repost:were you sure you wanted surgery?

[Kaydotrn 1]

Sorry to repost, but I think more banded people are in this forum.. Thanks for your patience!

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Hi all,

I have been lurking here for months. I have gone through the pre-screening, psych, and u/s for surgery and meet with the surgeon to get my date tomorrow.

Were any of you not 100% sure you wanted this? I am doing WW right now for the billionth time to try to get myself healthier before I go under and now I am thinking, can I do this on my own? I don't know why this would be any different since i can usually lose 40 of my 100 excess pounds and then gain it back. It is easy to be motivated in the beginning. I am just thinking I cannot waste another year of my life yo-yo dieting. I have to do this once and for all and the band may bethe only way I will succeed. I am just curious if those of you who were getting banded had any doubts or were gung-ho fromt he beginning? Thanks.

~Kay

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[carolel 0]

HI,

I was banded on Oct.3rd. I decided to do it about 6 weeks prior to this date and researched to no end beforehand. I was at my breaking point. I had to do something drastic. I was tired all the time, have had 2 total knee relacements, hypothroidism and was recently diagnosed with diabetes..all of this at age 48! I was/am tired of being the fattest one in the room, tiredest one at any event, the one who couldn't keep up with others, the one who couldn''t ride all the rides at amusement parks with my kids, the one who always stayed with the "overweight" kids on field trips ( I'm a teacher), the one who everyone looked at when the topic of activities involving movement came up......like they knew I couldn't hold out..... , tired of not being able to walk thru clothing stores without bummping into racks, tired of wanting to get a wheelchair when shopping and being too embarrasssed to get one. Just tired of all of it. It was time. Now 6 weeks later, I'm 30 pounds lighter, I walk 2 miles a day, feel better than I have in many, many years and look healthier than I ever have when I went on a diet (I was on every one you can name).

Of course, the morning of surgery, I was apprehensive but not to the point I wanted to back out. I was afraid I'd never get to eat another hamburger or steak. I'm addicted to food. I love the taste. But this isn't the case at all. I can eat anything I want..just not much of it.I savor every morsel and enjoy it. I really taste it this way.

Do I regret it? NO WAY!!!!! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Plus I'm a self-pay. It's been worth every penny of the $330.00 per month I have to pay on my second mortgage. I truly think this band will save my life.

No regrets!!!

[coltonwade 27]

I am 100% sure that I want this surgery , I will be banded in January . I have been 100% since I Went to the seminar back in September or so .

I have been researching this for over 2 yrs , very heavily for over a yr.

The closer to surgery I get though if i hear of a complication I do stop and think for nano second about it and get a bit nervous . But thats it . I think you wouldnt be human if you didnt get a bit anxious or nervous .

I am the kind of person that once i make up my mind nother stops me , ( its the virgo on me coming out lol ) . I think its natural to have some apprehinsion about surgery . Like someone else said, I do not want to yo yo for the rest of my life, diets do not work , there is research to back that up .

In MY opinon the band is the only way to NOT yo yo .

Good luck

Mindy

PS Since you and I are not banded yet feel free to email me if you like to discuss things.

[Jachut 487]

Those are entirely normal thought processes. Naturally before you're banded you think of life Before Band and After Band, thinking that you'll never eat the same way again.

In fact, well for me anyway, it doesnt work quite like that. The band takes care of the hunger/volume issue and to me, eating feels the same as it did before - ie. I get hungry and I eat till I"m not hungry. It just happens more quickly. Sometimes my head takes a while to catch onto the fact that my body doesnt want anymore but my body is impossible to ignore now because I know the consuquences.

As to foods that you can no longer tolerate, its amazing but you just dont want them. You go off them very quickly if you know they're going to cause you pain or sickness.

And the rest - all those "bad" foods, well you can eat them in moderation. I dont live by any scary diet and I've lost weight, its up to you how you want to do it but slow and steady suits me and I dont care to live an unsustainable or unpleasant lifestyle - that said, I eat healthily most of the time.

But it is terrifying to think about giving up your reliance on food, your crutch, prior to surgery. But nowhere near as bad when you actually get there.

[Paulax 8]

I was NOT 100% sure I wanted this surgery, but now that I am banded and down nearly 50 pounds, I am sure I would do it all over again 100%.

I felt nervous, and questioned my ability to do it on my own, just as you are doing.

