Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Last Wen. I went for a one on one with the doctor and talked to the insurance lady. She told me it would only take a few days to hear back from them.... Now its Monday and talk about a long weekend waiting! She said there wouldent be any problem getting approved but still, you never know. I'm 5*1 and 191 lbs my BMI is 35.9. I have high blood presure, bad cholesterol and my sugar couts are starting to mess up. I take so many pills, they are meals in themselves....My goal is to not have to be on all these meds. Getting thinner wont hurt also..lol Since my husband is 5*7 and 160lbs at most! I hate taking pictures standing next to him!!! lol Well I have the lady's number th…

i am currently 23yrs old, 5ft1inches tall and 188 pounds, i suffer from severe depression mostly concerning my weight. i am constantly ridiculed over it from from my family and boyfriends, for an example, a couple days ago my boyfriend went out and got me a little boys costume that was incredibly small on me and made me go out in public like that showing most all of my butt and stomach while his friend laughed at me, my family used to make me run laps around the house and put me on all kinds of different diets telling me i would be beautiful if i losed the weight. i get social security and have been going to counseling since i was very young because of it all. in my lif…

After losing only 30 lbs I have already changed for the better! I have opened up my own Romance Business and gained more than I could ever imagine. All the people I have met have done nothing but encourage me and treat me well. I am so very thankful for the opportunity and hope everyone else follows their dreams!

I had VSG 8 days ago and am REALLY TIRED! I was going to take one week off from work, but extended it to two. I'm worried about having the energy to teach high school science again starting next Monday. I seem to alternate days when I can go out and do something, like grocery shopping for my family, and then collapsing the next day. Today was a collapse day. I don't seem to have a lot of tolerance for extra stress, either. The Assistant Principle from my son's school called to tell me that my son had been "zapped" for not doing his homework the night that he came to visit me in the hospital. I had a meltdown. Had to pass the phone to a neighbor who was visiting because …

Hey Everyone! I have been lurking the boards for some time now and have finally decided to introduce myself. My name is Nicole, I'm 35 and I am the mother of 2 wonderful children. I am currently 246lbs and 5'7" tall with a BMI of 40. I decided to have Lap Band surgery because my kids deserve to have a healthy mom. I made the final decision about the proceedure when I turned 35 and immediately got the ball rolling. I made an appointment with my PCP and my surgeon on 10/10 and 10/11. Both appointments went smoothly and I was sent to the Psychologist. She has given me 3 weeks to follow my 1200 calorie diet and journal my daily food intake and mood/feelings. In additio…

Due to my bad knees and back I dont climb steps or shop at malls. I love to people watch however so I agreed to shop with a girl. I climbed step and walked probably an hour and a half, no problems what so ever got my people watching fix and exercise to boot. THIS SLEEVE IS THE THING, best choice ive made in my 44 years. ts been 11 days and I feel great and other than my gas problem earlier its been a breeze. My lifes changing and the sky is the limit.

Figured I'd put a link to my blog since i got inspired to document my adventure http://xbigjimxtoxmedjimx.blogspot.com/

So I am officially on the no calorie liquid diet until midnight tonight, and I begin my life changing journey at 8 am tomorrow!!!

This is my first post on this site. I am having my surgery tomorrow at 2:30 in the afternoon. I wish it was in the morning. But I am glad it's happening so I won't complain.

I am a 57 year old woman living in Richmond, VA. I am 5'4" and weigh 220. Most people cannot believe I weigh this much. It is mostly in my tummy and butt! Most people wil guess my weight at about 170 - and I always tell them to be honest. But, I was always thin up until I was about 42. Then, I developed Bilateral Adrenal Tumors. With those come uncontrolled high blood pressure, LOTS of cortisol, which I am sure you know causes "excess belly fat". Any kind of stress - physical (from stubbing a toe to major trauma) and emotional (from financial worries to being depressed about being fat) causes more cortisol production.Then, it became an endless circle....I'm stressed beca…

