Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello everyone, I am Ricky and I'm new to all of this. Recently I made the decision to look in to weight loss surgery. For a long time, I looked at WLS as something extremely obese people did and never thought in a million years I could qualify for something so radical. I have struggled with be a big girl for most of my life. I've never thought I'd want to be rail thin, because I think curves should be on a woman. i do, however think I should be smaller than I am today. At my "thinnest" , I was very healthy and I worked out 4-6 times a week, depending on the week. Eash session, I worked out 2-3 hours and I was dedicated. i got into bodybuilding and lifted/trained …

I made the decision this summer to finally bite the bullet and get gastric bypass surgery. After years of telling myself that I had control over my weight, I finally came to the conclusion that it's ok to face facts. I'm 30 years old and a Type I diabetic. I've gained 60lbs since getting an insulin pump and each year I'm gaining at least 5-10lbs. I got serious about the surgery in October and went for my consultation. Right now, I'm jumping through hoops for my insurance company to try and meet all of the required "clearances." I've had a psych evaluation, endoscopy, sleep study and met with a dietitian. Unfortunately, I have to see my primary doctor for 6 months to weigh…

Hi! I am 42 years old and married with a beautiful 4 year old daughter in Northeast PA. I was born a big baby and was chubby and made fun of most of my childhood. When I turned fifteen, I slimmed out but in my twenties, it came back. During the Atkins craze I lost a lot of weight after going through a divorce and remarried. I started gaining weight again and was diagnosed hypothyroid. I lost a lot again on weight watchers and got pregnant with my sweet daughter. Since having my daughter I've struggled. My husband lost his job and the stress of carrying the family took a toll on my self care. My father and hero was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010 and my mom passed a…

Hi my name is Jessica. I am still awaiting insurance approval but if all goes well i will be banded in January. I am so excited but so nervous as well. I am 220lbs and i am hoping to get down to 130lbs. I have a 17 month old son and I want to reverse this hypertension and live to see him grow up. Any advice would be great! After getting the band is it like a constant struggle and war between your head and stomach? I am a bored eater and dont have very good portion control. It doesnt help that my husband is so skinny and can eat whatever he wants which makes temptation pretty hard for me. I hope this is the right choice for me Sent from my DROID4 using LapBandTalk

Hello everyone , I am nervous because the count down has begun !!!!!! December 14 th is my birthday, December 15th I graduate with a dual degree and on the 20th is my sleeve day!

My surgery date is December 19th. I'm excited but very nervous. I know Im doing the right thing but the lack of family support makes the surgery so much more intense. I go to my doctor appointments and feel happiness and daydream about the new me. Then I leave and hear how unneccessary this is from mother and my boyfriend. They are totally against the surgery. More or less they are scared I'm going to go in for surgery and die. No pressure huh... So to avoid any debates I just don't bring it up. Eventhough I can easily state the tons of pro's. My dad is dying of stomach cancer. My mom has heart disease. She has had triple bypass, and has had multiple stents. My gr…

It is weird but after going for all these pre-op requirements I feel more nervous about getting approval from my insurance company- and less nervous about getting banded

One week from today I am so excited and somewt motivated since im down 5 pounds since I started preop diet Tuesday!

13 more days left to go and the 20 will be here like that. Now I'm just plain scared I do smoke and stopping but what if I don't wake up or something. In 25 and age is in my side but still scared. Help me! Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

How do I go about reading member profiles? I have an iPad and if I click on the profile pic of someone's post, it takes me to a screen where I can view all posts made by this person, etc. and on the bottom there is a tab that says" profile." When I click on it, nothing happens.

So I met with my doctor last week and he mentioned I need to take my sinus meds. If I don't my sinuses will drain into the stomach causing nausea and will make me want to vomit. I've been nauseous ever since and even vomited twice. I've heard it's very painful to vomit after surgery. Anyone feel this way? Any suggestions?

Wasn't as bad as I was expecting though I wish they had put 2cc in me instead of just one, I don't feel any different- now I have to wait a whole month. Boo.

Soooooooooo, what do I do? I just got banded a week ago. I've been on LBT for 8 months, I need to join a forum. Do I have to be invited? Anyone wanna invite me!? *big smiles on my face right now* help

Hello all fellow sleevers....I had my surgery on September 25, 2012. To date I have lost a total of 64 pounds including 17 pounds on my 2 week Optifast Diet. I also quit smoking the day before my surgery. Three days before my surgery my primary doctor said that chest XRay showed a small nodular on my right lung and I had to have a CT Scan before he cleared me for surgery. Luckily my best friend works at the hospital I was having the surgery at so she got me in that day to have the scan. Results were sent to my doctor the same day and it was nothing....he cleared me for surgery....YAY!!!!! The morning of my surgery I was nervous and wanted so bad to smoke....of course I di…

