New in Virginia

ChinaMom · March 12, 2007

I live in the Richmond area. I am seriously considering the lapband. I am 5'7" and weigh 278. I've struggled my entire adult life with weight. almost two years ago my husband died after a two year battle with lung cancer (he was only 40!!) and my mother six months after him (colon cancer, after beating breast cancer!!), leaving me with a beautiful little girl who is now five years old, that we adopted from China (got her, and five mos. later he had cancer). I am trying to get my life back together but am frustrated with my weight and finding time for ME to get it off. My blood pressure, which was always excellent (even when I'm heavy) steadily rose during his illness and my weight gain. My GP said if I lose weight I can get off the meds for sure. I also take stuff for anxiety, depression, thyroid, and am wondering how much of that I can ditch once I'm in shape. I hesitate at doing any surgery because there is no one to help me take care of my daughter while I recover (much less take care of me :cry ) but it looks like the lap band has a really short recovery period. I am going to get a consult with one of the surgeons in town who do this, but was wondering if there was anyone out there in my area who can share their experience?

I'm 48 now and all my docs keep telling me I need to take care of ME so I'll be around to raise my daughter. I'd like to have enough energy for her as well!

Anyway, my clinical psychologist suggested lap-band to me last week and I started looking into it. I'm starting to think it makes sense for me.

thanks for any input. I plan to read as much as I can in this forum. We belonged to a very similar styled forum for lung cancer and it was wonderful - really got us through a horrible thing. So I was tickled to stumble here.

MyLifeNewChoice · March 13, 2007

Welcome...

I was banded on 2-13-07, and while it hasn't been the easiest thing in the world..I'm thinkful for the opportunity to live the life I've always wanted. This

MyLifeNewChoice · March 13, 2007

Welcome...

I was banded on 2-13-07, and while it hasn't been the easiest thing in the world..I'm thinkful for the opportunity to live the life I've always wanted. This site has provided so much support and encouragement for me, I hope you will have the same experience.

Again welcome..

catfish · March 13, 2007

Chinamom,

I live in the fredericksburg area of Virginia, and was banded on 9/26/2006. I have lost a little over 50 pounds. To be honest if I didn't have help after surgery I truly think I would have been fine on my own. You will need for someone to pick you up from the hospital. I only took one pain pill the day after surgery. Bending over is the hardest part.(to feed the cats). Struck my husband with that chore for as long as I could get away with it. My only advice is to be helpful with the Richmond area hospitals, I know of 3 or 4 people how had gastric bypass surgery in richmond and ended up with really bad infections. I truly think the band was the best decision I made. Any of us can do anything we set our minds to.

Catfish (Lisa) :biggrin1:

LeeInDe. · March 13, 2007

Welcome!

I too had a lot of family problems, spanning over a two year period, which caused me to gain weight over my already overweight state.

For me it was almost a last ditch effort to get control of my life.

Having all of those family tragedies, I felt as though I had no control, and at least now I faced an option to help me, and let me gain control once again.

I was glad to have help after surgery, and if you have a good friend to peek in on you now and again, that would be easier for you.

Good Luck with your decision........

ChinaMom · March 13, 2007

Catfish, as far as I know, the only hospital in Richmond that does any bariatric surgery is St. Mary's. It's not my favorite hospital (trust me, in between my husband and my Mom, and my Dad who had a heart cath with blockages the very same week my mom was diagnosed - and my daughter, who had surgery at St. Mary's to repair a birth defect) - I've had in-depth experiences with alot of Richmond hospitals (my favorite is Memorial Regional in Mechanicsville - fairly new, all private rooms, etc.). St. Mary's doesn't turn me on because of the lack of private rooms, for one thing, but alot of surgeons like to practice there. Gosh, the pediatric ward at St. Mary's was jam packed and we had to share a room with another small child who'd had surgery and her mom, who either snored, chomped ice or blasted the TV all night long - they require you to stay with your child (of course I was anyway) but then pack you in a small room like sardines with another family . . . ok I digress (which should be my middle name).

Just wondering - you can send me an email if you'd like - more specifically what you've heard. And where did you have yours done? I need to be practical and do it all local because of my situation but still would like to explore all options.

Yeah, I just need something to get me over this hump. I've struggled with weight my entire adult life but life in the last 3 or 4 years has really beaten me down, and now I'm 48 and getting this weight off ain't getting any easier.

and I THINK my daughter is getting old enough to realize that the entire world doesn't revolve around her - and she is always telling me she wants me to be skinny. so I think if I fully explained what I'm doing, she'll even try to be helpful about it. She has a therapist, so I'll be sure to talk to her about all of this.

I ramble, but appreciate any input.

llee · March 15, 2007

Chinamom, I got banded in Dec. 2006. I think it is awesome. You can't over eat. You get what is called "blockage" when you eat the white breads and cakes that you shouldn't be eating anyway. I went out of the country, and it cost about $8,000. You can get it for less. I recovered on the beach..and it wasn't bad at all. You get sore, but you can handle it. I totally trust the out of country doctors, but do your research ! I went to Puerto Vallarta.

ChinaMom · March 15, 2007

Hey, Lee, my insurance covers it, I checked the policy on our company website, and it's all laid out - covered! I think you just have to be XXX number of pounds overweight and that is all that is required. there's no way I'd go out of the country - haul my five year old daughter to Mexico? Maybe in good health, on a vacation - then we'd go to China instead. which is another thing. one day not too many years from now we'll go back to China and it sure would be nice to make that 18 hour flight a bit more comfortable by not filling up the sardine-like coach class seat! my husband and I, through hard core dieting and daily workouts, lost 60 pounds while waiting for her, but of course I gained every pounds and then some back over the course of his illness and death. again I digress.

ChinaMom · March 19, 2007

Ok, I did some checking, asked a highly respected oncology surgeon in town who removed a melanoma of mine and did a few things my husband needed done during his cancer hell, talked to his daughter (who I work with), and got the name of the practice he most recommends for the lap band. He, the oncology surgeon, had good things to say about it.

I called that practice Friday morning, they said you HAVE to attend our information seminar before you have an office consult, and there is one today at 2:00 pm.

So I told my boss that I had to go to the doc and left for the day. Very informative. the NP who ran the seminar had worked on clinical trials for the LB at the big university research hospital in town. She discussed both GB and LB. Really a side by side comparison which was really helpful.

I went to my car, called the practice and left a voice mail that I wanted to make an appt. The scheduler called me on sunday! I didn't actually talk to her until this morning. My first office consult is April 16.

My Dad, who is and always has been fit and trim, was very supportive when I told him. He is 77 and you never know . . . but he said he'd actually read about the lap band and was thinking it would be good for me. I need his support, since he's all I have besides my five year old daughter.

So I am on the way and I'm not looking back. This is the last step for me, in recovery from the cancer-hell I've endured the last four years. In fact, I am already starting to mentally calculate where the $$$$ are coming from for my Tummy Tuck, breast lift and face lift I'm going to get after I lost all my weight!