Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I have been on Tricare Prime for last 11 years, and been thinking about getting the lap band procedure done. I am 30 years old, weight is 280lbs, height is 5'8. I know I am overweight and obesity does run in my mother side of family. I have been experiencing knee and back problems. I have tried different diets and some did help but I noticed as I got older I been gaining more weight. There are days I don't eat but only once a day. It been getting harder to lose weight. I take walks in the evening time for about 1 to 2 hours. Questions or concerns about Lap band Are there any side effects of getting the lap band completed? Does anyone know of any surgeons near Terr…

Hi all ! I am 5 weeks post-op and frustrated today. I weighed myself and scale said I gained 2 lbs. But I have been watching portions and quit eating when I feel full or if I eat something and it kinda feels like the food is stuck, then I usually back off and stop eating. I usually get in my 64 oz. of Water, and take all my Vitamins. I went a on food tracker site and it tells me I am not eating enough calories. I am on mushies for the next week yet. It said something in small print like if you donot consume enough calories your metabolism will slow down making losing more difficult. Has anyone else had a problem with this and if so how did you get your metabo…

just wanted to indroduce myself and hopefully find more peoplle in my area going through this .

Hi. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if i am a candidate for Lap Band? I am close to 5'4 and weigh 185. I have lost 15 lbs in the last year but can't seem to lose any more of the weight. I have high blood pressure and snore alot. I never had either of these problems before. I am a 37 year old mother of 4. It's horrible that i weigh 32 lbs more now then i did when i was 9 months pregnant with my last child 14 years ago. Most of my weight is in my mid-section.

hi guys thickinphilly here it' been a while how is everyone doing? i have been reading the updates as well as some of you guys frustrations. keep up the good work and remember even a half pound is a loss. any way i don't know if you guys remember my story i'll be brief. i was going through all the motions to have this wonderful life changing surgery and then it came to an abrupt stop becaue it would have cost me over $7000.00 out of pocket expense and this is after insurance. Any way one of you guys gave me a link to a site that give grants for WLS. i entered in all my info but i have not heard from anyone at the time all the grants for 2010 were depleted but i was tol…

I am seriously contemplating the lap band, and am starting my research. Been reading this forum for a few weeks, and I don't think anything has impressed me more. Talk about a built-in support system. I have, of course concerns about the band and if its right for me. I was diagnosed as a diabetic 6 years ago, managed to loose a little weight, and by managing my foods, got off my diabetes meds within the first year. Over time, I lost some weight, about 60 lbs, and kept if off thru never ending hard work. I just finished fighting uterine cancer with the usual nightmare treatments, and have all clear from doctors, and w/an excellent prognosis. Also, fighting the c…

I'm 54 year old mother of 4, grandmother of 5 and was banded on 2/9. I had my first fill on 3/3 and progress has been slow. Trying not to get discouraged. I have an appointment for a fill next week. Any secrets. suggestions or ? welcome and appreciated.

My surgery date is March 29th, my surgeon is Jay Long here in Brmingham, Al. am in my first week of the the pre-op liquid diet.

SUrgery: revision from band to sleeve with Dr Aceves, Mexicali on Monday this week. Arrived in MX SUnday night. Driver was amazing and the hotel was VERY NICE. Me and my man had tacos the night before and they were delicious. I took a valium to help me sleep / relax and slept ok. Monday morning, pick up at 7am. Got to the hospital and took care of adminsitrative items. Got into a gown. They frist sent me to xray (I didn't get my tests the day before like we planned). Then back to my private room to wait. Next, someone came to take my blood. Then I saw the anesthesiologist. He spent about 20 minutes with me talking about my surgery experiences. They decided…

Hello Everyone. I first want to say that I've been reading this forum since a month before surgery and everyone inspired me to make the decision to have the sleeve done. So thanks for your generosity when blogging on here. I'm five days post-op and am not sure how to feel about my decision. I'm 24 years old. I miss food but don't feel hungy. I hope that I have made the correct decision by having this surgery; my Mom told me that when I woke up from the anesthesia the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "What have I done to my body?" Everyone's success stories on here help me keep my chin up, but for now I'm feeling like a physical and emotional wreck. I've lo…

Hi, thought I would chime in with my story. I too have been overweight most of my life, definitely since high school - LOL 33 years - wow time flies. I have dieted, lost some, gained back more - the usual story. My wakeup call was ending up in the hospital with Atrial Fibrillation. I have had HTN for 10 years, borderline diabetes, not too much joint pain luckily. Since the hospital last October, I really had to look at things for real. My cardiologist basically told me I needed WLS or I would probably die. My heart valve is enlarged due to the weight and if it gets much bigger it will mean uncontrolled A Fib. My PCP suggested a Lap Band, but I am Miss Allergy perso…

