Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

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So i found a place to have surgery in Tijuana. It is very inexpensive and from what i have found online seems to be clean and very qualified. Has anyone had the surgery there or do you know anything negative about it? Would like to hear the info and stories.

Hello there. I have just had band surgery on Friday (so I'm 3 days post just now). Aside from a small scare going over a speed bump a little fast and knocking the wind out of me I've had a great experience so far. I lost about 5kg before the surgery and my insulin needs have dropped dramatically already (I'm a type 2 diabetic but needed insulin). The pain from the surgery has almost gone already and I can take liquids pretty easily now. Fortunately I have great support from my family and friends, as well as a great team from the doctor (Dr. Craig Taylor from the OClinic in Sydney - you guys rock!). Very pleased to meet everyone here and hope that my experience in…

Hi, I was banded 7/10/09. Dr Scott Ellison was my Doc at Overland Park Ks. I have lost 27 lbs and have had 2 fills. I'm still fighting hunger though. I know it just takes time but Im ready for some restriction. Good to find this board.

I am going to a seminar tomorrow, but I am wondering generally, how much time does it take, and what all do you have to do, between first meeting your surgeon and actually having the procedure?

I"m nervously and anxiously waiting for insurance approval. I'm almost to my 3 mo. appt needed for Aetna's approval. My drs office submitted already for pre-approval because I've found out my husband is going to be laid off work in October, which was my original surgery date. No work= no insurance. If we can get a pre-approval, then do my final dr appt next week, I could possibly get my lapband end of Sept.....keeping my fingers & toes crossed.

I promise, when I become fully experienced with all of this lapband stuff, I will be helpful to all the new people, just as all of you are so helpful to me. Okay, so here it is. My first consultation is Monday (YaHOOOO!!) and I know I should ask questions during the appt., but I have found out so much info. here on this site, I don't know what I should ask? Any suggestions? Hold on, one question just came to me: "Can I have it done tomorrow?"

hi everyone. i am Diana and new. i was just banded and and just joined. my first week with the band was hard but now i am in week two and it is getting much easier. I am looking for a group to join but there is so many. can anyone give any suggestions to a group.

:sad:My ins requires a 6 month waiting period...which is fine, gives me time to make all the appointments and mentally and physically get myself ready for this huge step in my life.... My journey started July 1st and am thinking my surgery will be in January sometime. I've quite smoking...it'll be 4 weeks on Tuesday...which is HUGE for me! I honestly loved to smoke and miss it. But it's going to make me healthier and wealthier not to smoke. That was 1 or 2 milestones for me to overcome for this surgery....the last one I have to do is lose my pre-surgery weight....that I'm having a hard time with. At my first appt, I was told I had to lose 13lbs. Now that I quit smokin…

Hi everyone.

After many, many years, I have finally decided to go forward with the Lap-band!! Woohoo!! I am so excited, I feel so great now that I've finally made this decision. And so far, everything is going great. I've found a surgeon and made it past the very first step in his process and have my first actual consult on September 29. I've gotten all the records, insurance information, letters, etc that I need. I keep expecting to be stopped at every turn, but so far, things are just moving right along. I met with my PCP today and was totally expecting her to try to talk me out of it. But instead, she and her nurse were super supportive and they said the surgeon (Dr. Harris in Wilm…

Hi I was wondering if any one made it to the NYC walk from Obeasity today? It was a nice 2 mile walk I got a ton of free samples and won a raffle prize.

OMG I can't wait til I can start mushies....I'm sooo tired of liquids already :biggrin:

Hey everyone!! Just wanted to check this out for some support. I am getting more nervous as the day gets closer. It all happened pretty fast for me. My insurance was wonderful! I am so excited !! Look forward to reading everything everone has to say.:blushing:

Ok so I have had a rough past few months and have started drinking soda like crack. Went to the dr today and he says that my stomach has stretched and possible band slip. I have to do liquids for the next week and he has placed me on a band fill diet, and he said it is possible that I may have to get the band removed. Has this happened to anyone? Please let me know, I'm praying that he was just trying to scare me and everything will be ok. PLEASE ANYONE....:wink:

Hey everyone! My name is Samantha, I'm 21 and have been overweight for a good chunk of my life. I've tried every pill, diet plan, and exercise equipment with no luck. I'm tired of this lifestyle! I can't do the quick fixes anymore, and I can't take pills for the rest of my life either. So, I'm doing my research on LapBand and I think it's the right option for me. My research on it began today, and I'll be calling my insurance company on Monday to see if it's covered. I'm truly scared about that, what am I suppose to say to them? Is it considered a cosmetic surgery? What do I not say? Is there anything I can say or do to up my chances of it being approved? Any advice would…

