Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello Everyone, I am in my 4th month of the required 6 month PCP visit. I've done the psych evaluation and start my surgeons program this December. My husband recently started changing things, such as wanting to get rid of some of his hobbies, things he's collected for so long. He bought a guitar and today he was talking about getting a motorcycle. This is not the person I married. He has been distant, not really wanting to do much, and when confronted he said "I'm changing because your going to leave me when you lose all the weight." I have tried and tried to explain to him all the pros this decision will be for the BOTH of us (we talked extensively before my decision …

Ok, so I had my surgery in November of 2008. I just wanted to share my experience with this whole ordeal. I lost most of my weight within the first six months (mainly due to all the vomiting that I was doing). I also gained new health problems. GERD is my main concern. I had hair loss. My teeth are rotting. My finger nails have become extremely brittle and thin. The night coughs are a new problem to add to my list. Another concern of mine is that every time that I went in for an adjustment, I would see a different doctor and they would give me different information. One doctor would say I needed 7 ccs of saline while others said 6 and others 5. I have no idea how …

I started my liquid diet yesterday and was supposed to have my final surgeon appt today. I got a call at work yesterday saying that my appt and surgery were cancelled because my surgeon resigned that day. My surgery was scheduled for Dec 6th. I yelled out "WHAT!" in the middle of the office. I got a little teary and pulled it together. My co-workers looked frightened. I am the most mellow person, they have never heard me yell like that. This is the second surgeon to leave with little to no notice. My original surgeon left in July as I was going through the insurance required 6month supervised program. Needless, to say I was feeling really down. I am so prepared f…

Hi im a uk sleever . After many years struggling with diets some good some bad , slimming pills i finally decided my best option was surgery. Initially i considered the lap band but after much research found many complications with the band and disapointing results . I discovered the sleeve via many usa led forums.after much research i decided the sleeve was the answer to my life long struggle at 44yrs old with a bmi of44 enough was enough. I researched a surgeon mr. Simon dexter leeds uk and booked a consultation in october 2011, he explained all my options for bariatric surgery and we both agreed the sleeve was best option. So 11th november 2011 i had my surgery. Was ad…

I am sort of new here! Would like to get to know some people and have some one to swap stories with. I hope everyone has a nice thanksgiving! ~Robin

Hi everyone! My name is Rebekah and I was banded on 11-18-11 and have found this forum to be very helpful! I am still home recovering and taking it easy. I had hiatal hernia repair, so I am taking a little bit longer to recover than I had expected. I am very excited about my journey and things have gone pretty well so far. I've not been sick at all, just uncomfortable from incisions. My surgeon was great and so was the entire staff at my hospital. Feel free to say hi and give me any advice you think I might find useful!! <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wUWdk46/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wUWdk46…

I am so excited to know that my sleeve surgery has been scheduled for Dec. 14th. Luckily I do not have but about 50 lbs. to lose, but 60% of my body weight is fat and it is all in my abdomen. I am always out of breath after walking or climbing stairs, and the doctor said the weight must go. I have very skinny legs, and the excess weight in my mid-section is killing me. I only have to be on the pre-op liquid diet for 5 days. I have a huge hiatal hernia (about 1/3 of my stomach) has protruded up onto my chest cavity. This was discovered when I had my upper GI last week to see what was going on in there, so he knew how to reverse the surgery i had in 1999. I had Niss…

I was so excited to be sleeved. I planned on going to MX. I had high hopes of making it happen by Jan. Long story short, everything financially wrong that could of happened, did. I was not approved for a loan at my credit union , like I assumed I would be and some unexpected $'s are needed for one of my children. I have a sizeable amount saved now, (yard sale, working doubles) about a third. The remaining amount I do not see happening that quick. I have options to pay a much higher rate of interest but really am not comfortable with that or the high monthly payment. I do not want to stress over financial issues after being sleeved. I also do not want to put all…

