Bandista

Yippee! So happy for you. Hope you have a nice few days of R&R ahead......

Wow, you are doing great -- thats a lot of weight loss since March. Whatever the plateau is, it's temporary -- you are on your way to that goal. Best wishes!

Hi Stacey, I am pre-band as well and when I first started reading stories here I became nervous too. When I kept reading over the course of a few months, though, I began to be able to see the patterns -- for instance some one recently banded was in a panic thinking the band had to come out. When she went back to the surgeon they found she needed a different kind of protein -- there was a dairy sensitivity and that was the extreme discomfort. That's just one example of the kinds of things that at first seem extreme but are easily resolved. Actual port problems or difficulties with fills, etc. seem to be very rare and I think band replacements are about people from a while back and the bands are different now, improved materials. I'm choosing the band because I know I can't get the weight off otherwise. I am excited and while I've been frustrated by the time it's taken my hospital to get me through the process (still at it!), this has given me time to really study up. I am listening to the successful people and taking note as I intend to be one of them one day. I also notice the people who aren't really ready and when they get banded they are not prepared mentally. Participating in this forum is a great way to ready yourself in that way. Good luck with all and very best wishes!

Hi Zingy - maybe your weight loss and return of period means it's time for a fill? I have no idea but thought I'd put it out there. Best wishes!

Great post EmorieJai -- what is on your list?

What I look forward to: Losing the CPAP machine No BP medicine Bye bye arthritic pain Loving exercise -- craving that instead of food Dancing -- feeling light on my feet again Able to do Yoga, be on the floor (and get up!) Barge trip in France with our own little rented barge and bicycles on board Fun clothes like I used to wear, lingerie to jeans or an old evening gown Not cringing and hiding when a camera appears Strong and able in the garden Looking good for our son's graduation (June, yikes, better get this show on the road!) Happy beach times, snorkeling, not embarrassed in swimwear I want to swim with dolphins, too! (Thanks Sage Tracey) Cycling in Europe -- along the Danube there is a big bike path..... Ease while traveling, comfortable on planes, able to nap anywhere Not feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, really showing up for life each day Stopping thinking about food all the time! More comfortable interviewing, being in public, easier professional life Less shy and awkward, able to stand up for myself better Going sailing sometime, messing around with boats ENERGY ENERGY ENERGY

Congratulations -- you have really worked it and it shows! Thanks for the inspiration (waiting to begin).......your happiness is infectious!

Yippee! I've been following your process and am so happy it's all worked out now -- good for you. Best wishes for a speedy recovery and an easy transition into this big new chapter of your life. Very exciting times ahead! Look forward to hearing how it is all going.....and hopefully I'm right behind you in entering into Band Land.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Go, go, go! Congratulations!

Yippee! So happy for you!

Wow! Congratulations on a year of really hard work to get where you are today. This is very inspiring as I am waiting to begin. Good luck with your next goal -- you are nearly there. I look forward to thinking about exercise all the time instead of thinking about food. Do you think they could install a chip in my brain for that when they put in the band?

Best wishes for a speedy recovery -- a whole new chapter about to begin!

Yippee! So happy for you. Hope you have a smooth and speedy recovery. Let us know how you are doing......Best Wishes!

Oh it's nice to hear this -- I am pre-band and was adding this to my little list of jitters as I wait for a surgery date. Thank you! No need to bank anxiety over fills when I don't even have my band yet.

Welcome! I'm going to be 52 soon, too -- have just one child, a senior in high school. I'm with you on wanting more mobility -- can't wait to shed this extra baggage and feel better about myself. I have been on this forum a few months now while going through the hoops at the hospital where I will be banded. I have learned so much here -- way more than the doctors can provide as there is so much input from people who are at various stages. It's a warm, informed group all in all -- very compassionate as all have walked in the same shoes. You'll be chasing around those grand-kids before you know it. Best wishes.....

Phew! Always better safe than sorry. Don't these people rock (Cheryl, Missy)? I didn't know what a Doppler was either, nor these symptoms. Hope you are feeling better and now relieved of that huge worry. And Mis73 what an experience! Hope you are 100% recovered from that ordeal.

Very exciting!

I have been concerned about insurance as well. Mine requires a BMI of 40. I am a little borderline and have to be creative about this plus keeping weight up when I want to be trying to slim down a bit before surgery. 240s just not fat enough, have to be 250 or it's a no-go. Look forward to getting that stressor over with when I meet with surgeon and that's the weigh-in that the insurance receives. Otherwise my other worries have been alleviated here. Some people have a rocky few days but I am pretty tough and know I can get through that. Walking very important for recovery, to release any trapped wind from the surgery, learning to take small sips, etc. pretty exciting to be beginning this new chapter! Very best wishes to you -- have fun on Friday connecting with the people you will be working with over many months to come. It's not just the surgery, of course, but the important after-care, getting fills just right, etc.

Hi Sylvia, congratulations on this big step. I am in the process of getting my surgery date. It's taken longer than I thought it would but this has given me a chance to learn so much more about the band. This forum is so great for that -- a lot of information here and people are willing to offer support and answer questions about their own experiences. I'm sure True Results will walk you through everything. Take a lot of notes! Best wishes to you......

Hi Donna, congratulations on your success -- 74 pounds, wow! It sounds like you are working on getting the right fill -- making sure the band adjustment is right for you. I know that many people who have sugar issues find it easier to stay away from anything that is sweet, especially sugar substitutes, etc. but even carrots, beets, fruit sugars, etc. All these can trigger craving. I am pre-band (hoping I don't have to say that much longer!) and have been working with a therapist the last couple of months to help sort through the ways I have used food to soothe myself -- anxiety, stress, boredom, reward. I always take extra care at this time of year when the light is shifting so rapidly as that can be difficult for me -- time to review strategies for winter! Best wishes -- you are on your way to leaving sugar in the dust!

Good luck! I am waiting for my surgery date and actually looking forward to the liquid diet. You will love being thinner and healthier even more than you love pizza!

Congratulations and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Hi there, very excited for you. I have my psych eval and nutritionist appointments this week then the appointment with the surgeon will be booked -- following that the date for the actual surgery. Maybe we will be Bansters together! I think it would be abnormal not to feel a bit nervous. I get worried that I won't qualify for some reason but I know that's silly -- so long as my BMI is 40+ I will be fine. I am a bit borderline, however, so that's been a stressor. Hopefully some others can tell you better what to expect tomorrow. I plan to ask a lot about after-care -- the fills, etc. I have a notebook to write down everything -- my own questions as well as things said in the appointments that I may forget later. Good luck -- let us know how it goes!

Hope you feel better today!