Exmouth Lass

Hi all I posted on this site previously when trying to decide whether to start the process of getting the band. You were all so much help that as soon as I started to panic I realised you're all probably the best people to come to for advice! In a nutshell, it was suggested by my NHS endocrinologist that I be referred for a band, as I have three autoimmune diseases and chronic fatigue syndrome, which is making losing weight extra hard and also increasing my risks of further serious health problems a huge amount. I also have issues with food, and eat too much and/or the wrong thing quite often for various reasons, often emotional (I guess that would be a few of us on here!). I also have a big appetite and very rarely get full so even at the best of times it’s tough to . I had my initial appointment in October and they said I appeared to be an ideal candidate but needed to prove I could lose weight. At my appointment on 16th Dec I had only lost half a stone but put on a lot of muscle - I thought they wouldn't offer it to me. However, they are still extremely keen and offered me an op date of 26th March. It's taken a while to decide to actually have it, but now I have I'm just freaking out completely!! What I am scared of is that I won't be up to the amount of changes that are required - if you eat emotionally I'm guessing that isn't easily changed after the op. My pre-op instructions are to have 800 calories a day for the two weeks before, and 6 weeks on liquids only post-op, it sounds sooo hard!! I'm also very worried that I won't be able to drink enough (I require about 4-6 litres a day - this has been checked and isn't abnormal, just the way my body seems to work). I’m not naïve, and I don’t expect the band to fix everything by itself. I already do lots of exercise (5 hrs badminton, 2 hrs gym, 1.5 hrs walking per week), and managed to give up smoking a few years ago so I know I have some willpower. I guess I see it as an extra tool in my pursuit of a healthy weight rather than a fix-all. I just worry that I’m not capable of it, especially the 8 weeks of incredibly strict regime. Sorry to rant but does I wondered if anyone has any advice? xxxx

Dear all I’m so glad I’ve found this site! This post may be a bit long, I’m very sorry in advance! My background in brief is this. I am 36 years old and live in the UK. I weigh 17st 12lb, and have a BMI of 39.16. I have had mild chronic fatigue syndrome since I was 15 years old. In the past 6 years I’ve also been diagnosed with an unstable underactive thyroid, and two other autoimmune diseases called ocular myasthenia gravis and premature ovarian failure. My eating history is one of comfort eating when stressed but not complete bingeing. I have had counselling for this and other stuff for a year and have made good progress but no long-term weight loss. I also NEVER get full!! Apparently, a combination of 3 autoimmune conditions and being obese also means that the risk of my getting diabetes is higher than usual. I was referred to a professor in Oxford who while treating me pointed out that losing weight will quite probably help me to alleviate some of my symptoms, but that the conditions I have mean that losing weight successfully would be much more difficult and so he recommended that I be referred for a gastric band. I met with the gastric specialist in Oxford last Monday, they’re really nice, and seemed to feel that I am an ideal candidate, and today I found out that I have been approved for surgery, potentially in January or February 2009. I want to apologise for the next bit. I’ve read a lot of posts today and I know that many people are trying to get a band but not necessarily able to get funding for the op. I really don’t want to appear ungrateful for the opportunity but I just don’t know whether to get it done, my doctors are infinitely more enthusiastic than me. To try and help me decide I’ve drawn up a list of pros and cons that I can think of so far for me of having a gastric band, which are, for me: Pros: Faster weight loss than I could achieve without it, greater chance of maintaining weight loss, decrease medical symptoms, reduce risk of diabetes, solves the problem of never getting full. Cons: Risk of procedure, loss of ability to eat normally with friends in restaurants etc, am already pretty prone to vomiting, can I still get enough nutrition/calories to do a substantial amount of exercise, will I get a loss of energy? The last 'con' is my main question. I was reading a crappy celeb magazine the other day and it had an article about (not an interview with) Fern Britton. It said that she has suffered from greatly reduced energy levels since the op. Now this could be total rubbish and not actually true for her but it really worried me. Having had chronic fatigue for so long the energy I do have is very precious to me. If it came down to a straight choice between the band vs. higher energy and ability to exercise I’d have to choose the latter. Even if you don’t have anything else to comment, please could anyone who’s had the band tell me their experience with energy levels and whether they've been reduced or not? I realise that I will feel puny to start with but it’s the longer term prospect that I am more concerned with. It would be sooooo much help, I’m just not sure what to decide at the moment. Thanks for being patient and reading to the end (hopefully!) x