Defining Success

 A friend of mine used to be an avid runner.  Eventually she damaged her knee to the point that she had to get surgery.  Now, she's nearly pain free, and can live a normal life again.  But she can no longer run.  Still, her surgery was certainly a success!

I'd like to use this analogy with lap band patients.  We have a medical problem (obesity) which we hope to correct with surgery.  I'm sure we all go into this hoping to quickly lose all excess weight, with no complications.  But the fact is, every surgical procedure comes with certain risks, and long-term changes in how we live our lives.  Naturally, disappointment sometimes sets in when weight loss is slow, or complications arise.  

We have to contemplate what "success" means.  For my friend, just being able to walk pain-free meant her surgery was a success, even though she had to give up her much-loved sport.  For WLS patients, SUCCESS is losing weight, even if it's not all the way to goal, and experiencing even small improvements in health and lifestyle.

I was one of the lucky ones who achieved my goals fairly quickly, and with few problems.  At 4-1/2 years out, I'm still within my goal range.  But, the fact is, I *could* still have problems with my band.  But, even if I lost my band tomorrow, I am still a success.  And so are many, many of you, regardless of where you are in your weight loss journey.

Please don't get down on yourself if it takes longer than you thought, or when dealing with challenges of living with the band.  And for Goodness' sake, don't let others' negative experiences bring you down.  Keep a positive frame of mind, and take small steps in the right direction, and you'll get where you want to go!

Tami

You couldn't be more right!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Tami, great post! And so good to see you here again! There is a lot of negativity around at the moment - many vets have just "run away" from it - after a while you just can't keep on fighting!

 So it is great to hear from you!

Kate

 Yeah, I noticed, LOL.  I rarely visit any more, but like to pop in once in a while to see what's going on, and to let folks know that yes, there are indeed some of us long-term bandsters who are just out "living life" but not on the boards!  

A lot of people complain about so much negativity.  Unfortunately, simple human nature keeps it going.  This thread will get far, far fewer views and comments than some of the other threads that are going on right now.  It's why Soap Operas are successful on TV.  People *like* drama!

Good to "see" you again, Kate, and thanks again for hanging in here, through good times and bad!

Tami

I do drop out of sight every now and then! But, being semi-retired, i am not as busy as I used to be and so try to be supportive on here and show there really are some vets out there!

Kate

Tami,

That is a great post :o) I'm still new to the lapband I'm not even two months out yet but I have had success just in them two months.

My biggest achievement was quititng smoking.  I was a 2 pack a day smoker and because my doc will not do surgery if I smoked and he does blood work after surgery also if there is nicotine in my system he can refuse to see me again that is part of his deal when you sign up with him as your doctor.  And he has dropped patients when they started back to smoking again .
If it wasnt for the lapband I would have never quit smoking !!

I have been smoke free for 3 months now

I'm down almost 30 pounds and almost 17 inches. In less then two months I'm very  happy where i am right now some weeks are frustrating like I'm in right now due to PMS but its going to happen every month so I need to learn to deal with it , its all part of mother nature :o)

Quiting smoking is a great accomplishment -- it that's all the band did for you you are a success!

That is what I told my husband also :o) If I dont lose all my weight from the band what I havfe lost and just me quitting smoking as added yrs to my life that I would have never had so Im very happy person :o)

What a great way to look at wls.  My goal with this surgery never was to be skinny. Sure it would be awesome if that was the end result, but I didn't go into it with those expectations. 

Just because we become thin, doesn't mean our obesity disappears  I think that's why the medical community considers wls a medical success if patients lose 50% of their excess weight. WLS is one treatment for obesity and any weight reduction from it is a great improvement!

Trixie

Trixie,

I agree with you 100%. My doc would love to see all his patients lose all their weight that is what he wants, but in reality that might not happen and that might not happen with me also.

Just because I had WLS I dont expect to lose 100% of my weight that is NOT the reason why I had this surgery.  I had this surgery to get healthier with me being 348 pounds starting off just the 30 pounds I have lost so far is healthier , quitting smoking Im healthier that was and is my goal not to be skinny and get into a size 8 jeans it would be nice but if it dont happen Im still healthier then I was at 348 pounds :o) .

Even if I never reach my goal which I would love to be around 155 because of my height and bone structure if I just get down to 180 pounds I will be pleased a*****h because it sure is alot better then 348 pounds !!  Shoot I will be happy just to get down to 199 !!!

I think alot of people forget and Im that way sometimes to its human nature that its just not about how much weight you can lose with a surgery its about just getting healthier that is all that matters not the numbers .