Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello everyone, I am new here and just had my sleeve done on Jan 17th. I had a few issues so had to stay in the hospital for 3 nights. I am doing better but my tummy is still swollen. I have not gotten on the scale yet because I don't think I have lost anything yet. But I am very glad I had this done and know I will have a good outcome. I have fought my weight problem my whole life and I am hoping I have found the solution. I know this is a whole new why of life and I am ready for it.

I am so happy and excited! I got the call today that Cigna approved my Sleeve surgery! I really thought these past 6 months would go in vain! My surgery is scheduled for Janurary 31st. I am not even nervous about the surgery. The way feel, they could of did the surgery today! lol

I've been struggling with my weight ever since I was a young teen. Even when I played sports in high school and college (football, lacrosse, and wrestling), I was heavy. Once I graduated college and settled down into my career, computer information systems, it only got worse. I've tried every diet known to man, working out at the Y, everything. I pretty much cruised along for 20 years this way, until a friend of mine who was overweight dropped dead of a heart attack at a trade show in Las Vegas. That was my wakeup call. I started going to the doctor more and even though my blood work is perfect and aside from having very minor sleep apnea (9.0), I knew this couldn't last.…

I will be updating in this space over the next few days. Right now I'm at the airport waiting for my flight to San Diego (from Atlanta). I feel awkwardly at peace. I mean I cried this morning because I knew I was going to kiss my daughter. This is the first time I am going to be away from her since birth (she is 7 months). I am use to traveling without my husband because of the 5 out of state conferences I attend for my job. But my daughter tore my heart to pieces. I did being her teddy bear wearing her onesie as motivation to get better and.walk around. My husband prayed with me this.morning so all is well. I'll keep you guys updated. Please excuse all typos, I'm on my E…

Im excited, nervous, anxious and elated! I cant wait!

i am not good at computers, can anyone tell me how to put my weight and get a bmi ticker..please

Gotthe thumbs up from insurance today and set my appointment with mysurgeon for 1/28/11. I am excited yet sooo nervous. I really enjoyreading all the encouraging post. Any one from the Dallas area thatused Dr. Nick Nicholson and Baylor Plano?

I wish I had found this site before my procedure, because I think I was expecting to feel great today. I thought I was fully prepared for everything but found myself clueless today on what I should eat or drink. I had the soups, shakes and protein drinks from the doctor, but just went blank on what to do with them. lol So today was just a gassy, mopey, miserable mess. It gets better, right?

I am planning my trip to Tijuana, Mexico for May and getting banded by Dr. Almanza. I have told one of my friends and she thinks it is crazy to go to Mexico. I have tried to research ad honestly the only info is his websites and what people say on here and obesityhelp.com. I was planning on a US dr here in KC, MO but then my husband switched jobs and not insurance doesn't cover it. I also researched him and saw worst complaints about him and it was a "center of excellence." I can afford 5 grand to go , get it done and come home but can't afford 16 grand to do it in the city. I feel like I am making a good educated choice but still nervous. Anyone else going out of c…

Hello, I am new to this site. I haven't been banded yet but I am scheduled for Feb. 4th. I think this site is going to be very helpful. I can't wait get my band and start my new journey in life!

I had my sleeve two weeks ago and so far everything has been great but I keep having these memories popping up of my past. I just remember my CONTINUOUS dieting failures and how every time I said it would be different, sooner or later I pull up a chair next to the vending machine at work, whilst I gorge myself on chocolate. I was a secret binge eater, a comfort eater, someone who could and WANTED to eat when I was stuffed; an addict. I remember walking into a shop after feeling an urge to stuff my face and feeling so full yet feeling compelled to pack my trolley with sweets and chocolates. I sat at home crying, feeling so hopeless, I actually wanted to die. As I stuffed …

I'm lying in Florence Health Hospital in Tiujana awaiting sleeve surgery with Dr. Kelly! Whoohoo!

