In gratitude for the LBT

[jahair 0]

Thanks MCW -- It's not funny about being afraid to throw up, I agree, but I had to laugh about the notion thinking about Soups making you nauseous and being OK if you stick to thoughts about Jello. Where else in the world would that statement make sense?? :biggrin1: :biggrin1: It just points out that although as bandsters we all go through the same surgery, each one of us experiences this journey in our own quirky ways.

As I read posts that others have made, I am continually floored by the courage bandsters have dispayed. Each of us has made the decision to undergo this very big deal because we are desperate to experience success in keeping off the weight we lose. We have persevered in our commitment to permanent weight loss in the face of doubts expressed by ourselves or others that maybe all it really does take to be successful is to eat smaller portions and exercise more.

We told our "true truth" that anything we've done in the past did not work and have turned our heads to the future by deciding on this procedure. Still, that little voice that we all have scares us with all the ways we could mess this up:

• throwing up and stretching the stoma
  
• going crazy on the liquid/mushy stage and drinking only milkshakes or something else high fat/high calorie
  
• being the only person for whom weight gain actually occurs rather than weight loss
  
• etc.

We are alone with ourselves in the recovery stage and it is all too easy to obsess with the fact that we have or will do something wrong and blow this. I know for me it has been more difficult than I expected to allow the minor discomforts of healing (like major gas or itches) not to get in the way of my deep pride in myself for taking this BIG POSITIVE step in regaining my life.

I am so grateful for knowing this talk forum is available to us to share our concerns but also to take comfort in the large number of people who are experiencing success on this path and all the tickers showing the decreasing numbers. I think I'll get one today!