Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I had my surgery on Feb. 8th 2012 and had a starting weight pre-surgery was 315 I lost down to (it was my doctors requirements that your lose between 10 - 15lbs before surgery) the day of surgery I weighted in at 299 and today I am down to 282. I had my surgery at Pikeville Hospital in Pikeville Ky and my doctor is Amy Johnson, and I could not be happier with the care I received from both. I have not had any complications, however I have followed the diet my doctor gave me. I am 32 years old and have been overweight for most of my life. My parents put me on my first diet when I was in the 3rd grade and I was up and down since then. But after I met my husband (and got…

Hello, I'm going to get surgery in month..and a little nervous...does anyone have any helpful suggestions...?

Hi my name is Summer and I just had my rny surgery on 01-11-12. I'm 26 years old and have been married for almost 9 years, we have 3 children two of which are twins (boy/girl) they are almost 7 and our youngest is almost 5. I haven't always been overweight my whole life I started gaining weight once I took birth control and then with each one of my children added more pounds on. At my heaviest I was 250 and at my 1st initial visit with my surgeon I was at 247. I'm a week out and I'm now at 227. I look forward to meeting others who have had the surgery as well to share things with me as I'm on this journey to a new me!

Hi ,I did my operation August 2011 , I was 93 kilo, my height is 154 cm , in the 1st year I lost 37 kg , I reach my perfect weight , it should be 50-55 kg , but now I am 58 kg , I eat a lot of chocolate this is my problem . But was the best thing I did 4 my health, I feel free, confident, happy, energetic , I hope u all feel the same

I am happy to have found this site! I am in Seoul South Korea and not had any others to discuss my Lapland with. So, I had my Lapland put on Dec 16th @ an international hospital in Seoul. The surgery went well. I did have an issue with the site @ my belly button, it got infected and would not heal. I took antibiotics and cleared the infection and he ended up stapling the site for it to heal closed. I had my first fill already. He took out 6 and put in 9. Yes, I did say that he removed 6 and put in 9. When he did the surgery he had put 6 in the band. My first fill was done 5 wks later. I have lost 26 lbs. I have never thrown up. Two times I have eaten too quickly and fel…

I decided to have the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery last October after struggling with my weight all my life. I had my surgery on December 9th 2011. Best decision I have ever made. The surgery went well with no problems. I was allowed home after two days. Had no pain or discomfort. My weight loss has been pretty consistant since my operation. I have lost 30kg as of today. I would never have lost this much weight in such a short time without this surgery. I started at the gym last week to help tone and keep the weight coming off. I still have trouble drinking all the water you are suppose to in a day and still finding out what I can and can't eat, apart from tha…

I'm a newbie. I had my surgery along with hiatal hernia repair 2/28/12. I'm miserable. This is much harder than I anticipated. I have a constant gnawing pain right below my breastbone. I have not had a bowel movement and I'm starting to worry. I sip on water all day. I've take ex-lax and miralax everyday since my surgery. Nothing is working.

Hi my name is Kenny, 20 years old. I am from sweden and studying at veterinaryschool. I did My LGBP september 19:th 2011. The surgery took 35 minutes and i was up from My bed and walking an hour after. When i went home from hospital the NeXT day i got My surgerymovie on an usb and it was very interesting to see. Sorry for my bad english i hope you all understand.

Just wanted to say hello !! My friend just told me about this site so I joined! My name is Brielle im 28 I had the sleeve oct 19th 2010 I was 366lbs day of surgery and I am currently 233lbs..I have had my ups and downs over the past yr but I am still working to get to my goal! Any questions I am always open to talk! Also i attatched 2 pics one from the morning of my surgery and one from Feb of this yr! <3

Thanks for all the well wishes before my surgery. Its now 4 days post op. was a bit nauseous this morning, vomiting not fun. Sipped a lil water, took deep breaths, seemed to help. My surgery went great, no problems at all. Dr Simon is great. as well as Community General esp ICU staff. To those getting ready for surgery, I had second thoughts as well, while waiting to go to OR. Very normal. I researched for 1.5yrs. talked to over 20 people that had it. so knew it was still the right decision. Had "buyer's remorse" after as well, again very normal. No. 1 rule when swallow is do not take in any air, and sip, sip, sip. Take your time. I practiced with my protein shakes before…

