Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hi there :w00t: I'm 7 days post op and feeling pretty good. The first 4 days were tough. I was constantly feeling so icky. But then one of my friends told me that I need to eat more substancial soups. (I was living on cup-of-soup, and yogurt). Right when I started to make my own home made soups I started to feel much better. (Even before I got the band, if I was really hungry I would feel very sick, so it's normal for me) I have been out to eat and had soup as my meal. I really enjoyed myself. Getting out of the house made me feel much better. I'm back to my normal routine and feeling great. I am having some strange aches all around my rib cage (front and back). Not su…

i am new and i am l:rolleyes:earning.

Day 5 of liquid diet. 10 days until sugery. Woo hoo! Dr. Lenz will be my surgeon, and I am super excited (and a little nervous)! Does anyone have any suggestion for compression garments? I've heard a little something about waist wrap, generally sent home with you from the hospital, but what about something more full-body? My thought is ... what might help reduce the skin sagging? I'll continue an excercise regime when I am able post-surgery, but I want to be as proactive as possible. Any suggestions? What has worked for you?

Hi i'm mindy, i was banded 10 march 2009, all is going well my starting weight was 106kg, i'm now down to 96kgs. with a goal weight of 63kgs. Ive just started on mushies and looking forward to my first fill, as sometimes i fell hungry.:smile:

Hi everyone! I am a 28 year old female and I was banded in December of 2007. So far I've lost 115 pounds. I still have a way to go (I'd like to lose another 100 or so) and just came across this site. I thought it would be helpful in keeping me on track! A little about me...I am an English teacher in NYC. I am in a committed relationship and have been for 7 years with a wonderful woman who has stuck by me through thick...not so thick...and on my way to getting thin... :smile: I am extremely musical; I play piano and guitar and own more music than I know what to do with. And I am obsessed with LOST. Obsessed!! I'm looking forward to getting to know you all on thi…

Hi guys! I am 20 years old and weighed 237.8 pounds at my local gym on Tuesday (3/17/09). On February 12th, I had my consult with the surgeon. On February 26th, I was approved by the psychiatrist. Now it is 3 weeks out from the psych approval, 2 weeks out since contacting the surgeon's office again, and about 2 more weeks possibly until I know whether I am approved or not. At any rate, I am pursuing this harder than I have anything else except my college degrees. :smile: Oh, I live in Gainesville, FL (thus the title) and I noticed another UF-area person is on here. Also part of a lapband community, and wls community, together on LJ so hey there! My surgeon wil…

Hi Everyone, I am scheduled to be banded this Wednesday 3/25. I was so excited until I read the thread on sliming and pb and now I am scared! I have to tell you I am concerned now.

well hello everyone I just been banded on Feb 4th and just got my first fill on 3/19 does anyone have a general guidline as to how much cal/fat/carbs we r suppose to be eating now I have still been following my pre op menu.

I am scheduled for lap band on 3.29.09 by Dr Manuel Castro through TLC Edge in Plano, Texas. I have been on liquid diet since 3.13.09 and have already lost 10 pounds, only 172 more to go! I actually love optifast! I got chocolate and i feel like i get to drink chocolate milk all day! I just wanted to share! I am too excited!

Hello, everyone. I've been reading posts the past few days and decided to join up. The support here seems amazing and I'm excited to begin my new journey. A little about me. I've been overweight all my life. I actually lost 60lbs ten years ago on Atkins and kept most of it off until about three years ago when I let it all come back. A bad cholestrol test, which was subsequently followed by a good one so I don't know if it was a fluke, gave me the wake up call I needed to get serious about losing weight for good. Problem was, it didn't seem to come off as easy as ten years ago. But more than that, I was positive I couldn't keep it off, even if I do lose, without drastic…

Hello - I've been lurking around these boards for ages. I've been fighting for Lapband surgery since the beginning of 2008 and now I'm finally scheduled!! April 16th is the day! I'm very excited...but nervous. I have a lot of weight to lose but I have a great at home support system to lean on. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more now that I actually have a date and my journey is officially starting. I look forward to getting to know everyone.

I was banded on 3/6/09 and the band was too tight and I could not swallow even water. I was rebanded on 3/10/09. So far so good. I have terrible heartburn when I drink Crystal Light for about an hour. Does anyone else have this problem?

Hi everyone. I'm so glad I found this site. All the comments and atttitudes are so positive. I'm scheduled for surgery on March 30 and go for all sorts of tests tomorrow. I guess I will get pre-opand post-op diet instructions at that time. As I was surfing for more info on the post-op experience, I saw it listed where asparagus is a no-no food. Is that true? Asparagus is my favorite food of all time. Why is it on the banned list? I can understand something like popcorn, but asparagus? Anyway, I look forward to checking back in here and get help and support from this community. I'm glad I have joined already.