Hi Everyone, I know for many of you the stress of Thanksgiving is really a hard thing to deal with. I had WLS in 2008 and my 1st Thanksgiving was about 1 month after my sleeve surgery. I have learned in the last 3 years how to deal with Holiday's. I never feel deprived. I have learned sometimes just being able to taste something really does help me. So I look at all the food that I think I want to eat. I take about 2 Tablespoons of what I want--NO more than that. Then I sit down and have one bite of anything that I want to eat. If I think I want more then I have another bite. You will be amazed at how well this works. Save room for a bite or 2 of some dessert…

I'm new to this site hoping to maybe find some answeres. I was banded about 2 years ago without any issues. I'm down about 70 lbs and for the most part am very happy! I keep having bouts with right side flank pain & my doctor has no answeres. My gallbladder was taken out about a year after my band was put in, and my append. was taken out 25 years ago. My band dr sent me to a kidney doctor & they found nothing. I know it is band related because the pain will start immediatly after i eat...if i vomit, the pain stops immediatly. This only happens about 4-5 days a month. Has anyone had any similar experiences? Thanks for the info.....

Well here it is 8 days and 5lbs down. Still on liquids and soft foods. Still have some gas pains...they cant go away fast enough..ugh! Went back to work on Monday full time, first day was alittle rough, got pretty tired about half way thur the day. Still alittle sore, and cant wait to wear something other then sweat paints. Hope everyone else out there is doing well. Happy Thanksgiving.

This is my first post. im 260, a heart pt since 21 and have had several blood clots. All my drs agree I need to have this done, but somehow I have freaked myself out and am scared. I had a woman tell me today that four people have died in the last three months because of lapband.. malnutrition even with the band removed, heart attack, you name it I have heard it. Yet, no one haas anything positive to say... Can anyone help me get in the right mind frame??

Hi all I had a lap band on 12/10/2011 the surgery went well but then on 31/10/2011 and with no warning I had sever pains in the left side of my abdoment so I went to hospital and had x rays and discovered that the tube that attaches to the port had come off hence the pains so next day I went back into theater to have it fixed. All went well again then on Monday (24/11/2011) the same thing happened. This time not sure wot to do. Should I give it another go or should I just have it taken out?? Also has this hapened to anyone else???

As a healthcare provider in rural Alaska, I want to be a good role model of health to all of my patients. After five years of diet failures to the point of self induced kidney stones, I finally decided it was time to have lap band surgery. I researched for several months, and decided to go with Dr. Trace Curry and Journey Lite. I am extremely pleased with Dr. Curry and the Journey Lite Staff in Ohio. They are so worth a 13 hour flight! Dr Curry and many of his staff members are banded, which to me is awesome because they were able to describe how I might feel after surgery as well as in the weeks post op. I have to admit, I am a nervous patient! A little medical knowledge…

Today is my first day on the Lap Band Talk forum. I found out today that, pending insurance approval, my surgery date will be December 22, 2011. I have Federal Employee BCBS. I have heard they are pretty good about approving for the surgery and I hope that I am not the exception. I am excited and happy to get started. I figure lap band surgery would make for a very nice Christmas gift to myself, and to my family. I am thrilled to find that on this forum there is far more positive than negative remarks about the lap band procedure. I have just come from one that was nightmare inducing. So, I look forward to engaging with other lap banders who are happy with their decisions…

I am 2 days post op and my stomach hurts I can't turn over to sleep on side but I guess I am handling that ok but what I am concerned is that I can't seem to get enough of the protien in.. I am drinking the chicken broth and alot of Water.. is that ok? I know after 3 days i don't have to be on that whey crap anymore, I also have some sharp pains that likerise up then disappear? not sure what that is about. But for the most part i am doing ok. Just ready to be on the shakes. Also taking meds by liquid...ewww lol I have more sympathy for my kids now when i give them thier liquid meds lol... Hope someone has a bit of advice

I pray my insurance accepts me my sis look fabulous I want this more than anything!