I had RNY in 2001. They did Hiatal Hernia repair and Gall Bladder removal at the same time. In all, I lost 85 pounds. I kept my weight off about 3 yrs, but experienced regain the past 5 yrs. My surgeon today recommends the sleeve as revision to my bypass; surgery isn't scheduled yet, however the doctor is working on the authorization from the insurance. I have struggled with obesity my entire life--yoyo dieting to no avail. I teach school, so it is important that I get my health back on a healthier track. BTW, I have hypertension--my problem is I am allergic to ALL of the meds to treat it. This is all the reason to drop the weight and take care of myself!

Hello everyone, I was chosen out of over 3000 people as 1 of 6 finalists for a FREE LAP BAND SURGERY. Its based on votes, so I need as much help as possible. Please take a moment to help me change my life by visiting www.obesitynomorefl.com and vote for me RUBEN S. Im a single father of 2 children (boys) and I do not have insurance. Voting ends March 31 so dont wait!! I look forward to having you all help me through this journey to change my life. You can friend me on facebook at my Reshaping Ruben fan page, or follow on twitter, also, Reshapingruben. Thanks to all who show their support!! Let me know if you vote to.

Hello Everyone, I had my sleeve done 02/22/2011 so I am almost a month post-op. I have been trying some different foods to eat and some of the things I have tried are not setting well with my stomach so it comes right back up, is this normal? Also, sometimes when I eat I feel like I am having a stomach heart-attack (stomach spasm type pains) sorry that is the only way I can describe it. I feel I am doing good with weight loss so far and before I was having problems with dehydration and couldn't get enough liquids in but that has all worked out but now its the food thing. Any reccommendations would be great. What can I eat? I feel like I am not doing something right. Tha…

My Surgery is tomorrow, March 22. I'm nervous but with the help of some supportive friends and family I'm OK. I'm a nurse, So in saying that i believe we make the worst patients. I'm used to caring for others. So it's difficult to allow someone to care for me. I'm sure this is how a got in this situation anyway....In caring for everyone else I forgot to take care of myself. So this is the start of a new journey i finally decided to begin... The only thing that i'm afraid of is that i may or may not be having the sleeve done do to some complications..My dr. asked if during the surgery he finds that i can not have the sleeve he said i have the choice to choosing an…

Hi, my name is Jennifer and I am new to this site. This is actually my first posting on any site...I was banded on march 8th, 2011..just a week ago today!! I am excited to get to know others who have been banded or going to be, and start a new life of positive feedbacks to begin this new successful journey in my life!!

Hi all!! My name is Libbe and I am 39. My oldest daughter got married 1-1-11 and my youngest turns 16 tomorrow (!!!) and I decided this is the year for ME!! I matter and I want to be around to enjoy my grandkids some day! I am 4'11 and weigh in the 230's right now. Other than my weight, my only health issue is migraines and recently some neck troubles. Well, I started my journey in January - went to an orientation I believe it was January 9th, pondered it until late February and decided to start the process. Saw my primary care Dr on March 7th to get his referral to the program, March 14th had my psych appointment, yesterday went to the nutrition classes and have…

Got my approval letter from BCBS this morning in the mail, and a call from Dr. DeWitt's office this afternoon to set up my surgery. I go in on April 1st, I think at 6 am. I'm the first one of the day. Only have a five day or so diet, just cutting out carbs and sugars and then clear liquids only for the last two days I believe. Hoping maybe they send me something in the mail with directions, I was fired up on the phone and can't remember half of what they told me. Seems like it took forever to get here with the six months worth of doctor visits but now it seems like it came out of nowhere.

Good morning everyone I am getting ready to start my new life. I start the liquid portion this Wednesday. and am scheduled for my surgery on April 6th. I am anxious about the 2 week liquid diet, but figure everyone else can do it, I should be able to do it too. I cannot wait til April 6th to get here and to begin my new life. Any suggestions on how to get through the next 2 weeks without completely falling apart? thanks Lyn

Hello I'm Nobia! I'm having my LB done next week, Thursday. I'm a newlywed, married less than a year to my husband who is a Marine stationed in Japan (not the disaster area). Between us we've got 5 kids and 3 dogs. My husband is set to return to the US next month and we're all moving to 29 Palms CA! Looking foward to a totally new life style in the coming weeks, months, years... Oh, and not really enjoying the pre-op diet, but following it word for word! ~nobia

