Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

:redface:Well i want to thank everyone for being a part of a community where people like me with questions can come for answers. My name is Mallery i live in Queens, NY. I have yet to be banded i have an appointment with my prospective surgeon next Tuesday. Im a bit nervous and scared, but i have seen how the procedure has changed lives in a great way and i know from being unheathly almost all my life its time for a change. So again thank you to everyone for being here.:thumbup:

Hi. My name is Candy and I live just southeast of Columbus OH. I started this journey in June by attending one of the seminars at Mount Carmel. I just got approved yesterday and I can't wait to find out when I can have the surgery. 6/25/08 - Seminar 7/26/08 - Accepted into program 9/2/08 - Surgeon appt. 9/12/08 - Psych eval 9/8/08 - Dr. visit 1 of 3 09/24 - EKG 10/2/08 - Nutritionist 10/3/08 - Stress test - cancelled 10/6/08 - Dr. visit 2 of 3 10/7/08 - Echo 10/10/08 - stress test - cancelled 11/7/08 - Stress test - completed 11/17/08 - Dr. visit 3 of 3 11/18/08 - approved by insurance

Hello, I am scheduled for my consult on 12/1, and I have been reading your discussions for about a week, would the majority of folks do the procedure again? just concerned also my insurance should pay for the procedure, will it pay for the "fills"? thanks kdbaron

Hello, this is my first post. Sorry for the length but something truly remarkable happened to me yesterday and I want to share it. I had lap band surgery yesterday and came home today. I could not be more pleased with my Dr. and staff. Even the office nurse and dietician came by the hospital this AM to check on me. In recovery I was having significant pain but there was something within me that just wanted to get out of bed and walk. The recovery nurse asked me if I was sure that I wanted to do this because of the amount of pain I was having along with borderline low oxygen saturations. I am a doctor on staff at the hospital where I had surgery so I guess she let me fudge…

Hi...I'm at an impasse on my weight loss and feel like I've been stuck for over a year. I'm looking for suggestions, support, weight loss ideas, and someone to talk to who understands. I was banded in July 2006. I only had 75 lbs to lose, successfully lost about 60, and seem to be backtracking. :rolleyes2: I'm at 55lbs lost and can't seem to get back on the right track. I have a 4 CC band, which is only filled to 3.2 CC's (I think that was the last amount it was filled to.) I've posted another thread on a different topic so if you happen to see this, please check my other thread. Thanks so much and I look forward to speaking with any/all of you! Have a ble…

Hello all, I have been lurking for a while and didn't want to post until I had something to post. Today I got the referal I needed from my doctor to the WLS program at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding CA. I am very excited to be starting on this journey and hope to be approved by Blue Cross CA (Calpers) insurance after I complete the program at Shasta. Anyone have experience with this program? God I hope this works for me, I see all the success stories on here but it is still hard to believe that I will be able to get the weight off with the help of the lap band but I am still going to try. Here's to a brighter lighter future :cool:

Hi, I am Stephanie, I had my realize band surgery on 11/11/08 and I am very excited about it. I went to a support group on Saturday and I have already lost 13 pounds. So that makes me even more excited. Just looking for friends that also have the band so we can talk and compare...

I WAS BANDED OCT 9 AND:wink2:I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE AVER WEIGHT TO LOSE A WEEK MY WEIGHT IS STILL THE SAME

Hi all. So glad to have found this site! I was banded on 5/16/08. I decided to have the band on 2/14/08. It was Valentines Day and I heard about the program being offered by my Doctors Group. I called for info and there happened to be an info session that night. I weighed myself (245lbs), my heaviest, before I went and never looked back. Almost three months to the day I had surgery (229lbs). I was banded by Dr Michael Carroll in Biddeford, Maine at Southern Maine Medical Center. I am down 60 lbs total and I am so happy I cant stand it!!!!