I feel like the WLS oxymoron lately. food is sounding good again. Most foods, including ones that I know are no longer on my menu of okay to eat. Problem is, I no longer like eating. Before weight loss surgery I was a champion eater, which was a big part of my problem in creating the rather large body I was residing in. I love to cook and I love to taste test while doing so. I would pick at food while cooking, serving, etc. When I sat down to eat, I had already had three or more post surgery size meals while cooking/plating and then would have my rather large plate piled high with at least two full size servings. I didn't know the word halt, put the fork down until th…

I am 3 days after surgery on 10/26/11. They have not been good days as far as eating or drinking. This third day late in the day I have been able to keep the power shake down and eat a little broth. Up until now everything I tried to eat eventually came back up. I have worked thru the gas pains and problems with ease. I have been able to do house work a little at a time. But not being able to keep anything down for three days was really making me weak and shaky but that has left. I would like some suggestions of what things others are eating. I have popsicle, fudgesicles, chicken broth and that's about it. Nothing sounds good or tastes good. I do seem to have a …

Hello, my name is Susan I got Banded on 10-25-11 so now i begin my journey. Starting at 315, final goal is to lose half of me. yay \o/ hope everyone is having a spooky halloween any tips for the first few weeks? already hungry, and didnt expect that for a few weeks. keeping good with only broth, Water and Protein shakes.

Hey there, I'm Cate and I'm nineteen. I'm in the very beginning stages of this process, as Lap Band has been suggested to me by my PCP and I have decided to finally start looking into it. I've been struggling with my weight since I was a child and it's only gotten worse over the years. So basically I'm here to learn as much as I can and be supportive in any way I can. So I'll see you all around!

HI EVERYONE, I am new to this. I have been reading all your posts for days. I am on my last month of supervised diet. I am hoping to get a surgery date on my next visit. I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to get one of those tickertrackers. I made one but cant seem to paste it. What code do i use and where do I paste it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sue

Just started my 2 week pre-op diet yesterday and am starving. I can have 2 protein shakes a day, 1 cup of broth based soup or low-fat cottage cheese and one snack (low fat and sugar free) of either pudding, yogurt, or jello. Other than that I can have all the decaf tea/coffee I want with sugar substitute and non-fat creamer. I've tried taking some fiber pills to help with the hunger, but it's not working very well. I'm noticing that I'm angrier and more irritable. I'm trying to focus on why I'm doing this and that it's only temporary, but there are times when I REALLY want to eat just a little something more to keep my stomach from hurting due to hunger. Any other i…

Ok so i started the entry process in sept and finally have the approval to go to the main ino class where they let you know the process and you get a surgeon appt. The only thing is that I am strugging to loose the 10% that we need to before you get your surgery date. Mine I think is going to be about 30 pounds.....I am sure struggling with that. I do zumba 3 times a week. I just need to follow a strict diet I think ......uhhhhhhhhh... i want this but why is it so hard!

I have Psoriatic Arthritis and I take an infusion every 6 weeks that runs about $12,000. Was just starting to take Diabetic meds and I had high Cholesteral. My insurance company, Aetna, via my personal nurse who calls monthly to check on me, suggested that I think about having Bariatric Surgery. I have to admit that Aetna and my employer have taken great care of me the last few years through my company benefits. I've had some serious health issues and I have received excellent care no matter what service I've needed. When I started my Bariatric journey I was 5'4" and weighed 260 lbs. The day of surgery, Sept. 7th 2011, I was down to 233. The next day after surgery, I …

I am having the Vertical Sleeve on Nov.29th and I am a ball of nerves!!! I ahave so many things going through my head. Will I be able to drink?? Will I be able to get protein in?? Will all of my hair fall out??? AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! Please can someone ease my mind. I also need to know how to loose 10lbs before surgery on Nov. 29th without being on a liquid diet????

I was banded June 6th, 2011. I have lost about 30lbs. I have no support from my husband. He brings all the bad foods into the house and if we're out on family day he always wants to go to restaurants. I am having a hard enough time trying to learn to live with the band. I have found myself eating more than I should and all the wrong foods. Drinking soda (he conveniently forgets to get me diet tea when he is purchasing soda). When I went for my last fill I gained 5 pounds. I went through this surgery to become more healthy and have a better quality of life. I don't know what to do to overcome his sabotage. Any comments or advice is appreciated.

