Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hi My name is Eileen. I just joined and am trying to learn how to use this website so bare with me lol. I was banded on 12/30/10. I am 13 days post op and have lost 9 lbs. I am in the mushie stage for another two weeks. I have been over weight my whole life since I'm about 11 years old. It has been a long hard road till now. Im excited that I made this choice to try the lap band to assist me in losing this weight. I started in september 2010 at 384 lbs the day of my surgery I weighed 346. So I have a long way to go but I'm glad I found this site, I know I will find some awesome supporters here. Eileen

Hello all! I'm Janet and this is my first visit to the site. I am about a week post-op, had the sleeve surgery on 1/5/11. It was pretty rough for me but I can tell that each day I'm getting stronger so I'm starting to feel happy again, haha. I am a 33 year old married mother of 2 boys, a 4 year old & an 8 year old. We live in the DC suburbs of Northern VA and we also have a 7 year old Golden named Bella I'm so excited to finally have had the surgery and to now be on my way to being healthier & thinner! I have a blog that I update with my progress and that you can read about the pre stuff, if you'd like. http://lookingtoward...n.blogspot.com/

Hi all, I just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Tiffany from Minnesota and I just got approved on Tuesday 1-11-2011 for the Lap-band! I'm so very excited and I'm glad to have a place to learn and share with other people. I go in this Tuesday for my first 4-5 hr doc appt. I just wanted to say hi!

During 2010, I have worked for three companies and had three insurance plans. This had made my journey to have gastric sleeve surgery interesting, to say the least. I started pursuing having bariatric surgery January 1 of 2010. My employer had included it in the insurance plan for the first time. I started looking for a center of excellence for the surgery in Dallas. Nine days later my employer ("Company A") sold my division of the business to "Company B". Thank goodness Company B had bariatric surgery in their plan, so I decided on a surgeon - Dr. Nick Nicholson after doing research and attending one of his seminars. I started attending a monthly meetings with a dietic…

I'm set to be banded on Jan 25th which I am looking forward to doing. It will be a big change in my life in so many ways. One of the best things about starting this journey is that I will not be alone my daughter is going to be banded on Jan 26th so this is something we will go thur together. I'm very happy for both of us. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes in both of our lives.

I had Lap-Band in March of 2007. My pre surgery weight was 277 pounds. Probably a year after surgery I was down to 235 pounds. I did not follow up with my doctor as I should have and so on and so forth and I never reached my goal to be within the normal weight range for my heighth. My weight never dipped below that 235 pounds and climbed back up to 250. I had a baby in August of 2010 and I didn't gain a whole lot of weight with the pregnancy. I had a big 9lb 6oz 22 inch long baby boy whom I love with every ounce of being I have in me. I am going to the doctor next Friday for the first time since 2008. I am excited about restarting this weight loss journey and I wa…

Hi everyone! My name is Elisha and I live in the Dallas area. I was banded by Dr. Benivedes at True Results on October, 6 of last year. So far I'm down 21 lbs. Yeah, for losing any amount of weight in years! However, I feel I've wasted a bit of time since I have only lost 1 lb. in the past 2 months. I do realize this is my own fault. I haven't been sticking to my recommended diet or workout plan. Plus my love for girls night has been a road block too. It's been more of a head game with me, than an actual eating thing. I do feel the restriction in the amount I can eat. However, my mind tells me that since I'm only eating a small amount, I can eat what I want. I think I'v…

Has anyone had their surgery done at Eglin AFB, Florida Hospital?

Hello Everybody, This is my first post here. I'm having my VSG on 2/15/11 in Mexico. -After having my lap-band removed, after 5 years of struggle I am doing the VSG. I am optimistic about this surgery but my family and best friend are not supportive. I am trying to loose 70 lbs.. I am told about many others who have failed with WLS and re-gained all of their weight back-even after having the total gastric bypass. So people close to me have predicted that I will not be able to maintain a weight loss, and will stretch my stomach out again and re-gain the weight. Creepy thoughts... Well, I have heard about re-gaining all-the weight back after VSG- I do love foo…

Hi- I am new the site and looking for support to ask my concerns and questions about the lap band procedure. I am 52 yrs old and need to lose 120 pounds per medical charts, my would love to lose 100 pounds to feel healthy again. I have been reading about the procedure and have in the past attended the meeting at a local hospital 2 yrs ago- but still unsure. I guess I am afraid of if I would not be able to eat 'normal' food again after the surgery and possible food blockage. Can anyone inspire and clam me down about my concerns. Mary

