Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Look at my tracker!! 45 pounds and I will be at goal!! 45 pounds!!! Do you have any idea how long it has been since I only had 45 pounds to lose??? I can't even remember that! I will get there in a few short months! I continue to feel blessed every day that I did this. Every pound that melts away will be a number on the scale that I won't ever see again. I can hardly wrap my mind around that. I can shop in any store, shopping is soooo hard lol. My brain has not caught up to my body, still scared to try those clothes on thinking that they won't fit.....but you know what? THEY DO! I have a whole new relationship with food, no more am I living to eat, now I am t…

I just found this website today. How terrific! I started going to the support group at the hospital I had my surgery at, but all the other participants had gatric bypass, and it is SO different from the band. I am really happy to find a community of people that are going through the same thing! I had my surgery on 8/18/10, so it has been 6 months since surgery, and I have lost 40 pounds so far. My clinic is fantastic, but I have found that they are quite conservative about fills. A friend of my that goes to a different clinic (she is three years post op) has a way more restrictive fill level than mine is. I haven't had a fill for two months now (I have lost enou…

I've not been on for awhile, so I thought I would write an update to my journey. I went back to my Dr. Feb 22 for my "second" first fill. I didn't get one the first time because I had already lost the amount of weight needed, so I came back home for another 6 weeks. I knew I had lost some weight, but wasn't sure how much. Drove the 4 hours to the Dr.s office to once again find I had lost the amount of weight required so as not to have a fill. So far I have lost 61 lbs. I feel so good and have been taken off of one of my high blood pressure meds. Looking forward to my next Dr.s visit to see how I have done this next 6 weeks. I have found that if I keep track of the foods I…

I have faith all will go well and good luck!!!

Hi, my name is Carolin & I just had the "surgery" for my lapband. I have been really uncomfortable, feeling like someone kicked me in the stomach, but full and uncomfortable... Maybe too full of gas... Idk.... Any suggestions?

Hello all, my name is Consuela, but everyone calls me Pinky. I'm 23 from the Orange County area of Southern California. I'm new to lapbandtalk, so I figured I'd start here. I've been working out consistantly, eating right and overall taking a more active approach to my health. Even with all of that, I still can't seem to lose the weight. I'm really terrified about my health, my mother has high blood pressure and diabetes and I'm prone to get it myself. Also, Its been harder and harder to keep up with exercising because my back always hurts so much. So I've been thinking about getting the lap band. I hopefully want to get it by this summer when I'm out on vacation from co…

March 10th is the last of my journey before getting my surgery date...however this afternoon I was in the ER cause of a unexplained secezure (spelling, sorry)...would this secezure prevent me from having the surgery? The drs have no idea why i got it so im referred to a neurologist, I dont want ANYTHING to stop me from having this surgery...please help

Hi Guys, So, I have been reading here and OH for a year now and It's finally time that I feel I should post. A year ago, I was going through all kinds of health issues. It started when I went to the doctor for a physical and he sent me straight to the ER. My blood pressure was 210/120. It was bad. I had been having headaches and chest pains. It got so bad that I took myself out of work while they figured out what was wrong with me. After much testing we found out that I am pre-diabetic. The cause of my chest pain was a hiatal hernia. The rest it turns out after 3 months of testing was sleep apnea. I have severe OSA with 57 events per hour and a pressure se…

I weight myself today and made it to my first goal. I started at 330lbs and today I'm 297. Hip hip horray. I'm finally under 300 and it's under a month since my surgery. Tuesday will be my one month anniversary. To make things even better my mother in law and I went to the cheesecake factory for dinner and I ordered the cheese points and a bowl of soup. I had only half of a cheese point and 2 spoonfuls of the soup and I was done. It sucks not being able to eat as much but I'm so happy that I'm not thinking about food all the time and planing my day around it. I love my sleeve!

