What state of mind

[DaGreen]

Hi all! Newbie here

I just wanted to know what state of mind were you all in BEFORE you decided on the surgery?

I just had a HUGE fight with my husband yesterday regarding my weight. He is TERRIFIED of any diseases that the weight could possibly bring to me. Ovarian and breast cancers are huge in my family not to mention I have had depression for about the last 5 years. He has NEVER had an issue with my weight till the last 6 months.

I have been yo-yo dieting since the age of 16. I am 39 years old now. I have tried everything with huge success on a medically low carb high protein diet, to gain it all back and them some. Two years ago I started seeing a personal trainer with no luck. One year ago I decided to do a triathlon and hooked up with a training group. I’ve ended up doing 4 triathlons within the last year but STILL I am at 220, the same weight I was two years ago.

I just unleashed to my physical therapist about possibly getting the lap band and she said to check out their nutritionist BEFORE I get drastic. How much more crap do I need to go through for people to realize I cannot do this on my own? I’ve seen many weight loss doctors, I’ve done the diet pills, Atkins, Lindora, South Beach, Herbalife and Weight Watcher’s. Heck, I’ve even gone to a hypnotherapist.

I’ve busted my ass off on diets and exercise it’s easy for me to be disciplined. My husband leaves for a week long bike ride in Utah, this is when I want to schedule my surgery. I know if I tell him I am going to do it, he will tell me, “Work out more and watch what you eat. You don’t need to do this.” So, I do need to go behind his back on this.

What’s the nutritionist going to do for me that everyone else hasn’t done? Oh yeah, why I see a physical therapist? Because when I consistently workout, my joints can’t seem to hold up my weight and I injure myself.

I’ve spent the last 23 years of my adult life fighting my weight and I don’t intend to do it the next 23 years.

I know you all will be very encouraging and tell me just get the surgery done, and I will, I just would like to know where your thought process was before you decided on the surgery.

Thanks,

Donna

[julieburns]

It sounds like you are sick and tired of being sick and tired as the saying goes. You sound very similar to where I was, although my circumstances varied as all of ours were so different but similar in one way. We needed the band to finally help us for lifetime weight loss and success we so strive for and deserve. Period. Finally there is a tool that will help us do this. I was lucky to have my husband's support although not immediate until he knew I was serious and was going to have it done. One recent poster has had a similar dilemma with her husband as you feel you have. She wrote him a long letter, gave it to him. fought about it, but he came around and is now going with her to have it done. My state of mind was very depressed and just felt this was the only answer as you have seemed to come to realize. Do your homework. Read everything you can about the band and about Dr. Ortiz. Even get his book, "Lapband for life". He is known worlwide for his many many years in this practice and has trained many of the US docs. Hand down his facility and staff as well as he himself are simply the best care around.

Many others will soon reply and you will see you are not alone.

:lb9:

[laadeedaa]

Oh Donna. I think you just popped out all of the EXACT same thoughts I had less than 30 days ago. Do you know that it took me all of 4 days from finding out about the surgery to actually paying for it. AND THEN . . . I had the surgery done 12 days later! How's THAT for being fed up!?!?!?!?!?!?

I can't tell you anything at this point other than I'm EXTREMELY optimisitic this will work this time. It has to actually because I've got ahusbnand who just forked out 8 grand for it! If you don't think I'm going to be sick and tired of his Hawk eye . . . . Anyway, the unknown is the scariest, but surely it can't be any worse than the way you feel right now.

THere sure are a lot of people with great things to say about the band on this forum so just check around and see if it wounds like something that will work for you. It didn't take me long to decide this was IT!

[Kim2BSlim]

Donna~

I have been overweight my entire life. I was always the biggest of all my friends. To be honest with you, I was sick of it! I wanted more energy to play with my kids and dangit I just wanted to be thin for once in my life!

I made my mind up after I saw pics of myself at my son's birthday party in January. I could hardly stand to even look at them. I started researching the band in February and had surgery March 28th.

I have lost 60 lbs since then. (15 on my pre-op diet and 45 since surgery) It is by far the best decicion I have ever made for myself.

By the way, now I am one of the smaller ones of all my friends! LOL Woo!!

[DaGreen]

Thank you all for the responses. My husband is one of those gifted athletic people that doesn't understand overweight people and doesn't understand how come I cannot lose the weight. I just want to be able to be active with him.

I was just looking at my emails and holy moly, I have an apt schedule 8/26 w/Dr O! I only researched this last night! EEK!!!

Thanks again for all the posts!

Donna

[Kittycat]

Hi there, I have been a chronic dieter since I was 14 years old and I am now 45. I was at my highest weight at 285 and in April of this year decided, no more!!

I investigated my options and gastric bypass was too drastic for me. I check into lapband and called a few clinics for information, booked a consult at the end of April and was banded on June 10th..I have lost 39 lbs since starting the pre-op diet on May 27th. I couldn't be happier with my decision and wish I had done it sooner!!

If you are seriously considering this a permanent weight loss option, we can answer any questions you may have and give you amazing testimonials.

We struggle, we succeed, but we all love our bands!!!

Best of luck with your decision!

[nothereanymore]

I had tried so many times to loose the weight and failed. The lap band seemed like my last option, I knew if I failed at this I would be obese for the rest of my life. I made the decision with a bold "I" and researched to the find the doctor that best fit my needs.

This was purely for me, I know my husband worried about my weight and loved me big or small, but was more concerned with my health as yours is. However I needed to get on a program that I could stick with and I believed in. I hated being fat, it just didn’t fit who I felt I was so I could be pretty cranky and not fun to be around – I and many others got tired of that. I was just way to unhappy and needed to make a change – made my mind up and went for it – and did it fast. Damn glad I did, its changed my life for the better and I know I'm going to live a longer healthier life now.

