Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello all, I thought I would join forums to meet people who "know" what lapbanding is and not feel so alienated about this whole journey. Am i nervous hell yeah, Have i got questions yes i do. Mainly waiting to meet people who have had the surgery and learn about procedures and progresses and processes. This has been a long 3+ year wait for me. I am going through the public system at Alfred hospital in Victoria. I have had the privileged to meet a few wonderful people who have inspired me to continue and keep on plugging to achieve my own successes. Naturally to readd stories of otherpeoples journeys and to gain support also. As it's a whole new lifestyle change! …

My name is Khristi Pippin. My prayers were finally answered this past thursday when I was finally banded. I began my journey in December 2009. I was initially denied two times because my BMI was borderline with no co-morbidities. My bmi was 39. I finally received approval this past May when my primary Doc sent me for a sleep study and it was discovered that I have pretty significant Sleep Apnea. My starting weight was 236 when I initially started this journey. After the 2 week preop liquid diet I am at 214! I am so excited ! I can't wait to see how I feel and look in the next 6 months!

Hello I have not been sleeved but I have started the process. I have already had my consulation with the doctor and Nut, my psyc evaluation, and i am having my stress test on Thursday. My concern is the closer I get toward planning a surgery date the more concerned I get with risk involved with surgery. I have not heard to many horror storys and that makes me nervouse as well. Any advise to get over my fear?? . I know i despretly need this surgery , I have sleep apnea, PCOS, and i am over 100 pounds over my ideal weight.

My name is Stephanie... I started poking around here a couple weeks ago, and finally set up an account and decided I should do an introduction I have tried countless weight loss strageties and spent a lot of money trying to make it work. Frankly, I don't know what else to do to help myself, and so I began to look at the lap band. When I first went through my insurance benefits (Regence BCBS of Oregon) , the booklet said that they did not cover any type of WLS surgery (and this is for an actual employee of BCBS!!). I started to look into Mexican banding options, as I could not afford the $18k self pay quoted in Oregon. One of the gals from Oregon Weight Loss Surgeries…

I'm tired of trying to loss weight with no success. I always said that I would never have any weigh loss surgery, but after thinking that something has got to give I'm planning to go to a seminar soon. I am scared of complications, failing, etc. I'm severly overweight and have hypertension I have a child with special needs that I need to live for so I must do something. I have no one I feel I can turn to. My mind is all over the place. I have read some posts and learned a few things that have answered a few questions for me. Any tips or words for support or encouragement.

Just got the phone call 1 hr ago that I was approved. They will call me Monday to set up times for my testing. Why am I so nervous now that I am approved?? Has anyone else felt this way?

I'm so excited. I was expecting self pay and then Christmas came early. I'm going to explore my options between gastric bypass and banding but all I needed was a BMI over 40. I don't know if I should celebrate that I made that or not. Off to check out the forum...

Hello Everyone! I finally am on the losers bench. I was sleeved Tuesday May 31, 2011 at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah Wisconsin. My lead surgeon was Dr. Raymond Georgeon but they also have a second surgeon in the OR and Dr. Kevin Wasco was the second surgeon. I am feeling absolutely great! I am only 25 years old and I think I have my youth on my side. The second day was the worst and since then I have felt great! I was up doing several laps around the 6 floor the day of surgery and have been walking and sipping since. You can follow my journey on YouTube: Clear liquids yesterday. I do sip all day long and get about 8 ounces in an hour. This was my very firs…

Does anyone live in Massachusettes in the northshore? i have a workout room and I could use a workout buddy.

Hello All... After about 2 years of going back and forth between considering surgery and the latest diet fad, surgery has won. I had my first wls consult about 2 years ago and had I stuck with it I would be post op by now and much more healthy. So, I am starting again. June 30th I will once again be meeting with the nurse to start the process again. This time I will not let my mind play tricks on me by telling me that I can lose on my own. I suffer from HBP and heart disease. I will be 40 in November and my daughter starts high school in the fall. I want to be here to see her graduate!! I joined this community for support and insight. I am sure I will get both.

