Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

HI yall My name is Heather just had my lapband surgery on fridauy the 17th in dade city at pasco regional hosptial by Dr Grossbard went well my fab sista shawna had it the same day actaully right before i did we are ready to start a new healthier life !

Well it is Wednesday, February 15, 2012 and I am extremely excited; of course, it isn't good that I am eating my last donut. On tomorrow I start my journey to a new me and a life I never knew. In 2009, I took Adipex for over a year with a doctor in which I only lost 20 pounds and gained it all back. Since December 9, 2011, I have been on Weight Watchers and have only lost 2.6 pounds with following the program and even working out. Two weeks ago, I made the decision to start on the process of thinking about my family and what I wanted. As the mother of an active 8 year old, I want to be around for him and enjoy my life. So on tomorrow, I am heading to the doctor to s…

I am soo excited and soooo nervous! Tomorrow will be the 1st day to the rest of my life and I can't wait for this journey to begin. Check in at the hospital is at 830 with surgery scheduled at 11. I am most nervous about the gas afterward but Dr gave me the OK to use the Gas X strips, hopefully that will lighten the load! :wink1: Here's to the new me!

Hi my name is Krystyne. I live in Vermont I've recently chosen to have lap band surgery. My insurance demands that I see a nutritionist for 6 months prior to surgery and I'm currently almost done with month 2 I have PCOS which is what caused me to gain my weight I went from 110 pounds to 289 pounds at age 12. I'm currently 24 years old and I'm having problems conceiving another baby. I recently had 2 miscarriages one in June and one in August. My doctors recommended lap band for me. My husband stands behind me 100% since most of his family has had lap band and gastric bypass done. Our 4 year old daughter just knows that mommy is going to be getting skinny as she puts i…

When I left the hospital on post-op day two, the nurse told me I needed to start "stage 2" of my post-op diet, full-liquids and mushed or purees. Do-huh! I thought I misunderstood, so I said,"stage 2?" She repeated "yes." I had not taken in 8 ozs. Of clear liquids all day. I couldn't believe it. When I got home and read over my discharge papers, sure enough, there it was in black and white "stage 2". Well, I can barely get a drink of water down (no shakes at all) and the weight starts coming off at an alarming rate. So today (post-op 5) I started to worry, maybe I was wrong.My stomach did sound like a caged animal. Maybe I should at least try a tad of something. Anck…

I was 335 and climbing. 6'2", and wide bodied. I retired from the Air Force in 94 with a broken back (unbeknownst to me). Each year since getting out, I gained more and more. I went through the Phen/Fen program and lost 40 pounds, only to have the docs take the meds back. I did Nutrasystem twice, but I swear the only reason you lose weight is you have to force yourself to eat it! Weight watchers didn't help much as it was more female focused, rather than masculine. I worked in a psych hospital pulling 90+ weeks and boy did the stress drive up the weight. When I left there I was over 350, but luckily I worked hard at loosing 35 pounds, only to put it back on six months…

My family and I eat out a lot and thought that it might be good to start a topic devoted specifically to restaurants with great menu items for those of us with sleeves. This is just the first of what I'm sure will be several posts, since we eat all over New York City. B Bar and Grill 40 E. 4th St. NYC, NY 10003 212-475-2220 (East Village) I had the Tuna Niçoise salad. It was a generous portion of beautifully-seared, very rare tuna better than some I've had in high-end sushi places, served on a bed of fresh, lightly-dressed mixed greens. It was topped with thinly-sliced radishes; crisply-blanched, yet tender, young green beans; lots of perfect capers and olives; al…

I was just approved by insurance last week and have scheduled surgery for 4/13 (yes, I know it's a Friday). Yea! I've been wondering what others have done pre-op as part of their doctors and/or insurance requirements. I feel very fortunate that docs with DeanCare decided they needed to build a "program" when they decided to offer WLS. Since August I have had monthly "group" appointments that are a combination support group as well as 1 on 1 with the doctor, attended support group meetings, had a psyc eval, met with a nutritionist and attended informational meetings offered by the department. As part of my personal pre-op plan I have been on a modified very low calorie d…

