Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I was banded on 24th of nov 2011 By Dr Corvala. I am low BMI and i opted for the endoflip lap band procedure. They did the first fill during surgery 3cc. I was very nauseus on the 3rd day on the flight back home. The doctor is nice but they donot call you after you leave the hospital or follow up with you. I wish they could provide some support. weight 163lb and height 5 ft. i need somebody to keep in touch with and support me. thanks fat girl21

I am almost 2 months post op and its been awful I've been hospilized 4 times for dehydration. I am always nauseas and vommiting can't ever hold anything down its making life hard! Anyone else have problems

After waiting since August for my insurance it is finally here!!!! I was growing increasingly frustrated because I had gone down the 30 pounds the dr. required, and I had the money for the surgery, the only thing holding me back was the insurance. Hopefully tomorrow I will get my blood work done and I'll have a date for my surgery next week!!!!

Hi I'm Waterlover. I chose the name because Water is my solace and calm. I also love to drink lots of it!!! I am doing my research right now on getting a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I am 225lbs and find it very hard to lose weight. I am very shy (until you get to know me!), so I might not pipe up too often and just read a lot. I am also interested in meeting other people from around my area who have been through the process or are thinking about it. I would love to have a buddy to go through the journey with! I have been doing a lot of searches on different sites and this one seems really supportive. So that's why I joined. I hope I can become part of your c…

I was sleeved on 9/26 had several things go wrong just went through a second surgery last week Wednesday to re-form the shape of my stomach. Now I have a j-tube and will have that for at least 6 weeks and Im still struggling to get in the protein. I have to inject into my j-tube my self which doesnt make matters any eaiser. I just want to feel better does anyone have advice

I have recently been referred by my doctor to have lapband. I am currently at 244lbs at 5'4" and 25yrs old. I have had a struggle for the last 10years to lose weight. I have recently gained 30lbs in the last 3mos. Although I have not changed my eating habits. I had to stop working because my knee and ankle pain was so bad I couldnt stand on my feet for 13hours a day anymore. I have severe arthritis in both of those joints as well as my lower back. I have just been referred for my Psych Eval. My question is...what is this exactly? What kind of things do they want to know? What is the process from there? We have tricare and I called to inquire about the referral today a…

Hi everyone.. I am new to here. I had my lapband put in 10/27/2011. I weighed 318 the day of surgery and i am down to about 287 now 1 month later. I am doing alot of walking, golfing etc. But the main thing is I am not hungry at all and have not had a fill yet. I went to the Dr last wed ( day before thanksgiving) when I was supposed to get a fill but since I was still not hungry yet and losing weight etc. he decided not to do a fill yet. I still have to be really careful with what I eat and with how much I have had a couple of sliming episodes and worshiping the toilet for awhile friday I went back to liquid diet again.. Protein shakes.. broth etc I have no…

So, it's very close to December... a month full of decisions, preparation and hopefully, surgery for me! I've been thinking (ok, ok...stressing out) about how different my life will be and if I will ever adjust to being sleeved and the restrictions that come with my new friend. I'm a very social person and I didn't realize how much my life revolved around food and eateries until I decided to start cooking at home... My social life has come to an abrupt, but much needed snail's pace and my friends think I'm ignoring them!!! LOL... Even at work, my friends and I chat over lunch and/or Snacks... I'm looking for ways to replace this time with other satisfying, yet healthy opt…

I normally post in the success stories forum but my blog is a "tell your story" type deal so I figured I would post it here if anyone is interested in reading Hope you all had a wonderful Turkey Day! http://longsleevestory.blogspot.com/2011/11/gobble-gobble-wobble-wobble.html

Well, I made it through my first post surgery Thanksgiving and felt great about it...I still filled my plate with a little of everything and ate a little of each and was satisfied as if I did my "traditional" plate refills!! I was a bit nervous getting on the scale today but lost 5 lbs this week...I made sure to keep up with my workouts and keep my "indulgements" to just that... surgery date: Oct 12, 2011

I am so glad to luck upon this forum! I was sleeved on Nov. 17, I am now 10 days post op! I am awaiting my first doctor's post-op appointment before I weigh-in. These past few days have been a very gradual process of falling in love with being a sipper! :Angel_anim: Sipping is the key to success. I was banded several years ago, I was basically classified as a failure. I have hypothyroidism and just recently resumed my meds. after being told along the way, I was boderline and did not really need them.

