Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

This is the first time on the site! I'm actually checking on this for my daughter who is 19 - I could also use the surgery, but my concern is for her right now. I'm pretty sure my blue/cross ppo doesn't cover it, although I will call them on Monday. From what I'm reading, this seems to be a complicated process on trying to get the insurance to cover it. Do you suggest starting with a seminar to find a Dr? or with insurance? I'm in Michigan and haven't even made a call yet. Help!! :thumbup: Thanks for listening!

hello everyone my name is amy and i was just banded on 8/29/08 in tj mexico. my surgeon was wonderful, dr.juan lopez corvala, the hospital was extremely clean and the staff was great. all in all it was a great experience and i am glad "i finally did it":thumbup: i look foward to meeting everyone. i started off just reading the posts and i found this site to not only be informative and helpful but entertaining at the same time so i decided to join! i really need a support system of people who have been there done that to help me get through some of the tough and confusing times ahead. i hope i will be able to offer support to others as well...:smile:

Hi, I'm a country gal from the beautiful Appalachian mountains of Kentucky. I'm 49, married to my high school sweetheart now for over 30 years and the very proud mother of 2 gorgeous girls. Last year I became acquainted with lap band when my oldest daughter had the procedure. I was there from the first seminar to the most recent fill. I'm very proud of her bravery and she's lost about 53 pounds since 8/2/07. I've come looking for help. I'm 'obese' (hate that word). Cried my eyes out the first time I saw that written on a receipt from my doctor. Had an obgyn tell me once that women should be charged by the pound, the more pounds-the more problems...sadly he is…

Approved and 9 days in on my 2-week pre-op liquid diet. Surgery set for 9/24......hoping all goes well.:thumbup:

Hi this is the first time I've entered a chat room. I'm sitting up in the middle of the night because I can't stop reflux & vomiting - it helps if I sit up. Had the lap band last April. Have lost 10 kilos - about 22 lb. But tonight think I ate too much and it triggered awful reflux. Has anyone had a similar experience?:smile: By the way, what is a tag - a new conversation? I wonder who is out there?

Hi there, I'm new to this forum, and new to the entire lap band process I guess. I'm 23 years old, 5'5 1/2, and I weigh 261. I've always been a little "thick" but gained about 60 lbs in one year due to the Depo-Provera birth control shot. Being overweight is kind of accepted in African-American culture (as far as men go) , so at first I didn't mind, but my family is really unsupportive of my weight issue (name calling and nasty comments when I eat), and I recently found out that I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol so time for a change! I have my orientation tomorrow, and I'm really excited but a little nervous. Never had any kind of surgery before. Wish me l…

My name is Laura and I am currently in my 2nd week of liquids before surgery on the 29th of this month. I have around 120 pounds to lose and I have lost 12.5 so far. My surgery is being done by Dr John Price in Kansas City MO. I have been reading for a couple of days and learning a lot. Glad to be here! Laura

Hi All, I am just beginning my Quest to find out if I will qualify for lap band. I am 25 and have been over-weight all my life. I started out as a chubby kid and just kept going. I'm at the point now where I'm over 200 lbs but only about 5 ft tall. I am at my absolute highest weight and I am stunned by it. I gained the majority of it in the last 2 yrs or so. I had hovered in the 170-180 range for a long time but (what seems like) all of a sudden I have blown up. Tonight I am going to my first informational meeting at Brigham and Women's Hospital here in Boston to learn about Lap band. I am hoping after that I will be able to schedule a consultation with a surgeon. I a…

Hi everyone, I've spent a lot of time reading the forum the last couple of days and have a lot yet to read. I am still doing the nutrition portion of this. I usually chat to much and ask to many questions so I won't start out that way:cry_smile:

I just had lap band surgery last Friday and it is now 4 days later on Tuesday. I don't feel so great and I can't burp which is driving me nuts, I also feel dizzy and light headed because I haven't eaten. I am hungry though - is that normal?