Hello all, I am 3 days post op. I am pretty sore. I am very bloated. I hope it goes away soon. I feel like someone is stabbing me when I move and I cant find a comfortable position to sleep in. Any advice would be awesome. THanks!

My name is Carla. I have had the lap band since october of 2008. I will never regret getting it, however, I wish I went about it a little bit different. I made the decision in the beginning of June of 2008 to get it and because my insurance didn't cover it, I got to rush through and skip a lot of steps (psych consult/nutrition/support group). I have been overweight my entire life and my weight was slowly ballooning upwards. I was 200 lbs when I was 16 and clocked in at 326 the day of surgery. I had surgery when I was 31. I (stupidly) thought the band would fix everything that was wrong in my life. While it has done numerous things for me (no more sleep apnea, more self-co…

Hello I was banded July 7, 2010 and have lost a little more than half the weight I plan to lose. I have had one short episode of sliming in the beginning. I have had 3 fills. The last fill I had the doctor thinks the port may have flipped. He had a hard time getting the needle in and had to poke around and grasp the port and turn it back. I find I do best with a protein drink for breakfast, but by mid-morning I can eat whatever I want. I eat a lot of chicken. I have not had a problem with any food, but I have been very selective of the food I eat. I also eat organic food now that I don't eat much (I can afford it!). A mistake I made was tasting cake batter while …

Hello, My name is Misty and I was banded 09/21/06. I started out at 278 pounds and got down to 163 by January of 08. My youngest child became ill and I could not even hold Water down so we took everything out of my band. Now that she is better I have been trying to get back on track. It has been a really hard process trying to get back into my good comfort zone. Some fills I feel tight for a few days and then its like nothing and other times its too tight and im ready to die. Today I am back at 199 but not ready to give up on my band yet because it does work I know this from the past. I think I just need some motivation in my corner at this point so thats why I am here…

Hello everyone, My name is Suzanne. I am 31 years old, married to a wonderful man, and just had my first son in 2010. I have been overweight since 5th grade. Slightly at first and throughout high school, then ballooned to about 250 pounds in college. I have tried many diets, exercise, personal trainers, etc. I did lose about 70 pounds once through Atkins, but slowly gained it all back. After I had my son, I weighed 230 pounds. Then I managed to gain another 22 pounds, putting me at my current weight and all time high of 252 pounds. I'm unhealthy and embarrassed, and I desperately want to change. I've been thinking about the Lap Band for a couple of years, and …

I jus tneed advice. My insurance covers the band IF medically necessary..... iver never had or seen a regular fam dr. I made an appt this month and I recently went to the ER for arthritis in my back. So now where do I go, what's the steps I need to take and do I ask my new dr on my first visit about helping me with a referral? Please all the advice I can get ill glady take

Hi, I am new here I had my sleeve done a year ago 27-01-10 so far things have gone fairly well. I have lost a significant amount of weight. I have put a lot of effort into leading a healthier life style . I am paranoid streching my sleeve. It seems I have to eat more in order to feel full I just wonder if this is normal

hey well, i have in mind getting the sleeve gastrectomy. im 4'11 150lbs.. and hate it... but im so scared! weather its going to hurt. or if im taking the right decision! this has been the heaviest i've ever been and it depresses me. i tried gym, diets, and nothing works.. any advice i will apreciate! =)

Hello I am 30 years old and diabetic .. I have 2 small children.. I decided in nov. I do not want to live my life taking pills and being over weight. I had my mind set on gastric bypass up until last week when I met with the surgeon. He went over risk and I chickened out and I am now considering the lap band instead. I am scared I won't get the full results I am looking for tho.. I have alot of weight to loose.. I am 268lbs (can't belive I even told that info!) and I would love to be 150. I am only 5'2.. So if anyone can offer up some good advice, pointers, and if any one had also back out of gasticbypass and went with the band!! please help.. lol thanks Barbie!