I didn't have a drain so I can't sympathize with anyone there. Sorry. I'm sure that's a lot to deal with. I'm getting better slowly..... Very slowly! The first two days I wa in tears of a sea of pain! But daily I see imporvemmt. I've found a few things that help ease my pain... The "pop rocks" bubbles in my throat get soothed by using baby colic drops, gripe Water as some call it but look in the pharmacy section where baby colic drops are. Any are good! My throats sore from the tube and everything going down hurts,, so I melt a cough drop in warm water and drink that often. Been wonderful! Having my husband rubbing my back in circles helps me burp... A LOT:) he…

Hello, My name is India and I joined a few years ago but I stayed away because of circumstance. I initially started my journey in 2007 and that is when I learned that my husband's comany has a WLS exclusion for our Kaiser health plan. Yes, we have Kaiser and they will not pay for my surgery due to the exclusion. At the time, I was considering gastric banding but I wasn't working so self pay was not an option so I put it in the back of my mind and once I picked myself up, I started exercising and changed my eating habits. Well this did not last and I ended up gaining the weight back and more. I repeated this pattern for the past 5 years. At the time, I didn't r…

I had my surgery March 1st 2011 starting at 267 pounds. So I should be about 100 pounds down right? Well I'm not! I am so disappointed in myself! I got a job at McDonald's so that doesn't help! Living the college life of late night snacking and stress eating. I have even started gaining weight back! I believe im streching out my stomach;(. Please don't make the same mistakes I have made. Stick with it! If anyone knows ANYTHING that could help me please leave a comment. A trick or a tip that could get me into the same pattern as before. Any advice will help.

Hi everyone! So on Tuesday I went to my surgeon for my 2 week post op. here are my updates. I am 5'6" and started preop at 230. Bmi was 36.8 or so. I am happy to say I now at 210 and 32 Bmi!! I was super excited on how it lowered. I am looking forward to my next appointments! Happy Sunday and Good luck to everyone this week!

I got my band on Jan,30th 2012 surgery day wieghted in at 250.5 almost 3 weeks now and down to 243 is this normal to be slow. I get my first fill on March 8th 2012. I have not been very active do to the tenderness of the porthole spot. But it is much easier to move around today. So what might I be doing wrong or right???? LOL

Has anyone had a baby since surgery? My husband and I have been trying for 9 years.... I was sleeved December 14th lost 40 lbs. so far, I know I have to wait at least a year I was just wondering if there were any success stories? I'm working out daily... 1 hour a day , every day I'm still stuck in this stall, I do slim fast thinking about doing weight watchers also...

Well my friends, it has officially been four weeks since my surgery in beautiful Las Vegas! And what an amazing month it has been. I will have to say that I am truly one of the lucky ones! I have had absolutely no complications whatsoever. My Nanner has no lactose intolerance, no heartburn, no sliming, no irregularity, no food aversions, nothing...zip,...nada...zilch. IT'S WONDERFUL!! So to ask me would I do it again, my answer is a resounding YES!!!!!! I started this journey with a 2wk preop at 243, this morning I was at 212. I lost 15lbs on the preop and 16lbs since my surgery on 01/20. I have posted pics below and I may be biased, but I can really tell!! So…

Counting the days -9, until my gastric sleeve surgery. I currently weigh 242, at 5ft 2 in. Had my hip replaced last Aug 1 at St Joes. very successful, no problems. Came up rather suddenly while going through the pre op process for gastric surgery so had to put that on hold. Now I am ready. Concerned at all the posts about dehydration. Will continue to follow the posts.