I'm scheduled for Laprascopic Gastric Plication surgery with Dr. Brad Watkins of the Cincinnati Weight Loss Clinic this Wednesday 8/17/11. Any others on this site that have had the this procedure by Dr. Watkins? Very interested in what your opinions are. Talked to the Dr and just about every one that works at the clinic. Though some seemed a bit in the dark about the procedure, all were polite and very professional. Would appreciate any opinions, and experiences with gastric plication surgery as well. Thanks

I started this process back in August. I've done everything the Dr, nutritionist, and my insurance have asked of me. I got my surgery date last week. April 11 is the big day!!! I haven't really kept track of my weight for the past few months, I finally weighed myself this week and to my surprise I am 5lbs less than my goal weight. Yay me! The big problem now with having little over one month before "the big day" is that I'm wondering....what if I lose the weight and don't like being smaller and if I've lost those 20lbs on my own then why can't I just continue to lose on my own? My conclusion just comes to that I've always been overweight and tried to lose and when I've be…

Yayyyyyyyyy my surgery was approved!

Hello, So I am so excited yet scared! January 1st, I signed on for PPO insurance with Anthem Blue Cross just in case I decided to try again for the LapBand procedure. I had a *** before (Kaiser) who wanted me to go weightloss management classes for 6 months and a bunch of other stuff. When I got the PPO insurance, I called a weightloss clinic and began my journey. To my surprise, I was approved the very first time! I began my testing and now I am scheduled for my procedure on March 23rd! The bad part is that with the PPO insurance, I am not required to go to the dietician or counseling of any sort. With that being said, I am a bit nervous because I have not talked with…

Please give me some feedback of what to do. My surgery was supposed to be in 14 days and I haven't heard from my doctors office about insurance aprroval. I called the docs office and they asked me to call my insurance to find out what's going on. I called the insurance to find out baratric surgery is not covered at all. To make a long story short I called the docs office back and they said they verified that indeed they do cover the surgery because they called and asked in september. I then called back the insurance company and they referred back to septembers notes and showed they called only to see if a upper gi is covered. I did so much to get this surgery 6 mont…

Hi all! So I had my banding 6 months ago, jan 14th. Weight loss to date approx. 40lbs. I work and am at university full-time, so the exercise has been less than diligent... however, my question to others: Does anyone else choke...on EVERYTHING an all the time?!? yesterday i choked on sour cream! SOUR CREAM! half a baby spoon of sour cream. Does anyone else experience this? I have addressed this with my surgeon(every visit since october). we have discussed how/when/what i am eating...i am following the rules: i choose good healthy foods(protein) i don't eat and drink at the same time i use baby utensils i chew to toothpaste consistancy i take the 20 min to ea…

I had a divided gastric bypass 12/09/11. I followed all the rules. Lost 11% of my body weight prior to surgery. Ate right, incorporated protein shakes into my diet, exercised 5 days per week. But unfortunately 3 days out of survey I developed a blood clot in my leg. I was out on blood thinners and it prevented me from healing. I developed internal bleeding and 6 weeks later the slow bleed sped up when my. Like got to thin. I had to have 3 blood transfusions in a week. A total of 2 liters of blood products. I had to be taken off the blood thinners for 3 weeks to allow my upper GI to heal but the blood. Lot started to grow. The concern was if the clot broke off and became …

I starting my journey as of today. The challenge for me is getting up and down of my bed and getting a diet plan together

Kind of feel like a guinea pig. My doctor wants me to try the pre-op diet first before referring me to a specialist, "try this for a while and then come back and we will discuss this." Asked how long a while was. "check back with me in a couple months". Feeling frusterated, scared, and confused, to say the least. I'm 5'2" and 252.8 lbs! Thanks for the support and motivation doc (sarcasm). Determined to do this, I stopped and purchased the whey Protein and some vitamens. Has anyone else ran into the lets wait and see or try the pre-op diet first to see if you can do it?

