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My story started a few years ago when I decided I was going to originally try to have the RNY Bypass surgery in 2005. I went to an orientation class and it really "spooked" me, I decided not to follow-up with the necessary appointments and went back to trying to lose the weight on my own. At this time I was weighing in at  364 lbs. In 2005 I started having severe back pain, I had herniated discs between the L4-L5-S1 vertebrates in my lower back and ended up hospitalized not being able to stand up in May 2005.   I had back surgery and spent 3 months in bed recovering. Recovery from that kind of surgery was just AWFUL and I thought this is my chance to lose the weight and make sure my back problems don't return. Well I did okay at first got down to 338 lbs while on bed rest but once I was up and moving again my weight slowly started creeping back on and before I even knew it in a matter of 1 yr and 3 months I had put on 78 lbs!!! Wow was I shocked, upset and sad all at the same time. That is when I called my PCP up at Kaiser and he sent my referral right over the SSF Bariatrics. Before my orientation my closest friend at work told me that she had heard of this newer procedure called the LapBand (she already knew I was thinking of the RNY) so she told me to check into whether or not Kaiser offered it. Within 1 month I was in the Orientation class. It was at the orientation class (which I thought I was there for RNY) that a man in the back of the class stood up and asked if that was the right class for the new LapBand procedure since all they mentioned was RNY. The Doctor confirmed that it would be the same program and they were looking into having their first LapBand Patient in February! Boy did that really catch my attention. I just knew that was going to be the surgery for me, especially after all the research I had done online about it vs. RNY.January came around (about 2 mo after orientation) and I had my appointment with the Head of Bariatrics and my Psychologist. At this appointment I got my goal of how much they wanted me to lose before I could have surgery. I also spoke to the head doctor and mentioned that I am looking into getting the LapBand procedure not the RNY. She mentioned that would be a decision between me and the surgeon. In March I had my 1st appointment with Dr. Alami and this is when I told him my interest in doing the LapBand.  Now he did mention that I might have a little more struggle with the Band vs. RNY because I carried a lot of my weight in my lower half of my body but if I worked really hard it would be successful for me. He also said that he would like me to lose 50 lbs total, well I struggled with this for a few months and in June I really decided to crack down on it and in August I made my follow up appointment with Dr. Alami and he saw that I had lost about 35 lbs and was really proud of me so he went ahead and started the paperwork to get me on the surgery schedule. At this point they were scheduling surgeries out more than 2 months so I ended up on the waiting list. Around Oct. 20th I got a call asking if I would be willing to come in for surgery in just 2 weeks. If I did I would have to make a couple of trips out to SSF Kaiser to take a couple more pre-surgery "Lifestyle Management" classes and do some blood work...so I agreed!!!!! My day was finally coming I just couldn't wait.On November 6th 2007, My best friend, her husband, their youngest daughter and I caravan-ed all the way to the Bay Area from Sacramento. We got a nice suite at a really nice Hotel and spent the evening together having dinner, talking and playing cards. That night when I tucked myself in bed I put on a CD called Preparing yourself for Surgery (done by Kaiser) in the clock radio by my bed ( I had my own bedroom in our suite so it worked out good). I fell asleep to the relaxing coaching on the CD and the next morning I woke up so relaxed and knowing that God was with me that day as he always is. We arrived at the hospital that next morning at 7 am, got checked in and in my gown and bed in the pre/post surgery area. At this point they let my best firend and husband back there with me, they prayer over me and I felt such a peace; it was AMAZING!!!! They wheeled me back on the guerney to the OR....I remember moving over to the Operating Table then I don't remember anything until I woke up in Post Surgery Recovery. Once they got me in a room my best firend and her husband came back to say goodbye to me. They were headed back to Sacramento. I just thanked God for giving me such wonderful friends to come out and actually stay there all the way through the surgery and wouldn't leave until I was comfortably in my room. So here I was banded now and trying to figure out how the rest of this is going to work. You see the LapBand was still a newer procedure for Kaiser so the information on it was very limited. They had oodles of info for RNY though so it was a lot of trial and error for me. I went to SSF for my first check up just 2 weeks after surgery and had lost 16lbs!!! Wow, that was amazing to me. I even lost weight through the Thanksgiving holiday!!! That was a FIRST for me, usually I would gain so that was such a blessing to know I could make it through this holiday with my family and not gain any weight??!!My first fill was in December around Christmas which was awesome. I was soooo nervous. I had actually worried myself SICK. I was nauseous feeling the minute I got in the doctors office. I wasn't sure what to expect at all. He sat and talked to me for a few minutes and I decided to try it for the first time without ANY numbing medicine. So I layed down on the table and did my little (sit-up) so he could get to the port easier. He began to stick the needle in and actually made it in the port on the FIRST stick!!!!! He check the fluid levels and added 1.5 cc's. It was all over with within 45 seconds. No pain, I barely felt anything! And now here I am finally had some restriction and just before another major holiday with the family. I was able to eat at Christmas dinner. I had mashed potatoes and ham and I was so very full after just a few bites! It was just unimaginable that I could feel like this. The rest of the were pretty much just as easy. I do remember one time I went in for a fill and