Hi everyone, My name is Kelly, I am 36 years old and live in Tacoma WA. I am married and have have 3 boys - 18, 4, and 2. I have been interested in the Lap Band since January 2011 when I went to a seminar after signing up for a contest to receive a free lap band. Of course I didn't win, but it made me aware of the procedue and I decided I really wanted to do it. Luckily my insurance covers it, but it leaves me a large out of pocket amount. With having 3 kids, a husband laid off periodically (in the construction industry) and their medical bills to cover, I just couldn't save up the extra money. It has been on my mind for over a year, and finally this January I said enoug…

I am scheduled to have my surgery on March 16, 2012 and my husband will be with me all day for three days after surgery, but then he has to return to work, so I will be by myself from about 4am til 4pm the days after. Will I be able to take care of myself. I have had major surgeries before, but I did have some help. Also, how bad is the pain level the first week post-op?

Hello, my name is Tammy and I live in Dallas Texas. I've been overweight for all my life and now that I'm in my 40's I'm determined to look good before it doesn't matter anymore also I'm so tired or being tired, I want to be healthy so I can come off of my meds. I'm so excited for this. I know my insurance says it won't cover this, but I'm hoping the Dr I'm working with will be able to make something happen. I also not sure what to expect from here. Been reading a lot. Does anyone have any tips for me and can tell me what to expect?

Hey Everyone! Didnt know where else better I can b***h and complain than here! So, Im 29 years old with a gorgeous 18 month old girl and a supportive husband. My older sister (who was always a size 6 ) and my mom are so not supportive and its driving me NUTS! Ever since I started my research for the sleeve my family have been so unsupportive of me. I dont care that they dont approve, but I have told them they dont have to like it,but they will respect my decision. I told my mom exactly what the surgery entailed and what my eating pattern would be post op. She even did her own research and commented that she didnt know part of my stomach was going to be removed. Fast forw…

Appreciate you all for the advice. I to have a high tolerance for pain, just a little nervous about the procedure, but I so need help with this struggle. I can use all the words of encouragement that my new VSG family can throw at me to keep me pumped for my day :D .

I need some help!! I got my surgery date woohoo but the following week I start a new job. I dont know what to do because it requires me to set up thr store since its new. I am concernedy body Wont be ready for this!! All feedback is welcomed!!

Last weekend plus i was really nauscious/sick just not doing great, couldn't hold down even Water, Couldn't hold meds down (not related to sleeve) DH and i finally went to er - blood work etc. - kept me for 2 more nights. Electrolytes were totally messed up. I had a bunch of those tests, Upper GI,xrays, drinking that horrible junk while while being able to "watch the interior of my stomach, pretty cool. Home/now woke up w/lousy cold - as opposed to a good cold? Just wanted to tell you. I also feel pretty guilty talking about what was a litte sick me, and not serious where we know others have dealt wigh more "substantial" problems, having a leak etc. Oh w…

Hey everybody! I havent posted in a while, I have been sick and have had a surgery. I am still recuperating from that, but in the process have gotten some of the best news! I have been approved for my surgery and I am going to be sleeved on April 2nd! ) I am super excited about this! My paperwork was submitted on the 8th of this month and was approved on the 10th! Super fast! I am still taking things easy and I have a ton of school to catch up on, but I hope to have the time to catch up with everyone soon! Hope all are doing awesomely and Congrats to those that are getting or are newly sleeved!!

Had my sleeve monday 2-13, and I am not gonna lie, for me The first day home was hell. Breathing right helps but dries your mouth out so Chapstick has become my best friend! The walking and having someone rub my back in circles helped with burping and I burped like nothing I've ever heard. But u must get out the gas the put in you!!! I went home tuesday and was to be on Water only until wed. The pain of any liquids, even my two teaspoons of liquid pain meds hurt so incredibly bad. I didnt get much water down. Walk walk walk as much as u can and don't forget to use your breathing apparatus they gave you! And cough after using it to expel that crap from your lungs. I …

Hey everyone! I have been out due to illness and surgery, but I wanted to post to let you all know the news... I AM APPROVED!! )) My paperwork was submitted on the 8th of this month and was approved on the 10th! Super fast! I am extremely excited. I have scheduled surgery for April 2nd. I am still recuperating and I have a ton of school to catch up on, but I hope to be able to touch base with everyone soon! Hope all are doing awesomely!! ))

Sry bout the double post. My computer went blank so I thought my first post didn't go through. Tried to see how to delete, but I didnt see that option.