Hello to anyone who reads this... this is my second time visiting this site.. i think it is great to have somewhere you can go and talk to people all over that have either been through the situations or is going through them now... my name is bre and im from bay Area California (whoop whoop!!) and Im about to travel down this journey that most of you have had the chance to already expeience!! I'm scared,but then again i look at the positive out come in all.. I have a 3 year old son and i must say i would not have gotten this far if it wasnt for him....every day i live it is for him, the both of us... if you have any recommendations, suggestions you would like to share wit…

Hi All, I am the Weight Loss Surgery Coordinator and starting a new Lap Band Program at my hospital! I'm really excited about it and I'm here to learn from all of you. I look forward to talking with you in the future!:rolleyes2:

Hello! I just found this forum today. I love the idea of a place for band discussions. Being the only person I know who'e done this, it's been kind of loney so far. I was banded in July and have lost 25lbs so far. I hope to gain inspiration and insight from those with more experience. =)

Hello from Chicago

Hello I'm new to this. I currently am in my fifth month of jumping through the hoops for my insurance company. Dec 3 is when all paper work will be submitted. I've been over weight all my adult life, Jan of 2008 my heaviest at 313 lbs. I've joined this group in order to get as much info to help me in my wt loss journey. Blessings bearbelly

Hi! my name is Connie and i was just banded last week 11/13/08 in mexico by Dr. Lopez i am a week into my weightloss journy & i'm looking forward to the support.

Hello all I am a new member from the Tampa bay area. I am just starting my journey, surgery hasnt even been scheduled yet. It will be about three months before that happens so I am just out here learning all I can beforehand. Robin

Hi, everyone. I had lapband surgery 3 weeks ago. It has been the biggest decision I have ever made. At first I regretted my decision to have the lapband but I know that my life and my weight has to change in order for me to live. Hope to have a success story in the future. Thanks for all the support. :rolleyes2:

I was banded on August 4th of this year in CT. I've lost 60 lbs as of today. I'm feeling well and working my band each and every day. I'm still pretty motivated but some days are tough! Still a long ways to go but am feeling a lot better. Got into my old W16 jeans recently which was cool.

Hi there my name is Kris and I am new to this website. I had my lapband done on March 17 2008. I am down 60 lbs, It has been a long and rocky road :rolleyes2:. I have fill after fill. It came to the point I was going for a fill once a month! Is this normal? Well I think my last 2 fills are working now I cant even eat a kids meal . The other night for dinner I had 1 chicken finger and about 5 fries I got sick.:tongue2: So I say to myself YES YES is this normal? Well I do get sick on alot of food. But I can eat anything soft or soup and I am good to go. So my point is! Is this Normal? And is it bad I want it to be normal? I need to loose 40 to 50 more pounds! I am headed to…

Hello! Im new here and newly banded! My roomate and I actually had surgery on the same day! Thurs Nov 13th 2008! This seems like such an awesome and supportive site! :rolleyes2: Im excited! Im still having gas pains and I had no idea we could take gasx! I found out from reading some posts. Im going to get some first thing in the am! Thanks for reading and I love feedback! *mwa* Tiffany :tongue2:

I'm never any good at these things! So I guess I will start with I don't have a surgery date yet, I am kind of nervous but very excited. I am hoping to find the encouragement I need here amongst people who have been through this! Any advice would be great!!

Hi everyone. I am soo excited to have found this site. I just got the referal from my doctor and the surgeon thinks I can get my surgery done in December-so merry christmas to me :tongue:. So I thought I'd share a little about myself: I've been overweight a great deal of my life but I've never really let it hold me back. I am currently 20 but only for a couple more months(my wish for my 21st birthday is to get in some skinny jeans ). I am a very active person. I love to play soccer-believe it or not I love to run. I also love horse back riding-its my life, I ride just about daily and am on my college equestrian team. I am also a Vet Tech-which is by no means at all a…

Greetings! I'm new to this (obviously) but my husband is close to celebrating his 1 year anniv. of being banded. I'm beginning the process myself and will need all the help and support I can get! Hope to meet some new friends that may be in the same boat! Off I go.....!:rolleyes2:

Hi,Ladies I've been a memeber of lapband talk since 2007 but, just decided to have surgery on 11/11/08. started dieting on 10/13/08 and pre-op diet on 10/28/08. Today I am one week post-op and lost a total of 34lbs. My doctor suggested liquids two weeks post-op but I started mushie food about 3 days ago. Is that okay? Is it okay to drink unsweetend apple juice?

After almost a year of fighting with my insurance company I finally got the approval for surgery!! It has been a battle to say the least. It was such an emotional time for me. When I was denied I was so down for weeks. An appeal was sent in and they continued to request more and more information. I know that they were hoping that I would give up. But I didn't and here I am with a surgery date of 12/8!!! I am so ready!:rolleyes2:

This is my first attempt, and I'm technically challenged. I'm looking for help on when to expect feeling results from my band. I had surgery 6 weeks ago and am having my 2nd fill tomorrow. So far, I'm losing by sheer will power but could use some help from the band. I guess I want to hear about other people's experiences in the first few months. I'm down only 6 lbs. from surgery date, but lost 20 lbs. before surgery. I'm a little frustrated because my eating habits have changed drastically. Can anyone share some encouraging info?

