Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I started looking into the sleeve and found out right off that this was an excluded surgery by my insurance. I then started looking around at several sites and all were great. I chose belightweight and Jessica was assigned as my facilitator. Jessica sent me info about locations, prices ($6700.00 for the all inclusive package blood work, EKG,chest xray,surgery, 2 days hospital stay, 1 day motel stay, transport to and from San Diego airport to the hospital)pre and post op diets and a medical questioner and a referral list. I started calling people on the referral list and they all had great experiences with Dr. Rod. Filled out info and picked the 26th. Sent in my $500…

Hi all! I'm Lorianne from Central, CA. I've recently found this site and have spent countless hours this week reading. I'm 5'2.5" and 198 currently. I started this journey at 286. I'm being banded by Dr. Lyass on 10/11/11 at Cedars. I'm a mom of three adult children (24, 22, and 19) and have one teenager (16) left at home. I'm also a Nana to the sweetest two year old on the planet! Hope to make connections with people going through the same process at my stage as well as all other stages! ~Lorianne~

My name is Jennifer but most call me Jen. I'm 31 and the mother of the most precious 8 month old little boy. I've been overweight my entire life starting in elementary school. I'm here because of my son. I'd like to teach him very young how to eat healthy and make healthy choices. I've had to battle weight issues all of my life and I don't wish him to go through what I did growing up. My weight peaked at its highest when I was 9 months pregnant. I was 308 pounds a week before he was born. I'm now 239. 69 pounds gone. I was 285 at my surgeons consultation and he wanted me to lose 10 pounds. I lost a little over 30. Then I lost 10 pounds on the liquid pre-op die…

Hello Everyone, I am very excited to have found, what appears to be, a really good chat forum for people like us lol I had my initial lap banding on August 15th, 2011. My Pre - Opti Fast Weight was 118.9kg. My surgery went really well and I was home by lunch time the following day. However, 4 days later I got a stomach bug and began vomiting....many times. Although this didn't seem to cause any initial issues, I awoke at about 3am the next morning with horrific right shoulder pain!!! I am not generally referred to as 'soft' but was walking around in tears. Of course, the conclusion was that I was having a bad case of the gas pain from the surgery. So, I took Tra…

Good afternoon. I wanted to take the time to say hello to everyone. I am currently doing the 6 month weight loss attempt from physican. November 1 will be my last appointment, then it will be soon to schedule surgery, I hope. I can't wait to read everything here on this board. It appears to be a wealth of experiance.

Hello everyone! I am new here so i figured i'd make a post introducing myself to you all. Although i only became a member now, i have perused through this site many times and have found so much useful information- thank you all for that!! So basically, i'm 22 now and have struggled with weight all my life. It's been rough for me, and losing weight was not even my worst problem- it was keeping it off!!! But to be honest, it was always because i never felt full so after dieting i just went back to eating big meals. (maybe thats because i didn't make dieting into an actual lifestyle..?) But now the time has come for me to turn to WLS to help me keep it off. Of course …

Hello every one! I am new to this site so I thought I would intorduce myself. I have 8 days until my surgery. I have had my endoscopic exam done with no problems. I will see my surgeon again on Tuesday to get the results of my blood tests and a last chance for question. Like everyone else its a rollercoaster of emotions. I believe I have made to right choice as I have had years of diets and ended up very unhappy, overweight with health issues. i want to have a life again to be able to do simple things like put on my socks easyly! Not have to struggle when I walk everything is hard work at this weight. I would love not to have to use my CPAP machine any more! …

Hi, my name is Monique and I will be banded on 10/21/11 YAY ME!!!!!. I am so very excited about this. I am looking to connect with people from Chicago or the surrounding areas. I I currently live in Lisle,IL. with my husband and son. I would love to chat,email, or meet up with people who have had/will have the surgery. I hope to hear from you guys. My email is nikkismith7906@yahoo.com and my facebook page is www.facebook.com/mywlsjourney Thanks!!