I am soooooooo scaredddddddd!! Prayers pleaseeeeeeeee! Christine-Egypt

I'm ready for the operation on Tuesday morning. I have bought unjury chicken soup, chldrens muti vitamins, gasx strips premier choclate drink, unjury no flavor protein, chapstick, clcium citrate chews, and iron wafers. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Im 90 percent excited and 10 percent anxious and nervous. This has been a nine month process to get here. My heaviest has been 420 and three days before I'm 377. My doctor has me on atkins startup diet. Meat eggs and cheese with less than 40 carbs, less than 5g sugar. I'm going to go liquid sunday and monday on my own to get all solids out of my system. If anyone has suggestions please give your input... I wil…

Does anybody who had IBS with constipation prior to Surgery still experience symptoms since having the procedure? Just curious. My Gastro Doctor says perhaps my severe bouts will get better after surgery. I hope and pray they will. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Through surgery fine! Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

m going to a party tonight to watch the fight and celebrate a friends bday. my friends supportive shes had the lap band and knows somewhat of what im going through but she made it a point to tell me she feels bad bc of all the yummy food and drinking thts going to be there. i told her i wld be ok but really im going to be dying... lol im not physiclly hungry but ive found my self wanting sweets and food. help!! idk what i can do. i have even started to chew something yummy n spit it out just for the taste. it sickens me tht i cant be strong.

I'm 47 yrs. old and I am 2 days post-op. I need some support from people who know what I'm going thru. Food suggested for the 1st week,,,,just anything,

Hi, all! My name is Julie, and I'm having lap-band surgery. (Hi, Julie...) I've been overweight all my life, but in the past few years it's been creeping up on me. And then I had a baby a year ago, and things went downhill fast. My mother is on dialysis as a result of Type 2 diabetes, and she can't walk unassisted. Having a young child has made me realize what I missed out on as a kid with my mom (and what she's missing out on now), and I want to make changes now rather than wait for my health to take a nose dive. I also want to be able to crawl around and run after my son, while I can still keep up with him! I'm working with Dr. Michael Snyder in Denver, and I've j…

I know everyone here is at different stages in their journey. So, I am hoping that you have or are dealing with this & might have some good advice. I had my sleeve done 10 days ago. I had to do 7 days of clear liquids. I am now on day 3 of protein shakes & clear liquids. So, I am at 300 calories a day. I drink Pure Protein so I am getting in 23 grams of protein per shake. I am feeling totally exhausted & very spaced out. I am getting in plenty of water. I just feel like I need real food. I can't even tell you what I would do for just a bite of cottage cheese! Tonight my boyfriend made toast for himself & it smelled like the most amazing thing in the world.…

I think I'm over thinking this but while drinking water I had a burp come up and hurt and was a lot! I won't open my stomach staples will I?

Today is my first full day home. I had my surgery Wednesday and couldn't be more happy to be out of the hospital.

Hi everyone, I'm new to this and surgery is around the corner!!!! I'm mostly excited but hoping it all works out! I did some pre- shopping to have things at home such as: Isopure drink and Protein shake... Jello , Popsicles , pudding, broth..... Any other suggestions??? I keep hearing egg whites...

Hello all! God Bless everyone on the Forums. My first post! 3rd day post op Gastric Bypass by Dr Green at Plaza Hospital in Fort Worth, Hospital. Feeling alot better than I did yesterday or the day before! This Surgery is not for the faint of heart! I think the worst experience for me was the wait to eat or drink anything for 35 hours at the hospital...then having the barium swallow test sooo weak and the barium to be the first thing I tasted for that length of time. It tasted like terrible horrible chemical stuff and it had no flavor to it to hide it at all! Then the Radiologist just told me to chug the 30 ml...I could have pucked at him! With much pr…

I'm waiting. Waiting for my doc's office to submit my information to my insurance then i'll be waiting for a date. My surgeon is already scheduling in LATE January. I started this whole process over 5 months ago, where they said it would take approximately 4 months. I'd be more patient had the delays not been the result of clerical missteps and the fact that they can't tell me what more my insurance might require me to do, if anything at all. Getting more anxious as I get more time to think. I'm finding that sharing with friends and family is getting easier though and people are over all supportive, even congratulatory, with one exception. I have been lurking on th…

Posting pic update! [ATTACH]7014[/ATTACH]

Took a shower it was amazing just trying to handle t he gas bubbles !!

Hello, I am new and I am schedule to be banded 12-26-12.. I have research and research and listening and reading others comments I am so ready... I am 46 years old 5'5 and 209.5 with my BMI 35... I have High Blood Pressure.... please share ur day of surgery and the first week after being Banded....

Anyone else on the 17th??

I applied for the surgery. The hospital sent me an invite to the seminar, rather than a rejection letter... so thats a plus. At least I got my foot in the door. Not sure what comes next.