Hello everyone, my name is Joshlyn. I am 23 years old from Waco, Texas... living in hell (a.k.a. Stephenville, Texas). I am currently going through my insurance required 6 month process. I am 3 months in. I still have 3 more nutritionist visits, a seminar to attend, and my psych eval. Yesterday was my 3rd nutritionist visit at which time I weight 302 lbs. I am 5 feet 7 inches tall. My BMI is 47 I believe. I have been overweight my entire life, in the last 4-5 years becoming obese/morbidly obese. In junior high and high school I played soccer, on a team and was a competitive swimmer for 5 1/2 years. My events were the 200 and 500 free, as well as swimming the 50…

Hi everyone, I'm so excited to find this forum! I'm currently looking into the lap band option for my weight loss. I do not know personally anyone who has gone through this procedure so I am hoping that this forum might segway me to finding out more information about the procedure as well as a doctor near to where I live. I'm hoping also to make new friends as well, so feel free to add me as your friend. Thanks! Marcy

I am new to this. I had surgery on 3-10-09 in Kansas City. I live in Iowa. Mother of a 16 son. I have lost 21 lbs since surgery and i am doing great. I feel great and really have had no pain or problems. I had surgery on Tuesday and went back to desk job on Wednesday. I feel good and ready to make a new life for me.

This is new to me and I have no idea what I am doing. I haven't been banded yet but I am planning to do a seminar as soon as I get feed back from the doctor on when and where the next seminar is going to be held. Has anyone used Dr. Nick Nickolson at the Nickolson Clinic in Plano. I was looking for the Baylor Hospital Bariactric but his clinic is what I came up with. A couple of ladies at my church used another doctor but he doesn't accept my insurance so my doctor suggested I try Baylor. I am both excited and nervous at the prospect of doing this. Are there any seniors who have had the surgery if so please tell me about your experience.

I'm going to my 2nd first introduction class April 1st. This is the 2nd time because of insurance purposes. I now have insurance that covers lap-band. Does anyone have experience with Blue Cross? I'm curious if I’m going to run into any trouble. I'm a type II diabetic, high blood pressure, cholesterol, bmi 43, and a track record of weight loss failures.

Hello everyone! I am a 35 yr. old, married, mom of 4 and I live in the Kansas City, MO area. My surgery is scheduled for 3/31/09 with Dr. Stephen Malley and I am on my pre-op diet now. I am excited, scared and miserable..lol This pre-op diet thing sucks! I dunno if I have ever been so hungry in my life and this is only day 4! I am in constant pain from a back injury (made worse by the weight) and my knees. I am currently 234lbs and 5'4'' tall. I have lost 5 pounds in the last 3 days. I just keep telling myself the payoff will be worth whatever I am going through now. Keepin' my eye on the prize. Anyway, just wanted to say 'hi' and introduce myself. Since I have prett…

I am soo freakin excited! Eighteen hours til surgery. Unfortunately, insurance won't pay, but luckily I have a doctor who bands for $9950 super close to my house.

I am a 45 year old single mother of 1; I was banded in March of 2007 in Acuna, Mexico. I weighed 222 at the time and I am 5ft. 2in. This month of course, is my 2 year anniversary, and I have lost up to 101 lbs, (there is a long story behind this). I am currently at 160lbs. I was banded by Dr. Jose Rodriguez, and it was a wonderful experience. If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't change a thing! I would recommend it to anyone.:ohmy:

Hello to all! I've just registered to support my wife who has made the decision to go ahead and do the Lap Band procedure out of pocket. *sigh* I am not overly concerned about the procedure. The facility seems to really care and is in order. What I need to do is to kill my wife's "addiction" to Pepsi. As I sit here typing, I look over at our kitchen table and see four cases of Pepsi. I don't drink soda. The other issue is finding cookbooks for my wife's needs after the surgery. I'm sure I'll find plenty of recipes and books on this site though. My culinary degree will help too! :tongue_smilie: I'm really hoping to be able to excersise with my wife at s…

Hi everyone, My name is Sita. I'll be 32 in May, and I was banded almost two years ago. (April 25, 2007) My surgeon was Dr. Katkhouda at USC here in Southern California. I was 380lbs, and as of last weekend I'm 230lbs, so I've lost 150lbs so far. My surgeon says that going by statistics and averages, I will only lose another 10lbs, but I'm determined to screw up the bell curve for everyone else, and get to 180lbs. :ohmy: I haven't participated in any WLS-specific support in the last two years. I have gone to a lot of 12-step meetings, and I have an incredibly supportive network of friends and family, so I haven't been alone. But lately I've been wanting to connect wit…