I am about 3/4 through the pre-op process and I'm getting cold feet. I normally do not drink much water (zero calory beverage) in the course of a day. The idea of forcing myself to drink 64 oz of water each day for the rest of my life is very oppressive. I would really like to hear from post-op people about the water drinking requirement. Is 64 oz just another one of those exaggeration of precautions that medical people constantly give out or is it real?

My insurance requires a 4-5 month weight loss program along with the usual psych, nutr., pcp approval. I am half way tempted to go to Mexico to have my surgery, I am horrible at waiting or delayed gratification. I am just so excited and want to get going on my sleeve journey. I have my first surgeon's consult on 12/1. I am praying for a miracle...lol, I want him to say I need the surgery so badly that he will write a letter to bc/bs telling them I have to have the surgery immediately. It won't happen probably, but I can hope and pray. :ihih: I am 50 years old and have diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, lipidemia, and have become disabled with a diabetic ul…

Hello everyone, I started my Journey back in September. I went to all my seminars and my Doctor appointments and finally got a date of 11-14-2011. Which was later changed due to one other test my Doc wanted me to do. So I was rescheduled for Surgery which should of been 11-30-2011. Now just to be certain my Doc wants me to see one other Specialist so now I have to reschedule again. Has anyone else been through this. Everything is approved just waiting on my Doctors clearance. She has all the time in the world to schedule me for any type of Doctors she wants me to see. But she always waits to the last minute to do it and I am soooo Ready. Starting to think that it is not g…

Ok I am wondering about how the weight thing works? I am doing way better on getting alot of my protein in me and tommorrow is my first day for solid foods like eggs and such. I was wondering if it helps the weight come off better if u get your recommended amount of protein in? Does it hurt the weight coming off if ur not getting the right amount? was just curios about that? so far lost about 16 lbs in 13 days. I hope that is good. I have heard of others with like 20 and 30 lbs taken off in thier 2 weeks so I wasn't sure.

I'm just going to paste what I put in my profile-it sums up my experience thus far: I just had surgery done on July 25, 2011. I chose to have lap band surgery with the plication option-something rather new for this operation in this area (Pittsburgh). It has only been a few days since surgery so I am still on liquids but feel happy with my decision. I chose to have the plication in addition to the band because this method helps prevent band slippage and aids in a quicker weight loss. The actual stomach is not cut at all but rather "puckered" in and stiched together, sort of like in a sleeve operation. So far I have done well on the liquids....It has been rough but I am …

I am so frustrated! I have to be the only person to have gained weight before my surgery. Rationally I know that there is not food I will not eat again, just in moderation. But for some reason I have been eating like I will never eat again. I go on my liquid pre-op diet on 11-29 for surgery on 12-13. My preop appointment is set for Dec 1st---I can't sleep worrying that my Dr. will not want to do the surgery because of the weight gain!!! Has this happened to anyone-anyone ever been denied at their preop appt for weight gain?

hey guys! dec 1st marks the end of my 6 month supervised diet. im meeting my surgeon nov 29th & hopefully, ill get a surgery date that day although they cant submit my papers until dec 1st! i wanted to know.. 1. how long did you wait before you got approved? 2. how long after your approval did you get sleeved? im PRAYYYING that im sleeved by dec 20th! every year, i think EVERY human makes the new year goal to lose weight. the thought of having surgery and actually losing weight just makes my heart smile & gives me butterflies! theres NOTHING in this world that i want more than to have this surgery. what are your new year goals as a sleever? s…

so I just found out last week that I am pregnant and I am so excited but also scared. I am having the worst heartburn, I have had bad heartburn since surgery I have been on 5-7 prilosecs a day to be able to eat and now with morning sickness it can be unbearable. Along with the heartburn I get nasty painful gas pains in my chest,back and shoulder area as soon as it sets in. My ObGyn has put me on Zantac 150mg 3 times a day, maalox and a OTC nausea med along with the prilosec and up until 2day it was working pretty good but now once again heartburn comes back with a vengeance. I am scared I am gonna have 9months of this pain it feels like my sleeve is going to explode when …

I'm Elisabeth and I had the surgery Nov 18th. No complications at all! I was in a little pain after the surgery due to the placement of the port but other than that I was good to go....that's what I thought. I knew I was an emotional eater, never admitted to it but had all the qualifications and when my "friend" was taken away from me I didn't know what to do. I'm an active person ran my 2nd 1/2 marathon Nov 6th and not having the energy to exercise was tough. I took a walk around the block and normally I would be interested in going shopping but not NOW as I don't want to buy clothes until I need too. I'm glad I found this forum but I sure could've used it a few …

Getting ready to start the liver shrinking diet. A little nervous about what to eat/drink. But getting really excited about my surgery.