I posted before about my infections and wanted to provide an update. DOS Thanksgiving 09 stayed 2 days @ Facility and 2 days @ recovery house. I dont want to interject emotion but rather present the facts that have occurred to me thus far. The last time I posted I mentioned that I was disappointed that none reached out to me and surprise - the day after a posting here - i got a call from both Shirley and ISIS - but only spoke to ISIS. ISIS was sweet but made it clear that an infection is a risk of surgery. I agree HOWEVER the fact that there have been consistent infections coming out of that facility leads me to belive that there is either a procedure or instrument th…

I've just begun my journey , I have participated in 1 week of 12 pre op classes,required by my insurance .I am very excited to finish up classes and schedule a surgery date.At this point i won't have surgery until July or August,and patience is not my strong suit. But I'm learning quickly this all has a time frame that I need to fit into. My highest weight is 264.4 . I am 52 years old. I have been reading alot of your post , and the encouragement is a blessing.I plan to see this through .

I find it hard to believe that on day 5 of Post op I feel Incredible. If you have read my previous postings, I quit smoking after 32 years a few weeks, maybe a month prior to surgery, took the nicotine patch off the day before starting the liquid diet, and went through the 5 day liquid diet with no, nicotine, or food, and did not cheat, it sucked hard core! However, on the liquid diet I was allowed to have my oh so precious coffee, once I had surgery they did not give me any coffee at the hospital, only deface tea, eww nasty stuff, wouldn't drink it if you paid me. So now I am 5 days post op, no smoking, no Patches, no caffeine, and no food for 10 days and I have never fe…

My story is pretty simple, and yet not. In May 2007 I got a Lap Band. I had a lot of success with it. I lost 100 lbs in approx 6 months and kept it off for 3.5 years. I didn't have any problem foods as long as I remembered to chew well and eat slowly. I only needed 2 minor fills... one for 1ml and one 0.5 ml. All was well. Then I was diagnosed with Chronic Iron Deficiency Anemia - we don't really know if this is related to my band or not as I am still in treatment for it and have some other health issues that could also be likely sources. Anyway, part of the diagnostics was an Upper GI, and guess what we found? My band had eroded all the way through the stomach …

Hi all, Just wanted to update any one who is interested. I am 12 days out of surgery today and doing great! I have lost a total of 26 lbs! I lost 11 on the pre-op diet and have lost 15 since my surgery. Still on full liquids I do feel hungry on occasion but nothing like I used to and a Protein drink takes care of it quite well. I go back to the Dr on Tuesday for my 2 week appt. hope he will be as pleased as I am! I am supposed to be getting 60 gr of protein, 30 gr of carbs, and 2 scoops of this powdered Vitamin supplement , but I am not there yet just getting 48 gr of protein, 18 carbs and 1 scoop of vitamin powder. I really hope he will let me move on to the vitamin pi…

ok so after i got my surgery i had an indent in my stomach, and i wanted to know will it go away? let me know

Hey Friends, I was told by a nurse that I would gain weight from the IV fluids they pumped into me during my 2 day hospital stay. I've been the perfect patient - walking around, deep breathing, getting nearly all my recommended liquids, Proteins, Vitamins down, etc. I feel better than expected with minimal pain since day one. I have a very positive attitude and ZERO reqrets but can't help that I am disappointed that I am still UP 3lbs of the 10 Fluid pounds I gained in recovery after I've been doing everything "right". Anybody else with a similar story you can share along with what I have to look forward to in the following week or so? -Kelly

Getting a little nervous, havent heard from people that have recentley gone into surgery with Dr. Almanza at the Jurselum Hospital in mexico- anyone out their that has survvied? Also looking for a vido of the actual surgery preformed by him, none out their?? Need more info fast please- THX

Hi, I'm stratcat. I hail from PA, but live in GA. Love the South and am glad they did not return me. Banded on 2/15 and see food a whole new way. My raging, never full, never satisfied appetite is gone. . And I am praying it stays gone. Blood Pressure med was cut in half already. And hoping that cholesteral and other meds follow. I still want all the old stuff (especially sloppy hamburgers) , but once i have some mashed potatoes or some oatmeal or some Soup I am satisfied for 4-5 hours. AMAZING for a chow hound like me. I hope this does not change. I am even wondering why I need a fill. I seem to have the control I need now to diet on my own. My pro…