I was sleeved on 12/30/10 and was told he took about 75% of my stomach. When I got home all I could take in was about 2 oz due to swelling. I am post op day 7 today and I can now take in about 4 oz. Is this normal? It seems like a lot.

I'm just starting the process & have no clue what to ask or where to start! I'm a little overwhelmed!

I have been in the supervised weight loss program at my doctor for about 8 months. I have lost 32 lbs (down from 322) since I began. They had me on a lower carb diet than normal (180 per day) and I consistently ate less than that, but was never seriously told that it was a problem. I received approval from UHC yesterday morning (yay!) Then at lunch the "Bariatric Nurse Coordinator (who I have never met or spoken to) called me to let me know that they could not schedule me for surgery due to objections from the dieticians that I "will hurt myself due to non-compliance with the program to date" and "you drink soda which is not allowed after surgery". So, I ask what I…

I would just like to introduce myself to everyone. My name is Mrs. Miles, I am 42 years old and I weigh 280lbs at 5foot 2inches and my highest weight has been 298. I am schedule for the Sleeve surgery on 1/26/11 at 9:30am. I am excited and I am currently on day 5 of my pre-op diet. I have done great and give all my glory to God who is giving me another chance and new start to be a healthier me! Sometimes I think about how others are going to view the smaller me because I have been plus size since birth! But, I won't know until I do it. I am married and have four sons and I am already cooking healthier meals for everyone and no one has eaten McDonalds in a week that…

I have a "fill" apointment in 30 minutes. Don't think I will be getting a fill today. I'm feeling great, have great restriction and am down 10 pounds over the last 4 weeks. I am lovin my lap-band!

Hi all. I'm new to this forum. I'm in the begining stages of the approval process. I have extreme worries about hair loss and some worries about saggy skin. I'vr heard protein protein protein but its seem even the people talking protein are experiencing major hair loss. Can anyone eveyone please help me with their stores and what they did. I have pcos so I've already experience hair thinning so I dont want the LAPBAND SURGERY to completely make me bald. If needed I'm african american 30yrs old starting weight 320. Also how do I start my WEIGHT LOSS TICKER?

I have been hovering around this forum off and on for a while, trying to decide if the band is the right thing for me. I am about 60 lbs. overweight, and at 4'11'' that is a lot of weight!! I am type II diabetic, which has proven even harder for me to lose weight. I start a diet, but then my blood sugar drops and I am ravenous!!! It just seems so hopeless. I have read somewhere that many people manage to get control over the type II diabetes after doing lap band. Is there anyone out there that is type II diabetic and has had the lap band surgery?

hey everybody my name is kim and i just recently had the surgery on january 3rd and it is now january 21st. i have lost 23 lbs now is that a good start? my start out weight was 321. how much weight have you guys lost and how quickly?

I was at 6.2 CC;s in a 7 CC lapband and felt no restriction at all and can eat everything and I never feel full. I went to the doctor today for another fill and he told me I should be feeling something so he checked and I did has fluid in my band (he took some out) so now he thinks when he did one of my past fills (i've had 4 so far) that some of the liquid might have bubbles out the top of the port when he was filling it and got absorbed into my tissue. The problem now is he doesn't know how full my band is now!!!!! He put another 0.6 in this morning and told me if I start to throw up or anything over the weekend to go to the hospital but I came home and tried eating a…

Hi, my names Alex. I just registered because I'm deciding what I want. Lap band was actually very far from my mind a month ago. In fact I wasn't even thinking about weight loss to tell you the truth. Well just little diets but not anything major like lap band. Then I found out this month that I get to be put back on my moms insurance. I was super excited. Then both my parents looked at me and asked me what I was going to do about actually having insurance and I told them I wanted to go to a fertility specialist (I've been diagnosed with PCOS since I was 17 and been trying to have a baby with my husband of 3 years with no success). Well then both my parents told me that …

New to the site...but a veteran to the band ,well a5t least to myself bi am...8 years married to my band.

