Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I am 8 days post-op and have had a very uneventful time. Except for the 5 small incisions on my stomach, and a copy of my leak test x-ray, I feel so darn good, I can't believe my body went thru all that it has. February 3rd: After arriving at the Florence Hospital after a nice ride from the airport with a friendly driver named Carlos I met Trish and Dr Kelly. I immediately felt at ease meeting these two. No time was wasted in prepping me for surgery. I had blood work, IV port inserted, blood pressure, temp taken, medical history. Then the cardiologist came in to ask a few questions and give me an ECG. Shortly after, around 5:30, I was wheeled down to the OR, whe…

Banded 12/13/2010 Hartford Hospital, surgeon Dr. Daren Tishler. Lbs lost since surgery 17! Getting hungry -time for a second fill?

I am going Teusday the 15th will have surgerey the 16th will fly home Saturday . Is anyone else going to be at Hospital Angeles ?

Hello. My name is Melissa and I am a 34 year old mother of one. Six years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and since being medicated for it, I have gained about 100 lbs. I have recently started doing research on the Lap Band surgery, and I am going to talk to my dr about it to see if it is a good choice for me. Right now, I don't have any insurance, but my husband just changed jobs so he should be getting insurance for us both in a few months. I can't wait until he gets it so I can call them and see if they would cover, or even partially cover the procedure. I'm worried about the bipolar disorder though. Not so much the moods, which I know I need to be con…

Hello all, Quick intro to me. I am a OR RN & have actually done the lap band procedure as a circulating nurse. I was amazed at how fast it's done. I also feel that I should add, no surgery is risk free, or minor. With that being said, I've had lasix surgery and that was my eyes...sooooo I am researching this subject hard. I am going for individual counseling session next tuesday, the 15th, but did it already couple of years ago. What I wonder is, does the bad help with food addiction? You know cravings... if my weight up's & downs were just hunger related I don't think I'd be considering it. Upon self reflection I realize i don't wan to stop eati…

nevermind Although reading these boards have helped there has been some post that have caused me to second guess. However, I received a phone call from a good friend who was banded and happened to have the same doctor. The hardest thing for me to except is that I'm 100lbs over weight and have been for a long time. thanks

My name is Lysa and I am a professional, wife and mother of 2 boys (ages 5 & 7). I had my Gastric sleeve surgery on 12-28-2010. On the day of surgery I weighed 237lbs. This morning 2-11-11, I weighed 218lbs. I should be proud, but I am not. I feel like I have not dropped the kind of weight I should. During the first month of recovery I felt amazing. I was loosing weight almost daily and health wise I felt rejuvinated. Now, the scale seems to be stuck. I have had headaches and feel tired. But I know I am to blame. I have not been doing my 60g of protein and have been slacking on my vitamins. Eating is not bad, but I guess I could be more focused. I did start the gym,…

So...I felt so confident walking into Dr. Naim's office in Tustin, CA after they told me that my insurance covered the banding procedure! It was clean, professional, and the staff were all so respectful and kind. And they seemed to be so efficient! Met the surgeon, consulted with their in-house physician (I assume in lieu of my own PCP), completed a psych eval, follow-up with the physcian for dietary and exercise guidelines to follow, and scheduled a sleep study (since my BMI was only 35.7 with no co-morbidities. ALL IN THE FIRST APPOINTMENT!! WOW! I thought, they really handle business!!! Wrong. The tech did not show up for my sleep study on the scheduled night. Wha…

Hello - my name is Laura and I had my LapBand surgery 6 days ago, on February 1st. So far so good, but today was a little tough with hunger. I'm still in the full liquid stage and hope to move to soft food stage a week from now. I'm here to learn and share with others going through this journey. Thanks for reading my post and any words of encouragement will be greatly appreciated!

Hi all, This is day 3 since my banding and I am still trying to work out whether I am suffering from pain (also had hiatus hernia repaired) or whether I am just hungry. I am keeping all my intake down to Clear Liquids, or at least thin enough that I can drink it through a straw. Can anybody tell me which is which? Cheers Teesha

Well, it became clear to me when I couldn't chase my 5 year old around outside anymore with out becoming winded that it was time to do something. I tried all the old standbys from my earlier attempts a weight lost, but this time I had little to no results. Looked into weight loss surgeries and found the sleeve. Had all the preop testing done, just one more meet with the nutrition lady and I schedule my surgery. I am excited and neverous all at once!