My BMI is 38.3, and I have to be greater than 40 to qualify and that would equal me gaining 15lbs to reach that. I know you can qualify 35-39 with things like high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes. I don't think I have any of those, at the most maybe pre-diabetes which I'll find out on October 6th when I have my yearly physical and get some blood work drawn. Does anyone know of anything else that could qualify me? Maybe a history of diabetes/heart disease in my family, I have knee/back issues, the fact that every diet/pill/program has failed me? Help! I really do not want to gain more weight just to reach a 40 BMI!:wink:

I have really been cosidering the band for about 6 mths, since a family member had it done. My concerns are not with the surgery, device, ports, etc, My concern is my love of food. I don't eat for comfort or out of depression, I just like to eat good food, as I'm sure a lot of us on this forum do, we didn't get big by having an aversion to food. How hard or long did it take for any of you to get over your food "addiction". I am 6'6" and I weigh 340-360 depending on what I have for dinner, and I think I should weigh somewhere between 230-250. Diets haven't worked and I really see this as a great opportunity but I know that the procedure doesn't address the cravings/love of…

Wow.. just visited dr friday and it looks good so far for the lap band procedure. I am so ready!! :tongue2:

I have only 2 hours until I fast for my surgery! It is tomorrow morning!!! I have had my last meal.......and boy oh boy did I do it up!!! Fillet Mignon, baked potatoe, frsh bread with cheesy fondue, banans foster, 3 cokes: it doesn't stop there....I've had everything I can think of! I feel like I'm going to "miss" my food soo much! pizza, burritos, ect, I've had it all this week! Now i've already lost 35 lbs, more that i needed to, so I'm celebrating with my favorite foods! I know it's crazy.......but I must do this. It is my last chance....Right???? Going to pack my bag and and make my Jello........ Peace~Love:thumbup:

Hi All, I am a bandster, banded 2/19/08. Sure you all have heard stories upon stories but I do feel the need to discuss mine. The surgery went well, tho afterwards I had to fight to get a fill. And yet, after my fill, I felt no restriction. Not unusual, but I still felt no restriction after my 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th fill. 8 MONTHS after surgery the NP decided something must be wrong and pulled out my Fluid. Come to find out that the person giving me the fills NEVER made it into my port. I only had 3.5 cc in my band and that was given to me by a different person all together. The ironic thing was was that I still managed to lose 50 pounds by sheer momentum of the des…

Hello everyone- I am new to this forum however I get banded next Friday and to be completely honest I am petrified that I am going to fail! I want to lose 5 lb's before surgery and am having trouble controlling myself at night. I am afraid this is going to happen after my band and I am not going to lose! I am mortified! I thought I was prepared mentally but am already feeling like a failure. Oh, and I think my profile says I am male and haven't figure out where to change it. I am all girl! :laugh:

Hi everyone, I attended a lapband seminar this week, as I am seriously contemplating having this procedure done. I have several very good reasons to do it: * Improve my health. I don't have any co-morbidities at this time, but my extra weight is really taxing my knees and my back. I have always had a large chest, and the weight of it really strains my back. * Live better. I want to do all the things that I can't right now due to my size. * Try having a baby. Unlike many women who do not have a monthly period due to their weight, I don't have this problem. My issue is that my eggs are old, though I'm only 38. We have tried IVF using my own eggs, but that did…

and watching the pot to boil, I mean the calendar to MOVE, and I was wondering. What kinds of things will go on at the "First Doctor's appt". Does he examine you? Is this the meeting to set up the surgery? Do we find out if we have good insurance or bad? Anybody know? My first appt. is Mon 9/14. I am getting so happy it is alost here. But like I said, I have been wondering exactly what will take place. Love to here from anyone. Thanks. Liz

After losing 126 lbs on Weight Watchers and maintaining for three years, I gained nearly all of it back when my arthritic knee became so painful I stopped exercising (and started eating massive portions of inappropriate foods). After knee-replacement surgery, I tried a variety of weight loss programs but I couldn't recapture my determination. After a referral by my primary care physician, I began the bariatric program at Kaiser South San Francisco by attending their orientation on 8 September; I'm booked for the second phase (nutrition and lifestyle classes) at the end of the month. I don't yet have a target weight to qualify for surgery, but I suspect it'll mean I have t…

JOINJ "LAP BAND LOVERS' for lovers of lap bands and lovers with lap bands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:wink:

Hi everyone, I recently got preapproved for the lap band surgery. If I hadn't checked into this, I wouldn't have known I have severe sleep apnea. I have my first appt with the surgeon on Tuesday and I'm so nervous. I have to lose 11 lbs beofre the final approval from the insurance co. And, I'm having a hard time. Did anyone else have to lose some weight first and have a hard time? I really appreciate your thoughts. And, best wishes to everyone with the lap band surgery.

