Before my surgery, I spent 20 years feeling ashamed of how I looked. I was miserable. Every joint in my body hurt from packing around the weight. In January 2001, I decided to have LAP-BAND® surgery. I am now wearing size 10 clothes, and that is smaller than I thought I would be when I was all done losing weight! I continue to be amazed at this new body of mine, and I love being able to do anything I want without a second thought. And sharing my success with the LAP-BAND® and letting people know about this wonderful, safe and less invasive weight-loss surgery is so much fun.