Andwhatrea

Hello everyone, I'm new to this site and have not been banded yet. I have my surgery set for September 28 but besides the normal pre-op anxiety I'm also dealing with another huge worry. I'm 22 years old and besides my immediate family, no one else knows about my banding. It's really difficult to come to terms about telling people around me like friends or coworkers. I feel like people might not be as supportive or be as happy for me as I would want them to be. Has anyone else been through this? How did you deal with it?

It's interesting to hear how everyone has reacted to it. It really helps me to know what to expect when I get banded. I think I'm going to tell only my closest family and my boss so I can get off work. Maybe after a couple of months or years when I feel comfortable I'll tell whoever asks.

Hello and welcome to the forum, I'm quite new myself and will be banded on September 28. You will find A LOT of useful info here along with many people willing to help and support. And about the whole naked thing, I wonder too so I hope someone can answer. Although, since everyone's under anesthesia I'm not sure how they'll know. Maybe OR nurses??? Anyway, good luck to ya!

September 28 I will be banded.. I'm so excited!! Good luck to everyone else having WLS no matter which one. Our goals are all the same

Something I've noticed from speaking to people who have been banded for years is that the more time progressed, the more comfortable they felt telling people about the surgery because they didn't have to worry so much at the criticism if it didn't work. Meaning, since they were on their way to their goal, they stopped fearing people's judgements. Hopefully this happens to me!

Congratulations!!!!

I'm not sure if it's the same all around but Dr. Wizman who will be doing my surgery doesn't require a psych eval when you're self pay. I'm sure if you meet the BMI minimum, they shouldn't deny you though.

Hello waiting! I'm self pay as well and I went in for my consultation on Aug 15. That same day I got my surgery date for September 28. Now, there was earlier dates but because of my job, I had to take a later date. I think it all depends on the surgeon's availability and how fast you can get all the pre-op stuff done like the EKG, blood test, nutritionist appointment, etc. Good luck!

Stories like yours inspire me to work hard!! Congratulations!!!

That's got to be annoying...

Haha.. I think being held accountable will really have a great impact! Thanks for the welcomes, I really like this forum because of all the honest opinions and advice from fellow banders.

I honestly thought I was the only one who worried about this subject.. Thanks for the advice everyone!!

Hello! I am also from South Florida. I live in Tamarac and on Sept 28 I will be banded by Dr. Wizman... I'm so excited and glad to know there's more of us in the area. Good luck to everyone!

Miranda3645: it's kind of surprising to hear people who are also overweight saying, "just diet and exercise" because you'd think they would understand how difficult it really is. But I'm glad they got on board when they saw how much it was affecting you. My immediate family which is my mom and two brothers are very supportive because they've seen how hard I've worked at losing the weight on my own with little to no success. And I remember about 2 years back my mom was talking to one of my aunts about it (because they're very opinionated about my weight) and my mom mentioned the possibly of WLS... Needless to say my aunt when crazy because she thought it was the worst idea ever and I was just being lazy. I guess I can see myself telling friends or coworkers in the future but definitely not family like aunts or cousins... Isn't that sort or of ironic???

Christiemr: congrats on the awesome comment! It sounds like you have a very supportive circle of acquaintances... And I really think I'm better off limiting who I tell. Not that I feel like I'm going to fail, but since most people aren't very educated on the WLS subject they have unrealistic expectations of it. Like when they automatically assume its the "easy way out" and people don't put forth any effort in losing the weight.

This is a very bizarre and scary situation.. Model I hope you can get some help with it because it does sound VERY dangerous. Let us know how it goes if it's not too personal!

I'm seeing a trend here lol... Thanks for the input guys!!!

You're right, one of the main reasons I don't want a lot of people knowing is because everyone has their own ideas and opinions about WLS (some just plain ignorant) and I don't want all the unnecessary input on how to make my band work. Especially since I'm unfortunately surrounded by many fit and thin people who are always trying to justify why I'm fat and what I'm doing wrong. That being said, I'm taking into consideration just being discrete and telling only the people I know will not judge or meddle.

Thank you so much for replying and for your advice! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks about this aspect of the surgery.. I feel somewhat better because I shouldnt care so much about how people might react to me getting this done. And ultimately I'm doing something to better ME. Once again, thanks for the support!

Hello everyone, I'm new to this site and after A LOT of research and hard work I finally have my surgery date: Sept 28. I have many mixed feelings. From excited to anxious and even somewhat worried. I have a goal weight loss of 100 lbs and I've tried so many diets and exercise programs that I think I'm just afraid of failing again. How happy is everyone with their band? Any good advice for an anxious future bander?