appetoni

After multiple denials by two insurances and pumping money into Walter the lawyer, I went to Monterrey Mexico for my surgery in 2001. This has made follow up difficult because the greedy surgeons in the U.S., for the most part, refuse to touch me. Some how I doubt that if I had had cardiac surgery in another country, I would have such difficulty finding a cardiologist for my follow-up care. Just another example obesity prejudice by those who are supposed to be on our side. Anyway, I lost nearly 100 pounds and kept it off for about a year before I started going the other direction. I had multiple fills but couldn't seem to turn things around, mostly due to my laziness towards exercise and love of sweets I'm sure. My band is full and those are the only options I have. Basically, I must go back to dieting like I did before the band or stay this way forever. I will admit that the band does keep me in check. I have stabilized at about 40 pounds less then my highest weight and have maintained here for years. I'm sure without the band I would have regained everything and probably an extra 50 pounds to go with it. While I am not here to discourage those who already have their bands, I am here to urge those still considering to think really hard and be honest with themselves about whether sweets and liquid calories have anything to do with their weight. If they do, you might be better off considering a surgery that will cause dumping syndrome. I plan to have a conversion/revision myself because after all these years i realize that I simply will not change my ways permanently. I have done so with the rest of my diet but as far as loving sweets and hating exercise, these are embedded deep in my subconscious and I feel completely out of control to change those behaviors. That said, I also have the experience of having worked for a bariatric surgery center for three years so I may have lots of good information for anyone interested. Best of luck to you all!