I'm so overwhelmed by all of the wls information. It wasn't until recently that I finally made up my mind that this is something I want to do. When I started researching I thought the lap band would be less invasive. At least that's what I heard on all of the commercials. In reality, it's all invasive. It never dawned on me that I'd have this foreign object inside of me for the rest of my life or maybe I would need a second surgery later on down the line. Well, I've been doing more research and watching youtube videos about the sleeve and I'm thinking that this is the way I want to go. But I'm so overwhelmed......with finding the right surgeon, getting all of the requirem…

My name is Micah. I was banded on May 19th. My surgeon was Dr. Jay in Plano. He is amazing and his staff was as well. I am now 3 weeks post opp and am having some serious doubts. I eat what i should with a few things i shouldn't but i am trying. I have three kids 5,2 and9 months. I have two step children 11 and 9. So needless to say i stay busy. I am hoping an praying i lose the weight i need to and can keep it off. I am a little dicouraged at the moment though. I can't sleep because ia m terrified i am going to mess up my band or i already have. does anyone else have this fear as well. I just need some support. Thanks,mhester

Hi everyone my name is Rob :thumbup: I just made the call for my Info night down at lehigh valley hospital in allentown. I went to my doctor this week and she did a BMI on me. I am 6-4, 466lbs right now with a bmi of 57.5!! I was shocked. she told me that I had almost 90 lbs of muscle and my ideal weight would be 265. That seems like a little on the big side still hehe. about 7 years ago I looked into the surgery...where they cut the intestine..roun-x-y or something like that but decided I wasnt keen on re-routing the plumbing!! so now im back bigger than ever and a little bummed out. but im taking the first step to finally making a change!! with better insurance t…

Hello everyone! I started inquring about WLS last month, since it seems like my weight just keeps climbing and climbing, dispite all the excerising, diets, and pills that I take. I initially started wanting the LB, but after doing more and more research on the different kinds of WLS, I have decided that the Sleeve is the right choice for me! Having a weight problem my entire life..loosing, then gaining twice what I lost, I am to a point of my life that I need consistency and I feel in my heart that the Sleeve will give this too me. Since making this decision, I have attended a WLS seminar, and my first appoint with the doc and nutritionist is June 15th. I am so excited to…

Hi all I want to introduce my self and say "Hi". I am Julia and I am finally at the last month of the 12 months of supervised diet my insurance requires before they will approve surgery. I have done all the required classes and psych visit ...I am now hoping I will be able to have my surgery in August sometime. Thanks for listening and I am sure I will have lots of questions to post!

Well, my story is just beginning. I am 37 years old and was thin (sometimes downright skinny) for most of my life. I gained weight in college, but was able to lose it and stayed at 150 pounds for several years (I am 5'6"). After I married, I gained 20 pounds and lost it within 6 weeks of Weight Watchers. In 1998, I began having back problems, that over the years, have become severe. After losing the weight in WW, I began taking Lyrica and gained 40 pounds within 6 months. After getting off the Lyrica, I couldn't get the weight off. I tried Jenny Craig and lost pretty much nothing except a couple thousand dollars and tried WW again. The weight would not come off. …

So I had the sleeve April 13th, and things went pretty well, but I was in quite a bit of pain. It was only in the past couple weeks that I was able to start back working out (even though that still makes my ouchie spots pretty sore). I even was able to roll around in the sack with my dear fiance, and only to no avail. It was really painful and we couldn't even finish. Haven't tried since. Went to see my OB and they found a 2 inch cyst on my left ovary. I am having another ultrasound in a month, and if it hasn't gotten any smaller I am going to have another surgery to take it out. They say it's really unlikely that it will get smaller, just will keep getting bigger. I…

So I'm having my lap band done pretty soon. I'm pretty social and enjoy going out with my friends all of the time. THey always want to go to nice places to eat and drink, but I'm afraid I won't be able to go with them anymore. How have you guys dealt with this issue? Has it changed your lives to that degree?

Ok, so I am starting to think I am actually broken in some manner! I have only lost 6lb this month, and despite being so good I have gained back 2lb of that in the last 2 days! I still have 30lb to goal, but feel like I will never get there now.