So excited to find that I'm 1.2 lbs away from under 200 lbs this morning! God I love my sleeve! It seems slow getting there had surgery 6/8/11 started weight was 260 down 58.8 lbs...slow but steady!

I recently lost my health insurance and have been experiencing pain where my port for my lap band is connected to my stomach muscle tissue , the pain started yesterday at work I used to see Dr Uchal but haven't been down to meet the new Dr's who took his place at Allegheny general in Pittsburgh pa. I didn't do anything to cause the sharp pains but itw lasted about an hour I couldn't even brush my hand over the area of skin on my belly withoutd sharp pain occurring . Then the pain was gone ! I was able to rub,push, and wiggle my port are without any pain but then last night it came back and is still there, my Dr's office called me back andd said I may have torn the stitche…

Just got approved for my sleeve surgury. Dec 5th is the big day! So now I'll spend more time here reading the stories for support in what I have chosen to do. So sick of being fat. 6'1" 305. I've been a big guy for the last 30 years. Started power lifting in my early 20's and the weight just added up. But I had a 30" waist! huge biceps and a 48" chest. all good and then I stopped lifting and running. Ahhhhhhhhhh The weight wouldn't come off and now almost 30 years later I'm here. So sick of seeing my belly and feeling uncomfortable. Hips hurt, knees hurt and little endurance. I can't wait to be thin again!!!!!!!!!!

I had a gastric sleeve done on September 28th. So far has been pretty good, with some bad days along the way. I have lost 25 pounds in 4 weeks and expect that will slow down now. Today is my first day on a soft diet and it just seems like there are so many choices after puree and liquid. I am hoping to meet others who have had this done and see if I can get any tips on how to succeed at this! Shelly

The TPN doesnt allow me to "want" to eat. How can I get off if im still not eating. The doctor agreed to change me from 12 hours to 6 so hopefully this works. i hope to be off completley in a week or so. Im ready to get back to my life. Anyone out there on TPN? Any food suggestions (I was sleeved a month ago)

Hello! My name is Jodi and my surgery date is November 28th. I’m 48 years old, married and have two children. I’m excited that I finally have a surgery date and am starting the pre-surgery appointments. My BMI is 42and I have no co-morbidities. Initially, my husband was concerned about me having surgery until I took him to the first appointment with the surgeon. He originally was under the impression that if I changed my diet and worked out more, I could lose the weight. He’s seen me lose the weight several times over the years, so he knows I can do it. However, I explained that if it were that easy for me, I wouldn’t be considering the surgery. I’m looking fo…

Hi everyone. I am new to this site. I had lap band on 10/25/2011. So far so good. I am on the clear liquid diet and really tired of broth! LOL I hope everyone is doing well. If anybody has any advice for me please share. This is a learning experience and I appreciate any help.

My name is A.J., and I am a 34 year old male. I just underwent the Lap Band Procedure on 11-19-2010, and have already lost 21 lbs since the week before that. Dr Jamie Ponce was my surgeon and I have to say that he and his staff are AMAZING!!!!!!!! I am married and have two little boys ages 4 1/2 and a 21 month old. We live in Hixson Tennessee, which is just outside of Chattanooga Tennessee. Unfortunately our insurance did not pay for the procedure so we were self pay. But at least with self pay, it was about a three week turn around from the first consultation to the actual procedure being done. I have very little pain and have been really suprised at how good I al…

my little sister had hers she looks fantastic I have been crying I cant wait to feel like that she look shealthy so good! Only 3 weks out!

Hello, I am going through the pre cert process now and finishing my 6 month WW for proof of attempted weight loss. My BMI is 42 and I have pre hypertention along with knee and joint pain at 33 years old. It is ridiculous and I need to lose weight to save my life. I want to feel better and do things that I have not been able to do in years! I am definitely looking for some St. Louis/ or other newbies or ones going through this process so we don't have to do this alone. My hubby and close friends are extremely supportive. My immediate family....not so much but I'm not around them and have come to accept the fact that I am doing this for my health and longevity. So I …

