Thinking out loud !

I was thinking that its too bad that some of us have been refused for certain surgeries  but I would never go against the Dr.s suggestion.  I have chosen the band right from the start , when I first heard of it ,can't remember when , but they only did it in Europe somewhere.
When I was younger I was about 250 lbs . I used to ask the Dr.s if I could have WLS .  They would just kind of laugh & tell me to go on a diet.  Which I have tried hundreds of times & wasted hundreds  if not thousands of dollars , only to gain every ounce back & always add more on top of that again.
I dont think that the medical profession really took this serious .
The Dr that I have now , Female (small) & very kind . She was doing a PAP, & she asked me if I had ever considered WLS .... she told me about the band & Dr. B .  So she was the one that got the ball rolling .I will always be grateful to her.
I guess I am in deep thought this morning ......

I am in deep though all the time about this Cat.  Its on my mind constantly and I am always researching and trying ot find out as much as I can before I actually have the surgery.  I feel at my age I have had many wasted years and many wasted dollars trying to lose the weight and like you only saw it all come back and more.  It is anger inducing and it is frustrating and it is sad that our lives have been so consumed by something that only recently has been recognized as a disease.  We have truly suffered and people who think that all we have to do is stop eating and start exercising are just plain delusional. It is far more complicated than that.  I personally think it has a lot to do with the way our brains are wired.  I think it is a psysical, psychological, emotional disease that is so complex it may never truly be understood or cured.  We have been so fortunate to have found doctors who care enough to refer us and who see that our condition is not just situational.  I too am grateful to my doctor, who has now retired, *****ferred me nearly 5 years ago.  It is also very exciting to see this new doctor come along to make the process that much easier for so many more of us.  I am also very grateful to have found this forum.  The people on here are so helpful, so encouraging, so understanding.  Some of us have never met but I know that we all care very much about what happens to one another.  It has been a long journey but we are finally nearing the end and it is so exciting.  To be able to share it with people who truly understand is a blessing.
Keep thinking deep thoughts Cat and keep sharing them.  It helps, it helps you and it helps others.
Ann

I wanted the band from the first time I heard about it. I have only wavered since seeing Dr B and meeting people who have had other options.  Oher options, without knowing the facts, always struck me as "unnatural". When I first heard of the band, I went straight to my doctor for a referal. I was not 100% convinced I wanted WLS, but i figured the process would take months. LOL- You talk about nieve!!    I researched the band after that, but not the other options.  I think the band would still be my first choice, if I had a choice.  It bothers me that the doctor didn't even consider the other options. For him, I am band by default.  I would like to know that he would recommend the band even if I were elegible for the other options.  I have also noticed that  only the band has long term problems (on the boards). Far too often, I see posts from people struggling with the band.  The bottom line for me is I want to be healthy, within 15 pounds of my ideal weight, and feel good in my body.  I fear the band will not be the ideal tool for me. On the other hand, I still think the band is the best option for most people.  I guess I am saying that even if I believe the band is the best option, I have one shot at this and I want success at any cost. I guess for me, worrying about my choice is just what I am going to do right up to the last minute!

Charline , I see that you have lost some weight , GOOD FOR YOU !!
I forget but do you have a date for sure , for your banding ?
Even though I anticipate this surgery , I will be leery & wonder if it will work for me , because I have had so many failures in the past.
I have also noticed that my  BMI is  higher than most on the forum .   I am 5'4"  &  330lbs .....so it must be that I am shorter ?  I don't reveal my weight to anyone not even my husband , so this was a BIG step for me to own this number . 

Hi Mess ,  when one of my docs would say , "You need to lose some weight " , I would say , I think I  need a brain transplant .  I know  all the do's & don't s of dieting  & exercise  I just could not   keep doing it long term.   I have been to every weight loss hot plan  that was & is going .   Even tryed hypnotism......
Went to Moncton one time to have laser for weight loss. They would hold a laser beam on certain places of the body & it was supposed to release endorphins & curb your appetite.
Hundreds of bucks spent there.  They also  gave each one a diet , computerized just for you  .    YEAH right   !!!
What are some of the things that  youve tried ??

