Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello This in my introduction I am 49 390 lbs Married One son 12 years old I have fought weight my entire life I have a few short time frames where I was a “normal” weight. Marine Corps After USMC running 8 miles 5 days a week Phen-Phen and Gym for 90 mins 5 times a week But the majority of my life I have been morbidly obese, I started the band process 14 months ago I planned to submit for surgery 9/2010 In Aug 2010 the doctors admin person let me know I had not properly documented my required 6 months weight loss. I had not seen the doctor for six consecutive months. So I started that over.. Meanwhile my company was sold and I held my breath waiti…

Hi, I had surgery for the lap band on March 15, 2011. My pre-surgery weight was 281 and then I followed the pre-surgery diet. I weighed 275 on the day of my surgery and am now 260. The worst part of the surgery was the reaction I had to the percoset... I was sick to my stomach and dizzy so I had to spend the night in the hospital. Since last summer I've been fatigued constantly and unable to walk more than half a mile continuously. For the last week I have been walking every other day and I'm up to two and a half miles! On the other days I do about 30 minutes of cardio with DVDs from Core Rhythm (which is similar to Zumba). The cardio has been harder …

I was banded on Feb. 18, 2011 and after one week I had lost 15 lbs. I was so excited. I stayed there until I started eating regular food and have now gained back 7.5 lbs. What am I doing wrong? There are so many things I can't eat so maybe when I find something I can eat, I overdo it. But I'm not eating so much i ever feel stuffed, but I'm just not losing weight.

I got my date and so did my Bestie/Sister!!! Yep we are doing this together, she goes in first then it's my turn!!! Same surgeon, same time, same date, same hospital, same hospital room hopefully!!! Can you tell I love her to bits and pieces??? I could not imagine doing this with anyone else. My surgery date is Friday, May 13 and I've already started marking the days off on my calendar. I'm off now to change my signature and put my new information in!! Thanks to all you lovely sleevers who have given me such good words of encouragement!!! Save a seat for both of us on the looser's bench!!!

Hi. I am new to this forum. I got a phone call this afternoon asking if I wanted to have my surgery this Thursday! I start a liquid diet tomorrow. Going out for my last supper tonight. I feel like there is so much to do as I wasn't prepared for this. I have to go shopping for "food" (liquids). Get the house in order. I have three children. My pre-op appt is now scheduled for Monday, the education class on Monday and they tried to get in touch with the hospital to get my pre-op testing done on Monday, but it was already too late in the day to get a hold of them. A little about my journey. It was a quick one. I just started looking into bariatric surgery in January and …

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HI! My name is Lisa and I work for a weight loss surgery center. My husband just had the sleeve done 3 days ago and he is having a hard time. That's how found you guys and this helpful website. We had only a week to prepare for the actual surgery!! That in itself was trying. After surgery he experience severe nausea and alot of pain in his chest or esophagus. I can't get him to drink or attempt to "eat" anything hardly at all. I am really concerned, but hoping I am just overly concerned.

Well I have decided there is no "leaning" toward the sleeve - it is definitely the one I want. My appointment with the surgeon is April 7th but my insurance just changed and now I have to see my primary Doctor for 6 months instead of 3 - a little disappointed, if I had not sat on the fence for a month I would probably be scheduled already But hey, all in good time. I now think it will be August, hopefully earlier in the month and not latter!! I joined weight watchers this week in hopes to start losing some now and as part of my "plan" with my doctor - even if I lose 50 lbs I still have a high enough BMI. I went ahead and scheduled all my monthly visits with my doctor.…

It's done. I was sleeved this past Monday April 4. Was discharged this morning. Things went really well. Today my surgeon dropped off pics of my stomach pre and post sleeve. Kinda gross but interesting. Doing a lot of walking to help with the gas cramps. Taking in as much fluids as I can and began taking my Vitamins. Hospital staff (scripps memorial hospital in San Diego) were amazingly helpful. I'm also lucky that my partner is a med surge nurse so he stayed with me and took care of me as well. 3 days out I'm feeling really good and looking forward to progressing through the food stages...