Hi all, First of all-don't be scared! Its safe and easy. I was banded in Dec 2006. I have only lost 2 stone, and still want to lose another 1.5st. Just can't seem to get that fill right. I have had numerous fills and unfills, and it has cost a lot of money! I am hoping someone can give me the name of a fill provider in the South west of England, who would welcome a new patient, and who hopefully will not charge a fortune. I have been going to London every few weeks, and from Bristol its really a whole day gone. Any suggestions? Regards, Sue:sad_smile:

:cry_smile: Hi All. Yep, thank God I found you. I had my band done December 2007. I feel as though I am failing. I wake in the night and eat ALL the wrong foods. I have had a look at some of the entries made by others and realise I am not alone. I have a wonderful support group, my Hubby and 3 lovely children, my mum and dad. I realise that I am eating wrong. I GOTA SLOW IT DOWN. I have NO will-power so I need help. Its GREAT to know that I have this site now to hopefully get the support that I need from other banders. I hope that I can do as well as others have. Well thanks for listening/reading. Hope to be back in the daylight hours. Bye:cry_smile:

Obesity runs in my family. My mother is morbidly obese. My father was morbidly obese before he died. I have tried diet upon diet upon exercise program upon pill upon prescription (just getting finished with a round of Adipex-P). My blood pressure is borderline hypertension, but other than that I'm pretty healthy. My doctor attributes my current health to my age, 28. I have a rather busy schedule. I work 40+ hours a week, I go to school almost full time (11 credit hours this semester), and I am a single mom. My knees hurt, my back hurts, I am always tired, and I have a difficult time keeping up with my 9-year-old who is also starting to gain weight. I feel lik…

Hello my name is robin. I am so excited about being here. I am scheduled for surgery on the 26th. I am nervous but i know i will have support here when i am done. I was married for 28yrs then my husband decided that he was tired of being married. So i decided to gain more weight and be more miserable. Then i reallized this is my life and i need to take control but it was to late with out some help. It has been about two years of me trying to get this approved but it finally has happened. Any one have any advice or anything i should know. I guess i had better let everyone know i am 52yrs old. Thanks robin

Just found this site and was so excited!! My lap band surgery is scheduled for Monday the 29th of Sept. This Monday the 22nd I'm having the endoscope to look for any hernia's or other problems. I found that the best tasting protein drink is Adkins Advantage...didn't like Slim Fast at all. I also quit smoking for this procedure, today is day 61..go me!!! Gonna spend alittle time looking through this site, talk to you later!

I was banded 5/21/08 and have had 3 fills. Weight loss has been slow. A total of 25 lbs (15 was from my pre-op diet). Yesterday I experienced my first major stuck. I was eating steak when I got the sharp pain in the chest. Hiccups/Burbs relieved the pain momentarily, but the food wouldn't pass and eventually came back up. I have had bread stuck before but the hippups/burps would relieve the pain and I would be fine. I thought I should join the forum so I would think about my band more often. Since I don't have much restriction, sometimes I forget about it and I don't take my time to chew and then something gets stuck.

First I want to know if anybody has used Dr. Brody @ George Washington University in Washington DC.:biggrin: I'm seriously considering changing my doctor. Or do you guys think I'm just not being patient. I finished my six month superivised weight mangement on Septmeber 3rd and faxed all my information to the doctors office on Septmeber 4th.:thumbup: It is now Septmeber 15th and my paperwork has not been submitted to my insurance company. :mad:I find myself having to call the office daily for updates and I'm getting no where. One week after sending my paperwork I was told they couldn't make out my lab work and needed a copy of my last physical. WHY did it take a week to as…

Okay, I am shopping in Wal-Mart yesterday and this little old white lady walked up to me smiling. I smiled back and tried to go passed her. She then stopped me and said "you look like you are a good cook, can you tell me how to make cabbage rolls". I laughed at her, informed her that although I am fat, I can't cook at all and walked off. However, it hurt my feelings. I mean, I aint that big. I had to gain weight to get the lap band approval. But dang, that hurt. :girl_hug:

I found this site and thought I would look around. I have been overweight all of my adult life. I am hoping I can get my insurance to pay for the surgery, ifs just a matter of red tape now.

