Anna F.
This is my story, and I am sticking to it.
I had my Band placed on Nov. 17, 2006 after several months investing the band. I have not always been overweight, but the last 20 years have been a real struggle for me. I developed Type 2 diabeties and am on several medications. Like everyone else on this journey, I have tried all types of diets and have failed at them all.
I started my weight gain history right after my second son was born. Until that time, I had always been a normal weight. My Dr. put me on a new birth control pill, and right away I put on 25 lbs. That was when my journey started. I battled and lost that 25 lbs. By the time he was three years old. I began to have problems with my weight again. I gained and lost that 25 lbs several times, and several ways. Then the extra 5 to 10 lbs begain to attach itself to the 25 when I gained it back.
Then after 21 years of marriage, my hubby and I split. I guess you can say that is when my real weight problems began. The weight gain started to really climb. I had to become a career woman while trying to raise my two teenage sons. I still tried all types of diets, but of course none seemed to keep me from gaining. I finally sort of gave up and got used to being short and fat.
Now for my band beginnings. I have a good friend who has 14 major illness' and is over 350 lbs and has gotten to the point that she was bedfast for quite a while and is now mobil again but has to use a scooter and gets out very little. Her Drs. have told her that if she would lose 100 lbs she could eliminate half of her problems. Well I started my research for her. I started with the RNY, as my boss at work had just had that done and was doing wonderfully with it. But my friend is on disability and could not meet the deductable for medicare so I dropped that. Then I heard about the Band and started my research on it. The more I researched, the more I felt this was what she needed. Then I set up a time for her to go to a seminar and said that I would go with her. Well, she cancelled out on the seminar and I went ahead and attended it. While setting there in the seminar, I began to think, this may be something that I should do for myself. So I started in August with my first consultation and the testing began. First came the consultation to see if I was a canadate for surgery. I first had to get the Phychology clearance. Let me tell you I think that was a joke. I learned more about the Phyc. than he did me. Then he gave me the 6 page test. Which would ask me the same question several different ways. He told me that if I did not hear from him that everything was ok. So I never heard from him so I guess I must have passed it. Then I had to have my chest Xray done. They said they found a spot on my lung and I needed to have a CAT scan done. I put my life on hold until that was over and thank God there was nothing there. Then the Swallow test, then the sleep testing and the heart stress testing then the lab work and they called and set up the surgery date for Nov. 17
Here I am a week after surgery. I feel pretty good today. I had a lot of nausea and vomiting the first 3 days, but once that stopped, I started to feel better. I am still not eating as much or drinking as much water as I should. But I just do not feel like eating anything much.
I am really looking forward to the mushy stage.
By the way, my friend has not decided if she is going to have the band yet.