My name is Gineen and I recently found out that the Illinois Medical card is accepted for the lap band and gastric bypass surgery. Does anyone have a list of doctors in the Chicago area that takes the medical card for this procedure? I have done everything in my power to lose weight and it time for me to do this, not only for my health but for my children. I appreciate the information

Hi Everybody, I'm relatively new here, I was sleeved 6 weeks ago and since I've lost 27 lbs and an additional 10 before surgery! I know 37lb is a lot and something to be proud of but I find myself getting down a lot about not loosing more quickly. I have about 130 lbs to loose to make it to goal, which seems huge! I guess I get upset because I see a lot of other people that have similar goals where the weight is just flying off of them. I get jealous of the people that loose 100lbs in 4 months and wonder why I can't be one of them. I feel like I'm doing everything right, high protein, low carb, lots of water. I guess I just get panicked because I feel like I'm loosing t…

My wife and I went to a WLS Seminar last night. The doctor and the insurance manager both said that we were some of the most informed patients they have had at a seminar. We were able to ask and get answers to many questions that have been inspired by the concerns and experiences from the good folks on this site. Thank you for being so open in your comments and topics. We are much more comfortable moving forward than we would have been with out you. YOU ROCK!!! :clap2: :hurray:

Hi, I too am new here. After many years of yo-yo dieting and dieting up to my current weight of 250 lbs. I have decided to go with the lapband. I see the surgeon in April. I was wondering if anyone has had surgery in Montreal? Did you go with the public system or private? Sue

I will be going next week to meet with my surgeon to set the date for my sleeve. I have lost the pre-op weight and moving forward toward the procedure. My son will graduate at the end of May and I don't want surgery or post-op to interfere in any way. Do you think if I have my surgery the first of May I will be free and clear of any setbacks for the graduation? Need advice please.

Hello everyone, My name is Dustin from Illinois. Today was my consultation with the Surgeon. The consultation was very informative, and I am excited to get through the insurance process and get started. Anyone from Illinois been through the process with Blue Cross Blue Shield? I was wondering how long they take to approve the surgery after jumping through their hoops? My BMI is 45 and I have tried everything in the past to lose weight. Obesity runs in my family, and I am tired of the struggle. I am looking forward to using the Lap Band as a tool to help me achieve a healthy weight.

Hi There, I was banded on the 15/03/2011 and things have gone smoothly since then. I'm looking forward to seeing the results. I've lost 3lb so far, although i'm not expecting to see results this soon knowing it's starting is quite exciting. I hope to share my experience with others who have had the procedure as I have not told anyone other then my other half so it will be nice to have people to chat with about it. Thanks

i have a web page but have no idea how to list them seperately on the side like most of you have done. please help..i would love to join blogdom.

Hi, I'm in Lubbock TX. I have just started looking into the Lap-Band procedure. I am really new to the area as well, and would appreciate any info you could give me if you are in the Lubbock area.

Ok, if a person googles living will templates or samples, a ton of them come up. In order for a living will to be valid, its best to be sure to follow the guidelines set by the state you live in. Here's where I'm struggling. All the places that say they offer free samples or templates lead you down the path of getting all the way to the point of actually giving something to you but then you have to buy something or sign up for a service - but whatever it is, it really isn't free. Just looking for any referrals if anyone knows where a person can download some basic templates for living wills. I don't expect any problems going into my surgery, but I just think its be…

Hi everyone. I haven't been here for a loooong time. I had surgery in July 2009 and have lost 71 pounds. My life went into turmoil about a year ago when my husband suffered a debilitating stroke and entered a nursing home. My family fractured and I lost my weight-loss mojo. But now I'm back and recently got a fill that made me so tight I can't eat any bread or chips. Yea! I'm vowing to hang out here more often and get and give support. Good to be back.

Hi! I'm new here and I'm starving! I'm having the sleeve surgery on 4/18/11 amd I've been on the presurgery diet for 1 1/2 weeks. I am so lethargic and just want to sleep. I'm drinking the protein shakes but they go right through me, and I've tried so many of them. They all seem to have the same effect. My doctor told me to just keep drinking them and keep trying! I'm not stopping, and I know it's all worth it. I haven't read much about people being so hungry at this stage, though. Anyone experience that? I can't wait for the surgery!

I'm thinking about starting a vlog so that i can document my journey. I just feel weird holding a camera in front of my face and talking lol. How many of you guys have one? Should I start one? thanks everyone

I recently made the decision that I would like to go through with this surgery, but only in the process of trying to get in to see my doctor. Basically I'm 18, 5'4'' and pushing something around 245, and have been for years. I have a BMI of at least 41, and incredibly high blood pressure. I've been trying to lose the weight for 5 years give or take. I've done as much research as I possibly could but I really don't know how to get this process started. All information I have come across has said that you have to be 18 for starters to qualify but would my age set me back at all from getting approved? I plan on seeing my doctor on the 22nd of April or sometime befor…

And people say I don't need to have vsg. SMH I know these are not very flattering clothes but I want these before pics to look as bad as possible so i will remember to never get here again!!

