Had My Endoscopy Today

[NewSho 20]

Congrats, HagerTeresa: I know you are so relieved. Good for you! :clap2:

I am not by any means a model Bandster (I smoke, I eat chocolate, drink Latte's, etc)

Model Bandster, there is such a thing?

QUICK! Get this strange and rare animal right in this chat room immediately. It's like a unicorn - if they exist, where are they? :eek: I've been banded for what seems like forever, have met a zillion other Bandsters and have never seen a model Bandster, in captivity or in the wild.

Believe me, there might not be such a thing - so no beating yourself up. If occasional chocolate and the odd latte meant Band failure then no one would be posting the incredible success stories that we do see daily, with the band.

And luckily, smoking is one vice I don't have (I'm more of a wine and cheese girl :nervous ), but when I go out to nightclubs with my Banded pals I'm continually amazed and how many of them light up regularly. (Three of my most successful banded patients - who have lost 380# between the three of them - now work for Band surgeons and they smoke. They are in brochures, at seminars, and in all the ads. And then they sheepishly light in up public and are embarrassed when people remember them from the seminars or the newspaper ads.Oy, vey! )

So if you quit for your own health, hooray, but so far it hasn't stopped my friends from losing 100# or more pounds with their band. In fact, I have two other banded pals who quit without any significant weight gain - and the band probably stopped them from the weight gain that a lot of patients fear when they are contemplating giving up smoking. So that's just something for you to think about. One thing at a time, eh?

I FIRMLY believe that anybody with the band should get an endoscopy done somewhere between 18 and 24 months out. ...

Absolutely, I agree 100%. I've honestly seen most band issues rear their heads around the 2-to-3 year mark, and nothing beats a good offense like a good defense. So a peremptory check to make sure everything is where is should be, is a great idea coming close to the 2-year Band anniversary. I highly recommend it to all Bandsters.

Happy Band Journeys To All...