Hello Y'all

[Iluvharleys 15]

I have been reading your posts for 3-4 weeks now and feel kike I know each one of you. You are a great group of people.

It was suggested by my Doctor about 6 months ago for me to get banded. I just didn't know enough about it to try it. I was scared to death about it, and I did nothing. Then one day, I found this board, and you all made it sound so good. I started thinking about it alot and just couldn't get it off my mind. When my Doctor suggested it, I had really good insurance that would have paid for it. Since then, my husband's company changed insurance, and this one won't pay for it, it states right in the book for coverage, no wls. Maybe when we get some of our bills paid for I can do a self pay.

The one question I have for you is: Is anyone sorry they had this done? Would you do it again???? You all seem like you love your bands.

I also want to say something to DeLarla. I have been there and went through exactly what you are going through now. I actually filed the paperwork for a divorce and paid a downpayment. We sat down and talked about it, and decided we could work things out. We loved each other, and we had been through a lot together. So, we tried again, and it worked. I can honestly tell you one thing, most men don't grow up until they are 45 years old. Only then do they start thinking about their future. Men never think they will live past 35 years old. when they see that they have passed 35, I think they only start growing up a little more each year. We had a tough time, going through a lot, but we came out stronger because of it. When I had an offer for a good job, I promised my husband if he would move with me, he could get a Harley. Well, let me tell you he wasted no time getting one! I ask him to wait till we found a home, and the day after we did, he got his Harley ordered. We managed though, and we had a lot of fun on his Harley during the next year. The following year, he bought me my own Harley, and I love it. Could we afford it? Not really, we have a house payment, car payment, two Harley payments along with all the other stuff, but we have become closer as a couple because of it. He is very proud of me, riding a "big" bike right beside him. We both have a Heritage Softail Ultra Classic. Yes, we are strapped with payments right now, but I wouldn't trade all the fun we have on them. We don't take regular vacations now, we take trips on our Harleys. We meet tons of new people, see lots of great sights, and actually smell the flowers. (along with the cows, skunks, etc.) lol

DeLarla , you love your man, just give him sone time to grow up. (they never lose some of the boy) You'll be glad you did. Have fun with your new Harley. You look great on it!

If anything happens that we can't pay our bills, I will sell my car, but I will never sell my Harley or my home, they are my dream things. Good luck with what you decide to do.

Hopefully someday, I will be one of the bansters.

By the way, we were married in Vegas!

Thanks for listening to me, and I would like for y'all to answer the question I ask.

Betty

[Penni60 45]

The one question I have for you is: Is anyone sorry they had this done? Would you do it again???? You all seem like you love your bands.

Betty: For all the problems I have had. I love my band. I have never regretted getting it done. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I am 43 lbs less heavy than I was. I can do anything I want. I don't have sore knees anymore. I can hike. I can I can I can.

I am no longer on blood pressure medication, high cholesterol medication, my Migraines have almost gone, my knees no longer hurt, my back is stronger, etc.

WOuld I do it again. HELL YEAH!!!!

[Iluvharleys 15]

Thanks for answering me, I thought I was not going to get a response. I have been looking at a couple of Doctors here in Texas, and I might just go and find out what it will cost me and how much the payments would be. I really need to get this done. I have tried every diet that has ever been out and I can lose 20 pounds and then nothing else. I have been doing the South Beach diet, and beofe that Weight Watchers. The older I get, the harder it is.

Penni - I admire you for all the weight you have lost. You made me want this surgery more now than I did beofore, I wish I hadn't been so scared when I had the inusrance to cover it. I am glad you can do more things.

Thank you again for answering me.

If anyone has had surgery in the Dallas-Metro area can you tell me anything about the price range?

Thanks,

Betty

[donali 57]

Hi Betty -

I loved my band too, and still would recommend it as a first option to anyone considering weightloss surgery. The band worked EXACTLY the way I expected and hoped - it was just the tool I needed to help me lose my first 100 pounds.

Even though I didn't get to keep my band, I will always be grateful that I was banded.

[Iluvharleys 15]

Thanks Donali! It means a lot to have you and the others say they would do it again. I know it is a lot to go through, and if you would do it again it means it is well worth it.

I wish you all the luck in the world in your journey for weight loss, I know how tough it is, and for you to do it now without the band is wonderful. You must have learned a lot from just being banded.

Thanks again,

Betty

[donali 57]

You must have learned a lot from just being banded.

Pretty much learned what Sue says - I'm crazier than a coon when it comes to food.

When I learned I had to be unbanded, I had to be BRUTALLY honest with myself about my relationship with food. The band made it impossible to overeat too much - that was what I really needed it for - that, and the help on feeling full on smaller portions. Or, if not full, exactly, at least "done eating".

The key for me is...

When my hunger was in full force and I was in binge mode, I was sucking down zillions of calories in binge foods, because I chose very calorically dense foods to binge on. Large deep dish pizzas, whole buckets of KFC, plus the biscuits and honey, or the dipping bread sticks, or a family portion of buffalo wings with a cup of blue cheese dressing. All followed by something that had pure sugar in it.