Just wanted to introduce myself. Surgery scheduled for 2011.Nov.03. I'm terrified about not having a mentor. Would love to bond with fellow November Bandsters as well as some more-experienced folks. Here's what I wrote about myself in "My Story"... // I’d like to say I’m a yo-yo dieter or a roller-coaster, but, for me, this has pretty much been a one-way trip! It was a long journey from 150 to 200 pounds, but 200 to 250 pounds was a quick ride and all uphill. Boom -- what happened? Suddenly I’m on all this medication... I feel terrible... I’d rather stick a pin in my eye than shop for clothes... I’m so embarrassed by my weight that my social life i…

Hello everyone!! I am so excied to start my journey for a new and healthy life I just completed my manditiory "meet the surgeon" seminar last night and my 1st consultation is on Dec.19 and can not get here fast enough LOL I am a mother to six beautiful children and I have a very supportive husband who is behind me 100%. I hope to "meet" some great friends on here that are going through their lapband journey and we can be a support to one another. I hope everyone has a blessed day

Hi All, Wow this has been a long road. I started on my path to WLS 2 years ago. My first round didn't go so well. I am a 38-39 BMI with GERD, depression, atrial tachycardia, joint pain and non medicated hypertension (it's borderline). I went through the entire workup last year for Gastric Bypass, submitted to Aetna, denied for not having been over a 35 bmi for 2 years and lack of comorbities. I had been over a 35 bmi, but couldn't prove it because I hadn't been to the doctors. I appealed, wrote a great letter explaining all my "minor" comorbities and the reason for not providing a weight for 2007. Denied again. I spoke to a nurse at Aetna and she pretty much told …

I'm just starting this journey. Have been thinking about this surgery for years, but finally got off my butt and attended a seminar. I've started the process, I had an appointment today with my PCP to do some blood work, I have an appointment with a bariatric nurse on Nov 4th and am in the process of collecting all my medical records. I believe I have to do a 6 month supervised diet (which is fine) but I'm wondering if my years of Weight Watchers counts? I'm excited to start getting healthy again, I need to be around for a while for my 3 kids. Glad to have found this forum.

My sister had hers done 3 weeks ago and she said she gained 5 pds I think because her friend is coming I dont want to hear it I am ready to make this journey just waiting for approval jeeeeeeeez scared and excited!

I am so excited! I was walking on the treadmill tonight and noticed that I have actual muscles in my biceps -- muscles that stick out when I flex. I've NEVER had that before even when I was skinny. Plus, it hasn't taken me very long to develop them. I've only been lifting weights (5 pounds) for about 3 or 4 weeks, and I do it about 3 times a week. Still, I am very impressed with the results. It is amazing. My 16 year old daughter always goes around asking if people want to see her guns. She then poses and shows off her muscles. Tonight, I was able to show her my guns. They are tiny guns, but they are there. It just motivates me to do my weight-lifting routine more…

I was banded on Oct. 21 with Dr. Rich Pucci at the Oradell Ambulatory Surgery Center in Oradell NJ. Let me just say for anyone still considering the lapband in the NY/NJ area, please please please go see the Pucci brothers (there are three of them) and use this facility in Oradell. It was pristine!! I got such amazing attention and I you wouldnt even know I was being operated on. I felt like I had made some friends there :-) As for the Lapband, my name says it all. Most people dont know that I have the lapband. My spouse knows, my parents know and some of my close friends know, but that's it. I dont have a lot of supportive people in my life that would give me positive…

Well I am still waiting for the insurance just 2 days in but between stressing over that and had a wonderful dream I had my surgery and lost all this weight I looked great I get up getting the kids ready for school and my 14 yr old stressed me out with hes not wearing clothes I bought him let me tell you it took everything in my power hmmmmmmmmmmmm my blood pressure is through the roof since getting dx 2 weeks ago! I just pray I get approved I so need thisto do this for me !