Well I was sleeved on march 15. The first night was horrible. I was vomiting, had an allergic reaction to the morphine, and could barley get up to walk. Today is my 3 rd day out. I had to stay in the hospital for 2 days, because I could not keep anything down. I do not have a leak. Today has been really hard, I am taking the liquid hydrocodone mixed with a little juice because it taste so nasty. It does help with the abdominal pain. I have been walking as instructed and trying my best to get in the fluids and protein (not easy to do). I have bad neck pain that stays regardless of pain meds. Everyone says it's gets easier, I hope this is true because right now I have a b…

Hey, I'm a month out from my VSG and have lost around 25lbs. I had a gastric balloon last summer, so am down just over 90lbs from my highest weight so far. Sometimes I can't really tell the difference because I have so far to go still, but thought I'd post two truly awful before pics from when I was around 375lb and one from last night, where friends kept telling me I looked nice (which honestly never happened before!).

G'Day all Yes as my topic title says I am a bandster had my Band put in in Australia in May 1999, it had worked really well for many years I went from 567 pounds in 1999 to 202 in November 2003 then got married and move from Australia to the USA I kept the weight off for about 2 more years well, but due to work and stress I slowly gained some back not much at all and I wasn't worried as I could loose it, then lost my job went to a new firm all was well there untill early 2009 when the economy caused that issue again No job, found out that sometime in the last few years I had developed a Hiatus hernia which had damaged the placement of my band and I was gaining weight ha…

Just wanted to introduce myself....totally excited and totally nervous.; Was told BC approval would take 3 weeks, but it came back instantly online...whoa...Im ready but shocked it is happening so fast

Hi! This is a very daunting journey after making the decision to do it. So many hoops to jump through with the insurance requirements and surgeon requirements,etc! But I am determined to make it all the way through. Progress so far: Called the insurance company and found out that I must call the Bariatric Resource Service center and participate with them while meeting all the other requirements during the rest of my PCP visits. Check. Had that phone conversation this week with their nurse. Check. On March 17th, had my 2nd PCP visit, 4 more to go!!! Check. Have my first group appointment with my surgeon on March 24th! Check. OMG, what else? Oh, have to call the insurance c…

Hello everyone, it's been awhile. Just wanted to post my latest photo. Things have been going great for me. I am now down 95 pounds since my surgery in May 2010. My life has completely changed. I have so much energy now. I am working out at a gym (no longer ashamed of my body, it might sag, but I am PROUD!). My back pain is almost non-existent and my migraines are now manageable. The best part is my relationship with husband and my daughters. They treat me differently, not because they love me more slimmer, but because I am different. This board has been there to see me through good times and bad times, both when I was "stalking" and posting. Thanks everyone. And …

Today at church people kept coming up to me and saying how well I was slimming down. Some wanted to know what I was doing. I was smiling all day.

Well, I must admit to getting a little nervous. Tomorrow, 3/21 is the day. I will have a band to sleeve revison and my gall bladder taken out. I pray I will have as good of an experience as most everyone else on the board has had. I can't wait until I am losing. Today I am on liquids. My last big meal was at Waffle House with my granddaughters. I wish it could have been better but I love their BLT sandwiches. I need to go to Walmart later today and get some gasx. Is there anything else I need to take? Prayers and support requested. Thanks to all up to now. Cathy

Hi I am in the fourth month of my doctor supervised diet trying to originally qualify for lapband. After seeing more and more horror stories about problems with the band I am contemplating having a sleeve instead. Are there any significant differences in the post op diet or possible side effects etc with the sleeve that you don't have with the band? I want to make sure I am completely informed when I make my final decision. Thanks!

I had my surgery on the 14th of March. The day after surgery I was so nauseous i could barely stand to be awake. I was throwing up blood as well as saliva. They gave me ice cubes and I through those up as well. I could hold nothing down if felt as though i was experiencing an awful hangover. So the dr. determined to put me back under and perform a endoscopic procedure to see if there was actual blockage. After this treatment i felt much better. I was then able to suck on ice chips which then progressed to tiny sips of water which caused a lot of pressure on my stomach which is why i sipped. After two days in the hospital I then went home. I have continued to walk and have…

