Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello--Was just wondering if the banded ppl had trouble maintaining weight prior to their 1st fill. I was banded almost 6 weeks ago and will get my 1st fill this Wednesday. I have healed completely and am struggling with my appetite. I work out every day and still have a difficult time maintaining at this point. Can anyone give me advice or a perspective? THANKS!!

I would just like to say hello to everyone. I have been viewing the site for awhile and finally registered. I am still adjusting to my new lifestyle change. I was banded on Sept. 10, 2008. I am almost on week 3. My post op appointment is on Oct 8, 2008 and I am hoping i will get a fill then. I did not get one the day of my surgery. I must say that this is a whole new experience for me. I am hoping this will be the journey of a lifetime.:thumbdown: I am welcome to any information that anyone would like to give me.

Hello, I am new. I was banded on 09/19/08 at the OCC in Tijuana. So far so good. Hubby was banded same day with me. I am on the other site too but thought I would come here to see what else I can learn from others. It has been an interesting time. I am still on the liquid diet and I have 6 days left. God I can't wait to eat. I want some chicken maybe even a salad. I know I have to be careful. Anyhow, just wanted to say hello. Thanks:thumbup:

I'm three months post op. I recently had a fill 9/9/2008 and thought I felt a little tight. I could still drink liquids so I wasn't too much worried about it. I hadn't had any serious problems post-op and I felt that I had the hang of this LAP BAND. Well I went out with a friend to the Sizzler to have clam chowder. It was soo good and hot. The heat relaxed some of the restriction I was feeling and I got carried away. I started to eat kinda fast. Not really chewing cause I felt there wasn't much to chew. Before I knew it I ate the whole thing. It took 5 mins before I felt the effect. It felt like a bubble was forming in my chest, real slow. My breathing started…

I had the lap banding 5 days ago and was doing fine until this morning I woke up with a terrible pain across my back. I was wondering if anyone had this happened to them. Tank you cindy

hi, my name is Denise, i had my band on 12th sept 08, i had it at birmingham heartlands hospital and i was in over night, lapiscopically 6 small incisions, and they have healed well .. one however has bled a little. i have all praise for my surgeon and his team and the hospital itself i was very impressed with it all. i am just hoping now the weight will drop off. i was already attending a slimming club and had lost 5st 9lb b4 the op and have lost 13lb since the op so all good and i would recomend it to anyone,. you here good and bad stories but everyone is different,. but im pleased(as yet) that i have had it done.x. Feel free to ask any questions and if i can answer the…

My pre-op diet starts today. I met with the Nutritionist at my surgeons office yesterday. My diet is 3 weeks. YEP three weeks and get this they want you to do it all on Optifast. Needless to say I had some problems with that especially since for three weeks the price would have been $488. I told them I don't have $500 just laying around to buy shakes, Soups and bars. They actually tried to justify it by saying this is what you would spend for food shopping and we ask you to put it towards the product. I don't know about any of you but I don't spend $500 for food and I have three people in my house... and I guess my other family members are not suppose to eat within that t…

Hello all I just got my band on 12 Aug 08 and have lost 42 pounds so far. I get my first fill tomorrow and I'm a little nervous. I noticed that there are not a lot of guys on here that have had it. If any are out there let me know. Looking forward to talking to all yall on here.

I was banded 2 days ago and everthing went well. Today I rose from a short nap and found my belly protruding on the left side of the belly button around the port. The area is large and feels like a basketball, but there is no pain except for carrying it around. I called my doctor and he said that it was probably some bleeding or a hematoma, but he said he had not had that complaint before. He said it will take a few weeks to go down. Has anybody experienced this?

Hey ya'll ! I am new to the site!!! I get banded on Nov 11. any advise?

Ok - I am a Wisconsin 'newbie' and am scheduled for my lap-band surgery on Monday, October 6th!

:cool2: So today is the first day of my Optifast journey to surgery. Surgery is on the 16th October - am I scared - hell yes! Am I excited - yes - am I worried it wont work? definitely ... but my other option is stroke, diabetes, heart attack etc not really options at all right? I feel this is the right thing for me to do .. at this time in my life .. I feel I am in the right head space and am motivated to succeed when I have rarely been motivated before. And so my first day of Optifasting to shrink my liver before surgery began.. and you know what ? it wasn't even that tough .. only 2 more weeks to go and then 2 weeks after .. and then the rest of my life await…

Hi everyone, my name is Cindy and Im from Glen Burnie, Maryland. I have been thinking about doing the lap band. My insurance will pay for most of it. I have quite a few questions. 1) I have several health problems. I have had two open heart surgeries and I have pacemaker. My cardiologists and I have discussed this and he believes this surgery would be best (less invasive) and would help me considerably. I am always out of breath and tired out. He believes alot of it has to do with my weight. He believes this would help that situation and my heart as well. I have also been diagnosed with some slight apnea (which is caused from the weight). 2) I am wondering …

