Where are the happy bandsters?

[Guest dennisinponca]

Thank you for giving us a place to gather positive comments. I almost cancelled my surgery after my first few visits to this site.

I am happy with my band, no complications.

I got up early so I can post this before I go to work because I know it will be lengthy. Please bear with me or skip down to the surgeon's advice paragraph.

I got the band because every family member from my great grandmother down is very fat and some morbidly obese. My oldest brother died from apnea, my 2 older brothers have diabetes and heart trougle. Two of my three sisters have diabetes, heart trouble and both gets dialisis.

I saw the writing on the wall at our last family reunion and it was not good. The day after the reunion, I went onto the internet to find a LIFE SAVING Solution. The band was the logical choice.

Sadly, my insurance company would not cover my surgery because I was not morbidly obese and did not have a weight related disease like diabetes, a heart condition, kidney failure, etc. I had a 33 BMI at the time and would have to gain a lot of weight and get a disease before they would cover me. They are morons and do not believe in prevention. They will even not cover birth control pills but will pay for the delivery of an unlimited number of babies.

It did not take long to get totally disgusted with my doctor's attitude and the insurance company's policies. I decided to go to Mexico where I got better care than I got in the USA when I had my back surgery. The clinic was clean, the hotel great, the staff very nice and helpful.

My surgeon said that complications come from:

1. Not sticking to a liquid diet the first two weeks.... juice, oatmeal, grits, Jello, pudding, yogurt, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, blenderized Soups....

2. Not GRADUALLY adding soft foods the next four weeks... fish, soft fruit, cooked veggies (except corn, broccilli,) soft pastas, eggs, toast, crackers.

3. Not chewing well. All food must be almost liquified before swallowing.

4. Not crushing your pills. Get a pill crusher from the pharmacy.

5. Eating bread, dry products, nuts, rice, salads. Remember that bread and dry products will absorb Water and swell in your upper stomach and cause big problems.

I will never again be able to sit down and eat a 16 oz. steak dinner with a baked potatoe and texas toast. The good news is I do not want to. A few bites of each is sufficient.

I stopped living to eat and now eat to live.

By the way, everyone should be counting calories once they hit a plateau. You can still overeat if you eat high calorie junk food.< /p>

[Road Queen 0]

I am a happy bandster. I have my six month bandiversary last week and went to a weekend get together with several of my 'old' friends. Two of them wanted to meet with me about the band. I believe seeing my results was positive for them. They have alot more to lose and a toughter struggle with other health issues but telling them about the support at this site was also important for them since they live in rural SD and won't have easy access to drs, etc.

My life is much better than 6 months ago and I am so ready to move on with things I haven't done or didn't consider before. Yesterday, I ran 5 of my 60 minutes on the treadmill. Every day I find new things that work for me.

I wanted a better life and the opportunity to keep improving it as I age. I am single without children and didn't want to be a fat old lady who just sat home and ate. Now I have more energy and hope to volunteer and help others more.

Good luck on your decision. Celeste

[texasvixxen 0]

Even though I was just banded on Nov 17th - I am THRILLED with my progress!!! I was up walking around 2 hours after surgery & hardly had to take any pain medication. Kept all of my fluids down & amazingly enough, my appetite was satisfied with the liquid diet for the first week. I'll be honest, day 2 after surgery was a little rough. I asked my family if they got the license plate of the truck that hit me! Day 3 was much better. By day 4, I went back to work. I would feel a little weak from time to time, but nothing that a Protein Shake didn't take care of. I really listened to my body - when I was tired, I would rest. I'm in the soft food stage now & continue to not have any problems. I hope that my experience, as little as it is, will encourage you. Best of luck to you.

[CCBSTX 0]

I suspect that MANY happy bandsters never return to this message board. They are off living life, like they haven't in a long time! Good for them. I love this boards honesty with the good and bad. Personally, I would have never lost this amount of weight on my own. Very happy with zero complications!

["Just" Paul 1]

Been 12 days post op, and cna't be anything but thrilled.

I feel great.

I did kick myself about having it before Turkey day, but I wa the only one awake after dinner!