Hi everyone, My name is Michael and I was banded by Dr Terry Simpson on Dec. 21, 2010 (almost 1 month). I have type 2 diabetes, insomnia, osteoarthritis (diagnosed before being overweight), diverticulitis, depression, asthma and probably a few others I'm forgetting. At my heaviest, while in a depressing, go no-where job where there was constant abuse and frustration I was almost 300 lbs. About 4 yrs ago I stopped chasing money and decided to follow my childhood dream and become a Librarian. I don't make much money and I'm almost bankrupt now but my quality of life and how I see myself as a person and useful member of society (helping people rather than trying t…

Hello. I've been lurking for months now, but finally decided that this would be the week to come out of lurk mode. I've been considering wls for several years now, but it was only after learning about VSG last year that it seemed that the time was 'right'. I have been obese for most of my life since adolescence, and when my BMI peaked out at 41 I decided it was time to do something more effective than the endless, and ineffective, diets I have tried for the past 30+ years. I am a PA (Physician's Assistant) and have seen both the good and the bad after wls. The benefits are impressive, but I have seen just about every complication there is. The idea of a foreign body…

Hi, my name is Deby and I joined yesterday to learn all I can about Lap Band surgery. I retired from the Air Force about 17 years ago (I'm 55) and have steadily put the pounds on. I live in the Florida panhandle and if I have the surgery, will have it done at the military hospital here. I desperately want to lose weight and have been trying for years. The weight makes exercise painful and am hoping with Lap Band I can lose the weight for good. I'm very determined to follow doctors orders to be successful. Hope to stay in touch with more of you in the weeks/months to come. Deby

My name is Kevin and I am a 48 y/o male living in Las Vegas and my Lap Band surgery is scheduled for 4 Feb 2011. I weigh around 325 lbs now, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and assoc other co-morbidities. I am retired military and have never been a "fat" guy until almost 5years ago. I am now very appreciative of what obese people have to put up with. Because of my diabetes I also got a very un-healthy dose of very painful nueropathy in both feet and ankles. Hurt like hell, the Lyrica I was put on helps a bit, but by no means does it take away all of the pain. Excercise has been limited, ok, some due to the pain, but most due to my own funk and depression …

I've been cruising around the site and can't figure out how to upload a profile photo or gallery photos. Help would be so appreciated..thanks! Karen

I'm super excited that my surgery is this Friday! My surgeon only has me on a two-day, pre-op liquid diet which I started today... I am SO hungry! I'm ready to eat my shoe at this point but nope, it's not liquid, so the shoe will have to wait. I'm sure once I have the surgery, the feeling will change. I live in the Los Angeles area and have struggled with weight my whole life. All my fat is like a monster-truck tire around my mid section.... Boy, I can't wait to see that disappear! I'm 37 yrs old, 5'6, 227 lbs with a goal to lose about 80 lbs. My husband and friends are very supportive, although there are some that are not as excited. My husband has also been very fit…

I am almost 3months post op and last night and 2day my stomach on the left upper side is really sore it almost feels like when I came home from the hospital! the pain is right under one of my incisions. I haven't had any pain in this area since I was 3 weeks post op is this normal? what could it be pulled muscle or something??

Just wondering if anyone has used Dr. Madan?

Hello from sunny AZ. I have just begun my journey with LapBand. I attended a seminar on Dec. 30 and was excited to learn more about the procedure. I have read some of the posts related to insurance req's and have decided that I am going it on my own. The insurance guidelines to qualify for coverage leave a very narrow window, kind of a catch 22. Basically I have to get a lot worse before my ins. would consider, not necessarily cover, the surgery. It will cost a lot more. but in the long run it is a better choice for me. I have had second thoughts like others. I have lost excess weight 3X over the past 15 years always with diet and exercise. Now that I'm older it is alot…

I am a life long dieter...read a journal I wrote when I was 8 and even then I was talking to myself about losing weight. I've been a pauing member/meeting attender with WW for numerous years and although I love the program, I still struggle with portion control, emotional eating and general grazing. I see a therapist to help with the emotional aspects...and that has helped. I do WW and that has helped...especially with improving overall healthy food selections. But......highest weight of 273 led me to a WLS Seminar in December 2010. I am lucky to live near a Bariatric Center of Excellence. Went for my first consultation a week later. My insurance covers the VSG and …

Looking for anyone from Philly PA to talk about experience. I am going to Penn Presby Hospital for seminar but they are all a part of Univ of Penn network so I have a choice of 3 hospitals. My insurance does not cover but I am told the my PCP can fight for me. I am excited to get started on this journey, I have lived far too long overweight!

