Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello all, I got my Lap Band on July 25th. I told a few people at work about getting the op. One person I did not tell I knew she knew would have neg things to say. Well I felt bad as she kept saying is your health ok? She would hear the people at work say how is it going. I felt bad and let her in on what I chose to do. WISH I NEVER TOLD HER. This woman is say 120 pounds and thinks every one should diet and that people like myself are weak. Well let me tell you I told her a few things thanks to this group here (Lap Band Talk) I stood up for myself said I did this to save my life to see my kids have kids.and so on in a nice way as it is hard for me to be mean to others…

Hi Everyone, Today is a very special day for me. It is my birthday and I am 66 today. What makes it so special is that I am able to do things I never dreamed I would do. I am healthy, happy and have added so many years to my life because I had WLS and have maintained my weight loss of 105 for almost 3 years. I did this for ME and NO one else. I feel so very blessed that I had WLS. Hugs, Suzanne

My name is Tina and I am 36 years old. I had the gastric sleeve on July 19th, 2011. (36 days ago) Within 3 weeks I had lost 40 lbs. The last 2 weeks however I went from gaining 4 lbs to loosing 6 so down 2. 42 lbs in all. I am scared about this plateau but I am going to continue to folllow all the rules and work out. : ) I had been overweight since my first pregnancy 12 years ago. Then as the years passed and with the 2nd and 3rd preganancy then beyond I just seemed to steadily gain 10 lbs a year. So I found myself at 264 and very uncomfortable. I manage to enjoy life no matter what, but I don't want to be the fat girl! I miss buying cute clothes so much. I know that I…

Hi! I have been lurking for about 6 months now off and on. I got my approval today. I ahve United Healthcare. I am 35, married and have a 16 month old. I am using true results in Dallas with dr. Fox. I am suppose to start my diet on Sunday and be banded, hopefully next friday. Things are happening pretty quickly. I have only told my husband, sister-in-law and my niece. Thats it. I'm excited now.

Hi all! I am having a very difficult day! I am 4 mo postop, my sleeve gast was on mar 3, 2011. I have lost 95 lbs and that part is great! The not so great part is the whole other package! I am nauseaus every day, and have to take an expensive pill to keep from feeling sick. liquids are fine, but the minute i ingest a solid, i feel a huge lump in my stomach. I have chronic heartburn and fits of gastric acid and bile reflux that sometimes comes out of my nose! The doc said he fixed my hiatel hernia, but I have never been so acidic! About a few weeks post op, i got very sick, like I had food poisoning! I was throwing up and pooing at the same time, if you can imagine tha…

Hi everyone, I just got my PCP referral from Kaiser for the Bariatric department yesterday. I am anxious. I know that So Cal Kaiser patients have to do the 12 weeks options class. But what happens before that? Am I already approved by Kaiser??? I just keep reading all these postings about insurance denial and was wondering what is kaisers process. Is the doctors referral all I need? I cant wait to get this show on the road !!!

Hi everyone, my name is Lisa and I am a 28 yr old female. This is the first time I have been on a site like this. A little history is that I am a 2X brain cancer survivor and had to take heavy doses of steroids to get the swelling under control. My entire life and body changed completly. Previous to all of the medical problems, I was working full time and was also a full time nursing student in my last semester. I also worked out 6x a week and was in excellant shape. Because of the steroids I gained about 60 pounds, and now have avascular necrosis in my lower extremities (my bones are collapsing) in the last 2 years I have had an unsuccessful hip surgery, a total hip…

The staple line scars over, great! But what about that scar tissue migrating to other parts of the abdomen? Does scar tissue do that? I have a friend who had a hysterectomy years ago and she said she had to have several surgeries over the years to remove the scar tissue that had made its way around her intestines and other abdominal areas. Does anyone have any links or an opinion on whether or not the scar tissue that forms over the staple line is going to start wrapping around my intestines or other innerds??? Thanks yawl

Just wanted to share, as I sit here 5 days post op, that I'm watching my wonderful husband put together my (our) new treadmill. I really can't get in my walking in the heat of the last month and don't like doing laps around the mall. Now I don't have to worry about falling on ice or snow either; that is a really big fear I have - breaking a hip. He has been great from the moment I decided to get the sleeve and I hope we can share a much more active life in the years to come

I'm just looking for some advise here. I am interested in getting the sleeve done but i want to explore my options. I'm 23 yrs old and weigh 276 and i have been heavy ever since i can remember. My friend just had lap band done about a month ago and it made me realize that i need to do something about me. So my question is to whoever reads why did you choose the lap band?

