Creekwood

My list includes taking my son to an amusement park and not having to worry about fitting into rides. Fly without being uncomfortable the whole flight! Not be forced to buy an aisle seat at sporting events because I am spilling out of the seat! Run around for extended periods of time playing with my son. Be able to buy clothes anywhere I want!! To hopefully get rid of my sleep apnea, high blood pressure. Go hiking, rock climbing, play basketball with my friends without being embarrassed, to eat in public without being self conscious, be able to comfortable fit in the desks at my college, and many many more things! Lol

CarolinaGirl it makes me sad that you said walk around the flea market without feeling your husband is ashamed of you.. I'm newer to the forums and you seem like the sweetest person on here! Any man would be lucky to have a wife as sweet as you! Regardless of your size I'm sure he is proud of you! ???ƒ

Oops didn't mean to send it twice

Drew your before and after pictures are crazy! Doesn't even look like the same person. I have my consultation on March 1st. Looking forward to living the banded life! I am about the same build as you were in your before picture. I'm 5'11 365 currently. My ultimate goal is 225ish. Hope to get there one day! Thanks for sharing your story!

This is our family dog Steinway. As you can see he takes a lot of abuse (not really) from my 5 year old son! Lol But, he loves my son more than he loves anyone! When I take my son to school and come home without him he gets sad and sits by the door waiting for him. Stein is a 13 year old Cocker Spaniel. He has arthritis, 30% vision in one eye, 10% in the other, constant ear infections, very little hearing.. He is getting old and starting to lose everything but we are cherishing his last years with us and hope to have many more great memories with him!! The picture with him in the car was my sons preschool bring your pet day, they were both VERY excited!!

John you just told my life story! Lol

No problem! Glad people are saving $, it's definitely not cheap!

Just thought that I would share that GNC is offering a 25% off promo code for Valentines Day, with $1 shipping! The code is IHEARTGNC . If you go to GNC.com it is on the front page. Hope this saves someone some $$$

I have been debating on having the Lap-Band surgery off and on for a couple years and have recently decided that it is time!! I scheduled my consult for March 1st with Dr Trace Curry. I am very excited / nervous about this huge next step in my life!! So what questions did you wish you would have asked but forgot to at your initial consult?? I have a list of more common questions but I am curious if there is one that slipped your mind. Thanks in advance!!

Congrats on your consult! I get what you mean about missing out on your kids. I have a 5 year old son, half of the time I feel too tired to run around with him outside for extended periods of time. That's a tough call on the 6 pounds. $500 is a lot of money! I am self-pay as my insurance has an exclusion in the policy. I have sleep apnea and I know that sleep studies aren't cheap! I am in the opposite situation, I was told that I should try to lose some weight before surgery to get my bmi under 50. It's 51 now. Good luck on your journey! Hope the consult goes well!

Oh yeah I forgot about the time that at a pool party I sat in one of the flimsy white chairs and immediately heard a cracking sound. So I jumped up and sat in a different chair. Then one of my skinny friends came and sat in it and fell to the ground immediately!!! LOL Everyone was cracking up.,, except him Lol I never told him about that, maybe I will the next time I see him!

Too BIG for not small

I have broken at least 4 or 5! Lol Now we get the seats with metal hinges. Once at my in laws house I sat in a chair that I was too small for at the kitchen table and of course broke the arms off of it. This was about 3 months after my father in law talked about how the kitchen table and chairs were antiques Lol. This was also the chair that he always sat in! Once in high school I sat in a chair and the back legs slowly collapsed and I fell in front of the whole class! Lol even the teacher was trying not to laugh! Lol

So when I'm reading all of these posts about daily food/calorie intake I keep noticing people saying they consume between 500-1200 a day. Is it really healthy to consume such few calories? Wouldn't you feel weak or dizzy a lot if you are under 1000? I have seen several people in the 7-800 range. How many and what kind of Vitamins do you have to take to make up for this low amount of food intake?