Hey everyone! My name is Courtney and I was banded 12/09, worst decision of my life. The never worked for me, I was always in pain, and my doctor filled me to much to fast. I spent 16 months living in hell. I am 22 going to be 23 in August, I am a Heath Science student, Married to a Marine, and I completely hate myself. So after a long journey I am finely getting this horrible band out, but now I am getting the VSG. I am so nervous. I feel like the band didn't work for me why would this? It doesn't help that my main supporter, my husband, is in Afghanistan, and my mom well, I never know what shes thinking. What should I expect from the sleeve? My husband will be …

Hi All, I am in the Portland-Salem area of Oregon and need to find a surgeon that has had a great success ratio for Lap-Band procedure. My life hangs in the balance here so let me know what you think of your surgeon.

Anyone have any advice on how to start firming up arms,legs, and stomach. I am down 57 pounds and my arms and legs are getting super saggy. I did have sagginess before but its getting worse. I am going to the gym 3-5 days a week but I am only doing treadmill, bike, and nu-step which mostly focuses on the legs but what can I do to tone some of this up a bit. Not asking for a miracle to happen but just help firm it up a bit. Is there some type of exercise that anyone has experienced that actually works and also how long do I need to do this exercise, would it be 5 minutes or 10 minutes and how often. Thanks everyone in advance for your answers

Hi, My name is Terri and I'm new here as of today. My surgery is set for May 5th and on April 20 I go in for my final consult with the nutritionist. and start the pre op liquid diet. I'm extremely nervous, my surgeon told me if I don't lose some weight before the surgery (I've only lost 3 pounds) he'll postpone it. I'm thinking, if it was that easy for me to lose weight, would I really need him? lol But anyway, I'm journaling my food intake, the hard part is the not drinking anything for 15 minutes before a meal and 45 after the meal. i get so thirsty, and I'm not sure what this is all about. My Wii fit literally just arrived a few minutes ago, So I'm hoping a li…

Hi all, I wanted to say "HI" and tell a little about me. I have to admit I'm a little nervous so please bear with me I had the lap band placed August 2002 by Dr. Phillip Schauer at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (he has since moved on but I still follow with the practice). It did very well for me up until about 2-3 years ago ( I went from pre-op wt 263/ surg wt 240/ lowest wt 173. I felt the best ever at that weight. I started to learn how to eat around the band and slowly began putting the weight back on. Then about a year ago I got pretty sick (vomiting) which required hospitalization. I was afraid that my band had slipped. But the medical team didn't…

Hi everyone, my name is Tammy I am 52 years old.. I am just starting this process and want to lose 145 lbs. I weight 282 now. I have always had weight issues, but never this bad. So I am ready to make a change. First I found my Surgeon Dr michael King - Oxford, Ms.. They contacted my insurance and told me what the crieria was. They have been very helpful. 1st - Met with my pcp and he wrote me a clearance letter and sent my medical records to my surgeon. 2nd - Pulmomologist Appt. on April 19th 3rd - Cardiologist Appt. on April 25th 4th - Psycological Evaluation on May 24th After all these doctors sent in the clearance letters, then I will get my first appt. with th…

My lap band journey started in August 2010. After years of researching I finally decided to do it. I visited with a dietitian for 6 months, had a psych eval (apparently I'm flippant, lol) and submitted my request to insurance on March 24, 2011. The wait for insurance approval was the hardest part. I had dreams that I was not approved because I had not attended enough college anatomy classes, among other things. Today I found out that I am approved. Now I 'm just waiting for the nurse at Dr. Glatt's office to call me to schedule my surgery. I'm hoping it's soon. I'm feeling very emotional. Happy, scared, stressed, worried about how this surgery is going to change …

Hi everyone, My name is Lynda and I am 58 years old, married with three adult children and six grandchildren. I am originally from England and two of my sons and four of my grandchildren are over there. My other son and his two children and adorable wife are over here. I have been married to my new husband Bill for a year and four months, finally finding him after twelve years of widowhood. I was always a slim person, throughout my early years, my first marriage and having my three children. I was between 54 and 57 kilos all my early adult life. Then my rather violent marriage broke up and things didn't go smoothly and I started to turn to food and beer to self soothe. …