Hi there, My name is LaQuita and I live in the DFW area I am looking for some suggestions for a surgeon. I have not seen anyone yet and would like to hear your feedback please. Here's my story: I have had 2 lap bands in the last 2 years, Both had to be removed b/c of skippage (prolapsed) one was b/c I got food posioning and t he 2nd was b/c I got a bad case of the flu. The throwing up is what caused both of these to prolapse. Not anything I could do about either situation! This is one reason I would not suggest a laband to anyone, Secondly, you still have to pay for fills. Two years ago I origionally wanted the sleeve, but it was too new and our current insurance …

Hey everyone! My name's Pettway and I'm new to the forum, and I figured now would be as good a time as any to make my introduction! I'm 17 and hopefully getting banded in the new future. As of late, I've been to the required seminar and have been approved by my insurance company to get the band, and am currently awaiting a message from Duke in regards to being assigned a team and scheduling an appointment. In the meantime, I've been doing more research about adjusting to the Lap Band and the types of life style changes that it will entail, so as to be better prepared. At the moment however, one of my major questions is this: How do you talk to your friends about …

Tuesday, March 6th which means I start my pre-op diet this Tuesday ) VERY worried about this part of all of it. How will I ever survive? I imagine it being like being addicted to drugs or alcohol and just stopping cold turkey!! Any advice???

I'm getting ready to go home from the hospital today. I am doing great. No surgical pain or problems to speak of. I logged three miles on the walking track in less than an hour this morning; for a grand total of 6 miles post-surgery. The only thing that has bothered me are esophageal spasms. This is monstrous pain. My doc said mine was worsened by some of the meds I have to take on a regular basis. He told me that it should ease up over the next couple of days (thank God!). I have GREAT restriction. I can barely even sip. My Nae-Nae is a very tight 32 French. I am very pleased, it will just take adjusting to. I have also received some nice gifts while here; an extra lar…

I have been lurking around the forum for a year and have finally decided to get the lab band. I am 38, and I have 4 kids and I am at my highest weight 265. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2006 when my youngest was 3 months old. After 3 surgeries and 3 radiation treatments it is gone. I have spent the last 5 years dealing with depression eating, and self pity, and anger eating till I ate myself to being this big. My 10 yr old son is embarrassed to be seen with me if an kids from school might be around, he was teased really bad by a couple of classmates a few years ago. I am so ashamed that I let myself get this big. I am beyond ready to start this new part of my li…

Well I'm not on here as much as I'd like to be. I thought I'd give an 8 month post of sleeve update. If you would have asked me in the beginning I would have said I'd be happy just to lose 25 lbs. I had serious doubts I could ever hit the 50 lbs lost mark. IF I'm really being honest I was petrified I would be one of the ones that didn't lose anything. However here I am 8 months out. I have lost just over 76 lbs and I am so proud of myself. I can't believe it. I never thought I could actually get close to my goal weight of 150lbs. However I am now 17 lbs from that goals and I am thinking I just may even go under that to be technically a "normal" weight. Though I find that …

I feel sort of lost in this sleeve world, I started out trying to get the DS but because of my thyroid cancer I was told I could only get sleeved for right now. I started out at a pre op weight of 288 and I now weigh 251 , my surgery was Dec. 14th, I'm feeling not as successful because it will be 2 months and I haven't lost a lb since January 14th, has anyone else had this slow down is this normal? I don't eat sugar, fat, i throw up a lot due to stuff not staying down and I drink all day water, milk and crystal light....I excercise for 1 hour a day and the weight is still not coming off..starting to feel like it might have been a mistake.