Hi Guys Im 27 years old 306 lbs and standing just above a hight of 5'9. From birth to about the age of 20 i was always pretty healthy maintaining my weight without ever noticing it sometimes a lil chubby other times healthy. When i started working and making my way i started to eat more and i stopped playing sports and moving around as much. Lo and behold my weight started shooting up really fast till i had really no control of it. I've always loved food. I am a self prescribed food addict and i love cooking and i would eat just about anything i liked till it hit the spot. The spot started becoming bigger and bigger if u know what i mean. I got married at 24 an…

I'm new to all of this. Ive been researching about the sleeve and i think i am considering it, but i have my doubts. So my question is how did you decide to get the sleeve done over lap band?

I feel pretty good . . . a little burpy . . . not in a tremendous amount of pain. My nurses barely checked on my all day . . . so I pretty much slept all day. I didn't really start sipping Protein Water until a couple of hours ago. I got up and did a couple of laps around the hospital floor I am on, and it didn't really hurt. Just a bit of pressure in my abdomen. I did have a moment of real panic earlier, wondering what the heck I did to my body . . . I was in a LOT of pain and experiencing MUCH nausea earlier . . . but I am much better now. I think I might be rambling a bit, LOL . . . so I apologize if I am. I really want to go home tomorrow, so I'm hoping they …

It has been a very interesting day. My car stopped dead in the middle of an intersection in a rain storm on the way to work. Not one person stopped to check on me. Got the car towed to my office, spent a couple of hours getting another tow to the garage and renting a car. The new compliance officer at work gives a whole new meaning to nit picking paranoid micromanager and he isn't even my boss. I had to leave at 3 to get to the first visit with my new doctor, which is normally plenty of time, except I got caught in a slow moving river of minivans; it took me ahalf hour to go less than a mile. Didn't realize school started yesterday. I was late for my appointment; I…

I am new to this site and I am scheduled to be banded on 9/21/11. The Veterans Administration is paying for the whole thing thank the Lord. I am so excited about this procedure to finally loose my weight. I am 6'3" 435lbs. now and will be starting my pre-op diet in about a week. My surgeon is Dr. Roy Schwartz and I will be banded at Capital Regional Medical Center.

Read this book: Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss---and the Myths and Realities of Dieting" All the crap you heard about diets is just "CRAP". You will find out Diets have never worked. Poeple have always gained there weight back.

Hi all, I'm brand new to the site.. I mostly joined to get food ideas, feedback as to how to deal with challenges, etc.. Good to meet all of you!

I have the go ahead from my insurance and the date for my surgery. Now I am having second thoughts. I have read a few horror stories and i really need to see some success stories... please help

I went for my 1st week pos-op yesterday everything was great. The best is I had lost 14lbs in 1 week. I hope I can keep losing a few pounds every week.

Hi, I am 39 and have been overweight for most of my life. I decided to go have the lap band 11 weeks after my informational seminar I am scheduled for Surgery on September 13, 2011. This has been a very smooth process except for finding out that I have sleep apena and require a cpap machine. This was very difficult for me to accept as it feels like I am suffocating when it was on for a short period. I hope I can get over this hurdle. I have a cruise in April and hope to have to buy all new clothes for the trip. If you were to give someone tips that you would have like to know while you were going through it what would it be?

Hello Everyone, I am new to this site, and think it is an excellent form of communication for the VSG community. I am 21 yrs old, and recently found out at the beggining of this year that I have type 2 diabetes. My starting weight was 315 huge lbs., and I am now down to 269 lbs. one week post-op as of today. I have very mixed emotions about all of this. I was so determined to have weight loss surgery for about 3 years, I tried the whole 1-800-GET-THIN crap and it was a scam. I tried going through different places to finance and it never worked out. So, I finally changed my insurance through my employer, I got Kaiser Permanente and I found out through a co-worker w…

