Skywalker

I came to the conclusion that this was really the best time to get the surgery for a couple reasons. 1. I'm supposed to graduate college next summer, and I'd really like to be able to wear something nice and not look like **** for pictures and such. The pictures taken at my last graduation, I was too embarrassed to post because I was so heavy (even though I was proud of the accomplishment) 2. I'd like to be fertile again and have another kid before I'm 40. 3. Around the time I graduate, I'd also like to look decent in some interview suits. And just the general desire to get out there and live again. Really my only hesitance for the surgery was dying under anesthesia, but the Dr. told me not to worry about it, and I probably shouldn't. There's probably a greater chance I'd be in a car accident driving to the grocery store or something. *shrug*

Whoa there everyone. We're just here to support each other. My husband's blood thinners are actually a null point; I have decided to get the Lap Band surgery and I have no such conditions. I was mentioning him in passing because I thought in the future Lap Band might be a good option for him, if he was open to it. Its just the thought of surgery, on blood thinners, kind of scares him or something. But really, that's something him and his doctor should hammer out. I'm sure they wouldn't recommend the surgery if they couldn't control the clotting and the costs outweighed the benefits. My Lap Band surgeon highly encouraged me to do it and said I was a perfect candidate. I hope he's not just upselling the procedure/strictly trying to make money, because he seemed to think it would do me a lot of good and was highly optimistic.

I think it's partially society's problem that many of us are so obese (See the documentary Super Size Me). I guess awhile back fast food and restaurant establishments got the brilliant idea to give us more food and bigger portion sizes to make us happier. So now, when I go to a place like Cold Stone Creamery or Dairy Queen, even their "small" size is larger than most of us should be having. And surprisingly, even at my current weight of about 250 lbs, about half of the "small" ice cream is usually enough for me. The ideal portion size, I think, is more like a Wendy's "junior" cup. Those give us a decent taste of the dessert without making us gorge on it.

My husband was resistant at first to taking blood thinners for life, until his doctor sat him down and told him if he didn't it would kill him. He had his first DVT several years ago, and it never fully went away. There is a solid blood clot at his knee right now that is stable there. A couple years ago he had a pulmonary embolism. That was when they put him on lifelong coumadin. He recently had to have hernia surgery/belly button area, and they gave him Warfarin bridge therapy prior to this. Everything went fine, no complications. He still doesn't like the idea of surgery, though. He'd rather tough it out as he is, I guess.

I know, right? I admire movie stars for being able to lose weight and show off their post baby figures or whatever, but they have a lot of resources at their disposal that the average person doesn't. If I could have (1) plenty of money to stay in a vacation resort (2) a personal chef making me salmon salads and sushi several times a day (3) daily massages and detox/mud baths (4) a personal trainer, I suspect my results and current outcome would be a little different. Living on $1200 a month for a family of four and stocking the cabinet with cereals and ramen noodles just to be able to afford groceries is no picnic.

Sorry she's acting that way. It sounds like a little bit of jealousy on her part to me. It's hard to be happy when one is so overweight, and maybe she feels like you're starting to embark on a bold and successful thing while she's been left behind. It takes courage to go ahead and get this surgery. My husband has seen me struggle and cry for years on end, and he expressed doubt when I told him I was going to get it, stating he wouldn't get surgery unless it was absolutely mandatory. Well, that's his choice, I guess, but this surgery has arguably saved people's lives as well (it will keep the diabetes and heart disease from creeping up on them and causing bigger problems later on). Because of inherent prejudices like this, I've chosen not to tell very many people--not my husband's family, and not my family. If they ask, I'll just tell them I'm doing really well on Weight Watchers. Best of luck with the supervisor. Maybe there's a way to avoid her?

Yes I struggled with this thinking too. I've been a weight yo-yo for the longest time. I'd lose 30 and gain 40, then lose another 30 but gain back another 40. I was tired of the diet pills that made my heart race, made me bitchy and when I stopped the weight came back. I needed some sort of 'tool' that was permanent way of portion control. I needed a way to keep me from gorging on food. I was at 202 day of surgery. My highest weight was 214. I'm 5' 4". Trust me, I definitely thought about the one more diet mantra. Just try ____ and I'll lose the weight. I'm not getting any younger and I needed something. My doc said my weight was affecting my fertility. I'm 2 months out. I'm not that hungry and I don't snack that often. I next to never visit the vending machine at work. It's working for me and saving us a lot of money. Plus with the band - 1 it's major surgery, so you're more likely to follow docs orders instead of cheating on your diet and 2 it's fully adjustable for what you need to do to lose weight. I understand where you are coming from. I might be in sort of a pickle with fertility myself. At around 250 lbs now, I have acne and weird new bumps everywhere, my voice has deepened, and I have occasional chin/chest hairs that I have to pick out. On the plus side, I'm ridiculously strong. My husband jokes that I'm more of a man than he is. I had thought that I should just tough it out myself, try to lose weight, have another child before I get too old, and then consider WLS in the distant future. I came to the conclusion that I should just get WLS now because (1) I've tried to lose weight and can't seem to (2) the lap band doctor told me I probably couldn't conceive or have a healthy pregnancy at this weight anyway. That was a real wake up call. I had never considered that I might be infertile because of this. I'm also thinking that the WLS might actually be a good return on investment because I think about eating out all the time. It's like 8 am right now, my stomach is growling, and I want more than anything just to go to Starbucks.

Nice to meet you all. Come to think of it, my husband was discharged from the Air Force (honorably, though), for being on the Weight Management Program too long. He still struggles with weight to this day. I wonder if this condition could be service connected/compensable. Hmmm.

I'm not trying to be simplistic with this question, but to all of you -- what is the advantage of having any WLS in the first place? I hear of people saying, "Well, you have to diet and exercise, that is still on you. The band isn't going to do all the work." No offense, but if that worked in the first place, why the surgery? This is a question I'm still struggling to understand.

Jim: What happened recently to make your good results change? Was your stomach increasing in size? Did the band slip? gowalking: My expectations are basically this--if I lose 65 lbs within 1.5 years or so, I'll be a happy camper. Even with a conservative estimate of weight loss of 5 lbs per month, that would still put me at a weight loss of 15 lbs by summer, and 35 lbs by winter, etc. I got so discouraged on weight watchers because I would struggle for two whole years to lose just 30 lbs, then gain it all back so easily. Emotionally, it finally just broke me and I gave up. I don't really know what 4 CC band means, but my surgeon told me he will be fitting me with the newest technology (which I understand has a better success rate). Thank you both for sharing.

Deb, I wish I could offer you more advice; I had checked with Medicaid and ColoradoHealthOP, and they actually don't cover Lap Band--only sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. I'm really impressed you got Aetna to cover it, and I hope that works well for you. I would say to just exercise even if it's uncomfortable and log your foods really carefully. Joining Weight Watchers (and not using your weekly flex points) might be a way to stay on track during this pre op period. Remember, it's tough, but this is only temporary. It should get better! Good luck