Retta1983

Hi, Well I'm 25 and weigh 119kg's to date. I've been overweight since i was 12 and have jumped between acting ok with my weight and dieting/exercising to extremes so that i've lost weight but ended up sick. i'm not proud to say but there's been self-harm and very scary stuff going on in my head and it seems the only way to settle my depression and anxiety is by eating. my dr suggested a lapband because my weight causes aggravation to my scoliosis, knee joint pain, and general comfort. i'm newly married and we want to start a family but i'm terrified of what pregnancy would do to my body as it is now. so i am considering lapband as an option but going on some anti-anxiety medication and getting regular counselling so that i can deal with my head as well as my body. my husband is unsure about the whole thing and i find it so hard to communicate why i think that's the option rather than bumbling through diet and exercise, it's so emotinoal to share how i feel living this big, with the overwhelming anxiety and upset and how much i feel that i let everyone down simply by being me. but then i have a creeping doubt . . . is the lapband going to be the right decision?

Yes I agree, I feel quite enchanted by how eager everyone has been in giving advice. I'm excited to feel I can say I'm able to look into having a lap band put in late May. Have to call the surgeon to see if he wants me to make another appointment before then once we're back at work on Tuesday. I feel nervous, excited .. . and also a little scared. Mostly because the idea of losing all this weight and no longer being really fat is something that I just don't remember, it's foreign to me so pretty scary but I think that the change is gonig to be incredibly positive all around. I'd be eager to hear about other people's experiences during this time and right after the surgery! xx

thank you all for your advice. bears lots of thinking about! i'm 120kg's now and my biggest issue is my back. other things - anxiety, depression, knee pain . . . those things are bad but with my back i have serious pain and some of the bones are already deteriorating and the weight is making things worse ansd worse. makes me feel that i need the lap band for long term weight loss, that it will help me no end in my health but that at the same time i will keep working on my anxiety and depression because that's so important and could hinder my future weight and state of mind so much. the surgeon i saw was supportive and advised ways to cope, along with teh support of my psychologist, gp and psychiatrist i feel that i have good tools to get me far in this journey. it's going to be really hard work every step i know, but just imagining what life could be is pushing me and pushing me. my husband looks so afraid for me in my constant struggles and is supportive of me when i make moves to improve my health. he will be supportive of the band but is afraid of the idea of me having surgery and worries about possible complications, but we'll get through it together. there's always going to be worries i know - but not doing anything and getting even bigger and more unwell is way scarier.