Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hi, Just wanted to introduce myself. I have been lurking around for awhile. A little info about me. Im from south Georgia. Dr. Henderson in Brunswick,GA is my doctor. I started my journey in June 09'. I weigh 255 lbs. my bmi was 39.2. I Did my consultation in June. psych and nutrition appt. in July. Submitted in early July. Was Denied by UHC PPO:angry:. So the nurse said we could appeal if I gained 10lbs. in August. So thats what happend. The appeal was sent in on Aug 24, 2009 I called for 2 weeks the kept saying they had'nt recieved it. Called the docs office they called. It had been keyed in under the wrong acct. So it finally got in the right plan on Sept 4 it was uhc…

Well I took everyones advice and called my insurance and found out what I am going to have to do to get approved. They told me I would have to have a supervised diet for 6 months, psych eval, and visit a nutrionist. But I havent been with my insurance company for a whole year yet so I have to wait til Feburary before they will cover it if I met all the requirments. So I talked to the Surgeons office and told them everything and they said that is the best thing to do. Go ahead and get it all done and by the time Feburary comes around I will be set to go and no more waiting! So I started my 6 month supervised diet Sept 18th and so far so good I can definatly tell a diffe…

Hello, My name is Jimmy and I had my lapband surgery on August 6th 2009. I have had two fills so far and have lost a total of 28lbs. So far it is going good for me but looking forward to my next fill.

Hi, I'm Debbie. I was banded on 9/23, I've been reading lots of posts and can't believe how different the post op diets are. I'm having a terrible time, I'm very hungry. My last solid food was on 9/20. After my op they told me I couldn't have more than 3 ounces of liquid an hour. ( water, diet Snapple. tea w/o milk, no broth ) The nurse forgot to inform me that I was supposed to increase that intake the next day, so I was not doing to great at my post op app. They put me on 3 protien shakes a day I use the EAS ones they taste pretty good, and lquid ( again no soup or broth no vitamin water) I called my baratric groups office and they said to increase the drinks to 4. I ha…

So, I was referred to this program back in '07 but I was dealing with some personal and emotional issues, and getting medication sorted out, so it kind of fell back on my list of priorities. Recently I have been in a more stable situation, I just turned 25, and I feel like its time for me to take responsibility and do something about myself instead of just sitting around and whining about it. I am going through Kaiser Richmond, and I went to an initial orientation back in 07 but now I have a refresher class I am taking on Thursday. So I am excited about that. Um.. a little about me? I was diagnosed with severe depression a while ago, but I am currently off the meds,…

I was banded by dr ceron in cancun, mexico on 09-18-09. I am still trying to adjust to the different eating patterns. So far so good, I was able to loss 30 lbs on the pre-op diet. That was an added bonus. I choose to go to mexico because I was a self-pay. I was laid off last nov. and lost my insurance.

Greetings, I was banded on Wed Feb 4th! I am looking forward to being active on this site. I was banded by Dr. Folwell at St. Alexius Hospital in St. Louis. I am relocating to Indianapolis in a few weeks, so I would love to find a lap band support group in Indy! A little about myself, I'm a proud mother of two. I love to travel and I work in the finance sector! Recently divorced, and couldn't think of a better time to get banded, move, and start a new job! :cursing: Looking forward to making some awesome friends!

Oct 16th i can't wait it's gonna be like a 2nd birthday

Hi Everyone, I posted here about 2 years ago that I was getting a band. Well, I didn't do it. Now 2 years older and 20 lbs heavier, I am back. I have sent for info from the surgeon and will begin again. I have been reading here a lot and feel that this is the thing to do. It was my husband this time that encouraged me to do it. I was cleaning my koi pond filters and he was watching me struggle to bend over. He told me he felt so sorry for me trying to do things. I have bad hips and that is a lot of my problem, but being overweight sure doesn't help. My doctor told me that I will be having hip replacement in the near future and I want to lose weight for that. I will be 5…

Hi everyone! I am strongly considering the band. My therapist says that I need to talk to three people who've been banded. So, I figure this is the place to start. Any good stories out there? Any horror stories? I know there are lots of success stories as I've been reading now for two days. I thought I'd throw it out to the general public now. Sooooo, any takers?

