Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

SMOKING!!!!! After 35 years I quit!!!! It was surprisingly easy. I used the nicorette lozenges and it was a breeze. I knew I had to quit before my bypass surgery in December, but, found out last week my thyroid must be removed so it was like DO IT!!! I went for my 5th surgeon appt on Thursday. One more and then we go for Approval. I had my gallbladder ultrasound done and like he said, we ain't gotta remove anything else. ha ha. Still gotta have my EGD but am gonna wait until I am off for my thyroid since I don't want to miss much more work outside of the surgeries. And, also, did I mention I QUIT SMOKING!!! I am so happy and proud of myself.

Have been banded for 3 years... My gallbladder went haywire last year and had to be removed. I will be the first to admitt that I have not made the best food choices lately. My situation is... I have began to have moderate to severe pain around, if not directly from, my liver.. Is there anyone else that has had or is having this issue? I have went back to liquids for a few days to get the "crap" out if my system. It has not helped as of yet. Any advice or suggestions would be helpful.

My name is Cyndi and I am going to have VSG on October 15. I started my journey wanting to have the lap band, and after going through my 6 months program, the physician informed me he was no longer performing lap band surgery. He recommended I look into the VSG and come back to him in three weeks. I googled as much as I could and happily found this forum and decided that it would be the best option for me. I am excited and of course scared, but after being heavy for so long and trying just about EVERY diet out there I am ready to finally make a change. Now, I just have to control the nerves until my surgery date

hello everyone I am Cynthia and I am 42 yr old , I am considering the Lap band. I went to a seminar on Sat. with Dr. Smith in fort worth and I do a consultation on Tue. wish me luck

Hello group, this is my first post here, I've found so much information here, I'm glad this webpage exists. So here's my run-down on where I need some advice/help. I have 120lbs to lose and I have been going through the six month process for insurance approval, I have one more visit with my primary doctor, and one more visit each with my nutritionist & exercise therapist. Yesterday, my surgeon did an endoscopy to check the health of my stomach and pyloric valve, and he says it looked good but I had a little bile in my stomach. His suggestion is that I have a full gastric bypass, something he has suggested since we first met because of the greater weight loss poten…

Hi All. So i met with my PCP yeaterday and he was very supportive of my decision. I told him that my insurance requires at least 3 months of supervised diet an he said to just start logging my meals and weight. What i really want to know is how will the insurance co. Interpret the results of this diet? Should one really strive to loose as much weight as possible or is that a bad move? I am afraid the insurance co. (cigna) might take it as " hey he can loose on his own NOT APPROVED" should i just loose a few pounds? Just to prove i tried and it didnt work? I know that if i stick with a diet and exercise for 3months i will loose weight but my problem is staying the course …

I started juicing to get my daily intake while im on a liquid diet and i feel great and i found a great mixer/blender what ever it is I saw it on TV it works fantastic! nutribullet

Hello every1

New to this group. Finally got a date. Can't wait. Scared of what to expect.

I am in the beginning stages, literally like I am just telling my dr I want to have the surgery. I have contacted my insurance and found out all the requirements. I also have contacted the Emory Bariatric center here in Atl and thus far I just need to have my medical clearance letter faxed to them. I have been procrastinating bc Im so scared, however reading the post on this forum and seeing all the support you guys show one another it definitely has me excited. I have the support of my mom who has lapband a few years ago and looks great and has maintained her weight loss. So I finally decided to register and join in conversation as I start my journey instead of looking f…

New here, how do you post pic?

Hello everyone I am new to this, so i'll start from the beginning. In October of 2011 I went to a new doctor for my high blood pressure, after my exam she asked me was there anything else I wanted to talk abour, I said yes my weight. At that appt i was 489 and BMI of 67.7. I am now down to 455. She referred me to Dr. Tran at Howard University. My first visit was in Jan. At first I wanted the LapBand, but with my weight ,I wouldn't get much weight loss, so he suggested the sleeve. I have BC/BS and I had to di a six month weight management program. I have now completed and I got my surgery APPROVED on Friday. I will find my surgery date on Monday. The only thing I s…

Just have to say that everyone here is great. No matter what you choose to do or not to do, no matter what your story is or what your struggles are, nothing is TMI here. Every one here is great. No one judges anyone. I'm so glad I stumbled across this. everyone offers their support and recommendations.

