drew05

Congrats on the banding Marine! I'm super eager to get mine done Glad it all went well for you. Have you ever had an operation before? If so how did the pain compare?

Hope you enjoyed your time down here. We kinda pride ourselves on being a big tourist town. Everyone's first job usually consists of working in tourism. Mine did. Pfft. Sea World.

Well, I've never had the surgery, so I can't say much for the pain. But being put under is just like getting REALLY tired super quick. You won't even notice it sneaking up on you. :cursing:

Haha yeah it's gonna be hell. And thank you! Yeah I've had my fair share of surgeries, being a sick kid and a football player, so it won't be a big deal. Its the life changes that are gonna be big for me.

Med student. Unemployed otherwise :wink_smile:

WOW! Good job! I hope I can loose like that. I can't wait :wink_smile:

Good luck Tuesday Marine!

Yeah! In response to bathing suit everywhere, I am going to wear swimming trunks and no shirt wherever possible! :leaving:

No problem! And not yet. I just started my whole little journey. I came here looking for some answers to some questions of mine, and just got the ball rolling a few weeks ago. How was the pain after surgery?

Great thread! 1. Be able to go to Schlitterbahn! 2. Be able to shop for clothes in the regular mall stores. 3. Not be embarrassed to walk around amusement parks. 4. Be able to go on all the rides at the amusement park. 5. The biggest one of all... be confident in my looks. I mean I'm pretty confident for such a big guy, but I want to be even more so.

Congrats! I can't wait to get mine done :thumbup: I guess I'm lucky. I've had major surgery before on my knee, so this should be a walk in the park as far as pain and that goes. Keep on keepin' on :thumbup:

It could be the fat being burned contains hormones, and those are being released and creating a sort of second faux puberty. I dunno how common it is nor if that's what it is. Give it a few days :thumbup:

I used to be a really big drinker. I pretty much cut it out in anticipation of the surgery. I really enjoy my mornings a lot more now :thumbup:

I have the same concerns. It's kind of a toss up regarding my skin. My dad is Puerto Rican, and has amazing skin elasticity. My mom, who is white white, has hardly any skin elasticity. So if I'm lucky, I'll get my dad's skin. I have his eyes and hair, and pretty much everything else so I'm hoping I luck out and got that too. Just to be safe, as soon as I get a part time job here, I'm gonna put $10 a day away for a tummy tuck. And if I don't need one, then I'll just have a decent down payment on a new car :thumbup:

I read this thread a while back and I was putting some more thought in to it... and I could see a few of my friends kind of falling to the wayside because of my weight loss. Now, none of these are going to be my great friends or any of my female friends, but some of my fellow guy friends who would see me as competition. A lot of them like to go to clubs and bars with me because I make girls feel comfortable. I'm funny and I'm not always trying to get in their pants. But I could see those same guys not wanting to hang out with me because I could be competition. And to that I say oh well. If they were true friends they would still be there. Something else. I have a few larger friends too, not a lot though. I could DEFIANTLY see them not wanting to hang out with me because of my weight loss. I wouldn't be a fellow fat guy. I wouldn't want to go with them to fast food places late at night. I mean yeah, it's kind of sad to think they would toss me out like that, but then again you gotta think that if they are so quick to toss you aside, maybe they weren't your true friends. I know my best friends will be there no matter what. Woo. I'm done with my essay of a response. :thumbup:

Haha I'm a soon to be med student. I go in next year! I had the same thoughts!

Ok cool. Thank you everyone for all of the input! I am so sure I'll get this all taken care of. I can't wait!

I was always the big kid. I was super tall when I was younger, and had severe asthma. I was put on oral steroids to control it, and that was when my weight got out of control. Unlike a lot of people, I never let my weight get me down. I was teased a lot in middle school (jr. high, whatever ) until I got into football. That didn't last long, as I was a huge target and constantly had my legs chopped. That led to a severe knee injury that required reconstructive surgery. After that, all the weight I had lost in 3 years of football (40 lbs+) jumped right back on me. As for high school, I loved it. I was, against all "tradition", a popular kid. I won prom king and was cheered at graduation. I am a tall guy (6'4) and I carry my weight (350lbs) quite well, but it's just getting old being the friend instead of the boyfriend. I never struggled in my social life due to my weight, but in my personal life. It has killed me to have crushes on all these girls, and to not have a single one like me back. BUT I'm looking to turn all that around, and reverse my luck.

Hey everyone! My name is Drew, and I attend (senior year!) University of Texas San Antonio. I'm actually getting ready to attend medical school next year. That was actually a big part in me deciding to get this procedure. No one wants a fat doctor! I am going through the process of getting banded and I'm so glad I found this forum. Hope to meet some awesome people here!

San Antonio, Tx! Anyone else from SA?

I'm new to this thread, but wanted to share my view on it. I am a recently converted Christian (from Agnostic) and the strange thing about that is I still stick strongly to my beliefs in evolution and being pro choice. I do not think anyone, government or otherwise, has any right to tell anyone what to do in regards to their body. If they choose to follow God and the Bible, then let that influence their life. But just because the leader of our country follows it doesn't mean his beliefs should be forced on everyone else. Yeah, I'm a liberal. But I am extremely open minded. I have a lot of conservative friends. But this is one thing I think should be left up to the mother. She has to live with her decision, not the government or any of us. Let her make the choice.

Ah ok cool. Thanks for the rough estimation. The $1400 on the diet, was that copays or just the food?

I just had a quick question. I was just wondering as to how much everyone paid out of pocket for everything. Thanks!