Hi, I am due to have the VSG on October 20, 2011, insurance is all approved, just have to do the pre op stuff, but it is still to early. Any way about me. I have been over weight my entire life. Just to let you know this is true in sixth grade I weighed 230 pounds. So I wonder sometimes why did I wait so long with doing the surgery. Well I never knew there were any other procedures besides the bypass. I had previous surgery on my intestines and I just didn't feel right playing with them any more than they were played with. So that was out. Then I thought about the lap band. Well when I went to the seminar, I quickly changed my mind, that was definitely not for me.AH but t…

Thought it was about time I introduced myself! I am married 25 years to a great guy. I have 2 grown children that find it easier to live at home. Son 24 and daughter 20. Like probably most I think I have attempted every diet out there, had some successes however cannot keep it off. Thus leaving me at 320lbs at 5'4". I almost went in for the lapband about 6 years ago but 2 weeks prior to surgery ins said no. I needed 12 months of medically approved weight lose plan. Get this though they would have payed for a bypass! At the time they were still opening you up from stem to sterm and I wanted no part of that. Besides 2 of my cousins had a bypass and both have dump…

I have started training for a half-marathon and am doing so with a running group. I actually wanted to do this last year and joined the group only to realize I was too fat to run. I worked out with the walking group for a while before I realized I was too heavy to even do that. Fast forward 12 months and I am now there again almost 80 pounds lighter and running 5 miles. Big victory, right? Today, I saw some of the women I used to walk with. Of course they asked how much weight I had lost and then the inevitable, "How'd you do it?" I hmmed and hawed for a moment before just saying I had wls. I have a huge issue with needing to be honest so I rarely conceal surgery when o…

I know that there are so many people out there that will understand how I'm feeling, so I decided to post. I NEED some support today. My surgery is tomorrow in Mexico with Dr. Kelly. I decided to make the trip alone because I didn't think it was necessary to interrupt anyone else's schedule. I have been crossing off the calendar days, following my two week pre-op diet to the letter (not an easy couple of weeks!), and watching and posting on the boards here every day... and now, it's finally my turn. I have my carry on bag half packed with all the recommended things you all have talked about taking to the hospital. I have my notes typed up for my last pre-op youtube…

My name is Jennifer. I live in the Dallas Fort worth area... 8 years ago I was trying to get WLS in the middle of all the testing for the insurance I lost my insurance and had to give up.... Im back at it again! Pay cash out of pocket! I very excited, but I have been let down before. On September 30th I hope to be banded. I am getting a tax return back that I didn't file for (2009) and I am using it as a down payment. I have everything done such as blood tests breathing tests EKG everything done. Just waiting for the money part. I learn from the last let down 8 years ago to not be TOO excited.... so cross your fingers for me please! I am 27 years old. I weig…

Hi folks! My name is Tamika I live in cincinnati ohio. I am in the process of being approved for lap band. I am 26 w/ the bmi of 63. I still have 5 months of assisted diet plan left. (so I am still in the early stages of doing this) I have empty sella syndrome (e.s.s) its a conditition that affect my pitutary gland and one of the symptoms is obesity in women. I also got sleep apnea and on c-pap at night. I dont really know how this process goes just praying that I will be bless to get this proceedure. Other fun facts about me is I have 5 kids and i'm in school. Hope this site can help me with questions about this proceedure. Tamika

Well everyone. I forgot to introduce myself when I first started using this site. I guess I will do my introduction now! My name is Nicki, I am 26 years old from Arkansas and was recently banded on August 12th. So far I have had a bit of a journey but it is getting better each day. NIGHTMARE!!! OH MY! I had my surgery August 12th, then on August 16th I was dry heaving and throwing up everytime I would take a sip of water. We feared something had gone wrong and by the time I was re-admitted to the hospital on August 18th I was dehydrated. I stayed overnight to get rehydrated and had a bunch of tests done, everything with the band was fine and come to find out.. It was terr…

Hello All, I am new here and Ijust wanted to introduce myself. I am krystle, 25 out of washington state. Tomorrow I am having surgery and I will be getting the sleeve. I currently weigh 295. I am very excited and nervous at the same time! Tonight I will be packing my hospital bag, It's like I am packing for a vacation in a way but not really. The hospital I am going to is Evergreen in Kirkland. It's really nice I hear. I have been struggling with weight issues since I was a child and I look forward to my new life with the sleeve. I currently have back problems and don't sleep well. I get shortness of breath when I climbs stairs or a hill and I don't want that anymore. I…

