Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I went to Medicare.gov and asked if they would pay for lap band surgery. I have tried everything to lose weight, and most of the time I gain. I went to a gym at a local hospital in Hickory, NC and really worked hard at it for 2-3 months. I gained instead of losing. People were telling me I was gaining weight because muscle weighs more than fat. Then, I tried Water exercise for 3 months and lost 9 pounds, but, after that - nothing. I do not eat much at all, but I will say that because I have a BMI of 42, my knees kill me to walk, I have COPD and emphesyma, congestive heart failure, sleep apnea and sleep with a CPAP machine at night, I have to take pills to regulate my hear…

Hi I've been reading a lot and watching you tube videos so I have been writing down things but there is so much out there. I should be sleeved on April 10, 2014. I started my liquid diet a little bit before the 2 weeks because I'm a slow loser, I have been drinking the Bariatric Advantage Protein drinks which aren't that bad, but I have noticed I get gassy this worries me because I work in an office full of people and I've been reading about the stomach rumbles and the uncontrollable gas after surgery. I have been using Gas-x strips. But I'm wondering if its the protein that does this or the skim milk? Should I use Water instead of milk? What foods should i totally avoi…

It has been six months since my sleeve. I am down 90 lbs! My goal was 100 lbs but a broken foot sidelined me for a 6 weeks. I'm not going to let that bring me down or stop me. The foot is healed and back on my exercise routine and loving every moment! Everyone have a great day! The first picture is September 2013, day of surgery. The second picture is December 2013, 3 month mark. The last one is March 2014, 6 month mark.

My name is Cathy, and I am a 47 y/o 5'3" wife and mother to 2 boys and 3 stepdaughers. In the summer of 2009 I had "raw dieted" my way into a size 12. By this summer I was back up to 222 and not fitting in my big size 16s. I was put on medicine for high blood pressure, told I was pre-diabetic, and had obstructive sleep apnea. I was losing my breath climbing one flight of stairs. Both knees were bothering me, and I had bursitis in my hips and ankles. Just miserable. I got Lyme disease and ended up with a fairly serious depression. I am tired all the time. My dad died in January 2010. I just sat on the couch and binged my way out of all my clothes, and all my enthusiasm …

So I woke up this morning with a stuffy nose and slight headache almost like a head cold. Now I'm nervous my surgery will not happen. Drinking tea, using Vicks vaporub, and airborne every 3 hrs. Not sure if this is a cold or allergies but now I'm freaking out! If they cancel my surgery I'm screwed because my surgeon is booked out until July! :-(

http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=42.420540,-70.932051&zoom=14&markers=42.420540,-70.932051&size=400x300&sensor=true

Surgery was 5/20/2013 weight was 470 pounds. As of today I am at 290 pounds on 3/20/2014. I have run multiple 5Ks, have a 10K in 2 weeks and my 1st 1/2 marathon in 3 weeks. It's been a great journey and I am so thankful for my 2nd chance to love this life right.

I am just noticing a difference.

I am one week post op. I had a two week liquid diet before surgery and I have a three week liquid diet after. Right now I am feeling kind of depressed. I'm not sure this was worth it. I'm still in a lot of pain and have had to go to the hospital twice for fluids because I was dehydrated. But mainly it's the liquid diet that is killing me. Especially when I read how do many others could have soft food after one week. I would kill for soft food right now. This diet has me questioning my success and even my commitment right now. I don't know maybe I'm just venting. I just feel kind of sad right now, and it's not because I'm not losing weight because I am.

I had surgery Tuesday morning at 7:30 am, I woke up in a lot of pain asking for my hubby. They gave me Morphine and some anti nausea meds! My nurses were awesome at JOHN MUIR CONCORD. My surgeon is Dr Brian Chin. I felt like I got ran over by a truck yesterday, and today this morning I felt the same way. But this afternoon I had color, and was able to do many laps on my floor. Saw my surgeon and got to leave ! I'm home now. Had a nap and drinking peppermint tea. I started this journey @244#'s and I'm 5'6.. and. 31 year old female

My surgery date was Dec 3, 2013...I started at 330 (highest was 375) today I am down 79lbs and weighed in at 251. I'm happy to say I beat type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea!

Hello, my name is Paula. I am scheduled to have the sleeve surgery in September. I am excited, but nervous about the surgery. I just wondered if anyone could tell me about their experience. If you had it to do over again...would you?