I have to say this, many people were not happy that I was going to Mexico either, however they trust my decision making skills – so when I told them I was going to Dr. Ortiz in Mexico, they figured he must be the best and generally kept their mouths closed. (Its not fun to get the “what are you a friggen idiot” Lisa stair if they said something stupid). Great Doctor, great staff, great facility. And I can say nothing bad about a nutritionist, I have a team of them that works for me, however they are not with you 24-7 to stop you from putting the wrong food in your mouth or eating too much. I know what I should eat – I needed a tool to help me and that’s what the band is.

Good luck and hope all the best for you!

[jhawkchick75]

It sounds like you are sick and tired of being sick and tired as the saying goes. You sound very similar to where I was, although my circumstances varied as all of ours were so different but similar in one way. We needed the band to finally help us for lifetime weight loss and success we so strive for and deserve. Period. Finally there is a tool that will help us do this. I was lucky to have my husband's support although not immediate until he knew I was serious and was going to have it done. One recent poster has had a similar dilemma with her husband as you feel you have. She wrote him a long letter, gave it to him. fought about it, but he came around and is now going with her to have it done. My state of mind was very depressed and just felt this was the only answer as you have seemed to come to realize. Do your homework. Read everything you can about the band and about Dr. Ortiz. Even get his book, "Lapband for life". He is known worlwide for his many many years in this practice and has trained many of the US docs. Hand down his facility and staff as well as he himself are simply the best care around.

Many others will soon reply and you will see you are not alone.

:lb9:

That is too funny you mentioned that. As I started to read this post, all that came into my head is the song Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired! Cross Canadian I think?? Anyhoo...I am in the process now of telling folks what I am doing and of course I am getting mixed reviews. But I remind myself that for the first time in my life I am doing something for ME and that I can't get down. My dad was not supportive at all at first, but now that he has researched Dr. Ortiz some and just the procedure in general, he is not only supportive, but is helping me with a loan to pay for it! Give him time...my dads biggest thing was he was just worried about me which I understand.

Keep your chin up! You are doing the right thing!

[Bobbi]

I hit my low point last October when the eye doctor told me I would loose my eyesight in the next few years if i didn't get the diabetes under control. I couldn't loose weight no matter what I did at 305 pounds, I couldn't even walk down the side walk without loosing my breath. I am a diabetic at the time I was taking 175 units of insulin a day. Taking meds for hypertension, asthma and allergies. What a mess I was. I started looking into gastric bypass, but to much could go wrong. Found out about the lapband and started investigating this. Had my surgery March 24 of this year and have been on the down slide now. All I can say is I LOVE MY BAND!!! 2 months after surgery I am off all meds(YEH!!!)

Whatever you decision, if you do have the band we are all here to help answer question or just help bring you up when you are down. We have a bunch of wonderful people!!

Bobbi

[ackovach]

Hi,

We all sound similar. I am fighting uncontrollable high blood pressure for 3 years. I have a sweet little 3 year old son. I just want live today and be around for him to grow up. I want to have another child. For the past 3 years, I have set so many weight loss goals and have gotten nowhere.... the scales would not move in the right direction. On June 25, I saw the lap band commercial. I brought it up to my friend that had recently lost 70 pounds over the last year. At that time she told me she had done and about Dr. Ortiz. I researched some more that day. And had my surgery scheduled for August 1 within the next 24 hours. I just knew this was for me. I needed this kind of help. So now my journey is just beginning. I am so hopeful. I have lost 10 pounds since my surgery on August 1.

I am desperate to get my life back. I know this will work. I know I have to help it work.

[DaGreen]

Thank you all for sharing! You are all very inspiring. That is fantastic about getting off of the medication for diabetes, that is HUGE actually. Congratulations!! I do understand that I am doing this for ME. FINALLY something for ME! I know I won't be able to share with anyone what I am doing, they would ALL try to talk me out of it. Funny, my biggest support system wouldn't support me with this decision.

I am tired of my knees hurting, my feet hurting and my shoulders and arms. I too am an unhappy grumpy person and that's not me. I love to laugh, love and smile and right now I am just so dang sad, bitter and angry all the time. The depression is the worse. It's a catch 22. I am depressed because I am overweight, I am overweight because I am depressed. I was on medication about 5 years ago and took myself off because the meds would make me gain weight. How fair was that?

Conversation with hubby wasn't much better tonight. I told him that I have been dieting since I was sixteen, at the top of game, all state volleyball and I was running track and field at the time. SOMETHING is not working. His answer? He's going to be my "cycling coach". According to Mr Cyclist, the guy that has been riding his bike since he was 16 years old, is going to whip me into shape now #-o So, yeah, I won't be telling him about the surgery till after the fact.

My plan is to take the train from my house to San Diego and have Dr. Ortiz's people pick me up from the trolley station in San Ysidro. I am so glad that I travel to Mexico a lot and am confident and comfortable on making this trip on my own. I will be notifying 2 people of this, but not till a couple of days before.

Thank you everyone for you help, warmth and encouragement!

Donna

[OSuzanna]

I was just looking at my emails and holy moly, I have an apt schedule 8/26 w/Dr O! I only researched this last night! EEK!!!

Donna

Ha, I love it!!! I came across the OCC website and emailed them on a Thursday, I got a call back from them that same day and scheduled my surgery for two weeks thereafter, that was it, no hesitation and absolutely no regrets!!!