Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery.

As a health care provider in rural Alaska, I want to be a good role model of health to all of my patients. After five years of diet failures to the point of self induced kidney stones, I finally decided it was time to have lap band surgery. I researched for several months, and decided to go with Dr. Trace Curry and Journey Lite. I am extremely pleased with Dr. Curry and the Journey Lite Staff in Ohio. They are so worth a 13 hour flight! Dr Curry and many of his staff members are banded, which to me is awesome because they were able to describe how I might feel after surgery as well as in the weeks post op. I have to admit, I am a nervous patient! A little medical knowledge is just enough to freak me out! Nurse Kathy had just been banded a week before me, and I think it was awesome of her to tell me not to think I am having a heart attack if I wake up with left chest and shoulder pain. I was a fast track patient coming from Alaska, so I had my psyche eval, nutrition class and meeting with Dr. Curry the day before my surgery. I have to say it was absolutely awesome. It went very smooth. Everyone was very nice, kind and efficient. After my nutrition class I felt very prepared for the post op experience. I never heard the term PB'ing before, and I promise I will try to avoid that at all costs! The next morning my husband brought me in to Journey Lite. I absolutely loved all the nurses, and the nurse anesthetist Mikey. Mikey made sure my IV was good, I am a hard stick, and he assured me I would not wake up in the middle of the procedure. I was nervous and he gave me a shot of versed. All I remember after that was talking to them about working in a rural clinic in Alaska. The last thing Mikey said to me was good night Kristen.. see you in recovery! It felt like I was asleep for like five minutes. This is how awesome Dr. Curry is.. I had an ugly hole next to my belly button, from a belly ring I had in my youth pre -fat days, and he closed it up for me!! He also fixed a hiatal hernia that I had no idea that I even had! I am so happy about that! When I woke up in recovery I had no abdominal pain. All my discomfort was in my left shoulder and chest. I am so glad Kathy warned me about that, because I would have been worried about it I had not known that ahead of time. I only remember bits and pieces of the recovery room. I remember my hubby helping me get dressed. I don't remember going to the car!! Gotta love anesthesia! I did really good drinking my fluids that day, and getting up every two hours. As an incentive to get me out of the hotel and walking, my hubby told me he found a Vera Bradley store. He knows how much I love Vera Bradley bags, and we have no stores in the Alaskan bush where we live! So there we are five hours after surgery picking out handbags. I have to say that walking really does help with the left shoulder pain!! Well that's my lap band story!! If you are considering it.. do it!! It's not scary at all! It is also not an easy way out!! You have to completely relearn how to eat to care for your band and become a healthy weight.

What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight?

Not being able to keep up with my kiddos. Feeling just exhaisted by the end of the day. Awful awful joint pain.

If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before?

-25 lb in 3 mo post op. I have way more energy. I enjoy all the outdoor stuff and don't feel like a dish rag. I have no more hip pain and havent needed a prenisone shot at all since surgery. I also sufferred a great deal with IBS and since lap band I have no more symptoms.