Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I am scheduled to have surgery on 4/21/08 and VCU Medical Center by Dr. John Kellam. I am excited and scared and anxious all at the same time. I have been overweight all my life but not extremely obese. I have now come to the stage in my life where I realize that all the dieting and exercising that I am doing are giving me some muscles but not helping me to lose weight. I think that as you get older, it becomes harder to lose weight. So I'm looking at this surgery as the way to reorder my way of thinking about food. My greatest fear now is that I'm not up to the challenge and my most immediate concern is the 2 week preop liquid diet. I have visions of starving and…

Hello, everyone. I am a 40 y/o proud wife, mother and nana. Been banded for almost two months and I'm discouraged! Things aren't going quite like I had planned. I've had two fills, the first was 6 cc's, the last one, 5 days ago, was 2 1/2 cc's. They both gave me more restriction, but I still have cravings and I loooong to drink with my meals. Although I haven't been able to choke down bread, doughnuts, etc - I'm still hungry...a lot. Yes, I've cheated a little but my main problem is I am still a sugar addict. Is there ANYONE who has had the same problem? Can you offer any advice on how to break the sugar addiction? That's where most of my calories are coming from and I'…

hey guys i am now 2 days post op feeling ok little depressed butgetting over that with prayer and an awsome family and you all thanks for being there.:wink2::wink:

Hi - My name is Cindy and I am in the learning and getting ready process for the lapband. I expect to be scheduled sometime in Sept, and I am nervous and anxiuos. I'm very much looking forward to hearing any advice or just chat about the surgery and all that follows! :smile2::smile:

Hi, I am new to this site. I am meeting with my surgeon tomorrow. I met with the other surgeon about 2 weeks ago and got insurance approval but that surgeon's schedule is too full so they are referring me to his partner. I have been in limbo for 3 months since my last nutrition visit (fullfilling insurance requirement for 6 month diet/exercise). I am probably older than most of you - I am 57 - and I believe this is my last chance to lose weight and improve my health. So, my question is to post-surgery people - is there something you wished you had known beforehand or asked your doctor? I have already asked a lot of questions but I may be missing something. Thanks.:thumbup…

just found this site a few days ago & did not have a clue how to log on. am looking to have lap-band done in about 6 months or sooner if insurance moves this along. looking at this site for now & finding out a lot.-

Hi All! Well, my name is Rachel, I'm from Salem, Oregon...I'm 22 and a whopping 287lbs. which is my highest weight yet and has prompted me to go ahead with weight loss surgery. As much as I want the physical satisfaction of being thinner, I'm just starting to worry about my health. As of now I have no health issues, but I'm afraid that as time goes on and I gain weight, that will change. I went to my first lap band session last night, got my application filled out and sent in in today. I check with my Ins. Company (BC/BS for State Employees) and weight loss surgery is a covered benefit in full which is exciting. So now...I'm just going to be waiting to hear back from …

Hi i am on here looking for fellow lap banders in the new england area. I have attended my seminar already i have my first appoinmnet on 9/15/2008 at brighams. And i have bcbs insurance. Just wanted to get some advice and storeis on hows evryone doing so far

Hi Everyone, Booked my appointment today and so excited and anxious all at once. I have booked with hospital group at Bromsgrove. Start my 7 day pre operative on Tuesday and hate milk !!!! hurdle one Would appreciate any help advice you could give thanks Wendy:smile:

Hello everyone. I just joined today. I got approval for surgery and it's now official. I have a few more things I need to get done before I will get my date scheduled. My EGD is set for the 20th, my cardio clearance set for the 11th. I have been working with a nutritionist and the doctor for 3 months. I am excited but scared at the same time. It's actually going to happen! If your waiting for surgery to, lets be friends! If you just had surgery, I would love to hear of your experience and be friends. Just watching your success will be motivating for me. Please drop by and say hello. :w00t:

6'0" 300LBS One day a few months ago my wife brought home a sticky note with a phone number one it. She had heard an add for a LapBand seminar and copied the phone number to register. At first I dismissed it as being foolish. After all I'm responsible for my food intake and my excercise level, aren't I? Well I never fully dismissed the idea and have been reading and thinking it over. What it boils down to is that I have had a life long weight problem. There have been times when I was able to lose significant weight, only to put it back on +++. Now I have one beautiful 1 year old daughter and an other kid one the way (sex yet to be known :biggrin2:). Maybe it is…

Hi! I have been going through the pre-testing and nutrition counselling for the last 5 months and have one more to go. So far so good! Hopefully, my insurance will give final approval. I am from North Carolina and will be having my surgery at Pitt Memorial in Greenville, NC. I'm 42, BMI 42. I'm diabetic, developing arthritis, and have other issues associated with diabetes.:cursing: If anyone has Medcost insurance, I'd love to hear about your experience in getting your surgery approved. I am also concerned because I've been reading about the large number of women who have experienced hair loss. I thought the Vitamins were supposed to prevent this...? Suthrnlady