I have my first appt on the 18th. I'm very nervous, yet excited. I am recently married, I'm 27, and weigh 241, and am 5'9. (I'm a male). I've battled with my weight for as king as I can remember. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, seizure disorder, back pain, and has a stroke in 2009. I am also on cumadin due to the stroke. I've tried to lose the weight and have been able to lose about 17 and then I get stuck and can't lose anymore. I may not be as overweight and others may be, but my primary care doctor and I feel this could be a positive change for me and expand my life. I have Medicare with Medicaid. I'm wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation as…

So the docs not open this late, I swallowed this dang olive. I can't throw it up! Ideas?!? Please n e one

I just signed up today and I am looking for an online support group that I can turn to while on my lap band journey. I am excited about this and look forward to meeting new people.

so I've been on this forum for weeks now and so happy to read everyone's story's of success and now ill finally have my own story to tell!! today I was approved:):) my surgery is December 19th I've never been so happy. I'm so ready for this and to finally live a normal 20 year old life! - jackie

My name is Morgan and I'm 24/m and I weigh 337 pounds. This past month has been a trying one. I began my lap-band journey just before thanksgiving. I have had psych evaluations, meetings, consultations, doctors appointments, tests, studies, and procedures. I just found out the good news today from the doctors office. My insurance approved my claim for the surgery and I should expect a call tomorrow to pick a day to have it! I'm excited, but this has been such an overwhelming bittersweet month, during this process I found out I have moderately severe sleep apnea and now will have another sleep study on Monday to get fitted for a cpap post surgery. I also have surgery s…

I had band done2 yrs ago,and still need guidance.I can only eat 1/2cup each meal,I need recipes and ideas to keep me full for the day

So I get banded tomorrow. Lets see how this goes. I'm a little nervous and having a hard time falling asleep but looking forward to a big change.

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I live in ny and have Aetna ppo....for the past year I have had a bmi of 40+. My doctor wanted me to make a list of failed weight efforts, about a year and a half ago I got down to a bmi of 36 but then went right back up. Do you thing I will have a problem getting approved by insurance if I have no co- morbidities but have been over a bmi of 40 for most of my adult life?

I had my sleeve on November 19th. My first post op appointment was yesterday, December 6th. I've lost 26 lbs & 28% of my excess weight - woo-hoo! I've been moved to soft foods. Tried successfully 2 tablespoons of egg beaters this morning. Making tilapia & mashed potatoes for dinner. Can't wait to be free of those yucky protein shakes. Looking forward to the next few months! Already fit into riding boots that previously wouldn't zip. Great feeling!

I am 17 years old, and I am getting surgery on December 18th. I am really nervous. I started the liquid diet today and I am feeling extremely depressed about not being able to eat. I'm trying my hardest. But I'm so hungry. Ay advice from anyone who has done this? And has gotten through it.

I had my first appt yesterday .starting my 3 month diet today so excited!!my wt was 236 ht 5'3.

I am a 54 y.o. female that has battled weight issues for 45+ years. This is the year that I am finally able to change my life. After 9 weeks of persistance, I got a call this a.m. that my surgery is scheduled for December 19th. HALLELUJAH!!! This afternoon, I get a call telling me to come in for lab work because my last A1C was high (7.2) and they were worried that the insurance company would deny the surgery. Has anyone ever had this problem or heard of it?

Hey. My wife had surgery today here in Nashville at Vanderbilt. She is doing great. We hope to make some friends here and help each other. She will be on here later but she is doing better than I would. )

I've been excessivly overweight for some 20 years. When I was in my 30's I could take it off pretty easy. Now I'm 55. At my heaviest I was 265. My joints hurt, I get the looks, I'm constantly tired, and developed into a Type II diabetic. My Friends wife had bypass surgey some 10 years ago. She lost 150#. but over the course of time she has managed to put alot back on, so bypass never seemed the right thing to do. This year, after several years of losing 20, putting on 20, I found out about the VSG. I read the studies on the effects on type II diabetes, and I started looking for a surgeon, and program. Coincedenlty, at the time I started looking into bariatric surgery,…

I decided to get the Sleeve now at the age of 33 young, because I have 4 beautiful children I am finding hard to keep up with. I was athletic all my life until I bared children. I am looking forward to a new Life style for myself and my family. My husband who loves me no matter what size I am , Does not want me to get this surgery do to his thinking of something can go bad and that I could die. I tell him that I am already dying faster than most with all my extra weight I carry around. I love my self and because of my spiritual beliefs and loving family I know that I will feel great and enjoy my new chance on life! My surgery date is NOV 30th 2012. I am having surgery alo…

Hi everyone.... I first want to say THANK YOU for sharing your journeys on here. If you have ever been a pre-op forum stalker (like I am currently) you know how informative and comforting all of this correspondence is and I am grateful you all take the time to do it. Second, I'm worried about the recovery time afterwards. I've just been blessed with my dream job and can't really afford more tan the time off to have the procedure. Has anyone else gone back to work a few days post op? Thanks Sec

Hi everyone, Your stories help so much. I'm getting sleeved in Hackensack NJ in 4 hours. I can't sleep. I'm so scared. I don't know if I'm scared for the actual surgery or more because I'm losing my best friend! (Food)