This was me one year ago at a company event: This is me the other day at the same company event, one year later: I had lapband surgery on September 11, 2013; about 6 months after that first picture was taken. In that picture, you see the person who had made the decision and was waiting for the first visit with her surgeon/hero. I was miserable. I hated that camera pointed at me. But, I "smiled" and did my part. I hated what I had let happen to my body. I was in constant pain. I could barely move. As my journey progressed and I went through the approval process, my sense of hope began to return. It was possible. I could do it. I started making a lis…

Hello to all. Sorry for writing so late but this is the only time since the surgery that I've felt better. I too had the lap band for like three years and had it removed a month ago. Like many others, it didn't work for me. They went in for the lap band to remove it but there was a lot of scar tissue so I had to reschedule for the sleeve. I don't know about you guys but when I have anesthesia I can't recover quickly the anesthesia takes 2 to 3 days for it to get out of my body. After the removal of the band, I was having second thoughts of the sleeve. Nevertheless, I had the surgery this past Wednesday, Mar 19. When I woke up, I was the only one in recovery cause I wou…

I am 4 days post op and i am having a hard time getting my protein.. Does anyone have any protein suggestions i am doing premeire shakes but have not successfully been able to drink a full one! Please help!

Hey! My name is Jessica and I am just starting my weight loss journey. I have been "stalking" these boards for months and have finally gotten the courage to join in. I have read so many posts and have shared your victories and moments of defeat. .....Thank you all for being so honest. I have started my 6 month supervised diet and have gone to a seminar, that my surgeon held, this past weekend. I hope to have my surgery in Oct/Nov. I don't really remember ever not being overweight..... It was just who I was. But now, it is time for a change!! I am looking forward to sharing my journey with you all. -Jessica

I had a DVT years and am supposed to be on coumadin but havent taken it in at least a couple years. The PTO was never right and I couldnt afford to go see dr. every single week. Im told this makes me high risk. I know blood clots are serious business. Anyone else out there that has had the surgery and previously diagnosed with blood clots?

Sleeve 6 weeks ago. I've lost 45 lbs but none in the past 2 weeks. Isn't this a little early for a stall?

hey everyone today I hit 100 lbs. I am so happy. I was 330llbs. Date of surgery I was 318 lbs. Today I currently weight 218. THIS IS AMAZING I CHANGED MY LIFE ON JUNE 11, 2013. I won't change a thing. It's never easy but I have accomplished a lot. It's get tough but don't give up!!!

So I had my surgery march 18th. I wasn't able to keep much down but as of yesterday afternoon I've been able to keep liquids and medication down. I'm a little frustrated the thought of food or liquids gross me out. I just now took my chewables and that was hard in itself. Yesterday I was able to keep down maybe 10 of the 30ml cups down. I just need advice my mom brought me homemade chicken broth but how should I set my liquids? How much should I take in for the day?

Hi guys, Hope all well any one sleeved in Jan, just curious to know how u are so far and how much weight you loss to make sure I am on right track.

Greeting everyone. I love how you all are so positive and it's helping me stay motivated. I got my vsg done on 3\18\14 at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. Firstly, I spent my first night in the recovery room because the hospital was overcrowded. I couldn't sleep and couldn't walk around because it was so crowded. I am still unable to get down 64ounces due to nausea. I only intake about 20ounces now and I can tell I am dehydrated because food and liquids make me gag. It doesn't help either that I am on my "monthly" so I am all bloated and extremely gassy. I mainly burb but only "farted" once which was a relief. I tried walking but I easily become nauseated and dizzy. I…

I had Gastric Sleeve surgery on Feb 22, 2014 in Tijuana, MX performed by Dr Lopez. I want to comment that the Dr and his staff was very professional and the surgery went well, but be advised...the coordinators were not very coordinated. Just be certain to ask the same question over and over to get to the actual truth as each person will give you a different answer. I have lost 13 lbs and remain hopeful that this will be my solution to my lifetime problem.

hello everyone. I am 1 day post op and feeling great. I must admit when I woke up from surgery I initially began to second guess my decision to be sleeved. However, by the end of the night I felt like it was the best decision I have ever made. I passed my swallow test this morning with no issues and the pain meds are helping tremendously. Looking forward to heading home tomorrow morning will keep you updated.

