New member here

I have been doing a lot of reading on here over the last month - I haven't scheduled a surgery yet, but I am going to.  I want to tell you all what an inspiration you are.

I never dreamt that I would have to resort to surgery, but I have come to realize that I need some help.

My plan is to have the Realize band.  It will be self-pay, but my parents have offered to pay for me - they are worried sick about my health, and so am I.  I am 38 years old, I have 2 beautiful little girls who are 5 and 2 - I desperately want to live to see them grow up, graduate from high school, go to university (hopefully) and even get married and have kids of their own.  At the rate I am going, that isn't going to happen.

I have been avoiding my family doctor, but I am going to see him on Wednesday.  Whenever I have talked to him about my weight he usually just tells me to join Weigh****chers.  I did a number of years ago and lost 58 pound, but since then I have gained that all back, plus another 60!!  I hope he will recognize that I am not making this decision lightly and forward a referral for the surgery for me.

I would love to have this done as soon as possible, but realistically it won't be until May.  I work in public accounting, and it would be rather difficult to get time off during tax season.  I will work hard at losing some of the weight before the surgery, but after tha****ch out for the new me!

Sorry for such a long introduction.  I look forward to getting to know everyone.

Thanks,
Heather.

Welcome!! I got the Realize band on 11/6 and love it.  Stop by the Lap Band board to read some fabulous stories of people who have lost 100-200 pounds with the band.  (The Lap Band board is a LOT more active than the Realize board)

Good luck on your weight loss journey!

Heather, sounds like a great plan to me. I was stubborn and didn't get my band until I was 57 and I regret my "lost years." I have tried and tried to do it without surgery and could lose about 40 lbs, but it only stayed off about 10 seconds and it was all back with more.

I just got my band on Tuesday, but am loving it so far. I think it's just what I needed.

You will want to be active and healthy to keep up with those girls of yours!! Good luck with the doctor on Wed. Hold your head up high; we all have ISSUES and being heavy is NOT the ultimate sin. You have made a reasonable choice and want to improve your health. Don't be intimidated.

Let us hear from you. We love hearing from people at various stages of their process.

 Hey Heather!

First off - welcome from another  Canadian!  I'm in Ontario though...but my brother lives in Vancouver (well Surrey actually).  I am 34 and have 2 girls too - 8 & 4 so I understand the fear behind having surgery vs not having surgery etc. 

2nd - and I hope I don't sound preachy - but have you researched all of your options for surgery?  I ask because the lapband (or it's other variations) have the worst statistics for long term weightloss out of the surgery options - especially for those of us who have high BMI's (mine was very close to yours).  Especially if you're going to be paying for it yourself, make sure you research ALL of your options and get the surgery you want.  I could be preaching to the choir here cause you may have already done your research but in case you don't know what your other options are....VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) is a restrictive only surgery (like the lapband).  It's relatively new for use as a WLS but has been done for years for other reasons.  The RNY is the classic gastric bypass that everyone hears about and the last is Duodenal Switch which is both a restrictive and malabsorbative procedure.  It has the best stats for sustained weight loss - especially for those of us with high BMI's.  The VSG and RNY are in between the lapband and DS - and with the early stats for the VSG appear to have the relatively similar weight loss rates.

Anyway, if you've already done all the research you can on ALL of the surgeries then congrats on coming to your decision about what you want done.  If you haven't I would really recommend looking into each type of surgery before deciding.  Do lots of research, but also talk to people who've had each procedure - visit each surgery types board and look at their post op lifestyles.  Go to the revision boards and regrets board and see if there is stuff there that sticks out at you.

Anyway, good luck with your journey!  It's a whirlwind but I'm so glad I did it!!!!  If you have any questions on the DS, feel free to PM and I can help out!

Thank you all for such a warm welcome.  This is a scary, but exciting stage for me.  Surgery is a big step, but I am excited to get started too!

Cheri - you are absolutely right - I needed to do more research!  And, the more research I did, the more I changed my mind on what surgery I wanted to have.  I was excited about the band  because I could have it done quickly - as I am a self-pay, it could have been done in 6 weeks - and I am excited to start.  But, it might not be the best choice for me - it doesn't matter if I have it in 6 weeks, if it doesn't do everything I want it to.

For me, I am starting to think the best choice is the VSG.  But, I am going to talk to my doctor about it on Wednesday and ask him for his opinion.