Greetings, My name is Kimberly and I am headed to my first seminar tomorrow. I have three friends who have had bariatric surgery and all have reclaimed their lives. Their bodies are no longer a burden, a prison. I've lost weight in years past, over 100 pounds, but somehow I found it again. So. . .I believe the lap band is for me. Insurance won't cover it, but between my HRA/VEBA, my medical Flex Spending account and a second job I believe I can make it happen my mid year. I have read your posts, drawn on your stregnths, noted your advice and now I just want to say I am so glad that this community exists. I will have to be patient and persistent to make this happen.

Hi, I'm Lojo from Dublin, Ga. I am 57 years old and a proud grandmother of six children (3 boys and 3 girls). I've had my consult with Dr. V.John Bagnato (Albany, Georgia) and waiting to hear that I'm officially approved. My husband's BCBS will pay for the surgery, but they must have a denial letter from United Health Care. I hope this want take long. I'm ready to start my life as a healthier,thinner mother and grandmother.He said once approved the surgery could be scheduled within two weeks. My obesity is co-morbid with multiple health problems (diabetes Type II;RA;hypertension;depression, GERD,sleep apnea,high cholesterol, underactive thyroid). I hope to be a Novemb…

Hello everyone. I was banded awhile ago and have lost about 40 lbs. I am looking for inspiration and support to get a fill and back to exercise and healthy eating. I think I've found it here. Your posts are inspirational and I will call Monday for a fill.

Hello, My name is Janet I am going for lap-band surgery on Oct 14th, 2008. I am on optifast till then. Didn't like it the start but getting use to it. Not hungry at present but I dream of food often. was not sure where to post this.

Does anyone have Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee? Can you share your experiences with approvals and their requirements? Thanks!:biggrin:

I just got my date for surgery Oct. 29. I'm so excited I can't wait. I've been looking at the different posts for a while and gathering information about the lap band. I really like the site because everyone seems so supportive. I just can't wait to start this journey.

Hi everyone---new here. I wish I would have found this site a while ago..looks like there's lots of good info here. I just got a call this week that my insurance approved my surgery--I go in Monday for a whole day of tests...and they penciled me in for Nov 6th for my surgery!! Yeah!:w00t: I'm so excited-but scared now too!! Thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Amy, mom to 4 awesome kids (My girls are 15 and 2 and my boys are 11 and 8)I've been married 16 years and I'll be 36 tomorrow! I wasn't really overweight until I started having babies...and it's just gotten worse and worse over the years! I was diagnosed with Graves Disease in 2006, after the birth of my dau…

Realize band on 3/17...have lost 61-65 pounds depending on whose scale I use. I still have 100 to go but so far have had no complications at all.:tongue:

Good Afternoon Everyone, I have been banded for 7 weeks and have lost 45 lbs. I will have my first fill on monday here in Greensboro, NC. Dr. David Newman did my surgery and I feel great!! I am experiencing some anxiety concerning my fill on Monday. Can someone give me a step-by-step of what to expect? Thanks. Linda:regular_smile:

Hello! I am new to the site, and haven't really done anything like this before. I am scheduled for a seminar next week. Really looking forward to this journey. I feel a little scared about all of this and would really appreciate some feed back. I know I need to do this and get back to the living. Look forward to reading your messages.

Hello everyone - I have my first appointment with the surgeon (Prof. Lansberg) on the 6th of October. Things are a little diffrent here, once your GP refers you to the surgeon you are pretty much done. So, I could be having surgery sometime in the very near future. I am very nervous about some of the procedures. I am wanting the lap band, but he will tell me what he thinks is best for me. I have been over weight most of my life and am ready for a big change. Just wondering what are good questions for the surgeon? Thanks, Heather

ok.. so today i went to my primary care ... he is going to be writing my letter... and i am going for all my blood work on friday. I am making my cardiologist appt tomorrow. YAY... another step closer..

Hi, this is my first post to lapbandtalk.com! I just received news today that my operation was approved by my insurance company and I have a date!!!! November 13, 2008-----I was so excited I started to cry.

hey everyone, my name is liz, and i just had lapbanding on monday. the past few days were tough, and very painfull. i wasnt prepared to be in so much pain. i am still sore and my abs are weak, and i am still having gas pains!!! ahhhahahhh. but today seems to be better, hopefully it will all be up hill from here!:w00t:

I just had my surgery on September 10 and have lost 10 pounds. I am having problems keeping motivated and reading the postings on this group seems to help... unlike some people, I don't have other family members to keep me motivated and although they want me to succeed, they really have no idea what it is like for me. I don't blame them, but it is nice to see what others that have had it done have to day.

