Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hi, my name is Carolyn. I'm 41, live in Alabama. I had completely made up my mind about a year ago to have the roux n y, but just could not get PERFECT peace about it, so I continued praying, went on to my mandatory inservice required by the surgeon I was looking into and have now found that perfect peace with my decision to have lap band so I'm doing all the research I can and found this site and decided to utilitze it to answer some more of my questions, so it may appear that I am lurking but I'm actually doing a LOT of reading of old posts and topics as part of my research! I appreciate you all sharing this part of your life for those like us who are searching for answ…

Hi everyone. I'm Dave, and I live in a small town north of Seattle. I've been lurking for a few weeks, reading and researching. I finally decided it was time to step up and say Hello. I've been working up to this for awhile now, have attended several seminars for the various WLS surgeries available here, and have decided on the Sleeve. I'm a month away from a marathon day at my surgeons' clinic, where they do all the assessments in one day. I expect to have the recommendation for surgery that same day. I'm told my insurance is quick to approve after that, and surgery could happen within about four to six weeks later. So I could easily be post-op by the end of the year. …

Almost time! I'm go in for my pre-op testing on June 14th and was wondering if anyone was delayed because anything that came up in the pre-op testing? I am assuming (but you know what ASSUM Eing does) if anyone was delayed, due to say an infection, cold, etc, found in their pre-op testing, or was pre=op testing just signing paperwork. I'm freaking myself out before I even get there! Also, I know how important the monthly meetings are, is there anyone attending the Riverside Medical Group Meetings after surgery? Sure would be nice to meet a few more friends to know before hand.

Hello Everyone. My name is Alie and I'm from New York. I official started my Lapband Journey on May 25th,2011. I attended a WLS Educational Seminar at Lenox Hill Hospital. My Surgeon is Dr. M. Roslin. I've already gotten all of my required documentation and medical work done (TSH, Upper GI, Nutritionist and Psychologist). As of June 09th, 2011, I am waiting for my surgery approval from my health insurance, HIP. I'm also on YouTube, as user msz_alie. I am excited and also anxious at the same time. I've started changing my eating habits and have lost 3 pounds in the first 15 days. I plan on taking all of the victories that I can, even if they are small!

Hi there! I decided to check out this forum after hearing about you on another forum! I love my first forum and I am in no way abandoning them. I just needed a little bit of diversity. I see that there are a lot more people here so maybe i can gain a bit knowledge or just make new friends! I am waiting for approval. I was told that HIP doesn't take that long so maybe I can get an answer this week since my work was submitted last week! I hope to enjoy you guys! Speak to you soon!

Hello everyone! I was sleeved June 1, 2011 at Immanual Hospital in Omaha, NE by Dr. Tom White. I had an uncomplicated surgery and recovery. I went home the next afternoon and have had no real issues since! I feel fortunate for that. I am tolerating soft foods well now. The decision for me to get sleeved came about quite a while back when I had been having more complications from Pulmonary Hypertension and heart failure from my increasing weight. You see, with these problems, I was getting to where I couldn't even walk down a hall at work without getting short of breath. I am a Respiratory Therapist now, just graduated from nursing school, so this was getting prett…

Happy Monday...(is there ever a happy monday???) I am having my lapbanding done this August or September. I started this all on February 14, 2011. I am still in disbelief that this is actually going to happen, and probably will be until I schedule an actual date. I've been seeing a nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and doing therapy with the bariatric group I chose. They're pretty helpful; alot of is just me changing old habits. I'm still slacking on the exercise part, which I would have thought would be the easiest part because I used to be a runner, & I've always had a gym membership...but apparently I can't get my act together on that part of this deal. …

I am considering the lap band surgery but I am concerned about the saggy skin afterweight loss. I understand the surgery is to better my health and that I may be superficial to be concerned about the saggy skin. But in the decision we must always look at the whole picture. Has anyone out there had trouble with this?

hi all, im new, I had my sleeve done on 7th april 2010. so its been just over a year for me, things have been great, still have trouble when it comes to dinner time, just get too full during the day, and i have soem toilet probs and drinking Water, but wouldnt change a thing , even if you paid me.. Im in australia, had my surgery in sydney at the O'Clinic, they are great..