I,m Angie and I'll be having my bypass surgery in may or june. I started this journey in October. It's getting closer and Im getting more and more nervous. Ive never had surgery and I have failed at every diet there is. Im scared about going through such a major surgery and failing again. Any advice?

So, this journey is challenging. There are the physical challenges and mental ones. But through it all, I am very happy. I feel like I can see myself changing for the better. Not just in the mirror but everyday in the way I think about like. I am able to push myself more, able to do more, able to see a brighter future. Thanks for all your support...I will probably complain to ya tomorrow. But, for now, I am very HAPPY!

Hello all, I'm 5'3" and 191 pounds my friends are all opposed to me getting the lap band because they feel that I am too young at 24 to be getting WLS. I am also a little worried about band slippage or worse erosion! I'm still trying to figure out if the good will out weigh the risks associated with the band. I want to loose the weight and I'm ready to get healthy but I'm just scared about what might happen to me and how loved ones will respond to me getting the Lap band... Please reply with any suggestions or comments. Thank you

I've been lurking here for a couple weeks because I was still going thru the tests prior to submittal to the insurance company. Thought I was done except for the psych eval, but hit my first roadblock today. I went to see my PCP yesterday and what I thought might happen, did happen. The people who did my tests did not forward the results to him, only to my surgeon. So, after waiting in his office for over an hour, they finally came in and I gave the nurse everything she needed to know to get the records from my surgeon. They sent the records over pretty quickly, and today I get a call from the sleep lab. They told me my PCP had ordered another sleep study, this ti…

Hello all, Im scheduled to have surgery later this month with Dr Ortiz in Mexico. I did lots of research and was satisfied with this Dr and his credentials. His facility has also been ICE certified. I was excited and extremely confident until I read some of the complications and struggles that others have gone thru. As of today ( March 1 st) I feel extremely nervous. Anyone else sleeved by Dr Ortiz or later this month.. Feeling somewhat alone, I've only told one person about my surgery date.

Hi Everyone, My name is Jen, and I'm taking my first step into getting the lap band. I figure I've got nothing to lose (but the weight!) and joining the forum seems like a good idea to get some "real" advice. Here are my stats: 28 Y/O female Current Weight: 311 BMI: 48.7 Height: 5 ft 7 My ideal goal is to get to 175'ish, which my DR and I agree is a healthy weight for me. Although that's still considered "over weight", measuring my bones, hand and foot size - she doesn't feel that 125-145 (the "healthy range" for my height) is good for me. I just got my approval from my PCP today, and scheduled myself for the next meeting at Ellis Hospital, which is March 8…

Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself...I'm Angie I'm 35 its old live in Gilbertsville PA and I was banded the day after Valentines day 2012!!!

I would like to start my story from the beginning. I have PCOS and my husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for over 3 and a half years. My mom had RnY about 7 years ago and lost over 120 pounds and has kept it off for 7 years. She casually mentioned WLS to me over lunch one day and it got my little brain wheels spinning. Weight loss surgery… did I really want to do something THAT drastic? I decided against it and decided that I would have to do this on my own. I dieted, I exercised, I would lose a few pounds here and there, then I would fall off the wagon and get right back to my same ol’ fatty self. Each time, my self esteem took a *major* blow. At the t…

i Found that if you use a heating pad it relieves the gas pain. The only thing is that you start burping and passing a lot of gas, but hey it's a relief!

My doctor's office submitted all my paperwork to BCBC Alabama today around 10:30am! I called my insurance around 4:45 today to see if they received the fax. The said they received a call but not a fax from the surgeon's office today. The said they told the doc a per-certification isn't required but they will need to send in the clinic data for medical review. The insurance said they hadn't received the clinical data fax when I called. I'm going to call them again the the morning to see if it worked it's way into the computer system. I'm not sure what all the insurance jargon means but I would have thought the fax would have registered in there system. I plan on bu…

hey guys.. a lot of you have been following my story & know what has been going on. for those of you who havent, let me fill you in. dec 20th i had my vsg surgery. week 1 was ok. week 2&3 were hard. i was so weak, barely ate or drank & i dont tolerate Protein shakes. i felt faint & would struggle to walk a short distance! week 4&5 were great! i was eating & had energy & felt good! but threw up yellow bile 2x. jan 20th i went in for a swallow test (leak test) & my sleeve showed a leak. i was hospitalized for over a week & had a stent placed in me on jan 23rd. since having the stent placed, i was EXTREMELY sick. fought nausea …

