Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hi, I am finally finished with all of my appointments and waiting for a surgery date. I find myself wanting to pig out on everything, thinking that these are things that I will never eat again. I also feel guilty and feel like I should be making a big effort to lose some weight for the sake of the surgery being easier for the surgeon. I am sure others have felt this way. I am just looking for suggestions and would love to pair up with some of you who have already passed where I am at and someone that is at the same place that I am so that we could support each other through the process. I am looking forward to the surgery but also a bit aprehensive. Laura

Hey ladies :frown: So i use to read on this forum how after people expressed interest or had the surgery friends/family started resenting them and acting shaddy. I had the lap band but didnt think my friends could be like that. :smile: I was wrong. My one good good friend of almost 8 years started acting shaddy just before surgery when she thought i was just thinking about it. When i told i was definitly doing it her shaddyness went into overdrive:cursing: She is smaller then me she is like a size 14/16. You know the type who would squeeze into gap clothes but would slit her throat before going into lane bryant type stores. Anywho now that i am banded she picked a…

this is my first thread i am so excited:bananajump: today i bought the Swedish Band and my surgery is on Saturday in King Fahd General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia i'll write again after the surgery to tell you how i feel and everything

Hey everybody, Today I went to my local Big Lots and found LA Slimdown ( LA Weightloss/ Pure Weightloss product) in Vanilla and chocolate with 20 grams of Protein in a four pack for $3.00. I could not believe it !!!! Lord knows I can't afford $10.00 for a 4-pack of Myoplex with 20 gr:thumbup:ams of Protein. I am on Pre-Op diet and drink three of these a day.... and will need to drink them after surgery also. Hope this helps someone. CurvesinCali Surgery date SEPT 5, 2008 in Hawaiian Gardens, California

I'm so excited to be getting my band on Thursday Sept 4th. It will be done at South Coast Medical Center in Laguna Beach,CA by Dr. Quebbeman and Dr. Braverman at the N.E.W. Program. I have been really pleased with how well everything is going so far. Everyone at the center has been great. At first, I wasn't sure of my chances since I have systemic Lupus, but my Rheumy cleared me for surgery. Amazingly my insurance is paying for 90% of the surgery! Some people I've told say "but you don't look that big..." I am 4' 11" and weighed about 200 lbs at the start of my journey. I guess I just don't look that heavy, but I definitely feel it when I walk and try to do regular …

Good afternoon ladies, I was just browsing through this site and stumbled upon you guys. My surgery date is 9/2/08, which is right around the corner. I have heard so many positive and negative stories and I'm a little anxious about the surgery. Do you guys have any advise for an up and coming "bander"? I'm so glad to find that there are so many sisters out there who are taking this step Any information or insight you guys can offer will be greatly appreciated.:tongue:

I have a two questions (for now) . . . 1. How do I add a weight ticker? I went to the site . . . created the ticker . . . then didn't know which of the boxes I was to copy and then where do I paste?:thumbup: 2. Do I have to choose my font and ink color every time I post? Is there a way that it will remember style selections?:laugh: at least I managed to get an Avatar on correctly . . . Hey at least I managed to get an Avatar on correctly . . . I am learning . . . I am learning . . .

ok i have a question...i have been readin peoples threads and stuff and i keep seein the term pbing....what is PBing? anyone? lol thanks !:thumbup:

Hi, I'm a 29 year old single professional who is in the process of trying to get approval (insurance) for lap band surgery. Please feel free to check out my profile for more info. I look forward to posting and learning information and tips from everyone and sharing my own experience.

:thumbdown: Hi everyone! I was lap banded on 8/26, no real pain now, but my hunger is HORRIBLE! I'm on a liquid diet until next Tuesday and I can't wait to taste a scrambled egg or oatmeal! Protein shakes and blended soups are getting dull...any creative ideas?

:smile2:hi to all! i am not new to this website,but i am back to this website. i was looking into the lapband and then i decided after studying the vertical sleeve gasterectomy that it may be a better option for me. i had lots of problems trying to get the money to finance the procudure because i dont have enough credit to get a good loan amount. it stressed me out so bad that i have decided to chill and wait for a while but in the mean time, i am thinking about the lapband again because it is reversible and the VSG is not....if u can, please shed anything rather good or bad on the band and ur experiences with it so far..thanks! :thumbdown:

I am scheduled for lap band on sept 26 and really scared, start the liquid diet on the 12th. Any suggestion, encouragement would be helpful!:thumbup:

i walked into the door of my home today after work and on my banister was an envelop from my insurance company little did i know that it was my letter that i had been approved for surgery i am so geeked now i cant stop smiling and it only took less than a week i finally feel like my long hard work is finally starting to pay off because i thought this day would never come and it has thank lapbandtalk this forum is truly the best iv learned so much and im so glad i found this website i should find out monday when my date is and i will be sure to let every1 and i mean every1 know:smile2::mad::smile2::biggrin:

I am Haley in AZ I have been banded as of March 21, 2008. I am down 57LBS My Dr. is Robert Shuster. I love his team and him very much. There is not a day that goes by that makes me think about what would I have been doing if I didnt get my band.

