A Thread To Post All Your Before And After Pics!, Show Everyone Your Progress!!

[leo 4]

here are some before and after pics of mine... just a face shot.. cuz I lost the most there

[leo 4]

the before pic....

[Guest azgirl]

WOW!

Leo, I see it in more than just your face! You look great!! keep up the good work, (1) fill is all you have had, is this right? I think I read that on one of the other boards. How have you been eating do you mind me asking? I love pics that show off the progress - kudos to you!!!!!!!!!

Terri pre-band

Dr. Kuri 01/24/04

[leo 4]

Originally posted by azgirl

WOW!

How have you been eating do you mind me asking?

I am not doing anything special. The band really changed the way I look at food. I used to love to eat Pasta, bread, rice but I haven't or actually I can't eat that after the surgery.

I had only 1 fill, a total of 3cc. For some reason the restriction is very tight lately. Its hard to even drink Soup.

[shellyj 5]

another photo... i have only lost about 10 more...i guess my shape is changing though...

[donali 57]

Michelle -

You're looking fabulous!!! Congrats!! Whoo, hooo!

[Bright 9]

you really are looking marvellous Shelly, can't believe the difference!

[Guest polarbear_mike]

I'll post "afters" when there's an after to post!

My all time high a year ago - 427 lbs, BMI 53

banded by Dr Kuri 5/8/03 at 378 lbs, BMI 50

currently 269lbs, BMI 33

goal - 227lbs, BMI 29

personal goal 180, BMI 22

[Guest polarbear_mike]

here's the before:

[donali 57]

whooo hooo!! You go, Mike!

Congrats on your wonderful success. Nice to see your picture, too, after reading so many of your posts.

[shellyj 5]

HEY POLAR BEAR MIKE! YOU LOOK GREAT!

YOU HAVE A GREAT STORY! DID I READ IT ON YOUR WEB PAGE? DO YOU HAVE A WEBPAGE? IF YOU DO WOULD YOU MIND LISTING A LINK? I WAS TRULY INSPIRED BY YOUR BANDING JOURNEY. MAYBE I JUST READ IT IN POSTINGS????

YOU LOOK GREAT!

[Guest polarbear_mike]

THANKS Donali and MIchelle! i live for those kind words! )

Well, it's LONG but you asked for it, so here's my story:

In January 2002, I weighed 427 lbs, my BMI was 53 and I didn’t even know what “BMI” meant! I could barely fit behind the wheel of my pickup truck. As I was driving down the freeway one afternoon, I heard an add on the radio for laproscopic minimally-invasive surgery at Cedars-Sinai to assist you in losing weight. I memorized the number in the add, and called it as soon as I could do so. I got an appointment with Dr Scott Cunneen for May 3, 2002. I went to see him on that date, and could barely walk up the slightly sloping ground to his building! I struggled just to get into his office! When I finally got to see him, we talked about the RNY which is what I had come to see him for! After listening to my history for a few minutes, he said “I don’t think that this is the right surgery for you! Have you given any thought to having a lap-band” Given any thought to it, I’d never even HEARD of it! Dr Cunneen spent the next hour explaining it to me! We tried to get insurance approval for it, but I told him to ask for RNY approval, too, just in case, and we’d see what happened. Then I went home and started MONTHS of research and headaches with the insurance co. (BS of Cal administering PERSCare PPO for public employees) In the process of researching, I found the Bandsters site, and from that, the Extraordinary bandsters. The info I received here opened my eyes and helped me decide – it would be the lap-band! I also found and joined the Original Southern California Bandsters support group! The bar-none best bunch of people I have ever met in my life! So, naturally; the RNY came back approved, and they denied my lap-band as “experimental, the efficiency and efficacy of which has not been proven” I hired attorney Walter Lindstrom, and the fight was on! I kept reading everything I could about the band for about 7 months – when a bright idea occurred to me: I hadn’t lost an ounce, my weight was affecting my work (I’m a land Surveyor for the Calif Dept of Transp) I was going to have to make big changes in my eating habits, and I knew by then what the bandster rules were! So why not try to make the changes NOW!? See what it would be like to LIVE as if I had a band on already! What would the rest of my life be like after banding? I started following all the bandster rules as best as I could without actually having the band – and I lost 49 lbs in five and a half months! – it worked, even without the band! So WITH the band should be AWESOME!!!