Hi everyone! I'm really excited to be here. My name is Rose, and I'm a pre-op lap band patient. I'm working on losing 20 pounds before surgery, and I'm really excited about the journey that I'm undertaking. I feel like this is the perfect tool for me to finally attain the goals that I've been trying to reach for years. Currently I weigh 369 pounds, which is down from last year's high of 390. I started my pre-op diet a week ago at 374. I've struggled with weight my entire life, and I'm probably the heaviest person in my entire family. I really just want to be healthy and to do the things that I love to do like hiking and playing sports (I was actually the only girl…

I am going to introduce myself the right way, the honest way. I dont have a metabolism problem,I dont have emotional issues, bad parents, or any other excuse. I eat too much and drink too much.That simple. I had the surgery in January of 2010, it went well, and I was off to the races. I did my fills, and did ok. I didnt excel because I would have a few beers, a chip here and there, but all in all I had gone from 350 on the first visit, 340 on day of surgery to 290 in early October. Work got busy, I got lazy, and didnt get a fill for 5 months. Two weeks ago I weighed myself and was 333. I was disgusted. THe band is pointless, I thought. I did not do ONE THING …

This sucks... No other word for it. My surgeon requires two weeks, not really a liquid diet, but I had to buy meal replacements from his office. Right now I am eating some kind of pudding. This morning I had a little packet of some kind of cereal with 4oz of skim milk (that's the only milk in the two week diet - 4 oz at breakfast). Maybe it will get better in the next few days, but I'm not really optimistic. I have to have 6 of the meal replacement packets a day. In between, I can have anything zero-calorie and sugar free. It specified jell-o but the only sugar free jello I found had 10 calories in a serving, so I guess thats out. I stocked up on Crystal Light, and I am t…

Hi, I'm scheduled to attend a lap band seminar with at Bariatric Specialist of NC. Have 3 coworkers at the hospital where I work that have had lap band procedure and have lost significant amounts of weight. I've been really impressed with how healthy they are and how successful they have been. Planning to have Lap Band surgery in early June as I will have enough vacation time then to cover the post op. Here to learn as much as possible from all of you.

I was just released from the hospital about 2 hours ago. I am personally in a lot of pain and i can't seem to get comfortable. I've tried to get comfortable and nothing is working. I had to stay an extra night because my blood pressure continued to go up. The reading that scared the nurses and me was 207/105. I was like man, what did i do? I've never had high blood pressure in my life and so hopefully it was just due to the pain. This is the most alert I've been since Monday afternoon. Can I use a heating pad on my left incision? That's the incision that hurts the worst. well, I'm about to take another nap.

Hello all! I'm new at this. I was banded on April 23, 2010 and have lost 62 lbs so far. I've kinda hit a plateau and am having a hard time losing. I have a 10 cc band and 5cc filled. I have been going to the gym 3-4 times a week so I feel like I am toning up. I've probably slacked off on my eating habits some and I need to get back on track! Any suggestions?

Hi everyone. I had my sleeve surgery on 3/15/11. I've lost 12 pounds since surgery. I received so many different diet packets on what to eat and it all confused me. I think maybe I was eating things I should not have been eating in week two. I was eating blended Soup and baby food in week 1. I thought that was allowed but maybe I misread the material. I also ate some mashed potatoes in week two. I didn't realize those were forbidden until I read over another packet of material. So I eliminated potatoes altogether. I just started week three yesterday. I have been eating blended Soups, some baby food, and cottage cheese and of course Protein shakes. When can I …

My name is Kendra and I am a 33 year old wife and mother of two. I have been overweight since after having my daughter in 1998. So this is no longer baby fat. At my heaviest I was 247 lbs and I am only 5'1". I have been thinking about having the lap band for a couple of years now. I would make the appointment with TrueResults to talk about it but would never follow through. Once I reached 247 I figured something had to change or my husband was going to be a single father and I could not do that to him. I started watching what I ate at the beginning of 2011 and started working out with some of my friends at work. I went for my first TrueResults meeting with my husband in m…

hi every1, hope u r all well !! im new to this site an just wanted to introduce myself ive been banded since 7 march 11 my starting weight was 136 kg before the 1 week pre op diet since having the band am am now down to 124kg i am on solid food now an am finding it fine the only thing ive had a problem with so far is bread i have not had a fill yet if any1 has any tips or advise i would love to hear feel free to add me an drop me a line thanx for taking the time to read this happy weightloss times a head for all xx