Hello out there . . . I was banded in six weeks ago in July :smile: and there are no support groups here on the beautiful central Oregon coast. I would love to start a support group in Lincoln County, Oregon . . . I am struggling with this new life change and have no one to talk to :frown:. I had my first fill of 2.5 cc last Friday and of course do not feel any differently. I swear I could swallow a hard boiled egg whole and it would go through my band . . . this is disappointing. I am going to explore this site for infor and hopefully band friendly recipes although at this point, I swear I could swallow a watermelon! :frown: Holler Back . . .

:tongue_smilie:Hi there folks, it's Lynn from Darlington, UK. I had a Vertical Banded Gastroplasty in 2004. In my first year I dropped from 26 stone(364 lbs), to 17 1/2 stone(245 lbs). In that year I was still only on liquids and mush. In the following 4 years I managed to get back onto 'normal' food, but my weight has crept up. I now weigh 22 stone 5 lbs(315 lbs) again. It is still fluctuating, up more than down. I can still only eat approximately one small cupped hand of food. Most solids, like meat, are rejected by my stomach, so I am mostly vegetarian these days. I find it hard to reconcile the fact that I do not eat much in quantity to my old diet, but am…

So I have keloid skin. How has the scarring been with ya'll? I'm really scared that I will have nasty nasty scars from the surgery. I did tell my dr. and he was really good to me with the incisions. I have 4 incisions, 3 small ones and 1 about 1 inch in length. All look to be healing nicely now...but once the keloiding starts...oh boy. I'm so scared. I once had wound cuased my the head of a nail (hammer nail) goin into my upper arm. The wound was really nasty and turned purple and all. Before it even was totally healed it started to Keloid. Now the acutal wound was the size of the head of the nail, which is pretty small. But after getting seroid in…

I was banded yesterday and my first day was pretty good. Some discomfort but nothing too bad. Looking forward to feeling better and really getting going.:smile:

Hi everyone, I am looking into LapBand surgery. I am not at the minimum requirement BMI of 40. However, I am not that far off. Has anyone else started out having to gain some weight before qualifing for surgery? If I ever get it done, it will be paid by me, so insurance won't be an issue.

Hi out there....:frown: I'm due for my band on Sept. 04 at OCC. I've been on the pre-opt diet and have lost 9 lbs so far. I can't wait. I'll keep you posted on my experiances.:smile:

Been working on getting a Lap Band for over a year. My sister got her's about 18 months ago and is doing great so I've been working on getting Banded too. UnitedHealthCare said NO. Said it's got to be IMMEDIATELY LIFE THREATNING condition. I have diabetes, sleep apnea, osteo-arthritis and high colestrol but nothing immediately life threatning so....NO GO. But now I am on Medicare because I'm disabled with arthritis. Several Weight Loss Centers in Tucson and Phoenix have applied to be able to take Medicare but none have been approved yet. So I decided, "to heck with it! I'm tired of waiting. I'm going to fly to Detroit and get the surgery done there." I can get f…

anyone from the buffalo ny area that is starting the banding process. Just started and waiting for the doctors office to send the online course which hopefully is this week. Just in the beginning stages of the lapband process. Don't want to go it alone want to talk to someone of is in my shoes.

:smile:hi. I havent been banded yet. I have HAP insurance and I have to have a psych consult first. Unfortunatlythe earliest appointment I can get is November 3. Then I guess all else will flow. Wish me luck.:smile::thumbup::frown::thumbup::frown::thumbup::w00t::thumbup::tt2::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Hello OutThere, Going to the surgeon on Thursday. 50BMI female 47yold diabetic type 11. So scared. Trice

Hello all, I was doing some searches on the internet and found this message board. Seems pretty cool so I figure I might join up. I guess I'll give yall a little bio on myself. My name is Andrew I currently live in League City Texas which is in between Galveston and Houston Texas. I started doing research on the banding procedure about a year and a half ago and finally decided to go to a meeting. I am a verrrrry skeptical person and worry alot. After looking over all the info and talking to a few members in my family about it whom are in the medical field, I was told that if you are going to have a procedure this is the one to get. I decided to start doing all my i…