Hi everyone, I'm new to all of this and I know very little about this process. The first thing I wanted to know is what is the first step? Should I talk to my pcp or should I get more info from the insurance company? I just got new insurance about 6 months ago and haven't had to use it much, so I'm not even all that familiar with my plan. I have BCBS of Massachusetts, but I'm not sure if it's PPO or ***. Honestly, I'm having a difficult time navigating around their website to even see what they say about weight loss surgery. Any info about insurance or any tips about how to get started would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I am four days post op and while my insicion site gets better every day, the gas pains (I think it's that) get worse and worse. I can barely drink anything and am wondering how long I can survive on 100 calories of protein shake/day plus a few sips of water. The pain is mainly along my esophagus/back/bit of the shoulders. . . . Sometimes I feel like I have to burp but, and I hope this is not TMI, I start to burp and then it just sort of ends in a verrrrrrry painful spasm/hiccup of my esophagus (I think that's what it is)? Is this normal? What can I do about it? And should I worry about the fact that I have consumed maybe 500 calories over the last 4 days combin…

I hope this shows up. I'm having trouble finding my way around this website, and how to post . Well i started this journey in feb of this year. I've done everything i'm supposed to do for insurance approval, and there were alot of hoops to jump through. So now i'm waiting on an answer from BCBS federal. My papers were submitted on may 11th. Is it me?...or are they taking a long time to answer???? the suspense is killing me. Not knowing how this whole process goes i was hoping to be sleeved by now, but noooo, so i'm waiting,,,waiting,,,waiting. I'am soooo ready.

Hello! I was jw what happens after you attend the seminar and how quickly things move after that?

I had the sleeve done in March of this year and I have lost 50lbs.. The past 6 weeks have been really slow for weight loss and I don't know why.. I've only lost 14lbs in 6 weeks! I know I haven't done the exercising (my work schedule just hasn't alotted for it) but I would think that I would be down more than 50 lbs by now... Is this normal? I'm also starting to loose hair! I take all my Vitamins and have even added Biotin, I'm getting my Protein but I also think I'm loosing muscle mass!!!! I'm just really down right now with everything!

Sleeved on 1/11/11. The first hundred pounds are gone, along with: All diabetes meds and some others 2 shirt sizes 8 inches around the middle Inability to keep belly off the steering wheel Still hungry, but now not losing the battles like before surgery. On to the next hundred !

I am just wondering how much weight you lost at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and a year?

Hi, I am a 34 year old breast cancer survivor from IL. I have fought my weight the majority of my adult life. In 2008 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically medullary carcinoma of the breast. I had 2 lumpectomies, 1 lymphocentisis, 12 rounds of chemo, 33 radiation treatments, a complete hyaterectomy & oopherectomy, another biopsy, and 1 more lumpectomy on the other breast that came back with b9 results. Oh yeah and I have fibromyalga, All of this and I am fatter than ever!!! Maintaining a normal body weight will greatly reduce my risk of reoccurence but I can't seem to loose wt. on my own. I am having surgery on Weds. I am starving, weak, shaky, an…

I have tried every diet known to man I think, I am 61 and need to get healthy just not sure about this

Hey everybody my name is Cecilia I'm 19yrs old 214lbs and I just got approved for my surgery! I'm so excited, I have so many questions for all of you! My surgery has been scheduled for July14th. My mother is having her surgery June9 . were so happy, BUT I'm a bit worried because I suffer from a chronic anxiety disorder, does any1 else ? Or did you ? Anyone else weigh 214lbs or around there? How much did you loose?

Wow it's been 6 months and I've lost 90 pounds. Have 20 more and it seems like yesterday that I thought stuff like god I hope I lose weight or I hope I don't gain the weight back or I hope I don't over eat or I hope someday I can have a green salad or when can I have a shot of vodka? The best thing everyday is a new day and you learn what you can have and what you can't! It's so easy I go out to dinner and share or just order a piece of chicken. I'm not killing my self at the gym if I worked alittle harder I'd pro ally lose more faster but to lose you Have To drink 64 oz water you Have To eat protein first and you Have to take vitiams and secret I keep my multi and b12 by…

Wanted to wish everyone who has had or who is going to have the surgery the best of luck. I have had great luck so far. The only complaint I have is a pain under my left rib, it comes and goes, but is present everyday and is PAINFUL!! Has anyone else experienced this pain and have advice? I have been told it is gas and to walk, but when I walk it gets worse, and I get the sweats. I know its only 4 days out but I need some relief ASAP!!

