Snow

So...everything's chugging along. I met with my nutritionist, and my surgeon waived my physical therapist requirement. All I have left to do is meet with the shrink and get this thing scheduled. I went into this with no health issues. Everyone seems shocked I'm not on any meds. Every single person I meet. "What medications are you taking?" None. (double taking) "What? None? Really? Um... yep. None. I'm really healthy. I stay relatively active, no blood sugar issues, no high blood pressure or cholesterol, nothing. However, as a pastry chef, I spend a lot of time standing. It's never in my life been a problem, until this week. I gained 6lbs since the last time I stepped on the scale (a month ago?) and now, I noticed after a day of baking, I get shooting pain through my left butt cheek and down through my knee to my outer ankle. Damn. Sciatica. ::sigh:: This procedure couldn't be coming at a better time.

I'm not banded yet, but I'm doing all my pre-op work--getting my bloodwork done, seeing the specialists, all that. I had a fasting glucose test this morning, and my mom wasn't available until noon to watch my daughter, so I woke up and had to go until noon without eating. It's probably the fat girl in me, but when someone tells me I CAN'T eat, I get that much more hungry. By the time I dropped my daughter off, got my bloodwork done, ran an errand to the bank, and got back to my mom's, I was a raving b***h. I'm usually an obnoxiously cheerful, upbeat person, but feeling hangry isn't a new thing--I always get a bit short when I'm hungry. But this was like hunger on steroids. I was grumpy and short tempered, and probably acted like I had a giant stick up my arse. My daughter was fussy (she's 9 months) and I caught myself wanting to yell at her for crying. Ridiculous! My mom was obviously uncomfortable with me and my foul mood, and I got home and realized I'll probably feel like this a lot during that Bandster Hell period--before my first fill. I'll likely be tired and sore and hungry, and may have difficulties actually eating. If that's the case, I don't want to turn into a raging cow and alienate everyone who's going to be around to help me-- not to mention my kids. Did / Do any of you go through anything similar? Any words of encouragement or advice?

I will do that, thanks.

You lost over 100 lbs BEFORE being banded? Way to go! Any particular protein shake you recommend? I'll be banded in about 8 weeks, so I'm trying to slowly shift over and incorporate more liquids and less solids in my diet, just so I don't have such awful cravings afterward.

I've been thinking long and hard about what, exactly, I expect the Band to do to help me. I keep coming up with different answers. The problem I'm having is that my eating issues are more centered around a lack of self control. I KNOW how to eat healthily. I KNOW how to exercise. I like to do both. However, I had a baby 8 months ago, and I've gotten so damn fat during/after that, that I'm lacking a LOT of motivation, and have gotten stuck in the mentality of "Eh, screw it. I'm already the size of a house, it won't matter if I have a burger." I know that the Band won't do any work FOR me, but that it will make everything I eat more of a conscious choice since I won't be able to sit around and just mindlessly wolf it down like I do now. And that's what I need--I need that constant companion to remind me, "Hey chick, do you really, really want to eat that? Cuz you're gonna be miserable if you do" because it's too easy right now to tune out my OWN voice of reason. However, I have a bad habit of eating when I'm not hungry--because I'm bored or tired, especially. And I know the Band won't do anything to help that because it's more of a mental issue and not physical. So I wondered if any of you have gone through therapy after being banded and whether it helped. What steps have you taken to change your relationship with food, and did you ever get to a point where you feel like you've conquered your issues?

...and have to meet with a nurse practitioner beforehand? I have an appointment with my NP tomorrow, and am trying to get an idea of how long it takes and what's involved. I have an important conference at 12:30, need to know if I should reschedule. I've been calling the hospital's bariatric office and keep getting patched to voicemail. Ug.

I attended the seminar with my surgeon this evening and scheduled my appointment with the nurse practitioner. Apparently, St. Louis is just chugging out the Lap Band, because the soonest appt they had available was June 30th. However, a nurse working the seminar said they were opening some new slots and if I call first thing tomorrow morning, she could work me in earlier. Yay! Halfway through the seminar, my mom leaned over and whispered, "You really should just do gastric bypass". Holy moly, no. I may be fat, but I'm healthy. No comorbidities, no high blood pressure, no diabetes, nothing. Not even asthma. I am in no hurry for drastic, crazy results and the whole idea of GB makes me really uncomfortable. So I was glad she was there to see both sides. How are you all doing? Any fun news?