Okay people, Here is whats going on with me one week after my surgery. First off, pre-op I was weighing 350 lbs. I put on alot of weight after I got home from Kuwait in Feb 09. ( When I joined the Army in Sept 96' I was weighing 220 lbs, after Basic Training 185lbs, When I got out of active duty in Sept 2000, I was at 215 lbs. Three months after that I weighed in at 230lbs and joined the Army National Guard, When I was deployed in 2003-2005, before the deployment I was 285lbs, after the Deployment I was 235lbs. We came home and the weight found me again and I went up to 250 lbs by the time I got a new job in law enforcement. We work swing/rotating shifts so the weight ju…

Hi im nervous excited not sure bit then sure, i have read and read goggled, spoke to two women about Lap Banding one a sucess other had to have it removed. My biggest fear is the vomiting, every single person i have spoken to vomits some a little a lot, 3yrs later a lady still vomits, that scares me so much..Has anyone seen Dr Roy from Norwest????? He seems very nice my GP highly recommends him...Im at that unsure stage now, I havnt been ever unsure since researching until now...Any advise???Good or Bad

I just got my band on Thursday! It all happened really fast, kind of unexpected that it went so quickly, I am excited to be underway! I am having some pain in my neck and shoulders, but hopefully with some more walking around that will subside. Just wondering how it is going for everyone else?

So I am converting from a "Lurker" to a "Chatter". I have been reading the forums here for over 6 months, as I went through my supervised diet and all the BS the insurance requires before they approve. I am waiting for final approval, and have a surgery date of 4/20/11 at this time. Thought I would drop in and say HI.

I am asking God to bless my weight loss! My body is His temple and He deserves a healthy one ! So I am praising Him for every ounce I lose!

Hi I am Kimberly, I am so very happy with my Lap-Band . It was hard at first because I am allergic to opiate pain relievers and could only take Extra Strength Tylenol for my pain relief, but I am doing well now. I walk every day and do barbell exercises for my arms every day. I am joining a gym as soon as I get the all clear from my surgeon! I just had a hysterscopy/D&C and am having a hysterectomy on April 1st so my recovery time is being extended . I am so excited at the thought of joining a gym, I am having a hard time waiting ! I have lost 33# so far, I started at 187#, I wear a 12-14 now, where I did wear a size 20. I am 4'10" tall. My surgery was on Jan 31st, 20…

Hello everyone! I discovered this forum yesterday and decided to join today. The name's BJ, and I'm currently 19 years old and scheduled to be sleeved on May 17, 2011. I start my pre-operative diet on April 26. I've been overweight all of my life and decided last year that enough was enough; I wanted bariatric surgery. Actually, thoughts of surgery were in my mind back even when I was 15. I originally planned to have the lap-band, but after reading about the sleeve gastrectomy surgery, I figured it would be the best option. I never considered gastric bypass; it scared me too much. As my surgery date draws near, I am feeling nervous, but at the same time I also feel excite…

i had my lap band on 2/15/11. I have lost onley 4 pounds so far in the month of march. It is kinda frustrating, I am eating just what i am supossed to. I have not cheated once since i started. I have lost a total of 30 pounds but it was mostly in the first month. Sure could use some advise.... thanks

I want to give hope to the others of you about to go in for surgery. I had a rough time with nausea the day after my surgery but then it started to subside on Thurs morning and today I have had none. I walked for 45 mins twice, once outside and once on the treadmill. I also walked the dogs with my hubby for another 25 mins. I went shopping at Target and to the park with my son. I also did light cleaning and took two showers. I am not dragging around and am on the full liquid stage and the liquids are going down pretty good...just sipping them all slowly. I met my protein and fluid goal for the day and am very pleased with my progress. The pain is very little, only…

Hello All, I'm Nadea. I have contemplated LB surgery for the past 3 years and finally had the procedure last Friday, March 11! So, that makes me officially 4 days post op. I am excited, scared, and a little impatient about the process all at the same time. I have been resting at home trying to adjust to all of the new sounds that now come from my belly as well as manage the desire to chew food. I admit it's kinda weird but I guess it is just another aspect of the process that will take some getting used to. Anyhow, I now live in Fayetteville, NC and since relocating here last summer don't really have a lot of connections as of yet. I look forward to chatting with many o…

Hi Everyone! I'm new to the site. I began the journey last fall, and officially started the process to get my surgery date on 12/16/2010. This past week I got my surgery date! 3/29! I start my pre-op diet this week. I'm excited and nervous! I look forward to hearing everyone's stories Kate