HI everyone. This is my first visit here but I know it won't be my last - my surgeon even recommended it to us in our education session last week. I'm lucky that my university has both a hospital and my insurance coverage and I knew from the beginning that it was one-stop-shopping for WLS. I got my referral in June, did my psych eval in July, the nutrition eval in 1 visit in August (which is what my insurance requires), the education session last week, and now my op is scheduled for 10/29/09. It could have been earlier but I had work commitments that I wanted to have behind me so I could really focus on my new life. I've been doing WW again since April and have l…

Hello my name is Stacie and I'm 36 years old. I had my surgery 8/11/08 at Cedars Sinai in LA. I started my journey after struggling with my weight for years. I really started looking into it after I had a miscarriage in Jan 2007 and was not able to get pregnant again so in March of 2008 my dr sent a referral and that is how it started. My weight at my highest in March 08 was 335. The day of my surgery I was 329. I had 2 adjustment in 9/08 and 12/08 at Cedars then got new insurance. Now that my new insurance is in effect and I have a new Dr. with Kaiser in south San Fran I got my 3rd adjustment last friday, and I'm at 274 right now. They recommended me to join this site fo…

I had the surgery in March. The band took a long time before it worked for me. It took 4 fills and has been working now for the last month. I started out at 253 and I have a goal of 140. So far I have lost 24 pounds, not all within the last month but about half of that in the last month. I have a hard time getting in all of my water because I am trying to restrict myself to not drink at all with meals. That is the hardest part to me!:laugh:

So, I had started to embrace it. And decided that I would go to my doctor for the 6 months (monthly visits). Well I just called Blue Care Network to see if that was a covered procedure code. He tells me that I it was to be a weekly weigh in for 6 months. ARGH. I really don't want to join Weight Watchers for the 267th time in my life. Not to mention I really cannot afford it right now. So now head is swimming again. he tells me that seeing the doctor once a month isn't going to give them what they need to approve me. blah blah blah!

Hi there! My name is Janelle, and I am a newbie! I have been interested in the lap-band for years but my insurance would not cover it until I was on their insurance for two years. I now qualify for it, so I am just getting started in the process. I have pretty much everything scheduled as far as the work-up between now and the end of October. My final appointment with the surgeon is October 29th, which also happens to be my birthday! LOL. I am probably looking at a surgery date in early to mid November... It seems so far away right now, but I know it will go by in the blink of an eye! I have been spending a lot of time looking at these posts so I know what to expect and …

:smile2:Hello All! I am new to this site. I just joined and I am looking for others who are pre-surg for October. Also, what can I expect from surgery realistically? I don't want to get my hopes up. I know that I will have to work at this too, it is surgery, not magic! :w00t:

8 years ago today, we all witnessed a tragedy. A tragedy that will remain with us forever. . for some of us it was more than a tragedy, it was a day where someone lost a brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, mother, father, best friend or just friend. I just want to express my deepest sympathies and condolescenses to anyone who lost someone or was touched by that day. We all lost a piece of something that day, every one of us. . . lest we forgot. . . :laugh:

I just wanted to say hi! My name is Mike, and I have been stopping by the website for a few weeks now, just reading some of the stories, and looking at some of the fantastic before and after pictures of all you success stories. I have been chubby most of my life, but slendered down and then bulked up( I found out about the weight room) in highschool. I know what it's like to be thin and muscular, but after being a single father all these years( my daughter is almost 10 years old and a perfect weight for her height, and eats like a health nut! ) I feel like I do not even know how to eat properly anymore. In sports, I could eat whatever I wanted, and after high school I was…

Hello everyone, I was just banded this morning. I was a bit nervous about the whole procedure but luckily, just a few hours before surgery I found your site and read all the Post-Op stories to try to get an overall idea of what to expect and of coruse... it helped me A LOT. Thank you all so much. It's only been a few hours since my surgery, and besides they pain and overall discomfort I like they way the band feels: I feel mentally "hungry" but physically satisfied I dunno if that makes any sense to any of you, but it's helped me deal with the whole liquid diet thing. So since 3pm today (it is now 1am) I've had a small cup of apple juice in the hospital, a single sco…

Hi everyone, My name is Bill and I'm 46 and about to be banded just before my 47th birthday on November 24 by Dr Sax in Providence, RI. Looking forward to this new chapter in my life. I've gotten alot of great feedback from this forum and hopefully will be able to share my experiences with future "bandsters":thumbup:

