Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

i am 5 days post op. physically, im good! getting down my liquids. maybe not as much as im supposed to but itsa work in progress. im not taking in Protein because the shakes are just gross! i know... i know! but im being honest. i do plan on experimenting on powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury soon. i do laps around my livingroom coffee table to help with gas. but emotionally, im down! i feel like im complaining all the time & i hate it but its because im so emotional. my usual "friends" barely call or text me. i do have sleeve supporters & im grateful but its not the same. i have my …

I am 16 days post op and haven't had much pain past the first three days. All of the sudden when I move a certain way I get a pain around the far left incision. The incision looks good and there is no swelling. Has this happened to anyone else? Any ideas on what it might be?

& sleepy!

As the title says??? Me and the wife will be going to a consultation the 9th of january.

Hello everyone! I am so excited to have my surgery date. I will have Dr. Nicholson out of Plano, TX do my surgery. I have a lot to learn about what's in store for me. I hope to get help from everyone. I am 46 and weigh 233. I am so excited and scared at the same time. I have not set a goal weight yet. Wasn't sure it I set my own or if the doctor helps me with that. Looking forward to giving updates often on my progress. Later for now!! Chris

Hello guys and gals, my name is Alexander, my age is 26 male from the Bronx, NYC. I was born here but am of Dominican Republic/Cuban heritage. My WLS journey began back in 2002 at St Lukes hospital which I spent almost two years doing all the pre op tests to actually be denied of surgery b/c I was to heavy. From there I contacted beth israel hospital and after a few months of going on seminars and such I got denied b/c i was to heavy. After both of those denials I decided to put the WLS on hold for the time being as that is totally discouraging. Maybe after about two years later maybe 2006-2007 I went to Montefiore medical center with Dr Gibb to seek RNY and to be denied …

I was so happy to have my sleeve and be making such great progress when the stalls started to happen-- as i knew it would. I have been at the same weight for a month now. I have been a little depressed with my progress and now the holidays are piling on my mood. I have always comforted my self with food and have fallen back into that zone. Top my heartache with the new finding that holiday treats slide right by this tiny tummy... My realism of the night - the bad foods just seems to slide right through and that makes me scared. I went to the Christmas eve party and found that every appetizer slide right down and my sleeve did not really make a big difference. I kno…

I had Gastic Sleeve on May 27th, 2011 with Dr. Rodriguz, in Mexico. I live in Florida. I have lost 140lbs since my sergery date. I feel as if im slowing down on losing weight, i work out 4 days a week and i dont really drink the protien shakes, does anyone know any protein shakes that taste good? Ive very picky. But i found protein pills i take as a supplment. I need advice on different types of food that people are eating? I hate Veggies and im not sure what i should do they wont stay down... if any one has any advice please let me know. Thanks Zuly

I am new to this website but wanted to find some support from people who have been there, done that. I am scheduled for surgery on 1/9/12 and I start the pre-op diet on Tuesday. I'm excited for the results but not necessarily the journey. How hard has it been to change the lifestyle that most of us have lived most of our life?

Hello yall, i'm new to this but I hope I can get some help on here. I had planned to get lap band surgery in March 2012 in Juarez Mx. The dr is going to charge me $6,000.00 for the surgery. Well I signed up for insurance (bcbs tx) at work which will be effective 1/1/2012. Well i was wondering should I try to see if bcbs will cover the surgery or would it be easier if i paid for the surgery myself? Since im barely going to be enrolled would i get denied? How long will it take to find out? Im so confused and hope yall can help me with some advice.

Hello all, This is the first time I have ever done anything like this. I recently got banded 3 days ago, and my emotions are all over the place. I really miss my relationship with food. I am 5'2", 229lbs. My last weight in prior to surgery was 243. I hope I am successful with the lapband. I got sick of struggling with my weight. I am so hungry that I actually miss having optifast ....I look forward to and welcome all comments from people who can relate. Thank you in advance...

