Artemis

Hello All- I am Artemis. Scheduling a doctors appointment tomorrow after much research on WLS, having decided that the band is the option that most appeals to me. I am 30 years old and mother of 2, and at my highest weight, which I truly deep down know will only continue to climb in the long run if I don't do something. Since I am going to schedule my appointment, I am also "coming out of the closet" on here after doing a great deal of unregistered reading for some time now. I am both excited and terrified by my decision, and look forward to seeing what my doctor thinks. I really believe he will be supportive of me. He has been my primary care physician for years, and he knows how badly I struggle with my weight. I look forward to discussing many issues with you all. A couple which spring to mind are: -The small long term life changes people don't think about: (is the amount of food you eat really so scant people "notice" if you are dining out, is it frustrating to not be able to eat a typical portion in a single sitting, do you really have to crush pills and Vitamins and cannot swallow them? -Cure versus cause for reflux. I do have some mild stomach issues I am hoping won't end up being the reason I CANT get a band. -Permanent Placement vs. removal- when you reach your goal, do you leave it in? Anyone know how long the longest uninterrupted band placement has been? Really looking forward to talking to everyone. You all have been very inspiring and informative to read for a while now :thumbup:

But the worry at this point is that the doctor is going to say, "No way, Jose." to me. My main worries for not being a good candidate are that I am still in the process of quitting smoking (quit in october) and still screw up and have the occasional cig. I had a pulmonary embolism last January and was told to quit smoking and taken off my birth control immediately and forever. I have had a follow up MRI and all embolus have been resolved but I still worry the fact that it happened to me will make him say N-O to elective surgery. I also have a little bit of refluxiness, but no stomach issues that have required more than the occasional week of prilosec to sort out. I am actually hoping that the weight loss with HELP with those problems, but for now am paranoid they will disqualify me. So I guess I'll find out next week at 11 am on the 19th what my doctor thinks.. because that's when my appointment is. He has always been a wonderful and supportive doctor, but I like to avoid disappointment by preparing myself for the worst, and right now that is him telling me it's not possible. I'll start worrying about not waking up from going under once going under is a possibility. So to those who have been there, what should I be telling my doctor, and asking him? What do you wish you had discussed with your doctor beforehand that you didn't?

Right now, my goal is to look back a year from my surgery and know I did the right thing for myself. My goal is to not keep getting fatter, and do something! I am sure that my goals will change, and develop around and ideal weight. But for me, I'd like to get back down to a size 10. I like the way I look at a size 10, and it's healthier than the 20 I am in now. I would be happy with that. If I do even better than that, it would just be gravy to me.

OMG this is me, too. I call it my "refluxiness" but I can be a VERY slow digester in general and also worry I have some underlying problem that will cause the doctor to refuse me as a candidate. In myself, I suspect a prolapse or hiatal hernia, and I have seen people who have been banded say those conditions were caught and surgically corrected DURING their banding surgery. All I can tell you from my viewpoint is I have decided to give my doctor full disclosure, because if we are bad candidates or have underlying problems to deal with first, it's better to be up front about that than to have an awful and unsuccessful experience with the band, only to then have it removed via more surgery. I will cross my fingers for you that all will be well and you will be given the green light for your band. I havent gone in for my initial dr's appt yet. What sort of testing should I be looking forward too?