Getting banded on Monday and freaking out!!

[Froggie D 1]

Hi, guys! It is so great to hear all the stories and that I am not the only one with anxiety. I started my journey in October 2008 and have still not been banded. I am now working with my 4th surgeon to get approved (two who my insurance would not approve and one who would not do the work to get me approved). This doc is working with me and my insurance packet is going to utilization review this week and my case manager said I will have have my approval in hand by next Friday. It is only weeks away, an I am getting very nervous.

I am not afraid of the surgery. I have had several, it is uncomfortable but if you do what you are told, the discomfort passes.

My anxiety is about failing. I know I can do anything for a while. I have lost 50 pounds five times in my life - three times by dieting, once by running, and once by joining a gym. But it always comes back. I just cannot sustain it.

Now I have far more than 50 pounds to lose - 100 to 120 total. My big issue is I am now 57 years old, have all the comorbidities and this is my last ditch effort to turn this around before my obesity kills me!

My hope is that the lap band will help me be more satisfied with smaller amounts of food so I do not think about food every waking minute.

Does anyone else experience this - I plan lunch during Breakfast and dinner during lunch. Food calls my name all the time. Does the band really help that?

I know that I do much better when I eat more Protein and far less carbs. The Atkins Diet was my best one and you do lose appetite with it. I love Protein so that will not be a problem for me.

However, once I start eating carbs, I want more and more. I obsess about them.

My program has a psychologist to work with and I think that will help a lot. I hope I can start that as soon as I get approved and start getting ready for the surgery.

Is anyone else in thery during banding? Has it helped?

Good luck to you on Monday. I am sure it will be a good decision for you, if you go through with it. Post again as soon as you feel up to it and we will all be routing for you!

Froggie D:thumbup:

[LeighaMason 19]

From what I have seen, the people who have lost weight in the past and just couldn't keep it off are the ones who are the most successful with the band. One lady says "Once you have the band everything that you know about losing weight actually works". Portion Control was my problem and now since I have my band and my fills overeating is physically impossible. I hope you find it that way too.

[Froggie D 1]

That is exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks for sharing!

Froggie D

[MrsCabes 2]

I think your fears (and the other fears listed) are normal! I was banded on Feb. 8th - I wasn't scared of the actual surgery, I was scared about after. That this wouldn't work for me (and sometimes, I have to step away from these boards and the "horror" stories) and I would be doing it for nothing.

I get my first fill this Friday and honestly, I'm more worried about that than I was about the surgery - not the pain, I don't care about that. Just - is my fill going to provide enough restriction, am I going to be stuck in non-losing hell for months.

I think the bottom line is...none of us signed up for this just to "diet" again. We signed up because we need a built in Portion Control that signals to our brains that we're full.

DO NOT worry about the surgery - everything is going to be fine!!! Let us know how it goes!

[atgoalgal 0]

I've been going to classes and everything since August of '09.

2 weeks ago I got the call to schedule the surgery and here I am... debating whether I should just cancel everything. Whether I can lose the weight on my own. Whether something bad is going to happen.I'm fighting with myself. I'm scared.

I think in a way I feel it's too good to be truethat I'll finally be able to lose a significant amount of weight and hopefully look and FEEL SO MUCH BETTER. Have you had feelings and thoughts like this?

Firstly, I wouldn't say it's too good to be true, they still haven't found the magic bullet, where you weight vanishes with no work. But, for me, I did learn to used this tool to get to and manintain a normal healthy weight. 4 years ago, I was struggling, in the same place. This was a really hard decision for me, but I can honestly say it's one of the best decisions I ever made. Only you can decide for you and information is power, so get all the information you can, and surround yourself with people who can help. These boards are a great place to learn and gain support, but your journey will be your own, like so many things in life. You may have seen me a lot on these boards, but I don't often post about my decison process and how confused I was. I just updated my blog yesterday with "back entries" about my exploring process back in 2005/2006. You may find it helpful at Gloria's Banded Living — My Lapband Weight Loss Success Story

Let me know if it helps. Good luck with your decision. Feel free to PM me also (that applies to anyone on this thread).