Hey there. First of all, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/whatever it is that you may celebrate! My name is Tricia, I'm 39, and I was banded a little less than 2 weeks ago. I normally never ever post on any forums, because I'm usually too shy, so I have no idea what I am doing. lol. But I figured I would give it a go here, because I'm doing this pretty much all alone and don't have too much support. I don't really know what to say, so I'll just start with saying that I've been overweight since I was about 10 years old, and had tried everything under the sun with varying degrees of success before resorting to banding. My highest weight ever was 298lbs. I started this parti…

This time of year I really like to pause for a moment and think about all of the blessings in my life. This year the biggest blessing has been all the support I've had during this exciting adventure. Support has come from virtual friends, as well as real life friends and family. I am so thankful for both!! The last 4 months of my life have been an amazing journey and thank you to all of you who have followed my progress. Also, thank you to those who have shared your journey and successes with me. May you all have an amazing Christmas with your families- and a happy, wonderful, healthy New Year! Love,

So every Christmas Eve my sisters and I (four in all) get together around 9:00 and we play Monopoly until midnight and then we go out to eat at Denny's. Well, this year is obviously going to be a bit different for us as I can't eat the way they can. I'm a little nervous. I feel like I've spent the last hour going over every meal option on their website. I think I'm going for the prime rib skillet.. It has a lot of Protein. It's high on the carbs- but I won't really be eating the stuff with carbs in it. Just mainly the meat and eggs. Or there is a shrimp skewer- but to be honest I'm really tired of shrimp! I really wanted the oatmeal with fresh fruit mixed in but it ju…

So I am officially 1 month post op and I will take pictures each month and compare them. You can't tell there is much difference but I lost 33 lbs so far and I am feeling great!! 54 lbs more to go.

I dont even know if im posting this right but here goes, I have been heavy my whole life and through out I have lost 80 gained 80 lost 50 gained 50 and so on. I am currently 27 and wiegh 230ish. I know my bmi is over 40 and so now I am looking into this surgery. I really would like to try but I guess my questions are, How is the recovery? Do you get sick often from eating, (I heard sometime you vomit because of what you eat or because it cant be swallowed.) How supportive are your friends? Thanks so much for your time and honestly I dont know if my insurance will cover this where I am right on the BMI line according to my doctor but i'd much rather have some answe…

Im a 26 year old that has stuggled with weight my entire life before getting married and a class 2 ac joint seperation pretty ruff sports injury i was on my way down in weight to 240 from 300 in 12 weeks time then the injurys and 3 kids later the sames things dont work .im scheduled to see my doctor on dec 27,2011 to set up my lap band surgery . im currently around 370 pounds . how fast is weight loss expected after the prcedure . and are contact sports out of the question.

It took me a while to figure out how to manage pain post-op, but I have a little routine going (fluids, pain med, sleep, walking). Plus I have my best friend helping me with my 5 yr old (were both single moms) who had her band put in 4 yrs ago. She is a great help! It's nice to read here that I'm not alone, and I'm more hopeful that pain will begin to subside each day. My biggest challenge is um, eliminating. (is there a nice way to say its hard to pee?). I was catheterized post op, and had to drink A LOT before I could go at home. Going online helped me understand I was dehydrated. Oh, my routine was made easier with the alarm on my phone to get up, drink, walk, and t…

ive tried several Protein drinks in the past. my last one i tried is Isopure already made. i took 1 sip & had amazing gas pains & became nauseous! i threw up earlier because of an antibiotic pill i was prescribed (i always get sick from them). so.. what do i do? i havent had any protein & i dont want to become malnurished. i have powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury but have yet to taste it. i will after my tummy settles... did anyone go through their liquid stage with no protein? what are your favorite shakes? what are the worst shakes?

I am writing today with such joy for the season and hope for my future. My journey began in February of this year. It has been an up hill climb and emotional roller coaster since day one. The first snafu was my primary care office who had not followed through and forwarded my records to the bariactric center as I had requested. After three requests that was resolved in March, as most of you have experienced I had all the hurdles of the insurance company and bariactric center requirements to meet, dietician visits, nutritionist visits, egd, physical therapy and psychiatric evaluation along with some weight loss and exercise requirements. Many trips to the bariactric sit…

Hi everyone! I am going through the insurance company hoops prior to scheduling my surgery. Humana requires 6 months of doctor-supervised weight loss (not doing real well with that- only down 4 lbs. with the 6th visit in mid January), a psych consult (done), visit with surgeon and dietitian which are coming up January 9th. I am getting excited, but am nervous about the 2 week pre-surgery liquid diet, the 2 week post surgery liquid diet, the 2 weeks of pureed foods, then the 2 weeks of tiny amounts all before the first adjustment at 6 weeks post-surgery. My surgeon said that it is possible not to lose any weight until the first adjustment is done. Is that the case wit…

