ReneeMarie

HarleyNana & StacyinDC, I am taking Synthroid and Metformin. I was wondering if your dose has changed since surgery? I'm hoping to get off of as many of the meds as possible. Any chance of that?

That sounds great! I haven't been sking in years. I can hardly wait to show my kids that this "old" woman still has it in her!

Thanks for posting that. I have not been banded yet. I believe it is good to go into this with all the facts. I know there are plenty of people out there that don't keep their weight off after surgery, I know several, I also know that they did not change their lifestlye or eating habits. After they lost their weight they went right back to overeating and not exerising. My MIL had her stomach stapled about 25 years ago. She had alot of complations after surgery. Mostly due to lack of knowledge. Surgery made her lactose intolerant and all she was eating was dairy products for weeks after surgery. She has lost over 100 lbs and kept it off for 25 years now. If you were to ask her if she would do it again she would tell you yes! It changed her life. There are risks to any surgery, but life is full of risk. You just have to decide how much risk you are willing to take and then learn to manage it. As for me, I want to have this surgery, I want to get back my health that is failing now due to being overweight. It seems to me the risk of not having it out weighs the risk of continuing to be obese. I hope you find what works for you. Renee

Wow! Thank you for posting. I am trying to decide where to go to have my surgery. Your honesty about your struggles help me to understand that the band is just a tool, like all the others I have tried and gave up on. I have had some success using diet and exerise programs but I always shoot my self in the foot before I reach my goal. It is good to know that my demons in my head are not just going to go away. I really want this to work for me. I want my health back. I want to live past the age everyother family member on my mothers side of the family died at (59). I know that it is going to take alot of work. I'm so glad that you are back on track! Please keep posting and let us know how it is going. Renee

I have not been banded yet but I have had problems with my hair and nails for years. Probally from yoyo dieting and junk food. A good friend of mine suggested I try flax seed. I buy it in bulk at the health food store. I eat a tablespoon of flax seed everyday. Ground up in a small coffee grinder. I put it in a protien shake or eat it with my frozen berrys (Sam's has a really good berry blend) and yogurt. It taste nutty. Since I started using the flax seed my hair is shiny and is not falling out as much( I still shed, I find long silver hair on everything black I wear) And I have nails again for the first time since prenatal vitimans. Flax seed is high in the Omega 3 fats that are good for you. Hope this help you. Renee

Thanks everybody for responding! I am even more convinced that this is what I need to do. My family has been very supportive, my sister is even planing to go with me to have it done too. I have had several people tell me I'm beautiful just the way I am (they've never seen me naked!) and others tell me to just have some will power and push myself away from the table. I'm really glad I found this site, just wish I'd found it before I ask for other peoples input. I think I would have just kept it to close family members. Debbie and I have been checking into going to India for the surgery - medical tourism. Have any of you had yours done there or know of anybody that has? We are both selfpay and it looks like it will cost around $7500 roundtrip all enclusive. I just don't want to sacrifice my health to save money. I found a clinic here that will do it but they want $15,000 plus pre-op test and fills. So a vacation to India sound pretty good. Thanks for being here!, Renee