Sunwyse

This is good news. Here I was thinking I had to do optifast for 6 weeks before the surgery and wondering how on earth I was going to last that long! If its only 2 weeks I'll be able to manage. *phew*

That's great news Mrs M. Congratulations on all going so well.

I had my gall bladder out 7 years ago through the same procedure. I still have scars. They'll never go, so I'm expecting pretty much the same thing this time, but I don't care. 5 small scars on my tum is worth the hassle of the op I think.

I've only had one problem with a surgeon. I had to have my gall bladder out and just after the op, I came out of sleep to see 2 men standing over me, the surgeon and his assistant. The surgeon told me they had done key hole surgery but almost had to cut me open because I was too fat, I should lose weight. Great thing to tell someone who's still half asleep!

I have a couple of reasons for being fat. As a child I was very scrawny. When puberty hit so did the weight. I didn't know at the time, but my eating as a response to hormonal changes was due to sexual abuse when I was very young. Then at 13 I also developed PCOS which didn't cause the weight gain, but did keep on what I was putting on and made it almost impossible to lose it again. Also at 13 I developed Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which again didn't cause me to be fat but made it so hard to eat sensibly or exercise in winter. I had a lot of emotional pain and rage that I felt I had to stuff down my throat with food because my own home wasn't a safe place to express them. Later on, what added to the weight problem was all the crash dieting I did. My first diet attempt was starvation. I was borderline anorexic at 15 (before they had a name for it) but brought myself out of it before it became an issue. After that I tried just about every crazy diet going.

Turler, just a thought. Do you think that maybe the way you assume everyone will react is just your imagination? It is quite possible that they will be supportive and maybe the whole issue of them watching everything you eat is really just your own issue? If you do do fantastically well, then you can always come clean about what the operation was really about. I think you might be making more stress for yourself than you need to on this.

Hey Patchelton, I'll be 41 on 12 Feb! Great birthday, huh?

redrockgirl, you aren't ready to let go of those clothes, so don't. There is no rule anywhere that says you have to get rid of them. There are probably a lot of memories tied up with them. So keep them. Get yourself a nice outfit or two in a smaller size to have ready for when the weight starts to drop, but keep your clothes until you reach a time when you do feel you can let them go.

Hi Melanie, I was anti operations for years. I felt I should be able to do this on my own. I watched Biggest Loser and thought if they can do it, so can I. Well, I can't. Simple really. So now I've started the ball rolling on having the operation. I simply decided that its not about what I should or shouldn't be able to do, its about what I can do - and for whatever reason, I cannot lose weight and keep it off on my own. I haven't had anyone tell me I'm cheating or taking the easy way out, but then I haven't really talked to many people. Just tell them to walk a mile in your shoes (or body) before they pass judgment. Its nobody's business but your own and its your body to do with what you want. Good luck with your journey. Its your life, you do what's best for you and hang everyone else!

Hi Joan, I have my first appointment 13 Feb as well Don't kick yourself too much on not doing it last year. We each do it when we are ready to and not before. Best of luck on your appointment.

Christine, this is wonderful news! It's lousy timing, but at least you now have the opportunity to find a new doctor who will be supportive as you travel this new path. You've done all the hard part, you only need that letter. Great! Contact the surgeon, explain the situation and ask him/her to recommend a GP who has given consent in the past. Or just ask the receptionist for a GP other have come through. It should take a week at most to get through this hurdle then you're on your way. Best of luck

Beena, just remember, going to that appointment isn't agreeing to have the op. Going to the appointment is simply going to find out information. You can go to 100 appointments and never have the op. You can even be in the hospital about to go for the op and still back out! No-one is going to force you to do something you don't want to. At this stage you are simply gathering information. You may get there and find this procedure isn't right for you anyway, but you won't know until you get there. So what makes this work? Well I have yet to get it done, but from everything I've read, you simply can't eat the same way anymore. At least you can't eat as much. Going from being able to eat a burger, fries and icecream to being only able to eat 3 tablespoons of food is a huge difference. The band won't lose the weight for you. As I say, it won't take your body out to exercise while you sleep. It will support your own efforts and stop the sliding back down the slippery dip after you've lost a certain amount. You still have to put in the effort but that effort is now supported by the band. Will it work for you? Look at it this way. Your body is not unique. It works the same way every other human body works. As for storing fat, it works the same way everyone else's body with this problem works. You are not unique in this regard. The simple fact is, if you stick with the diet & exercise requirements you can't not lose weight. Simple. It is a big step to take and you are very brave for even considering it. Well done you! At the end of the day only you can say if this is right for you, but the first step in finding out is just going to that appointment. Remember if you go, you will walk in and maybe 1 hour later walk out again. You won't have the operation! You won't have any holes in you and you won't have any tags saying you've been to see a weightloss surgeon! No-one will know. If you are serious about doing this, then go to that appointment, then rethink the process.