I want to introduce myself and ask for help. I am 46yrs old married for 26 yrs I have always been overweight but our youngest daughter died in 2003 and I have put on 50 lbs since then. I have developed diabetes, worsening sleep apnea, and high blood pressure. I have checked into the lap band numerous times and finally was able to get lucky enough to have the insurance that would cover it. I was banded on 11/29/11 I am so excited and cant wait until my fill! I was doing so good until I was able to eat soft food I am so freakin hungry its not even funny!. I am trying so hard to keep off the 8 lbs I have already lost but its getting harder to not over eat. My provi…

My name is Michelle. I am 32 years old. I decided to get the lapband after so many health problems. Not only do I have PCOS which makes it hard to lose weight and easier to gain it, but I also have high blood pressure, cholesterol and back issues. I felt like I could not do it on my own. I want to get healthy and happy for myself and my 2 boys.

Hello everyone, I am scheduled for surgery 1/12/12.I am going to T.J. and my surgeon will be Dr. Almanza. I guess what I'm most afraid of is waking up from surgery and the day that follows.I was wondering if your throat is sore?Do you have pain swallowing?What about nausea.I HATE NAUSEA more than anything! I'm also afraid that I'm going to be ravenously thirsty at some point just being able to sip little sips. Mostly though I am excited. I am soooo ready for my life to change for the better.I have been fat so long now I can't remember what it felt like not to be. I weigh about 330 right now. I have always been a very slow looser in the past.Has anyone had problems…

so i was sleeved on dec 20th. yay! i am doing ok.. BUT.... one of my incisions are red and irritated. it was red & irritated in the hospital & i was put on antibiotics. the redness went away before being discharged but after getting out of bed on my own 2x, its redder than before! i will start on the antibiotics again tomorrow! also, im coughing up phlegm. i do the respiratory breathing but i cough up phlegm without it. is that normal? it was only green one time. the other 4-5 were white. and i noticed that when i take my pain meds, my knees get a numbing sensation. is it just me? lol

First, to introduce myself, I'm a 33-year-old married father of a 2-year-old boy. I work as a journalist at a daily newspaper in Tennessee. Ever since childhood, I've been "husky." But it wasn't until I went to college that I truly became obese (I hate the sound of that word, by the way). Ten years ago, shortly after college, my wife and I got married. At the altar, I weighed 256. Months after our wedding, I decided to do something about my weight. I joined Weight Watchers and promptly dropped 36 pounds. But I also got a new job at a newspaper. That lifestyle has not been good for my health. I eat big portions quickly, I often eat late at night, and I drink gobs of …

Hi there! My name is Tiffany and I am a 26 yr old mom of 2 from Louisiana. I have started on my sleeve journey this week! I have gotten the go ahead from my psych visit, I have my 6 months of non medical, and I have a bmi of 40. I am 5'5 with a weight of 241. I also have some weight bearing joint issues, but with the bmi, I do not need to document the co-morbidities. It is a blessing that my insurance will cover the surgery...we pay enough per month for it. lol I am a little nervous about the surgery and complications. I got a sheet today from the seminar that the morbidity percentage is at .39 percent, which is a little scary to think that around 1 in a few hundred ops…

i was meant to have my surgery on 1/3/2012. However, due to an ins glitch, it was pushed to the middle to the end of Jan. No big deal. I am on my own pre-op diet for now and will follow my surgeons diet two weeks before the surgery. In the past two weeks, I have been hovering between 950-1250 cal a day and have gone from 219 to 211 since Dec 8, 2011. I am happy with my progress thus far. If I can come down another 5 lbs before surgery, I think that's perfect. It's funny, I have been getting mixed reviews from people regarding the surgery. I work in a medical school and I am surrounded by physicians all day long. Some of them think i am too thin and others who really know …

Hello everyone I got my lap band 10/11 and I love it. I can't say that it has not been a struggle and but you have to listen to your body. When it says stop then stop. I've lost 100 pds and I want to lose about 14 more to go.

I was sleeved on November 17th, 2011. I haven't had any complications and am loving it so far. I've lost 32 pounds so far, but that includes my 2 week pre-op diet. 22lbs since the actual surgery. I can tell some differences, but sometimes when I get overly full, I feel down on myself like I've done something wrong. But when I think about it, I realize how little I actually ate! I just FEEL like I ate a lot and that's kinda the point of all this right? I am having problems with drinking enough and I'm not getting enough exercise. I hope that these are things I will continue to work on. I'm excited for my 6 week check up. I hope I am losing at an average pace.