I am 24 years old. I graduated from college about a year ago. For the most part I am happy with my life but am hoping to move to a larger city. I am about 260 at 5'2. I know I an very overweight and will eventually have major health problems if I don't do something about it. I also want to look better and be more comfortable doing everyday things, and I do believe unfortunately that some people do judge you on looks. Despite this, for the most part I feel that I have a fairly high self esteem. In my opinion I have a pretty face, and for the most part carry my weight well. I have always struggled with my weight but I gained a lot of weight in college and since. I have tr…

I can't believe it is happening! I am so excited...

Hi everyone. My name is Sandy. I was banded on 1/07/11. Doing well so far. My post op appointment in scheduled for 01/17/11. Looking forward to chatting with some of you and getting some support.

I met my surgeon today and I LOVE him! He is Dr. Al Spaw in Nashville and I highly recommend him to anybody in the Nashville area. My husband and one of my daughters went with me and they were both put at ease about the procedure. I think they realized listening to me talk to the surgeon that I have done my research and I know what I'm doing. Dr. Spaw was very positive about the sleeve and said he thought I was making the right choice for me. The exercise physiologist was so laid back. He basically said he wasn't going to lay out a plan for me because it's not going to work if it's not something I enjoy. I did find out that I will be able to use the physical therapy m…

I'm getting my lapband in two days. I've been on the liquid diet for the last 8 days and that's been tough, but I've managed to get through. Little nervous about surgery. Any suggestions for postop? Thanks. Maria

My Name is Marilyn, 3 years ago I had the lapband for about 8 months which aggravated my tortourus esophagus (spiral shaped) & I had to have the band removed. I have a BMI of over 50. I have Medicare as my primary & BCBS of Illinois for my secondary. I just met with my surgeon a week ago today talking about the VSG. He thought it would be the safest surgery for me...I am not even eligible through Medicare & I have been going through severe depression that I am seeing a doctor for. If I don't get this surgery I am going to die...I need all the support I can get...so will you please help me?

Hello, My name is Lynn..this will be my second time in the pre-op portion of the Lap Band journey. I completed it before over a 2 years ago and 2 wks before my surgery date I discovered Food Addicts anonymous. I figured surgery would always be an option but that I owed it to myself to try it. I was successful losing 95lbs pounds in under a year, but found that the FA lifestyle was to difficult to adopt as a part of my life. 2 years prior to that I had lost the same 95lbs through diet and exercise. In both these very amazing successes came the return of frustration and disappointment when I gained it all back. So, here I am again, knowing I can't live like this anymore. …

Hi everyone! I'm Tania from Columbia, MD. I was banded in October and have lost 29 pounds! I absolutely love it! Hoping to meet some folks on here that have similar interests or questions. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Hello Everyone My name is Cait and I am very new to all of this. I have been monitoring this site for several weeks but I guess a little afraid to contribute. I have to say this site has been extremely instrumental in helping me through some of the rough spots in realizing we all experience similiar things. I always joke and say I literally have been overweight my entire life because my two older brothers and I weighed over 10 lbs at birth!! LOL I guess looking back at pictures I looked great but always felt heavy because I developed earlier than most of my friends who barely weighed 100lbs entering high school. But my weight is a result of genetics but finding com…

Hello! My name is Melissa- 28 from Cleveland, Ohio. I Had LB surgery on July 14th, 2009 in Detroit, Mi. I was self pay and Dr. Webber at Harper Hospital was the cheapest with an excellent background I went in at 303 lbs and am now around 185 (depending on the scale, grrr) My whole entire journey has been excellent! I wouldn't change one thing! There's nothing like being able to play tag with my kids or hide and seek and hide anywhere! =) I'm looking for new ideas for diet- MY hair (very thin) and my skin (very dry) I'm also interested in hearing opinions and personal experiences of Panniculectomy procedures (don't hold it against me if I posted wrong! Stil…

Hi! I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Dawn, and I had the sleeve 4-16-2010. I have lost 127 pounds so far in 8-1/2 mths. I was wearing a size 32 jean, and weighed 354 lbs. Today I am wearing a size 16 jean and weigh 227 lbs. Best decision I ever made was having this surgery. I feel wonderful, and would recommend anyone thinking of WLS to look into the sleeve. Research all the surgery types and decide what is right for you. I love the choice I have made in having the sleeve.