I am usually pretty cynical about online groups and whatnot, but I have been reading through posts on here and decided to give this a shot. I just got approved for my surgery a couple of days ago, it is looking like I am going to have it in October (I am still trying to save up some money). Reading about the surgery makes me more nervous on some fronts and less on others. I have some added stresses into the surgery, such as the fact that I am Bipolar II and have been dealing with that for several years now. I have virtually no one around me supporting this, or those who do are very clueless in what they are actually supporting. At the same time -- I don't really want …

As very informative showed lots of statistics and layer out all the negative and not in a bad way. They wanted us as I informed as possible. We all hear and see all the success stories but it's good to know stats on regain to put your mind in the right place. I am I expect a call next week to start the 12 week pre op program. Very excited. They said to expect to have surgery scheduled a week or two after the classes should we choose to????

Hello everyone. I have been lurking for quite some time, drinking up all the wonderful information that is available in this forum. I really think I'd have felt way more lost without all of you. I thank you for that. While I know that every individual person's journey is different, it's quite helpful to absorb the full spectrum of experiences, hoping that the positive ones will become part of my own. So I decided it was finally time to say hello & tell a little about myself, now that the time has come for me to really get down to business. I am 35 (36 in a week or so), currently weighing in at 265ish, 5' 7", large frame. I've been married to the best guy in …

Hello my name is Sarah. So I'm turning 30 in a few days and I was hoping to have my surgery the same day. My thought behind that: turning 30 scares the hell out of me and I thought giving myself the gift of health was the perfect present. Things aren't going as planned because you know, insurance. I have 2 little boys, 8 & 5, that mean the world to me and the reason for my surgery. I want to set a good example for them and be around to meet my grandchildren. Don't have a surgery date yet but I'm more than ready. Already on my pre-op diet. 4 days of no breads, milk, fruits or sugars and I feel amazing. I can only imagine how great I'll feel when I drop this extra 100.

Hi all, my names Chelsea, im 24. I had my band fitted in September 2011. From preop to up to 4 weeks after surgery I lost a total of 2 Stone, I was due for my first fill at the end of October under x-ray but found out I was pregnant so suspender my treatment until I had my baby, during this time I put the 2 stone I had lost back on. A week and a half ago I had my first fill something I had been looking forward to throughout my pregnancy. So the day comes and I got 4ml put it, im not actually sure of the size band I have though, this is something im going to ask. In ny liquids only period I lost 10lbs but now I've found I have no restriction so am pretty much eating anythi…

Hi, I am new here. I was just recently approved for surgery (after a 2 year battle with employer/insurance) and am waiting for my surgery which will be 9/24. I am ready to go!!

Hi all, I am new here and I don't know if this is where I need to be or if someone can recommend another app for me to try. Here is my story: I am a 31 year old and I have decided to have a DS either in September or October. I have done nearly all of the pre-op requirements and have only one visit left with the dietitian in September and next week I meet with the surgeon for the last time. I have done my psych eval and my other dietitian appointments and any necessary bloodwork or testing required by my doctor. I was also told that I need to lose 15 lbs before they will schedule me for surgery. At my last dietitian visit, I was down 12 in two and a half weeks. I'm d…

That i can go for the operation alone? Ie with out my husband? There are a few reasons that i want to go alone - one is that I live over 4 hours from the hospital, and would have to leave my home in the middle of the night to get to the hospital for 7am. And with 3 young kids at home - and no family to help i dont know that would happen. Another reason is that my husband would be useless ! Lol. He would either be to stressed out to help - about the op or too stressed out about his crops ( hes a framer and its the planting season now which is very important) having him sitting around( and probably on his phone all of the time) would make me feel more stresses out . He…

I'm 24 in im have my sleeve 09/27/12 in looking for friends that going throw same thing that I m frm va or anywhere eles

I'm so glad I found this forum! It is good to know others have similar thoughts and fears. I am waiting to hear the avaiable date,but hoping for September 6th.

I am at stand still for about 3 to 4 weeks. I haven't reached my anniversary yet. I need 40 more lbs to loss. Grrr.

I'm looking into the lap band and love this forum! So my question is: Do I need a referral from my doctor to see a surgeon about the lap band or can I find one myself directly? Thanks in advance for ANY advice!!

