1. Yes, I am glad I did it at that time, even though it ended badly.
2. I lost 80 lbs, even though I had wanted to lose more like 120. I did gain back some in the 2 years since the initial loss. But I am still significantly less overweight than I was when I started.
3. Most of it was covered by insurance. I had a $500 copay for the hospitalization, and a $400 fee paid to start the rather extensive program of pre-surgery tests and appointments. These appointments included evaluations by cardiac, neurology and psych professionals.
4. Yes, I was warned about the possibility of slippage. But they said it was a very small percentage of cases where it happened. I just happened to fall into that category.
5. Knowing what I know now, I would probably choose a gastric sleeve surgery rather than a lap-band. Not as radical as a gastric bypass, and no foreign objects that can slip.
6. Not sure how to answer this. I've been overweight most of my life, so there weren't many times before my weight gain. I was a fat kid, a fat teenager and a fat adult. This was punctuated by periods where I would diet and lose some weight, only to eventually gain it back. Since the original bariatric surgery, I've learned that I can be healthier and happier eating less and weighing less.
7. I don't think I would recommend lap-band surgery, based on my experience. And I'm told they are doing a lot fewer of those procedures these days. But I would recommend weight loss surgery for those who have intractable weight problems, and have been unable to permanently take off weight any other way.
I don't know what I will do next. I'm probably not heavy enough to qualify for another type of bariatric surgery. But I don't want to get back to that point again. I'll just wait and see how things go, and decide later how to proceed.
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