Does Anyone know of a Doctor in the New York area that accepts Medicare or nedicaid for the Gastric Sleeve procedure?

So, this is my story...I hope it doesn't bore you... I have battled weight my entire life, and when I say "entire life" I mean my ENTIRE life. I was always the biggest girl in class starting from 1st grade. I graduated high school weighing 200 pounds. Maintained that for a few years and gained nearly 80 pounds after the birth of my son. I went on Phen-Fen and lost 80 pounds in four months. Then the FDA yanked it off the shelves and over the course of six years, I gained it all back plus 50 more. I was diagnosed with a kidney disorder (IgA Nephropathy) and was hoping that after my doctor recommend I lose a substantial amount of weight to prolong the life of my kid…

Hi everyone, I've been off the grid for a week or so. I will be 3 weeks post op tomorrow. I've finally moved to mushies and can definately feel restriction. I have become lactose intolerant because milk definately goes down queeesy. For the past few days I've been struggling with Protein. It's been making me gag before I even start it. So, I'm hoping to get it in with regular food. I don't mind the Isopure too much and still drink one 20 0Z'r a day....far from my days of a 40 OZ'r of beer (j/k). I'm down 20 pounds and have been at a stall since last Sat. I'm not too concerned and know that I need to get calories in....the other thing I'm struggling with. I can only take a…

Hey everyone, my name is Amanda... First of all congrats to all those who have made a change and been successful along their journey. I am due for surgery next Wednesday, February 16. I am super nervous and would like to get some insight and advice from anyone willing to share any. Your help is GREATLY appreciated...

I was banded on 1/20/2011. I started at 237.5 and am currently 219.5. My greatest issue is finding things I can eat. I am just starting on soft foods, and have experienced that (sick feeling) on several occassions. Its like I start to cough, then birp, then hiccup, and there is a pain in my chest, and whatever is in my mouth, I immediately have to spit out. Nothing has come back up,but I do have to spit quite a bit, then it passes. I dont know what thats all about, but its not a good feeling. Anyway, its not bad, and I am not really eating alot.. So I guess its working. Tell me about some of your experiences in this area.

My name is Jennifer Hada. I've been banded for 3 years and have had good succes. I've lost a bit over 100 pounds but still have quite a bit to go. I've never had any problems until the last few days. I've don't know if I stretched something or what but I've been having general soreness underneath my ribcage and occasional sharp pains if I straighten up to fast or turn over in bed the wrong way. I made an appt with my surgeon on Saturday and am doing liquids until then. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks, Jennifer Hada

One week from today I will be having my surgery. I am so excited yet really scared at the same time. Hopefully everything will go okay. I'm 20 years old at 270lbs. I just have so many emotions running through me I don't even know what to think. I have a pre-op class tonight and tomorrow. Then next Tuesday I meet with my surgeon one last time to talk and weigh-in. Then on Wednesday I get my PICC line. Then on Thurday my surgery is at 12pm. AHHHHH!

Hi I have been banded for a year now and have had a problem keeping weight off. I initially lost 35 pounds but then gained 20 back problem is I work around food all day. If the economy was better I would find another job but I have been a chef for 25 years and I love what I do.

Hi everyone, My name is Samantha and i'm from Indiana. I'm finally a member. Well not offically, my surgery is set for March 22 and I can"t wait!! I have tone of questions and like all of us ,,,some bubbies for support! Hope to talk to some of you soon.

Hello everyone, My name is Jennifer and I live in Tempe, AZ. I have been considering getting the LapBand to help with my weight loss, but I'm not sure where to start my research. I've been to the seminar at the Bariatric Services at Banner in Mesa, but I found them to be very impersonal and they rushed me out instead of answering my questions. I also had one person in the seminar tell me I shouldn't be there because I wasn't "big enough". Whatever that means. If you have had the procedure done or are in the process of it, I have many questions for you. Such as: What are the steps prior to the procedure? I've heard various stories anywhere from they starve you for 2…