Hello!!! My name is Danielle. I am getting banded on October 6th. I have started my full liquid diet today. I am very nervous that I am going to die during the surgery. My doc said I shouldn't be too worried because I am only 28 but I keep getting this terrible feeling of doom. I really don't mind dying but I would feel so bad for my husband and my family if I do. I had my gallbladder removed in 2003 so I have had surgery before so that makes me feel a little better. I wanted to ask my doctor how many patients he had lost during the surgery but I chickened out! Is this a common feeling or I am becoming paranoid as well? :cry_smile:

Hello. Im new to all this today was my first visit with the surgeon and I'm nervous. I need to get blood drawn and a doppler on my legs plus he wants to do an Endoscopy. I'm not nervous about that I'm nervous about the weeks to come he said anywhere between 30-45 days he would like to do the surgery. What have you guys done in prepartion for the surgery. My insurance requires no diet pre op or nothing. I have cut out most of my pop and after today I am saying good bye no more. I'm trying to cut out some of the complex carbs like bread, pasta and rice. I'm trying to implement the protein supplement into my diet. Is there anything else I should do? :cry_smile:

Hi all, I just joined today and am anxious to talk with you. I have gone through my 4 months of nurse and nutritionist meetings at my surgeon's office, had the lab work done, and am awaiting the news that I have been approved by my ins. co. Then they will schedule my surgery, probably in mid to late October. I am excited and apprehensive at the same time! I am 5'2" and weigh about 270 now. Yuck. I am hoping to get to my goal weight of 130. Slow and easy will do it. I get OH magazine and read for the first time this weekend about "sliming". I have not heard the term before and now I am worried about it. What is it and what causes it? Do all bandees get this?:c…

Hi I am new here I was banded on 9-2-08. My beginning weight was 231 and my current weight is 223. Tomorrow will be my 3 week anniversary and I'm kind of dissapointed that I've only lost 8 pounds. I know it is better than nothing and everything I've read says you should lose 1-2 pounds per week but I thought I would've lost more here in the beginning being on a liquid diet. Actually right now I'm not on a strict liquid diet I am eating small amounts of mushy food like boiled eggs and pinto Beans, since these are high in Protein. Any encouraging thoughts?:cry_smile: Also another question how do I get my weight loss ticker on here? I made one I just don't know which code …

Hello everyone :biggrin: I'm new to the site. I'm currently in the process of getting everything I have to get done so I can have the Lap Band. Well I just wanted to say hi

I drive a truck and need to know how much time I should take off work? Does anyone else drive and if so how much time off did you need?

:unsure:Good morning every1, My name is Debbie and I'm currently undergoing tests for the lap band system. I must admit i'm extremely nervous about the surgery, although I have been told by a couple of people not to worry. I believe my main source is knowing that there is no going back once I've started down this path. I'm 27 years old...and I'm considered obese with one co-morbidity: Diabetes. When I think about the many physical benefits of the lap band and just losing weight in general. I find the positives outweight the negatives. Oh and by the way I'm sort of a rebelious, freedom seeking individual so the thought of not being to eat what I want...is the main cause …

Hi everbody, This is my first time on a forum. I am having my surgery mid October at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston Florida by Dr. Samuel Szomstein, self-pay patient. Has anybody had this done there or with this doc. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Going on Wednesday for chest xray, EKG, cardiac clearance, upper GI, ultrasound, Nutrition class. Thanks!!:redface:

Hi my name is Meg and I am 21 years of age and am going in for my appointment to talk to my doctor (at Kaiser) about the LapBand procedure! I am quite nervous about how to even approach the issue, because even though they are a doctor, I am pretty shy about sharing my weight issues as well as my PCOS issues with my doctor! I have tried dieting, diet pills (Hydroxycut, Alli, Hoodia, prescribed medications by previous doctors) exercise, not eating LOL! everything! So with all that said, I was hoping someone could give me some friendly tips on how to approach it in a positive way, and not to sound like I am looking for a quick fix or solution. Thank you so much for t…