Hello friends! I am so excited right now that I can't hardly sit still! I am scheduled to be banded March 1st by Dr. John Weaver in CO. I am 31 yrs old and live in Blue Springs, MO, so I'll be driving 9 hrs. The great part is that my in-laws are going as well, so we are making a 5 day mini-vacation out of the deal. I've never seen the mountains, so I'm super stoked! We have 4 kids that keep me VERY busy, 3 in school. I have the best husband a girl could ask for, but when it came to being banded, he was very hesitant. He likes the "fluff". Well, the "fluff" has worn out its welcome. I've been fighting my weight all my life, and am now at 225lbs. I've been able to lose weig…

Hi everyone! I finally decided to post today, although I have been lurking since November! I have gotten SO much useful info from you guys, this is such a great forum with an awesome group of people! I'd love to be a part of your weight-loss family Here's my story in a nutshell... Decided after a lifetime of struggling with my weight to take the plunge with WLS. I started my journey last September, my insurance required 6 mth Dr visits, and here I am! Pre-op Monday march 5th and then surgery scheduled for March 20th! It seems like such a long road to get here and now that I'm here, I'm feeling really anxious :/ but I know it will change my life! I start my 2 week pre…

All right, enough of my lurking on this site. I have never participated in a forum but what the heck, it's time to try something new! I have learned so much from reading this forum, many thanks to all of you for your informative posts and discussions. After a lifetime of yo yo dieting and health problems, I am ready for a permanent solution. Last fall a dear friend had the sleeve (to date he's lost 110 lbs!!!), and I started paying attention. Had the first consultation with the surgeon and started my six month insurance-mandated waiting period. Last week I found out my insurance company no longer requires the waiting period, so now I'm on high speed! Had the psych …

Hi folks! Just joined the form to learn the good, the bad, and the potential ugly about this adventure I'm about to embark on. My first pre-op appt for the sleeve is in a couple of weeks. I've done my homework but admittedly I still have the jitters. I'm going to go on faith that things will work out and I will reach the goals I've set for myself. I will be monitoring this forum from time to time and will update everyone after my surgery. Cheers!

Wondering if there are any bandsters from Nashville, TN here. If so, who was your surgeon? When were you banded?

Hello all! I've been lurking for a few weeks and feel ready to introduce myself. I was sleeved on Friday 2/24/12 and am struggling the first few days post op. my high weight was 224 and post op weight was 210. I weighed in at 200 lbs this morning! Very excited about that! I'm struggling with getting all my fluids and Protein and I seem to swallow a lot of air and get hiccups often. How can I fix this? Anyway I'm excited to start this journey with all of you!

Hey all, just signed my consent forms. Now waiting for the insurance approval!! I can't wait!! Was just wondering if there are any fellow long islanders here. My doctors is Dr. Cussatti.

I got my VSG Monday @ 9:00 and am doing great. One night in the hospital, my Protein shakes (4oz) take me an hour to drink. Some pain, but not using the codine that was given to me by Dr. Acosta. I think I would recomend this surgery to anyone that qualifies!

Hi, I'm Cathy and I'm 57 years old. I've battled obesity for my entire life. I could get focused and lose and then gradually I'd gain it all back. My oldest son had weight problems as well. Three years ago he got the lapband and lost 200 pounds in about 16 months. He looks fabulous and has kept it off. I wanted to get it done when he did, but could not afford it nad my insurance wouldn't cover it. So, life always has twists and turns. I ended up on disability due to an autoimmune problem and recently got Medicare. I was so happy to find out that they will cover it. I had to get a referral from my primary care to the surgeon....done. March 10 I meet with the …