he had such a hard time getting into the port that after 15 minutes of prodding around he decided to put me under fluoroscopy. Which is where they put me under and x-ray machine and take constant pictures to see where the port is and where the needle is in conjunction to it as he is going in. That was a little easier for him that time. I thought uh oh my easy breezy experiences of fills is now over forever. But no here it is over and year and a half later and about 12 fills/unfills later and I have only had to do the fluoroscopy 1 time!I think the low part to the whole experience was in May 2008 when my surgeon was out injured for weeks and couldn't see me so they rescheduled me to see his colleague Dr. Li, and boy he is aweful! When I arrived he had no bedside mannerisms at all, he was mean and abrupt to me. Then when he put the fluid in (they always have us sip water right after to see if the fluid goes down good) and I drank my water he left the room before I could finish drinking it. So I went out and got the nurse and told her that it feels too tight could she track him down to take some out. He finally came back 10 minutes later and said "Oh, you will be fine...just give it time" I told him I know how it should feel, I know my body. He said, "You will be fine". I was so upset because I thought if I have to come back that will be another 2 hour drive each way!!!! So I decided to try and trust him and went home. Well for the next 2 days I wasn't even able to baby sip down 1/8 c of water without PB'ing (slimming and throwing it back up). So by the 3rd day I am completely dehydrated and feeling very week. I called the nurse and told her I couldn't make it until later in the afternoon due to my daughter. She asked if I could make it before they close the clinic and I told probably not since I was coming from such a long distance. So I left my home at 4 pm and made it there about 7:30 at night (I had to stop multiple times due to PB'ing FOAM!!!) and with my headache it made it more difficult to drive. At one point I called the ER ahead of time to let them know I was on my way and to see if they could possibly call the on-call Bariatric Surgeon in. When I arrived he got there about 30 minutes later and came in all abrupt and told me to lay down and that he was going to take out all the fluid..... I thought, oh no...It took me 6 months to get to this point and countless hours of driving and you want to take it all away from me!!?? It was like he was upset at me for calling him in after hours....but what did he want me to do? End up in the ER in Sacramento with no Bariatric doctor in site and sick as can be. I just found him to be very mean and all I said to him was "Please don't take all of it out, Dr. Alami only took out a couple of cc's last time" His response was, "I'm not here to bargain with you Ms. Jackson!" The next day I called my real surgeon and was balling my eyes out....after all these months of work it was taken away in just one instant. So he scheduled me to come back in 2 days later to have most of the fluid put back in (4.5 of 6.25 cc's) After that it was still like starting all over again because I was back to square one with no restriction! Of course I didn't lose any weight; so over the next 4 months I went in for multiple fills and he slowly filled it back up almost where I was before my unfill. Then in November (at my one year bandiversary) I was down about 90 lbs, so I got a small fill and over then next 5 months I struggled with eating properly. I was just slightly on the tight side of the band which prevented me from eating the right foods (lean solid proteins) but oddly enough I could eat CRACKER of all things well these little carb things became my new friend since it was just about the only thing I could eat with out PB'ing. In May 2009 I was getting ready to go on a cruise to Alaska and didn't want to be miserable the whole way not being able to eat much so I went in and had them take out just .5 cc of fluid. It was great...at least I thought it was. After my 2 week vacation I had put on 6lbs!!!! I couldn't believe it.....then I was so embarrassed I could face my surgeon. I mean after everything he has done for me I was ashamed that I couldn't at least stay even on vacation. SO I cancelled my follow up that was scheduled for 4 weeks after my cruise in June. I thought oh no I need to lose some of this before I go back in...well that was a hugh mistake because I ended up gaining 3 more lbs. Here I am at 322 lbs in Sept. 2009, so I decided to go back and get a fill. Now my Surgeon's PA did my fills at this point so when I got there we decided that he was going to do a full .5 cc since that is here I was a little too tight before so he put in .3 cc's. Well here I am 3 weeks later and I am still slightly too tight. I am not really PB'ing too much but food and fluids go down VERY slowly!! When I drink water you can hear it gurgling down my pouch very slowly. It's good because I am not hungry BUT I am not getting enough nutrition. Some days I feel tired or slightly light headed especially on the days when I have only been able to get down "Protein Shots" and chicken broth and Ice Cream which might only put me at 400 - 500 calories that whole day. So here it is almost October 2009 and I have made the hard decision to go back and ask him to remove about .1 or .2 cc's not the whole .3 and see what the does for me, I really think that will be my "Sweet Spot". Now I am almost 23 months post-op about 110 lbs down (in total) since the beginning of my journey. I know have so much more to do to reach my goal of 170 lbs but I know no I can do it. Even it takes me another 2 years! I will do it. Slowly but surely!!!! I honestly don't think it will take me that long especially since the 1st year and half was so Up and Down (literally with my fills) that my body just hasn't had a real "adjustment" period to actually work the band. But I can taste the victory now, I am so close to being at that "Sweet Spot" that will enable me to balance my nutrition properly and exercise. I just know I will do so much better the next year or so. I will update more later but thank you for reading my journey! And remember to NEVER give up! It is always possible, just keep trying because giving up is like admitting defeat to yourself! And I REFUSE to do that!!!!!