How Weight Loss Surgery Saved My Life By Sandi Henderson

Has your weight bounced up and down over the years?

Are you worried about, or do you have some medical conditions that are directly related to being overweight?

I have been maintaining a 250 pound weight loss since 2006.

The following is my story of success after gastric banding surgery in 2004.

I have been fighting the fat war since I was 4 years old. I finally won the war, leaving only small skirmishes that crop up regularly. My friends tell me these little battles are what a "normal" person always deals with.

Just over five years ago, I was 424 pounds, had arthritis in my right knee, and had trouble walking across a parking lot. My asthma forced me to stop and catch my breath several times as I crossed a parking lot. I rented a scooter to be able to take my grand kids to Disneyland. I let my husband go into the market while I waited in the truck. People looked fearfully at me when I was getting on a plane, hoping I wasn't sitting next to them. I had no life and no hope.

In March 2004, at 424 pounds, I had a hypertension crisis that got my attention. To this point, my arthritis, asthma, reflux, and sleep apnea had not yet been enough to make me take notice.

I have succeeded at most everything I have tried in life -- I have a wonderful marriage of more than 40 years to my soul mate, a great daughter, four awesome grandchildren, and a successful business I built from scratch over 20 years ago. But I could NEVER get a handle on my weight for longer than five minutes.

On 5/28/2004, at 55 years old, I had life-changing, and life-saving lap band surgery. Within 28 months I had lost 250 pounds and made permanent lifestyle changes. Now, more than five years after surgery, I am holding at 175 pounds and loving it. I am off all my medications and move freely and vigorously through my new life.

With the help of this tool and a great support team I have reached a place where it is fun to go anywhere and try new things, and I actually enjoy looking at pictures of myself (well, most of the time).

The answer is unequivocally, yes,gastric banding works. The band has been the tool I have needed to help me make the permanent lifestyle changes that resulted in better health and a normal weight.!

As the old saying goes, information is power. If you are struggling with your weight, you deserve to have the information necessary you can make the best decision possible for you to have a richer life.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with significant weight issues, learn more about Banded Living™ by visiting http://www.bandedliving.com, a community for lap band patients, by lap band patients. To learn more about how Sandi Henderson has been has been maintaining her 250 lb weight loss, click here http://www.sandisbandedliving.com.

DISCLAIMER - This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, and is not a replacement for medical care or advice given by physicians or trained medical personnel. Please review the complete Banded Living Medical Disclaimer on our website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandi_Henderson

Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss Surgery - To Nip and Tuck Or Not to Nip and Tuck By Sandi Henderson

Have you lost a substantial amount of weight after weight loss surgery? Do you have issues with loose, hanging skin that you would like to resolve? Are you thinking about having plastic surgery?

There I was, 250 pounds lighter after Lap-Band® surgery and enjoying my new life and freedoms. I knew I wanted plastic surgery. I was terrified, but I was tired of tucking my stomach skin into my pants and always having to buy long tops to hide it. I didn't work this hard and lose all of this weight to stay in hiding. Or did I? I was healthy and that alone was great, but I found myself really wanting to have what "normal" people had - a reasonably proportioned body.

It took me about a year to research plastic surgery options and plastic surgeons before I decided on a doctor and scheduled my first surgery. In this year I discovered that there were many things that went into the decision of who would do my plastic surgery, but I thought you would be interested in the 7 that seemed most important to me.

1. Interview several doctors. You have to know what the possibilities are before you can make a selection that works for you. This pertains to the surgeon as well as the procedure.

2. Access is important - You will require follow up care for drain removal and many post op visits, so you need to know before surgery how you will get to the doctor for follow up. It is also important to consider how you will access the doctor should you have any complications.

3. Experience with weight loss surgery patients is important. We come with our own unique challenges to plastic surgeons, so the more surgery after weight loss your selected surgeon has performed, the more familiar with our population your surgeon will be. Do not be afraid to ask how many weight loss surgery patients your doctor has experience with.

4. You must be totally comfortable with this doctor. You want someone who is compassionate, highly skilled, and available. You are entrusting your life as well as your emotional well being to this person.

5. Let your weight stabilize for at least 6 months before having surgery .I know as soon as we get close to our goal weight we want to rush right into it and get all that excess skin removed, BUT DON'T. Your body keeps shifting around even after all the excess weight is gone.

6. You want a surgeon who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, someone who has actually had their training in plastic surgery.

7. Make sure the surgeon uses an accredited facility for his surgeries, be it a hospital, outpatient surgery center or the surgeon's own office.

These guidelines can help you make a decision that you will be happy with for years to come

If you or someone you care about is struggling with significant weight issues, learn more about Banded Living™ by visiting http://www.bandedliving.com, a community for lap band patients, by lap band patients. To learn more about how Sandi Henderson has been has been maintaining her 250 lb weight loss, click here http://www.sandisbandedliving.com.