So I'm 4 days out and I'm still having discomfort. Gas pain and some rumbling in my stomach, like a hunger pain. And it worries me that I haven't pooped yet. I tried milk of magnesia but it was horrible! I thought I was gonna die! I got light headed and really bad heat flash. So I wouldn't recommend it. Any tips for pooping? Lol

My nephew's wife told me about this site and it's great. I had Lap Band surgery on May 25, 2010 and so far I've lost 54 pounds. I'm feeling great except that I'm having a hard time getting to the right adjustment. I pretty much feel nauseous all morning even if I don't eat or drink. Is this normal? I had to have 2 cc removed in December because I was too full. I've had 2 fills since then and now I have to be really careful. I usually throw up in the morning. Then I eat very small amounts the rest of the day. I love the weight loss but I sure don't like struggling so hard just to stay hydrated and minimally nourished. Does anyone else feel this way? How do you eve…

Hello, I wandered upon this site in the midst of my searching on google. I've been reading some posts here and wanted to introduce myself. A little about me: I was just banded on Wednesday, March 2nd. I'm 30, living in Pittsburgh, PA. I'm a single female, with one super sweet cat My starting weight was: 312 as of July, 2011 Current is: 277 Goal: 162 When I reach my goal weight I would love to: go para-sailing, fly without needing a seatbelt extender fit through small openings walk down narrow hallways without touching each wall Live a joyfully active life So far, recovery has been good to me and I hope it continues that way. Now just counting down…

Hello. I was banded Feb 7th 2011 by Dr. Ali Orange Coast Memorial in Orange County, CA. Doing well. Lost 15 pre surgery and 15 or so after surgery. My blood pressure is already normal and it was high for years. I feel tired more than I did before banding. I'm learning what it feels like to feel full and how awful it feels to eat that extra bite or two. First fill in 2 weeks. Find I burp more now. Very glad I got banded. Had tried everything else. I do have some joint pain from weight and without Advil now I really feel it, so exercise is slow. For now riding a bike. Thanks and glad to be here.

Hello All, I am in Las Vegas and have gone to my seminar. I am now going to a nutritionist. I have been reading through these posts and frankly I am scared to death just reading the things that have happened to some of you out there. My only choice from my insurance is to have Dr. Atkins or Dr. Soong at the gastric band institute. Has anyone out there used these doctors?

after the lap band surgery are you givin anything for pain at the hospital?i have to stay overnight i am afraid of any pain...

Howdy Sleevers, Well today is day Five and I wanted to let you know what i'm able to do today and how I feel. I awoke this morning at 6:30 (normal time) I had my best nights sleep so far l. Still not comfortable sleeping on my sides but getting use to sleeping on my back. This was my first night without any pain medication throughout the whole night. I woke up feeling like I had been in an all day Ab class at LA Fitness but once I walked around that subsided. I think my parts shift a little in the night and when I stand they settle again. Took one dose of pain medication (this is a liquid they send you home with). Loaded dishwasher, fixed Breakfast for my boys an…

Hello everyone. I am so excited to find a website with others that have one common interest as I do. I am still in the Pre-Op stages of my lapband journey and I am still waiting to hear from my doctors office whether or not I am approved. After researching for a year, I finally made my first appointment in January with my surgeon. To me this is such a scary process even though I know that this device is gonna help me toward a more fullfilling life. I have a lot of weight to lose and some have told me that lapband is not the one I need, but I just need something to help me lose weight not do it for me totally. So this is me: Age 27 Weight 350 Goal 150 Surgeon Dr. …

now posted to youtube. See link in signature. A little talk about Camelbak Better bottles, group outings and waking up covered in chocolate.

hi, can anyone help me fiigure out how to get over a 1000 calories? i am still on liquids and with protein drinks , yogurt diet pudding, and soups . i add up my intake and only come up with 650 calories a day. I think i need more than that. I have not lost any weight in a week in a half. I read on here that you should have between 1200 and 1400 calories a day. thanks for your help.

