jml108

Kelly, Good luck on your surgery. The one thing I can tell you from my experience is that the amount and research and preparation I did for this could not possibly have prepared me for the actual surgery. The surgery went well and I recovered more quickly that I thought I would. I had the surgery on Friday and went to work the following Tuesday. I've had a couple of issues I'm dealing with but I think I will be OK. The thing I did not expect was the psychological impact of actaully having the band. Dinners, BBQs, etc. are no longer important to me. food, once a major focus of my day, is now almost an afterthought. I'll feel hungry once in a while and remember I need to eat something. This is the thing I wasn't prepared for. I didn't realize how unimportant food would become to me. I kinda like this new feeling. John

Hey Brandy. I regretted a little until I got my head straight. The night I got home from surgery I turned on the tv and there was a show on about a chef doing a food tour of South Carolina. My mom was born in South Craolina and I've visted many times. Watching this show made me miss my mom and made me realize I would not be able to eat the food shown on the tour. I turned off the TV, wrote a little in a journal about this band and how I fought for the insurance to pay for it. This got my head cleared and I've been fine ever since (a whole 11 days since surgery.) I lost 20lbs. in 4 days and about 25 total since 7/18. I used Depaul Hospital in St. Louis and Dr.Scott did the surgery. 270 lbs. now - another 100 to go. John

Hi Steph, my name is John. I'm currently on the road to surgery at Depaul Hospital. If you're considering this, you're in the right city for it. The doctors at Depaul pioneered laproscopic lapband surgery. They've done this procedure longer than anyone else in the country because they performed the FDA trials on the procedure. I've been to a few other doctors and have been less than impressed with them. Also, Depaul doesn't charge this stupid "program fee" which could be in upwards of $500 and is not covered by insurance. It is simply a payment to the doctor for the procedure. It's BS in my opinion. I haven't had the surgery yet but my interaction with the staff at the Depaul Weight Loss Center has been good. I'm looking forward to getting this surgery, losing this weight, and getting on with the rest of my life. Good luck on your journey. John

Hi everyone. I just found this site while researching the procedure. My name is John. I'm 34, married, one child, live near St. Louis, MO. I am currently in the process of testing/document gathering in order to get my procedure approved by the insurance. I am using Depaul Hospital in St. Louis. My mom died last year at age 59 from heart disease but she had a lot of health problems. She just couldn't survive two heart surgeries within three months. She was badly overweight for most of her adult life. I am a mirror image of her, 6 foot 285 lbs. and I can see myself going down the same road that she did that lead to her death. I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO STOP THIS. I am scared of surgery and have an irrational fear of needles. However, I have a bigger fear of leaving my wife and four year daughter alone. Remember the Back to the Future movies? A majority of the plots of those movies involved going back to the past to change something that radically affects the future. I feel like that's where I come to minus the time travel aspect. This surgery is the one things that will radically affect my future. The effect will be a weight loss and a chance to see my daughter's future rather than spending my years fighting a losing battle against heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and whatever other horrible diseases await me. Thanks for the Introduction section and all the great information on this site. I'm sure it will be a major help as I continue on this journey. John