I wonder how much of LapBand's benefits are psychosomatic. I mean, while obviously, it DOES restrict quantity of what can be eaten and it does keep you full longer, I know a lot of people (myself included) who are NOT fat because they're hungry all the time. We're fat because we eat foods we shouldn't, and we eat when we're bored. So I wonder if LapBand's effects are more largely mental than physical. Once you have it done, I imagine that simply knowing it's there does quite a bit for keeping people more focused and on their best behavior. I've been a regular poster on a popular diet forum for many years, and as all the newbies filter in and out, I see the same thing over and over--people saying they wish they just had some kind of magic "self control button". I know people can cheat their band and still eat crap, but it seems like perhaps the Band might be giving people that little mental boost--the physical, every-day reminder to stay on track. After reading through this forum, I've seen so many testimonies from people who used to be morbidly obese and have now turned into regular gymgoers and athletes. That kind of transformation doesn't happen JUST because someone's no longer hungry. It's so neat to see how a whole life can be so drastically changed with the help of a little silicone band.

Just to clarify, my observation wasn't negative. I'm still super excited to get banded and really looking forward to it. I was just noticing how, for a lot of people, it seems the band really caused more of a mental change than a physical one. The weight loss almost seems to be a secondary side effect. Of course, it's different for everyone. heather--I like the way you phrased it. The Band makes everything you eat become a conscious decision.

I'm going through Washington University/Barnes Jewish Center for Bariatric Surgery, and when I sent in my application, was told that if approved, I'd receive an invitation to attend a free seminar within a week of my app being reviewed. I got my invitation letter today!! ::squee:: I'm super excited, but they said in the letter: "Our program includes an office visit with a Nurse Practitioner, a consultation with a dietician, a behaviorist, physical therapist, and a one-on-one visit with your surgeon. You will also need to have blood drawn for your labs, and an EKG performed". That seems like a lot of visiting. How long did that take most of you to do? I have two kids and my husband's deployed--I'll need to get a sitter for each of these appointments. Yikes. Also, I am going through Tricare--will they cover all these visits and pre-op work? Thanks in advance! PS Edit: Also, I'm having a super hard time not telling anyone. I've decided I don't want anyone knowing, because I don't want to be watched and scrutinized, especially in the first 6 weeks when I'm still on liquids and mushies. Aside from my mom and my husband, nobody knows, and I want to keep it that way, but it's SO hard not calling up my best girlfriend to squee.

Hey!! Nice to see another St. Louisian here! Dr. Eagon will likely be my surgeon as well. You'll have to let us know when you get your appointment, and how everything goes post op. Was there anything you had to do in your screening process that you weren't expecting?

I'm having my band done at the Washington University hospital, which has been awarded the honor of being a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. So I'm not afraid of surgeon error or anything going wrong during the actual operation, but I started reading reviews and personal experiences last night, and didn't go to bed with a good feeling. I kept hearing things about...well, lemme make a list of some of the things that stuck out. - Statistically, almost everyone who gets banded has to have corrective surgery at some point in their lives. - There's a major flaw in the idea of putting a rigid plastic ring around a soft, moving organ and expecting it to be permanent. - Most people usually only lose about 50% of their excess weight, and it can often take about a year for that to happen - Lap Band is high maintenance and will require post-op doctor's care for the rest of my life I'm starting to doubt my decision. So... for those of you who've been banded for a long time, how would you say these somewhat alarming statement vibe with your own experiences? Because it's such a relatively new procedure, I know there's no long-term studies available of how the band affects people after, say, 20 years, but I like to think there will be a time where my band is at its ideal fill, and I can just leave it alone. Is it really a constant maintenance issue forever afterward? I have about 115lbs to lose. If I only really have hope of losing about 50 of that in the first year.... well, that's kind of discouraging. As fat as I am, I'm very active and exercise a lot. It's just the binge eating I need to get under control. I always hoped I'd be able to lose 80+ the first year. But I don't know if that's a reasonable goal, now. Any honest feedback and personal experience would be greatly appreciated.

That's awesome! Congrats on the 25lbs lost. I can't believe you only had 60 to lose. You're already halfway there.

I think, in general, there is a lot of judgement that goes with being overweight, especially when you're obese. When you can't seem to ever get your shit together and just drop the weight for good on your own, people often assume you have no self control, you're lazy, you're weak. I think a lot of obese people secretly have a fear in the backs of their minds that maybe those judgments are right--maybe the fact that they can't be successful IS an indicator that there's something wrong with them. I know whenever I get a weak moment and binge on something I shouldn't, I have moments of, "See, this is exactly why you're fat. You just have no willpower." Admitting I can't do it on my own feels like I'm giving affirmation to those thoughts, and to everyone else who might be thinking the same thing about me. Of course, I'm not speaking for everyone--just my own insecurities, and those of others I've spoken to about this. Even though I know better, there is always the fear in me that maybe I'm being lazy and weak by opting for LapBand instead of just giving "honest dieting" another go. It makes me a little sad that I've let myself go to such an extent that surgery is my last hope. Admitting that I'm having surgery out loud makes me intensely scared that if I don't lose weight, I'll be a double failure. Or that if I do lose weight, I won't get any credit for actually having to put in any effort. Nobody likes to be marked as a cheater. I have a lot of friends who are athletes, some who have lost a ton of weight on their own with diet and exercise, and I always feel inferior to them. Admitting I had to go under the knife to get the same results they worked their asses of for... I don't know, it makes me feel embarrassed. And then finally, I have several friends who are obese...some moreso than I am. And I know they struggle with their weight both physically and emotionally. I am lucky enough to have insurance that covers my procedure 100%. They don't, and a lot of them don't have a ton of money. I feel like talking about the surgery is rubbing it in their face a bit. It's a bit like survivor's remorse--I feel guilty for having an advantage while I know they'll still be struggling. But these are just my reasons for not going public. Everyone's are different, I'm sure.