Well it's day six after getting my sleeve done on Monday the 28th! I got back on Thursday night and was relieved to be home but didn't much feel like staring at a computer screen to do any updates, lol. The worst part was the initial waking up period in post-op care - bleugh! But overall it was pretty easy going. They kept me in a little longer than I think they would normally cause my BP and pulse was a bit high but I passed the leaks CT scan and all was well. So now I have to go back to them my GP in like a week to see if my BP and pulse is still running high. If so it turns out I'm tachycardic and I've got a whole n'other ball of wax to deal with *sigh*. I'll ju…

My husband finally said yes to the lap band procedure! My insurance won't pay for it so becoming self-pay was a big deal for us. I'm so excited to be doing the fast track at TLC Edge in the Dallas area. My first appointments are 9/25. One of my good friends is doing it with me. We've shared diets and tears so we're doing surgery together too. We see the dietician and the pre-op physician's asst. that day. I don't really know exactly what to expect on the fast track so any help or ideas or suggestions would be great. Kim :blushing:

:blink:My insurance company is the best. Because I am having it done at the hospital I work in they approve everyone. Now I just have to past the pschyc and the medical. That shouldn't be too hard. I'm only a little crazy.:smile2:

I need some support from anyone who has had their surgery and suffers from severe anxiety and lots of throwing up. I had my surgery in May 2007 and for the first six months had no problems. Then I started throwing up all the time due to anxiety. I had this condition prior to surgery but think it worsened due to the not being able to eat anything and everything all the time. I went on a spending spree for a while to take away the void from not being able to eat. I have been in the hospital four times for dehydration due to so much throwing up. When I get nervous about anything my band tightens up and I can't eat anything or if I do it gets stuck and I start throwi…

So I'm not really the kind of person that deals well with uncertainty. And the notion of this could be this or this could be this or this could be this DRIVES ME CRAZY! So do I have to do three months of supervised diet/exercise? Six months? None? So do I worry about my BMI falling? It's 40.4 right now. I have no other underlying conditions. I have had a stress test, carotid doppler, full pulmonary workup and echo of my heart in the past six months and all was fine well and good. So if my BMI falls below 40 by next tues, I might be screwed. Now that's a weird statement to make! Screwed because I'm losing weight? Yep. Screwed. Because it WILL come back. I…

Hi everyone, This is my first post even thought I've been lurking here for a while now. I've been looking into the lap-band for over a year but never got the courage to speak to my doctor about it. I have BCBS HMO of Illinois and when my PCP changed and I finally spoke up. She sent me to the weight-loss classes at the clinic which is to last a whole year. I also got a 1200 calorie diet to follow which is really not helpful to me at all. So now I'm in limbo and getting discouraged. One class a month for the next 10 months feels like forever! The funny thing is my insurance program doesn't require any classes or waiting. They base it all on the doctors referral. I just w…

I have been thinking about getting banded for a while now. Went to the info session back in July and got a little freaked out so decided to go to the nutritionist on my own to see if there was anything I could do to change my diet... found out I’m doing what I’m supposed to with food and exercise. Went to the Dr and got tested for just about everything that could cause weight gain (I have always been heavy but gained like 50lbs in 4 months... odd). From that I found out that I may be diabetic (second test is still being run). The whole reason I wanted to get banded and lose weight was to do it BEFORE I became 'unhealthy' (i.e. diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, ect…

I am booked and ready for the procedure on 22 Oct 09 and really excited. Even more so now I can see how many other people out there are in the same boat and have been there-done that. Any other West Aussies out there who have used Dr Watson? Coppamole :smile:

Aloha all! Is there anyone else from Hawaii out there that can share their experiences? Mahalo

I hope to enjoy the forums

Hi, my name is Lucienne and I am newly banded (25 Sep 2009). I am looking forward to insight and help, even knowing others are hitting the same obstacles will be a help :smile:

After many years (25) of yo-yo dieting I've reached my limit. Over the last 4 years I have encountered numerous medical issues due to my weight and I don't know what scares me more..going through with the surgery, or the potential for heart disease, diabetes, etc... I feel like this is my last shot and I'm afraid of failure. But at the same time I'm excited...does that make any sense???

My name is Nikki. I'm a mother of three living in Southern California. I'm currently looking for the right doctor/clinic to have the surgery. I'm paying out-of-pocket so I also need a place that has financing. I am SO glad I found these forums as I was feeling a bit lost, wandering around the internet looking for information. Looking forward to 'talking' to everyone. If anyone has a doctor recommendation (or someone I should avoid) for the Simi Valley/Westlake/Ventura area, please let me know!

I went to my final 6 of 6 dietitian visit today. So glad that is done. It did go very fast. Lost a total of 11 pounds. Now I play the waiting game. Hoping surgery will be sometime in November. My mom says wait til after the holidays so I can eat. I said I don't care. Funny!! I want to get my new life started. Good luck to everyone out there. Jen

Well I just joined the site today because over the weekend my Mom offered to pay for me to have the surgery. :thumbup:I told her I wanted to do some research before I even had a consult, so here I am! I can't find the thread I read earlier but someone responded to a question saying that they don't usually perform the surgery for someone with a BMI under 40, is that the case with all doctors? I'm in Austin, TX has anyone had the surgery over my way?