Forget the calories - the chemistry of the food I was eating was really what was killing me. Refined carbs raise your blood sugar, which calls out the insulin, which converts all that blood sugar into FAT, and all that FAT I just ate into FAT, and crashes you back down again into hunger and cravings to repeat ad nauseum (literally, sometimes).

So, the brutally honest part is...

Even with the band, I would have binge modes come on (just couldn't do much to binge), so I KNOW they have nothing to do with hunger. I think the binges were usually due to simple compulsion, but sometimes emotions were the real driving factor.

So, KNOWING that I was going to occasionally hit binge mode again without the band, I had to admit to myself that choosing to binge on calorically dense foods was going to be the death of me. I am no longer allowed to order pizza delivered to the house. I'm allowed to eat pizza - don't get me wrong - but I have to buy it by the slice. Because if I order a WHOLE large deep dish pizza in binge mode, I WILL try and eat the whole thing. And I am too cheap to order and pay for more than two slices at a time.

The KFC is easier to avoid, and when I really want fried chicken I can order by the piece at Albertsons. But it's really not that good, so it's not too hard to talk myself into a roasted chicken instead, because I love that crispy skin. So I get it home, and first thing I do is peel off all the crispy skin and eat it. Eating the rest of the chicken isn't going to do that much more damage, and I usually don't want the whole thing anyway (because even the roasted chicken really isn't that good... lol). Plus I didn't get the bread or coleslaw, so it was basically just a high Protein meal, and I feel stuffed (which is, I guess, what I go for in binge mode).

I also don't keep potatos in the house anymore. I have to watch the rice kick, 'cause I would live on white rice and butter if I could, or Pasta and butter, but I haven't had any cravings for that in over a year.

Pre-banding I would not have thought that these binges could have made such a difference, but apparently they did. Plus I did cut out a lot of the bread, rice and Pasta I was consuming pre-band. I can't get into the "6 slices of buttered toast with hot sweet tea is a meal" mode again.

So my downfalls were bingeing on calorically dense foods, and eating multiple portions of high-glycemic carb foods with fats as a meal. Just changing those two things allowed me to drop 100 pounds in 17 months. And those changes weren't drastic - nothing is off limits, but I am much more sane about what I'm eating, whether it's bingeing or not. Pasta can NOT be a meal for me... but it can be a side dish if a really want it. The same with rice and potatos.

The candy thing came under control when I stopped thinking I couldn't (or SHOULDN'T) have it. When I want it, I have it. But I don't keep it in the house. And except for my big bag of self-mixed bridge mix, I don't bring bags of snacky stuff into the house - I have troubles moderating portions on that stuff. Luckily I'm cheap, so it really kills me to spend 75 cents on a 25 cent candy bar... lol

Okay, enough rambling.... Sorry, got carried away...

[Iluvharleys 15]

You aren't rambling, you are giving me a lot of important information. I thank you very much. I think you and a lot of the others on this site are amazing with what you all have accomplished. I just wish I had found this site a long time ago.

I already do a lot of what you said, no potatoes, no fried chicken (I love Popeyes) no rice, only whole wheat bread, and not every day either. I try not to eat fried foods at all. I don't use white flour, just whole wheat. I think more than anything else it is my Portion Control. I tell myself no more, but then I manage to eat more. I am not big on candy, I might eat a few pieces at Christmas, but that is about it. In fact I have two jars of hard and chocolate sitting on my desk and I never touch it. I just have it for the people in the office. I also think sitting at a desk all day doesn't help. I do try to do some Water arobics in the pool every night. I think I have dieted my whole life, and while I can lose some, it always comes back to find me. I always say I can look at food and it the weight will jump on me.

Donali you really have helped me alot. I now know why everyone looks up to you for answers. You are an excellent writer, and you are very knowledgeable. You definately have your life together now. I know you will see your journey to the end. I hpe one day to be able to do the same. I am definately going to see my Doctor and see if there is a payment plan of some kind that I can afford. After speaking to the two of you, I am not nearly as scared as I was.

Thank you so much,

Betty

[hagerteresa 3]

Hi Betty,

I too love my band. I got mine 5/8/04 and am down 49 lbs. Tomorrow is weigh day so I am hoping it might be a bigger number then. I have been heavy my whole life too and have been on every diet out there. My results were the same as yours, temporary losses and monsterous gains. I have never been into fried foods either. KFC actually makes me really sick on anything more than two peices. Even then I am bound to regret it the next day. I do love chocolate though and allow myself small bits daily. The band is amazing. I had a tough time following diets but suddenly with the band it all seems easier. It doesn't even seem too much like dieting. The hardest things for me at first were getting enough Water, chewing well enough, giving up diet soda and no drinking after meals. It wasn't THAT difficult changing all of those habits though. For about two weeks I really missed soda, kind of had a break down about it and haven't had a problem about it since. All of the other things just take practice and have gotten easier over time. Don't get me wrong, on occassion I am a bad girl and want to pig out but it amounts to far less then preband days. I had one of those weekends last weekend. I went to a 3 day concert and had free food passes, FREE FOOD!!! I felt like I pigged out all day but when I added all of the calories it was about 2000. Now that is a LOT for me nowadays and I am hoping it won't affect my loss this week but compared to preband eating that is just a drop in the bucket. Have I mentioned that I love my band??? LOL.. There are days where we have disagreements but that is only when I try to rush my food down and don't chew enough. Portion Control is the bands specialty! Good luck, Teresa

5/8/04

Dr. Lopez

362/313/???