Hey Cat, Let's see now I have done WW many times, TOPS, Calorie Counters, Diet Center, Hypnosis, Accupuncture, every fad diet there is  - Grapefruit, TJ Soup, Ice Cream, Rice Diet, Hypnosis again (like I didn't figure out it doesn't work from the first time).  Then there is Atkins, Scarsdale, South Beach, Low Carb, No Carb, High Protien, Vegetarian, Slim Fast, and Lord knows what else and here I sit weighing in at over 260 with a BMI of over 47 thinking if this Banding thing doesn't work to help me lose the weight - well heck I am giving up. 

I firmly believe that my weight problem is the result of a number of things not the least of which is that my brain is wired differently than a thin person's brain.  Add to that emotional and psychological factors and you have Me in all my bountiful beauty (note the tone of sarcasm).  I hate my body.  It has become my enemy.  I can't dance with food the way a thin person does and then just walk away, I dance with food and never notice when the music has stopped. 

Hmmm now you have me thinking out loud. 
Ann

I had never even heard of the band prior to seeing my long time friend 2 years ago. I had heard through the grapevine that she had WLS but I assumed it was Bypass since I didn’t know that any other kind of surgery existed.  
  She explained the surgery to me, I asked a million and one questions, and then decided it was the way I wanted to go. I still have not had my children and pregnancy wise- it was the safe bet.  
  If it wasn’t for her, I would probably not have even considered WLS an option. Bypass scares me. I know three people who have had long term problems with it and when I say problems- I mean comas and severe intestine issues. One of them she is a co-worker of mine and had the bypass about 10 years ago- she got an infection somewhere inside and when I seen her during her sickness- she looked like she was on the brick of death. Seriously- it scared me. She was a patient of Dr. Macdonald in Halifax.  
  I’m debating whether I’ve done the right choice with the Band. Now hearing about the DS (I didn’t even know this option existed). I’ve been hearing excellent things about it and it makes me wonder. I am going to try the band because some people have been very successful. I guess what bothers me is the lack of statistic for 10 years +.  
  I think that everything happens for a reason and I am opting for this band for a reason. It’s not the easy way out and I don’t like things to be too easy anyway.  
  I’m trying to push all my anxieties out the window and also to not think of the band not working. The truth is that the band works, but you have to make it work.

Your right Tears, you have to work with the band  . I am sure it does a LOT to help us for sure. If we are not hungry or cant eat because of our small pouches , we HAVE to lose weight .  I think we will all do great on the band . Lets stick together after & tell each other  how we are doing etc. Like comparing notes.
I wonder when Dr . S will start giving out specific dates for the laps.
I was thinking that I should do some cooking ahead for Xmas & maybe trim the tree & that would be done.  I probably wont be going in that soon , BUT one never knows.   I figure around March .

The word on the street is that he's starting surgery in early January. This is when I expect to be going. I'm happy I will have my christmas feast before.

Yes! Of course we will keep in touch- WE NEED TO.

I'm scared a bit you know, of like charline said- choking lol

Hi Guys,
When you talk to people who have negative stories about their surgery you need to get quite a bit of information from them to ensure you know what surgery they had.  10 years ago there were some older surgeries being done that are not done so much now. ie the BPD.

If it was a RNY...was it proximal or distal?  This is a major difference and if the patient is not sure then they may not have treated them selves properly. 

If they had malabsorption did they follow a strict vitamin and protein lifestyle?   Do they have their blood tests and if there is anything dipping down, do they react with their Dr. to add more of a certain vit?  If it was RNY...are they getting the B12 as most have to do.

If the patient does not know the answers, they this might be part of the problem.  They may have more problems because they did not know exactly what was the right treatment.  Some of the older surgeries were more drastic then those being used today.

Don't misunderstand...I am not faulting the patient...I find that Dr.s don't always give the patients all the facts and that Patients....people just like you and me, are so desperate for a solution, we don't even know what questions to ask, or that there are even things we should ask.

So, stories where people have negative messages...remember to get lots of facts.  It will help you better to decide if this is a risk you should be concerned with. 

Take Care,
Catherine