Hello, My name is Jeri and I hope to be getting my Lap Band surgery soon. My Doctor is Dr. Enochs in Raleigh. I have already attended his informational seminar and I have a meeting this Tuesday [8/19] for an initial consultation. I am going to my GP tomorrow for an EKG and blood work. I also have an appointment with a nutritionist and a psychiatrist this week. The doctor submitted my paperwork to BCBS Federal and they let me know what my benefits are. I'm not sure that means that I have been preapproved or not. I was worried about having a piece of plastic in me for life, but I'm over that. I am a tiny bit worried about the risks, but not enough to stop me from…

Hello everyone! I'm Maude and I'm almost 21 and i'm from New York. I've been reading this forum for a long time but I just decided to join. I started the band process around January when I went to the initial informational meeting. Since then I've had my psych eval, and endoscopy, all sorts of appointments and testing done and I'm pretty much ready to be banded. I can schedule surgery as soon as I lose 5 percent of my body weight. 5 percent of my body weight is about 12 pounds. I never anticipated having so much trouble losing 12 pounds. My nutritionist (who is so patient and awesome) had me doing slim fast along with small meals and I lost 8 pounds doing this, then I …

Hi - I just found this sight and am really excited I did. I am having my Lap Band surgery on Aug 26 at the Richmond CA Kaiser. I started the process on May 9. I have lost 27 lbs since then. I just purchased my post surgery Clear liquids groceries and am starting to get a little nervous. My dad is going to drive me there on Tuesday morning and I will be going home that afternoon. Pam

So i had my Preadmission testing on August 20th and that went well..the only thing that bothered me was this one doctor i saw he was very negative towards the lapband he was tellin me i should get gastric bypass done if i want to lose weight not the band...i told him i was gettin the band done because i want to have 1 more child and if i have the bypass who can gaurantee me that i will lose weight after pregnancy! I told him with the band after i have the baby they can tighten it up 6 weeks after birth and ill be on my way to weight lose again! he shook his head and sent me on my way..i went to the receptionist and asked to speak to the doctor who was doin my surgery and…

This is not a question - but don't worry - I know I'll have lots more. I am so happy that I found this site and just wanted to say thank you to all of you who take the time to answer people's questions. I am very new to all of this and I do have lots of questions. I don't want to call the doctor's office every time I have a question (although I'm sure they would be very nice and answer them). It is so nice to have someone who knows what I'm going through, and has been there, take the time to answer my questions. No one has made me feel like my questions are silly and the people who have responded to my questions have been sooooooooo nice and sooooooooo helpful. I kinda f…

Hello everyone, I just had surgery almost 3 weeks ago. I'm eating soft foods. Some go down better then others. I just started excercising again this weekend. My endurance is still low, I'm working my way back up to 30 min. I've lost about 15lbs. All in the first two weeks. This week I seem to be just maintaing my current weight. I'm just starting to get hungry. I'm following the diet very carfully. I can't have my first fill for 90 days. Wish me luck staying on the diet.:thumbup:

I posted this in pre-op forum but thought it could help some here too since we all pretty much have same insurance. I found out I got approved this morning! I really didn't think I would get approved since the base dr.s including my PCM were awful and gave me a hard time about it! I'm over 100lbs over my ideal weight and have PCOS with insulin resistance. And I was approved! It only took 2 days for the approval! Now is the hard part! WAITING! My surgery isn't until November 3rd! My dr. is popular and only 1 of 3 in the state that does lapband. There is a chance it could be moved up but not sure. WOW! I'm still in shock!

Hi all, I'm not new to the site, but this is my first post. I have finally completed all of the requirements for my insurance company and we submitted my file for approval today! I am excited, anxious and nervous all at the same time. I have BCBS of IL, so we'll see what happens.. Have a good one!

Hey, I just got my date...Sept 17th! Anyone getting banded next month?

Hi, I am getting banded in November and was wondering how much time I should take off from work. I know everyones body is different, but I was hoping you guys could give me advise.:smile2:

Hello my name is Deborah and I live in Reidsville, NC. I just had the lap band done on 08/19, and I seem to be doing really well with it so far. I am only to do liquids, jello, pudding, soups, protein shakes etc for right now, sometimes I feel really satisfied, but then others I am hungry again, is this normal?? Im tired of feeling hungry. I am still trying to get rid of the gas thats still inside of me. I wished it would hurry up and go away. I have been walking and on my treadmill, it seems to help some, but not alot. Anyways, im glad I found this site.:smile2:

hi all. i havent been around for several months. i lurked for a while, maybe posted a time or two, but i wasnt sure if i was going to actually do anything well i was banded 8/15, so about a week ago. this week has been rough. its been way more emotional that i ever thought it could be. i have cried & cried, freaked out & said i regret this. right now i think i might say i still regret it, but i dont know. its just such a huge change. my preop nutritionist appt was horrible, she said i was copping out by saying food is an addiction to me, but if im not going thru withdrawals, then i guess im some sort of freak. ugh, i dont know. anyways, i havent felt good at …