I am seriously considering the Lap Band for the very near future. I have only research online through friends. I was told today that the FDA lowered the requirements to enable those only needing to lose a little weight to receive this procedure. They say you can have a BMI of 30 now. Mine is 30.7. I have 63 pounds to lose to be at ideal what range. HOWEVER, I do NOT have diabetes, sleep apnea, and only a recent problem with hypertension with my levels being too high but doctor has not considered meds for that yet. I do HOWEVER, have hypothyroidism, PCOS, insulin resistance, and high fasting sugar levels, and osteoarthritis in my knees that comes and goes. I have…

I'm new here and have been thinking about having the lapband for several years I'm 5'5" and weigh 247.I have three kids and a great supportive husband.I'm in my 2nd month of a 6 month doc supervised diet also I'm on the patch to quit smoking it's been 11 days today in 4 weeks I will be smoke free hopefully I started early with quiting smoking because I new I would need help, the patch works great. I have to loose 20 pounds by the end of the six month doc supervised diet , does any one have any advice?? I'm a stay at home mom so all I have on my side is alot of time during the day any recomendations would be appreciated. Can anyone tell me what it's like after the surgery …

I called my surgeon's office on Friday to find out what they'd learned about my insurance. The lady suggested I might need to take a 3 month program (which no one had mentioned and isn't in any of the research I'd had with my insurance) and my jaw dropped. She said I could get past that but I'd need to get as much information about my health history / diet history as possible over the next week (my nutrition class is on Sunday). I realize that people spend 6 months or more waiting for an appt. But the idea of waiting that long completely horrifies me. I haven't even TRIED to lose weight for the last 2 years. I'd completely given up hope that I could have any meani…

I was all set to have my surgery happen on April 13th with pre-operative testing on the 11th. I got up yesterday and went to the gym. (Had I been doing this all along, there would be no surgery! ) When I got home I had a message from the surgeon's office asking if I wanted to get this done on Wednesday the 30th. Holy Cow! Yes!!! So, a frantic day on the road yesterday took me to Atlanta and jumping through various hoops to get all the testing and permissions done. Tomorrow morning, waaaay earlier than my wife would like, we are hitting the road to Atlanta again. We have to be there for 8:30 and surgery a couple of hours after that. Hopefully just one night stay o…

I have lost a hundred pounds twice already. Once when I was pregnant. I started out weighing about 180 and got up to 278 before my kid was born. I dropped twenty pounds and him with it, and eventually, about a year later, I was back at 180. 180 is still a bit overweight for me, but I liked what I looked like and I felt good. But the weight would never stay off. I would go on serious diets to get back down to 180 but would never make it to my high school weight of 155. Good, but not good enough. So I would drift up and then bash it down with pure and total concentration -- low fat, low carb, shakes, drinks, bars. I'd get up to about 230 and panic, smoke like crazy a…

i was only 54 lbs overweight but had been carrying it for over a decade because of long term antidepressant use. i tried everything and was so sick of people not recognizing me and just feeling horrible about myself. when the fda recently gave the ok for lap band for people with a 30 bmi, i was so excited. i found the best doctor in my area felt good about the decision i was making. everyone in my family has type 2 diabetes and i knew i was headed there, so i felt like this was also preventative. my insurance wouldn't cover it, so i decided to pay the $16k to do it. my surgery was on 3/15 on an outpatient basis and i figured since they were doing it that way, that it w…

Just got the approval! I am so excited, it still seems a little surreal. Looks like the first day of the rest of my life will be May 2nd.

Hello all! My name is Deb. I had VSG on March 7th 2011. I was so excited that I lost 10lb prior to surgery on the preop diet. I was even more excited when at 3 weeks post op I had lost 15 more lbs!! For the past week I have been stuck on 200lbs! I know I shouldnt weigh daily, but I have to admit I am a slave to the scale. I really dont mind this, as long as I saw a lb or two of loss! I have tried to not be counting calories, just eating like Im supposed to; I am pretty savvy to all this and I know I am averaging probably 500-600'ish calories per day! my gut tells me that this is probably NOT ENOUGH and my body is reacting to this, despite the fact that I am doing well to…