Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

5 months post op 195lbs down from 271lbs

This is the second time that I have been awaken by choking. Gastric contents in my lungs. Anyone else experience this. It is scary.

I just joined the forum and I am looking forward to reading through a lot of posts and finding the helpful tidbits tha ti am sure are here. My surgery is scheduled for July 2nd 2012, and I am ready to start my 2 week pre-opp diet in three days. Thank you to everyone that posts on here, for being open enough to share your stories to help out those of us just begining the journey. Bigdogkc - Matt

I have struggled with weight gain since about 1998. I was small during my high school years but after marriage I gained up to 180. After getting pregnant the 1st time I gained up to 214. Got down to 193 when I found out at 5 months after my first child I was pregnant with baby number 2. I have been struggling with dieting and been up and down with my weight. I decided after my body feels like a broken record that it was time to get my life back. So I started my journey in Oct of 2011 and did not make a consultation until march. Now I have started my pre op diet and I must admit its hard. My surgery is scheduled for the 28 of June. I am excited for the chance to have this …

Hi my name is Lilllian . Well I am embarking on my journey of lap band. I am new to all of this. My insurance approved me last tuesday and I will be attending a seminar on the 28th and then meeting with my Dr, Krahn with in 1 and 1/2 to 2 wks after that and then start my next adventures. I am excited and anxious all at once. A little info about me I am 31yrs old soon to be 32 in August. I ham married to the love of my life Charles, 5 yrs come Aug. We have 5 children Kenzie , 13 (14 in july) Dallas 9 (10 in aug) Alex 7, Tara 4 (5 in Aug) and Colt 3 (4 in Nov). I am currently at 363, and my ultimate goal is the 215 range, i like how I look at that size. I am doing t…

They say the first step is always the hardest so I am going to make that first step hopefully Wednesday and go to an introduction meeting. My cardiologist has recommended the lapband for a couple years now but I just had a hard time with it. It seemed so extreme then last month my GYN said he wouldn't do surgery unless I lost 100 lbs. He asked if I had thought of the lapband. I might be stubborn but I'm not stupid. Frankly it scares me to death but there is still a lot of life I want to experience. I've been reading the topics on the forum and while I still have a lot of questions I'm determined to do this. To those who have wrote to me when I first signed in I'm sorry…

Hi, I've posted a few times on here but this time I'll talk about me. I'm 30 years old, I have been married almost 11 years, we have 2 boys, ages 9 and 6. I've been overweight my whole life. I grew up with my mom telling me about my aunt who was overweight but slimmed down once she started her period. So my mon would let me eat and drink pretty much whatever I wanted. I have a friend who can recall when I'd go to her house as a 9/10 year old and I'd have a bag (big bag) of Doritos. She'd worry about my health and I'd explain that it's just baby fat, I'll lose it when I get my period. Well, I never lost the baby fat. I did weight watchers several times with my mom, I did t…

im doing great so far...i walk little by little but still no appetite...i lost 57 lbs so far..everybody is seing thr diffrent...my surgeon is great she did a good job...srill no appetite still eating popsicle..thats all i like to eat i dont like the broth...so only popsicle and water and ice cubes

My husband told me he was proud of me! He said he was glad I got what I wanted and he loves me either way. When we met I was 220 which is a size 16 for me. 17 years later I'm 321(down from 338) and a size 26. Not even a week post op and he says he sees a difference. He has surprised me. He's been wiping my butt(hurts to reach around) since the surgery. He has bathed me everyday, shaved my legs and even painted my toes! I was so worried he'd be jealous! He said I'm a soldier for dealing with the pain without too many complaints. Although I'm quite bitchy because of hormones and pain. I'm a stay at home mom and he works 50+ hrs a week. He's been doing all of the coouand …

Going to my first seminar this Thursday. I am ready but scared at the same time. Food security blanket and all that. Doesn't help that I am a professional chef also so I have questions of how this will affect me professionally also because there truly is nothing I would rather do than cook. But I hate crawling up my stairs after a rough day running all over hell and back from my feet hurting, not knowing if my knee ( which I have wrecked a few times falling at work places) will buckle on me, or if my back will go out from my degenerative disks. And I have just hit early thirties. I just want to get off the painkillers and stop being exhausted all the time even on my…

Ive only been on this journey for 1 mobth. Ive seen my doctor once, had to meet with a nutritionist and psychologist. I also had to do a sleep apnea test @ 2 weeks ago. I got a call yesterday from the doctor saying I do have sleep apnea. I have to go back tommoro night and do an other sleep study to see which machine I will need. Im upset because if my insurence approves my surgery, and i lose my weifht,I'll lose the sleep apnea...right? If anyone is in the same boat or could give me advise I would much appreciate it. I'm only 23 and have to sleep with a machine?!

HI, my name is Julie and I'm in New Hampshire. I've just started the process of getting approved for VSG surgery. I've gotten my referral from my PCP, initial bloodwork, and H&P sent over to the hospital. I have my first info session next Tuesday. I'm very excited but not very patient, though I'm trying to work on that lol. Any suggestions? I know there are alot of "hoops" to jump through before getting an approval, so any help is appreciated.

