Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Sooo today was a very exciting day for me. Today I met with my surgeon Dr. Micheal Snyder. I have been approved to have the surgery, but I have to wait for my insurance to approve it first which may take a couple of weeks.. Im really trying to find someone who is about to get it as well, and lives in the Denver, CO area. If not its still nice to meet new friends. I cant wait for my journey to begin. I consider this surgery to be a rebirth and bday gift to myself since Sept 25th I will be 28 and its going to be a new begining for myself and my son once I have this done. It's good to know there is so much support out there. I love this site, I truely do!:thumbup:

This is my first post after lurking for about a week. I'm an RN at Baylor Frisco, and have been working through the hoops for about 7 months with Cigna. My surgeon is Dr. Cribbins and my paperwork is faxing tomorrow morning. Please wish me good luck! I've enjoyed the board so far - it's giving me the "low-down" that I may not hear otherwise. I would love to talk to any other Dallas area people, or really anyone who wants to trade support. Thanks for reading!:omg_smile:

I am soooo excited! After a year of back and forth I have a surgery date w/ Dr. Kirshenbaum in Aurora, CO. I have my travel plans set and my consultation Oct. 22!!! I can hardly wait!!! :omg_smile:

Hi everyone. I am new and need some advice. I had my lap banding aug.11,2008, and other than a wound infection (Keflex taken) all has been well. This morning I woke up with a lump, and pain right under an incision. I took a pain pill and contined on my merry way, only to have the pain rear it's ugly head this evening. I have low grade fever and chills also. I am thinking I have developed an abcess, but what I need to know is: A. Has anyone else experienced this? B. What else could be causing the pain fever and chills? C. Of course i will call the Dr. tomorrow, but I am a worrier. D. would band slippage feel like this? I'd appreciate any help you could give…

Hello everyone. I just got referred to the options program through Kaiser (so cali) and am very excited to start this process. I was wondering you all can share with me your weight loss stories. How long have you had the band? Weight before/after band? What has changed in your eating habbits? Also, a little freaked out about anasthesia!! Have people actually died getting a lap band? I know the bypass is dangerous, because they re-wire you ... but the band? It seems so much less invasive !! I am happy to hear everyones experience and goals ... Thanks FUTURE BANDER ...

:whoo:I am soooo excited!!!! My surgeon's office called today, and told me I could get my Lap-Band on 1/10, or the first week in Feb. Duh! I'll take Jan. 10th!!!! Two weeks from today:clap2:!!! Only negative is my hubby can't take of of work with such short notice (he is a physician, he would have to cancel his scheduled patients), so my Dad or my step mom will have to take me to the hospital on my surgery day. DH can bring me home the next day (my surgeon requires an overnight hospital stay). How long should I tell my Dad to expect to stay with me in the hospital on the 10th? Will I want him there all day, or will I be tired from the surgery, and just want to res…

Hello my name is Jen I recently had the Lap band surgery at Bflo General hospital by Dr Forbes my surgery was July 1,2008 I have lost 18lbs,the weight is comming off very slow,I guess I expected to lose more in the beginning but by talking to different people I hear that it takes a few fills before you really start losing I sure hope so because some days are a little discouraging.

hi my name is rachell, i had a lapband done in july 08 and so far have lost 42lbs. I am a wife and mom and spent most of my life skinny and active until it took us 3 tries to have our beautiful darling daughter, and then crushed my ankle which was a very long recovery. During both i went 150lbs a great weight on me for my frame where i wore a size 5-7 up to 283lbs and a size 20-22, the surgery center i had it done from doesn't seem to answer many questions for me or offer any support and we are currently fighting with them on billing, while our wonderful insurance paid 100% what we were told would cost our insurance 18k has been billed as 80k. so sorry for the ramble nice…

I did mine in the middle east, and my port is located between my breasts, while my friend did hers in the states and her port is above her belly button.. Where is your port located, and what is the difference??

