I decided after many years of being overweight, since retirement from the Coast Guard, to have Lap Band Surgery done after watching how suscessful my son's turned out a year ago. Since March 2009 my son has lost 175 lbs. It's funny how things change as you get older. My son is now my mentor and I'm the mentee. I will be having this surgery on May 13th at 10:30 AM and will be staying overnight in the hospital due to Medicare regulations. The doctor says the operation should only take about 1 hr. Please, if you can remember to keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers, I would appreciate it. I'll keep you posted on my recovery and weight loss. Since I made the decision to have this surgery I have lost 22 lbs on my own as the doctor suggested I do. This is to help shrink the liver so there is less stress on it as it is moved around during the surgery. I started at 350 lbs the last week of March and weighed in at 328 lbs yesterday May 6th. I hope to shed another 5 lbs before the 13th.

Congrats on your decision, Rich. I'll be thinking of you on the 13th.

You've already made the decision to extend your life by many years by reducing your weight which will help with so many different health issues.

Your son's amazing progress has set the example for you -- another thing of which you can be proud!

Don't forget to post some before - during and after photos of your weight-loss journey.

Good luck Rich. Work hard, its worth it!

Thanks for posting Rich. I will be thinking of you and praying for you.

My Sister is haveing the same surgery.... same day, same time!!! Her's will be done in Fort Worth, TX.

I'll be praying for both of you! Surgery is simple and shouldn't be any problem. But I'll keep you two in my prayers anyway, you never know!

Good luck Rich! Our prayers are with you. My husband is considering the same surgery. Keep us posted.


Cathy

Good luck Rich. Our thoughts will be with you and your wife.

Rich, Hope you have a successful surgery. Our prayers will be with you during your journey.

Stephanie, Prayers also for your sisters surgery.

Good Luck Rich, I'll be remembering you!

Stephanie, your sister will also be on my list.

Rich and Stephanie's sister,

Our prayer to you for the surgeries and future weight loss. We're thankful for those who developed this less radical and serious and adjustable lap band surgery to help those with weight loss surgically. Take care and the best of outcomes!

Max and Sue

Rich and Stephanie, Sue is putting you and your sister on her church's prayer list.. We will be thinking of you on the 13th..

I have lost 15 lbs so far on Nutri-System and still have a long way to go..

Paul and Sue...

Blessings to you Rich and Stephanie's sister for successful surgery.

Judy

Rich I will keep you and Steph's sister in my prayers. Way to go Paul! We will need to have a reunion just to show off our weight loss next year. I miss all my Wacko friends.

Surgery is over and all went well, as expected. I now have 5 little incisions between 1/2" and 1" in length and 1 incision that is about 3" in length where the lap band was installed. I stayed overnight because of Medicare's requirements and should be back to work on Monday. The doctor said I can mow the lawn in about a week with the rider. No solid foods for 7-10 days so soups, jello and pudding will be the mainstay with protien shakes and Carnation instant breakfast for my deserts. I will post a picture sometime this weekend to show my progress over the next year. I hope to get down to around 225 lbs which means I have just under a 100 lbs to go.

Glad things went well in the surgery, Rich. Look forward to hearing about your progress. Can't believe what your son has accomplished in a year! If you are as determined as he is you should achieve your goal!

Glad all went well. Good luck and keep the faith!!!

Great news Rich !!!

Best wishes towards your goal !!!

Rich, I am so happy to hear that all went well. Please do keep us posted as to how you are doing.

Steph, how is your sister doing?

Yes, please tell us how her surgery went. I was able to go out to my favorite restaurant Saturday and today and sit and watch Amy and my son eat barbeque while I ate jello and pudding Saturday and chicken/dumplin liquid broth(no dumplins or chicken) today. The worst part is the 10 days of liquid diet before and after surgery.