Hello everyone! I just wanted to share my (soon to be) experience. I'm so excited! I'm 19 years old and I have been overweight since I was about 12 years old. I have tried many diet plans as well as my parents shelling out $5,000 to send me to weightloss camp for the summer when I was 14. NOTHING worked. Then about four years ago my father had the lapband surgery and did pretty darn well for himself! I began my journey to lapband on May 18th, 2011 which was the day I turned 18. After a lot of effort and money invested I was approved for the lapband surgery on January 26th, 2012! AHHH! It only took TWO DAYS for my insurance company to say yes, and all we pay out of pocket …

Hello everyone I was banded Feb 23 and excited about it I started out weighting 367 lbs the day of surgery I weighted 350 and yesterday I was 346 how exciting but I haven't started my protein drinks yet not sure if I'm supposed to my day I have one cup of. Broth 1 16.oz bottle of crystal light and a jello and maybe a tea that's it I didn't NW if u could have them yet with fruit please help because Thursday makes a week and I start full liquids

So yesterday I went in for all my preop testing and fun stuff. I got to meet some of the nurses that will be tending to me after my surgery tommorrow and let me tell you I feel SO much better! Yesterday I was sort of freaking out and was actually considering cancelling the surgery...then I went to the hospital....MUCH better now! I can't WAIT! Surgery is scheduled for 8:30 AM and since I am the first one on the schedule I shouldn't get pushed. The nurses were even saying that my doctor is known for starting his surgeries early. That makes me happy! The sooner, The better! Ready to roll on into that OR and roll out on the losers bench!!

My surgery is in 2 days. On day 3 of liquid fast. I'm doing better than i thought i would. A little nervous though. I have a wonderful support system. An amazing husband too (ilu tim). Good luck guys!

Can't believe that in about 3 weeks I can begin my weight loss journey as a "Sleeved" person! I have already lost 10 lbs so far. I can't believe how fast this process worked for me---started making all my pre-op appointments on Jan 18 and will be sleeved in March 21!!! I am so excited about this journey and these next 3 weeks cannot go by fast enough!!!

Today is the day. Almost seven month ago I walked out of my docs office disappointed I would have to wait six months, Wow Time flies, in a few hours I will start a new journey, a new way of life. As I hold up a cup of a imaginary drink ( cause I cant have nothing) I make a toast to the transformation, the new healthier me, and to all my friends on here that have been so helpful .Thank You ! TTYL my Friends

Hi Everyone- I have been lurking on here for a while, but I am just now getting around to introducing myself. I have been working through the process since October 2011. I am in the final phases of insurance approval. It hasn't gone as planned but I am hopeful that I will have my surgery in March. Wish me luck!

Hello everyone! My name is Allie and I am a new member to this site. I have followed many of your stories for a couple months now but I was waiting until my surgery date was official to formally sign up. I have my pre-op on March 13th and my surgery is on the 14th. I am 20 years old and I decided to make a change to my eating habits and lifestyle. I don't have a lot of support from my parents and friends but my confidence in myself and my choice is what keeps me going. I know that this is going to change my life for the best but I am nervous much like everyone else on here! Any advice for the lap band? Did you have much support with your decision? I know that it is …

This time in 2 weeks I will officially be on the LOSERS BENCH. I am so excited that my time is coming. I officially started my 2 week Pre-Op diet and it's been a little struggle 2day, but I have a VSG buddy at work who is making getting through this easier at work, & I also have the suppott of my Loving Husband who will tell me that I can make. 13 days & A New Me!!!!!!!! Yay:-)

Does anyone have Molina insurance and was able to get the surgery approved! I'm waiting for my decision now and very nervous!!!!

I've belonged to both the LapBand and Sleeve websites for a little bit now. I've read here so many people who have had revisions to the sleeve from the LapBand. Yesterday, I completed the last of my requirements to get weight loss surgery. Today I spoke with my surgeon and he agrees that getting the vertical sleeve is probably the best option for me. He also gave me my surgery date: MARCH 28!!! I'm so very excited. I cannot believe this part of my journey is almost over. I had a lot of prerequisites to complete before I was able to get this surgery. I was scared I would be diagnosed with sleep apnea which would have made me push my surgery back for at least 6…