Kira Helene

We have quite a few Lap band surgeons here in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area. It is a bit more of a drive but you do have quite a few options here.

Hi Ashley! I'm Kira, I'm 22 and I live in Virgina Beach =) I am on the road to lapband surgery =)

In my honest opinion, and from my own experiences, this is NOT the lazy way out. If diet and exercise worked for everyone maybe it would be different. But guess what, the same thing does not work for everyone in the world. This is a big decision, and like you, I have a child I want to be able to see graduate. I have tried to diet, starve myself, exercise, pills, etc..none of it worked. I gain, lose a little, gaim twice as much back. To me, this surgery is the thing I need to be able to live a normal life.

I lost weight my entire pregnancy (im not banded yet) from morning sickness. It happens. You do not NEED to get your band completely unfilled but it would be best to speak to your OBGYN and surgeon about it. I even spoke to my surgeon when we met about how soon I could consider trying for our second after the surgery. (His exact words) The text book answer is 12 months, but he also said there is normally no problem with a pregnancy after 6 months post op.

With type 2 running in your family, this surgery may just be a great idea for you. I am a type 2 diabetic..and honestly, I wish I could have known about the surgery BEFORE I let myself get this bad.

Ignore her and go by what your surgeon says. Mine want me to lose 150 pounds... DEF more than 20%!

It IS An ugly word... and reading it on the hospital papers after I gave birth to my son made me feel even worse, but it def set me on the right path towards deciding on weight loss surgery. So, no, it may not sound nice, but think of it as a warning to get a kick start on the road to becoming healthy.

I had an appointment with a diabetic councilor/Physicians Assistant a couple days ago... and I mentioned I'm working on getting lapband surgery.. Well after I said she said "I worked with someone who was going to get gastric bypass, after working with her for a few months, she lost soooo much weight she canceled the surgery and didn't need it!". GREAT, good for her... but you didn't have to repeat that story 4 times during my appointment? She seriously made it sound like diet and exercise would make me lose all my weight (been there done that, still fat)... My actual DOCTOR thinks it's a great idea and is very supportive... I mean I'm used to hearing people say things like that... but someone who WORKS in the medical field...who also works with many overweight people everyday? Anyways, I told her, its not the fact of losing weight, it's keeping the weight off for GOOD after I lose it. I know I shouldn't let this irritate me the way it does. Why can't some people just keep their mouths shut? Either be supportive or just shut it. >=

I told my husband, my best friend, and my Mom... My mother, then decided to tell everyone she knows and now I'm kinda mad about... I hate that she tells everyone. I really want to sit her down and just ask her to shut her mouth for once in her life, but, of course everyone knows now = and I'm not very happy with it.

Okay! Well I am on the road to getting banded. Well... a long road to getting banded... See My appointment with my surgeon..was back in March.. yes MARCH.. So far I've gone to the preop-wellness, white light screening, and got my psych eval... Yupp that's it. I honestly do not mean to be dragging my heels... I have a 16 month old who keeps my hands full and I also have a husband who has not been here all summer to help out with my son because he is in the Navy and they are deploying this week. I really want to get this surgery done.. I'm not kidding but I just don't know how I have let time slip away like this. Anyways.. I know I need to go to a pre-op support group meeting..and I was hoping I could get a baby sitter and go to the next one so I can get things back on track... So I grab my note book with all my lapband info in it... and I find... MY blood test script... you know , the one I was SUPPOSED to take to labcorp, or somewhere to get my blood drawn and tested? Yea, best part? It was supposed to be done no later than 2 weeks after my first surgeons visit. = Thing is, I could have sworn I went and did it... but I am also a diabetic and I switched PCP twice since March...sooo now I'm thinking I must have gone and done it for one of them and not the lapband surgeon. = Now I'm feeling kind of like a complete idiot... I mean it's no joke I have a lot on my hands right now and I feel like I am juggling everything at once. HOW could I forget the easiest thing on my list?! Looks like I will be making a few phone calls come Monday. I really DO want this surgery. It just seems like everything happens one after another and doing things that I need to do for myself have to be put on hold = Has anyone else felt this way? Or had a similar experience? = I honestly feel like I need to just stop for a day and do this one thing for myself.

That's my surgeon too!!! I haven't had the surgery yet, but when I met him I immediately liked him!

Thanks! I will def go check out the pictures. But yayy for you! only a few more days! How exciting! That is awesome. Unfortunatly, my surgeon won't schedule a surgery date until all the requirements are done. Sooo odds are my surgery will probably be scheduled for sometime in Autumn maybe Winter.. BUT I think I'm okay with that because we have a lot of plans this summer and plan on traveling a bit to visit family. Hopefully I will get everything else I need done soon tho! Good luck with your surgery in a few days! :thumbup:

I personally think it would be a bad idea. If you get it unfilled you will have to once again get it filled little by little over a period of time. You can't just go ahead and fill it back up to what it was before you got it unfilled. I think the only ideal time to get it unfilled is during a pregnancy when you need to get more nutrients to accompany a growing fetus. You would be setting back a years worth of effort for a two week trip. But also, do keep in mind if you are going to places like Europe, they have smaller portion sizes compared to the U.S. You may not need your band unfilled considering that fact. I am all about trying new foods and cultures, but there is still no problem in doing it in moderation. That's just my two cents tho.

Hi everyone! I posted a tiny bit here before back in Feb. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who join forums post a bit, then forget to come back..and when I do come back, I lurk. Lol. I am going to try my best to come back and post tho because since feb I have started the road to lapband surgery =) I met my surgeon and he is amazing. He has a sense of humor and I honestly love that. I dislike doctors who are too uptight and he literally walked into the room with a great attitude and started making a few jokes here and there. He made me feel very comfortable. That was in March. I did my white light scan which was interesting... and I went to my preop diet and exercise class yesterday. I know it's taken me 3 months to do these things..and I think my main problem is I dont have the motivation I need. I also have a young child, and a husband who may be deploying in a matter of months. Finding a baby sitter I can trust with my child is hard. BUT after going to my class yesterday I am a lot more positive and a bit more motivated to get this all done. I DO want the surgery, don't get me wrong...but when you've been lazy and laid back all your life with out family to really help motivate you, it's hard to get up and do the things you need to do. Next up I need to go get my psych eval, blood work, and attend a support group meeting. Then after all that's done I can get a surgery date =D bad part is, my surgeon is apparently very popular in my area, so he is booked for the next 5 months or so! Anywho I hope to get to know some of yall better =) I will def try to stick around more this time, especially since I am on the road to surgery. -Kira