Hello everyone I'm soooo excited about getting the lapband (scheduled for 3/1/12). At first I was a little nervous, but after reading so many of your stories about the amount of weight you guys are losing has me feeling like I made the right decision. Thanks for your posting, it really helps the beginners

On this morning, I had my first appointment with Dr. A. Cribbins. The staff was exceptional and made me feel real comfortable. Upon seeing Dr. Cribbins, I was informed I weighted 260 pounds at my height of 5'4" and indeed morbid obese. For a second my heart drop, but I knew my main reason for starting this process. The best news of all was that due to my prior supervised medical weight lost, that I wouldn't have to wait the six months. So I was overly excited from that point. Dr. Cribbins came in and provided a very detailed explanation of everything and even answered my 15 questions which so much detail. Today really showed me that after years of trying to drop this we…

Good Afternoon, My sleeve was preformed on Jan 6th. I waited almost 9 months for the procedure and the day finally came... I started out weighing in at 335lbs. At almost 6 weeks post-op I am down a total of 49 Lbs. 17 of these were lost the 2 weeks before the surgery, and the rest after....I have a few issues that I need advice on. First is that I have been stuck at 49lbs down for almost 2 weeks.. I'm not losing.. I hate the scale but am drawn to it...... What is going on? Did I lose too much too fast? am I doomed? Second is that I am having a hard time relearning how to eat... I feel I eat to fast and take big bites, then the food sits at the stomach opening a…

<a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wEFWFoR/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wEFWFoR/weight.png"></a> I had a huge hiatal hernia. I was literally panting when I tried to walk because there was no room for my lungs to expand. I had an excellent surgeon who put my stomach back where it belonged and made it into a sleeve. I stayed 5 days in the hospital. This is the end of the third week and I am still having problems with foaming and tossing. I started off at 242 pounds (I'm 5'9"). Right now I weigh 204. The too rapid weight loss is from constantly throwing up.

Sorry if this is TMI.. but what I would give to burp and... ___ . I have been having gas pian since I woke up from the surgery. They had given me different medicine in the hospital for it but if I wasn't falling asleep then the pain really didn't go away. I'm at home and have been taking Gas x strips. But I'm discouraged because due to the pain I can't tell if Im' full from eating. Granted I havent been able to take much in but I dont think Im getting enough. Today is day 4 and i'm at home... so I can try to stick to the regimen in place. If anyone has been through this some encouragement is all I really need right now.

I got approved today from my insurance company:) My doctor's office called to schedule the pre-op visit but I was in a meeting and they were closed when I got out, so I will call first thing tomorrow. I am so excited! I was beginning to think this was never going to happen!! I am so ready!!

I was sleeved yesterday on Valentine's day. I wasn't quite prepared for all the gas pains that I had. The surgery went well and my doctor told me that I had one of the largest stomachs that he has come across. I still have one more night in the hospital. Tomorrow morning they will do an upper GI to make sure there are no leaks. I am so happy this part of my journey is over...

Hi fellow Sleevers...my name is Victoria from India! Just did a VSG 4 days back. I am 36 years old and weighed a 100.2 kgs before i went for the procedure. My height is 5.6" and from my frame, a lot of people said i really didn't need the surgery...'Don't alter what God has gifted!', they said!! I was never obese in my twenties...but after my daughter (who is 7 now), I started putting on a LOT of weight...rich Indian food piled on more adipose tissue! Fortunately, I did not have any thyroid, Diabetics, blood pressure or cholesterol! I was fit...was able to run around etc without huffing and puffing...but I wanted to look slimmer and prettier...and I was worried that my ob…

Hello. I am new to the site. That's why I have no pic yet but I'll be putting one up soon. But I digress. I am so happy!! I got a call from my surgeon's office today asking me to pick a surgery date!!! I haven't gotten insurance approval yet but I am praying that things will be in my favor. I love that there is a place for people to share their experiences. Talk to you all a little later!!!!