Need some sleeve friendly dr recommendations for OK and North Tx

Hello everyone, I am completely new on here, but seems like a great board and so friendly! I am hoping to get gastric sleeve surgery for myself, but have not started any of the pre-op work yet. I am going to a information seminar (run by a local hospital) on Dec 7th and quite excited about that actually. My worry is that I have Aetna and that I will not be approved. My BMI is about 38 and do not have any comorbidities - blood pressure is great, no diabetes & no sleep apnea. I had a sleep study actually & found that I snore a lot & wake up several times during the night (7 times an hour for 3-4 seconds) but no apnea. I have read on the Aetna website t…

I was blessed with friends inviting in for a wonderful Thanksgiving day. There were pictures taken. I've gone from busting out of a size 26w this time last year to an 18w this year, surgery at the tail end of April. And the pictures were a little eye opening. I am still soooooo fat. I will say that in spite of the depressing part, it was also motivating. I can definately tell you I'm putting off that venture into on line dating for another 3 or 4 months into spring and a few more pounds. And will be giving myself that gym membership for Christmas. And possibly a tummy tuck next year. Because as it is emptied, it's like a leaking blimp. What a day.

Hi I'm Jerry, Before I got banded I studied and researched to learn all I could about the band. I have been overweight most of my life and I'm willing to bet that there are very few people who can tell me something that I haven't heard about the dangers of being overweight. When my life started to go downhill I decided I had to stop, reality slapped me in the face when I found out that I was 564 pounds and all the ailments that they warned me about were becoming part of my life. I went to the local hospital seminar about the gastric surgeries, It was then that I decided that I was going for it. I had to go through all the preliminary things which took about 8 months and …

Hi, new here. Getting band soon. Glad this support is here! Mom of two young kids in OC and must lose wt to keep up with them. Older late bloomer Mom, so its important I get wt off. Took a long time for me to admit I needed more tools, such as the band and that I can't do it myself. OA too, but still need more tools. I'm excited that I will finally have the help I have needed for so long (Band) and know that along with online support, face to face support groups, I will be successful. I think the decision for surgery is huge and it takes a lot of strength to have it. The Band doesn't go around your brain, so we all need support. Thanks so much.

Hi! I am scheduled for my sleeve on Dec 13th w/ Dr. Lalor in Bowling Green, Ohio and am super excited! I had to let people at my work know what was going on as they were starting to question my time off :smile1:. I have since received both positive and negative comments from them, and the negative ones are really getting me down. I know that I am doing this for me and no one else,and I shouldn't be bothered by their comments...but truth is I am. I get comments like "if you just go on your liquid/soft diet for months without the surgery and don't eat much at all that you won't need the surgery', as well as stories of their friends that have had bariatric surgery only to g…

Hello everyone! This is my first post and hopefully I will do it right. I am from Louisiana and will have my sleeve surgery on Dec. 16th by Dr. Merriman of Shreveport. My weight has been like a rollercoaster ride since highschool. I thought about having lap band, but after doing alot of research and reading forums on this sites, the you tube video's (which are very inspiring) and not to mention that my insurance company will only pay for one bariactic surgery in a life time, this is the surgery for me. I know that it will be a life style change but I am honestly ready. My current weight is 231lbs and my goal is 150lbs. I'm sort of nervous about the surgery, though I know …

I am a 39 year old overweight woman who has battled weight issues since grade school. While always active, I never felt comfortable in my own body. I was referred to Dr Carl Weiss of Auburn by a relative who underwent gastric bypass and couldn't be happier. Well, maybe that isn't accurate. I'm happy with my current weight loss. I started my journey back on July 12th of this year with Dr. Weiss. Since that date, I've lost a total of 35 pounds. I'm super excited about that, but have been having some problems since surgery. I did the liquid diet for the first 5 days and since I was feeling 'beat up' I was not interested in eating or drinking so the liquid diet was fine. I di…

Hi Everyone, I am 8 days post op. Started thick liquids yesterday and now I feel like I am out of control. I want to eat everything. I have a list of what to eat but I have no clue of how much. I was real discouraged this morning when I checked my weight and I had not lost anything. Up till today I lost every day 11 lbs in 7days post op. Has anyone had this problem?