I made a trip to the Dr. today for my 1 week followup. 20 pounds down and the Dr. says that everything is going great! I am going to start hitting the treadmill tomorrow and start to get these bones moving more.

Had surgery 2 weeks ago. Combined with 2 week pre op diet I am already 30 pounds in 30 days....joined the forum to see if I can learn something and then later help others.

Yay, my insurance approved my surgery two days ago and I am scheduled for October 21st......cant wait.......now the "what ifs" are seeping in...like what if i dont lose weight??!! My brother got banded in January and honestly he lost more weight on the pre-op diet than he has in the past 9 months of banding....and that frightens me.....although I do not think he is following and kind of diet...I think he may have just cut down on portions....very scarey...I do tell him that he really cannot say the lap band does not work, because he is not working for the lapband......I really hope I can practice what I preach.......wish me luck!!!!!!!

Yes, that says my date of banding will be my date of birth! It's so cool. I'm having it done on Dec 3, my 30th b-day by Dr. Rumbaut. I'm so excited, and nervous! I'm doing it with a friend which will be nice. I am 29, 5'4" 264lb no co-morbidities with great blood pressure. So no real health reasons for this, just aesthetics basically. Does anyone have any experience with breastfeeding? I'm nursing and wondering about the effects of all the drugs from the surgery day. I don't have good luck pumping. I'll be gone for 6 days so I don't even know if she'll start back up when I get home or not. But I want to make sure it's safe if she does. Also, can I take something for…

My name is Onikara, a.k.a Kammie DuBois. I'm not a band patient but I have had Gastric Bypass just a bit over a year ago and this is where some of my support group in Sacramento hang out. I can't get pictures up on this connection, but next time I'm down in Santa Cruz I'll get some up. If you are in the Sacramento Kaiser support group, the one that is right next door to Cal-Expo, send me a message. I'll respond and check in as often as I can here.

I read everywhere that after the band you should eat the protein first but does anyone know any websites were I can find out which particular foods are protein? I mean I only know 2 and I think there probably wrong - Egg whites and chicken. I eat salads and vegetables with dinner almost everynight so I know I have at least something healthy but which foods are protein? Thanks

Howdy everyone. I just wanted to say hi and see if people can help me out with a basic question. I am contemplating this procedure and am wondering what to expect. Like info on timelines - how does the process go and what has been your experience? I am 34 yo, 5'7 and weigh 260. That equates to a BMI of 41. I don't have any other underlying health concerns at the moment, but I want to keep it that way! My father died from Type II Diabetes and hypertension and my mother died from colon cancer. My mother never struggled with her weight but my father did with his. I have enough to be concerned with there that I don't need to be carrying this extra weight like I am.…

According to my insurance company, I must see my dietician 6 times over a 6 month period. I am going in for my fourth and have only lost about 12 pounds. I think I am so nervous that I'm actually sabotaging my progress! The surgery itself does not scare me. The thought of putting myself/my health first is so foreign and feels frightening. I have 2 toddlers and the need to get back to my career. I've been a stay at home mother for almost 3 years. So many changes at once! Can someone please tell me if they have had a similar experience or know how to balance all of these nerve wracking issues.

Hi everone! I'm new to the forum. :001_tongue: I am 57 years old and was banded last Sept. My highest weight was 278, and that was when I first talked to the Dr about the band. At the time of being banded I was 267. I am now at 244. The surgeon says that I have not lost enought weight for the time frame. :thumbup1: I have tried very hard with very little success.:thumbdown: The PA suggested that maybe the sleeve will be a better choice for me. I have an appointment next week to talk to him about a revision to the sleeve. I had labs last week and my thyroid level is up a little. Not sure how this will effect things. I have been lurking around the forum and am e…

This is my first post. I got banded on January 7, 2008. It's been a little over two months and I have lost 34 pounds. I was banded by Dr. Lapschies in Oahu, my surgery was great and recovery went well. I was 235 pounds before surgery and am now 201 pounds.

