how long did you think about WLS before you had it

First topic message reminder :

Was just curious as to how long people thought about it and what made them finally decide.

It was first mentioned to me at a job medical in 2005. Then in 2006 again it was mentioned when I had gall bladder out. At that stage I set myself a goal of getting down to 125Kg in 6 months and then decided I would do it if I didn't get to that. I got very close so decided against it, the next year though 2007 I got sick and ended up putting the weight back on. I started thinking about it more then and saw a dietician who had the brouchere in her room in early 2008. I started losing again but then she left and I went off the rails.

Come mid 2008 I had got nowhere and decided on night it was crunch time. I remember struggling to roll over in bed. The next day I saw my GP and got a referral to a surgeon for lap band, made the appointment then decided I didn't want that particular surgeon and found another who mentioned the sleeve in October 2008 I went ahead in january 2009 and had it.

I know I wasn't ready mentally before that as the first few mentions just made me scared.

I have been trying since 2002 to get my surgery . 2 Diffrent times i had private insurance while i was self employed and they turned me down claiming they dont cover for cosmectic reasons even tho i was over 500lb and had several doctors letters and a cardo heart doctor letter. in 2005-06 I got what i thought was great medical insurance thru my employer but they also turned me down twice at the last stage.. I have been on a roller-coaster for seven years of getting close only to be denied and had givin up hope that it would ever happen. It was not until i was layed off and got the state medical insurance that i was excepted and coverd , it went so fast once i had a medical backer that had no red tape to cut. I went to my 1st visit to Dr. Ben-David on dec.09 . he wanted me to lose 30 lbs by Feb 09. I lost 40 and they scheuled my surgery for apr.18th . THEN IT GOT MOVED TO APR. 25TH , THEN MAY 6TH. THEN MAY 18TH !!! I thought here we go its not gonna happen again , but on my May. 26 th date it did happen and in closing in on my 2nd week pre-op and feel great !!

Nove 2007 I started researching the Lap Band. I fitted all the criteria except the try9ng eberything. I hadn't tried the comittement to exercise so i joined a gym and got a personal trainer. Lost 14 kgs in a year, which isn't a lot when you weigh 160kgs.

So here I am June 2009 booked to have the sleeve done on the 4 August 09.

Oh, you guys are so lucky being able to get WLS in the public system over there - doesn't happen here!
My thought on the permanency thing was - and just WHY would I want it NOT to be permanent?

For me i was just sick of going up and down the majority of my adult life it was nearly 1year and 9months ago that i got a referral for lapband saw the doc to arrange the op date wen he told me about the sleeve and they had just started to do it a month previsiouly for public patients at Charles Gardiener Hospital and asked if i wanted it instead i said hold on thats perment no way so he booked me in for the band told me to look on the net about the sleeve and i looked and discussed it with my partner at the time and my family they were a bit worried of the permancy but i thought no its the better of the two in my eyes so the mornin of my surgery i signed the consent forms for the sleeve in total from first appt to the op i was lucky being in the public system i only had a wait of 9months and its the bloody best thing ive ever done for me i couldnt be happier.I have three friendsa waiting on public scheme and they have up to a 2 year wait just for an appt i was lucky i did it wen i did its been nearly a year i was sleeved on 24th june 2008

Cheers Sue

I remember years ago when I saw something on TV or in a mag about WLS, I was no way would I ever do that, it is too risky. Then over the years every now and then I would think maybe it would be worth looking into, as my weight has gone up & down (I am 165kg + at a guess, :[img]http://sm haven't tried to weigh myself for over a year as am too heavy for our scales... another motivator in having the surgery).
Then Jan 08,my grandmother succumbed to pancreatic cancer, over that last week, all our reli's came to the hospital and one of them had had the lapband put in 2 months previously, she was doing well and when I mentioned I had considered it she gave me all her info & was really supportive. I then went online & watched a video stream of a lapband seminar & I was still balking at the thought of a foreign object being placed inside me & the refills etc all the time (I live an hour from Perth where I would have to go for refills etc) at the very end of the talk the surgeon mentioned the sleeve op & It appealed to me due to the set & forget aspect. I looked into it further over the next 10 - 11 months (watched you tube videos of the op etc...) & decided in Jan this year to go ahead. I finally had my head in the right frame of mind to do this, I organised PHI & a referral, my appointment with the surgeon is for 15th July, so hopefully late Jan 2010 when the PHI kicks in I will have it done.

I'd had my doc (and others) mention it a few times to me over the years, but I always said "no way, no how" because, being addicted to food, I didn't think it would help.
But several things happened in a short time frame, and I thought "well, somebody is trying to tell me something - perhaps I should investigate WLS properly before saying no again". So I did, and maybe 6-8 months later I had the sleeve.
Like everyone else, I went to the lapband seminar and was almost convinced - until I found out about the sleeve. And boy, am I glad I did!
Chris

Hi Ricey,
For me it took about 4 years - from the time I first went to a lapbanding seminar until my situation and circumstances were such that I just could not kid myself anymore that losing weight was something I would/could ever do successfuly by myself again.
I could of probably lost weight like I had done heaps of time before but it was the thought of putting it back on again and the plus more that got me.
Hurting my back was the biggest factor. I had stacked so much weight on, my mobility was getting worse and I really could not risk being any bigger than where I was last August @ 127kg.
In September I got a referal to see someone just to talk about having the lapband done.
By the time my appointment came around early in the New Year I had decided for various reasons that the sleeve was the way to go for me, so a couple of more visits to the clinic in January, and my operation was on 10th February.
It was almost like I had taken awhile to face up to what needed to be done so let's get this show on the road!
I never would of made the decision to have surgery without the info and support of this site, so here's to you all!

Was just curious as to how long people thought about it and what made them finally decide.

It was first mentioned to me at a job medical in 2005. Then in 2006 again it was mentioned when I had gall bladder out. At that stage I set myself a goal of getting down to 125Kg in 6 months and then decided I would do it if I didn't get to that. I got very close so decided against it, the next year though 2007 I got sick and ended up putting the weight back on. I started thinking about it more then and saw a dietician who had the brouchere in her room in early 2008. I started losing again but then she left and I went off the rails.

Come mid 2008 I had got nowhere and decided on night it was crunch time. I remember struggling to roll over in bed. The next day I saw my GP and got a referral to a surgeon for lap band, made the appointment then decided I didn't want that particular surgeon and found another who mentioned the sleeve in October 2008 I went ahead in january 2009 and had it.

I know I wasn't ready mentally before that as the first few mentions just made me scared.