Considering a lap band, new to the forum

[duckydoom 128]

Hello!

My doc talked to me last year about the possiblity of "weight loss surgery" (my insurance covers bypass and the lap band) since I have a BMI of 36 and moderate sleep apnea. I was horribly offended, and opted not to pursue it and lose the weight on my own. However, I'm an emotional eater, and even with weight watchers and staying within my points, I don't seem to be losing at all. My biggest issue right now is fatigue - even with 7 to 8 hours of sleep/night, I'm struggling to stay awake at work. SO - I have an appointment with my doc on Friday to discuss why I'm still fatigued despite taking Vitamins and using a cpap, and I'm going to bring up the topic of the lap band. I still have to qualify through my insurance of course, I belong to an HMO, but my doc seemed pretty confident the last time she mentioned it.

The reason I'm looking at the lap band is for two reasons: It seems to be far more easily reversable if necessary than other forms, and it's adjustable, so it can be completely uninflated (is that the right term???) when I decide to have kids. My brother was recently diagnosed with type one diabetes, and I'm terrified that if I don't lose weight, I'll end up with gestational diabetes when the babies do come.

I'm 27, 5'6" and according to my Wii Fit just now, my BMI is 35.76 and I weigh 222.5 lbs. Not horrible, I know, but my "happy weight" is around 150, and that's quite a ways off at this point. I'm able to lose seven pounds and then put it back on, and I've been in this flux for almost two years now. My husband is terrified of me having complications from any type of procedures, and is also under the belief that I can lose the weight the "old fashioned way" and surgery is cheating. Which I can respect, but I have to say, not being able to lose when I'm (I feel) legitimately trying is giving me the frustrations.

So, I'm on here to find out information, read what people have posted about their banding, and see if it's something that might be right for me. Sorry for the rambling, but thanks for sharing all of your stories

[emsbugbug 7]

Welcome. I think you will find much needed information on this board. Feel free to ask any questions you have, there are many people here to answer.

I made the decision last Summer to get banded. I asked my doctor and he said GO FOR IT! It was the best decision I have ever made in my LIFE!!!! I am 5 months out and down almost 70 lbs. My eating habits have changed, but best thing of all, my LIFE has changed.

I don't have fibromyalgia pain anymore. I still snore a little, but the heavy snoring has stopped. My PCOS symptoms are almost non-existent. My sugar levels are normal and I no longer have blood sugar issues. I have ENERGY!!!! Much more than I have had in years! I feel so much better about myself. I am eating healthier and so is my family. I exercise and can play in the yard, running around with my children. Something I could have never done 5 months ago.

Now, you did say that you are an emotional eater. The band is not going to stop you from eating, but it will control how much you eat. There will be foods though, called sliders, that will slide right through the band. You have to be diligent. Being banded is not the easy way out like some think. You have to work at it. I will suggest you meet with a therapist to discuss why you eat emotionally. Talking about it and working through that will help you more than you know. You don't want to go through the surgery and not lose weight because you just need to eat the whole carton of ice cream to feel better.

Good luck in your journey!

[ann0325 1]

Wow! Reading your story is like reading mine! I'm 28, 5'5" and currently weigh 230 with a BMI of 39. I have been debating the lap band for a few months with no support from my husband. My ulitmate "sweet spot" goal weight is 150, and I am still in the process of getting all the neccessary paperwork to get my lap band surgery scheduled. My husband absolutely believes I can lose weight the old fashioned way but let me just mention....he has never had to worry about his weight, he cuts one thing out of diet and can lose 20 pounds. But the ultimate reason I have decided to go with the lap band is because I am sick of yo-yo dieting. It is a vicious cycle and I want to lose the weight for good. I want something drastic like this, I want to experience what it's like to lose the weight for good. I have always been able to lose the 10-20 pounds but then when I stop whatever diet I am on, I gain it all back and then some. I am really excited to start this journey and wish you luck making up your mind. I will just offer this one advice, listen to you not naysayers. that's what I am trying to figure out and I am really excited for this journey to begin even if others don't think it's "neccessary". Good luck and please Keep in touch!!

Hello!

My doc talked to me last year about the possiblity of "weight loss surgery" (my insurance covers bypass and the lap band) since I have a BMI of 36 and moderate sleep apnea. I was horribly offended, and opted not to pursue it and lose the weight on my own. However, I'm an emotional eater, and even with weight watchers and staying within my points, I don't seem to be losing at all. My biggest issue right now is fatigue - even with 7 to 8 hours of sleep/night, I'm struggling to stay awake at work. SO - I have an appointment with my doc on Friday to discuss why I'm still fatigued despite taking Vitamins and using a cpap, and I'm going to bring up the topic of the lap band. I still have to qualify through my insurance of course, I belong to an HMO, but my doc seemed pretty confident the last time she mentioned it.