I've been approved for my surgery and have a date, December 20th!! Christmas is going to be kind of hard this year watching my family eat! I've been on the optifast liquid diet for five days now and I'm starving!! I have lost 7lbs though. I have to stay on the diet until my surgery. It is an awful feeling that I won't be able to eat again for so long and then once I can eat I won't be able to eat much at all. I am really feeling depressed and hungry! I am trying so hard not to go to taco bell and binge! I keep telling myself that it is worth it and I won't feel miserable and hungry like this after my surgery. Do any of you feel like you are starving even after the sleeve?…

Need advice from you experienced bandsters: I was doing great on my 2 week crash prior to my Dec 2 surgery UNTIL thanksgiving! My favorite menu of the year. Now just feeling like a failure. Need to get my motivation back up to crash diet again for six days prior to surgery. Kate

Hi, my name is Ann and I a newbie!! I'm having my surgery on Wednesday 11/30. I'm mostly scared about the port and how it is going to feel after the surgery. Does it feel awkard, can you feel it when you are laying on your stomach and does the pain/discomfort ever go away? I'm excited to have the surgery and regain my life back. I'm looking forward to moving and feeling better.

Cant wait for my surgery. I'm so excited aNd nervous. Any advice?

Anyone have problem with diarrhea drinking all the water during pre-op diet?

Hello fellow bandsters, I am a pretty new addition, banded last Monday. I have to say its been an interesting ride since then. I am sure I made the right decision, I just have to hold onto the sissy bars and hopefully keep my eyes open, lol! I have had a roller coaster of emotions in such a short time. I am focused on the fact that I WILL be healthier. I really treasurer all the posts and input on this board. Anything I experience, I can return to this board and find someone who has been there done that! I have to say the first feeling of true hunger I thought something was severely wrong, lol! Even through the pre op diet I have never felt real hunger. My heart and …

I have been reading all your wonderful stories but I have not read nothing about what everyone was able 2 eat after surgery. So if any one can help me I will really appreciate it. I know that it is a liquid diet at first but what about months after surgery? I hope that I won't have to cut out my chicken n turkey because they r the only meat that I eat.

I had sleeve surgery on Nov 15th and am doing quite well. I started my journey in Oct 2010 but had to delay my surgery this past Spring because my mom got in bad health. She was doing much better by the end of August so I immediately jumped back in to my program. I'm still on liquids and very tired of the shakes, powder soups, and puddings but I just force them down. Will be glad to move to purees in a few days. I am down 20 lbs from Nov 10th to now and have no hunger at all. Though my sleeve growls and reminds me of eating times. I think I'm currently holding about 2 ounces at a time, is that pretty normal? I know they've told me I will hold about 4 ounces max later on.

Hello everyone, I am new to this site. I have been browsing around for a bit, and wasnt sure if I officially wanted to post something yet or wait until I officially have a surgery date. but here i go.... I live in southern Ca, and have Kaiser, so i am currently going through the 12 week class, keeping my fingers crossed throughout the way that I get approved in the end. I see tons of great success stories and cannot wait until i am in that group and sharing my before and after pictures with everyone. Just a little about myself. I am 31 years old, weigh 245. I have Trichotillomania which if anyone doesnt know it is a hair puling disorder. I use to have long curly hair a…

I received my surgery on 11/21/2011 @5pm. Feeling a lot better than I thought I would. Still fighting the hunger pains and the occasional "kick to the gut" feeling. But the lap band is all worth it if everything comes together like I was told. <crossing fingers> I know I can do this, I just have to stay on track.