Hello. I recently found this site and am happy to find a great source of information. I just went to see my doctor about this surgery. I have to take an orientation class next month. I'm in Northern California and am a Kaiser member. Would love to hear from others. Thank you.

Hi everyone. I'm glad to have found this forum. I'm in the very beginnings of my LB journey, so y'all will have to bear with me. I've just had my insurance confirmed, but must go through the 6 months of weight counseling, plus psych testing. My first counseling appointment is Nov 1 because of a pre-existing clause, so that means I won't have the surgery until May 2012. The only thing I am nervous about is if my insurance policy changes to exempt bariatric surgery on Jan 1st. I have CIGNA insurance through my employer. Currently I am 50 years old and have a bmi of 48.1. I am using Texas Gastric Banding (Dr Wilkenfeld), with the surgery at True Results in Houston. I'm for…

Hi Everyone, Its been 26 days since my gastric sleeve and I'm so over this process. I was on Clear liquids for 2 weeks and now I'm in the puree stage until Oct. 11th (4 weeks). From was I've been reading most people are only on puree for 2 weeks but my doctor insist on 4 weeks. I'm running out of food options but all I eat is stage one baby food, mashed potates, grits, cream Soup, broth, Jello and yogurt. I feel like after this I'm never going to want to eat any of this things ever again. I'm running out of ideas about what to eat and my desire to eat has decreased because my options are so limited. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hello all, I was banded on Sept 22nd and have lost a total of 16lbs so far. Got approved for the soft foods high protien diet a week ago and enjoying being off the broth. Not losing quite a fast as before and I am definately having a hard time`sticking to the 1/4 cup portion size recommend by my doctor. Overall though, I am happy about the result and glad to be on this side of the surgery after my 6 month insurance-imposed wait!

Is it bad not to reach the 1000 calorie diet when on the pre-surgery diet? This was my first day and only had about 700 calories and not interested in another shake. Thanks for your thoughts and experience.

Hi all, I am new to this site. I had surgery Tuesday afternoon and came home from the hospital yesterday. I feel like I am doing really well, but have a little cough that sends me through the roof with my belly being cut up. Whew... Everything else went really well. I have had some emotional ups and downs, wondering if this was the right thing and what the heck did I do to myself, but today I feel more positive. I slept in the recliner all night and actually slept really well. I know there is no way I can get into my bed, well, I could probably get in, but never back out! I am not really starving, and everything seems to be going down and moving fine. Lot…

Well tomorrow I meet with the Nutritionalist at the surgeon's office, Wednesday I have my bariatric Psych eval, and in the meantime I am playing follow up with the drs offices faxing my five years of medical records! I have checked out books from the library on the surgery, and been learning a lot from everyone on here! There is a support group meeting this week for those who have had the surgery so I am going to try to attend and learn as much as I can. Not sure how long this process will take but I am looking forward to the benefits from changing my life! Keep your fingers crossed all goes smoothly and in time for a November surgery date!

Wow... where to start? I knew things were out of hand and I knew I couldn't do it on my own. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't get the pounds to go away. We all have a moment where we know we have to do something and my moment was at work. I was working in a hospital and it was a very small hospital. We had a patient that we estimated to be around 800#. She was in ICU and we had to have two beds chained together to hold her. She was quite ill and she was unable to turn herself. On the night shift we did not have enough strong staff to turn her every two hours. We had to call the fire department every two hours and have them come and help us turn her. …

Hi everyone, Just wanted to say hello since I am new to this particular forum. I have not yet been sleeved, but have decided to go through with the procedure and have been preparing for a couple of months now. I finally finished the last of my requirements so am just waiting on a phone call to set a date. I'm excited and scared to death at the same time for numerous reasons. I can't wait to explore the forum more and understand the sleeve "for better or for worse" so that I can be as prepared as possible come surgery day! I look forward to chatting with you all