I am new to this site but have been researching the Lap-Band for a year in order to make sue this was the right choice for me. I have been concerned as to whether Bluecross Fed will cover me. I have been to the Drs one sort of another since January of this year so I should have a running record of my weight. I also have a BMI of 45.5, 134lbs over ideal weight, high blood pressure, degenerative arthritis, DISH disease, Gout, and sleep Apnea. I'm hoping that it will be enough for Bluecross to approve me the first time out. I will find out more tomorrow when i see the Dr for the first time. Really looking forward to starting my journey. I had a friend try and talk me…

Haven't actually posted yet, and figured I should because I want to strangle a pillow or something ._. I went to two seminars over the past couple of years and officially met with my surgeon in like... May I think. He got me started on the 6 month nutritional visits and resigned after the first month so I started meeting with his partner. I was supposed to have my last visit before everything goes to insurance to be approved 2 weeks ago, but they canceled and scheduled me for this coming Friday. Just got a call that he resigned now. He's the last one in that building so now I have to find another one. So been crying and kind of freaking out a bit. Trying to calm down an…

Hi. I'm new,had my sleeve almost two weeks ago and I have posted a few things butnever get a response. I'm looking for someone who's around my age or so (43). Who has had the surgery. I want a buddy that I can talk to. My big question is why do I get nauseated when I drink something that's sweet. I am on non sweets but had a sm bite of my daughtersicecream an I got sick. Low fat yogurt did it to. Maybe it is lactose. Anyway I am worried I'm going to b the failed patient. My work knows I had the surgery an if I fail they will know. I am down 14 ponds since my preop diet an surgery. I started out at 240 an now 226. Anyone want to chime in?

Hi all! I'm a newbie here. I had my Lap Band surgery on 11/17/11 by Dr. Hamn in Dallas, Texas. So far I've seen a rousing success, with ten pounds lost in a little less than a week. I'm twenty-three, and my six-month goal is to get to less than a size 16. Currently, I'm 258lbs, previously 270 the day of surgery! I have a blog updating my progress at http://healthier-happier-me.blogspot.com/! Anyway, I'd love to hear from you all! I look forward to posting here more and more.

Hello I live east of Edmonton, Alberta. I am in the process of becoming banded. Mostly waiting on insurance to see what or if they will cover any of the costs for my husband and I to get the lap band done. We are wanting to have Dr. Philip Mitchell out of Calgary,AB perform the surgery which he does it in Vancouver,BC. Anyone have any advise with the insurance process, did insurance cover yours, I have standard life and my husband has Desjardins so between the two we got our fingers crossed. Alberta Health said they cover some of the fees which really help, but with us both getting it done at the same time the costs are double. Any other advise anyone is willing to sh…

well hello all, I have posted on this site once in awhile but read daily. July 2010, I went to my surgeons office to start my gastric bi pass process. well they talked me into a DS instead. So I went throught the long process of what we all need to do. when I woke up from surgery I found out I got sleeved instead and that I can come back in a year to get my plumbing rerouted(LOL). My sleeve was done on April 7, 2011. They did the sleeve due to gall stones stuck to the lining of my adominal wall. I had my gaul bladder removed 4 years ago and there was still gaul stones left in me. I was so upset, but then I joined this site when I came home from the hospital and saw ho…

Yesterday I celebrated my 2 month "Surgiversary", and today I reached a major milestone... since I started my journey, I am now down a total of 100.2 lbs. Still have a long way to go, but man, I feel great. I can sit in chairs and restaurant booths, I can drive my truck without the steering wheel rubbing my belly for luck. I can cross my legs, I can walk more than 20 steps without breaking into a sweat and huffing and puffing. I've lost 5 sizes in the pants I wear and I've punched so many holes in my belts there is now more hole than belt. If the journey of 1,000 miles begins with but a single step, I'm awfully glad I finally took that first step

Hi, I am the new girl! . I just decided to get the sleeve after months of debating. On thing that really helped me with my decision was this website! I have been on here for a couple months now reading everyone's post about their personal stories and can't wait to start mine. I have been overweight for a while now and I have high blood pressure. Both my older sister and father have Type 2 diabetes, and I don't want to be next. I just initially went to see my surgeon last week, and he seems to feel that if i get my pre op appointments done in the next month, I may be able to have the procedure at the end of January!

