BethinSeattle

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about 10 years ago at the age of 35. As my weight would fluctuate so would my meds for diabetes. I was lucky that mine could be controlled with Glucophage alone. I can tell you now that my weight loss with the lapband has allowed me to get off my diabetic meds. As of August, my PCP decided that I didn't need to take the glucophage anymore. My A1C tests have been the normal range for many years. I go back for one more test in December to make sure, but all my regular blood sugars that I've taken at home have been in the normal ranges. As far as I am.. and my PCP is concerned, I'm no longer considered a diabetic!! Beth

Great job! Congratulations! Beth

I reached my goal of 170 at the end of July of 2006 after 17.5 months. Since then I'm down another 12 and likely a bit more. I'm still very swollen from plastic surgery 6 weeks ago. Beth

I hit my 100 lb mark about 10 months into banding. I've lost 164 lbs to date. Beth

Like many others, I've done just about all of it. Started with Jenny Craig when I was a teenager. My most successful period was in 1999 when I lost 95 lbs in 11 months. Most of it was the right timing, the right ephedra-based supplement and alot of exercise..oh and stress going through a divorce. I've always been able to lose weight. It's keeping it off that's tough. I discovered the lapband online in 2002. I joined a couple of forums and started researching. I put it off until 2005 thinking that I didn't want to subject my teenage sons to a change in my lifestyle. When the scale crept up over 320 I decided there was no way I was going back to 350 and decided the waiting was silly. I got my consult and was banded 8 days later. Beth

I've told very few people. Primarily those closest to me that I knew would keep it on a strictly need to know basis. Once in a while I've told someone if I thought they might benefit from the knowledge. I have a friend who told several people and it's come back to bite her many times. She's got co-workers telling others and people commenting about taking the easy way out. Believe me..there's nothing easy about making the lifestyle changes necessary to lose weight and keep it off, band or no band. The easy way would be to stay obese. I have a friend who tells a little annecdote when someone mentions WLS being the easy way out. She says "if you were in a burning building and you ran out through the front door rather than running upstairs and jumping out the window would anyone say you took the easy way out?" Beth

Befores is at 320+ lbs. afters are at 170. I'm currently at 158.

New to LPT, not new to the band. I was banded about 20 months ago after researching the band for over 2 years. I made it to my pre-plastics goal in 17.5 months. I lost 154 lbs during that time. I have the larger Inamed VG band, currently at 5ccs. My sweet spots have varied from 5ccs to 9ccs over the time I've been banded. I've been too tight three times (each at a lesser volume than the time before). I had an issue with esophageal dialation at 15 months that was resolved by an unfill for 3 weeks. Beth