Hi Terri, your story is the same as countless others, lost stacks of weight over a life time, then put it all back on plus some! Research is only just starting to understand why some people simply cannot keep the weight off. My personal brick wall is 7 kilo (14 pound). I lost that much then all hell seems to break loose. I just can't seem to lose under that. Of course, when I do lose it, I put more on. The fact you can lose weight is good. The lapband doesn't make you lose weight. It restricts your stomach so you naturally feel fuller sooner for longer, but that's all. There are ways to cheat it if you really want to. Instead, you have to still do the work. All the band does is support you in your efforts, so if you put in the hard work, the band stops you from putting it back on. Its meant to be seen as permanent but can be taken out for whatever reason and there's minimal damage to the body & none to the stomach at all. The fills are also adjustable, so if too much goes in, you aren't stuck with it permanently. Also, if you get pregnant or really sick, some can be taken out for that period of time. My family are ok with the idea, but my partner is against it. Doesn't matter. He will support me, but he's not the one that has to live in this body, with the symptoms I'm starting to have. Tell your parents you love them and know they love you, but its your body and your life. At the end of the day, only you can decide what is right for you. Best of luck in coming to that decision.

Hi Harley, my first step was getting the referral from my GP. Its a little different in Australia. I visit the surgeon's nurse on 13 Feb for the initial visit and then need to wait til October for my waiting period with health insurance to end. I can't wait, it is very exciting. I hope it all goes quickly and smoothly for you.

I have to agree, think very carefully. Getting surgery in Mexico is fine, but I'd keep that for things like cosmetic surgery or once off things. Lapbands require you to repeatedly go to the Dr for the fills and various check ups. Can you afford to be going to Mexico each month for years, possibly life, to have the check ups? When you weigh it all up, paying for it out of your own pocket in your own country, will cost you a lot less in the long run than going elsewhere.

Turler, don't they suggest at least a week off work after surgery? I hope you aren't trying to push yourself to be back before you need to be.

Why do you have to tell them? Its none of their business. Go with the 'medical procedure' explanation. Its not a lie, but it still keeps your privacy. After you've lost some weight and they begin to notice - and if you feel confident enough - then you might want to tell them what procedure it was, but really, its nobody's business but your own.

Hello, I'm Michelle from Australia. 40 y.o. and a BMI of around 45. I have PCOS which has added to my weight issue and SAD which doesn't help. Winter for me is the worst part of the year. I took out insurance last year, so can have the operation anytime after 18 October this year. I'm considering around November because I can then take 4 weeks off work. I work in child care and having to bend over and pick up kids all day doesn't appeal to me just after tummy surgery lol. I am going to my GP this Saturday to get a referral, I want to meet the surgeon and get everything underway now, so I can plan for it all, that way it'll go more smoothly later on. Michelle

Wow! I'm underwhelmed by the the number of people who think it would be nice to just simply say 'hello'. Thank you all so much for such a warm and friendly welcome to the forum

PCOS is Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrom - its hormonally based and the 3 main symptoms are lack of periods (or none), tendency to put on excess weight and keep it on and excess body hair. I had all 3 symptoms when I was diagnosed at 22. I'm now 40. PCOS cannot be 'cured' and anyone who tells you that, I would question their qualifications. Its something you will have for life. However, by getting weight back into balance, you can put it into remission and its as though you never had it. Put all the weight back on, and the symptoms will all come back. I haven't been banded yet, can't do that til November this year, but I'm going to. I've come to the conclusion that some kind of bariatric surgery is the only way I'm going to lose weight.

OK, before you get disheartened by all the wonderful success stories, remember this - you are on this journey. Its your journey, your story. You are going to have a different experience to everyone else because you are unique. Some of your experiences will be similar to a few, some will be similar to many, but your experience will be the same as nobody elses. Its going to take time to get to know this new body. It will take time to see how things go. You need to give your body time to rest and recover from the trauma its been through. All surgery is trauma to the body. Just relax. I know how much you want it to all be perfect the next day, but this is the real world. No lasting change happens in one day, it takes time. How much time is up to you. Our mind is the biggest tool we have as to how long it takes to recover. The story doesn't end when you get the band. Oh, I can't not eat now, its a failure. No, you know there are stages. You need to get fills done. Maybe when you get the first fill that will be enough. Maybe it won't, maybe you will need 3 or 5 or 10. The point is it doesn't matter how many you need. Its about starting to work with your body to achieve the goal and not about competing with others, which at time is what it feels like when you read some people's replies. If you need to have 10 mouthfuls to be full when everyone else is having 3, great, have the 10. It just means you may take a little longer to adjust. So what? You have only just started your journey. You have the rest of your life to get there. And you know, the quicker it goes, the more likely you are to have saggy skin? The skin needs time to adjust as well, so slower is definitely better. Congrats on the op. You've done an amazing thing for yourself. Start to congratulate yourself and ease up a bit. You will get there.

Hi, I'm not in your shoes yet, but have you been back to see the surgeon for a fill? Some people need more fills than others and maybe you are just one of those.