Angie P.
Hi everyone!! I'm Angie!! I'm 37 years old and a mom to two great girls.
Let's see, where do I begin. I have been overweight to some degree my entire adult life. However, I was not obese until getting pregnant and then morbidly obese after my second daughter was born.
In 2002, I heard about the Lap-Band. Everything I heard was great! At the time, I lived in Virginia and was a military spouse. After some fighting, Tricare Prime refused to pay for the lap-band (as they said it was unproven) and I was unwilling to do the RNY. So I scraped together the money and was a self-pay with Dr. Paul Hogg in Suffolk, VA to have the lap-band.
Because I so desperately wanted the surgery, I didn't really look into the lapband or the surgeon. After having the surgery, the doctor informed me that I was his first "unassisted" lap-band. He had no before care and no after care programs at all. So, I had the lap-band and was sent on my way. Maybe my time after would have been different with aftercare and a more experienced doctor.
The lap-band was a "partial" success, I guess. I lost down to about 185 pounds. I never had fills because I couldn't eat even without fills. After the first two months, my life became a nightmare. I couldn't eat - basically anything but liquidy stuff. No bread, pasta, salad, chicken, meat...the list goes on and on. Even when I did eat, even if I chewed until it was mush, I vomited. I ended up vomiting no less than 5 times per day (but usually more). Food was my enemy. I became very weak, extremely anemic, and depressed. I suffered constantly with acid reflux and had a terrible time sleeping through the night. I could not eat or drink anything for at least 5 hours after I woke up in the morning, and when I finally was able to eat or drink, it was liquids mostly. I went on like this for two years.
I finally decided that even if I gained weight back, I could no longer keep living (or not living as the case was) like this. So I found a great doctor in Connecticut at Yale University Hospital who removed my lap-band. Thankfully, my insurance at the time covered the removal of the band. Because I was still around 190, I was hoping that I could manage without the band.
I started living again..it was great. Food was like a friend - evidentally, it's a mean spiteful friend that wants me to be fat :o) Honestly, I cannot even believe how quickly I gained weight. Since having the band removed in January 2007, I have gone from 185 to 275. That's 90 pounds - in under two years. Sheesh!!
Up until now, I didn't have alot of co-morbidities. However, I now have high blood pressure, heel spurs and I believe I'm getting sleep apnea. So, my weight is literally killing me. I finally have good insurance again and so I figured it is now or never if I want to consider having a different surgery. I am now looking into a more permanent solution to help me lose weight. So I'm in the process of working on getting the RNY. This time, especially since I'm a revision, I'm doing my homework and going with the best surgeon in my area (or within an hour away). Cleveland Clinic is a center of Excellence and is very knowledgeable in revisions. I'm at the beginning of the process, but I can't live like this forever.
I'm glad to be here and working towards a future as a healthy woman!!