Here's the thing. During my surgery we found out my uterine fibroid is significantly larger than we knew. I've been to a new gyno and he tells me my uterus is currently the size of a full term pregnancy and as I lose the weight I will look pregnant. (Which is so ridiculous at my nearly 48 years of age). We plan on a hysterectomy when the weight comes off and will have a tummy tuck at the same time. I'm really frustrated. I want to see my stomach shrink. I am one of those "apple" body types and all my weight is in the middle. I know, once I have the surgery, it will be a night and day difference, I just want those little victories along the way. Besides, this th…

Went to North Metro Medical Center at Jacksonville, Ark., at 7:00 a.m. Was in operating room at 8:45 and out the door headed home at noon. Dr. Rex Luttrell is a kind and gentle man, and he's also a really good surgeon. I did my homework on him and others in the greater Little Rock area. No issues getting up right after surgery and making many laps up and down the hall (leaning on my wife's shoulder). Had some discomfort with the gas in my shoulder and taking deeper breaths, but it's already gotten better over just the 7 1/2 hours I've been home. Absolutely no pain from my incisions -- yet. Figuring they'll wake up tomorrow. Told only family and two friends before the …

Hello, my name is Erin and I am waiting to be banded. My insurance required a 6 month supervised diet. I complete my 6th and final supervised diet vist on Feb 3rd and then start the banding process. My doctor requires a 2 week Medifast diet before surgery. Anyone have to do this? He said I should lose 10-20 lbs alone during those 2 weeks before the band. I am very excited to start this journey. I have been overweight all my life, and now it is time for a new start. I am at 275 lbs right now with a goal to get to 145-150. What I wonder though is that a realistic goal with LapBand? I can not remember the last time I was at that weight. Maybe elementary or middle …

I FINALLY GOT MY SURGERY DATE FEB. 1, 2011 YAY

i have been banded for 8 years now....just now starting to show signs of trouble..I started 398...and lost down to 173...in the last 10 months I start gaining...got up to 290...lost back down to 268..still 95 above my lowest....I hate this roller coaster I been on for 10 months I. Have had an upper gi twice now their finally scoping me on the 28th of this month..I have no restriction I can eat a regular plate of food with or without drink..I think I have a huge leak to be honest.

Well, after a long wait......(yes, longer than the typical 6-8 months....) I'm approved! February 10th is my day!! I'm so excited but scared now that the date is set....kinda crazy I know.... For anyone who is waiting, it will get here....I promise....waiting sucks, I know! My liquid pre-op starts a week from today....I'm ready to get the show on the road! :P;)

I am 61 years old, 5'5" tall and weigh about 250 lbs. I have gradually gained so much weight in the last ten years but it has effected my health. I have sleep apnea, gerd, also a hiatal hernia, and an abdominal hernia for the second time in about 3 years, this one is bigger than the other one. I need that taken care of but because I am overweight I think I probably will get one again. I also take medication for high blood pressure, high colesteral, overactive bladder, depression, and copd. Would I even be qualified to get a lap band with these health problems? Another question is I am on Social Security Disability with medicare and medicaid coverage. Would I be cov…

I'm am getting sleeved on February 25!! I'm so excited ( and scared). I've told my immediate daily, boss, and best friend. Everyone has been really supportive except my best friend. She is as overweight as me and at first pushed hard for me to do Jenny Craig etc. with her. I knew she'd do this so I told her my reasons and left it at that. Then she calls me the other day and starts telling me horror stories about her moms friends cousin etc etc that had wls and died. And then starts asking me what my husband and kids are going to do without me if things go wrong!! I didn't know what to say!! I know it's like .2% of surgeries are fatal. Is that right?