Hi Everyone. My name is Wendy, I am a 37 yo wife and mother to 3 kids (6,5,5). We live in the suburbs of Buffalo,NY. I have struggled w/ weight for the past 17 years. Two years ago I started the lap band process and then got scared by some information that I read and changed my decision to gastric bypass. The morning of my Pre-Op I called and canceled. The risks involved in having the bypass surgery and everything that followed surgery isn't something I wanted. So I did nothing for 1.5 years. September of 2010 I finally came to the understanding that I need help. Loosing weight isn't something that I can do on my own and everything has risks, from walking in…

I posted on this section of forums yesterday, but I didn't realize it was for introductions. I guess I should've figured the site out a little better first! Anywho... Hi! My name is Brielle. I was sleeved 1/26 by my uncle! Yes, my uncle was my surgeon. Dr. Tyner is AWESOME! 5th person in my family to have WLS, though everyone else had Gastric Bypass. I am so pleased with the results... on the day of my post up, I was 12 days out from my surgery, and had lost 15 pounds- woohoo! I am a full time student, almost finished with my Associates in the Arts. Upon completion, I will enter the nursing program. I work part time at Monarch and the ARC of Moore County. This is wor…

Hi everyone! My name is Lindsey and I'm going to be getting banded soon. Actually my surgery is over my spring break. It's 3/11/2011. Let's see I've had weight issues my entire life, I'm sure you all how the diet roller coaster goes. I was a frequent flyer... I'm now up to the highest I've ever been which is around 320. I will post my actual recorded date on 2/23/2011 when we weigh me for the pre-op diet. My story of why I'm getting the band is really sweet. My father was a quadraplegic and from that became very ill about 3 years ago. He recently passed away, in October of 2010. I miss him very much but he left me a gift I didn't know about until about 2 week…

HI everyone! my name is jess im from buffalo ny and im 21 years old i was banded yesterday and am now home resting..well trying to..my doctor was great and said i did great i really hope everything goes well, im scared of faliure but hopeing coming to this website will help. im fairly young and no one in my family struggles w. weight so i dont have alot of people to turn to on the topic, i hope everyone is doing well and any advice is welcomed

Hey everyone! I am a Lap Band hopeful that just finished up with my 3 month diet program this week. I'm pretty nervous about not getting approved by the insurance company because I actually have gained weight throughout the program. Has this happened to anyone else? Anyways, I recently found this website and it has helped keep my mind focused on it for the last month or so. I am so ready for a change! I'm praying this all comes together!

I am a 50 YO Female and had my band done 5 years ago in Melbourne. I initially lost 30kg but this was still about 10kg off my goal. My weight started slowly creeping back up over the last year. I gained 3kg. Recently the fluid was removed under suspicion that something was wrong and my weight balooned another 7kg so right now I am a very unhappy camper. Partial fluid was returned but I feel no restriction and even though I am not eating that much I am gaining. I wanted contact with a wider lap band community to see if others have had similar problems and how they dealt wiht it.

Hi...just joined today...having surgery in March or April. I don't know whether to have band or bypass. I'm 54 and been fighting weight most of my life. I've always been active/exercised, overweight or not, had a knee and hip replacement. I can't stand it anymore. My joints are a mess and I need to lose 80 lbs. I'm hoping to avoid the other hip having to be replaced, if I lose weight. I'm a teacher and also worried about having to be out for more than 2 weeks. I would appreciate any advice. My daughter got the band a year and a half ago and i just now starting to lose. It's been frustrating for her! Thanks so much!

Hi my name is Karen and i live in northeast Alabama. i started my lap journey in November and finally got all the testing and approvals done after what seemed like an eternity. My surgery was scheduled for 7 Feb and i'm happy to say that i went wonderfully. Dr. K. Todd Foreman was my surgeon and he was wonderful. He was very matter of fact, answered all mine and my husbands questions and made sure we were always comfortable. Surgery went great and i went home that afternoon. I'm doing fine keeping all my clear liquids down but have absolutely zero energey. I'm supposed to stay on clear liquids until Feb 14th but i don't think i can take another cup of broth or i'll…

Hello! My name is Missy and *hopefully* I will be getting my sleeve next month. I am not new to weight loss surgery, my husband is 18 months post op from his gastric bypass. He started at 457 pounds before his pre-op diet. He lost 16 pounds in his two week pre-op liquid diet and has lost 215 pounds total. He is a new man and it has been so inspiring watching him transform into the man I met when he was 19 and I was 16. I was actually supposed to go first, we started investigating surgery at the same time, but due to my job at the time, completing the 6 month physician monitored diet was a struggle, so he got to be the guinea pig! He had absolutely no complications,…