I've been on the list for about a week now but haven't really introduced myself. I am 48 years old and currently weigh 255, I have lost 15 pounds in the last month or so tracking food on myfitnesspal.com I looked into the lapband in Jan of 2011 but at that time I had lost 70 pounds doing Weight Watchers on my own and was down to 232 and hadn't gained any of it back. I got off track last year and ended up gaining back about 38 pounds. I decided to look back into Weight Loss Surgery Jan of this year. I had thought about the sleeve and when I found out my health insurance covers it now (Health Alliance) I was thinking it would be the best route to go. I am going through …

March 24th will be 1 year. Weight loss has slowed as I still drink a lot, but so far I've lost 152lbs. I have gone from 379 to 227. I feel great. I get hit on in the grocery store. This has been an amazing ride. I'm so lucky to have had this resource to learn and help me thru my journey. For those of you still thinking about this, it is a non issue. Just do it! This is the best thing thats ever happened to me! Fly

I have not been scheduled yet for very much on this journey but in 2 weeks I have an appointment with my family doctor to have them varify that I am qualified as well as to pick her brain on the surgery. The surgeon I want to go to requires the future patient to attend one of his seminars before even being considered. So I guess that is my first step and I pray that I succeed quickly. I don't think I have ever felt so confident with one of my decisions as I do with this one. I hope the process goes fast because I don't know how I will feel if I have to wait a year. But any advise from others would be great!

Came home yesterday. Was in a ton of pain and could not get even a teaspoon of water down without feeling like someone was stabbing my stomach. I was ordered to not start anything but stay on water for one more day! I was hungry and thirsty and had horrible dry mouth. Chapstick helps and I finally sucked on a cough drop cause my throat was so dry I couldn't swallow. Getting up and out of bed was very hard. I have my husband helping me do that and rubbing my back while I walk so I can burp! Gotta burp it all but it really hurts so its hard not to tense up, but I know I gotta try and breath. I'm a side sleeper and that wasn't possible last night at all. I had couch p…

Hi everyone they started my surgery somewhere round 1:30pm yesterday. My inscisions are doing great almost, no pain or swelling. I do have a boat load of the gas trapped under my diaphragm though that we just can't seem to get unstuck. It is causing esophageal spasms that feel like labour pains in the chest. I have cried off and on all night. I didn't even do that when I had a baby natural. We found out that I was allergic to morphine when I crashed and stopped breathing. The veins in my arm looked as if someone had taken a magic marker and traced them. None of the healthcare workers had ever seen anything like it. They swapped my pain killer to Dillodid and put me on V…

I had a lap band and plication surgery on 1/23/2012. During my pre-op appointment, I was 196lbs and 194 the day of surgery. When I went for my 1wk check-up, I was still 191.5lbs and was completely admonished, as if I should never have wasted the time/money on the surgery. It was horrible! The surgeon suggested it was not possible that I could have lost only 4.5lbs and that I must be consuming tons of sugary drinks. Truthfully, I cheated once with some ice cream, on one day. Other than that I had liquids only and fewer than 30g carbs per day. Due to the plication, it just was not possible that I could really have eaten yet. It's now day 19, and I'm 189.6lbs. I have had on…

Had surgery yesterday. My surgeon had pushed me back a bit cause his bypass patient had issues, so the wait gave me time to have a crying spell while talking I my kids an husband in the pre-op room.;( Once they took me back the worst thing prior was the belly shot! Hurt like hell and stung bad for a bit after too. In the OR the doctor said "ok you're gonna get your sleepy time drugs now", I remember laughing and saying "how long will it taaaaaaaa...." haha that was it! In recovery room it took me a while to open my eyes. I could hear but hard a hard time coming too. I couldn't focus cause I was very dizzy and a little nasueas. I asked for my husband and ice chips an…