Hi, I am a 34 year old breast cancer survivor from IL. I have fought my weight the majority of my adult life. In 2008 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, specifically medullary carcinoma of the breast. I had 2 lumpectomies, 1 lymphocentisis, 12 rounds of chemo, 33 radiation treatments, a complete hyaterectomy & oopherectomy, another biopsy, and 1 more lumpectomy on the other breast that came back with b9 results. Oh yeah and I have fibromyalga, All of this and I am fatter than ever!!! Maintaining a normal body weight will greatly reduce my risk of reoccurence but I can't seem to loose wt. on my own. I am having surgery on Weds. I am starving, weak, shaky, an…

Hi, I'm Melinda, a 47 year old social worker and nursing student. I have contemplated weight loss surgery for years, but didn't have the right supports until now. My family is amazingly supportive, and I have done so much research and questioning of myself that I know it is the right time to go through with the surgery. I contacted my insurance company (CDPHP ***), and they sent me their policy. Based on this information I qualify. I was referred to a specific doctor by my nutritionist. First the insurance company told me the doctor was covered, but not the hospital they work out of. The doctor's office then said that the doctors also go to another hospital, and that…

Hi everyone! I'm scheduled to have lap-band surgery on June 21st. I was originally scheduled for next week, but because of some very stupid insurance problems (as in, screw-ups by work insurance reps) it took so long to get approved that we had to move the surgery date. BUT! I am now approved completely, have the date set, arranged for child care for the week (I'm a stay-at-home dad with an almost-3 year-old and 4-month-old boys), started the pre-op diet already but set for a couple of extra weeks to shrink my liver a little more, and pretty much bouncing off the walls. So, so excited about this next phase of my life, particularly how it will allow me to fully enj…

I went this AM for my 1 week weigh in and I was.....(drum roll please) -16 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did my happy dance all over the MD office. WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HI everyone! I have watched this forum for months, but now that I am 2 weeks post-op, I realize that I need to get involved. I had surgery on May 19, 2011 and I have lost almost 16lbs so far. I am trying to everything by the book. I just started mushies today, but I feel like I'm still not doing it right, even though I haven't eaten anything I;m not supposed to eat. I hear so many people say that they hate their bands, so I'm freaking out a little. I guess I just want some reassurance that there are people who are happy that they made this decision. I look forward to hearing back from you all!

Hello. I am new to the Lap Band Forum. I had my surgery on January 17, 2011 and have been doing well. I have lost 55 pounds so far and I am really happy that I made the decision to have the Lap Band. I have a hard time asking for help, but I realized that it woud be good to try and get and give support on this forum while I am going through this process. So here I am.

:dance::dance: I got the call today I have been approved. Surgery is scheduled for July 18th. I am very excited and relieved. The waiting game has finally come to an end (well have to wait for the surgery. Duh!). I am required to do the standard 2 week pre-op diet. I was wondering if anyone did anything else to prepare for surgery prior to the pre-op?:Banane35:

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there! I am 10 days post-op from my VS and have to be on a 600 calorie/ high Protein shake for almost 2 weeks. I find myself cheating and feeling terrible about it. I reason with myself on why i can have regular sugar free pudding or plain yogurt. I even take spoonfuls of hummus. I ask myself, "Why is that bad? All of these things are soft". Well, today I had 3 small crackers with bri cheese and just made sure to chew the cracker very fine before swallowing. I loved it. It made me feel normal again. My sister is concerned this will pop a staple in my stomach but I don’t think it will. I guess i just needed to confess my sins a…

What is the average weight loss after a month surgery?

I went today to meet my surgeon. I really love him! He spent an hour with me and we talked about all of the options, where I was at with my thinking, etc. I am officially on the road towards my Lap Band placement. Now I need to do a bunch of "pre op" tests including a Upper GI series next week. I am also going to a mandatory nutrition class tomorrow morning too! Everything seems to be falling into place and now I am hopeful for a July surgery date!! I am looking forward to getting to know this site better and better since there is some great stuff here!!