So after 16 years of struggling, up and down, weight watchers, south beach, low carb, cleanses, 3 hour gym days and the list goes on and on...I have finally decided to get the lap band. I told myself last year that if I could not successfully lose it on my own with diet and excerise that I would get the surgery. I realized that after all these years, I am just tired of the struggle and I need a hand. I realized 40 is around the corner and I need to put an end to this struggle. So my decision is made and my consult appointment too. My husband and I are both going to go through this journey. He started his journey in 2008 and never went through with it. He successfully…

I know it's not as exciting as NSV's or insurance approval, but I've been working towards this for over 2 years. I did my 2nd of my 3 required psych appointments this morning, and I got my call from the hospital for my initial consultation today...farther than I have EVER been in this process! I wanted to scream and shout and tell everyone about it!!!....but then I remember I've chosen not to proactively tell everyone...yet. I have my 3rd/last psych appointment Monday (which is just to go over my results), and I head out of town to the hospital right after noon! What do I expect now as far as a timeline goes?! (That's assuming insurance doesnt deny me.) Can I guess in …

Hello everyone... I have been reading on this site for the past month and finally decided to become a BANDIT I am 38yr old female, 5ft 4, 216 pds and most people tell me that I should not do the procedure because I am not big enough (in their eyes) well for me having the procedure will be more than just being vain about my size. I have and take medicine for daily: Psuedo Tumor Cerebrii, High Blood Pressure, sleep Apnea and Diabbetes..yea I know right????? so when my surgeon Dr. Touliatos looked over my medical records he laughed and asked me did I drink or smoke and I said no and he said well maybe you should start (lol) because you have everything else which is sad bu…

Hi, discovered this forum today and so glad I have. Was sleeved just over 6 weeks ago, doing ok. I live in the UK and this op is fairly new here as a stand alone procedure, consequently the forums here are not brilliant. Am still in the process of 'lurking' about and looking at all the info. I found a thread earlier (whilst at work) called 'hungry sleevies' or something very similar and now I cannot find it - could someone point the way back to it for me so I can finish reading it please? It is very pertinent to me as I was sooo looking forward to not being hungry anymore and unfortunately this has not been the case for me and this thread had some very useful info in it.…

Hi all, my name is Lisa, my journey actually began a year ago when i was deliberating to have the sleeve or not, after years of yo yo dieting, gaining and losing. I have finally decided to have it done. I have Kaiser Insurance so went to my primary MD for the sought after referral for bariatric surgery. after many doctors visits he finally consented but added, you probably wont get approved for the surgery d/t your bmi is not high enough and you dont have any comorbs. okay, I am 5'9, 260 lbs, and yes I have no comorbs, but I dont want to have any either. I do have shortness of breath even when sleeping, IBS(irritable bowel syndrome)plantar faschitis, osteoarthritis in my …

Hi There. I have been a member of the forum for about a month, but have yet to post. I had my surgery on September 25th 2011, and am still recuperating. I am waiting to float away like a balloon from all this bloating and gas pain - at least that would make things a little more interesting! Laura

For those who had a couple days in hospital post surgery did u start taking your vitamins there to see if u could handle it or did u start taking it at home? I'm curious because they told me not to bring any meds with me on surgery day . Thanks

I was told by a "trainer" that when a contestant doesn't lose adequate weight for any given week they're extended time. Yep, the contestant is given up to 3-4 weeks to lose the weight you see them lose in the ONE week. Then the producers just say it was one week. That's how and why they seem to have incredible weight loss in such a short time. Plus the time between the announcement of the finale and the finale itself is around 2 months. So no, these people aren't losing 80, 90 or 100+ pounds in 12 weeks. That could make people feel that they aren't trying hard enough. But the reality is that television isn't patient enough to wait for nature. They give a perception that s…

I'm a newbie fresh out of Southern California. It's a crazy weather day!! I've just entered Kaiser's pre-op program (12 weeks) with the intention of having sleeve surgery. I am excited to finally be facing this challenge to be healthier and thinner and hopefully to increase my longevitiy. My BMI was 54 this summer and is now 53 after losing 14 pounds using Weight Watchers over the past six weeks. Apparently the once a week classes at Kaiser go back and forth between the behavioral specialist and a dietician. The behavioural specialist was awesome and next week I meet the dietician. I know there are so many components to this endeavor, one of the biggest being men…

Just wondering how much can you drink at one setting?