Hi there everyone, i was just banded on 6/3 in mexico, i went with my mom and we both got bands, surgery went well, got home a few days after. I am a nurse in the emergency room so going back to work is going to be challenging. i am feeling pretty much pain free, i have pain at my port site, and when i get hungry i have pain in my left shoulder, don't know why though. my only issue now is that i am starving all day long on the clear diet. can't wait to move on to creamy soups next week

I'm new to LB forums -- so hello! My name is Becca and I was banded 6.8.10 with an Allergan AP S (10 cc standard) band. I have 3.25 cc's in my band thus far. In total I've lost 135 pounds since the start of my 2 week pre-op liquid diet. My HW was 325 and my lowest weight was 188.2. My goal is 145. I'm currently at about 189-190 pounds, so I have about 45 pounds to go to reach my goal. I'd like to do so by 11.11.11. If I don't make it by that date, I don't really care...it's just something to work towards! I just wanted to give a quick introduction of my weight loss journey. I'm not sure how often I'll check in here - but I just wanted to get started. Thanks for ch…

I am a 36 year old teacher from Chicago.. I started researching the Lap Band Surgery 3 years ago and stumbled upon this gem of a site!! I have to admit, I was a little overwhelmed by all of the info and left for a while.. But I'm back!!! I've decided to have the Lap Band surgery so that I can continue to enjoy a wonderfully bless and prosperous life! Only recently I have begun to "feel my size"... My knees are telling the story of all 365 lbs of me!! I am just being my 6-month supervised weight loss phase and I will definitely be a "frequent flier" on the board this time.. Congrats to all who are successfully navigating this life of overcoming obesity and food addict…

Hi There, I'm JJ, and I'm definitely a newbie here. I've been looking into both the lapband and the sleeve. With the help of my surgeon, I've decided on doing the sleeve. I'm still waiting to get the requirements met before they can send it to my insurance and had a question in regards to the Psych Evaluation. What is it about? What are they going to ask? I'm just curious. I'm thankful for all of you who have gone through this and have the willingness to be a support group to newcomers. I look forward to chatting with you all. thanks, JJ

I DID IT! i AM FINALLY ON MY PATH TO WEIGHT LOSS AND IT HURTS SOOO GOOD.. NOT KIDDING ON THE PAIN PART. I HAVE TO SAY I I WAS EXTREMELY NERVOUS BOUT HAVING THIS SURGERY BUT I PRAYED AND PRAYED THE NIGHT BEFORE AND WHEN I WOKE UP IN THE MORNING OF SURGERY I FELT AT PEACE. I HAD SURGERY AT THE HOSPITAL THAT I WORK AT WHICH MADE THINGS ALOT MORE AT EASE JUST KNOWING SOME OF TRHE NURSES AND DOCTORS AT THE HOSPITAL. EVERYTHING WAS EXPLAINED TO ME VERY WELL AND MY SURGEON EVEN CAME OUT AND SHOOK MY HAND REASURRING ME HE WILL TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF ME BEFORE I WAS WHEELED OFF TO THE OR TABLE. I WAS THEN GIVEN MY HAPPY JUICE AND WOKE UP IN THE WORST PAIN OF MY LIFE MOANING AND GR…

So I am 31 and having the sleeve surgery on june 21st, i am kind of overwhelmed the closer it gets because it is just a huge change and I don't do change very well but I don't question whether I should do it or not. Just me freaking a little. I have been overweight all my life. Ever since I was a child. I have never been a healthy weight ever. I have managed to lose sometimes but never maintain it. I feel like my weight is out fo control I am up to 300 pounds and not slowing down. Had all kinds of tests done to make sure it wasn't my thyroid and all that and no it is just my stressful life style pure and simple. I can't make the changes on my own I need some help and inte…

How things can change in a week! A week ago on Friday I learned that my chosen doctor was not a participating provider with my insurance company, even though my first phone calls told me he was. I felt that I was back at square one, and all the poking and prodding that I went through for the pre testing would be wasted. I called the surgeon's office, and they told me they would "look into it" and get back to me. I never heard from them. I decided to call the case management department of my insurance company. The nurse they put me in touch with was wonderful. She listened to me and researched who exactly was covered and participating. She gave me phone numbers and contac…

First off hello to everyone!! Ok so my surgery is on Monday and yes iam a little nervous. I feel iam making the right decision but would like some advice..Iam 29 yrs old and I weigh 197lbs and iam 4'11.. I need to lose 65-70lbs is the sleev the right tool? ive been trying to lose the weight since having my son 10yrs ago.. i wasnt this big till like 5 yrs ago. I really need to lose weight.. I want to be the healthy energetic person i once was, but is getting the sleeve to lose 65-70lbs worth it?.. Has anyone else had the sleeve done with the goal of just losing 65-70 lbs... Someone please reply...lol need advice asap...

