ruby tulip

I am an older bander. One month after my surgery I will turn 63, which means I have been dealing with my weight about 48 years. Like many of you, I have tried many, many, diets such as Weight Watchers, Diet Center, Phen-fen and my own versions. I was not an overweight child or adolescent but from age 15 on I have always been trying to lose weight. My family was VERY weight and appearance-conscious and most of the women were petite, so I was "encouraged" to keep dieting, to keep trying. Basically, one of the worst things you could do in my family was gain weight, eclipsed only by murder and armed robbery. I have lost up to 50 or 60 pounds at a time, then always gained it back, plus 10 more for good measure. The last 15 years after Phen-Fen was taken off the market, I have not even tried to lose weight. Now it is a matter not of appearance but of health. As I enter my senior years, I have high blood pressure, mild diabetes, sleep apnea and a general lack of energy from the excess pounds. After my last visit to my internist, when she told me I really had to address my weight issue, I came home and looked up lap-band surgery on the internet. My present insurance will not cover bariatric surgery, but I have some savings left, so I decided to use it. I am a retired school teacher and I have a good pension plus social security, so I can live without my little pile, for now. I have also seen older friends rendered nearly incapacitated by weight and lack of exercise, which has sent them to assisted living and nursing homes. I would like to delay that scenario as long as I can, so I am taking the plunge. I went to a seminar at Utah Lap Band a few miles away and I was the only person there, so I got some solo attention from the dr. and his assistant. Before I left, I scheduled my surgery for July 22 and two pre-appointments for July 2 and July 16. I have read and read and read information on the internet, and I'm probably as prepared as I could be. I ignore the horror stories because I am determined this will work, especially since I have to pay so much money for it. Any advice? Any other older banders out there? I would love to hear from you.