Oh, I understand. I'm a pastry chef. You know how bad it sucks to have people looking at your career and lifestyle and saying, "Well no WONDER she's fat!" But the stuff I make is for other people and clients. I haven't made myself fat from my own baking--in fact, I barely have a sweet tooth anymore because I'm always wrist-deep in dough and batter and chocolate. You DO get sick of it after a while. It's binging on fast food and pizza and convenience foods that have done the damage. But nobody believes that, and I've had friends acctually tell me that I have no hope of ever being thin if I don't change my career. ::sigh:: So no, I have NO intention of making my lapband procedure public knowledge. Not gonna happen.

Can I just hijack for a second and ask something? Am I the only one who doesn't want to tell people about being banded, not only for privacy's sake, but also because I want to be able to claim a bit of credit for the weight loss. I've tried and failed to lose weight so many times that I don't think people take me seriously anymore, which hurts my heart a little. I'm really afraid that if I tell people that I got LapBand, any weight I lose "won't count" and they'll just roll their eyes and say, "Yeah, she's doing great...because she got surgery! She's not actually doing anything!" It sounds selfish and narcissistic I guess, but I really want to be able to be proud of my weight loss without that nagging worry that everyone's judging me for not being able to do it on my own. Am I alone here?

Good luck!! I know the feeling of not wanting to tell anyone. I've told my mother and my husband, and that's it. Nobody else, and I don't plan to. Why are you choosing not to let anyone in on your scheme? I know what my reasons are, what are yours?

Hi Darlean! I haven't been banded yet, and am in the process of setting it up. You were banded 11 months ago and have lost a total of 20 pounds? Am I understanding that correctly? I just want to make sure I didn't misread your statement. Is that normal? Besides lean Proteins getting stuck, are you having any other issues? What kind of stuff is happening at your social situations? I hope I'm not being too nosy. Since I have yet to be banded, I'm still reading through peoples' experiences and seeing what the band has done for others. What would you say are the biggest perks/drawbacks to getting it done? Would you do it again?

Good luck!! I'm going through Tricare as well, and very curious as to what they're going to require. I sent my application into the bariatric center earlier this week. I'm supposed to get an invitation to attend a seminar within 7 days of being approved by the hospital as a candidate. I hope Tricare approves your request super fast! Keep us posted.

What kind of problems are you having?

Just out of curiosity, what kind of things are you eating? I haven't been banded yet--my journey has barely gotten off the ground. I'm just wondering what your typical daily diet consists of.

With the exception of my husband and my mother (who will have to help me afterward) I haven't told anyone about my decision to have it done. I don't want to hear what other people think. This is for ME. And I don't want to be scrutinized and watched and questioned the whole way through. So I don't have any experience with interacting with other people, regarding LB, but I DO know exactly what you mean about it being super emotional. When my doctor first suggested it, I went home that day with a handful of pamphlets and I cried the whole way. It was a mix of disappointment in myself, excitement at the possibility of change, and hope. Just pure hope. Hope can be a very powerful thing.

Hi there, everyone. I'm just starting off on my LapBand adventure. I have spoken to my PCM, who suggested banding. I initially recoiled from the idea, but the more I read and thought, the more I started to really find encouragement in the idea. And now I'm completely convinced this is the way to go. I submitted my application this morning to the Washington University Department of Bariatric Surgery. They'll contact me when my application is reviewed and approved, and they'll get me started on where I need to be. I'm an Army wife, using TriCare Prime. I've heard a few varying experiences regarding what TriCare requires for approval, so we'll see what they ask of me when the time comes. I'm 5' tall and 234 pounds. I had my second child 7 months ago. With my first child (who is now five) the weight just fell off afterward. This time, not so much. My husband is stationed 1800 miles away, awaiting his deployment to Iraq in 5 months. ::sigh:: I keep myself busy. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you, and learn the ropes of LapBand. Cheers!