Why is it that the one day that you look and feel your absolute worse, that is the day that you see that FINE :tt1: specimen of a man that you used to date? I admit that I would never want a lifetime relationship with him, but OMG this man is awesome!:wink2: I was no where near my size now when we dated. I was petite with curves then. Now I am a cow with clothes. Such is the story of my life.:smile:

I am a 52 year old male, I live in Bowling Green Ky and work as a paramedic. I have had a weight problem since I was a senior in high school. I have lost and gained several good sized people using phen-fen, low carb, Nutri system ETC. I had no health problems until a couple of years ago when my blood pressure started to rise and my ldl went up. Now I have a reason to lose weight other than vanity but I just yoyo. I am seeing the doctors at Vanderbilt. I am almost done with the prerequisites for insurance approvel except the support group and I am looking to join a group online. I have tried to find a support group but the only local is on a night I have a class. Has anyon…

:confused:Hello I had my lap band the 28 of feb 08 and have lost 26 lbs. I have been a little disappointed in the situation because I have to have my fills using a flouriscope and infection and pain. I get really discouraged at times but people say they can see inches lost but for some reason I cant see this when I look in the mirror. I have a intolerence to all citric acid so all juices are out. Does anyone have some advice?

Hello, I am Sage in Cocoa, FL. Over 20 years ago I was injuried in my back. Since that time I have slowly gained 100lbs. I am looking for any one in the area that knows doctors here that can recommend one that they believe in so that I can get this weight off of me. I appreciate any help you can give me. Sage

I was just sitting here watching music videos with my girls and man, Lloyd ( he sings that song Get it Shawty and has a new one called Girls Around the World) that young boy could probably be snatched up.:cool2::w00t: LMAO!!! I think it is the hair, it is so beautiful. My youngest asked me if I knew he was too young for me? LMAO!!!

Hi ! Anyone out there from Indiana? I am on my 5th day of the fast. I am going to be banded Sept 9 in Cincinnati with Dr Chase Curry. I'm so excited to finally begin to lose weight! I love all of his staff and they have been very helpful! Can't wait to get this show on the road!:biggrin:

Hello my name is Donna and this is my first post. I have been approved for surgery and it is schduled for Sept. 12. This past Friday I started the two week optifast diet. I know that if I can make it through these two weeks, I will be successful at weight loss. I have never done anything the difficult to try to lose weight. The optifast is controlling my hunger, but I so badly want to eat something solid. :thumbdown:

I just stumbled across this forum, hope it can give me some answers to questions I may have. I've just had the surgery done on the 26/08/2008 I'll be browsing the forums, they certainly look the goods. Don't really know what to say! Hi :biggrin:

Hi everyone! Is anyone here in or around Savannah, GA? I'm having my surgery on August 29 and am just looking to meet some local people that have either already had surgery or will be having it in the future!

Hi all! Was banded on Aug 1, and have lost 25lbs so far. Dr. Erlich in Bridgeport did my surgery. Looking forward to my weight loss journey!!!

Hi Everybody! My surgery was two days ago. When do you think I could return to the gym to walk on the treadmill? My husband wants me to go with him. I'd appreciate any advice on exercise.

My lapband day is Tuesday Sept 2nd!!!!!! My MD is Dr. Domkowski . It is being done in Palm Bay FL. I am on day 2 of the 3day clear liquid diet.

Hey, Gang, I'm Steve Goad, and I am the new kid on the block. I had my surgery about a month ago (July 25th). As my signature shows, it is working well for starters, and I am happy with the choice I made. Beyond the lapband, which I am sure will come into many discussions, I am a musician (no longer publicly performing - I got tired of people saying I songs like Bob Dylan, but didn't sing as well). :thumbup: I currently am the owner of ItsaGodGig Music, a Christian recording studio, duplication house, and musician-based web development studio. I got married a little over 2 years ago, and my wife and I have guardianship over a 40 year old woman with Down Syndrome.…

Hi everyone, I am not yet banded but after thinking about it for the last year, I want to do it and I am working on insurance approval right now. I am doubtful that they will do it, so if I have to self pay I am sure that won't stop me. I have a 37 BMI with Acid Reflux, depression from the weight gain (I am sure that covers a lot of us and I was gestational insulin dependent diabetic when I was pregant (3yrs ago). I check my sugar and I have had numbers in the 200's-300s at time but it goes pretty low like 78 after eating too so my A1C is I belive .1 away from being considered Type 2 Diabetes but I am taking the Glucophage to keep it down currently. I have Priori…

