How did you first find out about bariatric surgery and what were your initial impressions of it?

It became a popular thing around my job in the early 80s. I didn't have a problem then so I didn't think it was wise for people to alter their bodies to do something they should do themselves. The first lady that I was aware of that had the surgery losted a lot of weight and looked really good. She stills does. I saw others that looked sick. I felt that if they had the surgery for medical reasons that it was ok, but some did it for cosmetic reason and I felt there was too much of a risk for that.

What was your stay in the hospital like? How long where you there? What things are most important to bring?

My surgery went well without any complications. I have some pain when I returned to my room, but the prescribed medications helped with that discomfort. The hardest part was learning to get out of bed while enduring the pain. The nurse lowered the bed for me and that helped a lot. Her patience was also a plus, letting me do it at my own pace. I stayed only one day and never used any of the things I brought. I needed my robe and houseshoes, my toothbrush and toothpaste. Banded patients are not there long enough to even unzip our suitcases, so it is not necessary to bring a lot of things.

Did you have any complications from the surgery? If so, how did you deal with them?

I had no complications at all.

In the weeks after you got your surgery date, how did you feel? How did you cope with any anxiety you might have felt?

I felt like God was lining all my ducks up in a row. That everything falling into place so easily was truly a sign that He had blessed my decision to have the Lap Band Surgery. There were so many things I had scheduled in the month of August, so I chose to put my surgery off until the end. This gave me time to get all my details ready. I was also excited that my being able to put my surgery off for about a month proved to me that I was doing it for the right reasons and not because of vanity.

What aftercare support group/program do you have? How helpful/important is this?

I attended only one meeting so far with the LiveLite group. It turned out that there was only one other person there who had been banded. Dr. Merriman pulled us aside and allowed us to talk and that was the highlight of my night. She had been banded for almost a year and me for only 3 weeks, so I absorbed every ounce of information she shared that night and walked away feeling more enpowered than ever.

What is your scar like? Is this what you expected?

I had laproscopic surgery before (Hysterectomy) so I knew what to expect. I am healing extremely well. Once all the swelling goes down I am confident that my scarring will be minimal.

Please describe any plateau experiences you have had since surgery.

This is my most challenging part. I lost 10lbs. immediately my first week after surgery. A week later at my first office visit, I was still only 10lbs. down. I must admit that I feel that I have losted a lot of inches. Dr. Merriman was not phased by this and said it was normal. He also informed me that he would see me in 6 weeks to see how much solid food I tolerated and then we would discuss banding. I thought I would pass out. After reading countless of postings on the messageboard of the obesityhelp.com website I just knew that I would be scheduling my appointment for a fill that day. You see my greatest fear was staring me in the face and I didn't want to have to handle it. I DIDN'T WANT TO FAIL AGAIN!!!! I knew my body would not just lose weight. I NEEDED that fill. Dr. Merriman would not budge and was reassuring that he wanted me to start practicing using self control and exercising as soon as my body would tolerate it. He lectured that it was important that I began to form good habits now. Didn't he know that I had already been down this road, and if I don't see results I give up? 2 weeks later, I have still only lost 10lbs.. But I am consistently exercising and I do not try to test the limit of what my pouch could actually hold. I am praticing SELF-CONTROL. Even though I would like to see the scale go down, I know that I have gained a strength within myself that wasn't there before the surgery. This time I refuse to get out of the fight.

Do you notice people treating you any differently now?

My husband is always checking me out. :) I didn't receive many comments from anyone else for a while, mainly because I was always wearing baggy clothes, but all of a sudden, at church, Emma says I can tell, you are slimming down. Then Sheila told me that she can see my progress. The big kicker was my daughter came over and instantly said "Look out now, you are melting away." I was so excited, especially since I was sitting down