Thank you for the support and I will let you know what he has to say (and hopefully it is something better than trying WW - AGAIN! :)

Heather.

I agree with the poster that told you to do research first.. not because I think anyone surgery is better than the other but because it is all an individual choice.. They all have pros and cons.. you will see that as you research.. also do the research to see what the lifestyle after surgery will be like.. the vitamins regime the types of food you can eat.. the amounts .. the amount f fluids you will need to get in everyday to not get dehydrated.. etc etc etc.. this is not a surgery (any of them) to jump into quickly.. yes we all want it NOW.. but the waiting time you have until you can do the surgery is the best thing you will ever do for your self if you use that time to research..

I am sure your doctor will recommend you for the surgery if you simply tell him.. look, you know more than anyone else how long I have carried this weight.. how many times I have dieted and lost weight only to regain it all right back plus more.. I need help and this is what I feel is the best thing for me and my health and for me to be around for my family.   If he does not see it that way, then talk to you gyn or any other doc you see.. it does not matter which doc recommend you for the surgery.. If that is not an option then I would look for a new PCP.. because if he really cared about you and not just about getting your money every time you are there with health issues, then he would recommend it.. or the fact that he may not know enough about it.. dont let any doc hold you back from your decision.. This is your life.. TAKE CHARGE>.

Welcome to our board.. I am sure you will love it here.. many many wonderful people with the best encouragements you can find.. great advice and never judge mental or argumentative..

SO  ..On with your journey.. and let us have the pleasure of following your journey.. keep posting..

I had my doctor's appointment this morning.  It went fairly well.  He isn't totally opposed to WLS, but he doesn't really know much about it, so he wants me to bring him the information that I have.  He will do a referral, but to have it covered by medical, the wait time is 4+ years.  I didn't mention going out of town and doing self-pay just yet.

I am someone who avoids the doctor as much as possible.  So, when I brought this up today he decided we should do some tests - tests I have never had done before.  I have never had my cholesterol checked before, I have never had a glucose test (except when I was pregnant).  Therefore, I wasn't surprised when he ordered those tests.  He also said that if I am going to be waiting 4 years or more for surgery I will want to do something in the meantime.  He gave me a prescription for Meredia (sp?).

I am okay with how everything turned out.  I still think I will need surgery down the road, but because of my work there is no way I could do it before spring anyway.  I will do what I can in the meantime, and then talk to him about going out of country then.  In the meantime, it doesn't hurt to be on the list for surgery here in BC.

Thanks for all of the encouragement and support.  I am going to stick around, if that is okay.  Even if I am not having my surgery right away - you are such a great, supportive group!!

Hi again!

Well I'm so glad to hear you've done some more research - and are looking at all your options.  I agree with the other poster that said not one surgery is perfect for everyone but research is the most important part.  We all want surgery like yesterday but a few months wait is nothing in the grand scheme of things especially when you look at how long you have to live with the outcome...kwim?

Meridia - well I didn't use it myself - but I've heard terrible things about it.  Research it before you start it to see if you can live with the side effects.  The problem with drugs is that while you may lose weight while on the drug it usually comes back (and sometimes brings friends with it) as soon as you stop it.  That said, it may be part of the journey you need to go on to ensure that surgery is the right way to go.

Continue to do your research and also visit the BC board.  They will have insight into your provincial health plan and what is potentially available.  If you do go with self pay though you will be able to get surgery sooner though - unless your province will cover you to go out of province (or out of country) to get it done?  Ontario does - I had my surgery covered completely by OHIP (Ontario's plan) - except travel expenses.  I decided I wanted surgery in November and actually had it done in May and that was after 2 delays due to some cir****tances beyond my control.  Without the problems I would have had it done at the beginning of April - not a long time at all to wait.

Some other tests you might want consider - a sleep study.  Sleep apnea is a very underdiagnosed condition and one that is very serious.  I had one done and it turned out that I had extremely severe sleep apnea - something I had no idea I had.   It's considered a major co-morbidity and it may get you moved up the list and/or allow you to go out of country for surgery (paid of course by the province if that's an option) because it shows that your weight is causing serious life threatening complications.

Anyway, I do hope I've helped.  And we're happy to have you here - even if you're just in the initial stages of surgery (ie. not entirely sure at this point).  If you'd like send me a friend request - I'd love to follow your progress!