Hello, my name is Tammy, and my surgery date is March 24. I have several friends who have gone through this, but I'm still scared. I have never had surgery of any kind. I've never even been in the hospital except for x-rays and other tests. I tried so many other methods of losing weight, and they worked for a little while, then nothing. I made the decision to have lap-band surgery after much research and soul searching. I'm ready to begin this journey. I know it won't be easy, but I'm dedicated to doing this the right way. I even made an appt with a counselor to work on other issues, and I've never been to a therapist except for the psychological evaluation …

Hi all, My name is michael Brown and I was banded 7/9/07 by Dr. Nirmal Jayaseelan in Dallas, TX. My highest pre-band weight was 396 pounds. I managed to get down to 285 on the Atkins diet (three times). On my way back up the fourth time, I decided I needed to do something different and that's when I found the band and Dr. Jayaseelan. At the time of my surgery, I weighed in at 346. I had gotten down to 239, but due to stress and other factors, I had to have some Fluid removed from my band. Today I am at 268, back on the bandwagon, and dropping again. I hope to reach my goal of 220 by the end of the year, though I am giving myself until this time next year. I…

Hi I'm booked to have surgery with Dr Nottle on 2 June. Since having booked I'm both terrified and excited. All I seem to have seen since I saw dr Nottle is negative reports about lapbanding. I believe i'm doing the right thing but do worry still anyway. oh and i'm a total amateur at this forum stuff

Hi Everyone! My DOS was 3/9/09 and I am in my second week of liquids only. I am a little scared about starting soft food next week, but at the same time looking forward to "real" food!:sneaky: My starting weight was 327 and I am already down to 314. Woohoo!! Dr. Helmuth T. Billy is my doctor out of Ventura, CA and I absolutely love him and his whole staff. I am so excited about this journey! Thanks everyone for sharing - it is so encouraging hearing about all of your successes! Sincerely, Teri Toyama

Hello my name is Brandy and I'm 29, 220lbs and I feel horrible:frown: I have a bad back and i had surgery, that is when my weight got out of controll. I have mixed feelings about the lap band! It sounds painful and very hard, just like a diet! How do you feel after having the procedure and are you glad you did it? .....confused.......:tongue_smilie:

Hi to all! Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Sylvia, living in Valdosta Georgia. I'm an over weight lifer. And have done the yo-yo diets....spent lots of money on weight loss programs like Metibolic Research and just cant seem to get to a healthly weight. I of course have heard about Gastric Bypass and always thought it was an extream way to alter yourself (in my opinion an unhealthy way) to become "healthy". Needless to say that has always discouraged me. UNTIL!! I heard of Lap-Band. It has been something I have followed for a couple of years, done some research and went to my first siminar this Wednesday. I'm what you all call here a "self pay" my insurance dosen't…

I have been reading the other sites and I've read about PB (productive burp) which I am absolutely NOT looking forward to. However, I just read about "sliming?" What does that refer to? The person it happened to was very uncomfortable with it, so I suppose its not a pleasant experience. Just want to know what to expect...:sneaky:

I found this forum a few weeks ago when I was contemplating the procedure. Well I went to a seminar at True Results in San Antonio March 5th and decided to do it!! My insurance is BCBS of Illinois and they require a 6 month weight management program which I can do through True Results. I also have to do the nutrition consult (not covered by insurance), psych eval, sleep study and chest x-ray but I don't mind if it gets me to my goal. The best thing about my insurance is my out of pocket cost... $500, that's it! I know a few others who have done it and they had to cover from $1,000 to $2,500 so I'm super happy So I have to wait 6 month but at least that will be more money…

Hello. Never used a forum before. I was banded January 13. I've lost 13 lbs but It seems that I've lost many inches. I am having a hard time sticking with the low carb diet that is recommended due to work and I am trying to be patient with this process. Any helpful ideas?

Hi all, had my lapband surgery on Jan 15 this year by Dr Stephen Watson. Have had one fill to date, with my second appointment in a couple of weeks. So far doing well, lost 13 kilo's and feeling great:smile:

Hello all, my name is Melena and im from Los Angeles CA and this is my first posting on this site. I have read everyones exceptional stories which has motivated me to finally get banded. Im really excited and nervous as im waiting for my approval from Cigna Wish me good luck

Hi, This is my first time on this site. I had my lapband surgery on 9/12/08. I had my first fill in December of 2008 due to some complication in healing of my incision. At that I was only filled to a 1. In January 2009, I was filled to a 2 and that is where I am now. I have lost 27 lbs to date. I have been feeling a little bit of frustration because I haven't lost more weight and I have also been experiencing the phlegm sometimes after the first bite or two of food. This kind of contributes to my indulging in some "junk" foods which go down easier. I would like to know if anyone else has experienced this and is there anything that can be done about it. HELP!!!:tongue_smil…

:tongue_smilie: Hello out there I am from alaska, I was banded in Washington and doing well. Banded feb-25-2009. I have lost 19 pounds so far. I go for my first fill on March 25. It feels lonely here in alaska, not alot of people are banded here. So I am looking forward to this web site for support. spollow

Hello everyone. I was just banded on monday and I am lookign for support from others who have had the procedure and those wh o are still considering it. I'm trying to figure out what my body is telling me at this point. I still want food, but I feel like my stomach will burst if I have any. I sometimes feel like my stomach is coming up through m y thraot and I'm not sure if this is something others have experienced or if maybe something is wrong. The liquid diet is definitely harder than I though it would be too.