My lap band mentor and I have been blogging for over a year now ( I was banded in 2006) and found that blogging is a great way to pay it forward and gain motivation and inspiration for my own journey. You can find my blog at gloriasbandedliving.com. Do you have a blog? If you are blogging and interested in getting the word out, leave a post with a link to your blog.

Hi My Name is Vanessa I am 34 married for 13 years and have 6 kids twins that are 10 and quadruplets that are 6 1/2. I just got the the lap band on Jan 3 so far so good. I am feeling pretty good now. I wanted to ask a question I went to go order that mwdifast stuff but there are a few different kinds i think there was a 50 and and 70 something like that. Can anyone help me and let me know which one I should order, Thank you Vanessa

Hello All! My name is Kimberly. I am 24 yrs young, married with no children, and currently a pre-Nursing student. I am 5'7, 354lbs with a BMI of 55.4. I started the lapband journey just over a year ago. I have Humana EPO, and they have been terrific. To qualify I had to have: Medical records with recorded weights for the past two years, (one a year was sufficient), Letter of Medical Necessity from my PCP, and 6 consecutive months of nutrition/exercise advise from my PCP (each month I went to the doc, she typed in something along the lines of "advised Kimberly she needed to lose weight, follow low-carb high Protein diet and exercsie 3x per week..yadda yadda yadda). I t…

Hi everyone, First let me say that I'm so glad to have this forum to here all our stories and get the encouragement I need to move forward with this surgery. I'm traveling to TJ to get my surgery with Dr. Lopez Corvala. I see this as the start of a journey to a heathly life. I'm like so many of you in that I've tried & tried to lose weight but always ended up heavier than before. I'm so tired of having all these aches & pains that I hope are due to the extra weight. I'm just a little nervous, not so much about the surgery itself but the trip home so soon after. I'm being released and then staying over night before my trip back to the east coast. Should I pack m…

G'day ! Im 32, married with two daughters. I was banded in May 2007 by Dr Craig Taylor at SIOS. At my heaviest I was 125.5kg, slowly lost weight, put weight on, lost weight again until deciding to get banded. After Two weeks of optifast I weighed in at 98kg pre surgery. At my lowest (August 2010) I weighed 78kg. I had all my fill removed and injured myself training and put on nearly 10kg. Last month I had fill put back in the band, and currently weigh 86.9kg. My current goal is to reach 75kg by April 4th 2011 and have surgery. At this stage apronectomy and breast augmentation. I have referrals to a few Dr's in Sydney to get some opnions. Would love to hear from anyone tra…

Hi people, i've been lurking for a while as i consider my options. I'm pre-pre-op so not much to say yet except thank you for all your posts. They have given me (and probably a lot of people) great insights and a lot to consider.

Hello world I was banded on 11/18/2010 My first fill was 12/30/2010. I started at 249lbs and am currently 227lbs. I am trying to learn to only eat when I truly feel hingry... but I have small kids at home, and due to Christmas there are all kinds of "stocking" goodies in the snack jar... I find myself nibbling on those throughout the day. I couldn't really tell much difference with my first fill. I still stay hungry, and nibble throughout the day. I am worried that maybe I am stretching out my pouch, or maybe my band slipped.... I just don't know why I'm not feeling full, and wonder if it's normal for the begining stages....

Hi everyone. I live in england and i'm 22 years old. I had a lap band fitted in september 2010 after years of being depressed with my weight. I am now however regretting the decision slightly as i have only lost about 10 pounds even though i am eating no where near as much as i use to. Has this happened to anyone else? I am even considering having the band taken out. I am going for my second fill tomorrow even though i am still fairly restricted so im hoping this may help but im not convinced. Thanks guys Hannah x

I am leaving about 2:00 a.m. to head toward the airport to fly to Juarex, Mexico to be banded by Dr. Jose Rodriguez. I am a bit scared. I tried to talk to my family about going, but they were all certain that if I went to Mexico I would end up dead. I did my own research, and I don't think that it is likely but I am frightened -- frightened to go and frightened not to go. I will be back on January 14, 2011 in the evening if everything goes okay.

