Yeppers I'm more then ready...I have been looking into getting this surgery done for a while so when I got the approval I would have schedule it the next week but i need to be on the 2 week pre-op diet.  but now I'm down to 3 day and can't wait...I am curretnly getting pretty nervous about the surgery but haven't even thought about changing my mind...

I really can't apologize enough for that. I always tend to inadvertently make an a$$ of myself at some point when I post on a message board--which is why I tend to stay off the boards and just "lurk". (Hopefully I've gotten that out of the way now.) but yes, you are right--you can have a bad experience no matter where you go, it all depends on the professionalism of the staff, the cleanliness of the facility, all kinds of factors. And that's for any surgery, not just a WLS. So again, I am an insensitive turd and I really did not mean to offend. I have to agree with you, too, re: your prediction that the sleeve will become the hottest WLS in a couple years. I haven't even had it yet, but dang... it just makes so much sense. It just seems like such a simple, straightforward thing. Nothing gets re-routed, you don't have to keep going in to get things "adjusted", and it basically just doesn't seem to be all that complicated. I really was very surprised when I found out the small number of these surgeries that have actually been done in Bismarck. I would have thought that people would be beating the door down for this. And when you figure that this costs about the same as an average-condition used car.... what's 14K if you're looking at a potential future of back surgery, knee surgery, heart surgery, etc? Especially if you're un-insured. Of course with anything like this, there's always the chance to sabotage yourself. But as far as my own experience goes, when something is actually working, you're going to be more apt to stick to it. Back when Phen Fen was the big hot thing for WL, oh, that was so fantastic to see results! And I kept up with it, it was so easy because there WAS a return. But since it came out how bad the stuff was, there just really hasn't been anything out there that gets results like that, barring surgery. And really, how motivated can a person be when you diet and diet and diet and exercise til you just can't stand it anymore... and what, you maybe drop 5 pounds at best, but you're still needing to lose another 95....? I really do think that once word gets out, this will at least be as popular as the other surgeries. Anyway, the question I have this time around.... one of the big things that turned me on to this was the claim that by removing the part of the stomach that produces ghrelin, (sp.?) cravings and hunger are significantly reduced. Has that been the case with you? How do you cope with the "head" hungries? You know, when you want to eat in social situations or just because you know how delicious that pork chop is going to be? Or does that diminish too? Thanks again for your help--and for not flaming me for my dumb comment! :)

Finally. someone from somewhere that's semi-local. I have plenty o' questions for ya. So here goes.... When did you have the surgery? Where did you have it done? (It wasn't somewhere down in Mexico, was it? I've read some scary stories about that!) How have your results been, and what was your recovery like? How long til you were back on your feet and doing normal stuff? How do you keep from sabotaging yourself? Keeping away from all our German-Norwegian cuisine is going to be a killer, I fear. I had a fleishkeuchle last week. It was delicious, but I said goodbye to it and I think I'll be okay. I've been reading up on the VSG board elsewhere on this site, and they all have such good information so I think I'm pretty much up to speed on the procedure and what I can expect. I'm happy to have as many first-hand info that I can get. Thanks! Gretchen

I picked lap band for alot of the same reasons listed by NDBashful. Alot less risks in surgery, less time to heal, not having to be on major supplements for the rest of my life because of lack of absorbsion. Yes, you lose the weight more slowly with lap band, but that really isn't a bad thing. Your skin has more of a chance to catch up with your loss.  I have a friend who is a nurse, and she had bypass several years ago, before lapband was approved in ND by BCBS. She says if she had it to do over, she'd have chosen lapband. That really helped me make my decision. But you have to do what's best for YOU!