After being very overweight and hating life for a lot of years, I finally made the decision to talk to my doc about weight lose surgery. He agreed because of my high blood pressure and other assorted weight-related issures that is was a good idea. I had tried several different methods ie Weight watcher, Healthy Ways, with no lasting results, the most I lost was 25 lbs on WW and I was starving all the time. I went to see the surgeon, Dr. Im in Richmond, and had decided to do the band because I wasn't keen on the idea of having my insides re-routed. Dr. Im asked if I would be interested in doing another procedure that Kaiser was going to be offering, gastric sleeve. He expl…

Hey guys! I am so excited to give you all an update of my newly sleeved progress. Although, these last few wks have been challenging, when I got on the scale this morning, it was ALL worth it. I am down 22 LBS since being sleeved, I cant believe it! I have not lost that much weight before. I am 80 lbs before I reach my goal. Below are thing that I feel have been working for me: 1. Ive been working out everyday 2. Drinking at least 70 oz of Water for the last 5-6 days (im finally able to drink an adequate amt of fluid) 3. I have found a Protein supplement that I can tolerate: (pro to go's creamsicle protein drink- just add water and there ya go. It has 15 grams of p…

Hello everyone! I'm new to this, however I have had my band since 12/08. I started out at abou 280lbs and am now down to 239. I have recently started to really up my exercise with some friends and I am hoping to see some more results that I don't feel I have been seeing lately. I feel as if I am behind the curve for what I sould have lost by now for having my band for almost 10 months. Any suggestions?

Hi everyone, I had my LapBand surgery 3 months ago and wouldn't change a thing! I have successfully managed to lose 36 lbs and am as motivated as ever! I look forward to reading your posts and helping one another as we all work towards reaching our weight loss goals!

Anyone out there from the Central Florida area? Looking to find a support person near me. TIA!! :seeya:

My name is Melissa and I am going to have the lap band done. I have contemplated this for several years and told myself I could do it. I have lost weight many times before but have been unable to keep it off for more than a couple years. I have now waited and and dieted myself up to 310 lbs. I am 5'7". At 18 I began to rapidly gain weight, become moody, lose my monthly cycles, and develop hair on my face. It took me several years and many doctors to get the diagnosis of PCOS. Every year I put on 10 or so lbs and now am having physical complications from the weight. I have been fortunate that my health has remained mostly good. By some miracle, I was lucky enough …

Hello, I am new here and my surgery is one week away so I am very nervous.

I just set up my consultation for Oct. 21st with Temple University in PA. Has anyone had their procedures done there? Also, my insurance doesn't have any criteria to meet other than have a bmi of 35 w/ med. conditions or 40 as long as go to Temple or Unniversity of Penn. As that being the case how long will it take from the time of my consult until my surgery.:tongue2: Thanks!!! If anyone could help me out with my questions and maybe share some of their experiences I would appreciate it.

Hello, I'm a 59 year old lady and I'm trying to decide on having the lapband or the Gastric Bypass. I weigh 236 and I'm 5'4". I'm a type II diabetic on oral medication and take one blood pressure medication. Please advise!!!!! I live in Raleigh, NC.:smile2:

My "journey" has come to a hault! I had my consultation today - only to be informed that BCN does not cover the sleeve in people with a BMI less than 50!!!! Mine is 43. What a bite in the arse~ Sigh. Guess it's not meant to be.

Hello to the sisterhood of sleeves, I'm sure there's a few bothers too! I've been asking questions, and getting great responces from very helpful people. I'm 48 @ 235 lbs. with a BMI of 39. The last time I was a normal weight was in 1981 the year I got married the 1st time. After 2 babies in two years, my weight started growing and has never stoped. I'm relatively healthy, with the acception of the normal problems that come along with carrying and extra 100 lbs around everyday. I have back problems, and I see a chiropractor regularly. I have hypertenion occationally. And I have high triglycerides. At my best I weighed 135 lbs. I would love to be there again. I think i…

I was banded in August, and so far everything is great. I am a grandmother, 12 and mother, 5 and am retired. I need advice on what to do at family gatherings, now that we can no longer eat.http://www.lapbandtalk.com/images/smilies/modern/thumbup.gif

Hi all! I was banded last week and it's been relatively easy (except when I got an inflamed bladder infection and ended up in the ER Saturday at 4AM!) But aside from that glitch, I haven't been hungry, the pain is minimal (stopped pain meds at this time) and I've felt pretty good! That is, until early this morning when I woke up to ravenous hunger pangs! I drank my 2 oz. Protein and then 2 oz. more. No relief. All day, no matter what I drink, I'm still starving! Is this normal? Does anyone have any suggestions? I just made dinner for my physically fit and starving jock family and the smell of the garlic bread is enough to make me faint!!!!

Hey is it normal to be able to eat more than 2 oz? I try not to but i just eyeball my portions.

This morning as I brushed my tongue, I gagged, which brought up a bit of undigested food from my stomach. This made me think about slippage of the band. Since I tend to gag, especially when brushing my teeth (well, actually my tongue), do you think that I should 1) consider gastric bypass or 2) quit brushing my tongue? What would you do?