Hi! I am in the process of researching 'cos I decided a few days ago that I want go ahead with my lap band surgery. I have no information so far. Have't even found a surgeon yet...hopefully soon!

ok here is my story.....I was banded in July 2008 and I have lost about 75 lbs. In March 2011 everything I ate and drank came back up even water Dr removed all fluid out thinking it would correct the problem and it seemed to work felt so much better then on May 04, 2011 I had first fill again and it felt ok little pain every now and then but I could eat and drink. Now I have started having really bad nausea and bad pain in my stomach, side, back and it gets worse when I eat or drink anything but I and not getting sick and my port site is very sore and tender. I call the Dr earlier and he said for me to call office in the morning and need the get it unfilled again and d…

I'm a 38 year old man and I'm on day 5 of life with the sleeve. I had my surgery on June 6th in Houston. It was performed by Dr. Hadar Spivak. I can't tell you how excited I am about the rest of my life. I have a very supportive family and they are helping me adjust to my recent eating habits. I weighed 326 on the day of my surgery, and I'm looking to be 200 pounds. Some of the posts I've read on here are AMAZING, and it looks as if there is a lot of success on this site. Congrats to those of you who have done it. I'll be one of you soon.

Hello, My name is Ashanti and i'm from queens NY. I don't have a surgery date yet, but I go back to the doctor June 30th to schedule my date. I pretty nervous and excited at the same time. I need some info because the doctor said that I should have everything done by June 30th. But the support group is in july. Its in the same hospital. So i wanted to know will i have to wait for the 2 support groups to be done before i get my surgery? I have everything else done. Also if anyone lives in Queens are there any other support groups that I can attend.

Help me! Tell me I am going to be OK! I weigh myself every morning. I had been dropping more than a pound a day (12.9 lbs lost since surgery) then day 10 nothing, day 11 nothing, day 12 gained 2 lbs!! Having trouble since I went back to work drinking all my fluid. Could that be it? I have a protein shake for breakfast, soup or pureed turkey chili for lunch, and pureed turkey and veggies for dinner. I feel kind of bloated, but not hungry.

I had my lapband surgery on May 30, 2011. I have lost 20 lbs. (Most of it from the pre surgery liquids) and can't wait to lose more. I was so blessed that our insurance covered the surgery. It would have been impossible for me without that. I am determined not to become diabetic or die from heart disease. I love my family too much to go too soon.

It's good to be able to share with others who have had weight loss surgery. Everytime I tell someone about it, I can feel their eyes fighting the urge to travel down my body to see if there really is a difference yet. I chose to do the surgey because I was tired of weight related health issues which were promising to get worse and not better. I wanted to reclaim my body. No matter how often I tried to lose weight it always reappeared with little brothers and sisters attached to it. I got to the point where I hated myself, considered myself a weak person incapable of handling weight issues. I never had problems with weight until my 40's and then due to medication and a …

Hey can anyone help me with loading my WEIGHT TICKER on my page?

Just finally decided to look for support with others who have my issues with weight. I was banded in 2008, and since have lost 50lbs (half my goal) and then gained back 20. I really need to fix myself. Do you guys have a list or link to the "rules" post op? I have got to fix this thing called obesity, and I know it starts with me. THe food addiction is too much sometimes!!

Hi! New here and am confused. I have recently had epigastric hernia surgery which let to me seriously considering weight loss surgery. I have been to a seminar where both gastric bypass and lapband was presented without pushing one over the other. I have visited my general physician to get his input and to start my supervised perioid that my insurance requires. I am 5' 7.5" and weigh 283. I meet my insurance BMI requirements without other health problems but I do have asthma, mitral valve prolapse, high blood pressure,and dysautonomia. My general physician strongly believes in lapband and does not want me to have lapband. I have been researching and I see other fo…

Hello fellow banders! I was banded on June 7, 2011 and am on day 4 of my new life. My surgeon has me on liquids only for the first 3 weeks and I am trying very hard to *love the protein*. I am drinking 2 oz of nectar every hour and have decided to mix it up a bit with light Muscle Milk. Not doing to bad considering that when I weighed in at the hospital on Tuesday I was 220 and now I am 211.8. Yay! I am happy there is a place for banders to go to get support and tips--that makes the journey a bit easier for me. Please feel free to contact me and share your words of wisdom, frustrations, highs, lows and successes. Cheers!

