Sharing our pre-band experiences and emotions

[Koala 0]

Thank goodness for everyone who has shared their experiences about getting the band. I’ve absorbed each word, pictured the scenarios, and imagined what it will be like. That really reduces the stress of such a big life changing endeavor. It’s human nature to relax a bit when reading about other people having positive experiences.

I thought it might benefit those who take this journey after us if we share what our pre-band emotions are like. Please add your own thoughts, emotions, feelings, etc. so that we can leave a thread that might help others as they near their surgery dates.

My journey to banding:

Due to my local doctors telling me that I would probably not be satisfied with the amount of weight I would lose with lap band, I had totally discounted it as an option. They seemed confident that gastric bypass was right for me. I am an all or nothing type of person, so I wanted my weight loss to be fast, and I wanted to lose ALL of my excess weight. . However, I kept having this nagging fear of rearranging my insides permanently. It didn’t help that I ran into a person or two who hadn’t had good experiences with gastric bypass. I must confess, this wasn’t enough to deter me.

I spent weeks and weeks reading every word from every “before and after” site I could find on the internet. All of the weight loss stories and pictures often caused tears to stream down my face. After all these years of fighting this battle, after all the diets and regains, could it be possible that THIS would work for me? Could I really win this battle that had kicked my backside since I was a child? Only through this new hope and a tear-stained face did I realize how much I’d begun to give up. I’d fought a long, hard battle only to find myself at my highest weight. One thing I knew for certain was that I couldn’t diet again. Time and time again, I’d lost a chunk of weight only to regain it and an extra 20 pounds or so until I had waddled right into that “super morbidly obese” label. I couldn’t, simply couldn’t, let myself go any higher. Of course, along with this “lock up” mode came the self-focused anger at not having realized this 100 pounds earlier.

..and I kept reading.

I decided to go full speed ahead knowing there was a good chance my insurance would not cover the surgery. I went to the seminars, met with a doctor, did all the pre-bypass testing and submitted 3 doctors’ recommendations to my insurance company. Of course, they denied the requests. Obesitylaw.com thought they might be able to help me. I spoke with a local attorney who might be able to fight a good battle toward forcing the insurance to do the right thing, but all of that would take time. If I couldn’t have the surgery done before the end of August, it would be next summer before I’d have enough time off to go through the process.

That’s when I began researching lap band further. I found out the price was so much lower than gastric bypass and the risks were minimal in comparison. Then, I found this website and read about people who had lost over 100 pounds. Some had even lost over 200 lbs. Maybe, the doctors that had dissuaded me from considering the band didn’t know my determination or perhaps there were other reasons they preferred bypasses.

Soon, I realized that the insurance denial had opened another door for me-one that I felt much better about. I wanted to have lap banding. The next question was who would I want to do my surgery. I found out local prices then began researching doctors in other countries. My research led me to a highly-recommended, highly trained, and highly experienced doctor. My precious husband arranged to have the money available. He encouraged me to go to the doctor I wanted here or in Mexico. He told me to not let the price be the determining factor. I investigated further, and found out that the doctor in Mexico had trained one of the top two weight loss surgeons here in my city. Would I rather go to the one that sounds less scary to my friends and relatives or would I rather go to the one who taught others how to do the surgery? I paid my deposit and scheduled my surgery. Now, I’m planning my first trip to Mexico.

As the time for my surgery approaches (just 9 days away), I’ve been going through a world of emotions. At the time of paying my deposit, I was elated. This was coming true and I would soon have my best-ever opportunity to lose the weight. Not long afterward, I started thinking about all the money I was spending on me. That’s when I hit the “what if” stage. What if I don’t lose after the band? What if I could lose it by dieting just one more time? What if this time turned out just like all the rest? What if I have every complication I’ve read about?

I’ve since regained my confidence. This isn’t all about the band. I will give this my best effort with good food choices (thanks Weight Watchers for teaching me that) and exercise. This lap band is the start, but I CAN make it work for me.