Hi everyone: I just joined this group today. My 18 y/o daughter is having her lap band surgery tomorrow morning. My wife is having hers done this coming Tuesday and I am scheduled for the end of October. We are all going into the great unknown. We are fortunatre that here in NH, there is a new law that mandates bariatric surgery for treatment or morbid obesity or comorbidity. The law went in to effect this month and we were rejected earlier by our insurance provider but now can have it done thanks to the new law. BTW - what is BP'ing? Thanks everyone.

Hello all, I am new to this site and just got my fourth fill and it seems like I can not do much but sip water, very little of that or I throw up. Should I get it undone as none of the other fills did this? Is it okay to wait until the morning? I guess I should call my doctor and ask them. Any help would be appreciated.

I have a surgery date of December 10th and I am very excited! I started the medifast diet early because my insurance requires a bmi of less than 50 and I am slightly above that. So inorder to qualify I started medifast on September 16th. I have been on the diet for two weeks now and have lost 15 pounds! I am happy about the weight loss but I am afraid I will not be able to stick to the medifast for three whole months. Right now I am on four shakes a day with one meal. Soon I will be on five shakes a day with no meal! I pray I have the willpower to stay on the medifast. If I don't, I wont lose enough weight to have my insurance pay for the surgery. I need words of…

Hi All, I'm Patti from TX. I've just set my surgery date for November 5th. I have to admit though I'm having a few second thoughts. I've been heavy all of my life. I know that I need to loose the weight for health reasons, but I've been hearing some stories from others on what they can and can't do. Am I ready for this drastic of a life change? I don't know. I know I want to loose weight, and I know it will get easier, but hmmmmmmm. Any thoughts?:biggrin:

Hello everyone. I have been researching having the lap band done and I know in my heart for my health and my children that it is a good step for me. However, tonight I have been reading and see many different woman that are having terrible pains, trouble eating, and even a few that are having the band taken out. It's very discouraging for me. I have always told myself that "I'M TIRED OF JUST EXISTING. I WANT TO LIVE". Do you think any of you may have a few words of encouragement for me, someone that you don't even know, but is desperately in need of advice? I would appreciate hearing from any of you.

Hi everyone, I am a stay at home mom. We live on a farm in Missouri. I was banded Jan. 28, 2008. Since then I have lost 73lbs. I feel much better but it has not been easy. I still have 75lbs left to go and at this point my scale is stuck at the same wt. I hope to see you around. Farm Mom

Hello, Just wanted to introduce myself. I have been approved by insurance but I live in Hicksville and am awaiting an agreement between the hospital and Insurance. Just waiting. So I thought I would say a big Hello... I have really enjoyed reading all the info. Thanks to all that post. Have a great one. Remeber these words.... This too shall pass! Barb:thumbup:

Hi All, Went to a seminar on Sat. and am beside myself to get started!!! I am looking at doing this in Fredericksburg, am Tricare insured. From the things I have read here this week I can't figure out if I should be optimistic or doubtful. I sent in the packet of info that Dr. gave out, I just can't figure out what the next step is. My PCP and Oncologist had requested some test for me last week that the Bariatric folks might request so.......I had results sent to their office also. I am ready to be doing something. I am 5'2' 240lbs. BMI 44 and have health issues. The foot pain keeps me popping pain pills. Any info you guys can give me on how this is sup…

Hello, my name is Heather, I just started looking into the lap band. I am 24 years old, been married for over 3 years, I have a two year old daughter. I guess I have a ton of questions. LOL Since I am 24, I was wondering if I was to young to have the surgery? As of right now, I dont have any medical issues, in the past I have had back problems. I was curious as to if they did the surgery without medical issues? My BMI is at 49.6, way to high. I am finding that as my daughter grows I am having trouble keeping up with her. My other question is, with a BMI of almost 50, how hard is it to get approved for insurance? Since I have a young family, I am not going to be able to …

Hi! My name is Carrie and I just made my first appointment for a consult with my PCP. I have been tossing around the idea of having lap band surgery done for a year or 2 but each time talked myself out of it. I have a hard time admitting I need, and asking for, help. Just calling the PCP was a big step for me. I have so many questions for all of you and look forward to hearing real experiences from those who have been there. So long as I am posting, I really want to know about drinking soda after surgery. I am a Diet Coke-aholic and the thought of not being able to have it makes me extremely nervous (seriously, this would be enough for me to scrap the whole idea…