Hi ! I am Timothy Greenwood. I was banded March of 2011 and have lost over 70 pounds. I am so happy I stuck to my guns and got this procedure done. I cannot recommend it highly enough to EVERYONE! Dr. DiCicco was my surgeon. He has been so supportive and helpful in all ways. I struggled with the Chiake (SP?) at the beginning and just went hungry but since I've been rolling along. I just had my band tightened a month and a half ago and the doctor is right. That's when the game changes. I thank GOD every day for the courage and support I received to go through with this. And for regaining my life. And control of my life. It's my race to win or lose now. If I c…

Hey everyone my name is Dana I was sleeved on June 2 so far the process has been wonderful by my 4th day home I felt so much better and currently am experiencing no pains what so ever my only difficulties would be the amount of Protein I am consuming and I hope this won't affect my weight loss so far I am 15 pounds down I have been obsessively checking my weight every morning but the past 2 days have not lost a pound I hope this doesn't stay this way after seeing I lost one to two pounds per day seeing nothing has me a bit worried and of course I would love to shed the weight as quickly as possible I would love to hear more from others I enjoyed so far reading many post …

Hi Everyone! I have been reading the forum for awhile but this is my first post. I have been overweight since childhood and now at age 33 decided to have lap band surgery. I was banded on 5/27/11. My pre-op weight was 246 and am currently at 236. I have not really felt the benefits of lap band at this point, but it has only been 2 wks. I thought that after having this done that I would not feel the hunger, that the restriction would allow me to eat small portions but would feel like I have eaten the same amount as I normally would eat. I am waiting to have my first fill to see what kind of result I will get after the fill. I am satisfied with my weight loss but not with t…

I have been trying to not stop at fast food places since meeting with the dietician for the first time on May 18. For the most part - I've been successful in that. I admit, I have stopped about 5 times during these 3 weeks and have ordered from my favorite take out 3 times. However, that's better than I used to be - I used to stop for fast food every day - for Breakfast and dinner and order take out for lunch every day. So, while I still have a lot of work to do to break my fast food habit, I still count this as a success. On Friday, I'll be leaving for a 15 hour drive (which I am breaking into 2 days) so I can get to Providence to park my car (since it is cheaper there…

Hi! So this is my first post here. I have read many other people's stories and I can't tell you all how much they have helped me realize that I am definitely making the right decision! I had a preliminary consultation with my doctor and am now awaiting more tests and insurance approval. I am really excited to get everything going and start my new life. Thank you to everyone on the forum for being such honest sharers. You all ROCK!

I had my consult on June 3 and quickly went to work getting my pre op testing done! Everything went so smoothly that I got THE call yesterday and I am scheduled NEXT THURSDAY!!!!! So today I went to Costco to get Protein RTD and some powdered, my baby Tylenol, my calcium, and went to GNC for the famous blender cup!!! They said I only had to do Phase I of the meal plan before surgery starting this weekend so I feel fortunate because so many have to do it for up to 2 weeks! Aside from a former bypass patient giving me grief about my decision I am totally ready and excited for this!!!! I honestly don't think I would be this "prepared" without all you Banders out there!!! …

I am from AZ and I was banded on Thursday in Mexico. A lot different from here in the states. I checked in at 9:30 did my tests and by 10:30 I was getting the band. I woke up with the common shoulder pain and slept most of Thursday. I wasnt allowed anything to drink until the next day. Friday we left and stayed the night at the Hilton to recover for a 6 hour drive home Saturday. The pain didnt really come until Sunday. I felt aweful, due to the shoulder pain. I took muscle relaxers and vicodine to help. Sunday was hard for me to get down liquids. I could only drink 1 to 2 oz at a time, so I was thirsty. Sunday was also when Banster Hell kicked in. I THINK I was hungery, a…

i am just wondering when will i be able to eat a lil more than what ive been eating which is nothing,lmao!!! im only 4 days post op, so just wondering? my wt was 349 and im already down to 330, everything is going good just need to learn to chew really good. my doc said by the 4th day to try soft mashed potatoes and i did and i felt like i was gonna hurl then i had some wierd saliva looking crap come out, someone please help!!!

We are excited we finally have surgery dates and are really doing this. My husband Joe is going to Tijuana to have surgery with Dr. Rodriguez in mid July. He is going through Belite and its very affordable. I am having my surgery with Dr. Kim here in Dallas, TX Aug. 8th. We are doing them like this beucause I won my surgery for free:) If anyone has gone to Tijuana, we would love to hear about your travel and experience. My husband will be traveling alone. Anyone else going to be in Tijuana the week of Aug. 18th? ANyone else having surgery with Dr. Kim??? Thanks.