Hey ladies, I am home from having my surgery. Discomfort yes, pain... No. I thank you for you prayers. So here is the lowdown...it took about an hour for the whloe thing to happen. I would suggest that if your insurance company pays for you to stay overnight ... Do it. I am so happy I did. Any questions I had I could ask on the spot and there were other surgery sistas on my floor that I could visit with. Another tip... Get your butt up and walk as soon as you feel up to it. You will pass a lot of gas but avoid those latent gas pains that come later as I have read in the chatrooms. I feels so much better since I have started walking.I walked my cul-d-sac twice today...…

hey everybody i got banded :frown: on Saturday the 30th of August i have little pain :w00t: at the incision site and the band it self is irritating me a little bit :tt2: today i had my first soup :frown:, i was living on water the past 2 days and the I.V. :smile: my doctor prescribed a multi vitamin tablets for 6 months and stomach tablets for 1 month and an antibiotic for 1 week wish me luck y'all

Hi Everyone, my name is Patty and I had the lap band august of 2006. I started at 279, size 24/26 and my original goal was 180 and hopefully a size 12. Currently I am 170 and a size 10/12 and couldnt be happier with my body! I am a traveling nurse, currently in Ft lauderdale, fl. I am looking for a doctor here, just starting here for help. Let me know who you are using and who to stay away from. I think I need just a tad removed from my band....I have not been doing well with my eating lately, not sure if its stress or the band? Anyway, glad to be here amongst friends.

Hello! I am a 26 year old single mom of a 5 year old girl. I live in Rockford Illinois and need help loosing weight! I am very nervous about the whole banding process, but I am also very excited. I have been going to a nutritionist for 6 months and I want to go forward with the process. I am not even sure if the Medical card will cover this surgery, but I read somewhere that there are doctors in Chicago who will perform the procedure. I would love to learn more about the band. I have had a mom and sister who have had the gastric bypass, one lost a lot of weight, and the other did not stick to the plan and is bigger now than she was. I know I need some help loosing the wei…

I've just started the process. Had a meeting with the surgeon, getting ready to start nutrition classes. I was so pumped before the meeting, and felt like I knew this was right. Now I don't feel sure at all. How do you know when you are ready to make the committment?

Hello!!...I hope and pray that I can get this done like so many of us here! This is our last resort??? Well...at least for me! I hope I am accepted by the M.D. and the insurance Co....the best to all!!..:clap2:

Greetings All! I am happy to have found this site because all I had been finding is Lap Band sites with bad reviews and complaints :smile:. I am open to everyone's input, as I am in the decision stage of the process. I'm in a rut. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm the heaviest I've ever been. My weight problems began with a sudden onset of weight gain 21 years ago. I had a two year bout of a mystery illness and packed on 40 pounds within three months. It's been a battle ever since. My body hurts; my knees, my back, my stomach, my self esteem, my spirit. I hate having photos taken. I discard most of them. I’m depressed and have become unsocial. My wors…

dinner (sushi:tt2:). now my mom starts talking about this dead cousin and her bypass. Then she starts talking about my aunt's friend and her bypass and the complications that followed. So I said... People have to do what's best for them and when they run into problems then we have to support them. Not beat them up about what they should not have done. Then she replied: Well commom sense would tell them not to do something that could kill them. So I said: Being fat could kill them.:teeth_smile: (I can smell somethings up, she doesn't give up that easily) Now I am on my way out the door with my teenage niece who by the way has been overweight since she was …

Hi everyone, i'm Lyn, i have only been banded for a week, still on the liquid diet, doing well, have along way to go but i know i will get there, just wanted to say Hi..:thumbdown:

Hello to all! I'm starting on the lap-band journey and I can use all the support and information I can get! I'm looking forward to contributing to some threads and just learning a lot about this crazy process. :redface:

Hi! My name is Debbie and I'm new to LapBandTalk but I'm not new to the Lapband. I've had my band now for almost 2 years (Oct 2006) and lost 70 lbs. In the last year I've had to have my gallbladder removed (my band had to be completely emptied) and then terrible acid reflux (again, my band had to be emptied). I'm slowly starting to come around and my Dr. is slowing adding Fluid back in but not before I gained back 7 pounds!! It's very depressing, but I'm fighting hard to stay on top of it. Reading the discussion boards help me tremendously and I'd be happy to help those just starting on their journey. I love my band!! The only regret I have is not doing it sooner!! Debb…

I'm so happy :crying:.. I finally have everything needed for surgery. I just faxed all my information to the Drs. Office and I' m hoping that they will have a quick turn around submitting everything to the insurance company. OMG has this been a process. You can't imagine how many times I've been on the brink of just screaming :mad: because of this process, but all in all it was well worth it .. I swear I know I gave them more than enough information so hopefully the doctors office won't drag and the insurance company will get back soon. I'm going to give them (insurance company) 10 days before I start calling them.. I will probably put them on my cell phone as a speed dia…