Happy Happy Joy Joy and Thank You Lord!!! :teeth_smile: :shades_smile: I have my date!!! I will be sleeved on July 5th and I am super duper excited!! :wink_smile: :thumbs_up: Here are my details: My insurance:BCBS PPO of Florida (Empire) is covering the surgery at 90% since I have met my deductible. So, out-of-pocket cost for me is going to total $650 ($500 Surgeon's Fee and $150 co-pay). I am having bloodwork done by my PCP, a chest X-ray, and EKG. Following these tests I have to get a letter of surgical clearance from my PCP, then I am good to go. Approximately 2 weeks prior to surgery I am required to be on a specialized diet which is 5 Protein drinks …

I got my surgery date today for 6/30/11 (fingers crossed for the FINAL ok from the insurance)! This is going to be long winded but I am really glad I have found this forum of people that truly understand! I decided on LapBand as a last resort. I have tried everything gone up and down 70 lbs here and there but have never been able to maintain it. My goal was to be thin by the time my daughter started Kindergarten in order to avoid embarrassment for her – that came and went…. Then my goal was to be skinny by my 30th b-day – that is in two weeks….. I have now decided that instead of moping about 30 I am going to make a change for me that is lasting. I started nutr…

Hello all. My name is Chuck and I'm a newly sleeved member of this world. I had my procedure done on Tuesday the 24th at 6 a.m. and was home on Wednesday evening the 25th. Thanks to all at Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia SC and Dr. Antonelli and staff at Riverside Surgical. What a fantastic team of players. I feel great and have very little pain. Only real twinge is the larger of the 6 incisions but that is to be expected. My Forum Name co-insides with a song by Collective Soul that basically says it all if you read and or listen to the lyrics. It's called "Better Now". Oh I'm newly calibrated All shiny and clean I'm your recent adaptation Ti…

Good Afternoon forum.... I am Sigma Pi and I am in the process of starting my journey with geting the lap band. I am scared to death of the process and worried my insurance. I have Anthem BCBS of Indiana and it's a PPO. If I may ask, what is the normal turn around for approvals?

Greetings All~ I am turning 42 this year and have decided I want to have a VS done. I have made a ton of amazing changes in the last 3 years of my life. I was medically dependent for 4 1/2 years on Fentanyl Patches for pain and spent a relatively short period of time coming off this highly addictive medication. All in all, from the last day of my last patch to the last day of my last Suboxone pill(medication used to detox from opiates), it only took me an amazing 106 days!!! This is after cancer, living with the pain of severe fibromyalgia, a leaking valve in my heart and OA in my feet, ankles, knees back and shoulders. If you also factor in 4 herniated discs in my spin…

I am at the beginning of my journey, my paperwork has been submitted, had bloodwork, and tomorrow is my psych evaluation. I met with my PCP today and got my bloodwork results. No diabetes, no thyroid problems, only slightly elevated cholesterol. I got weighed - ugh- and we talked.....alot. He was enthusiatic and supportive and said I was an excellent candidate, and he would do everything in his power to make sure I didn't have any insurance problems! What a great doctor visit! I was sure that I would have some "sugar" problems! Thanks everyone for all the information here, I was well armed with information and he was impressed with how ready I was! So, now, onward…

Hi, I see that some of you have a measuring tape of sorts that shows ur weight loss progress....Can anyone tell me how do I get one. I've tried to figure it all out, but i dont see it anywhere. Please help me if ur able. I think it's called a ticker....and how do i get one on my page/profile? Thanks!

I got a call today from my doctor's office and UHC has approved my surgery!!!!! YaY!!! It took them a whole 9 days to approve it. Wow!!! I went in for my doc's appointment 16 days ago but it took them a week to send it to the insurance for approval. I'm so excited but am scared to death at the same time. When I got off of the phone, I wanted to jump up and down!!! Ten minutes later, I wanted to cry! Ha! The emotions have already started flowing. Now, I'm waiting for a call to schedule the surgery.

Hey guys and gals, I apparently do things sort of backward because I posted in the general discussion area before the introduction forum. Figured I'd make it known that I am aware of that fact... Anyway, I'll leave that post out there since I think it get's a little intense for an introduction. Keeping things light, I'm Jes. I'm post (kind of mid) weightloss, and had my surgery around 5 years ago. I started off at 310 lbs, and am now down to 167. Still have 25 or so to go, but pretty stoked with the results thus far. I don't really know anyone personally who has gone through significant weightloss, and I think it's due time that I start giving out and receiving…