I have gained over 130 pounds over the past 6 years due to ankle surgery and injuries. I am debating with route to take with having the Sleeve or Bypass surgery. I am 40 years old and almost 280 pounds and have bad ankles for life. Any suggestions from anyone?

Hey Everyone again, Well got a called last thursday and was told my surgery will be on April 6th 2011. On Friday got another call and was told it was bumped up to March 21st. And on Monday was told the the surgery was bumped up again to March 14th.. Everything is getting done. Trying to figure out the whole returning to work thing after the surgery. I'm trying to work it out that I only work 4 hours and 4 hours of vacation time after 12 days off duty. But I have to have the doctors okay for that to happen. Hope to hear from you all.. Hope everyone is doing good.. Dominic

I have lost 61lbs since surgery Sept 28th,2010. I'm happy with that. What I'm not happy about is I have been 219 since Feb 19th. I went to very high Protein and very low carbs even good carbs(Beans ect) for a week and still nothing. I think to be honest the last 5 months have spoiled me. I have honestly lost 61lbs without trying to hard. I have also had a lot more happy hours in the month of Feb so I'm thinking alcohol might be contributing to my stall. I know I need to start an exercise program, I always have an excuse being a single mom commuting 60 miles one way to work at a job I am losing next month. I love reading these posts they are helping me to motivate mysefl, …

Hello Everyone, My name is Dominic, I'm 34 yrs old (35 in May). I'm 335.4 lbs (just checked). Just got a call today telling me that I have been approved for my surgery on Mach 21st. Let me tell you alittle about myself. I'm a divorced father of two wonderful kids. My daughter will be 17 in December and my son will be 10 in June. I served in the Army for 13 yrs (1996-2009). And with having this surgery done I will finish my 7 yrs and retire from the Army at 20 yrs. I work full-time as a Nuclear Security Officer. I'm in school working on a degree in Business Management. I'm also an active officer in the American Legion Post 214. Well if you have any question or comm…

I've made it through my first week post sleeve and am going strong. Started full liquids today, but boy am I sick of sweet stuff. I had about a quarter of a special k Protein drink (bad idea), and then later about 2 oz of Soup which wasn't too bad. I'm still occasionally having these weird stomach cramp like feelings, and I can feel everything when it hits my pouch....such a weird feeling! I did have my first NSV today (I have yet to buy a scale...I should get on that..) I went to get dressed and I thought, eh, what the heck? Why not try on the pair of jeans that were a bit too tight for me before surgery. They buttoned all the way with ZERO effort! Holy hooters t…

Hello everybody , Iam Dr.Samar from Sudan , I lives in UAE , unfortunetely I am an obese doctor and this makes things worse because being a doctor you will now all the complication of obesity in and out , morever it is very shameful to advice your patients to loose weight while you are very fat, so i decide to do gastric sleeve on 10 / 3/ 2011 , I was vary scuured and hesitated but after i read the success storeies in this website i decide to do the surgery , for my health , my family and my beloved job, thanks ,,for all who share us with their storeies and iwill continue my story after surgery ,, Dr.…

UGH! I feel so conflicted. On one hand I'm finally on the path. My primary doc thought WLS was a great idea for me and is fully supportive so I called the bariatric center in my area and scheduled my first consultation. Bad news is I have to wait almost 3 WEEKS! OMG! just for the FIRST consultation! I have to find something to do to keep me from going crazy before then. I also learned that I"ve lost 10lbs in the last month. I don't know how I"ve been eating easter candy like it's my last chance. I've calculated how much I can afford to lose to maintain a BMI of 40+ but I want to start dieting NOW. I want to start eating better NOW. I have a liver to shrink!