Hey there, my name is Kristina, Im 24 years old. I just joined this site and I'm hoping to be banded this spring. :-)

Ugh I'm only almost done with day two and I'm stressing out so bad I just want to be able to go eat like everyone else! I know my fiance has good intentions by not eating around me so he grabs something when he gets off work but now that's starting to make me mad cuz I want to be able to go eat with him and have dinner with him and I can't!!!!! Ugh I'm starting to think I got myself into something I'm never goin to like

I have recently changed Drs Group to help get approved for the lap band surgery. I am a young mom of three and have an underying condition that may be significantly helped by this surgery. I have psuedotumor cerebri, fancy name for your spinal fluid pressure is high and if you dont help regulate it you may go blind and/or have the worse migranes of your life for the rest of your life. I was diagnosed in 2006 and have been on this never ending quest for answers and solutions to improve my life. My last Dr was not very active in persuing my surgery even though my Neurologist & Opthamalogist were all for it. I feel like my primary Dr thought I was not a priority …

well, i had my surgery monday. It is now thurs. Evening and i am still in hospital. I was supposed to go home today. They did my upper gi this morning and are keeping me because my tummy was sluggish. Well, the contrast for the upper gi is the most discusting stuff i have ever tasted. I really thought it was coming back up. I think they will do another in the morning. Is that right? What can i do about the sluggish tummy? I am walking and trying to drink.

Hi everyone ...I'm new here and I was so happy to find so many stories like mine.. After a life of dealing with being overweight I got sleeved on Tuesday Jan 11!!! The first day was really bad but quickly became better and now I feel great! At my 1 week post op I had lost 20lbs which is from 2 weeks before surgery ! so that was very exciting! I've been walking around my neighborhood but was wondering when any of you went back to the gym or did any weights?? -alma

Hello, I have been lurking for about a month. I live in Raleigh, NC and I am praying to be banded soon. Tuesday I have an appointment with a nutritionist which will be my last appointment until approval. A bit nervous because at all my appointments everyone was shocked I am trying to get lapband. I am 5'6' 255 lbs with sleep apena/high blood pressure, cholesterol/diabetes. I think I am a walking billboard for lapband, just pray my insurance sees it that way. Anyone ever use Verizon BCBS...uggh

Hello, I am new and was banded 10/28/10 I don't seem to be experiencing very signifigant weight loss even though I eat pretty good and excercise regularly. Is this normal? In total I have lost 36lbs but technically 16 of that was the 5% I had to lose before the surgery. Every morn I get on the scale and I feel like giving up!! I run 2 to 3 miles a day and have been doing this consistently for about a month and a half. Had my first fill Dec. 1 and could still eat just about whatever I wanted. Had my second fill Dec 30 and have more restriction but am not dropping pounds. I am so confused can someone tell me whats going on? My Dr. is Dr. Neal of Pacific Surgical Associates,…

I just wanted to say hello and finally post something. I have been reading this board for awhile but have never posted anything. I wanted to tell everyone that this board has been soooo helpful in answering all of my questions and helping me understand everything! I was sleeved January 6 by Dr. John Mason here in Texas, so it's been 2 whole weeks and I am feeling great! Thanks again to all!!

Today is MY Final Countdown Day! In ten days I will be sleeved. I decided I would post my story which is not much different than any of yours. My weight started after my first child (1991). I gained 50lbs a weighed just shy of 200lbs. I was mortified. I then told my self I must do whatever I could to lose weight and never be over 200lbs. Well after 5 more kids. I weigh over 200lbs. Throughout the years I have been on countless diets only gaining it back. I really never made my goal. Oh once I enjoyed it for a month when I got pregnant with my 3rd child. I have log in countless hours/miles during these past years. I am or was athletic so exercising was never a problem…

Hi Everyone!! I am in need of some serious advise, I am a 21 year old female that has been struggling with my weight all my life and I have tried many diets and many extreme measures like boot camp style fitness which has helped me I loose 20 pounds last year and I have been able to keep it off however I have been in a plateau for the past 6 months or so and just cannot loose anymore, I am considering getting the lap band surgery since I do have another 70 pounds to go however I am wondering if this would be a wise decision since it is a lifetime "procedure" although you can reverse it, it is ment to stay in place. My question to you guys is what made you finally decide t…