okay someone requested i post my lap band experience here, so i will because if i can help one person that will make me feel like i have done something good. ok, i was not alway a really big girl. in high school i was at a size 10, i called it thick in all the right places. lol. well when i was 19 i got pregnant and instead of gaining weight i was losing weight. when i had my son i was then 20 and was weighing in at 130lbs. everything was well then i got pregnant again. i went into labor early at 7 months. the doctors said i had a weak cervix and i couldn't hold the weight of the baby. well after that the weight just started piling on. at first it was slowly were you barely noticed. then it was starting to get to the point that i was looking very round and the weight was no longer cute thick weight bur obvious unhealthy weight. i began to get all kinds of illnesses that at the time i didn't realize that it was coming from being so heavy. i had acid reflux so bad that if you put a slice of lemon in my water i would buckle over in pain. i couldn't eat anything citrus or spicy at all. i went to a specialist who gave me a endoscope, well he found 4 ulcers as a result of the acid reflux i was experiencing. i also had arthritis in my joints from the weight, border line diabetic, bronchitis and hypertension which required me to take medication to control it. my doctor told me i really needed to lose weight or i would only get worst and i was shaving years off my life. i decided i wanted to live a full and healthy life and wanted to change. i tried almost every diet known to man and some worked somewhat but i somehow managed to gain the weight back and more. i heard about lap band surgery and decided to look into it. i went to several seminars and spoke with quite a few doctors. i did not want to do gastric bypass surgery for there were way too many risks and i knew a few people who had many complications from it and even one person i knew who died from the complications. i did alot of research on the lap band and was very impressed with the very minimal side effects and complications associated with it. i found a surgeon who really made me feel at ease and i was ready to change my life. i went through my health insurance and they approved my surgery in 4 days (with all the proper requirements they asked for). well i had the surgery on Feb. 14th 2007. coming out of surgery i was in alot of pain but i was so groggy it didnt consume me. i was given pain meds and put in recovery. i rested well and stayed over night for observation. the next day i was allowed to go home and with the pain meds i was pretty much out of it so the pain wasnt a big issue. 3 days later i felt as if i didnt have surgery at all and actually went to a party i was scheduled to host. i hosted the party but at the end of the night i was exhausted and needed to rest. after that i was out and about as if it was just another day. i was back at work that Monday the 19th. my first visit back to the doctor i had lost 34lbs. i was so excited i just said that i would do everything the doctor tells me and make this work. i started walking at first then when i got the okay i signed up for a gym and worked out about 4 days a week. i went roller skating every Saturday and walked every where i could if in walking distance. i changed my eating habbits and stuck to the plan. by my one year mark i had lost over 100lbs. my surgeon calls me his star patient because the weight was coming off and with me working out was helping me not have so much loose skin. Unfortunately with so much weight loss and all the working out i could not prevent the loose skin completely. by year two i was down 151 lbs and and had reached my goal. i had planned to get a tummy tuck to tighten up the loose skin but unfortunately i was walking across the street and was hit by a drunk driver and almost lost my leg. i had numerous surgeries on my leg to repair it which caused me to be down for a year and despite me being down i made sure i ate right so not to gain the weight back. now that i am back to health i went to do what i started and complete my transformation and went in for my tummy tuck. as i tell anyone my surgeon did an excellent job, but what may be perfect for me may not be what you are looking for. always please always do your research first before having any surgery. see a few doctors to chose one that makes you comfortable, ask alot of questions and make sure he knows exactly what you expect. so your not going in with expectations that he or she can not meet then you have to live with it for the rest of your life. remember this is your body and the only person that has to live with it forever is you, so dont just jump into surgery with any doctor because someone else said they are good. talk to several doctors and chose him because you feel he can be good for you. i have posted some before and after pictures. the before pictures are 3 days after my surgery at 306lbs in a size 24 the after is me now 151lbs lighter and in a size 3 jr.