I'm getting banded on June 21st and was wondering if there are any others who are over 50 and have had the Lap Band process. My doctor said I didn't need to be on any special diet before my surgery, but I have been eating healthier anyway due to husbands heart problems. I know my road will be different from most due to leg nerve damage and back problems. Any tips anyone could pass on to me? I would love to hear from you. I'm excited and scared.

I finally got the ok and full support from my hubby to go ahead and start this process. I go to my local hospitals free seminar tomorrow to get my paper work an learn all about the procedure... my only question is about the psych eval. What is she going to ask me? I'm so nervous ill say the wrong thing and she will give me the no go! Can anyone give me a heads up on what I will be asked???"

Hello to all. I have to say that I was really relieved to find a forum that is specific to VSG. I am also part of obesityhelp.com, but wanted a site that was more specific to supplement my support and knowledge. My name is Jane and I'm from New Jersey. I'm 29, married, and have a three year old son. I started my WLS journey officially on March 31, 2010. As a little background information I can say that I have had weight problems all of my life. pills, shakes, powders, prayers, weight watchers, atkins, gosh I tried a lot of crap and never maintained weight loss. I yo-yo'ed a lot. I got made fun of and harassed about my weight as a kid/teenager. As an adult…

I will be having my sleeve done in des moines Iowa on Jun13th getting a little nurvous, I had the lap band in for 2 years and it was more trouble then it was worth, taken out in february and ready for the sleeve. Has anyone had any comlications and if so what kinds. How many days were you in the hospital, when were you able to take liquids again?

Just found this site need some one to talk to about how they are going. I was160kgs at my heaviest seen my Dr is February was 154.5kg when on Opitfast until I had my Op 134kg so had a good loss before banding I am now 129.5kg this morning, I am on solid food now for the first week it was liquid then the food was blended ,not having any trouble with food going down I need adjustment as I am sure that i am eating to much,not want to put any weight back on, have a little trouble with gas no to bad . Going to see my Dr on Wednesday so hoping to have it done then. I find that the smell of food cooking gets to me the banding has help with the amount that I can eat but the sme…

HI I just joined today....we are retired military living in texas - close to Fort Hood.....hoping to have Vertical Sleeve surgery in a month or so, been working on it for a month now, things are going pretty quick with few hiccups....only have about 4-5 people ahead of me scheduled for the surgery and i only have 2 more appointments to do....one is the psych eval and hopefully i can get that done on tuesday next week and one is the support group meeting wich is tommorrow......so hopefully things will keep going quickly......... My daughter( who is now living in Germany) also has been sleeved in january and she has lost 95 pounds to date and i hope i can say the same…

So I decided to go through all my bins of clothes from previous sizes that I had stacked in the back of my closet. When I put them away they were are thrown in together. So I went through and organized them by sizes- thinking that will be helpful as I go down in sizes. While I was sorting so many clothes brought back memories.They made me think of specific events and people I was with. Amazing how clothes could do this. It was almost like looking at old photographs. It was kind of fun! Also as I was looking at the clothes I realized how tiny many of them were and yet at the time I wore them I still felt HUGE. I'm hoping that this time I will appreciate getting down to…

Iam finally getting sleeved on monday june 13.. my first surgery date was june 7 but they prosponed it. The date is getting closer and iam getting nervous.. I know i will be ok but just pre surgery jitters.

Hey everyone I'm new to the site and so excited to have found it I just got sleeved a week ago on 6/2 I feel great first few days were very uncomfortable but as the days passed I never imagined to feel so great I'm currently 15 pounds down and was wondering if anyone could share some of their stories in regards to your first two weeks and first month how much weight loss did you achieve I just want to know if my 15 pounds so far are on the higher or lower end of what others have lost. I'm very excited and cannot weight for the weeks to continue passing to see how much I can loose this first month. *Dana*

I am so excited. I have moment when I start to cry for fear and excitement !! Wish me Luck- already lost 10 pounds on the pre op diet!!!

So far so good

i was told that you have to attend a seminar about the surgery before you can do anthing... but i dont know where to begin or who to call. i am close to ashland, ky and that where i would go to get it done. does anyone have some informaton that could help me?? i am looking forward to getting on the ball and making some changes i just need someone to point me in the right direction!!

Hello....I'm new here and was banded 6-3-11 and have lost 15 pounds. I have had no complications so far and I am doing great. Wanted to join so I could talk to people who are/will be dealing with the same things as me. Hope to learn from people and maybe even someone learn something from me. =)