The reason I'm looking at the lap band is for two reasons: It seems to be far more easily reversable if necessary than other forms, and it's adjustable, so it can be completely uninflated (is that the right term???) when I decide to have kids. My brother was recently diagnosed with type one diabetes, and I'm terrified that if I don't lose weight, I'll end up with gestational diabetes when the babies do come.

I'm 27, 5'6" and according to my Wii Fit just now, my BMI is 35.76 and I weigh 222.5 lbs. Not horrible, I know, but my "happy weight" is around 150, and that's quite a ways off at this point. I'm able to lose seven pounds and then put it back on, and I've been in this flux for almost two years now. My husband is terrified of me having complications from any type of procedures, and is also under the belief that I can lose the weight the "old fashioned way" and surgery is cheating. Which I can respect, but I have to say, not being able to lose when I'm (I feel) legitimately trying is giving me the frustrations.

So, I'm on here to find out information, read what people have posted about their banding, and see if it's something that might be right for me. Sorry for the rambling, but thanks for sharing all of your stories

[duckydoom 128]

Wow! Reading your story is like reading mine! I'm 28, 5'5" and currently weigh 230 with a BMI of 39. I have been debating the lap band for a few months with no support from my husband. My ulitmate "sweet spot" goal weight is 150, and I am still in the process of getting all the neccessary paperwork to get my lap band surgery scheduled. My husband absolutely believes I can lose weight the old fashioned way but let me just mention....he has never had to worry about his weight, he cuts one thing out of diet and can lose 20 pounds. But the ultimate reason I have decided to go with the lap band is because I am sick of yo-yo dieting. It is a vicious cycle and I want to lose the weight for good. I want something drastic like this, I want to experience what it's like to lose the weight for good. I have always been able to lose the 10-20 pounds but then when I stop whatever diet I am on, I gain it all back and then some. I am really excited to start this journey and wish you luck making up your mind. I will just offer this one advice, listen to you not naysayers. that's what I am trying to figure out and I am really excited for this journey to begin even if others don't think it's "neccessary". Good luck and please Keep in touch!!

Definitely! It sounds like your husband is like mine.... he has a high energy job (he's a chimney sweep of all things!!) and eats McDonalds, Jack In The Box etc for 3 meals a day, and then comes home to a homecooked meal... and is able to sit down and eat a bag of potato chips and a pound of sour cream dip after... lol. He works out on the elliptical for like, 30 minutes twice a week, and is svelte and muscular. I love him to death, but he just doesn't get it when it comes to that, I think. I work 12 hours a day at a desk. I'm hoping that my visit with the doc goes good tomorrow. I emailed her to let her know that I wanted to talk about it, and she was like "okay, make sure you're covered" and I sent her back a novel regarding my coverage, lol (I work for the insurance company I'm covered by). So I'm hoping it'll go well.

I'm finding a ton of information on here that's really helpful regarding my fears, and I think that's cool. I'm ultra paranoid, so I'm reading up on port issues, slippage, infections, leakage, etc, but the stories I'm finding actually aren't terrifying me that much. Plus the thought of having extra energy is just delightful. Heck, I'd settle for ANY energy at this point, without having to use rx stimulants!

How is your paperwork going? Is it insane and exhausting? I wish I could find more info on that aspect - it's not entirely clear what I'll be required to do yet, but I've got a coworker who got a bypass, who I"m prodding for information. Are you blogging, or tracking any of the stuff other than on the boards?

[peacequeen 434]

Maybe involving your husband in the process might help? Show him some of the really nice photos at this site of before and afters. I read from this site to my husband all the time and trying to educate him too..this is a journey for the both of us even if I'm the one getting the surgery. Let your husband read about the hard work you have to do with the band so he will no longer label it "cheating". It may not bother you now but if he goes into it with that kind of mentality, it might bug you later to hear him say you are cheating when all you can have is a couple ounces of food or a Protein shake.lol

On a different note..I'm 46 years old and I have hypothyroid and one of the first and most common signs is the fatigue. Just to play it safe, if you haven't already, have your TSH checked (just bloodwork). This is a condition that doesn't matter if you're overweight or skinny.

Good luck, sweetie! I wish you the best.

[AngelaWC 0]

Hi!

My husband too says that it's cheating, but all he has to do is think about losing weight and it seems to just fall off!

Actually he has been very supportive. I went to Mexico and was banded there by Dr. Ortiz, the one who came out on The Doctors. It was very nice, I could not have asked for a better experience, the team was wonderful, the aftercare very personal and all went very well. (My husband even got to be in the room and watched while they placed the band, very cool!)