Hello everyone, I have an appointment with my doctor next week to discuss the surgery. My bmi is right at 40 and I dont have any medical problems. What am I up against with Kaiser? Thanks, Tina

I can't seem to figure out how to get my picture to appear under my screen name. I have posted a picture under my albums and a profile pic. I'm just stumped on how to make my picture appear.....:cry_smile: Can someone tell me how to do this?? Thanks!

I HAVE BEEN APPROVED!! Whoo hoo!! I am so excited and shocked! I'm a bit nervous too! So...I am officially a Smashing Pumpkin. YAY! :tongue2: I think I am actually going to cry. I never thought I would be approved. Just wanted to share the BIG, GREAT new with all of you. To those of you waiting on an approval keep your head up.

Hi, My name is Susie and I was banded on 9/9/08. Within the first week I lost 13lbs which is to be expected considering the drastic drop in daily calories..... but I'm sure everyone here knows what I am talking about. I have found lots of interesting things to read but I wondered if someone that has been living with the band for a while could answer some of my questions because I question sometimes wether or not I made the right decision. I have approximately 90 pounds left to lose. My biggest question/fear is .... do you still live a "normal" life?? I realize there are changes that have to be made and I can accept that. But do you have to give up everything that you en…

In fact I'm from Québec and english is not my language so if I do mistake please forgive me! I'm Geneviève, 35 years old. I had ma surgery june 19 2008 so it's been 3 months. I have lost 92 pounds up to now and I love my lap band. I am so please to have decided to get the surgery. I have waited many years to get to where I am now and I don't hate any regrets. So I hope to have a place here. Au plaisir de mieux vous connaitre :cry_smile: Geneviève

i was just wondering if anyone here was from my area??? I live in suffolk county... are you using dr's on the island .. or traveling into manhattan>?

Hello - this is my first post. I've just started the research/insurance process on this journey. I'm a nearly-46 year old female from Central IL. As with most of us, I've battled weight since college and tried every diet known to man. I now have sleep apnea, hypertension and many potential problems due to my weight and family history. I work full time and my husband and I have a photography and DJ service, along with a 17-year-old son. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired, so here I go! Coreen

My name is Debbie, 54 years young,:cry_smile: insurance agent and I live in the Millsboro, Delaware area. I am 3 years new to this area and also will be getting the lapband surgery in January of 2009. I am so excited but scared at the same time-heard that is normal!:cool2: I would love to meet other people who live in the same area that I can meet and/or talk to about their surgery they have had or will be having. I miss my old friends from Maryland and would like to meet some new friends in the Delaware area. I have done all my requirements like the Upper GI, nutrionist appointment, support meetings, etc. I am doing my food journaling-not always eating the right th…

:rolleyes2: I guess it's normal to feel sad, I mean isn't? I find myself just wanting to sit and watch TV and the funny thing is I'm not even enjoying it. Wed. I have to drive to Great Falls, Mt. to have my stitches taken out, maybe it will be good to get out, I just hope I can handle a hour and 1/2 drive. I've noticed the last two day's I'm hungry and everything I eat doesn't taste good, nothing. I hope this changes soon. Hugs Bobbie:confused:

Hello everyone, I hope your Monday is starting off well. Mine has just got a bit better since I found this site =D My name's Marcie, I'm from Ohio, I'm 29yrs old, I'm a Wife, Mommy, Nurse & EMT. As of right now I'm a stay at home mommy, and only was working 2 evenings a week (a couple hrs) then I had some herniated disc that left me bedridden, I know my weight was a contributing factor. I wanted to get my weight in check since I'm coming up on 30, and I want to be able to enjoy life more with my husband & our 2yr old daughter. I'm through all my dr appt's pre op and doing the ever so disgusting medifast liquid diet, and I'll be banded next tuesday. I'm so in…