So I have heard several people say that most people end up needing a lap band removal or replacement 5 years plus after surgery. I know this is on a case by case basis and often times it is the patients fault (not always of course). But, how long have you had your band? Or what is the longest that you know of people having theirs?

Thanks for the replies! 1200 doesn't sound bad, but when I read the lower #'s in the past I was a little shocked. By the way Missy I saw your before and after pictures and WOW... Doesn't even look like the same person. Congrats on all of your success! Your hard work is paying off and thanks for not being afraid to show the pictures! I am fairly new to this site and look forward to reading your posts when I check in. Awesome job!

Due to my weight I have high blood pressure and sleep apnea. My blood pressure is under control due to medicine. The high BP wasn't the wake up call for me that I have to do something about my weight. But, a few months ago I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and have been using the c-pap machine. Every night when I put the mask on I get mad at myself! Mad that I got myself into the position where I have to wear it! But I look forward to getting the lap band and one day maybe not having to wear it. My sleep apnea is very mild. Has anyone been successful in getting rid of their sleep apnea from weight loss? How long/ how much weight off did it take you? I know everyone is different.

How much weight did your dr want you to lose before surgery. My bmi is 51, I'm 5'11 and 360 pounds. I have not had my consultation yet but I intend to have surgery at the end of the year or beginning of next year. I am setting a personal weight loss goal of 40 pounds. What are the reasons/benefits of losing weight before surgery? Obviously you will be closer to your goal, but was wondering medical benefits.

CarolinaGirl thanks! You are always so positive, I love reading your replies. You are right, focusing on the past will not do anything! Mis That is awesome, congratulations! Wearing the mask sucks! Lol I do cheat every once in a while and not wear it but then I feel like crap the next day, so it's not worth it to me. I would be so happy to not have to wear that dumb mask anymore! Or even to not take BP medicine anymore! The surgeon I'm talking to claims to have in the 90% range of successfully getting people off of their CPAP machine, I just love to put faces with statistics. Thanks for the replies, you guys are awesome!

Thanks for the replies!

I plan on having the lap band surgery within the next year. I will take the upcoming year to work with my doctor on anything that I need while also doing as much research as possible on my own. After all waiting one year to prepare myself for the lifestyle that I will live with for the rest of my life seems reasonable. Assuming that you are post band, What foods do you miss the most? Pizza and Chicken Tikka Masala (from a local Indian restaurant) are my absolute favorite! However, they aren't healthy (obviously) and I know that I will miss them! But, I'd rather miss the food and not have to wear the stupid Mask in bed every night bc of my sleep apnea (which I hope will go away with weight loss)! Not to mention being able to play sports with my son for an extended period of time!

I have researched and considered doing the lap band surgery for a couple years off and on. I am 28 years old 360 pounds. I am on medication for high BP and I have sleep apnea. I have been up to 395 and down to 315 in the past couple years. I am good at losing weight, HORRIBLE at keeping it off... The main thing that makes me nervous about the Lap band is I'm selfpay and the cost of complications etc.. I have been talking to Dr. Curry in Cincinnati, Ohio through e-mail and will be setting up a consultation soon. If all goes well I plan on saving money throughout the year and having the surgery at the end of this year. This forum has taught me so much, thank you guys for your stories, honesty, and helpful hints. This has painted a very clear picture of what living with a lap band truly is like.

Those pancakes sound delicious! Lol I am lucky in the aspect of carbonated drinks, I haven't had a pop in years. Beer on the other hand I do have a couple a month, but I'll be fine giving beer up . But when football season rolls around and I can't drink one, I'm sure I'll miss it! But, it will be worth it for sure! Thanks for the replies, this site is great!

Thanks for the info! It has been hard to find people with similar problems! My Dr. Assured me that there would be no problem, but it's nice to hear it from both perspectives.

I have a platelet dysfunction disorder, basically my blood doesn't clot as well as it should. I plan on having the lap-band surgery. I will be working with my surgeon and oncologist to figure out what extra precautions that I need to take. Does anyone on here have or know someone who has a bleeding disorder who has went through the lap-band procedure? What was your/their experience like? Thanks in advance!