Hello fellow banders. 3-5 for me and doing well except for wanting real food now and then. Still wearing same pants size and down at least 10lb, I think maybe due to swelling. I'm amazed at how much water I can drink without feeling full. I'm sure after the first fill that will change. a little tip I use when making protein shakes, I flavor it with a very small amount of jell-o and that works great and saves on calories,I noticed the flavored protein has 50 more calories that nonflavored. I see the Dr. on monday and think he will put me on soft foods. Better days ahead.

I've just begun the process! I am going to the required info session tomorrow and that will get the ball rolling. I joined the site to learn more from real-life experiences.

hello there new here my name is trista i live in christiansburg va and i had the lap band surgery december 16 2008 i weighed 260 and currently weigh 229.5. my surgen is Dr. Bissell in radford va. i am a mother of a beautiful 13 month old and have been married for 6 years. i am very excited to lose the weight and be healthy for my little girl and look fabulous for my husband. but still need some support

:tt2: just got "banded" March 11 and Im already having 2nd thoughts I feel great except for the gas pain in my left side. But after reading some posts feel better and dont think Im so crazy. Im in mourning over food right now. I am married with 3 kids 17,8 and 5. Just looking for people who understand and offer support. I am looking forward to losing the weight. Im down about 13lbs since pre op liquids (sucked)

Hello, I have been browsing these boards since attending a True Results seminar and making the decision to proceed with Lap Band surgery. I am self pay so things are moving along pretty quickly and I am a bit nervous. Not about the surgery itself (well...a little bit!) but that I am going to pay all this money and it won't work. After all..I have paid out lots of money over the past 8 years of being overweight, thinking "this time I am going to lose it for SURE" and just falling off the wagon shortly after getting on it! I really cannot imagine something actually working for me! Anyway - just wanted to post a little about me. This is a great resource for some real a…

i am new her and want to know how every one feeles about the surgery? how u feel after surgery is the diet hard to stick to? was any one hungry? i want to knowevery detail.

I HAD MY SURGERY ON JANUARY 7, 2009. ALL TOTAL, PRE DIET AND POST OP) I HAVE LOST 52 LBS SINCE 11/6/08. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY FILLS YET AS I DO NOT FEEL HUNGRY. RIGHT NOW I SEEM TO BE ON A PLATEAU. I CAN'T SEEM TO LOSE ANY WEIGHT NO MATTER WHAT I DO. I AM TRYING JUST shakes FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM? ANY TIPS? THANKS!!:sneaky:

I had my first appointment today. I am hoping that I can get lots of helpful information off this site!

I have signed up to attend a seminar after researching options and many failed diets. Now I am curious about what to expect after the seminar and what kind of time frame I may be looking at until the surgery. Any insight is appreciated. TIA :confused:

Hello everyone. My name is Vicky. It was suggested that I introduce myself instead of lurking so here I am. I have made the first step into this process my making the call. I do not meet the standards set up here in the US...I have a 33 BMI...basically I am 5' and 175pds. So I have decided to look out of country. I am pretty nervous about that let me tell you. I personally know someone who went to Mexico and it all worked out fine but who knows. I have done alot of research and really want to do this but the out of country scares me and so havent made the final leap.

Hello. This is the first time I have been on this site. A friends told me about it. I have been contemplating having the surgery. I have an appointment April 8th to talk to my doctor. Anyway, a little bit about me. I am married to a United States Soldier and we are stationed in Alaska. We have been married for 9 years. I have 2 beautiful boys. Joshua is 8 and Karson is 4. Anyway, I just wanted to say hello and I can't wait to talk to my doc. Jennifer

I'm super nervous and excited at the same time. It's next Wednesday with Dr. Johnell in Greeley, CO. I guess that's probably normal to have mixed emotions. I have Anthem insurance and know I have bariatric coverage I just don't know how much of a hassle it's going to be. Hopefully not too much. Looking forward to being an active member of these boards.

First I want to say that this site has been a God-send! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post! I have learned so much from this site and I feel completely ready (but still nervous) about my banding on 3/30. My question is about the pouch and having it get stretched out over time, if a person consistently eats large amounts of food. Has anyone had a problem with this? Does this happen to a lot of people? I was under the assumption that if a person with a band ate too much, the excess food would "come back up" in one way or another. I want to be very careful not to overeat and stretch my new pouch! Thanks again for your input, everyone! God bless!