kiz

I live in Richmond. I attended the Commonwealth Surgeons seminar, but the doctor who led the presentation was less than enthusiastic about Lap Band. It's offered in his group, but not by him. I've made an appointment for the Richmond Surgical seminar next week. Honestly, I don't want the information I get sugar coated and slanted, but I walked away from the seminar very apprehensive about proceeding. I do have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Bautista, but I have plenty of time to change my mind. Does anyone have any info comparing the two groups (Commonwealth Surgeons and Richmond Surgical)? Thanks!

entwife, I live in VA, but thanks for the offer for a doctor's referral. I've done the layman's research for the doctor I'll be seeing, but there's nothing like insider's information to really put your mind at ease. I'm glad you've not had some of those nasty side effects. I finally found a link that described sliming, and I can imagine that would be *very* unpleasant. I'm almost in tears here with the support I've received already from all of you. This is not only a medical procedure for me, it's an emotional one as well. I'm just so thankful I found this board so early in the process.

zeama, I'm new to the idea of all of this too. The two biggest shocks to the new eating regimen is giving up carbonated drinks and not being able to drink with meals. I've already decided to stop buying diet coke and limit my intake to sodas/beer when eating out to wean off the stuff. (I haven't even had my medical evaluation, but I figure the fewer things that I have to change post op, the better). I drink decaffeinated beverages, so it's only the flavor I'll miss. The no Water with meals, though, is going to be a *huge* hurdle for me. I can't imagine eating without even a glass of water to drink. I can eat healthy, I can cut out the carbs, but giving up any all beverages with meals is hard for me to contemplate. I hate to beat a dead horse, but are sips allowed? Is the ban of beverages with meals a hard and fast rule or does it ease up once you're losing steadily? Honestly, I'd do an extra 15 minutes daily on my strider to have water with my meals. I do fear this will be my Achilles heel.

entwife, I'm so glad that you posted. I'm learning so much from reading about other people's experiences. I have one person that I know personally that had the lap band, but she lives out of town. There's no way I would have gathered this much info without this site. I hope you get some tips on how to lose a little quicker, but it sounds like you're doing very well. Going down several dress sizes and getting your blood pressure under control is wonderful. I know I'll go through times of feeling discouraged too, and I hope to lean on this community to get me through and for encouragement to continue. anitaj, you've given me a lot to think about. I wouldn't consider gastric bypass at my current weight, although I have a lot of weight to lose and fear the continual upper climb in pounds as my metabolism slows with age. I really do see that a last resort proposition, and I had no idea of the bathroom trouble that people experience. I really can't decide what that doctor's motives in not supporting the Lap Band treatment. I do think he truly believes in the gastric bypass as a life saver, but it seems like a sledge hammer solution for someone like me. As far as questioning about the Lap Band removal, I'm not going into this with a defeatist attitude. I just want to be sure I understand all the ins and outs. If I were to have an adverse reaction to the band (erosion, slippage, etc), I want to be sure I understand what my options will be. If I decide to get banded, I'm going to be 100% committed to success. For one thing, this is coming from our savings (our insurance doesn't cover it), so I really want to be sure this is an investment that will not be wasted. I think after trying Weight Watchers several times, physician assisted diet meds, plus all the self inflicted yo yo dieting it's easy to become cynical of ever keeping off the weight. As you were able to tell from my post, I am very concerned about hunger. I'm so glad to hear that it hasn't been a problem for you. I know everyone will have different experiences, but I left the seminar with the opinion that hunger was going to continue to haunt me indefinitely. ~ kiz

Plain and Lakemom, Thank you so much for your replies! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I almost feel like this is my last chance to be thin again, and I want to make the right decision. Your answers about the hunger issues is very comforting. I'm not an emotional eater ... I just eat too much, the wrong foods, and I really have bad genes on top of it. When I've lost weight in the past, I just couldn't get past the constant hunger. So, when the doctor said the band would do nothing to combat hunger, that was almost terrifying. I'm sure I'll have cravings now and then, but that's *one* thing that hasn't been one of my eating issues, thankfully. My doctor's evaluation is set up for July 1, so I'm very happy to have this amazing information resource. I can't imagine going through this alone. Again, thanks, and may you both enjoy continued success! ~ kiz