About Banding and Why I am Here

This is the second time of going thru the process of surgical banding. The first time was about one year ago thru another Scripps Clinic. It was the Scripps Clinic of Weight Management in Del Mar. A great group of nurses and doctors that i got to know pretty well after 3 years of attending their clinic. It was such a struggle then because my insurance at the last minute stated I wasn't covered. It was such a let down and made me not want to try again.

Well here I am again and now going thru a new clinic called the Wittgrove Bariatric Center in La Jolla. The center is run by Dr. Allen Wittgrove. His qualifications make me feel comfortable going to this center. On the his website it states :

"Dr. Wittgrove pioneered the laparoscopic approach of gastric bypass surgery, performing the first laparoscopic gastric bypass as primary surgeon in the world, in 1993. He and his program have performed over five-thousand bariatric procedures."

At this clinic they use the Realize band. Another brand similar to "Lapband". Here are some facts that are on the www.realize.com website.

• The REALIZE™ Injection Port has the lowest profile of any injection port to minimize its appearance under the skin, even as you lose weight.

• The REALIZE Band offers a high-volume, low-pressure balloon. It’s designed to reduce the potential for tissue trauma.

• As the widest band available (23mm), the REALIZE Band is designed to decrease the potential for band slippage.

• No adjustable gastric band has a lower leak rate than the REALIZE Band.

• Patients receiving a REALIZE Band may experience less pain and less time under anesthesia than patients receiving gastric bands with sutured ports.

Not only knowing about the actual product - knowing the doctor and staff is the best way to be comfortable. Learning about what the band really does for you - as I hope for it to be a great TOOL in helping my life become healthy.

Right now, I have high blood pressure and i have not menstruated in almost 5 to 6 months. I went off of my birth control to help me loose some weight.(Mmmm, yeah, I stayed the same.) I really want to be healthy and gain my life back. To be the person who I have always dreamed of being. If I don't start now - it is going to keep haunting me and effecting what i really want in life.

I don't want to get any bigger.
I don't want to be a fat bride.
I want to have a period.
I want to be able to have babies.
I want to feel in control of my eating.
I want to feel comfortable and maybe even get a sexy complement. (wink)
I want to be able to paint my own toes.
To not struggle getting up or out of the car.
To be able to buy a bra from Victoria Secret - that would be cool.
Oh, to shop at any store instead of plus sized.
To be able to have my family complement me instead of noticing how much bigger I am.
To lay down and not feel like my boobs are gonna be the death of me.