DISCLAIMER - This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, and is not a replacement for medical care or advice given by physicians or trained medical personnel. Please review the complete Banded Living Medical Disclaimer on our website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandi_Henderson

How Does Weight Loss Surgery Benefit Obese Individuals - Learn How

Weight loss surgery, better known as bariatric surgery, is becoming as much a part of daily living as diets. The solution might not be permanent but it is another tool the medical field has to help the ones that have a hard time helping themselves. I include myself in the last statement.

It seems their comes a time in every ones life when you look around and wonder why you are different. I ask myself everyday why I am the way I am. I accept and realize that I am in control of my life. When I need an answer I search for someone that knows more than I do and learn that I am just part of a big puzzle.

Have you ever just stood there, on a busy street corner, and just watched as life goes by? Take a moment today, yes you can, you will not look stupid. People are to busy just taken care of themselves to even wonder what you are thinking about, standing there, all alone. Now, imagine you are really overweight, and thousands of people are looking at you from every direction, what is going through your mind right now? Being obese, for many, is the only reason people want to run and hide.

Weight loss surgery can be the first step, in a series of steps, that is a great benefit to your peace of mind. If you take a major decision to change your life, you are just at the beginning of a long journey. Starting over is a new challenge.

Ask yourself these questions:

• If you woke up today with a problem with your heart, what would you like to happen?
• If you just found out you had cancer, what goes through your mind?
• If you just found out you lost your job, how would you feel right now?

All of the statements above would render you vulnerable. Emotionally you are taken by surprise. Life is precious and now you know it. Waking up one day and seeing yourself in the mirror and having a real look can send shivers down your spine, how does that make you feel? Food for thought.

Click here to learn more http://theequest.com/?p=663 If you seriously want to change your life for the better please go to http://theequest.com?/p=663 and start changing today.

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Gastric Obesity Surgery By Engelbert Penn

Many people encounter weight problems despite initiatives to be on diet as commanded by a Dietician and in spite of exercises done daily to lose weight. It is apparent that these initiatives are not viable for everyone experiencing weight problems. Weight problems are known as obesity. It could lead to serious health problems, which may result with various painful diseases. It will therefore be necessary to reduce the intake of food into your digestive system to help lose weight through a gastric bypass surgery. This surgery is among weight loss surgeries collectively known as bariatric surgery. It will help reduce the absorption of nutrients to your body.

Why is it performed?

Gastric bypass surgery will only be done after a trial of diet, and exercise has failed to help lose weight. It will help you lose weight by regulating the way your small intestine and stomach intake food you eat. With this effort, it will help reduce the risk posed by weight-related health problems such as:

· Heart disease

· Gastroesophageal reflux

· High blood pressure

· High cholesterol levels

· Sleep apnea

· Type 2 diabetes

· Asthma

However, this weight-loss surgery is not eligible for everyone with weight problems. To qualify for it, Surgeons use health conditions such as diabetes type 2, high blood pressure and body mass index. In addition, a candidate for this must be willing to change diet permanently after the procedure has been done for a long-term healthier lifestyle. Having undertaken this surgery does not necessarily mean your weight problems have been resolved completely; it therefore needs a daily exercise and diet change.

How is it performed?

General anesthesia will be used before operating, which will help make you unconscious and therefore, fall asleep. It is done in two ways where a Doctor can make a surgical cut into your stomach or make use of a laparoscope to see your inner stomach. With an open surgery, the Doctor will divide your belly into two sections-upper (where food will go) and bottom section. Secondly, a bypass will be done by connecting your tiny intestine to a small hole in the upper section. With this method, food eaten will be limited and pass through the new opening causing fewer calories absorption into the body and as a result weight loss.

On the other hand, the laparoscope is considered a more convenient for this procedure. Small cuts will be done into your stomach and a tiny camera of the laparoscope be used to operate inside the abdomen. Therefore, surgical instruments will be inserted through the cuts made in order to perform bypass. The advantage of this method is less pain, quick recovery and few scars.

Nevertheless, this surgery in general poses a number of risks after it is done. Those include, but not all-inclusive:

· Excessive bleeding,

· Respiratory problems,

· Blood clots in the legs,

· Heart attack,

· Infections through the cuts.

It is essential to consider gastric bypass surgery as a weight loss method despite its after-use risks. Risk posed may not be as severe as those posed obesity. You must be prepared before you undergo this procedure and must be willing to abide by its requirements such as permanent diet change.

For more tips, information, and resources about gastric bypass surgery, visit http://www.thearticletips.com/articles/health/obesitysurgery.

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