Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I am just starting my journey to bariatric sleeve surgery. I have struggled with my weight all of my adult life. I am tired of getting up every morning and the first thing I think of is my weight. I am a successful dieter but have problems maintaining my weight loss. I had lost about 60 lbs and had problems with ruptured disks in my back, well guess what I was in pain so what did I do, Eat. I have gained all of the weight back in less then a year. I choose the sleeve because in comparing all of the surgeries this seems to have all of the pluses that I want. My main concern was the loss of nutrients in the total bypass. I also thought about the band an the idea of…

Ok just found out for sure a surgeon recently lost a patient in Mexico, but does anyone know who the surgeon is? I check it out and was surprised to learn there has been more deaths in the US than in Mexico. I'm still all for Mexico so I guess that's good to know but still so scary and sad. I guess the surgeon nicked an artery and the patient died on the table. Omg tragic !

I should have started this earlier. I have a lot to say! My surgery was performed by Jose Rodriguez through Belite, in Tiajuana. It was really a bizzarre adventure, crossing the border, language barrier, not so state of the art facilities. I was checked into an ok hotel. Taken later for EKG and bloodwork, not at a hospital, but a one floor infimary staffed with nurses. The 'Belite team' was not based there, they traveled back and forth to Juarez.. Anyhow, I won't go into much more detail, surgery was normal, everything worked out fine. I would do it all over again and even after telling the whole story, my best friend is scheduled for July 16. The first few days …

my nutritionist is putting me on a 6month diet before approving me for the sleeve. my question is, how much weight did you guys lose & in how many months? she didnt give me a goal weight to lose.

Surgery is scheduled for August 24, 2011! Anyone else scheduled for around that time? I am so ready!

I have made it through the PRE-pre-op diet (shakes and 1 lite meal/day) and now...I'm sipping broth and diet green tea. YUM Happy 4th Everyone!! I have a spread for everyone else, and it doesn't even make me remotely jealous that they are about to have ribs, grilled corn on the cob, loaded baked potato salad AND apple pie. I am having my sleeve in 3...2....1....days!! I'm SO grateful that this is happening, and so quickly for me (weight loss seminar approx 6 weeks ago) where I heard about the sleeve... Everything else just fell into place with, I'm sure, divine intervention. SOOOOOO excited. I feel like a teen ("Dude, I AM STOKED!) hahahahahahaha

]Ok, so I am just over a year out now and I've lost a total of 62lb and a total of 31 1/4 inches. That is more than I could ever of dreamt of without my sleeve. I have NEVER lost more than 7lb on ANY diet and exercise programme before. Currently my weight loss has slowed down, so after asking you guys for your thoughts on this, I am gonna 'stop' watching what I eat for a month or so and just get on with it. When my head is clearer I will get back into the groove and see if I can, at least, make my surgeon's goal. In the meantime... here is a little montage of my last year. I hope this works 'cos it took me ages...lol I suppose a NSV at this stage is that I wore…

Hello everyone. I'm sophia. I was contemplating getting the lap band done. I wanted to know if it was an outpatient surgery and if not how long was the stay in the hospital?

Where can I buy a stick to beat the LADIES off when I lose my weight?

Hi to you all :wave: ive opted to have the sleeve.. :scared0: I have a very big hernia were my C section scar is.. this is from 13 yrs ago.. and on my right side I have a big lump.. which is Fluid from the hernia. :cry_smile im now in so much pain the doc said he might do the hernia opp at the same time as the one for my weight... I have fluid in my feet and legs...last year I had pneumonia and and have severe sleep apnoea..I lost my job last year due to ill heath!! I have trouble just bending and I get puffed just walking up one flight of stairs.:faint: the list goes on.. oh just put me down now :Dancing_tongue: This will be at kings collage hosp in London.…

Hello! My name is Tiffany. I have been banded since Feb. 16, 2011. My doctor put in 3 cc's in my band on the day of surgery. I have been doing great with the band. I'm 30 years old and housewife and mother of 4 great boys. They are 5, 7, 10, and 11. I decided to have the lap band after many struggles of trying to lose weight on my own, and would lose some and then gain it back plus some. I started doing research about the lap band and was hoping this would be the tool that I needed to get my weight under control. So far it has been just that tool that I needed. I have lost 74 pounds in 5 months!!! I'm loving my new body. url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-l…

Hello to everyone. I will be having my surgery on Tuesday July26th. I can't begin to say enough how happy, excited and thankful I am for this to be done. I have started the liquid diet just so my brain doesn't go into complete shock with the new eating plan and thankfully it has not been bad. Having said that I am about to go to NY to visit friends and family so I won't be so quick to announce my victory lest I fall flat onto some dirty Water dogs or NYC pretzels (my New Yorkers will know what I mean). I have met such a wonderful woman who has quickly become my friend who will having her surgery the day after me and will will both be traveling alone, kind of a WLS Th…

Good Morning New Friends, I am so grateful to have found this forum! I am a 50 year old relatively healthy married female. Nine years ago I had lap gastric bypass. When I began my journey there, I was 274 lbs and a size 22 about to be a size 24. I got down to a size 10-ish (I really am big boned!) Anyway, I find myself at size 16 and I really loathe my body....I am ready for lap band because I see the results seem FAR better than what I got out of gastric bypass. I don't know what I am more disappointed in...me or the procedure. I gained a TON of weight after I had knee surgery and the doc told me to basically sit down and be hold. I got FAT. Then I neede…

Hi, if there are bandsters out there who might want to meet in Eugene or Springfield, OR, please email me at mhohenberger@gmail.com. Thanks much. I would love to hear your stories and how you like your band. I am trying to complete pre surgery requirements currently. I don't expect surgery before late Sept or early Oct. Melinda H

Here is my story: At 37.7 BMI, I am only 2.3 points away from morbid obesity which equates to approximately fifteen pounds. My doctor listed two of my comorbidities as being Hypertension and Hypercholesterolemia. My medical history is complicated. As a teenage girl, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Thus, that diagnosis is at the heart of most of my medical issues. With PCOS comes obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and infertility. As of yet, I do not have diabetes. I have tried Metformin to control my insulin resistance but was unable to continue taking it due to its side effects. My mother has had diabetes for over twenty years and is morbidly …

I started this journey 3 years ago, I went to my first meeting to learn about WLS. I left feeling so confused. The diet they needed me to go on for 12 weeks just did not work for me, I had blood clots at the time and was not allowed to have too many greens or Protein shakes containing Vitamin k. It was very frustrating. At first I thought I wanted to go the lap band route, but then several people I know had it done and they all seemed to have many complications and several put the weight back on. I guess I was not really ready. I started yet another failed diet and forgot about WLS. Then a friend of mine decided she was fed up and she was getting "the Sleeve". …

Well, I have thought about this for years and finally got the nerve to go talk to a surgeon about 2 weeks ago. Wow, how things have flown since then. I am scheduled for a sleeve on 7/26, and I am very excited. I am 33 with 2 young children and want to be able to be active with them. I am apprehensive, too, though because I am their primary provider. That stresses me out. Just as bad is that I work in a very stressful job and have limited timeframe for surgery. I will actually be going back to work on postop day 6..and it's not a desk job! I am praying I am one of the lucky ones, and I am able to do this because I don't really have an option. I am so thankful for …

I was waiting to introduce myself until I FINALLY had a surgery date. But I responded to a few posts this evening, and felt it was appropriate to introduce myself now. My name is Joyce, I'm from NYC and I will hopefully be banded by next month. I had no issues with insurance, mandatory diets or the other issues I've read on here. Everything was going smoothly until the PFT. They found I have low blood oxygen and now have had test after test to try to figure out why. I've been probed and stuck and scanned and I meet with the Pulmonologist again this week - and hopefully will receive clearance. Unfortunately, the repeated delays have given me more time to think about how th…

so im jaz. i met with a nurse practioner and nutrtionist today. the FIRST thing my nurse practioner said was, "well a good thing is, your insurance JUST started covering vsg!" i LITERALLY bursted into tears. it was my biggest fear that my insurance wouldnt cover the sleeve. it caught her off guard and i was almost embarrassed until she seemed like she was going to cry with me. so after talking, she agreed that the sleeve is the best option for me. she also said i meet the qualifications. so now, the 6month process begins for me. i have to meet with the nutrtionist 5 more times since i need to be on a supervised diet. i need to meet with a: •cardiologist for m…

First let me say that the great people at the Jerusalem Hospital & recovery house could NOT have been nicer or more accommodating. That place was very tiny, but spotless. There were only 4 of us in our group, but there were several already at the house. So Drs Almanza Reyes and Bettencourt were very knowlegdeable and very kind. It was not a state of the art full service facility. Yes it was in a strip mall. After I got over that and realized that they were fully staffed and serious about what they do I was resolved at my choice. I was placed in one room for a heart scan. I was moved to another room for my IV and fluids to be started. As a group we were ushered u…

I've lost 37 pounds now...I can't wait to hit 40 pound loss...WOOT! updated my Youtube as well, not sure how many actually watch or subscribe but thank you to everyone that does. http://www.youtube.com/user/SkinnyRenee?ob=5 xoxo, Renee`

i'm a NEW-BE very very new.. actually have a surgical CONSULT appt for next Wednesday, July 13th 2011. I am in dire need of other's feedback. I'm nervous about what could go wrong immediately, and YEARS later. if anyone has had complications at any point, you're feedback is most needed. The primary reason i want the surgery is due to pcos, and allll the lovely symptoms that go with.... so i'm sure those of you ladies w/ pcos that are post-op can definitely give me some confidence(hopefully). Lastly, i will have to quit smoking. I have been smoking for the last 8 years of my life...and am very worried that i will not be able to lose that much, being that i will have stopp…

I'm nervous - I have my psychologist appointment on Thursday and I'm still have between 3-5 pounds to meet my goal weight, depending on when I weigh myself and what I'm wearing. I thought I read somewhere if I'm with 5 lbs of goal weight, I would still get my surgery scheduled. Does anybody know? Thanks.

I got a call this morning from the hospital that my surgury is scheduled for July 26. I had no idea that it was going to happen so fast. My feelings immediately went from excitement to fear. I guess that is normal. The first task is trying to find babysitters for all my children. I have seven of them lol. I have four of my own and three step children that I take care of full time. I have a wonderful supportive husband, but his ex is not that helpful at all. This is all so sureal. I am very excited to start my journey. I have to go in for bloodwork tommorow and an akg. I have a pre-op apointment july 14th. I can't believe this is happening still kind of shocke…

I first saw the sleeve on Dr. OZ show last month. Checked out the "NET" about this sleeve. Saw Sentra Hospital in Hampton VA is one of the top hospitals around for the "SLEEVE". Went to Dr. Clark's seminar Tuesday - July 5th Met one on one today with Dr. Clark - July 7. Insurance approved the sleeve. All pre-op was scheduled next week. JULY 26th is my surgery date. This 56 year old, 290 pound man is on my way to get his life back. NOW THAT's FAST!

I have my surgery date scheduled - July 20 and I'm excited and nervous. I am also STARVING - I'm on day 2 of Phase II of my diet which is liquids only (very strict) but I've been on Phase I - Liver Shrinking Diet for a month. Any tips on how to get through the next 12 days on liquids only? My Protein supplements are nectar Fuzzy Navel and Profect Protein Bullets. That's it. I just ordered Nectar Cappucino today. From reading the entries from the newly banded "July Banders" - I also just ordered a heating pad. Looks like I'll need it. Congrats to all of you on the decision to go through with Lap-Band surgery. Best of luck to all of us. May MY BAND BLOG: http:…

Hey guys! I just found this site today and I thought it was brilliant. I had my lap band surgery in December of last year (2010). I'm 25 years old, Cuban/female, and on a mission to find others around my age (or close) that have had the lap band. Would be very nice to meet others that share the same problems and/or experiences that normal people can't understand. lol.

I weighed over 400 pounds about 18 months ago---I know weigh 335. My goal is to settle around 230. I have hit a wall and need some feedback on how to get to my goal. I had by sleeve surgery on July 26, 2010. Almost one year later, I am down about 70 pounds and definetely feel better. The problem is I dropped 60 of those pounds the first 6 months and only 8-9 pounds in the past 5 months. I find myself eating anything I want---with the oly restrictions being the amount I eat. I do make better choices but I struggle with eating sweets and drinking soft drinks as I did in the "old" days. I want to begin a new phase and try to lose 50 pounds or so in the next 6-8 mo…

Hi, I'm Eva. I'm 55, live in Howard County with my college student son and my spoiled kittie, Valentine. I was married for 26.5 years to my best friend and love of my life, not to mention my favorite writer!, but he died on Feb. 11, 2005. My first-born lives nearby with his girlfriend, and I visit them and my "grand kitties" often. I got my sleeve on June 22, 2011. I had been watching various friends having Roux En Y done and knew that was too drastic for me. I had thought about getting a Lap Band but then my osteoarthritis went into overdrive, and I knew slow weight loss was not for me. What finally got me off the fence was a bad breakup with a guy who took me for thou…

Hi there My name is jo, i had the band put in just over a week ago. I have a few people that I know who have been through the experience before but looking for more information! What i have read so far has been....ah..shall i say..normalising, glad im not the only one going through this. I am from melbourne australia and scarily enough about to step on stage for an ametuer production tomorrow night!!! Hopefully the ol tum tum keeps up with the moves and the gas doesnt stop my singing!! Jo

Hello All, I was banded in July 2007. The weight started coming off slowly but has slowed down significantly. I have lost now only a total of 30lbs. I have even gained some weight back. I am feeling a little down right now because of this. I feel as though I have failed. My surgeon is Dr. Alan Geiss in Syosset, NY. I look forward to hearing from you guys and learning from your stories and suggestions.

I am a 40 year old woman who has recently made the decision to have a sleeve done in Mexico in September. I am extrememly excited about having the procedure done, however I was curious to see if there is anyone else out there that has been sleeved that has hypothyroidism?? Do these people lose weight at a slower rate than everyone else?? I guess that is the one thing that concerns me the most is that I will have the surgery and still not lose alot becasue of this condition.

I'll be heading out tomorrow for a 10.5 hour drive to reach the destination of the family reunion. Friday and Saturday are packed with activities along with a dinner Saturday night. Then I get to drive back on Sunday, do my 24-hour clears on Monday and sleeved on Tuesday morning. At first I was quite nervous about attending the family reunion while on my pre-op diet. However, it just dawned on me that this will be a bit easier than I thought. The reason? Well, according to my pre-op diet, besides the 4 Protein shakes I get a day, I also get 6 servings of other "real" foods. The hardest part of this will be finding skim milk that I can use for my Protein Shakes (otherwis…

I have had type 1 diabetes for 37 years. My diabetes is under control but I am overweight. Has anyone with type 1 diabetes had lap band surgery? How did you do?

Soooo I did everything Tricare requires I meet their requirements I did the psych eval and even had a letter from my pcm stating how I would benefit from the band and restating how I meet the requirments but that wasn't good enough. Now they want some info on the pain in my knees some how they have twisted that small bit of info into arthritic knees and I need to provide them with xrays and additional information from my orthopedic surgeon. I don't have arthritic knees Tricare they hurt cause Im fat!!! Then they don't have enough info on me in the Tricare system cause I have had a civilian pcm for the past 8 years until recently so they dont have any history on me. Now …

I'm going to get the Vertical Gastric Sleeve done in Mexico. I've actually been looking into it for a long time. I started gaining weight when I became hypothyroid in 2000. I gained like 60lbs in 4 months. Then by the end of that year I was 100lbs overweight. I finally got a full removal of my thyroid in 2007 but the weight has been extremely hard to get off. I don't think my Dr has me on the proper dose of Synthroid. I finally got him to increase me to 175mcg but that's not enough because my energy levels are still super low and I'm still unable to lose weight. After the removal a few of the nodules had metastasized. My Dr told me I was so lucky (I say blessed ) that I …

Hi! My name is Brandy and I am new to the site. I'm 15 days from getting my band and I am SUPER excited!!

Hi everyone, My name is Daniella. I live in Houston. I was just banded today. I'm excited to be on this new journey. I'm in a little pain and the gas is irritating. But my biggest problem right now is the inability to truly urinate. My bladder is full, but I can't fully empty yet. that's how I found this site. I was trying to search on google to see if there was any help on this. I know this is a big lifestyle change for me. I welcome it. there are many goals I am trying to get to. That is what keeps me pushing forward. I look forward to making new friends and learning from others.

I understand that post op is a difficult transition and energy isn't overflowing at the moment. However, for those of you who have completed it and recovery is going well, how long did it take you to get your libido back, or did it ever go away? I know this is fairly personal, but if you're comfortable I would like to hear your story on this matter. You can send me a private message if you like too!

Hi. My name is Stephanie. I am 38 years old. I am 5'10 and weigh 407 pounds. Is there anyone like me here? I have just decided to start looking into the sleeve. I'm not totally unaware what goes on but I'm still trying to find out everything. I know that my insurance would pay 70% and I have to put down $690 for the surgery. I decided on the sleeve because the stories I have heard and read about the lap band sometimes needed to be removed and the other one (sorry, my mind had just blanked on the name that one) has too much cutting and moving things around. I still have to find out which Dr's there are around the Denver, Colorado area though. Any one here who has had it do…

ok, so here it goes. operation was done on Tuesday. It went well. When i woke up in my room, I had horrible horrible nausea, but managed to keep from vomiting. My nurses have been great. I am very happy with my care. I had the barium swallow study doneyesterday and began my fluids. I drank to fast and got nauseated agian, but still managed to keep from vomiting. I learned quick to keep those little measurng medicine cups to drink from so i am limiting myself from gulping. I have had to keep taking the Zofran and liquid Lortab, but i slept well last night and i now feel like my old self. I started walking 1hour after getting to my room. ihave walked, walked and then walked…

Excited to be on this journey! I love all the posts and good info shared here. I hope to contribute as much as I glean.

After my 1st meeting with the nutritionist and she told me all the things I couldn't do-Everything was focused on " No more BREAD!" I'm like the Forest Gump of Bread! Yeast bread, French Bread, Bread pudding, Bagels, Stuffing. Everything she said I couldn't have is everything I love. Even all the fruits and vegetables I like she said I couldn't have. I got up and said No Thank You Lady! Luckily I have a great Dr. and his assistant that called me the same day and everyday for 2 weeks and talked me through it! I now have a new positive nutritionist When I went to the psych, she said I have an eating disorder and needed a year of counseling before I get surger…

So! I am Sarah, and I have been working out and dieting for 19 months. Just getitng that part out of the way. What you may want to know is how much I started out at! Well that's a scary number, but we've all been in places where we hated our numbers, and I"m sure you won't judge. I started my weight loss journey 19 months ago weighing 396 pounds. Phew! That's a lot right? I was HUGE How much do I weigh now, you ask? As of this morning ( Lost another pound yesterday lol) 306!!!! 90 POUNDS GONE!!! So! You are probably wondering why in the heck I would want to do surgery if I've already lost that much!?!?! Yeah.... I haven't lost any weight for the last two mo…

I go for an informational meeting about lap band on July 28th. I am excited but cautious. I weigh 230 and would like to lose 100 lbs. Can I do that with the lap band? I think I can handle giving up the food but what if it doesn't work?

I AM APPROVED FOR VSG!!! I posted last week about how my insurance company had initially denied me, stating I did not complete the 6 months of supervised diet (which I did). Well it went back for re-review, and was approved this morning! I am so relieved and excited and anxious...this is really happening! I spoke with the insurance coordinator at my surgeon's office, and she said someone should call me today or tomorrow to schedule surgery! I cannot wait to join you all on the other side!

I have made my deposit and I am saving money getting ready to go see Dr. Almanza. I talked to my doctor today and he said he doesn't want me to go because I could die while I am there. I am really discouraged and have no idea what to do. I am planning on getting the Sleeve. I have type 1 diabetes and I am tired of being heavy. I have tried every diet and nothing works. I want to be healthy for once and now after seeing the doctor I am confused. My doctor asked me to call some of the other people that have had surgery by Dr. Almanza and see how they are doing. If anyone can help me please let me know.

My Dr's office manager is on vacation this week and not in to schedule my surgery! How dare she! So I have to wait to Friday or longer to schedule. ugggggg!!!! I'm still hoping to get the 22nd. :/ :/ :/

Hello Everyone, Newbie here.....from Peterborough, Ontario.....surgery dated August 22. Just got my financing today.....Yippie!! A new chapter

I'm 1 month post sleeve. After small meals, I feel like I'm having acid reflux symptoms or want to throw up. No matter how little I eat, it feels like the food stops. I'm thirsty all the time for Water or cold fruits and juices. Initially I felt very weak and tired, however that is going away. Nothing else to tell. I was wondering if anyone out there have or had the above symptoms? BarbG