Okay, I originally started this about a week ago because I finally got a date. My Cardiologist was faxing my clearance to the wrong fax number so once we got that taken care of they gave me a date of September 16th, which is like 2 weeks away. I was all excited until I remember I go on cruise 2 weeks after that. I cannot be on mushies on a cruise boat!!! Anyway, I called an explained everything and now I have a date for October 9th. A couple of days after we return from the cruise (going to the Bahamas and getting banded baby!!). Anyway, October is going to be an exciting month! I can't wait.:smile:

Hi everybody! I was banded on August 15, 2008, which was also my twin daughters truned nine months old! My 23 year old daugher had the RNY surgery a year ago July and is doing great! I decided to get the surgery because my twins will be walking soon and I know I won't be able to keep up with them carrying so much weight. I am doing o.k. and have lost 22 pounds so far. I am nervous about eating "real food" but am starting to make the move from full liquids to purees and soft foods. I had my surgery in Mexico and will probably go back for my fills since they do fills with fluroscopy rather than blind fills. I look forward to learning more about living with the band!

:smile: Hello, I'm new here, I'll be having my lapband on Sept. 15th, I'm getting a little nervous and scared. I've been over weight all my life, I've tried everything, but now my health is not so good, and I need to do something to help. I would love to have any information on what to do or how to handle the pre-surgical diet, the do's and don'ts. Any Tips would be nice too. Thank you Bobbie (that's my real name):wink2:

Hello everyone. I am a new patient on my third day post-op. I just got past my *gassy* stage. (That was rough). I'm still a little gassy, but it is nothing at this point. I am very sore and tender at my port site (as expected). Here's my surgery day story: When I first awoke in recovery, I said, "Oh, this ain't so bad". Ten seconds later...I was writhing in pain from gas pains in my chest. I honestly thought my heart was going to burst from the pressure. I asked if I could walk around, but the nurses said that I couldn't just yet. (As groggy as I was, I don't blame them, but the gas pain was so intense that I did not care). The nurses asked me if I think I could walk an…

Hello everyone. I am a newbie to this site. I am getting banded this Thursday 8/21/08. Are there any special preparations I should do that maybe they didn't tell me. I would love any input you might have. I am excited yet scared. I don't like surgeries. Any advice on post-op care to make it a smoother transition?

I have settled into knowing that my date will be here soon and I find myself getting nervous thinking about all the bad things that could happen to me. I know I am making the right choice but I am trying to figure out how to shake off this case of nerves. Any ideas?

I am new to the site and to be honest new to the whole Forum Chatting. But here it goes. I am approximately 100lbs over weight. Been battling with my weight for my whole life and like many others I am sure have tried every diet imagineable. Some work and I lose the weight then it slowly creeps back up and over my original weight. I have recently been contemplating the Lap Band surgery and have been doing some research. Any pointers on the pros and cons that anybody want to point out be my guest. :biggrin:

I haven't even seen a lap-band doctor yet; my regular doctor just referred me two days ago. I'm just learning how all this stuff works. I'm hoping the surgery will include fixing a "very large" hiatal hernia that was diagnosed late last year. I don't know much about it, just know that it's time to have it all fixed. I have high blood pressure for the first time in my life and am anxious and ready to get this going. Looking forward to watching and waiting...and participating! Thanks a bunch!

It's been a long road and now I'm finally waiting for approval, I am so nervous but so ready for this. Hopefully I'll be a September bandit!!:tt1::thumbup::smile::wink2: May 6-seminar 1st med consult- 7/23/08 (finally made a decision) 2nd med consult-7/30/08 (went with another doctor Dr. Shah LHH) nutritional consult-8/7/08 Psych eval- 8/13/08 TSH Done- 8/22/08 Paperwork off to insurance-08/29/08 croosing fingers wating for approval

Hello everyone, :wink2: I have been a member of this forum before i even knew i was having the surgery, but something inside me told me it was going to happen.. and it did!!! I just had surgery this past monday 8-25-08 and have been healing well. I am a little sore but i am soaring in the sky knowing that i have so many goals and soon nothing can stand in the way of them!! I topped out at 608 pounds, and at the time of surgery i weighed 583. Any tips or ideas suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated! I am really just so happy to know there is a place where people can get together and chat about this. :smile: I am going to keep exploring, keep being f…

what's average anyway? I'm 30 years of age and I live in NY. I've been banded since April of 2004 and my decision to do so is the best decision I have ever made. I was never obese, but I did and still do have a weight problem in my head and physically. I'm been working on my mental conditioning throughout my journey with the band and keep reminding myself that the band is a tool, not the answer. There is always work to be done. My goal is to eventually be well enough to get rid of the band all together, although at this juncture that idea petrifies me. I got the band when I weighed about 175. I now weigh 138 and I am happy with my weight. I feel more alive the…