Years of struggle with my weight

[TravelLady48 0]

As I have I stated ,this has been a long road for me and I have finaly made the decision to have WLS. I see that I am much older than most of you ladies, so I have had many more years of up and down in my weight. I have not been banded yet. I have been approved and had a date set for Jun 12, but cancelled.

My PCP is obese herself and so she has never encouraged me to get WLS. It was my diabetes doctor and orthopedic doctor that have been pushing me to get Bypass surgery, which I have avoided like the plague. I don't think they really know that much about the LapBand surgery. In the last couple of years I have developed co-morbids and my PCP has finally said that she can now understand the reason why I need the band. She has discussed with me the fact that African-American people do tend to have higher blood pressure, diabetes, strokes and heart problems brought on my excessive weight, which she as a white woman so far haven't been prone to, eventhough she is older than me.

I have been overweight (not obese) all my life and because I did grow up in a white environment, I was always considered the big girl because most young white girls(of my generation) were very short and thin, and I was 5'6" and weighed 145 Lbs in high school. After graduating from college I went to Africa to teach and loss lots of weight because of the food, heat and lack of transportation, I then weighed only 115lbs at 5'8" and the African ladies told me that I would never find a husband and not be able to carry a baby because I was just too skinny. :biggrin:

I have always been able to loss weight and have done it many times, but each time I would put it back on plus more. I have been fairly active even as I put on more and more weight. I love to eat and really enjoy going out

to fine resturants, as well as I love to cook. After I retired 5 years ago my weight went out of control , I just have to make a change.

Anne from Pasadena, Ca

Edited July 7, 2008 by TravelLady48

[Claudine1975 0]

Anne,

Only you can make the choice to be banded. There are a lot of advantages to losing weight and keeping it off. I am sure most of us here are capable of losing the weight but the real struggle is keeping it off. I have high hopes that the band will help me lose and keep the weight off. I wish you luck!

[aprilapple 1]

Anne, you are so the bomb! it sounds to me from this and your other posts that you are at a point in your life where you are ready to take control. you are so well traveled and opened minded that this journey will be a cake walk for you.

OMG! My mother is 5 years older than you and her mind is so closed to wls that I haven't told her my intentions yet. I know that she loves me and fears the unknown but I wish that she would understand that I have to do this. My husband is very supportive!

So Ms. Anne, you just do you so that you will be around for your son, and his family!

[gg2007BandSTAR 0]

Hey Anne. Like a few have said you have taken the step for weight loss surgery which in my eyes is a positive, because you are actually addressing the issue and wanting to deal with it. I was also pushed for bypass...and i think the reason like you said was lack of understanding from the doctors. I think the UK needs to catch up with teh USA in terms of weight loss surgery (in my opinion). The doctor saw my bmi in the 50's (56.5) and immeadiatly said, banding would be a waste of money and his time, and that i would fail. He said bypass was the only route for me....which i totally disagree. So im now going private to get banded, which suits me fine.

To cut a long story short, only you can make the decision to get banded, but personally for me it one of the best choices i have ever made, i wish i would of know about it earlier, prob would of saved me getting to nearly 400lbs.

Good luck, let us know how you get on

xx

[TravelLady48 0]

First I am so proud of all you younger women for taking control of your lives early, instead of waiting too long. (as I might have done)

Today I went in for another consultation with the doctor who is to do my surgery, and my blood pressure so out of control (I'm on medication)he said we will have to wait. He also said he wants me to lose at least 20lbs before he will schedule me. This is a new restriction because I cancelled my June 12 surgery and he wants to see if I am focused enough.

I had hoped to get the band quickly, because I also have an arthritic knee that needs replacing. So I think I will go ahead and have my knee replacement while I am trying to qualify for the banding.

So ladies, please keep me in your prayers, as I have you all in mine.:thumbup:

Anne the Travel Lady

[gg2007BandSTAR 0]

Hi Anne!

Sorry to hear that he is making you wait before you have surgery....has he given you a timeline to when you have loose it by? I have also been told to drop weight before surgery but wasnt given a certain amount. I was told anything will help...so instead of doing 2 weeks pre op diet im doing 4 weeks.

Do you have a date for your knee op yet....?

Will definatly keep you in my prayers!

Stay blesssed! xxx

[TravelLady48 0]

My banding doctor did not give me a timeline, just said to loss the weight.