Hello Everyone, My name is Cassie Herring and I was banded on January 2nd, 2007. I was banded in St. Petersburg, FL by Dr. Ernest Rehnke. This is by far the COOLEST and GREATEST thing I have ever done!! I have lost a total of 147 pounds in the 20 months since I have had it done!! This is by far the best thing I have ever done for myself. I am just wanting to get on here and find someone young women who have gone through all this just to make sure that Im not too crazy and going through the same things. If you are single I think that would be even better. Write me and lets talk Thanks Cassie

How is everyone today... So many doctors to see. But getting it all done. How is everyone else doing? :thumbup:06/18 initial consult with Dr. Holover :thumbup:06/24 met with the nutritionist :thumbup:06/26 endocopy done yesterday :thumbup:06/27 met with the endocronologist Meeting with physcologist 07/01 Meeting with Cardiologist 07/01- can't wait to be finished...

:eek: Hello- I'm excited next week Thursday is my banding. My boys are 8, 6 and 4. They go none stop-you would think that I would be as thin as a pencil. I was never able to loose the weight after having the kids and working full-time. So here goes nothing! --

Just wanted to say Hello! I am a newbie. I have not been banded this is all very new to me. I am in the beginning stages of the pre surgery process! I am nervous, happy and scared all at once. i go for my Psych Eval Tuesday then meet with my Dr at the end of this week and surgery probably the very first Tuesday in October!! Have to say I am very overwhelmed with all the info they give you. I attended a 5 hr Education class last Monday and whew...I only thought I knew some stuff!! I am excited about all the info I received though! I left that class with my brain hurting and then I cried for 2 days!! :rolleyes2: But I am better now and it's had time to sink in a little. No…

I am a new banded person living in the UK, Manchester. I am 48 and my name is Ed. feeling a little isolated and trying to make new contacts/friends.

Our girl Yettia survived Gustav. Now lets say a little prayer for Southerngirl. She is in Houston and I don't know if she evacuated. Alright Diva let us know that you are ok as soon as you get a chance.

Hello Everybody! I'm new to lapband talk. I go to a 5 hour seminar on Friday and I just needed some encouragement from people who is going thru what I'm going thru. This is a good support group so lets encourage eachother and get healthy together.

I was banded Oct. 2007 in Buffalo,NY by Dr.Forbes. I am looking to chat with people from this area that were banded or are going to be banded. My name is Lisa. Look forward to hearing from everyone.

Hi all. I'm new to this forum, it looks exciting and informative. My new birthdate is July 23, 08! I say its the beginning of a whole new life. It just goes to show that you always have a second chance, you just have to take it. Dr. Cohen is my surgeon, and what a wonderfully talented doctor he is!:girl_hug:

Hey all. I am Debbie and I live in England. I can't find any support groups over here so I am turning to you. From what I gather the pre op routine is slightly different but I am sure the post op will have to be the same. During my psych evaluation, the shrink told me to tell everyone and anyone to gain support. I think she is crazy. She insisted I tell my teenage boys just in case i did not come out the other side. My 15 vyr old is now terrified and my 17 yr old is embarassed. gee thanks. and no I did not tell every stranger I passed. Just my other half and a few close friends. Oh and my sister, who has her own eating demons. She was anorexic.:tt1:

Did everyone here have (or going to have) their surgery covered by Tricare? When I read that they were finally covering the lap band procedure, i jumped on it! It was the easiest process I've ever had to go through with them. In fact, my surgeon's office told me tri care was the easiest insurance they've ever had to deal with. I had my procedure scheduled and done within around 6 weeks of my initial consult - psych and nutritionist appts included! :party:

Hello to all; :thumbup: I'm new to this site and so far I have enjoyed reading everything. I had my band done May 22. Have lost about thirty pounds. I do have questions that I will share later. To all, have a good day!