Margaret Parks - "The LAP-BAND® is Part of My Life Now"

For Margaret Parks the basic issues were being able to move around, walk and breathe, all health issues. Being overweight also took a toll on her mentally. Though not at her highest weight when she considered having the surgery (she was up to 400 lbs at one point), her back and knees were killing her.

Margaret has been battling weight since age 14. She said, “I tried diets, diet pills, everything with the exception of surgery. I got so tired. My blood pressure kept going higher all the time and my back was hurting me all day. The weight would still come back on even when I ate healthy.” One day at the hospital she picked up one of the pamphlets and learned about Vista’s program. She felt it was meant for her see it.

She was scared of the bypass, so chose the LAP-BAND® because if she had a bad reaction it could be reversed. Losing weight with the LAP-BAND was more of a long-term thing. She knew a lifestyle change was required and she was ready for it. She’s had 5-6 LAP-BAND adjustments over the last year. Now, having lost over 90 lbs in a little over 13 months she doesn’t have the pain in her knees and her back pain is better. She still takes her blood pressure pills, but her pressure is never too high now. And mentally she is improved 100% percent. Her job involves lots of physical activity, she climbs ladders and before she would never have been able to do it. She states, “It’s improved everything in my life. I would recommend it for someone who has tried other avenues. In the beginning it’s hard changing how you eat and what you eat. You need to give it a lot of thought. If you’re willing to do it, it’s appropriate. It takes more than just the band, it takes the person.” She values everything she eats, not wasting her calories on junk food. And finally she is happy to state, “Everything is going as good as I hoped it would.”

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