I'm new to this but very excited. I have one more appointment until they submit my claim to my insurance company. I have been waiting for years for this. The first time my insurance was changed 2 months before my surgery so I waited and Im glad I did bc the insurance I have now is much better! Anyways, I hope to get to know more of u bc I love reading everyone's posts it's very helpful!!

the whole adding of friends on this website. Is it like facebook? And do people think you're weird if you try to add them because you really don't know them?

Anyone in Cleveland getting the lap band I need to know what is the best hospital university or Cleveland clinic ?

Omg, I thought I was going to have a hard time with my PCP, but no! She listened to the issues I'm having and completely understood me. I love her!!! Now I go to a class that explains the 3 different weight loss surgeries my insurance covers and decide which one is best for me. I believe it's between lap band, the sleeve, and gastric bypass. I think for me it'll be between the lap band and the sleeve.

I'm 32 and from Indiana. I have been married to my best friend and biggest fan for almost 5 years. I am scheduled to have VSG on July 23rd. I began going to my hospital's weight loss program the day after Thanksgiving 2011 and weighed 494. I'm down to 453 and have a final goal weight of 200. I am a teacher on summer vacation so this is the best time for me to do this. My husband and I have tried to get pregnant for 4 years and everything checks with both of us. My weight seems to be the only obstacle. I am ashamed that I have let myself get as big as I have but I know that I will never be this big again. I am hopeful that in a couple years, we'll be able to start the fami…

Y surgery is on July 17 and I would like to know if anyone here bought a book the help them or can tell me which books I should buy ?

I got approved June 7th, went in for testing June 12th, and now I am scheduled for surgery ON JUNE 28th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It feels like this journey has taken forever but really only since March. I am so excited to finally get my life back on the right healthy track. Started my pre-surgery diet today! Any tips on recovery, food to eat/not to eat or just some good ol' advice would be greatly appreciated

For some reason on my desktop at home, my LBT looks like my cellphone app. Can anyone help with that?

Okay so I am new to this site and have found so much useful information and it's great to have a large group of women on here that have been through every stage of this process. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I am going to request for a referral to have the sleeve!! I am so excited and more than ready to begin my journey. My husband is in the Army and we aren't stationed at a military base, so I'm hoping that the nearest MTF which is Wright Patterson AFB will approve and not give me hoops to jump through to get this surgery.

Was so excited to be playing at the park yesterday with my son and my fiancé. We went on the see saw together a s I was so amazed to be the one for once stuck up in the air lol. It took my son standing on my feet on my side to get us to almost be evened out lol! Before the weight loss I was 60lbs heavier then my future husband. Now I'm 30lbs lighter! It feels so great!!!

Saw my surgeon today, talked with my dietician and pyschologist today as well .... Now I got 6 months to go of non medical weight loss, PCP letter and my lab work!!!!! OMG I can't believe I'm actually going they with this.... But it's for the best wish me luck peeps

Finally received a phone call frome the surgeons office, I really thought they had forgotten about me, looks like I will have my surgery in October because I will have to be monitored on a weight loss program for three months. But best of all my insurance is paying for all of it except $12.00. I'm super excited!

SO, I am a 23 year old female. I am 5'8" and weigh 260 lbs. I have been heavy my whole life, and college set me over the edge. I have decided I am going to jump on the "Band" wagon, and I was wondering how everyone's process went? I have BCBS, and they require me to do three things. Meet with my doctor, get a nutrition evaluation, and a psych evaluation. I am also hoping to be banded by Dr Olson in Nashville. Anyone else have experience with him? I am a mix of emotions! Happy, scared, nervous, excited! I am probably getting ahead of myself, but I am thinking about a bikini next year ! I know it is going to be a journey, and a TOOL for weight loss. I know I have to do the …

I just got the phone call from my surgeons office. I am set up for my first appointment to see Dr Hata. July11th.

6 months out here is a before and after. I'm on the right in the group photo.

My rny is scheduled for Mon morning. I was expecting something to go wrong with the pre op testing I had on Tuesday. But my doc said I'm healthy as a horse. Everything was within normal range. So here goes everything! Need your prayers

I am scheduled for surgery for July 9th...excited,scared but totally determined and focused!

I never thought this day would come! I need some sleep but I can't!

Can anyone tell me how doing the one week pre-diet was? I start mine 7/16

I just joined today. So far, I've been approved by my insurance for the lap band except for a letter from my primary care doctor about one of my medications. Last week, I had my first consultation and a physical. I have my psych exam & meet with a nutritionist this coming Monday. What should I expect from these appointments on Monday? What comes next? I am a Type I diabetic. I know that I will always have diabetes, but I hope that losing weight will make my diabetic complications fewer. I am a teacher and I am hoping that I can have the time consuming part behind me before I go back to school in the fall. I hope this is possible.

Today I am 5 days post-op and it feels like I'm on cloud 9. I am going through and reading all the threads and seeing such great ideas!! Last Monday I flew home to Texas. I miss my support system!! So I thought I'd join in here. The weather is REALLY affecting my recovery!! It seems when I get hot I get sick instantly. :/ I am going to add in more exercise as soon as I get these stitches healed to help speed things up.