For the past few days I have been getting hungry. I mean stomach growling, no liquids or creamed Soups will satisify me hungry. Last week as I sat on the couch allowing my hunger pangs to do their thing I drifted off to sleep. My dream was so wild and vivid I called and posed a question to my sister and my mom. What if I really didn't have the surgery??? No, I'm not crazy... I definitely had the surgery, it was just a dream. In my dream, on Sept. 20 I was wheeled into the OR. My surgeon and his staff chatted me up until I drifter off into lah-lah land. When I woke up I was in recovery. Sounds about right, right? After a while I was taken to my room and given the roya…

My name is Anne. I am a 32 year old married mother of 2 small kids (ages 5 and 2). I teach part time at a university and own/design a children's clothing line. I have an amazing, supportive husband who has no weight issues. My Mom has no weight issues either, but my Dad, sister, and Dad's family ALL have weight problems. My first memory of being weight conscious was in the 3rd grade when the nurse weighed me and said out loud (in front of my whole class), "WOW Anne, you weight 95 pounds.". From that moment on I was regarded as a fat girl. I graduated high school weighing 212 lbs and got married at 216lbs. I got down to 190lbs and did an Ironman right before I got pregna…

Hi everyone! I never thought I would even consider surgery for my weight condition, but as time goes on I keep getting more and more medical problems. I am very excited to think of my life as a thin person as I am 29 and have NEVER been a healthy weight!

Hi everyone. I've been looking at LapBand for years now. I have my first consultation Wednesday with my surgeon and I'm really excited. I have my full medical records and don't think I could prepare any more for this appointment. All records show and document discussions for weight loss with doctors since at least 1998. Even mentions wanting LapBand years ago so hopefully it will all help with the insurance approvals. Just nervous about how long everything will take. I need that edge to my health to push me to lose weight and get more active. I have a BMI of 60.1 with at least 6 co-morbidities. I'm just hoping for surgery soon. Everyone on here seems so supportive and gre…

Greetings. I am a 35 y/o woman with high blood pressure and sleep apnea. I have tried a variety of methods for losing weight and after a recent regain of some of my weight, I started researching WLS. Back in September, I attended an informational seminar held by the surgeon that I am interested in having perform my surgery. I had my consultation with him back on the 29th. I am working with my insurances to work this out. I am very interested in the VSG. Over my lifetime, I've gone through a few different weight loss programs. I can remember joining Weight Watchers with my parents back around 8th grade. The summer after my freshman year of high school, I chose to atte…

I met with my surgeon on Friday for the first time. I settled on the sleeve after discussing it with him. It seems the surgery with the fewest behavior adjustments and the most normal eating. He said that I'm supermorbidly obese at 296 lb. I've always had to watch the calories but it wasn't until my early 40s that the pounds piled on and wouldn't come off. I decided to have bariatric surgery this summer when X-rays showed that I'm bone on bone in my knees and can't have knee replacement surgery until the weight is in a normal range. Dr. Hirai of St. Francis will do my surgery, but he wants me to lose 30 lb before surgery. I want to have the surgery in December, so that do…

Well, today is my 5th day post VSG... So far, no regrets... Family just had a huge Brunch with all the trimmings... I felt no hunger, but the temptation is still there to reach for that Bacon! Pain is all but gone. The only issue that I can report is some diaphoresis and fatigue when I try to exert myself for for than an hour of activity... Probably a little hypoglycemia... Here are some of my details... VSG with a 36fr bougie, 5th day post op, on Clear liquids only (4 oz/hr), 42 y/o male, starting weight 273lbs (5'5"), current weight 261.5, goal weight 170 lbs in 1 year or sooner. Bring it on!!!