Wanted to let people know that I have started a blog to show my experience through this journey of weight loss. I learned a lot through reading other peoples blogs so I thought I would make my own too. The link is at the bottom if you or someone you know is interested in following along! http://runningfromcupcakes.blogspot.com/

My journey began as a 56 year old, 427# woman who was slowly killing herself with an addiction to food. I was definitely the classic stress eater who could consume huge amounts of calories without even realizing that I had eaten anything. During the two years before my lap-band I had developed adult onset asthma, COPD, had sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and was Pre-diabetic. I couldn't walk more than 100 feet without being out of breath...in short... I was a total mess. The sad thing was that I was also a highly intelligent professional who made wonderful decisions daily that impacted the lives of others. I just was blinded to taking the steps to help myself. I…

I had my surgery Oct 22 and I am down 60 pounds but for the last month I have been at the same weight. I also am eating when ever I feel like it. Even when I am not hungry. I am afraid of my stomach stretching out. What should I be eating. Help

I have been relatively successful with rebuilding my health and body since my sleeve almost 6 months ago.Doc says I have lost 77% of my excess weight so far. I can't say I have a lot of confidence yet, but I am trying to work on it by stepping out of my comfort zone in some way every single day. I am a work in progress and here are few things I would not have done 6 months ago. 1) Say no to bad choices like carb-a-licious Snacks. I do not feel deprived, so this one has gotten much easier for me.Chips and fries have lost their power over me. 2) Exercising when I don't want to (I still don't love it!) 3) Last week I took my first "selfie" ever. In the past , I was alwa…

So I'm a male, now 29 years old. I was banded on June 4, 2008. When I started my journey I was 343lbs I got down to 269lbs and then started making bad decisions and gained most of the weight back. I am now 320lbs again and know it's because I have given up on myself. I have had roadblocks along the way but instead of busting through them I let them knock me down. I want to loose the weight again and get back to good emotional/physical health. I would love to hear stories of challenges overcome/success to help motivate me and any encouragement you could share. Just looking for friends who have been down in this hole and know the way out. Thanks!

Highest weight ever-230 start weight-224 current weight as of today at 4 weeks-195 . That's a total loss of 29lbs . I am very proud.

Wow what a difference a year makes I was sleeved on my birthday march20,2013 Sw297lbs With a bmi of 46.8???????? Wearing a size 24/26 pants & 3xl top Today march20,2014 Cw 170lbs Bmi down to a 26.8???????? Wearing a size 10 pants & med top My goal is to lose 11 more #'s to be at a normal bmi of 24.9 my total weight loss so far is 129lbs ???????? I've been as low as 166lbs Sooo close to my goal but I'm not giving up here are some b4 n after pics of my success feeling wonderful thanks sleeve for the new beginning thanks everyone for taking the time to read my blog my highest weight 315lbs through out my journey hard work n dedication m…

Am down 53 pounds. This surgery is the best thing I could have done for myself ! Before pic Halloween two weeks before surgery.

hey guys im new here....ive been overweight mostly all of my life....ive lost weight and put it right back on im 25 yrs old and my current weight is 245 which is the highest ive ever been..... i have two children (boys) ages 6 and 2 months and lost a child December 2012 at 32 weeks of pregnancy..im an emotional eater....So you can imagine ive been packing on the pounds....i tried to get the band in 2010 but my surgery required 6 months of supervised nutrition n weight lost so i quit.....few years later i have a different insurance and went to a seminar late february, had a consult march 5th n was advised the sleeve was a better option....the sleeve was ruled out because m…

Anyone else at that time?

Ok, so maybe I’m a tad off, but I am still CELEBRATING! I had VSG with Dr. Ramos Kelly in Tijuana, Mexico a little over 2 weeks ago on the 4th of March. Last night I was having my dinner and it seemed like I was never going to get full. Now, mind you, at the present time, ‘never getting full’ means I’m almost headed to ¾ of a cup of Soup. I felt like I could just keep eating. I was bummed because my first thought was “This isn’t working”. Yesterday, I also thought about the concept that some call sliming when they eat too much. I was proud that I had not performed that little maneuver, but at the same time, a little bit bummed because it also made me thing “This i…

Today marks my year and I'm so excited I have lost 108 pounds. .. I never would had thought I would be doing things I would never do... I have lost friends and gained new ones... I still haven't told people that I had it done because it was something I wanted to go through by myself and people see how hard I have worked to loss weight...This has not been a easy ride in the park for me but I'm truly happy where I'm at now in my life I still have a lot more to lose to hot my goal but I know I can do it I just got to keep focus... Thanks so much yall for helping me♡♡

So I have finished my 6 month follow up that my insurance company requires us to do. All test, evaluations, and blood work has been submitted. I'm waiting on the surgeon and the committee aproval. They required us to lose 2% of our body weight, however when I weighed in, I was off by 1 pound from my goal. Unfortunately due to my cycle which tends to weigh me down. Im trying to stay focus and positive I hope this does not hold me back, that's what I am scared of. Praying this won't hold me back, I should get a phone call from the committe next Thursday for a decision, I really want and need this so..... bad, ughh the anxiety is killing me.