Hello my name is Susie and I live in New Jersey. I just had the lap band done on 08/14, and doing really well except for gas. Going on vacation on Saturday (bad timing) and worried about what to expect. Any advise. Glad I found this site. :smile2:

Hello, I'm new to this chat room thing and to this site in particular. I am considering the Lap Band procedure and I would like to hear from some of you who have recently had this done. I'm kinda nervous about going so long on just liquids after the surgery.

Hello everyone - This is my first blog with this site. And yes this is the start of my journey. I am really excited. I have lost 20lbs. pre-surgery. We are required to lose a certain amount of weight before. I have my surgery on Wednesday and really looking forward to the new life. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Hooray!!!!

Hi everybody - I am scheduled to have my lap band on Sept 3. I am self pay but everybody I know says it is sooo worth it. I've been reading messages on here for a while, and figured it's time to join. Looking forward to chatting with you!

The idea of getting banded just occurred to me ‘out of the blue’ a couple weeks ago, and I attended the Fresh Start seminar at Riverside Methodist Hospital just two days later! I am 38 and an e-commerce Product Design Manager and sailor in Ohio. When I was younger and thought I knew everything, I thought that people used ‘thyroid problems’ as a convenient excuse for their size. Well, then I was diagnosed with the Graves Disease (overactive thyroid) 5.5 years ago, and I had a total thyroidectomy 2 years ago. I have gained 50 pounds since I was diagnosed, and having a screwed-up thyroid (aka ‘metabolism’ and now having *no* thyroid has definitely proven to be a serious …

Hello all! I am a single Mom living in Maryland, 46 years old. I need to lose and maintain a loss of 120 pounds (or so) and I know from experience that I will have an extremely difficult time doing this on my own. I am finishing up the 6 month weight loss requirement that my insurance has for qualifying for the lap band surgery. I'll be finished with that in the middle of September and I hope that the insurance will approve the surgery! I'm hoping to use this forum to help me manuveur my way through this process. I've already gone through a lot of the pre-op requirements but the insurance "wait" has stopped my journey for now. I'm also looking forward to the supp…

Just went to get tightened today 2nd one so far again. He said he put almost all my saline back in. I am sooo happy. I am feeling really tight tonight I guess I will see what I can eat tommorrow. I have lost 45lbs since I had my son 5 months ago still have a long way to go again. I had lost 105 lbs before.

Hello everyone! I just wanted to say hello. I am new here well not really I have have been lurking but this is my first time posting. I live In Panama city, Florida and will be having my surgery in Tallahassee on October 1st. I am actually from Jacksonville but had to move for my husbands job but I recently found out we are moving back shortly after my surgery. :thumbup:

Hi everyone! I am new to this site. I am approved for the lap bad surgery and it looks like I will be scheduling for around September 15 to have it done. It is actually a very big surprise that I am having it done than. You see, my Dr's insurance lady looked up my requirements wrong. I was told I needed the 6 months of pre-surgery documented failed tryings at weight loss by my physician and than I would have the surgery. I just got the call today that is wrong, and I am already approved and can get it done either August or September. I can't do August because that is when I am traveling to Ft Bliss TX to see my hubby depart for Iraq. I am so scared, but excited an…

HI, I am new to the site and am considering the lap band. I am going to OSU for the surgery, etc. Any advise would be appreciated.

I am looking for a band buddy with similar situation. I am 32 yrs old, I have 2 small children (girl 3yrs, boy 3months). I live in Plano, TX and I am not telling my friends about my surgery. I got banded yesterday 8-15-08. I am starting at 188 lbs and 31.9 BMI. Is there anyone out there to buddy with? I got the band to help with my self esteem, self image, set a good example for my children, avoid health problems in the future, and I had back surgery 5 yrs ago, the extra weight is hard. Let me hear from you- so far the first 2 days are pretty tough.

How is everyone? My countdown is getting smaller! 19 days till surgery! I can't wait! So how are my military ladies doing? Michaele

Hi everyone... Ok this is my first time on a forum like this. I was "banded" on 2/12/08 to date I've lost 43 lbs. My Dr says i'm way a head of the curve. However, I'm affraid it's coming at a price. I throw up a few times a week. I'm affraid that I was "filled" too much too quickly. How much is too much??:thumbup:

Help! Trying to decide between GBS and lapband. I need advice! margie

:biggrin: just throw up at work. I was banded on July 31st and I am in the middle of the mushy stage of my diet. Everything has been going great withthe liquids but now that i can eat i guess i got carried away. I got grits and egg & cheese omelette. I thought that it would be considered as mushy. Anywho i scarfed it down and immediatly new something was wrong. I rushed to the bathroom and everything came up. I thought maybey if i eat slower i will finish it:crying: nope throw up again. It was crazy. I feal better now though. Word to the wise...mushy stage is not regular food stage. Slow down and chew chew chew:tongue:

If so why?