Wow..I'm 17 days until my surgery date and i have so many questions and emotions going throught my head. Hopefully the commuity will be patient with me being i'm new at this computer thing.(smiling still). I really have not met anyone that has had the sleeve, so this is what brought me to this web site.. I guess i'm looking for support from a peer that is going through or has gone through what i'm about to encounter.

went to my psych appt. yesterday and he said I have anorexia which I find odd because I am still 381lbs! But he says with my strict eating and severe calorie counting and anxiety about weight gain accompanied by the occasional fasting to up my weight loss that these are all symptoms of anorexia! He says it is not all my fault or in my head and that he figures it began the first month after surgery when I was unable to keep an food down and lost almost 70lbs in one month. He believes my stomach has become accustomed to vomiting and the pain I feel in my stomach is real , so he is gonna get a nutritionist that specializes in anorexia to help me and get me some meds from my …

Hello everyone! I just wanted to finally formally introduce myself. I have been lurking around this board for quite some time and have been hesitant to post something. Well, I've been recently banded, 2 1/2 months, if you can call that newly banded. I had been thinking about WLS since 2008. The insurance through my then employer had an exclusion against it and since I was straight out of college at that time I knew I couldn't afford it. Fast forward 2 years later and I am at a trail ride (where us country folk drink beer and dance after riding horses) and I see a girl I knew from high school/college. She had lost so much weight, so she just started talking to the …

Post-Op Day Five My surgery was on Thursday, February 24. I arrived at the hospital at 2pm for prep, was in surgery at 3pm, in recovery at 5pm, was in my room by 6:30pm, and the nurses had me up and walking by 10pm. I was on a morphine pump so the pain was tolerable. I tried to sleep after my walk down the hall but it is darn near impossible to actually get sleep while in the hospital. Nurses are in your room every hour taking vitals or giving you medication. One of the sensors I had taped to me kept coming unplugged and one time the nurses thought I had flat-lined but instead of rushing into my room, they actually called me to see if I was OK. Another hard part ab…

My name is Sheila Pinkney. I was born and raised in Lawton, OK. When I was 30, I moved to Canada to marry my husband. I have been here every since. I have been married for 14 years now. I have one daughter who is now 24 years old. Doesn't seem possible. I have been overweight my entire adult life. Every since I was pregnant and gave birth I have been overweight. I have gone through depression been on antidepression medication, I am no longer depressed but I do have to fight every day to keep myself from falling down that dark road again. So far I am winning the battle. When I was 36 I was diagnosed with Endometrial Cancer (uterine cancer) and had to have a total hys…

Hey all, I am in the very first stages of even considering this surgery. I've only heard of it for 2 weeks now and I am totally convinced it could be the answer to my prayers and weight problem. I have read through many of these forums and I am looking for someone to tell me if it is the magic it seems to be or if you will always be struggling. I don't want to come back to the place I am now, but will I have to give up Dr. Pepper forever? My weight problems started after high school, I gained a little at a time - the freshman 15 plus the sophomore 20 and the junior 25, etc. When I was 34 I tried "one of those diets" and lost 45 lbs and it got me back to a good…

Hey sleevers, It's day four, sleeved on Monday. Just thought I would update you on how I feel and answer any questions. First, it helps if you will ask you question by including my original quote that way it will come to my attention via email. Ok.. where do i begin. Was sleeved on Monday, came home from the surgical center yesterday around noon. I'm feeling more rested today. I'm also weening myself off any pain medication. Your Dr. will probably give you a prescription for liquid pain medication and something for gas. So far the hardest parts of my surgery have not been associated with pain. sleeping is hard because i'm a side sleeper and at this time my b…

Ok I had surgery Tuesday morning at 7am, everything has gone even better than expected, so no complaints in that area. I will say that after the leak test I was so excited to get some ice cubes, I mean I have never been so excited over frozen water before! Now today they forgot my breakfast tray, which was probably similar to last nights dinner tray, some kind of broth that could not be indentified by taste, SF jello, a cup of tea, and a glass of water with lemonade crystal light single on the side. Needless to say I didnt really miss the breakfast tray, but I did ask to make sure they didnt skip my lunch tray, well the nurse took pitty on me and hooked me up with two Sug…