Hi all, I made the decision today that I need to change. I am getting insurance soon. It should start on Dec.1. How long should I wait before I start the banding process? Also do all doctors have the same pre op tests? If anyone could reccomend someone on long island that could help me and not make me go to 50 appointments before surgery I would appreciate it. I know there is a need for a lot of the visits, esp the psych and nutritionist, but i don't see how 3 cardiology appointments will help. Thanx for any info.

Hi everyone. My name is Samantha and I had my lap band placed last Friday, Nov 14. I look forward to getting to know everyone. Sam

So happy to have found this group. I've never participated in anything like this with regards to the lap band. I am from Kalamazoo, Michigan. I had my lap band surgery on Dec 17, 2007. Dr. Stuart Verseman did the surgery. It went very well. He's a sharp guy. So far I've lost about 60 pounds. I've had numerous adjustments. Things are going pretty well. I've pretty much stopped losing weight but it's my own fault. I eat all the wrong foods and have grown lazy mentally. The wrong foods go down very easily! I'd like to get back on track and begin losing again. Wondering if anyone else kind of plateaued and how you may have gone about getting through it and started losing…

Hey everyone. I'm glad I found this forum, hopefully it will help me make a descsion. My name is Emily, I'm 16, and am severely overweight, completely running out of options to improve my weight. I need to drop at least 100 pounds to be considered even slightly healthy. I've been on diet and exercise since i was about 10, and my weight has continued to balloon. =S I've been on weight watchers, gone to support groups, gone to gyms, I'm a vegitarian, and am about to go on birth control to see if my weight is hormone linked. If the brith control doesn't help, im considering having lap band surgery done before my senior year of high school. Hopefully, this forum will h…

I am a 48 year old male from Fitchburg, MA. I started my weight loss jouney in July 2008 at 281 pounds. I deceided to go with the Realize band. I was banded on 11/12/2008. Pre-surgery I was 242lbs. I have got alot of information and support from this site. I am still in the clear liquid stage. Still have some pain and lots of gas:) If I can be of any help feel free to email. Thanks, Mitch

You've all been such a big help to me already! Reading all of the insurance approval stories has been such an eye opener for me, and has helped me to become more proactive regarding my pre-op process. I'm going to start a 3 month supervised diet with my PCP shortly. I've got an appointment with an orthopaedist next week to confirm that I have osteoarthritis in my knees. I've got my psych eval week after next. My dietician visits start next month (Nov, Dec, Jan). I already belong to Curves. My informational meeting is on 11/4. I have to attend two support group meetings, one in Nov and one in Dec. My first meeting with my surgeon, Dr. Papasavas, is 12/8. After t…

Hi everyone, I am new to the site. I have sent off my paperwork but have not heard anything yet. Wanted to become part of this site and hear the dos and donts of the diet after the procedure and get some feed back on how the procedure is doing for everyone.

Hi everyone its been a true blessing to find this site of fellow bandsters. I was banded last Dec and its been great addition to my life. It's been working well for me I just received my 4th fill yesterday I've lost about 30 pds so far and I am steady working towards losing more. There have been those times I've plateaued and it gets to be depressing at times but I keep the faith and work harder in the gym. I hope this site keeps us all in good spirits and a positive frame of mind. Thanks for listening to me and I look forward to talking to you.

I had my banding on 11/6/08. I have lost 9 pounds in the first week. I am happy to have found this site, because I really have no one to talk to about what I am going through.

Hi I am alfie i was banded Friday, happy to get some and give some advice over the coming months. I'm a 37 year old male with a BMI of 41. I look forward to sharing with you all :thumbup:

Hi, everyone I just started my 2 week optifast on Friday, and I am getting banded on Nov.28/08. in Mississauga,ON. with Dr. Couburn. I have tryed many different weight lose programs over the years, and I just suffer from the hunger. I am 38 yrs. old and I did not become overweight untill about age 18. It started off as just a little weight and I started gaining about 20 a year untill now, 20 years later weighing 229 lbs. I am only 5ft, 2" and my BMI is 42! so this is considered morbidly obese! These past couple of days on the optifast have been horrible! I have had a constant headache that is worse then the hunger. I actually made myself a huge salad last night in hope…

:smile2:Hello everyone..I am new to this site, wish I had known about it when I originally had my surgery, :embaressed_smile:had so many questions for other banders, but never too late, albeit my questions have been answered for the most part. I had my surgery March 1, 2007..I have lost about 115 lbs. Now the doctor is telling me I need a pandiculecty? don't know if I'm spelling that correctly, but I need to find out more about it..has anyone had it done and/or know what it is exactly, what is entailed.

