ShineOn

Well, today I scheduled the surgery date (April 4th, 2007) and I am scared and excited all at the same time. I have some big factors that got me to this decision; I want to be the best mom and wife I can be, I want my life back, I want to be active, and I want to be the kind of mom that is engaged in my daughter's life. I feel like I have been in hiding and on the sidelines for way too long. I know having the band as a tool to prevent my binge eating will help me succeed. I love to excercize and be active and I am so looking forward to getting my life back. I have two things that I am worried about 1) dying in surgey. I know this is a crazy fear based on the statistics but nonetheless its my fear. I am trying to concentrate on my eveloution after the surgery rather than the dreaded day. 2) My husband is struggling with my decision to move forward partly because he thinks I am putting myself in a situation that could be harmful (surgery) and partly because I am a self pay at 12K is a lot to endure on a family budget. But, he is a wonderful man and I trust he will come around to support me by the time they are rolling me into surgery. At the end of the day I just know this is a new chapter in my life and I am looking forward to journaling my story. Most of all I have this picture of me and my daughter a year from now running and playing at the park together. I am wearing some capri jeans and a tank top with my hair in a big floppy pony tail. She is in a similar outfit with the same hairstyle. We run, we roll in the grass, and we play. Mother and daughter just laughing on a sunny day. I guess that is what this whole thing is about in the end; getting my life focused on the important things and not food.

Well, today I scheduled the surgery date (April 4th, 2007) and I am scared and excited all at the same time. I have some big factors that got me to this decision; I want to be the best mom and wife I can be, I want my life back, I want to be active, and I want to be the kind of mom that is engaged in my daughter's life. I feel like I have been in hiding and on the sidelines for way too long. I know having the band as a tool to prevent my binge eating will help me succeed. I love to excercize and be active and I am so looking forward to getting my life back. I have two things that I am worried about 1) dying in surgey. I know this is a crazy fear based on the statistics but nonetheless its my fear. I am trying to concentrate on my eveloution after the surgery rather than the dreaded day. 2) My husband is struggling with my decision to move forward partly because he thinks I am putting myself in a situation that could be harmful (surgery) and partly because I am a self pay at 12K is a lot to endure on a family budget. But, he is a wonderful man and I trust he will come around to support me by the time they are rolling me into surgery. At the end of the day I just know this is a new chapter in my life and I am looking forward to journaling my story. Most of all I have this picture of me and my daughter a year from now running and playing at the park together. I am wearing some capri jeans and a tank top with my hair in a big floppy pony tail. She is in a similar outfit with the same hairstyle. We run, we roll in the grass, and we play. Mother and daughter just laughing on a sunny day. I guess that is what this whole thing is about in the end; getting my life focused on the important things and not food.

TerriDoodle - I sent you a 1-1 message to give you a complete intro. I look forward to chatting more. :-)

You are not alone, I feel the same way. I started a thread agout a week ago on the same topic and got some good advice. It's under "introductions" and is titled "Was anyone else deathly afraid of surgery?". There are stats out there that say the death risk is 0.1% or 1 in 2000. However, no matter what the numbers for me it's all about the fear in general. My Dr (Spivak in Houston) has done over 2,500 surgeries with no deaths and no occurances of having to "open" a patient after surgey. So, I am feeling good about that. Personally, I have decided to go ahead with the surgey not so much because of the statistics but becuase I want to be the best mom & wife I can for my family. My surgery is in April & I am trying to focus on the evoloution afterwards and not so much the dreaded surgery day. What ever you decide, best of luck to you! :biggrin1:

TerriDoodle, I am scheduled for survery with Dr. Spivak on April 4th too! Maybe I'll see you in the waiting room. I am so nervous about the actual surgey but excited about getting my life back on track. Thanks for posting your poll. Those types of positive influences are keeping my nerves at bay. :clap2:

Hello everyone, I am new to the site and in the final consideration phases for the surgery. I am a self pay with no health issues but I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I have been through the consultation & comfortable that the band will be a good option for me. However, I am terrified of surgery. I also have a ten month old and I feel guilty for wanting to do an elective surgery. I know that stats on the surgery are great and the Doctor I am considering even has a 0% mortality rate & over 2500 surgeries. However, I still have that terrible fear of leaving my daughter in the back of my head. Did anyone else go through this mental block? Any advice?:help:

I am wondering what does a typical eating day in the life of a bander look like? I haven't seen a lot of info about exactly what we eat once we get to solids. I have heard rice, bread, and flour-based items are no-nos. However, are there anyother foods that are considered off limits with the band? I heard that soda is off-limits too, is that true? I am in the evaluation stages & any info you can share will be most helpful!

The nurse at my office also mentioned baby food as a good option for the mushie phase. I have a ten month old so I have the advantage of sampling a few pre-surgery. Any of the fruits are good, the veggies and beef is the only tolerabe meet based one in my opinion. I am planning to do soups & probably some of the fruit and veggie baby foods. Good Luck!

Wow, thanks for your posts everyone. This helps so much!

Thanks for your posts everyone, they really help a lot. It's really good to hear from other moms out there. The key reason I want to do this is to be an active and energetic mom for my family. I know my fears are irrational. In fact, after thinking a lot about it last night I realized I go through the same fear and anzietey every time I board a plane to travel for my job. It's so crazy but before kids I was fearless! Being a mom has changed all of that. :-) Well, after a lot of thought I have decided to get the ball rolling and get the band. I am sure I will have a lot of anzietey until then but once its done I know my focus will change to changing my life which is the exciting stuff. Thanks for all the encouragement! Much appreciated.