As excited and positive as I was about doing it, I must say the results I've had are not nearly as good as I expected. I was banded in May 2010 and had my second fill in Jan 2011 but I've only lost about 25# so far. I have been very good about not drinking anything carbonated, I avoid fried foods, and I eat very slowly. I use my treadmill 60 - 90 minutes 4-6 days a week but I'm just not seeing results. I have only had two bad experiences as far as eating, once just major discomfort after eating too much and once having food feel stuck and then come back up. I think I'm eating less than I used to but not majorly different. I try to eat healthy things like high Proteins, lots of veges, low fat and low sugar so I just don't know what I'm doing wrong.

I am considering going for another fill but not sure if that will really make a difference. I am going to go back to my pre-op diet of 2 slim fast shakes and 1 lean cuisine meal daily but I really thought I would be able to eat a better variety than that. I feel guilty for spending so much money and not getting good results. It's like I've let my family down, I really want to make it work, I just need to figure out what is not right.

I decided to share my experience because if you are an emotional eater, you will easily be able to find things to eat that will not cause discomfort and if you do, you may not see the results you want. I'm not sure if that is my problem or not but obviously it is not the magic bullet for everyone that it is advertised to be.

Just be prepared to change your habits and if you can do that, maybe you will have great results. Just don't think that it is a for sure thing.

Good luck!

[duckydoom 128]

Well, spoke to my PCP yesterday, and she says she will do what she can to help me qualify, as I've been in multiple times before with the fatigue and not being able to lose weight. Since they re-did my height, my BMI went down a little (apparently half an inch can actually count, lol) to 35.14. So, she ran a huge panel of blood tests, and had an xray done of my left knee to see if there's any issue with osteoarthritis. I've had swelling in my left leg for years that's been relatively undiagnosed, but the edema definitely makes it difficult to do much of anything when it's flared up. If I have sleep apnea and the osteoarthritis with my BMI, I'll apparently qualify. So, I'm just waiting for her interpretation of the tests. On the semi bright side, she did discover that I've had a lingering sinus infection since December, so I'm on antibiotics for that - maybe it'll help with the fatigue once the infection is gone. So... yay?

I also asked for a referral to a nutritionist, so I'm hoping that will help too. I did weight watchers for 8 months and lost absolutely nothing, I'm still at my starting weight. I've been able to see a little bit more muscle definition from using the elliptical, but honestly, that's it. I know muscle weighs more than fat, but it just seems to be migrating from other parts of my body to my stomach. I'm hoping that if I see the nutritionist, they will be able to look at what I'm eating and be like "no, silly, eat this instead" and I'll start losing weight - I've stayed in my points the entire time and avoid sugar, I've learned to love stevia, when I do drink sodas (which is VERY rarely) they're diet... Something is just wonky and I'm not sure what it is. Somehow though, it has to come off.

She also gave me some information on some support groups/informational meetings for the local clinics -she referred me to one in Post Falls, which is about an hour from here as opposed to the clinics here in town, so I just have to find time to drive out there and see what they've got.

@ Angela - I've tried to have him look at the available information, and he won't. He's being stubborn about it, hoping that if he ignores it and doesn't give it any attention, I'll eventually give up and focus on something else. He did this when I wanted to go on a Backstreet Boys cruise too, and failed miserably, lol. It's Mexico where I caught my cold! I'm really glad you mentioned the piece about emotional eating... I think I'm coming to the root of my comfort in food, which is another nice aspect. Whenever I catch myself feeling a trigger and wanting to eat a spoonful of hot fudge or a grilled cheese sandwich, I stop to see why it is, and then focus on it while doing the elliptical, sewing, cleaning, etc. Its still not failsafe, but it seems to be keeping me from the food a bit better. I hope this isn't a faux pas to ask, but have you had any counseling to deal with the emotional eating? I know you had it done down in MX, but when you get your fills/unfills, do they give you any information or support on that?

@ peacequeen - thanks for your words of encouragement as I mentioned above, I think my husband is just hoping that I'll eventually forget about it, but now his mom thinks it's a good idea, too. I think between the two of us we can "wear him down" or at least get him to look at some of the information to hopefully get him to see that it's not as cheat-ery as he thinks. I have had my TSH measured, and now I"m just waiting for the doc's feedback - she had me on levothroid before .1 mg, and my TSH went from 3.5 to 1.5 - I was still within normal ranges, but she said it couldn't hurt to take the meds. I think she'll have me go back on them at this point, because my labs from last night have me at 3 again. Sadly, even when I was on the levothroid, I still had major fatigue.