hi! new here

Hello, my name is Brandy and i'm from Port St. Lucie, Fl. I am very interested in getting the lapband now, and i'm doing alot of researching and i believe i've come to the right site. I was wondering if anyone has had problems from their families with support, just completely against this whole surgery? My husband, parents and friends refuse to listen to me when i try to talk to them about the whole precedure, what it can do for me, how much better i'll feel about myself etc. I just had my third baby one year ago yesterday. I have put on alot of weight not just from being pregnant with her, but over the past 10 yrs i went from 164lbs (when i met my husband) to 303 lbs now.  I so want this surgery, i have no insurance, i can't get finance on my own, nobody will in my family will help me. I feel so alone, like they don't care about me at all. I think about my weight everyday, everyminute, everyhour. I try so hard on these diets and can't get nowhere, i have no support from noone. i hate being this way. So here i am looking for support from people online, people who have been in my shoes, who have move forwards with their lives. When i see before and after pics of everyone on here i feel so proud of them for doing what they did to lose their weight. I hopeing that one day i'll be able to post my before and after pics on here too. Good luck everyone, keep up the good work and God Bless!!!

Brandy

Brandy,
You are making a good start. Get all the education you can and pass it along to family. I would also suggest taking your family with you to a seminar, or a support group in your area. Let them find out first hand from the people that do the surgery and have had the surgery, how it can be successful. There are always risks involved, but if you follow the doctors orders and build a good group of support you can be successful. I have my surgery next week and am very excited. I draw my support from this board and the great people I have met. Good luck, and welcome to the board.

Ed

Welcome Brandy to the boards. I am South of you in Palm Beach County. I am sorry to hear you don't have the support or the insurance to do the surgery. I don't know what help I can offer you but I did want to welcome you to the boards.  Perhaps ohers in your situation will come on line and lean you a hand as to where to turn. 
Amanda C

"You just need willpower."  "Eat less and exercise."  "Have you tried the ____ diet?"

Sound familiar?  Look, some people find the right eating plan or get manage to get an hour of exercise each day.  Some people can do it on their own through sheer willpower.  Then there's us.  Even during my most active time of life, playing several sports in high school, I continued to gain wieght.  I've been heavy nearly all my life.  If diet and exercise were enough, I wouldn't be opting to have my body cut open and assume all the risks that come with that.

Your family needs to understand that not everyone can use diets alone.  WLS is not the easy way out.  It takes considerable commitment, time, energy and - unfortunately - money.  But the more you frequent these boards, the more you'll see how dramatically it can change a person's life for the better.   More than that, it can improve and extend your life.  Does your family want you to be around to see your children grow up and start their own families?  Maybe you can get them to look through this site with you and read some of the amazing stories.

If you haven't already, you might take a look at the DS forum.  The duodenal switch is becoming known as the platinum standard in the wls surgery industry.  If you think that food restriction is enough for you, the band may be a good option.  The DS is a combination of restriction and malabsorption that allows a person to eat nearly normally while still losing weight.

Even though you're currently without insurance, keep researching and stay in tough here.  You can find a way.  People here will help.  Good luck to you.

Thank you so much for making me feel alot more stronger about having the wls. I have my dh checking out the different surgeries they have out there. I've gotten that far with him, just looking at this website, he also wanted to see the before and after pics too. He has talked a little more to me about wls since i posted this on here. He did say if medicaid wont pay for it then we'll save our income taxes for 2 yrs and use that to pay for it. I'm up for that:) I'm just happy he's wanting to listen to me now. I think hitting the 300 mark has gotten him to open his eyes a little, He didn't believe me when i told him i weighed that much intil i showed him. I even got my mom supporting me now, with the help of my neice and when i told her, (if i had a heart problem and the only way for me to live was to have open heart surgery you would want me to have it to save my life, now you know i can't lose this weight on my own and the only way i have save myself is to have this surgery, either way i could die from both if i don't get it treated.) From then on and with the help of my neice she's more supported of the wls. I even suggested my mom to have it to, she's only 10lbs from 300, but she would never do it. She has more willpower then i'll ever have to lose her weight on her own. She's done it before lost 100 lbs she can do it again. The only reason she gained it back was when my grandmother was so sick my mom had to take care of her, my mom just gave that up to help her mom. And within 6 mos she was back up to 250, just that quick. I would never blame my mom for what she did to take care of my grandmother, I would have done the same thing, gave up on my diet and take care of my mom, i'm very proud of my mom, she has alot of heart and willpower, i know she can do it again. I just have to convince my dad now, he's gonna be the hardest one the support me on this. He is a hardheaded man. Once he's got his mind set against something it usually hard to change his mind. Right now, i'm going back to beverly hills weight loss clinic today and start my diet with them. Wish me luck and say a prayer for me that GOD gives me the willpower to lose something.