To band or not to....

[seaangel 0]

Hi everyone, as you have probably guessed I am still debating what to do... I am 5'3" and 198lbs, diabetic, PCOS, High Cholesterol and on anti-depressants (no deadly thoughts, just burned out)... I have no energy my sugar levels are making me nuts... AAAAAAAHHHH!!! OK enough ranting and raving... Can anyone tell me what made you decide to go for the Lap Band? I had my initial consult and I really feel like this is what is going to get me back on track... :help: I tried pretty much everything under the sun and always gained back what I had lost and then some...

I am unhealthy and I want my life back!!!

Thanks everyone

Caroline

Mom to Frederic 15, Thanya 13, Chloë 7 1/2 and Gabryel 3... (thanks to fertility drugs...)

[TerriDoodle 6]

I've been 30-40 # overweight most of my life. Now that I've hit menopause I'm 65# overweight. No diet has helped me to lose it. I had started to have issues with back, foot and hip pain. My cholesterol levels were creeping up. My insulin resistance was getting harder to control. Basically I was heading down a road I didn't like the looks of. I did the research and felt like the band was a good option for me. I feel confident I can be good at following the rules (I don't binge), I'm used to eating a low carb diet, and I'm willing to accept the restrictions. I am sick and tired of being fat and having no energy to do anything. I came to this board and read a million posts and got greatly encouraged by the stories. I knew I could be one of them, too. So here I am. I was banded yesterday!!

Good luck with your decision. I know it's not an easy one.

[seaangel 0]

Thank you very much for the encouragement... and yes it is a very hard decision to make. I wish you all the best with your band and hope to be banded soon also...

[isabelle290 0]

I hear ya. I have been dealing with gaining a loosing all my life. Let's face it, if you are looking on this forum (like me), there is something telling you it's time to do something about your weight problems. I just came to a point where I knew it was time to turn things around. No matter what anyone says, your weight effects how you feel and live your life. I think you will just know when it is time to pursue help! Good Luck!

[sandy-sue 0]

Hi,

It is all up to you and no one else. It took me two years before I made my own mind up. No one really knows how you really feel inside about yourself. I thought I could it on my own with eating less food etc.. Than of course everyone says just eat litte amounts.

But you see how people look at you or you think they are looking at you when you eat. Or try to sit in a lawn chair wondering if it's going to brake or not. My kids are growing up now I'm 44 now with the same man for 26 years 4-11. That is nice that he has stayed with me. At 18 my weight was 156 now it's 256. You need to make your own mind up GOOG LUCK

[seaangel 0]

:clap2: Thanks for being so quick to answer!!! This is nice... To actually know that others are going through tough times also, Healthwise or even just plain tired of looking st someone you wished you werent... I feel at home and welcomed.... Thank you so much!!

This is for everyone who makes the decision to get their lives back.... Go LOOSERS

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: (standing ovation!!!)

[kebsa 1]

I made the decsion As I had serious health issues and I am wheelchair dependant. Being morbidly obese with a BMI of over 60, my independance was at imminent risk, for me that was a bigger issue than early death. may seem strange, but I think that I got desensitized to the message that fat would kill me, sure something will kill me! so for me, forced dependancy was far worse. Quality of life stuff.

I knew that WLS was my only real option and dd not like the thought of the more invasve procedure like RNY gastric bypass. I knew someone who had gastric bypass- she lsot the weight and kept most off but has had to deal with severe nutritional imbalances and anaemia since then and probably for the rest of her lfe. She s happy wth the decision but I guess I liked the idea that as the band is adjustable it could be fine tuned over my life- even removed if needed and the underlying anatomy basically is back to square one. None of us know what the future hold so I did not want to burn any bridges with permanent anatomy changes if I could achieve what I needed with less invasve surgery.

my surgeon is one of the australian pioneers, he has been doing band surgery since the early 90's and has been doing wls in generla for longer. He is Professor of bariatric surgey. He has not done anything but the band for over 6 yrs as he said the long term stats show better success rates for the band and far less complications, the rsk of death from the procedure is as high as 1 in 200 for the other surgeries and less than 1 in 2000 for the band. One of the biggest units doing this surgery in Australia for the longest time has said that they have not had a single death from the band that was attributed directly to the band surgery. thevery small number of deaths that have occured have been related to the co morbs or completely unrelated stuff.