I noted yesterday how tired I was. I am down 71 pounds in a little more then 3 months. But I feel like I have been crushed to the floor. I am wiped out and extremely tired. My blood pressure was 85/46 and has been staying around that level for a couple of days. I am thinking it may be a good idea to see about trying to come off some of the BP meds, considering how low it is. However, last time we did that, my blood pressure shot back up. Any input? Any one else dealing with this?

I have to be at the hospital at 8:30 surgery to be around 11:00. I have waited 7 months for this and I cannot pinpoint just how I'm feeling at this moment. I can say however that I want to be on the "losers bench!" I'm hoping for an easy surgery and a fast recovery, oh and as pain free as possible!

Well everybody its done. I did it I have been sleeved. It really wasn't as bad as I was thinking it was going to be.. I want to thank everyone here for posting here. I read everyone's post on what they have been going though and they helped me deal with becoming Sleeved so once again Thanks

Today was my final weigh-in to satisfy the insurance requirements. I was so stressed going into the appt this morning. I had lost a little each month but I started my period on Saturday and knew that was going to throw off my loss for the month. Luckily I did show a slight loss but the gal in the office said that some people acually gain weight over the 6 months and they still get approved. Now I have to wait to hear back from the insurance on their approval and then I finally get to set my surgery date. I'm hoping for the end of January. I wanted to thank everyone here for all their postings with so much great information. I am so ready for this journey and am excited …

I finally finished my 6 month supervised diet and my information was submitted to Cigna last Tuesday. They requested additional information from the provider yesterday. Hoping to hear something by the end of the week. I am hoping for an approval for Christmas!!!

Heyaaa VST!! It's FEEL GOOD FRIDAY!!! Sometimes we have to revv our engines to get to feeling that spark we need to get things moving. We NEED goals in our lives to keep feeling achievements. This doesn't necessarily have to be weight loss driven. It can be anything we want or need to improve on in our lives. This time next year, I will dredge up this post and see how many of us have accomplished our "goal". Good luck!! For me, my New Year's Resolution is to fully and truly accept the new me. It's a real daily chore, sometimes hitting "goal" is not just waking up one day and being happy and satisfied. It takes a lot of mental work too. I'm not saying I don't,…

Hi everybody! I have been reading (lurking on?) this site's postings & blogs for about a month now, but I've finally decided to join. In my head, I have been considering WLS for a long time now, but my mom died 9 years ago due to complications from a gastric bypass, and the thought was (previously) terrifying. Now, as I turn 29, and am at my highest weight EVER (266#, 5'0"), I realize that VSG surgery may in fact be the best option for me. I've been on Weight Watchers 3 times, and tried Opti-fast last year through Kaiser, but I eventually just gain back the weight that takes so long to lose. Gastric bypass surgery makes me VERY uncomfortable, and the Lap-band …

Here I am just 2-days away from a major life changing event. I'm accutely aware I am not afraid and wonder...it this okay? I realize I have an unusual view of this whole journey. I keep saying to family and co-workers, "check to see if I'm alive on Wed." This is so morbid. I don't know why I'm saying this. Is it because I'm "okay" if this happens or is it because I'm thinking it's the death of the old me? I keep looking towards the future and teasing my husband that he'll finally have a "hot" wife. Heck, I always thought I was pretty but never hot...go figure. Like most of you I have struggled with my weight. I never saw myself as fat/overweight or any of the …

I just did the Lapband on December 1, 2011. I lost 22lbs since the surgery. I'm so excited about losing. It's like I'm scared to eat or drink anything because I don't know how much my body will allow me to handle. So, so far I am only consuming maybe 2oz of liquids(water,or sugar free no cal. drinks) and only able to get about 60g of protein in. It's hard to get protein that is required (70g). Also, drinking the amount of water that is required. I'm ready to exercise!!. What is a good technique to get protein and water all in one day. Please advise me someone!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everybody, I found this forum a couple of hours ago and have been lurking on it ever since.... I just learned about Vertical Sleeve a few days ago and I'm meeting with my doctor tommorrow to see what she thinks/knows about it. I have been around 200 lbs for years with high blood pressure and asthma and my BMI is over 33 so I hope she will recommend me as a candidate for this surgery. I have learned a lot in the past couple of hours from reading your posts. Also I have a good friend who has lost almost 100 lbs with a lap band but I didn't think that was for me. Seeing her go through all the nausea when eating, I thought that the whole thing wasn't worth it, but …

