will receive from people That's just to name a few. I wish you all the success in the world and if you ever need to talk feel free to message me. It's only up from here!!!

I personally feel the more people that know about what I'm doing the easier it will be for me in the long run. Yes there may be that 30 seconds of awkwardness but there is no shame in changing your life for the better. The reason most people have strong negative reactions to this type of procedure is because they are not educated enough on the topic. You are always going to run into the person "that knows someone, that knows someone" that had a negative result. I also believe that although peoples input may not always be extremely positive you ultimately have to make the decision on your own. BE PROUD AND OWN IT!!! Hiding emotions and feelings a lot of times is a reason for being overweight in the first place (emotional eaters) and as anyone on here can tell you, you have to make huge mental changes as well as physical. Maybe breaking down the privacy barrier will open you up to a whole new you. You will be surprised how many people will be there to support you if they are informed as well. You have to remember that the scale isn't the only thing telling you your losing weight and who doesn't like to hear that? I wish you the best of luck on your journey and if you ever need to talk feel free to message me ~Pam

Congrats to you as well. I am not on a specified pre-op diet however they did ask me to lose between 10-25 lbs before my surgery date. I have lost 12 already so I am in the clear but I'm going to see if I can lose more before I go. I'm brand new to the site myself but feel free to email me as well. singsnaplove@gmail.com