Hello All! I was banded in November of 2008 and lost 70 pounds!! Last year I let myself start gaining the weight back and then got pregnant in August. While I was pregnant I had all of the Fluid taken out of my band and am now back to almost my pre-surgery weight. I have a beautiful baby girl now and I'm ready to get my weight loss journey back on track! I have an appointment next Tuesday with a new doctor! I am excited and nervous to start this all over again! I look forward to becoming an active member of this forum.. Hope you all have a blessed day!! -Meagan

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my excitment. I was sleeved exactly 2 weeks ago and I have lost 21lbs! That's 23% of my weight loss goal in 2 weeks. It would take me 6 months to accomplish that before, and I would gain it back each and everytime. I have been back to work since last Monday. I am finally getting all my Protein in everyday. It finally clicked that I can't waste the room in my stomach for non-high protein things YET. (like cream of wheat, creamy Soups etc. ) I have been drinking 3 glasses of 1% milk a day spiked with a 3rd of a chocolate Protein Drink (that has 20g of protien!) every day. It tastes like wonderful chocolate milk. I drink that between "…

Hello! Communicating this way is new to me, and I'm glad to have stumbled upon this site. Hugs and applause to all of you, wherever you find yourselves on your own journies. My story? How many hours have we got? :-) Let's just say for now that so far I have only gone to one informational session with the University of Michigan bariatric program. Tomorrow I have my first visit with my primary doctor to start off the six months of required monitoring visits - then in the afternoon, I have an hour with the program director / PA and an hour with the dietician. My psych appointment (3 hours) is about a month away. That's pretty darn new to all of this, but from my res…

Hi, I am new to this website and I am following the instructions by telling my story. I started my journey in Nov. 2010 when I attended an informational seminar on WLS at The University of PA in Philadelphia, PA. My insurance required me to complete a 6 month weight management with my primary care dr. In March, when I was almost done my 6 months I started all of my testing for surgery, including my psych eval. By May I was done everything and my surgeon's office submitted my paperwork to my insurance, it took a couple weeks to get my approval. I was scheduled to have gastric bypass on June 14, 2011, but when I had an endoscopy done, it showed a small ulcer in my stomach,…

Hi I just begun my journey and decided lap band is best for me, I have a BMI of 54 (ugh), going through Kaiser to have procedure done and insurance say's I'm covered, checked 3 seperate times now to make sure, DR is writing my referral for the surgery once I complete the introduction class in a few weeks, began working out riding excercise bike 8-10 miles a day for 40 min and jogging in pool for another 20-30min evry other day, and started 1200 calorie/day diet hoping to drop some lbs in advance to get the ball rolling and get used to whats instore, been cutting my food into tiny pieces, and chewing to mush to used to that, I've had enough of being fat Anyone else gone …

I am scheduled for my preop appt on the 1st. I have already begun my preop low carb high protien diet surgery is on sept 6th. I am looking for some support groups here in denver where i can meet others who are in the beginning of their journey or anywhere in their journey. please let me know if there are any out here i am having trouble finding them. thanks

I have been banded for almost 3 years with no fills and to goal. I pretty much have kept the 85 of 90 pds off but the 5 pounds gained at last Christmas comes and goes and never stays gone. I have become very complacent with eating a little more than I should. Just wondering how many people have had the band for 10 years or more and are still at goal or close to it?

I talked with my doctor today. I’ve decided to get the lap band. Ill start everything here at this hospital but will finish and get the surgery at another hospital due to a move. Most of everything that will need to get done will take place at the new hospital. What should I know? What do you wish someone would have told you? Advice? It could take close to 1 and a half years before my surgery. So I have time. I’m excited but also a little nervous.

Tomorrow evening is my sleep study! In order for me to move on with the WLS process I need a sleep apnea diagnosis. I am so nervous I need this diagnosis to be approved by my insurance. This sounds really bad, but I hope I have sleep apnea! wish me luck!!