I had the sleeve Oct 31, Excited over losing 20 lbs, and then it quit-----------Arghhhhh, I read it was the 3 week stall, but it is making me crazy, I keep thinking I am doing something wrong!

Hello all,,, I've had my band for 6 years now... Last recent history,,as far as memory serves me.. Got a fill in 12/07 I think,, and 12/08 another fill,, reflux throughout the year,, 12/10 went in for an unfill,, then just went in 11/14/11 for a lil bit of a fill as since 3/10 I have gained 32lbs, with all but 7 of those lbs by 2/11. Now the chaos,, Married 2/10, Bronchitis for 4 months, with antibiotics, Prednisone 3 times. 3/10 Car accident, Prednisone x17 days, 5/10 surgery, 6/10 another surgery, 01/11 pregnant, 3/11 miscarriage, D&E surgery.. And now Fibromyalgia diagnosed... So I went from 226 down to 142 now up to 174 …

hey fellow bandsters my name kristina , banded jan/2011i liven vancouver bc canada and was a self pay patient at north west weight loss centre in everett washington.banded by dr.chock who by the way is the best xoxoxo...lap band surgery was the best choice I have evr made.I began my journey at 317lbs at the age of 26 and now 10 months in im down to 180lbs.my goal weight being 130-135 lbs..getting close now..had a set back last month had a fill done and was too tight but now im back on track.

Hi, My name is Shirley but I go by SJ. I am 7 days post op. I was banded on the 9th of November. I actually had Dr. Imlay for the surgery but he isn't on the list?? Dr. Perlman assisted as well as a surgeon from Allergan. I had a great team. It seems that I had a large hiatal hernia that had to be repaired before the band was placed. I have had some pain but nothing too drastic.The shoulder pain is the worst. I have lost 9 lbs since the surgery. I do get hungry but I haven't had a fill yet. My first post-op appt is the 23rd. I am happy and excited to be on this journey! Regards, SJ

I am thinking about going back to square one so i can lose again. i have been at a "stall" which you would say but i would call it "done deal" since March of this year! I am frustrated and I get no help from the dr office or dietician. Maybe go back to protein shakes-like the ones that are 60g serving and go back on liquids again. I really hate to do that but I can't keep doin what i am doin! not working! i have only lost 30 lbs since sleeve last year-actually tomorrow the 22nd is my one year sleeve anniversary. My husband had it and he has lost almost 90 lbs since Feb this year and he eats whatever he wants-when he wants..does no cardio-just push ups and weights..any…

Friday, 11/18/11, I was sleeved at 8:45am and was home by 3:00 on the same day. No nausea, came home and slept on my side and can turn in bed just fine, no pain - feel like I've done too many sit-ups that's all, no drain, no pain meds at all, and plenty of energy. This morning, Sunday, forgetting I should take it easy, I actually plopped myself down in the recliner. Not so lady like, but it didn't hurt one bit. Today, I'm just slightly sore. I drank 3 Protein drinks that I got from costco (30g each) and then drank a large mug of yummy tomato Soup made with Water, not to mention the 2 bottles of water I emptied - all of them consumed today. I haven't felt restriction, …

I have been following this site for a couple of months now and just needed the courage to jump in. Today I just received my approval for my sleeve surgery. I have not scheduled a surgery date as of yet but am very excited to do so. Everyone on this sight has been an inspiration to me. I really feel stronger just knowing I am not alone. I am excited to start my new life and enjoy sharing my journey with all of you. I am from Indiana and will be having my surgery in Indianapolis. I am 42 years old. Go SLEEVERS!!!!

Hello, I am Jeannie and on October 19th I had the Lap Band surgery, by Dr. Matthew Lublin. So far I have lost 12lbs. My band is the Realize band and I had my first fill last Thursday the 17th and I received 5.6 cc's. I am really loving this journey.