Yea Band!

[Guest Stephie]

I just read someone found it hard to find out what PBing was ...... but you didn;t give the answer! What is it?

[ReneBean 3]

PB is a Productive Burp. Something comes back up on you - usually happens when you have eaten too much, or not chewed enough.

[Guest Stephie]

... for telling me about PB's!

It's obvious really. I haven't had one yet but I am only on day 7 and not had my firt fill yet!

[donali 57]

Being a HAPPY bandster doesn't mean you are a bandster without complications, from small annoyances to major problems that must be dealt with surgically.

This is a support group, and a support group implies a place to go where you can get help/support of some kind.

This group is not intended to "sell" the lapband procedure to anyone. If the possible complications that are happening to real people RIGHT NOW are too much for you to take, than you shouldn't have the surgery. MOST people don't experience dire complications, but almost everyone experiences the occasional PB, stuck feeling, battling with too much/too little fills, weightloss that doesn't meet their expectations, funny noises, odd pains. THIS IS THE REALITY. This doesn't mean we're unhappy!

You have to be willing to accept the bad with the good. If you're not able to stomach the possible ramifications of being banded then you should look into other alternatives.

I loved my band - I lost over 100 pounds with it. I do not regret having been banded, even though I had to have mine removed due to one of the less frequent complications.

Don't turn a blind eye to the possibilities - good or bad.

[TrishS 3]

Im a happy Bandster.. Leaky and all... but easily fixed!! I still couldnt be happier.. 50lbs loss with a leak.. wow!

[cissy 0]

count me in as another happy bandster. 34 lbs gone in 2 1/2 months. I couldn't have lost it without the help of my band. still working on behavior modification- I am a work in progress, after all.

[Betje 0]

I'm very happy! My surgery was on 11/08/2005 and i lost 22lb.

Great!! I love my band.

[quakergirl 2]

I've been banded since May 2003, and have lost ~150 pounds without any serious problems. The band really changed my life, and I've never regretted it getting it.

I just returned to this board for the first time in almost a year (it says I last logged in March 05!). When I was pre-op and new to the band, I used to visit bandster websites daily, but as time went on I just kind of drifted away. As I got used to life with the band, it stopped being such a focus in my life. At this stage, there are many days where I don't really think much about it at all. It's just a normal part of my life now.

Another factor is that I am in medical school now, and don't have as much free time as I used to for websurfing. Incidentally, I don't think I would have made it into med school if I hadn't been able to get the band when I did...I doubt I would have had the confidence to make it through the interviews if I still weighed my maximum weight.

Anyway, I felt I should post here, to make sure that the new bandsters know that, yes, there are some old-timers out there who are happy with our bands!

All the embarassment and suffering that I endured back when I was "Super Morbidly Obese" is now a hazy memory for me. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to get the band. I would have resorted to the gastric bypass if it had been the only option, sooner than staying as fat as I was, but I definitely believe the band is a safer, healthier way to lose weight in most cases.

All along, my mindset was: I don't want to be model thin. I just want to be thin enough to function normally in society.

Thank God, that wish has come true with the band's help. I definitely am better off now than I was three years ago!

Hope that everyone else has a successful journey too!

[Alexandra 55]

Hi Quakergirl!! Nice to hear from you and I'm so glad to hear you're doing well! Wow, medical school, huh? No wonder you don't have time to check in with us. You're busy learning how to save lives!! :biggrin1:

[nora33 0]

Another happy banderster here! I've lost 91 pounds in 6 and 1/2 months and saying I couldn't be happer is an understatement. Since my surgery I'm off the BP meds, asthma meds, the c-pap is a thing of the past and I now have the engery to enjoy my kids. In six short months my life has change so much that some times it makes me want to cry with joy. I can't explain what its like to live without weight and food being the center of my life . Maybe thats why you don't hear from happy bandsters quite as much, as the weight comes off your life gets filled doing things you never thought you would do , but thank goodness you can find happy bandsters on this site. Everyone needs a helping hand and friendly ear now and then, and this is the best place to find them. Please take heart from all of us happy bandsters and good luck on your journey!

-Nora