Hi all I was banded on 16th September 2008 by Mr De Beaux in Edinburgh. I have graduated onto sloppies this week and to be honest am hating it. Would rather be on liquids or proper chewy food. I was told by the consultant and weight lose nurses not to weigh myself but curiosity killed the cat and I did - according to my scales I have lost 16 lbs which I am ecstatic about. I go for my first fill on 30th October 2008 and am looking forward to it so as I can watch the size 8 woman revealing herself from the fat suit. LOL!:w00t:

Wish me luck as I start on my journey. Attended the seminar today and I'm really excited. Hopefully the insurance pulls through for me. Glad to be in the company of so many like me!!! :cool:

Hi everyone! My name is Paula and I had my surgery on the 26th of Sept. It was my very first surgery and I was SUPER nervous. However, it went verry quickly and all over, I am healing very fast. From the two week pre -op liquid diet and post liquid diet, (I am sick of soup/broth), I have lost 16 pounds! I don't know if thats normal but Im not complaining! I haven't had any problems except I had to find out the hard way not to drink carbonated beverages. I'm so excited to start this journey and am even more happy that theres an online support group like this!

Hello: I am a 51 year old woman. I have a BMI of 37.5, but have borderline hypertension and diabetes. I am looking to have lapband surgery after the first of the year. I have plenty of questions and am trying to get as much information on the surgery as I can. Please be patient if it seems I am asking too many questions. Have a great day!

Hi guys, I had my visit with my PCP last week. My BMI is 39 with high cholesterol and HTN. I have BCare network. I have to keep a log for 6 months of dieting and exercise. i am frustrated but these are the requirements to get approved. I live in Michigan and am 41 years old. I have a one and 6 year old. I am so tired all the time and my knees and back hurt so much. I feel bad when i try to play with my kids. i want the surgery now, but I know I have to be patient. Colleen:sad::cool2:

Hello all, you can call me bea! I had my surgery on August 4th in St Clares hospital at Dover NJ with Dr ALexander Abkins, great doctor by the way. I've had 2 visits with him already and I must say I am down 30 pds to date. I feel great. I didnt have any comlications after surgery at all. Ive been taking all my vitamins as Im suppose to, plus the 2 protein drinks daily. I suffer from a bad heal spur so I just began excersizing this past Monday. it's tuff I must say especially with 23 month old twins to care for and a home of 7. very busy. no time for me but I have had to make the time. all I can say is that is hasnt been easy since I'm off of those restrictions and I can …

any advice??? I feel ok, sore to get up and down.. starting to feel a little bloated and gassy...taking little walks, anything else help this?

Hey everyone! i am in the decision-making proces of getting banded. I think I know which surgeon I want--already contacted the office and they are sending me the paperwork. I will have to change my PCP because my medical group doesn't cover the surgeon I want, and I have to decide WHEN to do this. I am an elementary school vice principal with only school-related vacation times. Taking sick leave is a no no in this business. My principal would have a cow if I up and left for a couple of weeks to recover from much needed surgery. I am 5'4'' 290 lbs, mother of 2 boys 13 & 8. Oldest child is on the autistic spectrum; married to a wonderful, supportive man, who would love…

I was banded September 15 and was able to enjoy my own bed that night. I loved being able to come home that day. The two weeks has been fairly easy. I have progressed through the clear liquids, to full, to pureed to soft. I don't have a ton of energy but feel well otherwise. I lost 8 pounds during the protein shake fast prior to surgery. I think I have lost an additonal 8 pounds since the surgery. I have tried not to obssess about the scales. I have an appt in two weeks to be filled. Is that a big transition?

Well I got my psych eval, and my nutrition appt done. A lot simpler than I expected. Next friday I go for my steps to success class. From there on Oct 1 I do 2 more tests. RMR and H pylori test. Time seems to fly. Louise :thumbup:

Just got banded Sept 29, 08. I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm scared. This is my 2nd surgery in 3 months, the first was having my gallbladder removed in July. This experience is worse than that one. Especially since I can't eat much yet. I haven't decided if I regret having this done or not, but it's done, no turning back now. I know this forum is going to get me through all the hard times, so thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! I was a little disappointed today when I called the surgeons office to check to see if my HMO had approved me. I found out my file hadn't even been sent yet!! Even if I am approved quickly, the surgeon can't take me until early November. I have a really big project coming up November 15th so I'm afraid I won't be back to work in time.I would have to be back to work no later than 11/12 and work throughout the weekend/ I know,,,get to the point. Has anyone here been banded during Thanksgiving week? I'm afraid I would ruin everything for my family and myself if I have the surgery 11/24....any thoughts? I'm afraid it will really play on my will power to be on …