Hi, I joined here 3 years ago but chickened out of having surgery, so here I am 3 years later and another 60lbs fatter. I need to start to look at surgery again

My name is Misty and I had the lapband surgery in March of this year. I made the decision to have surgery after I was dignosed with fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. I never realized that by being fat I was doing so much damage to my liver. I am a mom of two boys 5 and 2 and I could not die and leave them without a mother and all my diets had never stuck. After some long thinking and praying I decided to have surgery. I live in Conway, AR so I used Dr Baker from Little Rock and he is great. I started this journey at 288.5 lbs and I am sad to say I am only down to 250.4 on my last appoitment on 11/7/2011. I have learned a lot along the way and continue to lea…

I am getting sleeved tomorrow (11/21/2011). I just found this website and thought it would be helpful to join. My heaviest weight was 390 lbs. Today (1 day before surgery) I am at 365 lbs. I am so ready to begin my journey. I am getting sleeved at Baton Rouge General Hospital by Dr. Frelich. I just went through the liquid diet phases ( 1 week of full liquid and 1 week of clear liquids), Those two weeks were probably the hardest two weeks of my life. I will keep everyone updated on my weight loss as I make the journey. By the way, can anyone tell me how to get the weight loss and bmi counter that everyone has at the bottom of their posts.....Thanks so much!

HI everyone.... I am a 33 year old woman. I just had surgery on Wednesday and it is currently Saturday. This has been an incrediable ride. I know it was only been a few days but I I having trouble coming to terms with my decision on having the procedure. I am having reflux so bad that I want to cry and I think that the lack of sugar is sending me into withdrawl. I seem to be loosing weight at an fast rate ~2-3lbs a day I have lost a total of 7.6 since my surgery!! I have 2 small children and a husband that "eat normally" and it is hard to watch them consume what I want and all I can have is a protein shake.

Not sure why, since I kept thinking it would never get here! An intro to me: I'm 37, married and currently living in Newark Delaware with my husband and son. My surgery date is December 14th. I've been overweight almost my entire life. I'm sick and tired of the effects my added weight has caused, not to mention rude strangers reaching out to pat my belly and asking, "when are you due?" Ergh! I tend to cary most of my weight in my belly, which is another bone of contention, but I digress :-) Any advice, suggestions, thoughts, etc, are welcomed!

This is my first day on this site. I plan to have my consultation on December 2nd and have my lapband put on January 29th. How do you put how many days until your surgery in a bar and then how many pounds you have lost or how many pounds until you hit your goal weight on a bar at the bottom of a post? Talk to me about how I will feel the first couple days after. Will I be ok to get in a car and travel 4 hours home the day after surgery? I am a corporate trainer. Will I be able to teach the week after? I will be on my feet all day.

I am a 23 year old Australian women. My weight was 137kgs, it is currently 128kgs and I hope to get down to 65-70kgs. I had lapband surgery 8 days ago and I am wondering if this was the best decision. I thought about it for 3 years before I made the decision to go through with the surgery, and was so excited about the idea of some more help to assist me to become a healthier person. After the surgery, I was in so much pain I thought I was going to die. I dont think my pain was properly managed. I could not get up to walk until more than 6 hours after the operation, and 8 days later I still need help from my family to get out of bed. Three days ago my main wound started w…

so im done with the the 3 months of doctor/ nutritionist / psych visits ., had a sleep study an upper endoscopy and many other tests. I spoke with the obesity center and they said that they will submit for approval from my insurance in the next few days.. Im a little concern with getting this approved for my bmi is hovering right above 40 - 41 and have very few health issues other than high triglycerides and acid reflux.., My insurance is thru aetna .. Any one here had any issues getting approved through aetna ? .. Well wish me luck..

For anyone out there considering lap band surgery it is not a fix all. You can still eat and gain weight. Like with any diet program u have to work the diet. I hate seeing people say well I didn't loose weight. Well the majority of those people are eating the wrong foods nd probably not exercise. The lap band only contricts the amount of food you take in. You can still have burgers, fries, pizza, but hopefully if you actually spend money on the surgery you won't eat those kind of foods...........work the program!!