Hey everyone, I am a yo-yo dieter of the worst kind. I have been dieting since I was 9, stuggling with my weight since age 6, and bulimic since I was 12. I am now 26. I have been 205 pounds, 145 pounds, and everything in between. I've tried every diet, every workout, every lifestyle change, therapy, hypnotism, everything. After having one of the worst body-mental health-image wise years of my life and gaining 35 pounds 4 months after my wedding (which I crash dieted and was skinny for), I have made the decision to grasp this moment when I am not dieting and have a BMI of 30 to take the opportunity to have this surgery, which I believe, will save me from myself. I …

I've just been approved. My Pre-Op is Nov 30, and my surgery is scheduled for Dec. 8. I just need to know what are some things I need to purchase to make the post-op a little bit easier. GAS-X strips are at the top of my list.

I just had my sleeve done 10 days ago at Brandon Regional Hospital in Brandon , Fl. by Dr. Alfredo Fernandez . I went to surgery weighing 259lbs and now have 14.5 weight loss . I am still on liquids . I thought that after the surgery I would only be able to hold 2 or 3 ounces but I can drink 8 ounces down all at once with no problem . This has me worried . thanks, pickles

Hello, I am prebanded I am still going through the steps required by my insurance. I finished the 6 months supervise diet. The reason i am glad to be back because i had to pause to have my baby girl. So now im back I have to take nutritional class and see a phsych then i really dont remember what else i have to do next. Give me some tips and advice Please!!!!!!!

Hello All, I am writing in from Zurich,Switzerland by way of London,England Via Nigeria West Africa. I have been stealing a read off this site for about a year while deciding on what type of surgery,finding the courage and funds and doctor to do it. Well, I have arrived. I am going to be banded on December 16th by Dr Chris Bruyne in Belguim,As soon as I pay the deposit tomorrow. It has been a long journey from, wearing my mums and aunty's clothes as a 10 year old child to loosing 70lbs on Reductil three years ago to putting it back on in four months. I have always been a sporty girl, black belt in Taekwondo, Vollyball, working out etc. I had to give these up due to R…

I have been thinking about getting the Sleeve done and my insurance wont pay for it. I will b useing my tax return for some of it and financing the rest of it. If someone could be kind enough to tell me of some of the Dr's who might have a cheaper price and maybe someone that got financed for it that has ok credit? I dont know if I will even get approved with financing that's why I need a cheaper Dr., that way I can still afford it with out the finance. Im about 100lbs over weight. I feel bad about my self, I cant seem to breath right, I cant play with my 5 yr old son(he has a disability) so its hard for me to do things that he can do while im so big. The other day I knew…

well my name is Crystal and this is day 4 post op after the the big surgey. I am having a hard time swallowing my full liquids. i keep having painful gas travel up my throat and then I let out a little burp then it feels better. its gotten a little better but definetly an adjustment. I feel hungry and then when the jello touches my mouth my appetite disapears. today is Thanksgiving and I'm ok with not eating. in 3 weeks I'll make a pureed turkey stew and add some flavorless protein powder to it. I can't believe that i had the surgery already the whole process from consultation to setting the date for surgery was 3 months. I must say my surgeon dr Marc Zare is amazing him …

Greetings Everybody! Just became a member. Many thanks to all for all the nice posts, comments and sharing VSG experiences! It is really heartening to know that I am not alone in my journey of battle of bulge, fighting obesity via VSG. That VSG is a well trodden path with abundant success stories. My VSG is scheduled on 22nd December 2011 in Mumbai, India. I am an Indian currently in NY. Never ever been on a hospital bed in my entire life of almost 39 years, the thought itself gives me creeps. Been an obese since a long time now, never realized when I crossed the line of overweight to obese. To me it seemed like reducing weight is just a matter of willpower i.e. b…

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I was just banded last Monday and am recovering well. I have had a few people ask if I am going to miss eating my holiday meal this year, but I am not. This year, Thanksgiving broth is my holiday meal. Next year, I anticipate eating smaller portions, wearing smaller clothes, and enjoying a different phase of my life!

For any of you that speak Spanish, I want to get a tattoo that says, "love my sleeve" in Spanish, since I was sleeved in Mexico. My freind from Honduras doesn't know how to spell it since shirt sleeve and tatto sleeve are different and he doesn't have a clue about a stomach sleeve. Does anyone know how it should be spelled? Thanks.