I looked again at the statistics of the number of people who lose it on their own and maintain that loss....read that there is a failure rate anywhere between 93% - 97%.

My own track record, dieting from teen years.

Looked at my future, possible diabetes, as it is in my family, possible heart disease, as that is in my family too, had one aunt and one grandparent who had knee replacements.

Yep, I doubted it and myself.

I figured my odds of being a healthy weight for the rest of my life was more easily attained and maintained with the band.

Good luck with your decision, I know I made the right one.

[ralheit 0]

I was 100% sure and hung in there for a year waiting to get insurance approval. When they said I was approved, I suddenly thought uh-oh. I must say that I was nervous and thought about it, but I knew this was ultimately what I wanted to do. The yo-yo dieting, losing then gaining more than I lost for years and years had to end. I am happy to be banded and I would do it again.

[selfpay 0]

Thank you for sharing your fears, and success. I have had issues with all of these things, and am really glad you all would do it again. I hope to have surgery in January, Can hardly wait!

[Kaydotrn 1]

Thanks so much for your replies. I was at my surgeon's appt today and I booked my surgery. I am feeling more certain this is the right think for me to do. I was blessed to bump into a woman having her follow up appt (1yr) and she was amazing to listen too. So happy with her decision.

I think part of me cannot actually imagine me losing weight for real (more than toe 40 or so pounds I habe yo-yo'd for years!

~Kay

[Laurba 0]

Monday is my big day and I am excited and nervous and wondering how I will get through the weekend!! I want this weight off once and for all and I KNOW I will do it!!

[Fauxnaif 1]

I prayed about it and had a real feeling of peace about it. This is how I make my big decisions. I don't regret it at all.

[juliegeraci 7]

Hi Kay,

I was to the point I had tried everything. I think I've done Weight Watchers at least 10 times. I love my band and I would never go back to my old ways. It is so nice to have less hunger and be satisfied so much sooner. Life is good. 30 lbs down without dieting. Its wonderful and I would never look back. Good luck.

[Woodys 0]

I was 100% sure the second I saw the commercial on TV. I never doubted that it was the best thing I could do for myself....the risk of being obese totally outweighed the risk of the surgery, the risk of surgery was never a concern for me. As far as I was concerned life after the band could only be better and it was up to me to make it the BEST....and I have.

Carol

[MarySue33 0]

I was 100% sure until about four days before surgery...then I started to question this whole idea.

I am only 40 days post-op and I have lost 20# as of this morning (haven't updated my ticker yet). Everything you read here about not being hungry and not wanting to eat everything in sight is true. I was trying to explain it to my mom and her first response was, "Well...that's not my problem. I don't eat because I am hungry...I eat because I am (insert emotion here...bored, it looks good, tired, out of habit, etc.)" She is right. I remember telling my dr that I didn't really know what hungry felt like, nor did I really know what full felt like. I knew what stuffed felt like and having to take a deep breath to shovel in those last few bites when I was already ready to burst, but I never stopped eating when I was full before this.

I am lucky in that I am one of the folks who has felt restriction even before getting my first fill. I doubt it is anything close to the restriction that those who are filled feel, but it has been at least enough to be a bit of a speed bump along the way. (I am scheduled for my fill on December 1st.)

Like you, I could have done another round of WW or NS or JC, but that would have just been delaying the inevitable yoyo upswing. I have come to realize that if I could have lost the weight and kept it off without the band, I would have done so one of the countless times I have lost 40-50#. I can't. I need this as my not-so-gentle reminder where my limits are and when to stop.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat...and once I lose the weight and they start asking how I did it, I will share my 'secret' with obese family and friends, as I would love them to start feeling as good as I already do.

[LapBandit 5]

Wow, honestly I was not 100% sure. I had doubts that it would work and I also really struggled with the choice between gastric bypass or the band. I struggled with "what will life be like?" "can I do this?". But, I considered these things to be normal thoughts especially because I understood that this would be a life-altering decision. With all that said, I felt comfortable with my decision to go forward. I felt like it was right for me. I'm not sure that I've ever concluded that anything was 100%. So, I'd say it's normal to consider the negatives and have a little doubt but if you can honestly still say that you feel OK with your decision then that may be all you need-even if it's not 100%. (I'm just sharing MY decision making process and I'm not recommending someone have surgery if they have real doubts or are uncertain. Sorry, just my little disclaimer!!)