Hi - I have been reading through the posts and have decided to join. I want to learn and get as much information as I can about weightloss surgery. I currently feel that the gastric sleeve is the best option for me. I also want to make a decision about the best surgeon for this procedure, and contemplate 'taking the plunge' into surgery in the fall of 2009. Best wishes - Kathy.

Hi, I am new to this forum. I had lap band surgery on August 15, 2008. I have lost a total of 51 pounds since April 1. I thought I would check out this forum also.

Hi everybody! I have been reading alot of posts, but just now felt the need to post..Had been waiting on my insurance and of course I was denied..Not enough health problems I guess, haven't gotten my denial letter yet...Anywho, I have desided to self-pay because I'm tired of waiting..And I have a december 19th surgery date...Hoping to get the money by the 5th because I gotta pay 2 weeks in advance..I hate to take out a loan, but I deserve to be healthier.

Hi! I'm new here. I live about an hour north-east of Dallas. I'm scheduled for banding on 6/28 with Dr. Richard Benavides at the Surgery Center of Richardson. I'm currently at 220 with a BMI of 34.5 and my goal is 140. I'm 5' 7". I have high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, PCOS, and am pretty sure I'm in the early stages of pre-diabetes because my morning blood sugar readings fluctuate into the 100s fairly often. My husband had this done several years ago and has NOT been successful with it but he is also one who refuses to do as the doctors' say. Good at taking his medicine but refuses to make lifestyle modifications even with all his health problems. I've learned …

Hello everyone, I am brand new to the website.I was banded on 11/11/08 by Dr.Teresa Kim at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center.Everything went well and I have been home now for 2 days.Now that my pain is finally under control I am feeling much better. Thanks & nice to join something like this !!:tongue2:

Hello, For the past five years, I have been going back and forth with this.. Now, I have decided to go ahead with it. My insurance wont pay, so I will have to pay everything out of pocket. Any suggestion ideas will help.. I am going through Dr. Victor Gonzalez. I would appreciate your feed back about him.. My first meeting is on wenesday.. I am ready to do the surgery asap.. Do you know how long will take since I am self pay?

I am Kirsty and I am New Being banded in Victoria BC Nov 28th and emotions all over the map:thumbup:but doing a happy dance. Kirsty

Hello All. My name is Renee and i am getting banded weds nov 19th...i am super excited to start my new life journey! I am 5'8 and 270lb so i have about 95 lbs to lose to reach goal! I am a single mom of a daughter and cant WEIGHT:tongue2: to be able to be active with her again!!! Hope i can get lots of feedback from all here, it would be MOST helpful. THANK YOU :smile2: ♥Renee MASS.

Ok, this is my story(Sorry if it's too long for some of you ) I have been researching the LapBand for well over a year now and finally decided to go to the doctor and see if I would even get approved for it and I did. I went to see my Surgeon for the first time and he said the only one he would do for me is the LapBand since I am young and very healthy. Im just overweight is all. He sent in my referral for my Psych Eval(Per Insurance Request), So I have to go for that as well. Here is where my problem comes in...................It took so long for them to get my referral sent in for the Psych Eval, that my husband and I had plenty of time to discuss it all and we had made…

Hi. My name is Betsy and I am planning to get banded in December. However, I have just read the threads on band slippage and other things that can go wrong, and I now I am scared to death. It sounds like a lot of things can go wrong even if you've done everything right! I would really like to hear your opinions on this. Especially from people who have had it in for a long period of time. Thanks, Betsy

Hi there! I'm Amy, and I just joined lapbandtalk.com today. I just had my two-week post-op visit, and I am happy to report I have lost a total of 26.2 pounds since my pre-surgery supplements! I'm looking forward to getting to know many of you and obtaining some great advice from people who know exactly what I'm going through! Happy Monday! Amy

This is my first participation on this website but I have been reading it for a couple of months. I have a surgery date of December 8 with the Kaiser Permanente system in South San Francisco. I have been working on this goal for almost a year, going to classes, getting tests, consultations, etc. and am excited that it is almost here. How do you guys get those cute weight loss graphs on the bottom of your posts?