Hi my name is laura but everyone calls me tootie....so i guess im goin by that here ....anyway i have an appt for my first meeting sept 15th....im really nervous but have decided i need to get this surgery done to be healthier but its kinda freakin me out after reading all the stories from people thats had a bad time with it but i know that i need it so any help from yall would be appreciated....oh by the way im from southeastern oklahoma and will be going to tulsa to the meeting and im thinking about goin with dr fisher....someone i know went thru him and she had good results so far shes about 2 weeks out of surgery....anyway just wanted to say hi and maybe meet some new…

I live in Louisville, Ky and am trying to decide which group to go with. Has anyone had the surgery with Dr. Shina at Suburban? My insurance will pay for him but not the group at Caritas. Is it worth paying out of pocket for the doctos at Caritas vs. Suburban? Any info will be greatly appreciated.

:thumbup:Hi! Just want to start by saying "thanks" to so many of you for the helpful post! I was banded on August 18th and things after surgery were NOT what I had expected. I had always bounced back from surgery really fast BUT this time was different~~~then I got to thinking about how much older I am now than I was with past surgeries. So, the first week was a little rough but the weight loss was AWESOME!:thumbup:I had lost 12 pounds pre-op on the liquid diet and during my first week post-op I lost 11 pounds! I haven't lost any more, in fact I have gained a few pounds back! I was totally discouraged and found myself on this website looking for anwers~~~~~THANKS! I found…

Just joined here. Had my initial surgical consult on August 18th. Surgeon said I could probably have the surgery done by end of September. I have most of my test done, have my nutritionist appointment scheduled for tomorrow then just need to see a Mental health specialist and get an EGD and I'm ready to roll. I've been overweight for about 10 years now, morbidly obese for about 6. I've tried successfully quite a few times to loose weight but it always seems to make it's way back. My father had the lap band done and dropped from a 42 waist to a 34 in 9 months so I decided it was about time for me to go through with it. There has been a lot of Dr. appointments over the l…

Nichole here from Prescott Arizona...been working on getting my pre requirements now for about a year, hopefully will see an end to those soon. Hello out there...:biggrin:

Hi iam new to the site. I am getting ready to have the lapband surgery and am kind of nervous and worried,but but exited at the same time .Can anyone kind of tell me what to expect and stuff before and after.........:thumbup:

Hello, May 13th bandster!!! i don't know if i have gotten my sweet spot yet. The doctor advised me that i have the standard size band. is that standard size, 8cc???????? how many cc's can a 8cc band hold?? i hope this is not a stupid question.

:thumbup:I had my band put in January of 2007 - It was done In Burlington Mass. My BMI was 40 and my weight was 254. Today my weight is 151 and I am only 2 pounds away from having a "NORMAL" BMI. WOO HOO!!! I was wearing a size 24 and actually some 26's depending on the brand. I am now wearing a size 10 and depending on the brand an 8. It's all so strange to me as I was overweight most all of my life. I LOVE THE BAND!!!!

Hi everyone, I'm from Texas and my surgery is scheduled for Sept. 15th. I am very excited and nervous obviously - but looking forward to the results! I have been reading your posts for about a week and they have been very helpful! I am inspired by those of you who have had success and hope that I am posting and joining the success stories very soon. I am using my insurance to pay for my surgery. At first it seemed like a lot of stuff to do - weight history for 5 years (I haven't been the best at going to my Dr regularly), 90 days of supervised diet and exercise, 90 days of seeing a nutritionist and a psychotherapy visit; but now that it is all done and my Doctor's offic…