Hello, I am a 37 year old mother of a 19 year old in a very long term relationship with a skinny man..LOL! I cannot believe it is less then two weeks away, it's funny how all of the sudden everyone is telling me horror stories about the pain I will suffer. And the bad side of the sleeve such as the slow weight loss and the horrible gas. So, as you probably can imagine I am a nervous wreck! I guess I turned here to see if someone can make me feel better about my decision. My doctor requires a 800 calorie diet starting 2 weeks prior, it has been torture but as least not as bad as all liquid. I live with my boyfriend who is not spportive of my decision at all. He is 6'2 an…

Well i am almost there I assume. 6 month doctor diet check, mental health check, meeting with doc.. check and check. Tuesday I go in for a throat scope while my final paper work is processed and my date will be set for surgery. So i am guessing i will have surgery before mid November can't wait !

Okay so really excited planning to do lapbanc go to bariatric clinic appt. and now I am totally confused. I think that the sleeve might be a better way to go. Judging by the people who have opted for the sleeve after the band I am thinking I would like to cut out the middle man(literally). Now I have to do a sleep apnia test , and EKG which is all good but a poop test arrrgghhh!! It is all worth it right. I just started my process, I am scared out of my mind to go the extra mile, with intibation, stay in hospital, longer recovery. Okay so here we go. Hope to keep in touch along the way. Next appt. tomorrow for follow up to the crazy tube they stuck down my tube to my t…

Hi Everyone, I had my banding done on September, 26th ( 3 days ago). It has been a tough time because initially I planned to get the Gastric Balloon, but then at the last minute I went with the Band. I had my Op done in Korea. The first day was so rough. I had the worst chest pains. I had my doctor remove some saline from the band. I felt really scared about not being able to breathe properly. The worst part was that I couldn't burp! I think that made my chest ache more. I think my body was in shock. It was my first time having a surgery. The past 3 days has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Sometimes, I just cry, thinking why did I do this to myse…

I was having decision issues about whether to go for the RNY or the Sleeve. RNY for me. Hi my name is Kim, I have over 200 lbs to lose. I'll be 45 this year. I'm a mother of 3 daughter's and 1 grand-daughter. I have put my life on hold long enough..it's time for me. I know it's going to be hard be well worth it in the end. I'm looking for new friends to share my journey with I will encourage you when needed and I hope I will get the same in return. So far, I've had 2 weigh in's.( only one counted) Next, I have to attended a lifestyle class then the psych eval.. then I guess surgeon and case manager then... the DATE. Oh yes, spoke to the dietican too. So I'm …

Hi! My name is LaToya. I was in the process of getting the LapBand but my surgeon (Dr.Van Wagner-St.Louis) suggested that the RNY Gastric Bypass will be my best bet. I have been overweight since I was 11 years old and probably even before that. It was very emotional when Dr.Wagner told me that he didn't think I would be 'as' succesful with the LapBand....I really appreciated his honesty. So now I am going back and researching everything dealing with the RNY. I am concerned that it is a mal-nutrition process. But I do have at least 200 pounds to loose. Can't wait to get to know everyone. Would love to know if anyone else is seeing Dr.Wagner as well!

I am new to the forum. I also a member on the Sleeve fourm I have not made a decision on which one is best for me. I have my lifestyle class coming up in Sept ( procedure will be done through Kaiser Northern CA) No surgery date yet. Any advice would be helpful and appreciated.

