Drumroll please...

Well, guess who's getting banded?!!  ME!!!!!  And two weeks earlier than I initially planned.  On Saturday 15th October, I'm to be banded and join the cool crew with the rest of you!  I am beyond ecstatic!!

So I went up to London for my consultation (in a very fancy area near Oxford Street), felt a bit nervous at first as the male receptionist was a bit dismissive and not very...soft - he weighed me and measured my height.  I weighed in on their scales at 17st (238lbs), and I was 161cm - I've just checked and that's actually not quite 5'3", it's like 5'2.8" but I'm rounding up.  That makes my BMI 42.2.  Yuck, but good to have a starting point.  However, my scale at home this morning said I was 16st11lbs (235lbs) and I'm sticking with my scale that has me pre-food, post-bathroom and butt naked that I'll be using most of the time.  Then I waited in the swanky waiting room feeling nervous until I was called in by my surgeon who I've decided I might just love a little bit.  He was direct and friendly and practical and called my 'my love' and asked me what degree I'm doing etc.  I felt completely at ease with him and felt that he was a good man, he has 1600 gastric band operations under his belt so I feel he's completely competent.  He said that overall complication rate is about 5% - how does this compare to the results of your surgeons?  I asked all my questions, he showed me the Lap Band and said my port will be positioned centrally above my belly button and below my chest.  He also said he doesn't put any saline in the band during surgery.  After I felt satisfied that I had all my questions answered, he sent me back out to the waiting room where I was collected by the patient care co-ordinator who was really warm and sweet and not too formal, we went through the pre-op and post-op diets and what would happen the day of surgery. I didn't feel at all like she was pushing me to sign on the dotted line which was a relief.  But I absolutely felt that I was in the right place, that all my research had paid off in as much as I didn't feel bewildered or in over my head at all.  So I did it, I paid my deposit of £500 and secured my surgery date.  I decided the sooner the better which is why I went with the 15th instead of my originally planned 29th.  I felt that the less time spent in the sugar haze of last supper syndrome the better and I felt as though it would help to quell my anxiety.  But most importantly, my mum wasn't able to come with me on the 29th and as I've decided for now not to even tell any friends, and I didn't want to go alone, Mum is the only person who can accompany me to the hospital.  The 15th October is only 5.5 weeks away!!  I'm only 3.5 weeks away from starting my pre-op diet and I'm that much closer to becoming a skinny little runner bean!

I can't wait to get the band.  I feel like it's absolutely the right thing to do, I'm completely prepared to make all the changes long term.  Thank you all so much for all the advice I've received through your blogs and as always, thank you so much for your comments and your love.  It's wonderful to have a feeling of solidarity in an adventure where I'm otherwise alone. x