Yup had indigestion and burning lots of gas. It looks like it will be indefinitely

I have about 9cc in a 11cc band and can still eat way too much. Lost 50 pounds fast but have but 25 back on. Maybe my band needs to be almost full?

At my 6 month post -op visit (I went 2 weeks early) my surgeon wants to make a poster of my 5 month pictures.. He called it a "total transformation". I find this ironic since I have never willingly showed pictures of myself in the past. I only made my before and after for this forum. I definitely have some body conscious issues and I am trying to work on them. I work for the same company that is associated with the hospital where I had my surgery, so it is pretty awkward for me. I'm a nurse at a sister medical center so many coworkers would see this. I have not kept my VGS a secret, but I hadn't broadcast it, either . While I am flattered, I kind of feel like it's…

I am finally down 100 pounds!!!! Only 40 more until I hit my final goal! My weight loss journey began in December of 2012, and I had surgery in December 2013. I still cannot believe how much life has changed. The only thing that bothers me a little is I feel like I lost apart of me? Like my jolliness isn't there anymore LOL! But nothing tastes better than skinny feels. I will be turning 21 in September, and I've heard a lot of horror stories about patients turning into alcoholics after surgery. Anyone have anything they can share about this? Also, I am running through jeans like no tomorrow. Any advice for clothing tips since they will only last for a short time befor…

Hello, I'm going to Stanford for my sleeve in a couple weeks and I was just anxious and nervous about it. It would be great to hear other people's opinions and experiences with Stanford and Dr Rivas.

Y niece is going for surgery and they are telling her to get the bypass not the sleeve because, know no one has had long another!!!!

Hi! I am feeling so frusterated this morning! I am almost 2 weeks post op. Tomorrow it will be 2 weeks, and I am not losing any weight!! I was losing ok and then it just stopped. The day of surgery was March 3rd and I weighed 280. I am now 270.5 and it has been stuck there for days! I just want to see the numbers go down, even a little bit. I have a friend that had the bipass and a friend that had the sleeve and they both lost faster then I am. I know it has only been 2 weeks but I can't help feeling frusterated. Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks so much for reading everyone!

<iframe src="http://s1299.photobucket.com/user/LifetimeLoser/story/109773/embed" width="650" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Aloha, Just checking in. I was sleeved January 30, 2013. I started at 311 pounds and currently weigh 171 pounds. I have not reached goal yet. I am still happy with my progress, but I definitely took some detours along the way. Hang in there everyone. I know sometimes when the scale stays the same for more than a week it is frustrating, but eventually it does come off. Stay strong, count calories (or whatever works for you), keep active, and look ahead.

Copy this link for a funny reminder to be careful when you are at the gym. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KTQ4HnWP6B0#t=0

They said I wouldn't be hungry? I feel like I'm starving I'm 2 weeks post op and my doctor only wants me to have liquids... When will I feel normal again? I want fish and beans, healthy things...

Tomorrow will be 4 wks that I decided to change my life for the better. So far I've been doing great. I'm down 45lbs. And I'm tolerating new foods every week. I'm just a little nervous about going back to work and starting at the gym. Tomorrow I'm gonna be wiped out. But I know I can do it. No pain No gain........right.

Hi!! Can someone recommend a good tasting meal replacement shake? Or maybe a sample pack that I can purchase? I start my pre-op diet on 4/23 and want to be prepared. Thanks!!

Of course like most, I'm getting nervous but excited. I've struggled on my liquid diet, so makes me nervous about after the surgery. I don't have doubts, but just scared of failure. On top of it all, I broke my foot 2 months ago, and I'm still in an aircast, and prob will be for another month or so . I didn't want to reschedule my surgery until my foot healed, but i do worry it will hinder my progress. I am excited about the future, its just the unknown. I have loved coming to these boards to read about others journeys, it has been so helpful. I am giving God all the glory in the start of my journey and will continue to praise him as I go through this...well that's m…