I'm new to this forum and to the whole lap band world. I have just recently done research and made the decision to get the surgery done and get healthy. I am in the process of finding the right doctor and place to do this. Any help, advice, suggestions, and comments would be appreciated! I am 60 years old, obese and have numerous health issues, most of which I know would be at least partially relieved by losing weight. Nothing else seems to work for me anymore. I lost 100 pounds 5-6 years ago, and have since gained most of it back. Need to lose a total of about 150 pounds or more. so..... HELP!!! I'm glad to have found this forum. Looking forward to …

Hi, I'm Roslynn, I'm 27 going on 28 and a single parent mother. I meet with Dr. Snyder on the 20th of August and couldnt be more eager! I am looking for some friends that are either going to be getting lapband of have just recently had the procedure done. I just really don't know what to put here but I am extremely excited!! I have the support from friends and family. The best feeling about doing this is that im finally doing something for me. Not because of society. But because I love to be active and my weight restricts me from doing so. I love to work out I love to be able to do the things a mother should be able to do with their young child. This is…

So this is my first post.... I went for my evaluation on August 8th. Everything went well and my BMI was at 41.1! I am nervously awaiting approval from my insurance. (United Healthcare Choice Plus) I know that plenty of people have been approved on UHC but I don't want to get my hopes up and then be let down. I am not sure that I can take that at this point. What makes me nervous is my five year history. I was at a BMI of 38 and not 40 so I am terrified that I will be rejected.:wink2: I have a sleep study scheduled for the 26th and for "approval sake" I hope that I do have sleep apnea. I was told by my doctors office that this would help my case. Any encouragement will he…

How long did it take you from your 1st Doctors visit untill you got your surgery? How long did it take for your insurance to approve the surgery? Or did you pay for it your self? How long does the surgery itself last? Did you stay over night in the hospital?:crying:

I live in Beaufort, SC. I'm a 46 year old Workaholic. I am in good health for someone my size. My doctor said I have been blessed up to now, but he would like to see me lose 200 pounds before my 'luck' runs out. He said he didn't care how I did it - JUST DO IT! I have been giving some serious thought to getting the Lapband Surgery, however; I have not yet made a commitment to do it. I am trying to look at all the pros and cons. I am VERY afraid of any type of surgery (I hate to be put under) so the thought of doing this really frightens me! :thumbup: I also fear the 'horror' stories I've heard of "worst case scenarios” and all that could go wrong. I saw s…

we're meeting at starbuck's tomorrow at 9am in kingwood. the address is 2515 green oak pl. Please come and introduce yourself. i know i would love to meet some people in the area and maybe we can help support each other at the same time. :thumbup:

well i went for my 1 month check up with the dr.i lost 30 pounds so far.i also found out that i have the relize band not lap-band i have no idea what the differance is so if anybody does please let me know.so the doc said i lost 30 pounds and that i dont really need a fill but it was up to me.so i said that i would like a fill cause i can eat just about anything with no restriction.so i go sept 2.wish me luck :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Good Morning All!! Just taking a minute to introduce myself! My name is Matty and I live in Massachusetts. Four kids and seven grandkids later I'm starting to realize that it's time for ME. I've been "large" the majority of my life and don't want to finish out whatever I hopefully have left the same way. I am probably half way through the insurance requirements and am hoping that February'ish I'll be able to be scheduled. Unfortunately my insurance carrier requires I participate in their "I Can Change" program which so far has boiled down to getting a phone call once a month from my assigned insurance representative who basically asks me "so---how's it going?!" Very…

I have my 1st Doctors appt. tomorow and can not wait. But I am nervous at the same time. This is only to get a refural so that I can see a surgon. I hope I meet the requirements. I am 260 lbs and I am 5 foot 4 I have high cloertrol, foot problems, Asthma, mirgrains and insomnia. Not to mention back pain as well. Wish me luck please.:thumbup:

Hello everyone, I am a 48 year old female, 5' 8", 238 lbs. and am about 80 lbs over ideal weight. I have not been banded but just had to say that this is an amazing site and I am very greatful for all the generously helpful people here. I probably wouldn't have the courage to get this operation if it weren't for all the help and encouragement given here. After reading the health risks from being overweight I feel 100 percent on the positive side about this procedure. I have learned that is not a magic bullet and it will still take effort on my part to lose the weight but this I am hoping will be a powerful tool in helping to stop re-gaining the weight that …