Hello All- This is my first time writing, as I previously belonged to the Lap Band forum. Oddly, I feel like I'm cheating on them. LOL. Anyway, I am so glad that I did start on the Lap Band forum since I was intially considering Lap Band. However, all of their very candid entries led me to believe that the Band was not for me, especially after seeing how many banders had already or were in the process of revision to sleeve. So, I am glad I am here and can't wait for this change! My surgery is scheduled for 9/28 and I am just beside myself with anticipation, not fear, anticipation. So, thank you all in advance for welcoming me into your circle and for all the fee…

Hello to everyone, thank you for taking the time to read over this and offer any advice. Both me and my wife will be having the sleeve at the end of September and beginning of October respectively. I am not as worried about my wife's recovery since she can have how ever much time she needs off from work. I am a little worried about my situation with my job. I am a machinist for an oilfield supply company. I work nights so its not nearly as hot as it its during the day. My shop is seperated by a wall, and on the other side of the wall is a 1700 degree furnace. The heat radiates to our area. I have talked to only a couple of people and got mixed opinions. I was tol…

I'm home! I'm home! Oh, it's so good.... Well, I promised details and I won't sugar coat it but I want to start by saying: I have no pain (except for the first day...) and was up and walking within hours of surgery, have no nausea or reflux. I'm drinking 40+ oz of Water, some broth, and eating Jello with no problem. I have NO hunger. I've been walking 1/2 mile or more per day.... If I woke up with amnesia and someone told me I had major surgery on Thursday, I'd say, "Liar." RECAP: I'm a self pay, Mexico patient. My story "sleeve" story started about six weeks ago when I begrudgingly attended a WL Seminar to hear about the 'band'. I went thinking maybe th…

I got the call from my surgeon's office today that they had received approval from my insurance company. I actually got lightheaded and had to sit down. All this time while I have been going through the 6 month supervised diet, all of the psych visits, nutritionists visits, testing for sleep apnea, finding out I was now diabetic AND have developed high blood pressure (try to get tested for one co-morbidity - find out you have 3) and after losing 28 pounds on the supervised diet ending up 2 ounces above the minimum weight that my insurance will approve for surgery, it's hard to believe that it is finally coming together. I should be getting a call later this week to sta…

Hello! I have my first consultation on Sept 7th. I am READY!!!

I've been giving serious thought about the lapband for some time now.... after some research it seems like a lot of places in the Los Angeles area are popup shops and have notoriously bad feedback online. (IE - ripoffreport.com) like 1800 get slim. Does anyone have a doctor they trust in Los Angeles? If so, let me know, I hope she/he takes Anthem.... Thank you for your time and expertise.

My surgery is next Tuesday and I couldn't be more excited!! I have thought about a surgery for years and I feel like the sleeve is the perfect choice for me. I am prepared to dedicate my life to being healthy. CAN NOT WAIT!!!!

I just got the results of my sleep apnea test today...I have moderate to severe sleep apnea. I am so excited, I know this is not something you would normally Celebrate, but I am at a 35-36BMI and needed a comorbidity in order to qualify with my insurance. I still wont know until the end of the year when they submit everything to the insurance whether I have approval on the surgery (I need to complete my 6 months of nutritional counseling), but I am one step closer to getting my lap band and cant wait. This has been a nail biting, agonizing process, the reward will be worth it! Has anyone been denied even with meeting all the insurance qualifications? I have Cigna.

I need a support group ...

I was banded 8/17/11 so this is my 3rd day post op. Haven't been able to keep much down and today especially has been taxing. Have vomited about 8 times and can't keep even sips down. I'm sure tomorrow will be better!

Hi everyone! Happy to be part of this group! I'm going to my pre-op education and to schedule my surgery in the morning. Open to any advice or suggestions!

I was banded today! Got to the hospital at 5:30 was the first appointment. I was out by 2pm. I took a little longer to wake up because I went to bed at midnight so I just wanted to sleep!!! LOL I'm doing good. I think I went in thinking the pain from gas would be excruciating....it wasn't. My throat hurts more than the gas pains from the breathing tube. But yea. So far so good. I have to try and get a Protein shake down...8 oz but I was told to drink it 2 tbsp at a time to prevent overeating and having it get stuck. Anyone else had to do this??? I'm documenting EVERYTHING that happened to me on my blog right now (www.shrinkingjustine.com) If anybody wants to sh…