Lap Band Candidate-kind words needed

Hi Everyone,my name is Danielle, I have been researching the lap band, love my doctor and staff, everyone I know wants me to do it, I have tried EVERY diet and failed, yet still I dont have a "committed, peaceful" feeling like most of the folks on here. I am not afraid of dying, I thought that was it, but after meeting with the Dr. that is not it, what is the hesitation? I have had 4 csections (all awake) so I am used to surgery, but not going under maybe? This is insane, I am afraid I wont pass the psych evaluation scheduled for next week. I want to be healthy, I want to be thin. Why am I afraid of succeeding? My parents have always told me (only child) I have never been happy and nothing is ever good enough for me, is it because I have been overweight since I was 7?? If anyone else struggled with this feeling, let me know. I decided I want to do this, I just wish I felt at peace with my decision if that makes sense?

Danielle, Confidence in your decision can come with more information. Study, study, study and hang on these boards to read other qusetions and ask your own and you'll be ready to go when the time is here! Fear of the unknown is a reality for most of us. Fear of NOT succeeding is very common among us as well! We have been Loser's in the negative sense for many years and being a LOSER in the positive sense is a new concept! Read bunches of the Before and After stories from the main page. Does your LapBand doc have a support group just for lap banders where you can mingle with successful folks? If not, then consider searching for other surgeon options where a full comprehensive program is available to you as a pre-op and as a post-op. Support and information are the keys to long term success! You CAN do it!!!! Reframe your naughty self-talk and give yourself some positive chatter. Many of us do internal talk that would be considered rude if done to someone else. Treat yourself as NUMBER ONE!!!! Huggggz, Joyce P.S. Anesthesia is wonderful. Time stops and you wake up a new person!

I was a happy fat person for about 15 years... I never let my weight get me down and stop the things I wanted to do in life. I was always trying a new diet... did weigh****chers countless times. Did Jenny Craig about 4 times. I am a very social being... going out with friends, didn't give a crap about what people thought about me and when I heard nasty comments I usually threw it right back in the person's face. I was extremely confident. However, the last few years I started to feel worse, my back was really starting to bother me and I saw myself getting socially withdrawn from get togethers. I considered myself a very sociable-loner. Girlfriends wanted to go out for drinks... me being the fat friend I kinda got sick of going to bars to looked at by those chicks in the skinny jeans and their boobs hanging out... and the looks of that I did not fit in with the early 20 crowd anymore. I also stopped traveling... which I love to do. Because I felt like I was putting people out by having a fat chick sit in a plane seat. I was uncomfortable about making others feel uncomfortable... I wasn't going for job promotions because I figured I wouldn't get the job. Not realizing my brain was more important... same thing happened with school. I am a honor student and I took one semester off from school because I just felt out of place... that one semester lead to 3 semesters out of school. So, I had to stop doing this torture to myself. I looked into this surgery many years ago... I always said "I won't do it... I will do it on my own" because I heard the horror stories, people getting sick, needing to go for shots... nah, I said... I will do it. Well... those years past and I didn't do it on my own. So... I educated myself. Yes, there are the "what-if's" in life... but you have to think about the positive change of life you will go through. Think about the lifestyle you will have after surgery... being able to play with your kids on the floor without having to worry about how difficult it will be to get up. Or being to enjoy the fact that you will see your grandkids one day... As with any surgery there are risks... so do your research with surgeon's. You will know in your gut that you are doing this for the right reasons. As for the pysch eval... after I took it I was nervous too because I thought it would determine that I knew how the test worked... (i had taken it before in college) But there were no issues... majority of the questions are determining you are doing this for the right reasons. Has alot to do with personal relationships and social situations. Go with your first thought on the test and when you meet with the pyschologist tell he/she your fears and concerns... thats what they are there for! Good Luck in your decision!

I have the lapband and am very thankful that I had this wls. I too (all of us really) have tried and failed at all past diets. Keeping off the weight is my biggest challenge. Look on the OH lapband forum and read posts from real bandsters about tieir feelings about the band and their concerns. I would not give up my band for a million dollars (I would think about it though!). Good luck.

You all are so wonderful, I read your responses to me, a total stranger and tears are falling. I can understand and relate to everything you are saying. There is a 3 year after care program and the next support group is Dec 14th, I will attend for sure. Thank you all for your kind words. Please keep in touch with me. Danielle