same long term results with far less rsk was the final piece of the puzzle

[BlueTattoo 43]

well hun i haven't been banded yet i'm doing the waiting game from the insurance company. I'm also 5'3 and i'm 230 lbs. I'm doing it. I'm hypoglycemic (opposite of a diabetic) my bmi is 42! :omg: I've been having lots of problems with my own blood sugar leaving me drained and sometimes bottoms out. My lowest blood sugar count was at 48 2 weeks ago when it bottomed out at work and passed out. i'm doing this for me and my kids. I want to be healthy and fit so i can play with them and enjoy their young years. (they are 2 and 3)After reading everyones post I decided this is what i wanted to do. I want to be a success story like them.

[mema 0]

Hi Caroline,

It has to be your decision but I can tell you I was just banded and I am so glad I did it. I have tried so many diets and nothing worked, the weight would come right back. There is a lot of support on this site and for once I feel like I am going to lose the weight and keep it off. I am so excited to start my weight loss journey. Good luck to you.

Mema

[ReneBean 3]

I was binding my legs to help control the swelling from my Venous Stasis one morning... it was a pain in the butt - not to mention the pain in my legs - and it ocurred to me that I was going to have to do that every day for the rest of my life... and I was only 40.

If I felt like SOS at 40 - what the hell was I going to feel like at 50? 60? The fear of DEATH was not what made me want bariatric surgery. It was the fear of LIFE IN PAIN. When you feel it would be preferable to just die at the age of 40, you are pretty messed up.

So, I decided to take the drastic step of getting a gastric bypass. I felt that it was worth any risk to lose weight and have a healthier life.

When I googled Weightloss Surgery, I saw all these entries for Gastric Banding. Since I had never heard of it, I checked it out.

Lower risks, both at surgery and after, sold me on the program - PLUS the added benefit of keeping the band and it being adjustable to help with maintanence made it my dream surgery.

I, also, had lost weight several times... only to puff back up with interest. The Band seemed - and still seems - to offer a stop to that problem.

That's why I chose the band over by-pass. I have never regretted that decision.

Good Luck!

[juliegeraci 7]

Caroline, you are so pretty. I chose the lapband because it is reversible and adjustable. I love being banded. I've lost 50 lbs in 10 months. I am considered an average/slow loser at 1 lb per week. Good luck with your decision. I don't regret it at all. Julie

[Bandgirl 0]

Seaangel - I understand how you feel. I am so undecided about what to do. On one hand I hate the way I have become - but on the other hand I am hoping that I can live with the band and not regret doing it. I keep thinking about all the things I like to eat and wonder if I will ever be able to eat them again (in much smaller quantities). Good luck with your decision - I know it is a hard one.

Also - did anyone have their surgery in New York and NYU. If so, please let me know. Thanks.

[seaangel 0]

well hun i haven't been banded yet i'm doing the waiting game from the insurance company. I'm also 5'3 and i'm 230 lbs. I'm doing it. I'm hypoglycemic (opposite of a diabetic) my bmi is 42! :omg: I've been having lots of problems with my own blood sugar leaving me drained and sometimes bottoms out. My lowest blood sugar count was at 48 2 weeks ago when it bottomed out at work and passed out. i'm doing this for me and my kids. I want to be healthy and fit so i can play with them and enjoy their young years. (they are 2 and 3)After reading everyones post I decided this is what i wanted to do. I want to be a success story like them.

Thanks for the encouragement, by the way you are a very pretty lady... Before I was diagnosed with Diabetes I too was Hypoglycemic and I can relate how you feel when your blodd sugar goes wacko... My BMI is not as high as yours but I feel so many side effects of the extra weight. I also want to be healthy and be able to play with my kids... I do a lot of horseback riding and now that I am heavier it is one heck of a job to swing myself up on my horse... Not to mention how out of breath I get just riding around the arena....

[seaangel 0]

Caroline, you are so pretty. I chose the lapband because it is reversible and adjustable. I love being banded. I've lost 50 lbs in 10 months. I am considered an average/slow loser at 1 lb per week. Good luck with your decision. I don't regret it at all. Julie

Thank you for the lovely compliment (I have to learn to accept them even if I dont feel good about myself..) It's so cool to hear that you lost 50 pounds. Do you still have a lot to lose? Is there anything you regret or wished you had done differently? Where were you banded? You go girl....