So here I am. Finally hit BMI 40. Yeah... I am also about to lose my insurance that pays for WLS. Doing the diet right now. Thought I wanted Band. No surgery for me! But... Fears of no insurance coverage for maintenance, ways to check for leaks, self-pay for fills not happy (when I get a job myself, maybe my insurance will be better than the one hubby is getting). Have read alot about stomach erosion, slippage, never finding sweet spot, throwing up, chewing food to pulp, complications and many stories of Revised to Sleeve people. Read about Sleeve; major surgery risks to be sure, but assuming (you know what they say about that..), it all goes well, sounds more livable…

hi all im from canada and i have been booked in to get banded in march on the spring break and im just wondering of how it feels before and after getting it done how important is it to go to the meetings or can you just phone in? does it effect you eating or drinking things? is it a major lifestyle change? I have a medical condition which is why my weight is as high as it is and i have been told that this will assist with controling it and to an extent fixing it has anyone else had the same issues? Is the scaring really obvious? I have lots of questions but when i asked my doc she was great at answering them but she gave me the answer a doc would. I want to hear…

Surgery 1/18/11 can't wait excited about this next chapter in my life. I stated the process on 6/23/10 with my first consultation to the surgeon. My next step was the seminar and I attended two to see which doctor made me feel at ease. I discussed this with my primary physician because I tried so many other things before and it was all temporary results for me. I did everything that I had to do because now I am mentally prepared and know that I can't fail because I've worked hard to get to this step. Tomorrow I begin my shake journey for five days , the doctor put me on Atkins shake three times a day. I have my final pre-op appointment tomorrow and so looking forward to a…

Hello, my name is Denise, however my screen name is Teedeeme. I am 55 years old and have been overweight since I was 7 years old. Many years of dieting, Weight Watchers, etc. The weight comes off and returns with a vengence! I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease when I was 27 but continued to be obese. I had surgery for my Crohn's in 1993 and have been virtually symptom free since, without meds. I just assumed since I had extensive abdominal surgery, I would not be a candidate for WLS. During a gallbladder surgery scare, my surgeon asked if I had ever considered WLS. He went on to tell me that he had previously performed the surgeries and didn't see why I couldn't have it.…

I had my lapband surgery in 2006. Since that date I lost 75 lbs and gained 40 of those back. I haven't been to my doctor to refill my band in over a year. I would like a restart diet plan. I am very frustrated with self, because I know how expensive the operation is, and I am blessed to have been able to get it. I never went to any meetings, just gave up all the way around. I know this works, and I want to start over from scratch and follow it so it can do the job its supposed to do.

I AM SO EXCITED!! Just received the call from my dr's office and my surgery is scheduled for February 14. FINALLY!

Hi all! First of all, I'd like to say thank you to all who have posted and shared their WL journey. I have been lurking here gleaning as much info as possible. I guess it's time I share! I am 53 years old. With a BMI of 40 and several co-morbidities. I have tended to be a little heavy all of my adult life, but never as extreme as in the last 10 years, in which time I have gained 100 lbs. At this time I have attended 3 seminars.....OK, I am a slow learner. The first one- I thought "oh how extreme!, If I can't control what I eat now, how could I with WLS". And, "My Dr. would never go along with it". And, "I could never afford it!" The second seminar was after mu…

Hello Everyone, I just wanted to share my story and why I have decided this is the best option for me. I'm 28 years old and I never thought I would be this weight at my age. I was never overweight growing up until about 4-5 years ago, that I started gaining significant amount of weight and wasn't able to put if off no matter what I did, I think just let myself go, feeling really depressed about how I looked in pictures and how I just looked in general. There has been a number of factors that add up as to why I'm overweight and after trying many things like the gym, the weight-watchers diet and other things it wasn't really working for me and food just became something c…

My doctor says soft drinks, beer and any other carbonated beverages will be a thing of the past for me after lap-band surgery. Anyone hear that from their doctor and do you know why that is?