Hi everyone I just wanted to say a few words that may help any of you who are on the fence with your surgery plans. I was the worst when it came to waffling on this desicion. I cancelled one surgery date & very nearly cancelled the second one. I was scared to death of possible complications from the surgery. I am a pilot so I felt stuck with the idea of staying where I was & losing my medical because of weight related issues or having the surgery and possibly losing my medical due to complications. I only looked at and focused on the possible negatives, not the positives. Well finally I reached out to folks on this site & received the ass chewing that i had…

This is my first posting here , i've just been reading a lot. My surgery is July 15th at Westchester Medical Center. With Dr Maffei.

Hi, fellow bandsters. I'm Jeo! I've just been certified into a six month program before I can do the actual surgery. I know that I won't be able to have the actual surgery until September, 2012... or August. Which is fine with me! I'm looking forward to this hard journey and I'd love advice from post-op bandsters and pre-op as well! Thanks so much!! Love, Jeo.

Some of you will know that I have been back and forth with making up my mind on who will do my revision. I had a lapband done in 2003 and have decided on a VSG revision. I finally received a call from the surgeons in Red Deer Alberta (about 300km) being the closest to where I live and will be seeing a new surgeon there on 7 September. I decided to go this route as it is funded by Alberta Health Care, and I can use the money I was going to spend going to Mexico on other things - like flying home to Australia to see my family. I love this site and have found out so much because of everyones information. Thanks. Glenda

I am new to this site and am wondering how to update my weight on my profile and possibly add that weight ticker thing that so many people have?

I had my surgery today...Afterwards the Gas in my chest caity was unbelieveably painful... that cleared up as soon as I got home.. 3 hrs after the Op. I took a nap and woke up feeling much better.... So far I am pleased with the outcome.. im a little nervous about what I will or wont be able tto eat.. I am hunhryu as heck now... all I can get down is Protein Water and a few gummy Vitamins.. afraid to do anything else.... Anyone hace suggestions for the first week... something anything that it ios in the least bit satisfying... I could probably drink a shake.. but I have some fear of the unknown there.. not sure if I would do damage or cause my self some unnecesarry dis…

Hello,Just found this site,and i thought id introduce myself! My name is Brent and ive been overweight all my adult life.Ive only decided to do something about it in the last year! Dont get me wrong,iv'e dieted off and on over the years but never a "life change" like im doing now! I had Lap -band Surgery yesterday,yep the 14th of December,2011.needless to say i'm a little sore and alot hungry!

I am new to this site! I have been searching for a site where I can asked questions, read other people's thoughts etc. I am 11 days post op of my VSG surgery. I went in on Friday December 9, 2011 and was discharged on Sunday 12/11/11. I had a minor complication, I failed my swallow study on Saturday, was then restricted to 1-2 oz of Water every hour for a week due to the fact that there was no blockage, but the barium didn't past right away. On Sunday night, Monday AM i couldn't hold anyting down- was vomitting saliva, water, pain meds. I called my surgeron ASAP that AM and was told to come in right away- he did an Upper GI to make sure there was not a blockage. When he w…

Soooooo... just got a call from intake.. and my surgery is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 19 at 1:30pm... I have to check in by 10:30 am.... I'm finishing up some last minute stuff at work.. Gonna come by on my way to the hospital and drop off a few gifts and then... it's on to meet my SLEEVINA (that's her name.. thought about sleevus, but it was too close to Cletus!! LOL) and plus Sleevina rhymes w/ Tina!!! Thank you all again for you encouragement and support.. It has meant the world to me.. I don't know how much I'll be frequenting the board this weekend.. but if I don't log on after this evening... I'LL SEE YOU ON THE LOSER'S BENCH... To the rest of my December Diva S…

The lap-band is garbage. It doesn't work the way they say it will and there is no support when you get it. I paid $17000.00 for my lap-band surgery in Toronto just to have it fail and make me throw up at every meal. If anyone should be getting a weight loss surgery, it should be gastric bypass.August 8th they have removed my band and replaced it with gastric bypass and it was the best decision of my life. I was 22 and weighing in at 396lbs. Now I've just had my 23rd birthday and i am 150lbs lighter and feeling great. With the lap-band there was no support and it was heart breaking. With gastric bypass you have a 6 month program that you follow before you get your surgery …