I originally started my journey looking to do the LapBand but after consulting with my surgeon and researching other procedures even more, now I am getting RNY Gastric Bypass. I have done all of my requirements and I do believe my claim is being sent to my insurance company either today or tomorrow at the latest!!! I am excited and feel like a little the week of Christmas. I should be having surgery at the begining of December at the latest!!! Can't wait to get to know all of you. I also have a VLOG on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/lmscrogg

I've struggled with my weight my whole life and diets have never worked for me in the past. I was recommended to the lapband surgery by my wonderful aunt who got the surgery over five years ago. When I finally turned 18 in March I decided to follow up with the recommendation and I researched it until my fingers fell off and here I am! My parents' insurance was approved and I have already met with the nutritionist (That was FUN. I got to impress her will everything I've learned from research and The Biggest Loser... Haha) and tomorrow evening I meet with the psychiatrist (I have no idea what to expect with that. Any ideas?). Then, of course, the all-important seminar is th…

Next week will by 8 months post surgery. I have been happy with the weight loss. I have gone from 280 lbs to 168. Overall, I have done a great job of sticking to it. I exercise regularly and really monitor what I eat. With that said Yes, I have snacked but rarely and No some days I do not exercise but I follow things pretty closely. The weight came off prett well but now things have come to a standstill. Some say that will happen between 8 and 10 months post op and the body will start to gain weight without an increase in calories. That is what seems to be happening to me now. For those newbies or those thinking about the surgery just keep in mind you will get results b…

i am new here, just signed up, just had my procedure done. i am very nervous. it's my third day after surgery and i still have pains like i have a pulled muscle. is this normal? it hurts in certain positions when lying/sitting down, and i'm not sure i should shower in this sort of discomfort.

I got my sleeve done 11 days ago, on September 19th. The weight already seems to be coming off pretty well. I did two weeks of Optifast prior to surgery, so between that and the 11 days since being sleeved, I've lost 36 pounds! I've been dipping into my "old clothes" bins to find pants that fit decently. I have a feeling this is gonna be a fun ride! Not that it's all sunshine and kittens. I'm still bouncing back and forth between episodes of high energy and episodes of heavy fatigue. I'm also having some issues with foam. Just a whole lotta foam in my stomach sometimes. If I burp, foam. Sometimes I end up spitting it out. Nasty. I'm thinking the foam might have somethin…

Hello. My name is Grace (hi Grace) and I have been overweight since I can remember. As a child, teenager, and even today at the ripe old age of 30 I have decided to take this lap band journey. I have been reading the forums and blogs for about a month and decided it was time to show my face, so to speak. I am at the beginning of the process. I found out today that since I was accepted into my insurances Bariatric Surgery Case Management Program and barring my failure to complete the paperwork or an unknown medical issue I should be approved. It is a process and most of it is the medical tests which is no surprise. The thing that I am worried about is the 5% weig…

My name is Kara and I will be having my VSG surgery on the 19th of October at the Puget Sound Surgical Centre in Washington State. I live in the Yukon Territory, Canada in a small remote community of just 400 people. My husband and I have been married for the last eights years and we have two young boys, aged 2 and 4. We have lived all across Canada's northern territories over the last eight years. I just turned 32 this month. Currently I weigh 316lbs and have been obese my entire life. I spent the winter researching weight loss surgeries after feeling like I had tried everything for weight loss as I am sure most of you have felt at one point in time. I settled o…

I feel like I've been re-birthed and am so happy! I had my op on Tuesday 27th Sept and arrived home from hospital today. I have so much to say and so much I want to ask but I just don't know where to begin. However I will start by saying that the operation went well and I've experienced a speedy recovery so far. To introduce myself, I'm a 47 yo married mother of 3 children in their early 20s. I'm from Geelong, Victoria, Australia. On Tuesday I weighed in at 125.9 kilos (277.5 lbs). So I guess this is it a new beginning....bring it on!

Hello all! I'm Meli, 33, a life long battle with weight, PCOS, Metabolic X Syndrome, Type II diabetes and so on... I think the hardest part has been 5 years of trying to conceive with no luck--- tried everything short of IVF. I have considered WLS in the past, but was not fond of re-routing intestines, it just sounds really bad--- so I was glad to learn about the VSG. My fertility doctor actually mentioned to me last Tuesday that perhaps it is time to consider surgery, needless to say that evening I was in a seminar with, Dr. Anderson, on the latest WLS. I have my appointment with the nutritionalist and pyschologist next week and if my medical records come together as…