Okay so yesterday I was a little bummed... but today after reading somemore post and things i feel a million times better! For so many reasons and its all thanks to everyone on here for sharing their experiences! you all ROCK!!! THANKS SOOOOOO MUCH!!!:w00t:

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Hello everyone, I was banded on 8/25/09... very easy surgery for me infact, I was out of the hospital in hours.. walking around and little pain. 4 days before my surgery I did my first initial weigh in at my doctors office and I was at 242(which I swore was wrong...lol!) Had the lapband and followed the instructions, to me the hardest part was getting down all the fluids they wanted me to because I was so full from the swelling. Well everything is going great, even though I haven't had my first fill I feel restriction and eat a whole lot less than I did before AND really dont want or crave the crappy foods I was eating before. I went for my 2 week check up this p…

I keep reading about the 5 year weight loss history. What is the deal with that? Do you have to be 5+ years overweight to have the surgery? I have only been overweight for 3 years. I'm 5'5 and 245 now. I was 140 before I got pregnant and was 227 when my son was born. I dropped down to 180 right after and well, 2 1/2 years later here I am at 245.I am going in on Saturday for a seminar. Just didn't know if it would hold me back.

Hello, My name is Angela. I am 37 years old and just beginning my Lap Band Journey. Hopefully I get to finish it. My insurance has an exclusion on anything weight loss NO EXCEPTIONS... They wouldn't even cover my Diabetes Nutritional Counseling. I am 140 (at least) pounds overweight. My BMI is 51. I have asthma, GERD, Type2 diabetes, and NAFLD. I am hoping to find a way to pay for this as I need it drastically. So Hopefully, Maybe....... I live in PA and my surgeon is Dr. Kim Marley. of Windber, Pa. He came highly recommended by my family Dr. I have attended the seminar and submitted all of my paperwork. Now at a stand still. Do not understand my insurance. My…

Hi all! I have my consultation for the Lap Band on Saturday at Dr. Feiz' office in Beverly Hills. I'm SO nervous...I was thinking about the whole thing and I want it SO bad. Its going to be kind of eye opening to actually sit there and basically confront my 'fat'...lol. I've been reading a lot of the threads here and I have to say that everyone is so informative and inspiring. If anyone has any advice or tips for my consultation, as far as what I can expect...please don't hesistate to share :blushing: Thanks Sabrina

I met with the LifeHelp Coordinators. They help go through all the cost of the surgery and setup my evals for the surgery. The projected date of my surgery is 10/12-14. Getting a little nervous. :w00t:

In a newbie here, but have been surfing the posts for a long time. I am 24 years old and I have been morbidly obese since I was 8. I have tried so many diets over the years and lost tons of weight only to gain twice as much back. I had finally given up on dieting and stayed the same weight without gaining for a few years. My insurance started covering lap band in January, so I have been working on getting my surgery approved since then, now it's finally here:smile: I have lost 11lbs so far on my pre-op diet and another 9 before that. I can't believe I'm already 20lbs closer to my goal and I haven't even had the surgery yet. I'm so excited. I can't wait to start having mor…

Just curious if anyone lives or was banded in Philadelphia?

Why did you decide to go with the lap band and not another method of WLS? I have just started the process with a surgeon and have been asked to consider all the options. I've been leaning towards the lap band due, but I'm trying to educate myself on all of the options.

I wanted to ask the banders how has life been after no more steak? At the Lap-Band Seminar surgeon mentioned no rubbery food, such as steak, shrimp and calamari. Needless to say I'm a little bummed out about the steak. My wife and I usually get our Birthday Steaks from our local steak house I guess we will need to come up with new tradition.

I had my surgery yesterday in NY Presbyterian Weill Cornell hospital in Manhattan. I was scheduled for 10:30am and we got to the hospital at about 8:15 they wanted us there by 8am. Everyone in the intake area was very nice and the facility is generally very obease freindly. They brought me in and inserted my IV and I met the anasteasologist. At around 10 Dr Pomp came in and said that they were clearing the room and I would begoing in shortly. He had sign a consent for a studdy and he said that we had one of the best anastiesologists. I was very happy to hear this as this was one thing of many that I was worried about. at around 10:40 they came and got me and we walked to …

Well I am a 35 yr old male married to an bandster of 2yrs for 15yrs. I went for my psyhc exam yesterday and nutri. appt. plus my third dr. supervised diet appt. I have the ball rolling towards getting the band around Jan or Feb 2010. The psych exam went well so I think he will approve. I think he liked that my wife has lost 129lbs on the band and she will be me number1 supporter. I'm 6ft 2in @320lbs. we have 6 children and stay very busy and I work 60+ hours a week. I have done alot of research on this website and several others and believe this is the tool I need to help me in losing weight. I hope to add a much needed male point of veiw to this forum...... …