Hi my name is Loretta and I am new to this board . I am 49 yrs old and have been struggling with my weight almost my whole life. I have been morbidly obese for the past 25 years (overweight when I got pregnant with my one & only daughter and have been yo-yo-ing ever since). I am an ovarian cancer survivor- 4yrs and counting. I have tried so many diets in the past with my most successful being WW. I lost 65 lbs in 2007 but after being diagnosed with Hashimotos (hypothyroidism) in Jan '08 I really struggled to lose. I became frustrated with my lack of progress and gined it all back and am now at my highest weight. In July 2010 when at a routine check-up with my oncologi…

Hello, My name is Adriana and I'm scheduled for surgery in one and a half weeks! I'm so very excited but have many worries about things I've read online. I'm one of those people that loves to read, so I'm pretty sure I'm overdoing it on the reading and research...but I'd rather be over-prepared and know what to expect or what is possible then under-preparing and then being surprised about something. Should I be concerned? Or are most of the side effects due to the patient not adhering to the "rules"? I've also found it really interesting to read about how many members have cheated on their pre-op diet. I'm honestly scared not to follow the directions the dr.…

Well, my husband and I had our first consultation recently... There was a problem with the insurance at first but I got it figured out... I doubt there will be any problem approving me or my husband since the only criteria is a BMI over 40.... I was dead set on getting the surgery, found a way around the insurance.... and now that it's becoming a little bit more of a reality (in that I don't think either of us will have to put up much of a fight to get approved) I am becoming terrified.. I am thinking things like what if I have a leak and die? Who will take care of my son? What if my husband has complications? Is this surgery really worth risking our lives?? What i…

Hello everyone! I am so glad to have found this site. I was sleeved on March 7th, 2011. I have been battling my weight all my life but really started to gain heavily in my 20s. I have yoyoed for years and reached my highest of 242 this past year. I am so excited I decided to get sleeved. I really believe it was the right decision for me. It has been 1 week today since my surgery. It has been really challenging for me to say the least. I knew it was going to be hard but I guess I really had no idea how hard it was going to be. This past week on all Clear liquids has been rough. I am getting tired and more tired of broth soups! I wish there was something else …

I had my consultation, NUT evaluation and labs yesterday. Have my Psych Evaluation on the 29th and just waiting on the letter from my PCP. I am nervous and anxious all at the same time. I had been given the choice of sleeve or RNY and I can't say I have completely made up my mind, but I am leaning toward the sleeve. The sleeve is what my surgeon suggested and said, "If it were me I would get the sleeve." I trust my surgeon, therefore I am probably going for the sleeve. Have my endoscopy on Monday and colonoscopy on friday, lol. How about having the whole system checked out in a week I'm on my way to the new me! Glad I finally made up my mind to have Bariatric surgery.

My name is Michelle and I am just starting on my road to a healthier me. I got the pre calification list from the insurance company and its really not bad, I have to show that I have been treated by a doctor who has weighed me and it shows that I have been over weight for at least a year, I have to have proof that I have been a member of a weight loss program like weight watchers, I have to have a consultation with the DR that will do the surgery, 1 visit with the psychologist, and 1 visit with the nutritionist. the nurses will send all that info in to the insurance company to get an approval. I will be done with everything by next friday March 25. I am really excited t…

Hi everybody, I am Dianne and have been a lurker on this board since October, I think. I was researching surgery after my husband got a new job in Sept. and the insurance covered bariatric surgery. I was really looking at the lap band, but I had really been thinking that I was going to just have gastric bypass. Well, then I saw on the surgeon's website about VSG. Well, I started researching and have been full steam ahead for VSG ever since. I have been overweight my whole life and am really ready for a change. I have 3 beautiful children through the miracle of adoption and I want to be here to see them grow up and have children of their own. And I want to be able…

Hiya all, sorry i havent been around for a while, been really busy, but i thought i would let you know how things are going for me, i am just over 7weeks out now, and its been really great, had a stall for a couple of weeks which was frustrating but it seems to be a normal thing that happens about that time, i went to see my surgeon yesterday for my first check up and she was really pleased with me, and after i spoke to her i was really pleased too, i have lost a grand total of 29 pounds (2.1 stones) Yippee!!!! so pleased with myself, for a while i thought i was not going to lose anything but i am on the right track, i have gone down from a size 34 uk sizes, to a…

Happy St. Patty's Day!! I am getting my band tomorrow morning at 8am~ so I am hoping that my surgeon is not a big St. Patty's day partier! My plan has been to return to work Monday morning, when I mentioned this to one of the nurses on the phone she seemed to think I was crazy! The surgeon said that it was possible, but up to me; although they reccommed a week. I have a desk job with no heavy lifting or bending. What have your experiences been?? How soon did you return to work, or feel up to it?? Thanks!!