My Jello, broth, and Crystal Light have been bought, I’ve completed a list of items to pack, my flight is booked, and everything is lined up except losing the entire 5% of my weight. I’ve had some stress this week which hasn’t helped me at all in this goal. Now, I find myself needing to lose a minimum of 7 pounds in one week. Hello liquid diet, goodbye final meals. I’m back to being so excited I’m not sure I can wait a week, but I’m pretty sure a myriad of emotions are waiting just around the corner to keep this journey interesting.

[squiggle 1]

such a very well written post. it was a joy to read.

i'm also right on the edge of getting my band. i've got roughly 250 pounds to lose to get to my ideal weight, and originally met some resistance from my doctors about having the band. however, i would have never considered the bypass as an option for me. i recall at the seminar i attended for my surgeon (who performs both procedures) the woman who had the rny looked like she'd suffered a devastating illness while the woman who'd had the bypass looked perfectly healthy. they'd both lost equivalent amounts of weight. for me, there was no other option *but* the band after seeing that.

i've got my last consultation with my surgeon on the 14th of august, and will get a surgery date then. i'm going to be starting my preop diet a week before that last appt. so hopefully i can have the surgery a week later. :Banane56: you'll be done and home and comfy by then, but i'll be right behind you!

[Tamyrn 0]

You go girls! You're both going to do great, I had my band placed in Mx. as well Koala. The Doctor (Del La Garza) and nursing staff were wonderful and I bet yours will be too.

Good luck and Good losin' ladies.

Tammy

[lisah25 3]

Very nicely written post. I can relate to so much of what you said.

My husband was banded two years ago, he too chose it as self-pay rather then do the bypass our insurance would cover. I was terrified. I worried about him surviving the operation. I worried about him not losing weight and getting very depressed because he saw this as his last chance. I worried that he would lose weight and find someone prettier. Did I mention that I worried?!

Well, he survived. He's healthier now then he's been in years. He's lost about 90 pounds, he's kind of taking his time with it. He looks good. I started to wonder if maybe there was something to this banding. So, I did more research. Ran some numbers, since I'm self-pay also. Made an appointment with his surgeon and said "OK, now I really have some questions". Got it all set up, got my date. Was told to lose 10-15 pounds and promptly gained 7!

So now, I'm kind of in limbo. I had to wait until the end of August because of work deadlines. Giving me lots of time to think about how much this is going to cost, how much more in debt we will be. About how it will feel to have a device in me that has a say in what and how much I eat. How I'll feel if I can't, for whatever reason I think there might be, lose weight with this.

I have a tendency to think things to death and over-analyze. To question my decisions. But I do feel this is a good choice for me. I've struggled with my weight since high school. I'll lose some, then slip up and gain it all back. I'm quite frankly tired of it. Of working so hard with nothing to show. I do realize that there is work ahead of me, but I feel like I'll have my little buddy to help. Hum, I think I need to come up with a name for my band...

I agree, this is a journey and will be interesting. I have my op-day outfit picked out (A muu-muu from a recent trip to Hawaii), my shopping list written and my time of from work all figured out.

Yay for us!

[K-CEE 0]

I have been struggling with my weight all of my life and I knew that gastric bypass was not for me. One night I finally hit rock bottom and said I can not be this big anymore. It hurt to walk. I am getting the lap band in 2 days. August 1st is my date. I am glad that I will be getting this surgery, plus If It was not for this surgery I probably would have never found out that I have severe gallstones and my gallbladder needs to be removed. Good idea I think I will name my band too. What a great idea!

Hmmm I am thinking of a name now.... this might take some time, because I want a good name.

Thanks for your post. :Banane56:

[OH Juli 15]

Wow- I've enjoyed reading all the above posts.

I've been working through the 6 months of doctor supervised dieting so to be able to get insurance approval. That will be done just after labor day. Have I lost weight? Naw, not so much. But has the time allowed me to strengthen my commitment to getting the band? Absolutely.

I'm still a few months away from getting worried or scared. I do think about the implications of how the band will affect change in my life...I'm ready. I'm ready to embrace a whole new attitude toward my body and my health.

Thanks so much for the this thread.