Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hi everyone, I am trying to find locals in Alaska that have had the lap band...I am planning on getting one in Mexico soon, and it's been very hard to find someone in a similar situation locally...I would appreciate it if anyone out there wanted to meet up or talk? Thanks:) Annie

Well, what a roller coaster ride. Certainly lots of ups and downs. Not sure of lbs but I've lost 55kg. Its taken 4 years but worth the journey.

Well, I am sleeved! Everything started at 10:20am, and I've been in my room since 3:30. I have a little pain in stomach but not much. I think I need to walk a little bit more.

I'm one week post op. And have been moved to soft diet. Any ideas I have been eating eggs and cottage cheese, and things like that but I want something the has more flavor. I getting frustrated watching my family eat "good" food. I'm craving a piece of pizza!! Ugh Sw 288 Cw 273

I scheduled my surgery and pre op appointment Pre op appointment is nov 27 and surgery is dec 26!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WooHoo !! I am so excited!!!

I woke up in ONEderland today. First time in 4 years. I'm so excited. I was sleeved on August 6 in San Diego with Dr. Meuller. Great experience, no complications. I have PCOS so my weight loss has been a little slower than some but a steady 2-3 lbs a week with one 3.5 week stall.

Hello I was sleeved on July 11th starting at the weight of 252, today I weigh 209 pds..I wanted to know i was losing enough weight or should I be doing something else to maximize my weight loss

It's here!!. Three months of prep and tests and now tomorrow morning I get banded. I'm nervous and excited too. Looking forward to seeing the results though. Scared more of the pain after surgery but here I go!! My life changes tomorrow!!!

Hi everyone, so I'm 5 wks post op and just about 30lbs down yay Me! But the problem is that I can only eat once a day and have as much liquids during the day. I want to start working out but Dr. said I would be too weak to do so. So I said Yah buddy really but I'm still gonna go for it.

First and foremost, I'm going back to work 14 days post-op COMPLETELY pain/soreness free! Second, when I was getting dressed this morning I put on a shirt that I haven't been able to wear in 2 years, my pants feel like MC Hammers parachute pants, and my belt that had several notches left 2 weeks ago doesn't fit anymore! I LOVE THIS SURGERY!!!!!! (Now if only I could figure out how to stay this energized all day lol)

Hi everyone I'm Katy. Well this is my first post in an exciting new journey... I am going to my seminar (Dr requirement) next week and from there, hopefully it all goes great... I am very anxious about my insurance as my BMI is only a touch over 35 (but I've been on phentermine... dang it! If I wouldn't have gotten on it again I'd be 37 or so, but Dr wanted to try it again, I swear she PUSHES that stuff) I stopped taking it about a week ago so hopefully (the first time IN MY LIFE that I've said this) I'll gain a few back :/ Any advice would be great... I'm going to look over all these boards and research away. About to write my Bio... Eek

It's hard to believe that it's almost here.

on 10th may 2012 I started my weight loss,, i weighed 84 kg (185 pounds)... today 5th november 2012 exacty 64kg (141 pounds).. that 20kg (44 pounds) gone OMG...so happy dance around the house and time to go shopping for those lovely new clothes ..yeehaaaa.. next step the final 4kg (8 pounds)

I would like to know people that have had an RNY . I had an RNY done on July 24, 2012 nd I have alot of questions. I am also looking for pen pals that have had Gastrc Bypass done that can answer short letters with questions like for example: Do you have any pets? Do you like music? what Type of music do you like? Channing

Anyone else experience their stomach sweating when they wake up during their first week post op? Ewwwwwwww!!!

I had my sleeve surg this past Friday. They discharged me Sat evening. I'm sore but not so bad about a 3 on the scale. The hardest part for me is trying to get protein & water in like they tell u. I guess I'll have take my time & figure it out. So far I have no regretts but all of these pizza commercials are killing me. I'll keep posting my journey the good & the bad as the weeks go by.

I'm two weeks out and I often find that drinking water isn't the ordeal it was earlier. Do you know if this is due to healing/ less swelling? Or have I stretched my sleeve? Started mushies today and I can certainly feel them in there. I think I'm just paranoid!

the day is here amazingly enough I am very calm and not nervous lets hope tomorrow I remain the same. I'm really exited to start this new journey in my life. and I know all is well because I have God by my said. Wish me luck

Hi all, I am 3 weeks post surgery now. Sleeved on 16th October. My weight loss started in February this year, when I got to 34 stone 10 pounds. I had high blood pressure, bad spinal condition, All made worse by my excess weight. I realised I had to do something. I have always been a big lad and just seemed to grow bigger. I opted to pay to have a gastric balloon inserted and had this in for six months loosing 6 stone. This really gave me the incentive to go forward with the sleeve. It took two years for me to get funding but this was finally approved for me in July. I had to wait for my balloon to come out and have a month settle in my tummy before the surgeon would opera…

Hello everyone! My name is Jennifer and I'm 28 years old and live in NY. I have finally decided that I believe the LapBand is the right route for me to take I order to live a healthy lifestyle. I will be attending my first seminar this week and am really excited! I'm really waiting to find our if my k durance, MagnaCare, covers it. Anyway, just wanted to say ho to everyone!

hello all this is my first post in here and im really in love with this app as i can get the motivation and share with every one with ppl who can understand my problem im a 26 years old physiotherapist,living in saudi arabia and am egyptian BMI . 40.77 ive been always over weight since i was a chiled, i really can't count rhe ammount of difficulitt that this issue has put me through. last month after one year of deep thinking, i decided to change my life completly, to live normal and to be happy again and not allawing any one to judge me cuz of my weight i went to the sergeon and im going to have the sleeve . on 7th of NOV im going to have my pre-op appointm…

It's my turn today!!! So excited to be in the 100's again!! Haven't been here since high school. Feels amazing! Even when I had the LapBand I didn't make it here. **HAPPY DANCE**

Dear Forum Friends, Today I met with my surgeon and decided to switch from the vertical sleeve gastrectomy to the gastric bypass. It is a complex decision. I still think that the sleeve is a fantastic procedure. But I've decided to switch to the gastric bypass (even though I am self-pay and it is costing me several thousands of dollars more) because, in his opinion, it will help me deal with my love of sweets/surgary foods. I have found this forum to be a source of inspiration. I will be switching to the forum for the bypass. I'm staying on the same pre-op liquid diet. I wish every person great success in his or her weight loss journey. I appreciate all of the i…

So today is the day for my band to sleeve conversion. In pre op and getting all poked and questioned. 117/90 is my blood pressure. Guess I'm kinda nervous. Should be done in a few hours. I hope I'll be able to get back on and post updates after I get out of recovery.

This is my first posting and I'm feeling nervous and exited at the same time since today I got my surgery date. I begin my two week liquid diet on Monday 10/29 and my surgery date is 11/13/12. I know that I'm in good hands with Kane Center in Il. I have read many posts here that have helped me so much.

Im 6 weeks post op and down 40 pounds exactly! I lost some before surgery as well. So I am down a total of 63 pounds! it feels great. None of my clothes fit me though lol. I had a lot of struggles in the beginning few weeks but im starting to feel a lot better now. thanks for everyones support. *Jess*

Hi! My name is Stacy and I began the journey to my new life officially 5 weeks ago, Oct. 2, 2012. I am a mother, wife, and teacher. I have 3 kiddos ages 11, 9, and 7 and a very supportive husband of 12 years. I have been teaching for 13 years and would do nothing else with my life. I LOVE what I do!! I have been considering surgery for a few years now...it was the years of dieting that never really worked, and the energy of my kids that I couldn't keep up with as well as the want to feel beautiful and sexy for my husband again that had me considering it. It was that insurance paid $0 of this surgery that really deterred me. After working really hard for a solid year to …

Hi. This forum is very unorganized, so pardon my netiquette if I'm posting out of compliance. I just had my VSG on 10/31/12 via Kaiser. I was released from the hospital on 11/1. The only major pain I dealt with during my stay was the hospital bed's lack of back support. I really don't know if I'm an unusual case or not, but I am a bit concerned as I really don't feel like I had anything done to me. Of course I can't chug down water, but I can sip an 8oz protein shake in 10 minutes or less without discomfort. I get hungry often. I even wanted to eat the day after my surgery. I finished the supplied bowl of hospital broth in almost no time. Yesterday, I introduced yogurt t…

Hi! I am new to the site. My doctor and the psychologist that did my evaluation strongly suggested i join some sort of support group. So...here i am. I've been reading a lot of posts and everyone seems to be positive and supportive of one another. About me, I am 31 years old, 5'1" and weigh 270. I have struggled with my weight my whole life and like many people, i've tried just about every diet out there. When i first contacted the surgeon's office the office manager was very helpful but realistic with me. The insurance i have DOES cover WLS but it is difficult to get approved. With her help i jumped through all the hoops and got approved. My surgery is this Monday, Novem…

I've been writing about my journey every Sunday for the past year and have so appreciated all the support on this forum....it's truly an amazing resource and I have turned to it several times a week for the last year. I am now just starting my year 2 as MFFS (MY Formerly Fat Self) and have decided to stop writing my Sunday blog as of the end of this year; I am at my goal weight and although I may check in from time to time, I think I have written enough about how this has worked (at least for me). But it's been a wonderful success story, especially since I am almost 60 years old and did this while living and traveling in many different countries and cities. For thos…

Hi guys! My name is Liz. i am 38, i have 3 kids (13, 12, and 5) and my husband is in the AF. This is my first post on VSG talk. I have been lurking on here for about 3-4 months and finally decided to create an account. This summer some things happened that made me decide it was time to change my life. I had sleep apnea (and i was starting to feel the effects of it not being treated) and I was diagnosed with hypertension. I also realized on a camping trip with my family just how overweight and out of shape I was. My husband, kids and I went on a bike ride around the campground we were staying at. I quickly fell behind everyone and could not keep up. My heart was…

i had my 4 month follow up today. They confirmed I am a slow looser. I started with a low bmi so they weren't surprised. Still happy with my results though. I should exercise more though

Hi all! I just found out yesterday that my insurance has approved my sleeve gastrectomy for this November 19. I wanted to share my excitement and readiness. I am a RN at the hospital that I will be having surgery at, which made this decision easier for me. I trust and respect my surgeon because I've worked with him countless times to take care of his post-op patients on my floor. We don't care for his immediate post-op bariatric patients on my floor, but ive cared for many of his other surgery cases. Its very comforting to know the hospital staff that will be taking care of me post-operatively. Basically, I CAN'T WAIT!! I wish everyone the best of luck

Good Morning everyone. As I approach my 1 year anniversary of my sleeve surgery I thought it would be great to share my story. I began my journey in February 2011 when I went to a Drs appointment and finally got on the scale, I had refused many times before. That scale read 327lbs!!!! I really wanted to cry. I then went next door and joined weight watchers. Did that for a few months and then started researching surgery. And had not heard of gastric sleeve, had been really searching bypass. In July I went to an information session and decided sleeve was for me. I went through the programs, groups and classes, and lost the 24lbs I needed to have my surgery. On De…

Hello. My name is Eric and I am.... well, you know. Not much to tell. I am waiting for my date with the doc; just got done jumping through some insurance hoops. Been trollin on this forum for a few days and like it so I decided to join up. I am still waiting to see the cardiologist and anestiologist... totally spelt thouse wrong I am sure. Oh.. and the food person.. how to eat, when to eat and where to eat... lol. 41.1% BMI, even though the online calculators say 59% the doc says that I do have a lot of muscle mass - my response was duh. He says that I should be down to 265lbs by this time next year and that is a good safe weight for me. Unfortunatly I …

I am having my sleeve on December 10th and I was so excited but now I am thinking that I may have to postpone it. My husband and I have always had issues but lately it seems that they are boiling over. He has been trying to get his business off of the ground and buy a rental property and there are times where i dont even see him. I have gotten so emotional about it that i try to talk to him and it ends up in an argument. I am hearing more and more comments like- if you arent happy leave cause he is just trying to better his situation and him basically telling me that I need someone else who can be what I want. I am heartbroken and scared that any day now he is going to le…

i got a call on friday that i am approved for surgery and i get to call and schedule my surgeryon monday !

I am as I said before getting banded on January 10, 2013. I enjoy reading everyone posts and am learning so much. I am concerned about the post where people seem to have problems. Is there any way to avoid problems such as constant throwing up and heart burn? I know that banded is the way for me to go and there are so many positive things that will happen for me, but I am concerned. Also can anyone tell me when they woke up from surgery how much pain where they in? Also, if you can take pills? Did you have pain medication and if so how did you take it? I am sorry to ask these questions but would like to know the answers. I am 55 and want to know if there are …

Hi everyone. This past Wed. I started my pre op protein. My surgery is set for 11/14, and tho I am hungry, it's taking me awhile to get "used to" the fact that I can only have the protein shakes. It's getting better, so I'm hoping I can do this without any cheating.

So excited my surgery is Nov 26th , pre-op on Nov 21. Can't wait to start this journey. My Journey... Highest weight 263-start of process-263-current 263 First Surgeon Visit: 10-25-2012 Pre-op Testing 10-21-2012 Submittal 10-30-12 Approved 11-1-2012 Surgery 11-26-2012

I am new here.... I originally scheduled to do a lapband this month but my physician had called me and wanted to talk to me before the surgery on Nov 15. So I went to see her... And I was so glad that I did it! She wanted me to check out the gastric bypass surgery before I choose what I realy eanted to do. She does not want me to spend twice in a procedure if the lapband will not work! So, i listened to her and canceled the lapband surgery! I am currently meeting with a surgeon for bypass on the 12th.... So we can start the process...

Hi, my name is Lauri and this is my first day on this board and I am still trying to figure everything out. I am just a little over 3 weeks post-op and doing fairly well other than I still get nauseated every time after I eat. It kind of takes the joy out of eating altogether, but I guess that can be a positive thing too since it will keep me from eating too much and too often. I started my research back in July after we got a windfall of money and I started looking for a surgeon that I could afford. I was lucky enough to find Ready 4 a Change and talked to alma there. She is a wonderful lady and my first of many great experiences with their company. I originally was look…

Hi, I'm Noelle. I had the sleeve installed on Nov 1, 2012. It took over two years to get there but I finally made it. I'm still in considerable pain but I suppose that is to be expected. I'm suprised over how much my arms hurt. I guess pulling my giant body in and out of bed to avoid using my abs as something to do with that. My left hand is also incredibly swollen from the IV. Anyway, no regrets and I'm super excited to start my new life.

Hello, my name is Tonika and I had my sleeve done September 26 2012. I originally had the lap band In 2003 and I was 374 pounds. I got down to 176 pounds nevertheless I started having problems with the band and I creeped back up to 288 pounds. I went In for a revision on my birthday January 26 2012, my liver and my stomach were merged together. The surgeon said he's good but not that good so once he freed the band and liver and stomach he aborted the revision. I woke up to disbelief he said I had too much scar tissue and would never be able to have any weight loss surgery again. I was depressed for 8 months till one day I said God please heal my insides I'm not meant to b…

I had my sleeve 8/31/12 and I've lost 25lbs. I had a bad infection in my left side incision that just healed up. I get discouraged at times when I see folks losing a massive and I'm still struggling. I get my protein (well most of it) and I have a hard time with drinking all that water. I have started walking 2 miles. Just keeping my eye on the prose!! 320-263 is better than only 10lbs.I guess...

Hi everyone! My name is Kim and I am 22 years old. I'm new to this forum, but I have really enjoyed reading everyone's stories and seeing all the support. I had the lap-band put in a little over a year ago and I've lost almost 90lbs. I couldn't be happier with the weight loss. I recently moved from NY to PA, leaving behind my support group meetings, I really hope I can turn here when I have questions and moments of weakness. xoxo K

Hello, My name is Lindsey. I was banded last Thursday Oct. 25th. I am almost a week post op, and today has been the hardest food wise. I REALLY want to eat. But I have to wait until tomorrow when I see my surgeon and she gives me the go ahead, to move on to mushies. Boy refried Beans and cottage cheese has never sounded so good! I am a 30 year old stay at home mom to 3 boys. Pre-Surgery I weighed 332lbs and I am no 321. I have zero energy and everything I do lasts about 2 minutes and it feels like I ran a marathon. My goal is 180 lbs, and I hope to be there within a year or 2. I am not trying to rush it, I've been fat for this long so I am not setting my self up fo…

Hello all! I am new to this board and have enjoyed reading all of your stories and words of encouragement. I am 45yo and have been on a diet since I was 10; the Lap Band seemed like a lifeline for me. I have not yet had the success I was hoping for, though, and am relieved to hear other tales of slow starts. My surgery was at the end of April 2012. A reaction to the anesthesia and side effects resulted in having all Fluid removed from my band for the first 3 months. I've lost 23+ pounds to date and am ready for things to move faster. Starting to see muscle definition, loose fitting clothes, running stairs with ease, and keeping up with my kids better than ever before.…

Yeah! I am estatic that my insurance approved my surgery this week. I can not wait to start my new year off with a bang! I have been contimplating and researching gastric surgery for several years now. Before I decided on the sleeve, I was considering the bypass. But was really nervous about the long term complications ( potential complications) I am an office manager for a neurology office, and learning over the past 5 or 6 years how many gastric bypass patients end up seeing neurologists due to Vitamin defficiancies, especially vit B. That changed my mind and lead me to more research and I discovered the sleeve. I told myself, If I can not get my weight unde…

I'm a newbie/3 year banded out of Dallas Texas 25 years old. In the beginning the lap band was good for about 4 months losing only 25 lbs. college student very stressed I started to eat the wrong things and found loop holes to not being restricted eating on the run. I became content again with my weight and on a student salary unable to get fills as a cash pay bander. So now I have gained back all my weight +5 and I'm ready to get serious and lose some weight, and today is day one. For the last year I have had issues with vomiting and stomach pain so will plan on getting it checked out before another fill, but introducing myself And hope I can get inspired and stop blaim…