I was banded two years ago. My first two fills went fine. I felt some restrictions after each fill for several months afterwards. If I over ate I would feel the overfull feeling at the top of my throat and have to belch some and sometimes some would come back up. When I reached the point that I could eat anthing I wanted without and limits I went in for my third fill. I did not notice anything different this time. I waited several months and went in for my fourth fill, still nothing different afterwards. My fill Dr has told me I can only get one more fill. Now when I eat my normal natural stomach gets full and I feel pressure pushing against my port from the inside. I eat…

ive already posted an intro post, but i wrote this to send with my insurence papers. and just so you know, im only 16 and im 99% sure im getting this done and im beyond excited so with out further ado.... From the mere age of eight, I have been struggling with my weight. As a child, around five or six years of age the weight was regarded as "baby fat" and said that I would grow out of it. I remember feeling relief from this, knowing I'd grow out of my weight problem. This in itself should say something. A child in kindergarten or first grade shouldn't have to deal with weight problems, but I did. Upon the third grade, I changed schools. Being "the new…

Hi, i'm just starting my lap band journey. Have been cleared through insurance, picked out my Dr...Dr. Schram, Ypsilant Mi, and have gone through the psych screening. Has anyone had previous problems with kidney stones, poly-sistic ovarian disease and noticed a change after their lap band procedure? Anyone who's had dr...Schram before? can anyone offer any information on health improvements after their lap band? Excited about the journey!:lovechoc: chariTee

Hello, I am 47 yrs old, weigh 240 pounds, am scheduled to meet with bariatric surgeon on Fri. I haven't started my 6-month weight loss program (required by my insurance BCBS/TN - also requires 10% weight loss prior to surgery). Would enjoy hearing from others who have gone through a similar process (have to lose certain percent of weight before surgery). Dee

Hi! I was banded 8/18/08 by Dr. Upadayay in Oakland, CA. I lost 10# before surgery and 12 # since so the total is 22#. Took a week off and feel fine.:redface:

Hello, My name is Yvonne. I do not yet have my surgery date as I am in the prelim stages. I had my medical intake and will my behavioral and nutrition intakes shortly (the 15th and 2nd, respectively). Very stoked over the whole process. So many different people have varying experiences, so any input would be welcome. Some people it seems have to be on liquid only diets for a month prior to surgery, or certain diets. What about you ladies and gentlemen? What has been your experience? If you have been on liquid only diets, what types of nutritional supplements did you take. Any responses or just plain chatting would be great. :tt2:

Hello all, My name is Tia and I have my lap band scheduled for sept 15th. I will be going to bay bariatrics (Dr Tersgini) in Coos Bay Or. I am so excited to have surgery and regain my health back! I go to my consult appts on the 12th of sept. I have posted a few posts here previously and have been just reading and am so thrilled to go on this journey and share it with others and have them share with me. I currently weigh 265 and am only 5'2. I am dedicated and committed to using this as a tool to gain my life back and possibly save it!! I am excited to get into lap swimming when im able to go to full exercise. If you have any advise, or tips for me especially…

Hi. I am in Illinois (the Joliet area). I have insurance approval, but am still waiting for my surgery. I am having my surgery at Silver Cross Hospital (Dr. Brian Lahmann) and have been given a tentative date of October 7th. However, Dr. Lahmann's staff never calls me. I only speak to them when I call them, even though they say things like "Oh, I was just going to call you" or "I'll get back to you next week." I know there is a pre-surgery meeting I need to attend and a pre-surgery diet I should follow. I am getting very nervous because of the lack of communication. Has anyone else had Dr. Lahmann or his partner, Dr. Joyce? I sure hope I picked the right place because thi…

Hi everyone! First time to post. Banded 9/5/08 in Texas with Dr. Cribbins. I read alot on the site to prepare, but I feel like I didn't fully understand the extent of the surgery. I'm not a baby...had 3 c-sections, hysto, and 2 breast cyst removed...but this hit me like a truck. Took pain med for 2 days, fri and sat, and am still feeling like I'm drugged today. Worried about not getting enough liquids. Removed the On-Q pump this morning. Will return to work tomorrow. Will continue to read up on everything. I'm so glad I have this forum. More later!