HI there, I am planning to have a gastric sleeve done. I will be self pay. How long from start to finish is the usual time until surgery? I was in the process of doing this here in my town but my insurance would only pay 5,000 total, and the local price was full and non negotiable. It seems like people are very happy with Dr. Heider at Lake Norman in NC. i'm attending a seminar there on Monday to start the process with him. Also, i'm a couple of hours away from the place I'm probably going to do this, so i'm wondering, do they do all the pre-op testing and evaluating (dietitian, psych. and medical testing) just prior to the surgery? I will need to plan my time of…

I everyone, I'm Karen and I'm 22 yrs old. I have about 170 pounds that I want to lose. about three weeks ago I had the sleeve gastrectomy done. the surgery went fine but I had to stay in the hospital because I was throwing up the second I woke up. that scared me to death and I was worried I had made a mistake. now three weeks has gone by and i feel much better, I had my recent check up and found out I lost 20 pounds. I'm very happy but I'm wondering if I should have lost more weight? I'd love some tips from anyone! thank you

I was sleeved a little over a month ago, July 18, and am down 30 pounds, I am right at 200 lbs. Clothes are falling off and I am definitely looking better. My problem is, I miss food! I can't find anything that doesn't hurt, even though I chew it beyond recognition, and I just don't enjoy eating. Also, it takes me so long to eat everything is cold after the first two bites. I manage to choke down a shake in the morning but I can only manage 2 Oz. Of food one for lunch and 2 Oz. At dinner. I became overweight because food, going out to eat, and just sitting around the table talking with my family was my biggest sense of enjoyment. I don't ever want to go back to go…

I'll start with a little info about me. I'm 29 and a mother to 4 girls. My husband is in the military so we have been traveling a lot so it's hard to make friends who understands me when it comes to having surgery. I decided to have surgery to get healthy for me and my family. Last month my mother passed away from a heart attack/ heart disease which no one knew about. It was so sudden and became a wake up call for me..... So here I am going through the process to have surgery after years and years of trying to lose weight. I hope this will be a place for great support though out my journey.

Today is 1 week after my band was put back in place and not adjusted at all .. been really hungry so i decided on eatn a lil bit of beans think thts bad? Iv got my band over 1 year ago and im down 102lbs

Wow! My hair is growing like crazy. I'm 25 days post op. So excited!!!

So...I didn't change my mind about surgery, I am still having it. I have just decided to have the Sleeve done instead. I have wanted rny this whole time until I met with my doctor and she told me more about the sleeve. I was under the impression it was only for very very obese people and I didn't qualify for it. Come to find out it is actually going to be a little better for me because I am so young and there's no reason really to re route my itestines is what my dr. Says. I've done a ton of research on it and have decided that for me that is the best route to go. Unless of course for some reason my insurance wont approve it...let's hope that doesn't happen...but I just …

Have had my Lap Band for 10 years. I have never had a decent fill. Always too tight or too loose. I have Optum Heal and almost at my deductible. Anyone have luck with them? Pretty sure my doc will do the sleeve. Do they take out band and do sleeve in one surgery? Any advice? Sharon

Surgery was this morning everything went well have been for a couple of walks which helped with the gas feeling pretty well

I am scared. of everything. Of the operation. i already miss my best friend (food). That I won't lose weight. and.... and... and.... and. I'd love to hear some incouraginng words.

Hello group, this is my first post here, I've found so much information here, I'm glad this webpage exists. So here's my run-down on where I need some advice/help. I have 120lbs to lose and I have been going through the six month process for insurance approval, I have one more visit with my primary doctor, and one more visit each with my nutritionist & exercise therapist. Yesterday, my surgeon did an endoscopy to check the health of my stomach and pyloric valve, and he says it looked good but I had a little bile in my stomach. His suggestion is that I have a full gastric bypass, something he has suggested since we first met because of the greater weight loss poten…

I am starting to get really nervous about whether or not I am making the right decision to have the Sleeve or not. Im starting to think I wont lose the weight as quick as I would like to and its going to discourage me. I dont know if I feel like this just because surgery is in 30 days and Im just nervous all together ... or what. I have done so much research and I have seen success stories on here about people so I dont know why I am feeling this way. Maybe because Ive seen a lot more people with the RNY lose it so much quicker and Im feeling like maybe I should go that route. I was extremely happy with my decision to end up going with sleeve a few weeks ago....Idk why I …

I am a cafeteria manager for a local elementary school. I had my surgery this summer. I've lost close to 45 lbs since school let out. This was the first week back. I was walking around the cafeteria at lunch talking to the kids asking them how lunch was and how their summers were. When a student said Ms. Luce you look like you've gotten taller. LOL Priceless!!! Just thought you might enjoy a little laugh.

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Hi, I am new to this website, so forgive me if I don't seem to know what I'm doing. I am 63 years old and severely diabetic. I had gotten the diabetes under control with Byetta injections, but now my pancreas is beginning to calcify. My primary doc seems to think weight loss surgey can stop the diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep apnea, and in so doing, it should return the pancreas back to normal. I've been researching weight loss surgery for diabetics and have found a number of physicians believe it should be used as the first line of treatment for obese diabetics, not the last course of action! If I had known I could have gotten the surgery done for stopping d…

Surgery Mon--8/27/12--looking for encouragement! 60 yo & eagerly anticipating my future! i gained wt in my 40s after a severe ankle break & divorce. Well, i'm finally getting my life back on track & anticipating good things. I have a granddaughter entering college today and a 9 mon old grandson whom i want to be able play with. It's my time and my new beginning.