I don't have a date set yet for the knee surgery, I'm just in so much pain and I want to proceed with one or the other because I have been putting both surgeries off for a while. I knee problem has come from an old injury and is aggravated by my excess weight.

I understand why he wants me to drop some weight, it just that now that I have made up my mind to get the band I had hoped that I would have date set. It is my own fault because if I had not cancelled my June 12 date, I would have had my band right now.

Oh well, it's out of my hands.

Anne the Travel Lady

[aprilapple 1]

You will not be defeated! Whatever hoops they want you to jump through, do it!! Arm yourself with knowledge first. Ask him how much weight specifically. If you get the knee surgery how will that delay your band and will that hinder any efforts that you have at weight loss without the band.

I am so sorry that you are in pain. Let's make a plan to get healthy with or without the band. Keep us posted.

Let's all pray for each other as we struggle on this journey.

[tammygirl 0]

Hang in there, Travel Lady!

If I had a nickel for everytime some doctor, church member, lover, family member, or so called friend told me I would fail, I would be richer than Oprah. If your doctor is not meeting your needs, you might consider shopping around for another surgeon. I too was told I needed the bypass because I was over 300 pounds. I made my decision for the band and have been very happy with it. Cancelling a surgery should be no cause for extra hoops to go through. This is your body and you have the right to cancel anything at anytime for any reason. Yes!

Sometimes, I think some docs look at us older sisters and write us off as if we should be willing to accept bad health. Age is a date on a birth certificate not a sentence on why we shouldn't be feeling our best. So you go on, Girl. Do what you gotta do for that weak knee and step on! And get that band if you choose it on your own terms. Amen for us "seasoned" sisters!

Tammygirl

[TravelLady48 0]

Thanks so much Tammygirl:

Yes, I too feel the doctor is penalizing me because he has no confidence in me because of my age.:sleep: He knows how I have struggled all these many years going up and down. I feel he should more encouraging, but I will show everyone.

The one person who is squarely on my side is my son and he wants whatever is best for me.:confused: Thanks for all your encouragement. I am thinking more clearly about which surgery I shoud have first, knee or banding. I think I will just work on getting my weight down and get the band first. That's my first priority.

I will keep everyone up to date.

[ldelay 0]

Find another doctor. My reply ma be harsh because it's not six in the morning yet an I am up waiting to leave for the hospital. Yes today is the day I have surgery this morning. So maybe my reply is strong because I want so bad for this to work and not to be in too much pain. Travel Lady you can do this you are not that much older than me, I'm 54, a diabetic and on pressure medication, I have been through the years of up and down and working three times as hard because of bias, race, weight and sex. You can do this. I have been on the preop diet for 10 days and lost 10.5 pounds. Was it hard? You bet, never though I could not eat anything for almost two weeks but I did. The weight lost will make your knee surgery so much easier. Us older sisters tend to give people in authority too much power, get a second third and 4th opinion if you need to. This is not about failures but success. Keep me in your prayers and I'll let my sisters know how everything goes.

[gg2007BandSTAR 0]

good luck for your op idelay, let us know how u get on xx

[TravelLady48 0]

Idelay:

Good luck on your op today. :thumbup: Let us know how every goes. Thanks for all your input on my LapBand search. I may be looking for another surgeon, if this one puts up anymore roadblocks for me.

[ldelay 0]

Ladies I am now officially banded. Let me tell you it was stressful but I just have to believe this will really be the first day of the rest of my life. I was suppose to be out and home by midday, I didn't get home until 8:30. I had more pain than I anticipated, I plan on going back to work on Tuesday but now I'm not so sure. I had my gaul bladder removed this way and was up and about in no time. But then that was 15 years ago so I guess I was expecting it to be just as easy. I was suppose to fly to Missouri on Tuesday for work. I am so glad I canceled that trip. I think I should have planned for a week off.

Needless to say I am doing ok just really stiff, by the time I got into the preop surgery room my blood pressure was so high the were considering canceling. I laid there and willed it down, I was hyped because I had been sitting outside in the waiting room waiting for them to call my name for 3 hours. Note to your doctors, if you have a type A personality like me they should give you something to calm you down the night before.

I will keep you posted on how I do over the next couple of days. More liquids how long can I do this!!!!

Technical question I would like to know how you get your weight tickers to show up in your post. I did one on the site but now I don't know how to get it in my e-mails

[aprilapple 1]

Congratulations Idelay! I pray that the weight slides off of you like butter:shades_smile: