Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello, Im Francis and just joind this site, i came across it looking for help on hair loss, i had my surgery on Dec. 17th 2010 so i just turned 6 months post-op. i was 194lb and even though i have not checked my weight this month i was at 138lb last time i got on the scale I had my surgery done in my counrty of birth Nicaragua, I didnt have any complications at all, no pain after surgery and had no real issue with the post-op diet, i was back to work 3 weeks after surgery, dont regret having VS i am very happy with the choice i made, i have been reading some post of people having issues with people commenting on with how fast the weight is lost, it has mainly happened …

I finally have a surgery date and it is July 19th. I started this journey back in Oct. and I am now just a month away, it felt like it would never come. I am so excited to get this done. I needed to come here to read tonight because my husband has been talking about how worried he is about everything and anything about this surgery and honestly, I haven't had a second thought since I started this whole journey. I asked him if he would just give me his support and he said he would support me, but he was worried. Thank you everyone for posting your stories, the good and the bad, because I do feel that I have learned so much and know that it isn't going to be all roses …

I do not know whether I am happy excited or just plan scared. YES I AM So i have the scale food and body I have the "pure" As well as the Chia seeds pre-op is Wednesday. This past Monday my husband asked how long before the band is removed. Oh Boy this will be fun. .

It has been a long time coming. I have been thinking of WLS for a long time, I am only 25 going to be 26 a month from tomorrow and have battled obesity for my entire life. My highest weight was 320lbs and now I am 287. After crash dieting, weight watchers, my own diet seeing diet doctors and seeing nutristionusts its come off and then it all comes back on. I suffer from PCOS and metabollic syndrome both which are genetic. I eat healthy and work out four to five times a week havent been good latelybecause I bruised my foot. Anyway I was going to do the lapband and was pretty dead set on that, I met with my surgeon with my parents the other day and after explaining to me…

I will be getting banded on July 28th, two days after my 27th birthday. I am getting banded in Monterrey, MX (please, I do not need any cautions, etc.) by Dr. Arturo Rodriguez. He has banded many people I know and is an excellent doctor. My aftercare in the US is arranged also. I am very nervous and excited. I currently weigh 256 and I am 5'3". I hope to eventually be around 135. I have had two children, so things "hang" more than they used too. My biggest concern is losing weight and have so much loose skin that I can't stand to look at myself. Myand I are going together, she was getting surgery (selfpaid) in the US, but after talking with friends about Dr. Rodr…

ugh, i feel crappy. all bloated and uncomfortable and im already sick of protein shakes anyone else?

I got the official phone call Monday, I've been on my liquid diet since Saturday. It really hasn't been that bad! I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it. Reading all the forums on here have really given me lots of encouragement.

I have decided that am getting a Lap Band and have now started my research on it. I have some questions that I would love if you guys could answer. 1. I make love to my food, I eat large amounts and I also eat fast. I feel like I am always hungry. WHERE DOES MY HUNGER GO AFTER I HAVE THE BAND ...AM I STILL GOING TO BE HUNGRY BUT JUST CANT EAT. 2. What foods do you stay away from? Can I never have fries again or pizza? 3.HOW DOES FOOD GETTING STUCK FEEL?? CAN YOU BREATHE? Thanks Zooropa

Well, I have been "lurking" around here for months now, reading what everyone has to say, and have only posted once or twice. BUT, today my hubbie and I flew to San Diego, and now we are in Tijuana, and I am getting "sleeved" tomorrow morning at 10:30AM. I am a little nervous, but I am convinced it is the right thing to do. The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and over (like joining to Weight Watchers 17 times, joining Curves four different times, going on every new diet that has come along, etc) and expecting to get different results the next time you do it. So I am doing something different, and praying for a permanent life style chan…

Hi all....just wanted to introduce myself. I am finally coming out of denial that I will lose the weight with some special diet or pill. LOL I am doing research and learning more about the lap band. On June 25th I go to a meeting to learn more about it. Hopefully they will tell me what my insurance covers too. I'd love to meet new friends and hear about your experiences. Tips and advice welcome!! Christine

Hi there, Just introducing myself. I've been overweight since at least Kindergarten. I'm now in my mid-30s. Have two kids, a husband and a whole lot of weight to lose. I started first looking into WLS seven years or so ago but due to insurance and financial constraints, it never happened. This year, I decided to do it. Still not covered by insurance so I'm self pay, and ran through hoops to pay for it, but darn it. It's going to happen! My surgery is June 21st. I'm nervous, excited, etc. I work at home and hubby works in education. Both kids are in Elementary. Last month, I decided that physical changes won't be enough and reached out to a psychologist that specialize…

I need a lap band I have bad knees I have had a stroke etc.

hi everyone so my surgery is on monday the 20th i am so ready and yet in so much fear i have read everything on this procedure and been reading what every has posted thank you god for having this web site available i am sure i will be on here alot

My son is 11. He is a very sensitve boy...he doesn't want me to lose weight cause I won't be as comfortable to lay on. There have been times when it has upset him to see me happy and having fun... (I have always said that my misery is my scarlet letter...) I am hoping he will be able to adapt without me sending him to therapy. As much as I figure I will struggle recognizing myself, I wonder if it will happen to him too. How did your kids react thru the whole process?

April 2010 I started this Journey, my road blocks were all health related, I found out I had tumors in my stomach, Barretts Esophagus and Pernicious Anemia. My first doctor seemed to be doctor Gloom and didnt give me a hopeful prognosis at all. I asked my primary care doctor to send me to a new specialist for a second Opinion .... needless to say I am so happy I didnt accept the first doctors diagnosis!!!!! Dr. Nadimpolli gave me hope and a path to get to this point. Now Here I am a year later , I cant do the Gastric Bypass because they will need to be able to perform the endoscopy exams to check for tumors , so I will be Sleeved on 6/27/11 the good thing about this is ,…

My name is nichole and im getting sleeved on July 19....yay!!!! I had my final nutrionist visit on 6/16/11, meet with the anesthesiologist on 7/7/11 and as long as uhc doesnt drag their feet with the authorization my new life will start on 7/19/11. Needless to say I am happy and nervous at the same time. I started this journey in december 2010 and it has been long and frustrating at times but i know it will be well worth the wait. Well anyway i just wanted to introduce myself and say hi to everyone. I just discovered this sight yesterday and im sure ill be on it almost everyday getting information etc so if anyone has any tips or anything let me know. I look forward …

Hi everyone, I'm Tanya. I live in Northern California with my husband and my two daughters. I'm 35 years old and I have been overweight all of my life. I weighed 320lbs on 5/13 when I had my weight check with my local Kaiser doctor and this morning it was 304lbs. I have been wanting weight loss surgery for years but I didn't realized it was a covered benefit of my insurance until April of this year. I have lost weight in the past, a couple times I lost 80lbs but it always comes back. If I lose 80lbs, I still weigh 240lbs and still have 100lbs to lose! It's so overwhelming and I seem to hit a wall at 240 and can't get under it, so I give up. I attended orientation at Kais…

Hi, I've been lurking for well over 8 months and refused to join until I knew I received my insurance approval. Didn't want to get my hopes up too much! Well, I finally have got it and my surgery date is July 14. Very excited and now looking over the forum with new eyes. It's becoming reality now. Very excited but very concerned about the coming weeks of the changing diet, liquid to puree, etc. Any helpful advice is welcome, just in case I don't find it in the boards. Thanks. Crystaldmm

Hello everyone, I wish I could tell you all how inspired I am with all of your stories. I am a 46 year old mother of 4 (2 step kids) who has fought with the same 60 pounds for most of my adult life. I am 5'4" and weigh 198 pounds. Nothing depresses me more than watching a UFC fight with my husband and seeing the light heavyweights weigh in at 185......I am 15 pounds heavier than a freakin light heavyweight!!!! So my story is, at 198 pounds, realistically I look like I weigh about 170 lbs. I carry my weight very well as I am quite muscular. Is the sleeve right for me? My BMI is 32 and some health professionals say I am too small...which ironically is something I …

Hello, My surgery is on Thursday 6/23/11. I'm on my 10th day of pre op diet... Its not as hard as I thought it was going to be because this is what I want more than anything! I hope I can hang on to that feeling during my journey! I weigh 229 lbs now, I've lost 6 lbs during the pre op.... I want to lose 75 or more lbs...... I'm, for the most part healthy.... However... I've seen my blood sugars rising and my blood pressure going up up up.... I know the road I will be on if I don't do this NOW.... My kids are grown and gone.... I'm with a man that loves me as is..... So this is all for me.... All about me and my health and my body and how I see myself in th…

I am scheduled to be get my sleeve on Monday morning the 20th. I am just starting to get nervous and worry if I am doing the right thing. I have started thinking is this necessary, why can't I succeed at losing weight like other people have, should I risk my life having elective surgery. I used to be thin and very athletic but after 30 and two kids I have been on the yo-yo plan. I don't really have any comorbidities yet and I am self pay so I think I just want to feel like I am doing the right thing at the right time. I know I am probably feeling normal as I have read on here but just felt like sharing. I really enjoy reading everyones topics and comments they are very i…

Hi Everyone, I have been reading posts and doing lots and lots of research. My journey started in March when my lung specialist suggested I have bariatric surgery done. I am a state employee and just this year, the legislature voted to allow 100 bariatric surgeries to be paid for by insurance. When I booked the appt and saw the doctor, there were still openings in my area. I didn't have to go through all of the other required procedures because I had already had them. So getting to the actual appt day was very fast. Once all paperwork was submitted to insurance co. I get a call from the BCBS nurse telling me I was qualified to have the surgery, but I wasn't qualif…

Hi my name is Nic (Nicole) and I am from NY. When I had my daughter 10 years ago I gained over 100 lbs. I have been fighting to lost it for the last 10 years. I tried EVERYTHING. Last year I found myself very fatigued all o the time. My pcp did a sleep study and found that I had sever sleep apnea. I DO NOT like using a cpap. the pulmonary and pcp suggested that i see a surgeon about lap band. well that was last october. I went for my consult in november and i was banded on monday the 13th. Its my 6th day i feel excited, afraid, renewed, lost so many different emotions lol. I also (today) feel hungry ! any suggestions advice is welcomed. i have started on "mushies" already…

Hello everyone, I just had lap band surgery on 5/31/2011. 1 week before surgery I was 397 pounds. I was on 2 types of insulin and having a hard time managing my sugar levels. I was not able to stand or walk for more than 15 minutes without a great deal of hip/back pain. A little more than 2 weeks after surgery I lost 26 pounds. Down to one shot of Lantus a day and having to manage several low blood sugar readings - several in the 60's. And I have been able to manage much more walking/standing with MUCH less pain. In short, everything had been going great so far. I am looking forward to continued success and meeting you all.

So it has been amost 9 months since I had my VGS surgery. and i am down 117 lbs. May 2010 I was at my heaviest 277lbs... eww I know. Aug 2010 before my surgery I was 265lbs...still a big number. Oct 2010 I was down 32.4 lbs Nov 2010 i was down another 24lbs Dec 2010-Jan 2011 I am down another 24.8 lbs. May 2011 i am down 117lbs. I feel so alive and free. I have no problems breathing when I walk for a long time. I'm full of energy and I honestly haven't been working out. Just all the running around I do all day long has definetly paid off. But I plan to start working out asap to tighten my abs and arms. The only NEGATIVE thing I have to say about my surgery i…

GM, I am new to the site and to posting. I will have my first Dr. appt in June. I am in Jacksonville, fl and I am looking for people who have been banded here and there take on the experiences.

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself. I have been lurking on this board for a couple of months and come here whenever I have questions and always find the the answers! I was banded on May 27, 2011 and I am feeling great! I go for my first fill on June 21st and I am super excited. Look forward to getting to know you all and I will definitely be posting more! I created a YouTube page and a blog to document my journey so feel free to visit me.

Hello I am considering having the lapband done. I go to a consultation on July 13th. I have battled with weight for over 20 yrs now. I don't want to be a skinny minny, I just want to be healthy for my family. I want to play with my kids and not cry out in pain. I am at my heaviest weight ever right now at 290. I am 5 ft 4. Any advise would be great!

HI! I have been lurking and reading LOTS on this board and am SO happy to have found it! I am currently starting my path to getting lap band and really love all of the info that I am absorbing here. I do have family and friends who have had successful lab band placement and had pretty much decided this is the path for me, but I have learned so much more from reading things here than I would have even thought to ask before reading. Anyway, just wanted to say hi and I look forward to "meeting" more of you and getting involved in the forum!

I got banded on 6/13. I feel like I had a tough recovery. A lot of discomfort. Then gushing and swooshing sounds through my stomach. Then liquid stools. Then got my period which I hadn't had since November. I am 5 days out and still uncomfortable. Only drinking clear liquids and protein shakes. Sometimes I feel like I need more calories because i get lightheaded and shaky. I get a gas pain up and down my esophagus after drinking something. Then I can't seem to finish my water or protein shakes towards the end of the day because I am too full. Is it normal to feel what I think is my port site on right sife of my belly? Feels similar to when I was pregnant and t…

Hi all, So finally found a place where ppl are doing the same as me, Well a short version of my story is i am a 23 yr old mum of 3 baby girls, I am 96.5 kg pre op. I have finally after a 5 year wait been booked for my surgery on the 24th june 11, I am having the sleeve due to my health problems and i am hoping it benifits me like it has so many others! I am so nervous i had given up smoking as soon as i knew my surgery was being booked and found that hard in its self. Now i was meant to do opti fast shakes for 2 wks pre op but i have found they make me sick i suffer severe head aches constantly and get a rash from them! argghhhh not a great start! so as my sleeve is publi…

Hey there! I am thinking of doing the vertical sleeve surgery, but I think I am too young to do so, well, I am going to be 16 in 3 months, but I want to be thin at that time. I want to start anew life when I am 16 years old. I always feel that I am left out because of my weight. I am 208 albs. I may not look like I am sooo overweight, but I really don't feel good whenever I see my friends. I want to be able to wear skinny pants and show off my body like my friends. I want to be able to wear a bikini with confidence. I am really asking for help on this topic. Do any of you know a doctor I can talk to? I am currently living in Texas, but I am able to travel anywhere in t…

Hi all, Please bare with me as I am new on this site! Here is my story so far and a couple of questions I have at the end. For the last 2 years I have wanted Gastric Surgery as I have struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. I have done most diets going - as most people on this site have - and failed miserably! The most weight I have ever lost was 2 and a half stone on the Slimming World Diet. I managed to keep this weight off for a while, but over time the weight crept back on and more! Since I decided and the doctors decided that Weight Loss Surgery is the way to go, I was referred to UCLH in London UK. Due to missing paperwork etc. it has taken all this …

Hi I had my surgery on June 10th so I am 8 days post op. I am sitting here trying to figure out what is a good protein shake to buy. I have tried a couple and they are absolutely horrible. I went to GNC today and the shakes are so expensive. Can someone recommend a good affordable protein supplement?

everywhere i turn there's food: tv, movies, magazines, books. yummy recipes. i saw on tv a hamburger and i was salivating! i don't even like hamburgers. i'm 6 days post op and is on clear liquids. i went grocery shopping yesterday for more soup and it was agony everything look so good, even the seaweeds for the sushis lol. meanwhile i can't make myself it the jello in my fridge. i've never been so aware of food before, even when i've dieted before. i put a piece of cooked chicken in mouth yesterday and suck the juices out of it, that is so pitiful. i have 4 more days of clears. God give me strength

going for lapband July 18 2011 with Dr Mehta. Seeing him July 7.Need blood work, chest exray and EKG done before then!My Pcp insist on seeing me on July 5 to fill out paper work. She does blood work and EKG in office. The chest ex-ray is the problem?????? I called a ex-ray place and they said it wasnt covered by my insurance becauce in was for pre surgery. I called the hospital Im getting the lapband at and they said wait until two weeks before surgery!The doctor wants everything done before July 7!Help what do I do! Calling doctor office is answering machines

OK, so I have my surgery on the 27th and am already on the liquid diet for the past 4 days. I had my pre-op this last Tuesday and had the blood work and the chest xray etc..... I got a phone call today from the surgeons office saying that I had a spot on my lung from the chest xray and that he wants some more test done to determine if the spot is just a scar or if it is something more serious. You know how down I felt at that moment to think that I was not going to be able to have the surgery??? After Ive already paid for it.....It was a low moment.....anyway, I alreay knew that I had a spot on my lung and my primary said that it was probably a scar but had never don…

Hey everyone, So today was my 5 week post op check up and I am Feeling pretty darn good! I can now eat anything I like as long as I take my time and chew chew chew! I have lost 26lb and I am so pleased. I have also lost 6 inches from my waist and 7 from my hips! My mum is also doing great and has been cleaning out her walldrobe an passing stuff on to me. I get a new bundle every two weeks which is fab! My biggest NSV so far has been my 5 year old nephew telling me ' Faye Faye you are getting skinny' man I love that boy! Life is good I love my sleeve! Hope you are all doing good too! Mwah x x x

Hey guys i am in no way new to the forum..but i have made my decision to be banded after 5 years! yes i said 5 years. Between being sick for 3 of those years and trying on my own; i researched this for 5 years so i beleive with all my heart it can not be said that i am going into this blindly! ive had some resistance from family and friends...but for once! its not about them it is about me. I am doing this for me!! My surgery date is June 28th 2011 :) i am excited and a bit nervous all the same..but i am happy to say i am on board and can not wait to make all your aquantaices and be on the losers bench with you all

Hello out there. I want to let you all know how much I enjoy reading this forum. I've been watching it for almost two months, and am getting so excited for my date to finally come. Should be the first week of August, if all goes well with Insurance and the rest of the appts that are scheduled. I have Tricare, and I understand them to be pretty . quick in their approvals. I am thankful that you are all so willing to share your stories with everyone and to be such an awesome support system. I have support from my immediate family in the house, just not everywhere else. So, I look for inspiration here daily to re-iterate that I'm doing and making the right decision f…

I have been heavy all my life but when I hit 30 my PCOS went crazy and I couldn't loose weight drinking water and eating air as my diabetic doctor so bluntly put it when he got my tests back. I finally after ever test that could be done decided to have the VSG. Since the surgery I lost weight at very effective rate and when I lost my 1st 31 lbs. I was so over joyed I could have screamed since that is the most I have ever lost!!! I am 8 months out now and have slowed in my weight loss but atleast I am still loosing.

Hi All - Just a shout out from Dallas, TX to introduce myself. Getting banded June 23. Anyone else out there for the same day?

I am about 2 weeks post op and feeling okay. Trying to keep hydrated and keep food in is becoming difficult to do. Just found out that I am low in iron. I've been very sluggish lately and it's difficult to get out of bed in the morning, but I am back at work. Will I feel better soon?

Hi, I'm new from Southern California on the Desert. I'm in the process of waiting for insurance to approve my surgery so I am in the waiting game right now. I get a little worried if they will approve it but I do hope so because I do have diabeties and now found I have a mild case of sleep apnea from my sleep study but I am 100 pounds over what the Metlife weight charts say I should be. I have been waiting since beginning of March so I am hoping that this journey won't take much longer I am really excited to having a new life.

Hi All - Just a shout out from Dallas, TX to introduce myself. Getting banded June 23. Anyone else out there for the same day?

....he is so tired of listening to me tell him that my surgeons appointment is tomorrow! So now I will just have to tell you folks.... Hey guess what, my surgeons appointment is tomorrow! (tee, hee....I am just a little excited!)

After this semi-tortuous 4 week pre-op diet, the last 2 of which was liquid...I feel like the dog in this video: I actually leave tonight about midnight to be in San Diego in time to catch the shuttle into TJ. (not looking forward to the drive back home after.) I must confess, I have though about cowarding out... oh... I don't know ... maybe 2, 3 ... or 106 times. But then what? No better option than to go through with it. Two things are still weighing on my mind: 1. I feel like a jerk leaving my dog home alone. Plenty of food and Water, but no one to look in on her. 2. How am I going to keep track of my bag during testing and surgery? (silly but I can't stop…

These pics are like a year apart- me at my highest weight 312lbs (on the right) and the one on the left I took last night at a birthday celebration(254lbs) I hope it posts lol.

Hello Everyone, I'm new to the site and was happy to find it. I just had my VSG on June 6th. I have been on the protein shake diet since May 23rd. I have lost about 15 lbs. so far. (starting at about 240 and now about 225) This may be the least I've weighed in about 20 years! (I am 46 yrs old). I'm feeling a little down, maybe not just from the diet but I also caught a terrible cold this past week. I'm thinking I may be a little dehydrated, it is hard getting in all that water. My stomach is still tender...inside and out. I can only hope this will improve. I'm anxious but also scared to start "real" food next week...wondering if it will make my stomach "rumbly…

Hello everyone! I am new to this forum I am in the research stages of the Gastric Sleeve. I know that I really want to do it because I just can't manage to lose weight on my own. I definitely don't mind working out but it just feels like it is vain because I do not lose weight. All though I know it doesn't hurt because exercising is key to being healthy for more reasons than just losing weight. I am a mom of a 3 year old and I want to be able to play and have energy to go just like him. It just seems so scary to go to Mexico to have surgery, but my insurance does not cover weight-loss surgery. My friend and I are definitely going to have it done in Mexico. I ju…