novalady

Hello my fellow lap banders! This is my first time posting here. I just found out about this website from a woman I met in my doctor's waiting room last week. Let me introduce myself: I had surgery on 13 June 2007 at 8 a.m. (first surgery of the day). My surgery took place in Potomac Hospital in Woodbridge, VA. I only mention it to let you know how wonderful the experience was. Potomac Hospital recently renovated their surgical floor and all the rooms are private. What a luxury not having to listen to all the chatter from a roommate and her family and friends. The room included a huge bathroom and a sofa sleeper in case you wanted someone staying overnight. My doctor is Denis Halmi, and I couldn't ask for anyone more gentle, caring and patient-focused. I've experienced many surgeries throughout my life, and this lap band was the easiest. I was up and walking within an hour or so after being wheeled back to my room. There was almost no discomfort except for some gas pain in my left shoulder. I stayed overnight as directed by my doctor. To date, I have lost 40 pounds and am pleased with my progress. I need to lose about 45 more to reach goal. The weight came off easily in the beginning but has slowed considerably. I had my first and only fill on 30 July and go back for my second on 25 October. I took off two weeks from work to recover but probably only needed one. However, I enjoyed the extra time to relax, read and simply ejnoy the time away from the hectic lifestyle of working in the Washington, DC area. I LOVE my lap band, and my only regret is that I waited so long. I look forward to meeting new friends here and sharing comments, questions and successes.

Hi Annabella! I LOVE my lap band and my only regeret is that I waited so long. I have several friends that chose the gastric bypass and although they are losing weight faster than me, they seem to have more health problems. The lap band is minimally invasive and we don't have to worry about malabsorption like our RNY brothers and sisters do. I had my surgery on 13 June and am now able to eat most everything, albeit in much smaller portions. I do not eat soft bread, Pasta, deep fried foods, or rice. I have found that my taste for sweets has really diminished. The band is a wonderful tool, letting you know when you are really full. Since you are required to take small bites and chew well, it's almost impossible to rush through a meal. That gives you time to think about what you are eating and to concenterate on the people you are with rather than making food the focus. In addition, I am saving so much money. I no longer go to fast food restaurants, and I cook fresh, healthy food. Where I once always cleaned my plate and wanted more, now I can only eat a small portion of a meal and save leftovers for additional meals. The money saved goes towards new clothes in smaller sizes!

Hi Mikie, This is my first time on this site and it's good to see folks from NOVA. I had my surgery on 13 June with Dr. Denis Halmi in Woodbridge, and he is wonderful. I, too, have spent time on www.obesityhelp.com but found most of the folks from Virgina are in the Tidewater area and they have a strong support group. I couldn't find anything in NOVA except for the monthly meetings set up by my doctor's office. If I can help you with any questions about the surgery or Dr. Halmi/Dr. Tran, please let me know.

Hello! My weight lost me my husband, although there were many other problems as well. It had also held me back for awhile in my career. I was too embarassed to interview for better jobs and cheated myself out of some great opportunities. I found out I was harder on myself than other people would be. Once I overcame my embarassment of being fat, I went full speed ahead and have carved out a wonderful career with the Department of Defense. Now...I'm concentrating on losing weight, taking care of me, and hopefully, find my soul-mate. Be glad you are doing something while you are still young and didn't wait as long as I did.

Hi Jane! This is my first time on this site, and I am pleased to see someone close to my age getting banded. I am 57 and had surgery on 13 June. I have been overweight my entire life, starting as a child in my loving, over-fed Italian family. I have endured yo-yo dieting over the years, but enough was enough. This was one of the easiest surgeries I've had and there have been no complications whatsoever. I have lost 40 pounds so far, but even more importantly, both my blood pressure and cholesterol are now at normal levels. In addtion, my energy level has increased and food is no longer the focus of everything I do. Good luck with your surgery...what an exciting time. Please let me know how it goes.

I was told to walk, walk, walk, and it worked. I expereinced shoulder pain from gas and moving around helped get rid of it.