EIGHT YEAR anniversary tomorrow!
By the summer of 2003, I knew I was ready for WLS.
I was in my mid-40s and on a fast track to the grave. I had more medical issues/comorbidities than I could count: high BP, high cholesterol, apnea, diabetes . . . I was 376 pounds with a BMI of 54, taking 7 meds a day for those issues. I could barely walk due to severe edema in my legs and feet. I looked at my options. I knew what I wanted and what I DIDN'T want in a WLS procedure.
Based on MY needs, the band was the right choice. Based on YOUR needs and hopes, perhaps not. But it was right for ME. And it worked beyond my wildest expectations. Will it work for EVERYONE? No. And it would be foolish to expect that it, or any other surgery, will be right for everyone.
The band may not be the "gold" or "platinum" standard in WLS, but right now it is the ONLY option available to people who do NOT want their gastrointestinal tract altered, cut, dissected, resected, shortened, removed, edited (whatever). The ONLY one, and that is a big, BIG dealbreaker for a LOT of people.
Prior to my surgery, I had decade-long digestive issues (which were, go figure! resolved after I had the band.) The last thing I wanted was any surgery what might exacerbate that, especially permanently. So RNY, sleeve and DS were all off the list.
Does that make me ill informed, less intelligent, a puppet to my surgeon's whims, lacking in reading comprehension? No. It makes me the OPPOSITE. It makes me someone who has clearly made the right decision about MY life, MY body and MY weight loss. And considering how much I've lost - more than some people who have opted for the more extensive, more aggressive surgeries - I've proven that people CAN be successful with the band!
It needs to be noted, however, that the band will not, for any number of reasons, work for everyone. Sometimes lack of success CAN be the fault of the person (unresolved eating issues, usually) but most often, it is failure of the appliance itself or of the the surgeon who installed it. Yes, the band CAN fail through no fault of the person who has one!
Why was I one of the lucky ones? Damned if I know. I wish that everyone who has or has had a band could be fortunate to have unbridled success. I am just grateful beyond all explanation that it worked out for me.
Eight years out and I STILL would not have opted for any other procedure.
I was in my mid-40s and on a fast track to the grave. I had more medical issues/comorbidities than I could count: high BP, high cholesterol, apnea, diabetes . . . I was 376 pounds with a BMI of 54, taking 7 meds a day for those issues. I could barely walk due to severe edema in my legs and feet. I looked at my options. I knew what I wanted and what I DIDN'T want in a WLS procedure.
Based on MY needs, the band was the right choice. Based on YOUR needs and hopes, perhaps not. But it was right for ME. And it worked beyond my wildest expectations. Will it work for EVERYONE? No. And it would be foolish to expect that it, or any other surgery, will be right for everyone.
The band may not be the "gold" or "platinum" standard in WLS, but right now it is the ONLY option available to people who do NOT want their gastrointestinal tract altered, cut, dissected, resected, shortened, removed, edited (whatever). The ONLY one, and that is a big, BIG dealbreaker for a LOT of people.
Prior to my surgery, I had decade-long digestive issues (which were, go figure! resolved after I had the band.) The last thing I wanted was any surgery what might exacerbate that, especially permanently. So RNY, sleeve and DS were all off the list.
Does that make me ill informed, less intelligent, a puppet to my surgeon's whims, lacking in reading comprehension? No. It makes me the OPPOSITE. It makes me someone who has clearly made the right decision about MY life, MY body and MY weight loss. And considering how much I've lost - more than some people who have opted for the more extensive, more aggressive surgeries - I've proven that people CAN be successful with the band!
It needs to be noted, however, that the band will not, for any number of reasons, work for everyone. Sometimes lack of success CAN be the fault of the person (unresolved eating issues, usually) but most often, it is failure of the appliance itself or of the the surgeon who installed it. Yes, the band CAN fail through no fault of the person who has one!
Why was I one of the lucky ones? Damned if I know. I wish that everyone who has or has had a band could be fortunate to have unbridled success. I am just grateful beyond all explanation that it worked out for me.
Eight years out and I STILL would not have opted for any other procedure.
Banded 10 years & maintaining my weight loss!! Any questions, message me.
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!!!! I remember at the start of my journey I used to log on and looked at your pictures wishing and hoping to be as successful with my weight loss as YOU ...
CONGRATULATIONS ...HAPPY 8TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! YOU ROCK!
CONGRATULATIONS ...HAPPY 8TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! YOU ROCK!
RNY 2/5/07 no regain having implemented lifestyle changes....
(deactivated member)
on 12/1/11 6:59 pm - Santa ana, CA
on 12/1/11 6:59 pm - Santa ana, CA
Hi,
Happy anniversary................. i shocking this is very difference of weight lose .........
thats amazing ......................its really possible.............
Happy anniversary................. i shocking this is very difference of weight lose .........
thats amazing ......................its really possible.............
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