Hello dolls!
I know I haven't updated in practically a year, but being banded has been SUCKY and I just didn't have it in me to come and admit defeat. No, my port didn't flip, my band didn't slip, I didn't erode, didn't have any complications... I just wasn't losing and was having fill issues and was... Well... In a word... DEPRESSED.
See... our insurance didn't cover ANY form of bariatric surgery. So, I used $6000 of my family's hard earned money to go to MEXICO-- more than that really when you think of airfare, passports, food for my family, etc... And I was losing, but it was SLOW SLOW SLOW and it just irked the snot out of me. Plus, having a "foreign" band, the surgical center I was using for fills was overcharging me out the wazoo and filling me sooooooooooooo slowly. I got a quarter of a cc at a time. And could ONLY come in once per 6 weeks.
But... Miracle of miracles... I have hit a sweet spot and finally feel my band. Now, granted... I'm only at 2.5cc filled, but it works well for me. So... Whatever. Good. I'm glad I actually feel that having surgery was worth it.
If you remember I was banded last year on May 11 in Monterey Mexcio by Dr. Zapata. I have nothing but praise for his team and him. The surgery went smoothly... I was VERY well taken care of... The banding process was as good as surgery can get, IMO. It was aftercare that gave me headaches.
I started at 260 pounds-- 250 the day before surgery. And this morning I weighed in at 216 pounds. 44 pounds down. Many have lost much, much more. And I admit I'm jealous. But... That's 44 pounds that wouldn't be gone without my band. So... Success!
I'll try to update a bit more now. I've certainly had some struggles with the banded life-- they're ongoing to an extent. But... Maybe people can learn from my journey. Or at least not feel alone. :) But, for now, I'm gonna go celebrate the 44 lost pounds (which incidentally is more than my 4 year old weighs-- and lemme tell ya... 44 pounds to carry constantly is quite a lot!!!).