Hi I'm new to the group I'm happy I found a group that I can share wat I'm going thu . I got my surgery 11 months ago I only lost 60 pounds n my weight is still has not gone done.

Got sleeved on Monday morning and this is first time I really felt like posting. The surgery itself is a complete blur. They told me they were giving me something to relax me before rolling me into preop and I have no memory whatsoever until I woke up in my room. It was very unlike any other surgery I have had -- I usually have a memory all the way up to transferring me on to the operating table. When I woke up, they were giving me pain meds and continued to manage my pain. Most of the pain was related to the gas pains. I had the leak test on Monday night -- I didn't think the stuff they gave me to drink was that bad -- I probably anticipated it would be worse beca…

Hi. My name is Debi and I was sleeved on 5/15/12. I can pretty much tolerate any types of food I have eaten so far. I never went to any classes, just nutrition classes and we were told after week two to go to soft foods and then solids as we tolerate them. If we have a hard time go back down otherwise, proceed as much as you can tolerate. As of week 4 I have lost only 12 pounds. Do you all think that's normal or I'm not progressing as much as I should be? Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Hi guys, I had vsg on tues, June 12. I was discharged home yesterday afternoon. I'm having the hardest time getting anything down. It seriously feels like I have a stone in my chest that moves up and down and expands. I have tried room temp water, jello, Popsicle, broth......it doesn't matter the content the painful result is the same. I have not had success with the liquid lortab either....I get it down and deal with the "stone" then I have uncontollable dry heaving. It is getting to the point where the idea of swallowing makes me sick to my stomach. Is this "stone" my new stomach with spasms? Is this the gas? I just don't know if this is normal and I'm in mega…

Ok, so I go to my surgeon's support group and last night someone said something that struck me emotionally. A lady was talking about how she wants the sleeve and her husband, who was with her, was against it. After she was done talking another lady, who also didn't have the sleeve yet, said ".... but you're not that big". Seriously???? We're at a sleeve support group and you bring that out??? Yes, the lady who said that was larger than the one with the unsupportive husband, and I think that maybe this lady was just trying to make the other feel better (compliment??), but I got so emotional and had to call the lady out on what she said. I was told alot by friends and fam…

Does anyone know if ghrenilin is only removed with the sleeve? Or is it removed with the RNY too?

I live in NE Oklahoma and I am searching for a support group around this area. Any ideas?

I am so happy I got approved and a surgery date. July 11, will be The best day of my life. Wooohoooo

Looking for success stories for people in my situation, I'm currently in the research phase. I'm male 30 weigh 280 and I'm 5'10. I want to get to 200. Anyone out there on the same journey

Hello everyone I'm not that new I've been watching and reading for a while. This is such great information I love it. I am having my sleeve done at Boston Medical by Dr. Hess. I reached the weight they asked and all the groups and appointments. Now they have submitted my paperwork to the insurance company (BCBS). Just waiting for my date now. I'm excited but scared I've been overweight my whole life and am done having children (3 girls) so I thought now was a good time to do this especially since BCBS now pays for the sleeve. I am having a little bit of a hard time with my 12 year old (the baby) she doesn't understand why I need the surgery and thinks I'm takin…

I am new to this and am so excited to start this journey. I am 280 lbs and 5'3. I have always struggled with my weight. My insurance has covered this already and I am just waiting to take one more test before they schedule the surgery. I was wondering for those that got this surgery what to expect? What was post op like? Pain? Discomfort? Weight loss? Preop diet and post op diet? How much weight do you typically loss? How much have you lost and how much time did it take? What excersise helps the most? Last question, what should I be doing now to prepare for surgery? Any advice would help. Thanks Sam P.S. this is for the Lap Band

When you break into the 200's after being in the 300's? I know from the 200's to 100's is Onederland.

I'm so excited, but so very nervous. I have alot to learn to ensure that I have the best experience possible. I know everyone is different, but it's nice to have support.

So my insurance approved me for the lap band! So happy I could cry! Dont have an exact date of surgery yet but starting my pre opt diet Monday ( protine shakes 3-5 a day for 2 weeks). I'm worried that I won't be able to make it through! I'm scared for the surgery, and for my first fill! Anyways I was just wondering have everyone else is dealing with their band and if they have had any negative reactions? I had a little from people that think I'm taking the "easy" way out. Thanks everyone!

Hi, Was just wondering did anyone who had a vsg have acid reflux before surgery and now that you have lose the weight and have several months under your belt, did it go away Pleeaaasse tell me its gone

I won't have surgery till like December. But I wanna lose 50 pounds before my pre op. So I'm like 300 pounds and I can definitely lose 8 pounds a month and I can be at 250 for my pre op. Because after surgery I want to no more than 110 pounds. Which i can do i 4 to 6 months after surgery. Been doing cardio and weights few times weekly and eating healthy so i can be in my best shape possible for my surgery. I'm excited for my journey ....