Hi! Sorry to invade your territory but I had a question. My 22 year old son is very overweight (the biggest I've seen him...probably about 240+ and 5' 9"). He is in active duty Army in year 3 and is still an E-2 since they refuse to promote him while he's overweight (he joined overweight but was physically fit so they allowed him in). He just returned from Kuwait and is even bigger than when he left. He has a "desk" job--he works with computers and satellite defense stuff. Will the military pay for a lapband for active duty military? He is due to get out in Aug. 09 and his unit won't deploy (as of now) until Oct. or Nov. 09. I am getting close to getting one (a…

Hello everybody, I was banded in October 2006, got pregnant after six months and 25 pounds lighter and had a healty baby boy who is 9 months now. I never really got a chance to really focus on my band and weight loss and am stuck now. Since my two last months of pregnance my band doesn't seem to adjust well. I am either too tight or too loose. I get a fill or defill, am fine for a few days or a couple of weeks and my band goes either tight or loose on me. With two little kids, it takes me a few weeks (sometimes months) to make an appointment for another fill/defill. Therefore, i am constantly struggling with either heartburn, indigestion, hunger, thirst, ... Can y…

Hi! I was banded on 9/4/08 and feel pretty good. I am down 20lbs and that includes the 10 days of pre-op diet. My surgery was preformed by Dr. Daniel Lane in Mobile, Alabama. I am ready now to get moving and get the rest of my weight off!! Starting weight 240 and I am 5'1. Date today, 9/9/08 220. Only 80 more to go!!!! HJH

i havent been banded yet but im looking into dr's who will accept my insurance im 29 years old and im 90 lbs over weight i stand at 5'2 thats like caring a teenager on my back well i should say carring them on my front im looking forward to this but dont really know the after effects like how long i will be out of work what do i need to expect i know everyone reacts to it in a different way but im keeping a positive mind about it so im open ears to anyone who is willing to fill me in on what to expect in looking forward to hearing from you.. :thumbup:

Hi everyone. Just want to introduce myself. I'm a big fan of message boards from the days when I was low-carbing...when low carbing wasn't even cool yet! Anyway, I got lots of support and great ideas there so here I am looking for a new support group! I am on the schedule for April 4th so in the meantime I'll be lurking around getting lots of questions answered, I'm sure. Thanks in advance to all of you for putting in the time, and especially to the moderators!! I am self-paying and lucky enough to live in Houston where there is one of the finest bariatric surgeons in the country only few miles from my home! Dr. Spivak seems to be quite wonderful and I'm looki…

Hello to all, I have been wanting to get banded for a while now but my insurance didn't cover it. I talked with my father and he co signed for me and I was able to get approved to pay for it myself. Now I am with a dilemma of should I get this done. I have been over weight since my first child when I was 24. When I was younger I was very physical and athletic and never really suffered from being over weight. When I was 20 I got into a bad car accident broke my ankle to where I can never run or really be physically active like I was before. I didn't gain the weight until I got pregnent the first time when I was 24 and was 220pds . Since then I have had 2 more babies…

have a date for lap band, worried about loose skin any ideas?:thumbup:

I always wondered as I was going through the approval process what my out of pocket expense(s) would be. I have bc/bs of Alabama PPO (PEEHIP). Here is my breakdown: Seminar: Free 6 mos Dr. visits: $180 ($20 copay x 6) sleep Study Dr. Visit $20 Copay Required Support Group Free Nutrition Class $60 copay Out patient Surgery (Hospital Services) $75 Copay (100% covered) Out patient Surgery (Surgeon's Services) 100% covered Fills …

Hey ladiess I am on my way to have my surery. I will keep you updated on my progress. Hugs and kisses to aprilapple too, I think we are bandsisters. Keep us in your prayers. Curvesincali

Hi! I'm kind of in the middle of the approval process. I've done everything on the surgeon's end of things. Now everything is off to insurance (Anthem BCBS-TN) and I'm awaiting official approval. Then comes surgery date! I'm hoping November (just in time for the holidays! :thumbup:) I'm 26 yo and weigh 235 (I'm also 5'0!!!) I take meds for depression, hypertension, and tachycardia. Hopefully ALL of these issues will be resolved with weight loss. I'm really nervous, scared, excited, etc! I look forward to learning and sharing with all of you!

:scared2:My sisiter-in-law and myself went yesterday to see Dr Hajduczek at Surgulite in Torrance, CA. Our Insurance won't cover the band so we are going out of pocket. I am so scared of the surgery I don't know if I can do it. I need to. Not doing it will cause problems I know, but I can't imagine dying trying to get skinny. I am 36 and in pretty good health other that being fat. No high blood pressure, no diabeties, no heart problems. Just can't believe I can't do this on my own for free and I am opting for such a drastic measure. has anyone else felt this way and if so, how did you get thru it. This whole process is such a mind game. Just venting and thought this would…