[leatha_g 4]

I was banded in May, 2003. My loss has been slower than some, but really better than I felt I was doing. I have lost 63lbs to date and I can't tell you how my health has changed.

When I began this journey, I had been recovering from a bout with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in 2001. Between the year 2001 and 2003, my body basically just turned on me. Feet and ankles swelling to almost bursting, my lung capacity went to nothing after the embolism, my cholesterol went up to 306. I was started and stopped on several different medications which started a weight gain mode. I wound up gaining an additional 40 lbs on what was already a 210lb 5ft tall body. I was dying a slow miserable death.

I had heard just bits and pieces about the lapband possibilities, but when I heard that a co-worker had gotten one and our insurance company paid. I got busy on finding out what I would have to do. I saw a doctor in Houston, who refused to band me due to my diagnosis of Systemic Lupus in 1983 and my past blood clotting problems. I was so ready to begin losing, but I had promised myself I would never do the yoyo dieting thing again. But, I was at the point of asking to be put on some sort of medical weight loss plan or consider gastric bypass. I was so depressed and out of shape, I was ready to give in, but I am single and had no one to fall back on, so I knew I HAD to do something to regain my health and be able to continue to provide for myself, so I set out on my research to find someone who would do the surgery for me.

Long story a little less long, I read the yahoo message boards faithfully and everything else I could find and finally heard of a woman in San Francisco who had been banded and also had Lupus and DVT problems.

My ex-husband and my son live in Northern California, so my daughter had wanted to move out there and asked me if I wanted to go with her. My job was 100% travel, so I was able to do that. I contacted the Dr and the rest is history. I was the first to ever have the lapband and a vena cava filter (to help prevent blood clots from moving to the lung, brain or heart) placed at the same time. My surgery went perfectly and along with learning how to deal with my band, I also have been able to work my health back to some semblance of normalcy. Instead of barely being able to do 10 minutes on a treadmill, I now go to Curves 3-5 times a week. I can walk much farther and I'm trying to get the guts to see if I can jog. (I don't know about that yet.) I've bought myself a bicycle, which I haven't tried in years. I have gone from 250- 187 (size 24-16). My cholesterol is no 168. I am beginning to feel more like the feminine, sexual being that I once was as opposed to the sexless blob I felt I had become. My whole outlook is back to something much better.

I have had some complications recently, which I had repaired. My band was apparently positioned too low or had 'slipped' and I had a hiatal hernia repaired just 2 weeks ago, but I'm definitely not finished. I love my band and I missed the restriction when I was un-filled. I do have respect for the band, because I know it's not foolproof, but, yes. I'd definitely do it again.

So, where in Texas are you located?

I wish you much luck in your journey to be banded!!

[New Hope 37]

Leatha, you brought tears to my eyes! I'm sending you a cyberhug. You have us and we care about you! You are truly a living, breathing miracle! You had so much to overcome and you did it! Wow! Your story makes me appreciate the second chance at being healthier even more than I already did. God bless you and keep you safely in the palm of his hand.

[leatha_g 4]

Originally posted by New Hope

I'm sending you a cyberhug. You have us and we care about you! You are truly a living, breathing miracle! You had so much to overcome and you did it! God bless you and keep you safely in the palm of his hand.

Thank you, Marie. I'm alot of things, but one thing I am NOT is a quitter.

[New Hope 37]

Leatha, that's why you are at this great point in your life! You deserve to be happy and healthy!

[Iluvharleys 15]

Leatha - I think I have read your post 10 times, and it has made me cry each time. You have actually saved your own life. You are a miracle indeed. You have truely given me hope. I have read many articles on jogging, and they have said that brisk walking is so much better for you. You are already doing great. You asked where I live, I live in Grand Prairie, it is 14 miles from Dallas. I am between Dallas and Fort Worth. I am originally from Indiana.

Theresa - I am hoping you get at least to the 50 mark this week with your WI. I love ice tea, so diet soda wouldn't be a problem for me. The only time I drink soda is if I have an occasional cocktail. Thanks for telling me your opinions about the band too.

I left work yesterday to go home and tell my husband that I wanted to try somehow to get the band. When I walked in the door the garage was flooded along with the hallway/carpet. Our Water heater took a dump and it was a mess. Last weekend our pool and garage flooded from the rain and was all full of mud. We had to empty the pool out and start all over. I thought I better wait a few days till all this mess was over. In the meantime I ordered the book from Amazon that y'all suggested so I am looking forward to reading it.

I am so happy I found this thread. You are all so awsome! I hope you don't mind if I stick with you till I see if I can get the band. I sure am addicted to this board now.

Betty