Hey Sleevers Just got home from the best surgical Centers i've ever had to stay at. Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas. Was sleeved on Monday, no pain just tired from not sleeping. I plan on getting lots of rest for the next few days. Surgery was a breeze.... my Dr. was very happy with my pre-diet results. Said liver was so small he hardly noticed it. He warned me not to weight but I did it any way.... been on nothing but IV drip and Water for last couple days and I weight 8 lbs more than I did when I checked in. That too shall pass along with lots of gas and pee. My Dr. (Dr. Gregory Barnes) in Dallas managed my pain really well. I'm not hungry but I do ne…

so here I am four plus months post op and I am going to see a psychologist cause my surgeon thinks I have an eating disorder cause I am afraid of food. does anyone blame me? I didn't get to 565lbs having a good relationship with food! so in a simple sentence I don't trust myself with food! I keep me eating very simple I don't try things that may taste good cause I don't wanna know I can eat it! I have about 12 foods I eat and that's it and that's all I need. I know I need to up my protein cause I only get about 25-30grams a day and I need at least 70 grams cause my hair is beginning to let me know! as for my food I eat nothing but protein (pork ,chicken and beans). I know…

Hello! I am really excited about this forum.. glad I found it. Many topics have covered the questions I had going into this. Tomorrow is my initial seminar at Springfield Memorial Bariatric seminar. I am currently 256 and 5'7". I have struggled with my weight since I was 17. I am hopeful that this process of being approved through BCBSil PPO won't be too painful. I have been highly motivated for years.. with 5 kids and recently my husband has departed the military and we are back into civilian life again. I have lost 60 pounds in the past on my own, then gained it all back.. lost 40 and then gained it back and more.. my highest was 270 in 2009.. another pregnancy,…

Well - after countless years of trying every diet imaginable and different exercise routines, I have arrived here. My last doctor's visit ended up with an exceptionally frank discussion. I've got about a three year window before my health with go downhill rapidly. I am pre-diabetic, have mild asthma, my joints and back are hurting, and my eyes are getting blurry. So I have been reading alot on the board here and am writing down questions I want to ask at the seminar. Even though our healthcare provider does cover this - money will be an issue. It is good to be here and hopefully I will like the docs and the information I hear on Saturday

After attending a couple of group seminars in mid-February and a True Result support group at the end of February, I had my initial consultation this morning. The consultation went well. I had blood test results from my physician that they were able to use because they are very recent, although there were two other blood tests that they also had to order. My EKG and pulmonary test went well, as did my consult with the nurse practitioner. I am having an endoscopy next week to see if I have a hernia. This will be my fourth endoscopy over the years as a result of my acid reflux. I then have my pre-op appointment on the following Wednesday, and surgery on the 30th! I p…

Hello to all who have preceded me and all who follow. I'm 49 and have been heavy all my life. I had never heard of the Gastric Sleeve until very recently, it was a like being given the best gift possible. I have insurance but will be losing my job in a few months and can't complete all the hoops I'd have to jump through to have my insurance pick up my tab. My medicine chest is a pharmacy of drugs that I take daily; I won't be able to afford them after my job ends. So, I'm raiding my 401K for the money and paying for it out of pocket. I am traveling to Mexico on March 23rd with surgery on the 24th and a whole new life.

Hi, My name is Michelle.I am 42yrs old, newly single and I have two grown children. I have wanted to get Lap-Band for several years. Life kept getting in my way. Now, that I no longer have to deal with a husband and children I have decided it is me time. I have been over-weight most of my life. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago and recently my doctor has advised my cholesterol is starting to rise. I also have asthma and sleep Apnea. As you can see I have many health concerns and my quality of life is really sad. Lap-Band is something I have been looking into for many many years...I have a friend at work that had the surgery little over a year ago and she…