I was sleeved on 1/26. I went for a follow up yesterday, and I've lost 15 pounds!! I am extremely happy with the results so far. I was taken off my high blood pressure medicine AND my acid reflux medicine! Very, very awesome things have happened... I was the fifth person in my family to have WLS. All of them had Gastric Bypass, but I had VSG because of my tendency to make kidney stones. My uncle was my surgeon, so I went into surgery not afraid at all. Everything went great- no sickness in the hospital, incisions are looking amazing, support from my family and friends is plentiful... So excited. I am going back to the gym tomorrow. I guess i'll just start with some walk…

Hello from charleston sc. I would like to say thank you to start off with. I have been reading the forum for over a month now doing research and trying to decide which procedure I would chose. I have been battling obesity all my life, and have been on the diet rollercoaster for over 5 years now, and me and my husband have tried getting pregnant for many years now. I am happy to say I have chosen the sleeve, and I had my first appt with the Surgeon on Monday, and he agreed that the sleeve would best fit me. I also feel very lucky, because our hospital just began a bariatric program, and they are offering employees surgery first, and our insurance covers it. I h…

hiya everyone i had the gastric sleeve on the 29th of jan 2011 so im after a little advice my hospital is sunderland royal and my post opp diet was water day after surgery then very runny porridge the day after that with chicken soup for dinner then i could puree food after that for 4weeks so im on pureed food now but a bit embarrasing but i have a very loose bottom is this normal and must say owchh a very sore bottom iv been to doctors today and she has took a stool sample incase there is any bugs any advice pleaseeeeeeeeeee xx

I had my 2 month visit at the surgeon's office yesterday. They are very happy with my progress so far, according to their scale, I have lost 25 pounds. According to my scale I have lost 30. I have reached the amount they wanted me to lose prior to surgery. I have to get through my psych evaluation on March 2 and then on March 8th I meet with the surgeon again, all my other appointments have been with the surgical nurse, and hopefully receive my surgery date. I also told them I am available on short notice just to give me time to inform my managers I will be away. So with all my fingers and toes crossed and many prayers going up to heaven, I might get my surgery with…

WOW!! I didn't really feel any different until I compared the pics. My husband and I had our surgeries on Jan. 20--3 weeks ago--here's the difference already! He's down 28 and I'm down 24. Make sure you take photos b/c when you think it's not working, you can see it is.

Anybody else out there not have restriction after 6 months or so? I never lost weight at the speed others did and my weight loss slowed to a trickle after 3 months and stopped completely at 4 months. Granted, I have not been doing the Protein only "thing", but I really don't feel any restriction. I can't eat as much as I did presurgery, but I can definitely eat a lot more than I thought I would be able to. I am now trying to get back on track and doing 2-3 shakes a day and one low carb meal. I was hoping that I would not have to go back to "dieting" again, but it appears that is where I am at now. On the brighter side, I lost 7 lbs pre-surgery and another 50 or so s…

I went to my seminar two weeks ago tomorrow. I was supposed to meet with my Dr. last Thursday but due to weather it was postponed. I went to my Dr. yesterday and met with him and his nurse (total visit about an hour and 1/2 ). I paid $3000. down as a deposit. Total Sleeve cost in a really nice Dallas surgical location is $12,500. Based on my previous medical history (no sleep problems, no high blood pressure, no acid reflux etc. ) he said he would only need blood work and a UGI and that he would go ahead and schedule my surgery for Feb. 28th. He said he felt I was to high functioning to need a Psychological consult, no pre-diet was mentioned and that h…

Hi! I'm here after a google search of "lap band doesn't work." I was banded in August of 2007 in Western MA. The first few weeks after the surgery felt like pure hell. I never expected to feel so hungry after getting the band. I thought that it would be hard not eating anything solid but I never imagined the intense hunger. In the first few months I lost about 15 pounds. After that I slowly went down to almost a 30 lb weight loss. My hunger has never really disappeared, although a different times I would fill up more quickly. Fast forward to today and my search that led me to this site. I haven't seen my doctor is almost a year. The last visit before today le…

Today is Day 2 since I have been banded. Dr. Robert Snow was my primary care physician. The process for approval actually started in October 2010. My mom was banded in December 2009, and has since lost 92 pounds. I have struggled with weight lose my entire life as had she. She believed in it so much she offered to pay half the co-pay stating, "Honey I wish I had done this thirty years ago. Weight has been such a big deterent for many things and I want you to enjoy you life. It may have even saved me from a hip replacement that I had to have four years ago." So I started my journey by contacting Dr. Snow for a consultation. I went in with my husband and my mom and he ex…

and I'm nervous. Maybe it's the two days on clear liquids that is making me feel weird. Surgery tomorrow morning at 7:30AM. Wish me luck.