Hello fellow/soon to be sleevers I have never joined one of these sites, I have been looking at the site as a none member since I discovered it last week when I was 3 days post sleeve, the first day I went on it I couldnt belive how informative it was and I could so identify with a lot of what other people were going through, I was on the site till 2 in the morning the first day I was on the site. Any how something about me, I have steadily put weight on over the last thirty years and at one time I could diet and lose most of the weight but the weight would never stay off. I suppose it was yoyo dieting but the closer I got to 50 years of age I think the string got stu…

Hi everyone I'm Ashley from Georgia and I'm considering going to Mexico to have Lap-Band surgery. The doctors here say my BMI is not high enough and that my insurance will not cover it. I am currently looking for information on Dr. Almanza from Mt. Zion Medical OR Dr. Corvala from Angeles Health International. If anyone has scheduled an appointment with them please contact me and let me know your thoughts. My Mom had the surgery here in April and she has lost 71lbs and looks great.

Hello fellow sleevers, I have been on this forum reading all of your posts and your amazing progress for a couple of months. Now that I am 10 days out before surgery, I feel like I want to run. I am on the liquid pre-op diet and doing well, but I just keep thinking about what could go wrong. Did any of you feel this way before surgery? Turtlegirl

I heard people in my WLS group yesterday refer to themselves as carb sensitive. What does this mean?

This weekend is gonna be fun! It is our annual big fundraiser for the non-profit org I belong to. I will see people who saw me in Aug & Sep, right before and after my surgery, and also, people I haven't seen in a year. I have to admit, I'm looking good. Better than I have in ages, and ages. I am still waiting for some extra energy to come back but I do feel like doing more these days. It could just be that it is Fall, today is the 1st cool day outside and I do love Fall. I have a kickass new dress made just for me and it fits perfectly my 63 lbs lighter self! I am also wearing a black & blue leather corsette that Jimmie had made for me when we first met and …

New to forum...been looking online for something like this, sooooooooo glad I found yall!! I had my VSG on Oct 12, 2011, 15 days out and feel great!! I had some serious doubts on days 1-3 but things gradually got better as all those before me said they would. I never thought I would be so happy to puree up a can of Soup, glad to be out of "liquid" stage, very curious how I will handle "real" food. I am currently on a little stall...I was happy to see that I was not alone and that this to will pass, just stick with the plan and quit beating up the scale!! A little background, I have had "weight" issues pretty much my whole life as far as I can remember. I have yo-y…

My doctor's office is telling me that Toyota told them that they have to be a "center of excellence" and "blues center of distinction (which they are niether)." My insurance company said this is not right and I am completely covered for my procedure. The lady at the Dr. office still argued with me until I had the insurance to get her on a 3-way call and to fax the papers over. She is still saying ,"well, my supervisor says this is not right." I had the supervisor from the insurance company to send them that info! Does anyone have any suggestions of how to deal with them if they keep giving me the runaround. There is not another doctor within a hundred miles to do bariatri…

Hello everyone, I have been banded for 3 months now and have lost 33 pounds. I waited a very long time to have this surgery because I never seemed to have insurance that would cover the surgery, but it was the best thing that I ever did no matter what the out of pocket cost is. Not only have I seen changes in myself I have seen changes in my husband and daughter, which is great. I think the hardest thing for me to get them to stop doing was asking me if I wanted a bite of their wonderful food and shoving it in my face. Another issue is them asking can you have this? It sometimes drives me nuts. Anyway. I live in Olathe KS which is just south of Kansas City and I …

Hello! I am 37 and have been researching the Lap-Band for over a year. I was a consultant however with no insurance so didn't want to self pay. So I went to Weight Watchers and lost 40 pounds until my center moved far away and it has all krept back on. Fast forward to now and I have a new position and insurance with Independence Blue Cross. WLS and LapBand are covered if a provider recommends it and I am at the very beginning stages. This Wed I have my orientation. Then Nov 3rd I have my Dr's appt with Dr. Rehnke in St Petersburg & that week I am going to the seminar. With that said, I have NO idea if insurance will take his word for it or if I have to s…

I had my lap band procedure yesterday and I am starting to get nervous. I am starting to get hungry and I am beginning to doubt that I can continue this liquid diet for another 3 weeks! Is this normal to feel this way?

Well I was sleeved on october 3 2011 I thought id loose this weight faster im feeling a little discouraged! Did anyone else start out slow, or is it something Im doing wrong

Hey everyone, I am a newbie here and just wanted to get support, encourage and maybe even make a few friends.