Hi everyone. My name is Kate. I am new to the forum. I was banded on 8/15/2012. I originally looked into lapband in October of last year weighing at 254 for my initial consultation. My insurance required a 6 month waiting period. At the time of my pre-op appointment I was at 237 and yesterday at my first post op appt I was 210. The surgery went fine and I was up doing housework the next morning and returned to work the Monday following the surgery. I look forward to insights and suggeations from forum members and I am excited to be on the path to a healthier life.

Hi All. I'm 32 years old and have been obese all my life. It has been very difficult to lose weight and my husband and Best friend in the world are saying I should get the surgery. It's taken me a few months to come around to the idea of getting the surgery but I have no clue where to start. I have an appointment with my Doctor and I've contacted my insurance comany (Tricare) to see what the requirements are and I meet them. They just need a referral from my doctor. I have alot of questions but I was wondering how long does it take after insurance approves the surgery to have the surgery? How long are you on the pre-op diet? Even if the insurance company approves…

I can hardly contain myself! After nearly 9 grueling months, my surgeon has finally cleared me for surgery and sent in the pre-authorization to my insurance company...YAY! So, I decided to join this site today and was encouraged to tell my story...so here it is! About 6 years ago, I decided I wanted to have lap band surgery but was denied by the insurance for not being overweight enough. At that time I was approx. 230lbs. So, fast forward to 2012 I have managed to find myself extremely happily married to a wonderful man but 50lbs heavier than ever and ready to settle down and start a family. It has always been my dream to be a mom, but at my current weight, getting …

My surgery is scheduled for September 10th. I start my pre diet on Monday. This weekend my parents are keeping my 2 year old daughter so that my husband and I can have a hot date Saturday prior to this all happening! I am so excited about the future. I just want to feel better physically and emotionally and be the best mommy and wife I can be. It's amazing how much your weight can affect every area of your life. The turning point for me was this June when we went to the beach. I refused to put a bathing suit on and I had to sit on a lounge at the pool while my husband played with our daughter in the water. I don't want to miss out on those memories! That made me…

I met my first goal today - under 200 pounds! DH and I have picked out some non-food rewards for these little victories (scale and non-scale), and it sure helps get through those tough moments. wooooo hoooo!

Hello everyone! Again I would just like to thank everyone for their support, love and prayers. I am glad to have finally gotten the surgery aspect over with, although the journey is just beginning. For anyone with upcoming surgeries, I pray for equal or better results than I had for you. I did have to stay in the hospital an additional day due to my inability to keep anything down. I was in a serious state of nausea which depressed the heck out of me. I got so scared like, "I know I am not going to have to go through this for the rest of my life! Did I make a horrible mistake? LORD JESUS!" However, my wonderful surgeon Dr. Lisa Dobruskin and the excellent nurses …

My surgery is Aug 29th and I've been doing well on the pre-op liquid low carb diet. It hasn't been all liquid but I'm down 11lbs so far so I'll take it. But tomorrow is my daughter's 3rd birthday and we're having a family party. I purposely ordered food so I didn't have to cook, and I got food I'm not wild about so I'm less tempted. I'm dying to break into the potato chips, though. I admit it. GAAAAH wish me luck

I'm sitting here with my uncle watching Man Vs food (love that show btw) and all I keep thinking is what I would do to that pulled pork sandwich if I had just a moment alone with it! Lmfao seriously and what makes it bad is that they show you it in slow motion which is funny because my mind is already in slow motion when I see food I can't have yet. This show and many other shows have been food porn for me every time I see the burger, hotdogs, chicken etc my mental mouth waters!!!! And I mentally crave the delicious sin the television shows. This sounds kinda bad only being 9 days out but hey I can Honestly say I haven't cheated *clears throat* (yet) lol but watching cant…

I had a revision from the band to the sleeve. Band never really worked for me. Getting out of the hospital today...I hope. Not too much pain. Although I will have to say taking in 30 cc of liquid every 15 minutes isn't as easy as it sounds. Glad I found this site....will make the time go by faster. Starting weight was 337and a Size 28. Ready to get this weight of without the slippage, etc that I had with the band. #focused Home now. Feel like I am probably not sipping as much as I should...not really feeling hungry. Glad to be in my own bed!