I had surgery on December 6th, 2010 and am now 9 weeks out. I saw my regular physician last Monday - 8 weeks since surgery - to have bloodwork done and review my meds. I am diabetic. I was taking two types of insulin (3 injections per day - total of 70 units per day) and Metformin 1000 mg, 2 times a day. My blood sugar numbers were out of control - often over 200, never lower than 165. I also had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, with triglycerides off the chart, and hypothyroidism. Good news! I'm off my blood pressure meds and down to 20 units of insulin at night. I'm taking meds for thyroid and gastritis. But the best thing is my bloodwork results. …

I am 6 weeks pregnant and of course my belly hasn't grown yet. The port hurts, is this dangerous to the baby? My nerves are shot. Also, I had to just remake a profile, i forgot what my username and password was before. i tried everything and I am upset I forgotten them. i haven't been on here since November or so. I feel like screaming! Ploease help withany advice. Thanks, kari

Hi, all! I'm brand new to this site and I'm the wife of a wonderful man who is having lapband surgery on Feb 28th. Anyone on here a patient of Dr. Lucktong's in Roanoke? I would love to talk to others who have been through lapband with Dr. Lucktong or even spouses of those who have. I'm very excited for my husband and I to both get healthier after the surgery, but hope I can keep up with all the different phases and what he can have when. We've not yet been able to make it to the support group in Roanoke, but hope to start that with the next one coming up in a few weeks. Anyone out there?

My pre-op was last Wednesday the 2nd. And I received a call from the insurance company today approving my surgery! I'm so excited that I can actually say that I am 100% going to get this surgery! My surgery is March 1st and I start my liquid diet in about 2 weeks. Any advice for me to prepare for? What should I bring for my stay at the hospital? Any advice helps.

Everything came together for me today. I got insurance approval through united, the nurse called me from the surgeons office and all my appointments are set including surgery on March 22nd. I could of had surgery as early as march 1st but that did not work for me bc I needed to give a 6 week notice at work. All my other dates are set with the preop education, nutrition, and wellness classes and preop doctors visit. I was submitted last Tuesday and I already have everything set. What a great story to give others hope that it doesn't take yrs to accomplish this surgery. I am very excited for the coming month to get here. Good luck everyone who is in that waiting ph…

I am finally sleeve. Surgery went well and there are no leeks. I should be going home tomorrow or Thursday. Getting liquids down us not easy but I am trying. I have a lot of acid reflux.

Day 4 of banding and besides the gas it seems to be going ok. I find that I still have an appetite but not anything severe. Doing the liquid diet now but was strange that my Doctor told my wife that I could have things like pudding and Soups like Cream of Celery which has very very small chunks in it. I've been reading the forums and see that it is about healing these first two weeks not losing weight so I will definately keep that in mind. I am looking forward to eating mash potatoes next week and pureed food but the liquids as I said isn't that hard of a thing to do at this point. I do find that I am full with tomatoe Soup and chicken broth. But this post-op g…

I got my band last Thursday, and have been following this forum as I recover. I went to the age "60" forum, and although there are a few posts, nothing is very current. Am I the only old lady doing this? I'd love to hear from others my age. What was your motivation to do this? What are you expectations? I would like to converse with people my age to see if we're sharing similar or different experiences. We could encourage each other and share tips and advice. I live alone, and I'd like company on this journey=a cyber support group. I hope someone is interested. I look forward to hearing from you.

Hello!!! I am going for my consultation on Valentine's Day. I teach 3rd grade and I am a married mother of 2. I have recently completed my 6 months of prerequirements and can't wait to be banded. I look forward to getting to know many of you as I embark on this exciting journey of my rebirth.

Anyone else experiencing being cold after surgery? I've taken 3-5 showers a day just to get warm but it doesn't last long.