Hi all, I was approved by BCBS (I didn't even realize it my case had been submitted) the first week of November. I lost to my goal weight and my surgery is scheduled for Dec 2nd. I had one pre-op class last Monday and have the final one tomorrow night. I am able to eat thanksgiving dinner but will have a small one. On Friday I start the pre surgery diet for six days and one the seventh it is Clear liquids only. Friday the second I have to be at the hospital at 5am. I appreciate the wealth of information and support that I have received from this board. I am excited yet anxious as there are always risks with anesthesia. Hopefully they will repair the hiatal her…

Hello Everyone, I just found this website recently and wanted to share my experience. This seems like a great site for people who share something in common. I have been overweight pretty much my entire life. I am 34 years old, I’m a male and living in Reno Nevada. Growing up I pretty much was the “Big Boy” all through grade school and high school. I was the athlete in school who played baseball and football. In my early twenties, I got up to about 282 pound. I was fed up at that weight and took a firm approach to change my life. I joined a gym and changed my diet. I would hit the gym approximately 4-5 days a week. I lost approximately 80 pounds in about a year’s time…

YAY!!!! Today is exactly 3 months post op for me and things are going GREAT! I lost 20 pounds in the month before surgery and now am a totaly of over 80 POUNDS DOWN! It is unbelievable and I seriously catch myself NOT believing it when I look into the mirror. Being newly single again (after breaking it off with my Fiance') it feels AMAZING to have cute guys hold open doors for me, to feel the glances when I walk into a room........... and trust me, I am NOT stuck on myself. It just really does amaze me how differently I have been treated ever since about 60 pounds down. I am no longer afraid of the camera, and when I am out with friends I no longer want to find a t…

Hi all----I've been reading some of your blogs & wanted to say how helpful they've been. I started my process back in May----I was hoping to have had my surgery by now, but after my final visit to the Dr in Sept (per insurance requirements), I was denied by AETNA. The reasons they listed were factually wrong, but the AETNA Dr refused to change her mind. Luckily for me, I had a successful appeal & am scheduled for my surgery in a little over 2 weeks!! I start my pre-op stuff this week. I found this site after wondering what to expect after the surgery---Its been really informative & I am looking forward to reading & sharing some more. I feel bett…

Hello Everyone, My name is Candice and I came across this wonderful website a few days ago. I am schedule to have my sleeve on December 14th, 2011. I am having my surgery with Dr. Paul Macik. Here are my stats. Weight 276 Height 5'4 I am paying for my surgery. I started on the insurance approval process and soon realize that UHC was not going to budge as I am a seemingly healthy person. I went through the surgery clearance process and found out that I have asthma! It does not run in my family and I always assume that I was out breath because I was just overweight. So in some ways I am happy that I went the route of paying for the surgery myself and having to have a…

I really enjoy your blog. Keep posting your updates. I'm having VSG in a week!!!! I'm the same age as you!!!!!! Take care.

Long time reader, first time commenter... figured I would introduce myself. I'm Mia, and I was sleeved last Thursday, 11/17. This is Day 4 post-op, and outside of feeling a little achy and swollen, I'm feeling fine. I was actually afraid that I would regret my decision during this time, but between managing my pain meds and getting lots of walking, fluids and rest in, the adjustments haven't been huge. What's amazing to me is how hungry I'm not. My parents, who flew up from Tennessee to help me through this, have been eating pizza, teriyaki, and all of the other foods that I've loved in my life in front of me, and while I can remember that I liked eating those thi…

Hi there, I'm Nikki! 11/1 Pre Surgery Weight (pre clear liquid diet) - 256 lbs on bp meds 11/16 Surgery Date Weight - 243 lbs 11/19 3 days post surgery - 240 lbs (haven't seen this weight since before my 1st kid 6 years ago!) I had my surgery Wed (11/16). Surgery went great and although I'm still recovering, I'm about 75% back up to power. Pretty amazing. I've had a few discomforts, mainly in my neck and shoulders, which I believe is gas pains. But honestly, it's pretty much resided. The port site is a little tender yet, but all-in-all feeling pretty good. Even made a trip to the grocery to get a blender and non-clear liquids (yay!). Since going on the clear liquid …