Meanwhile, 4 insurance appeals later, still no luck.

At our December OSCB meeting, we had our annual Christmas party; I’m a professional, trained Santa, so I came to be Santa for all my OSCB friends and their children! A man I had not met before was at that party and unbeknownst to me, was impressed with me. His name was Pedro Kuri-Santiago; Dr. Kuri! I got to meet him briefly at the party and liked him instantly! I became even more involved in OSCB, starting up a weekly chat room and beginning to answer questions in other posts instead of just reading!

4 months after that at our OSCB April 28, 2003 meeting, Dr Kuri was with us again to present a paper he had written on self esteem. Afterward, we each stood to introduce ourselves and announce our surgeon, weight lost, and any other pertinent info we wished. I stood when it was my turn and told everyone that I was STILL preband, and STILL fighting insurance after a year, but I had lost 49 lbs with my “mental band”. When I did that, Dr Kuri told Joanne Naryan” Tell him he can have his band!” Debbie Lancaster told him ” Dr Kuri, you don’t understand – he has no money – he can’t pay!” and Dr Kuri repeated to her what he had just told Joanne! Joanne came to tell me immediately, and I’m afraid I rained on Jackie’s parade as she was receiving a baby shower, then in progress! There’s a photo of me taken about 10 minutes before that happened posted on the OSCB board on yahoo groups! God BLESS Dr Kuri for this GENEROUS gift!

A week and a half later, on May 8, 2003, Dr Kuri placed my lap band and saved my life! I was close to having a heart attack, or a stroke – I’m sure with my work and the summer heat and humidity we’ve had this year - i would have had one or the other, and probably died. That didn’t happen! I’ve seen SO MANY changes since beginning I don’t know where to start! I’ve gone from size 5x and 6x shirts to size 2x, my pants were 58/30 and are now 42/32. Shoes went from 13 wide to 12 regular. I fit easily behind the wheel of my truck and can even FASTEN the seatbelt again! I have energy, I have an appetite for life I didn’t have before, I have health! My pcp has taken me off most of my meds, and cut my hypertension meds from 120 mg to 40 mg with a promise to stop them completely if I continue to have a good blood pressure! I fit into chairs with arms, now, and movie theater seats. I can walk up slopes and hills with my survey crew, and do the work I’m paid to do. I have a whole new outlook on everything – my boss at work commented that I seemed changed – more confident, happier, stronger! I can stand up out of a chair without having two grown men pull! I haven’t BROKEN a chair in months! I’ve become even MORE active in OSCB and the bandster community, assisting with the BASH 2003 and becoming a Moderator on Bandsters and SmartBandsters! I could go on and on! Every day is better than the one before. I wake up happy to meet the day instead of sorry that I woke up! I AM worth being loved! I’m not a failure – I’m a LOSER, and don’t anybody forget it!

This has been, at the same time, both the hardest and the easiest thing I have ever done! Giving up the head hunger and poor food choice habits were very difficult – the band can’t help you with that, but if you do fight your dragons, the band helps you lose the weight – unquestionably! And it’s easy! I’m well over half way to my goal now; 160 down and 80 to go! I will have lost 244 lbs when I get there, but I WILL get there! I don’t know what life will be like when I do get there, but I’m sure it will be as different and wonderful from what I have now as where I am now is from where I started – I’m looking forward to the trip, and to getting there! With my band, and my bandster friends, I can do this – I can do ANYTHING!!

Polarbear Mike Reed, Hesperia CA

Dr Kuri, 5/8/03, 378 at surgery

427/267/227-183

BMI 53/38/22

[Audrey 21]

What a great thread !!!

You have done so well!!!

I cant wait to be able to show off my before & afters too! lol

Audrey x

[Linda Harrison 0]

CONGRATS to everyone on their wonderfull success!!!!!

Mike, you ran across someone who is obviously a terrific person.

It's good to know that there are still people out there in this world that are loving and caring and DO have a heart. You won't find a doctor like that on every street corner. I'm so happy for you. You look great and I know you will reach your goal.

Linda

[DeniseG 3]

If I did this right, you should see my photos at the following address

http://geocities.com/denisepgalloway/weightloss.html