Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello, everyone i'm so glad i found this site it gave the courage to start the lap band process. I hope to have my band soon. Until then I will continue to use this site for motivation and support.

Hi Everybody! I have been lurking here for quite awhile. My insurance requires 6 months of physician supervised diet before they will approve the band, so I've been working on getting that done. I had my last dietician appointment in June and just had my consultation with the surgeon last Friday. As long as I get the insurance approval (which I expect I will, I should be scheduled for surgery in early October. It's been over a year since I started working on the requirements, so I'm very excited to finally be so close! Amber

Hello Everyone! You are my heroes. I am giving up on beating myself over the head with "diets, weight loss clubs, medication, etc!" I am a Lap-band Wanna Be! I found out that my insurance company doesn't cover Bariatric Surgery. Or I guess I should say, my husbands company doesn't have that rider-so unless he can persuade them to start, I am a self pay! I am seriously thinking of heading to Mexico to have Dr. Zapata do the surgery. Anyone with first hand knowledge of his skills as a surgeon? How about follow-up care? Thanks for being out there for the rest of us "Wanna Be's":thumbup:

I am approved! My insurance approved me in FOUR days. 100%!!! I went in to the dr. last week and they approved the surgery the same Friday. I am having my band on the 7th of August. ONE WEEK AWAY I can't believe this. Is it supposed to happen this fast? I have already started the pre-op diet. I am nervous. I am excited. I am worried about what some may say. Most will tell me I dont need this, but I know I do. My family is supportive. I just can't believe I am having this next week. I have been researching for years! I am a 30 yr old single mom of 3. I am 5'4" and weigh 245 lbs. I am so excited. I have tons of questions. Have any of you flown right after? Wha…

WELL TODAY LEAVES THREE DAYS TO GO AND THEN IT TO THE BAND AND I WILL BE THE BAND LEADER WITH OUR GROUP I WWILL BE DONE FISRT ON WED. MORNING. MY DOCTOR WILL BE DR.RICHARDSON AND DR. FOLLOWELL @ ST. ALEXIS HOSPITAL ST. LOUIS MO. THEYH AHVE BEEN VERY CARING AND CONCERNING MY INSURANCE WILL BE MEDICARE AND PART CASH BUT I BELIEVE IT WILL BE WELL WORTH IT SO I AM WITH EVERYTHING:thumbs_up:

Just wanted to say HI and introduce myself...I'm Michele from Texas...Im 40 and had lapband Nov 07...it has been one of the biggest life changing events for me! I am sooo happy I did it...it's not without it's challenges but in the long run it was the best decision for ME!! Look forward to joining your community!

I am Mary, from Jacksonville, Florida. I knew about this forum for a long time, and now wish I had taken part earlier. I was banded on July 1, and had my first fill on August 8. For a while I had a lot of nausea, even on liquids, but that is gone. I went back to work maybe too soon, a week after surgery, and had a persistent pain across my mid back, right under the shoulder blades. Anyone have that problem? I also had an area that wouldn't heal at the upper center of the abdomen, and it kept being rubbed by my (ladies, you know where!) It turns out there was a little stitch, and once he took that out, it has healed. I am finally feeling really good, and looking fo…

Good day to all of you! I saw my surgeon for the first time FINALLY on July 3rd after having all of my pre-surgery tests in early May. Looks like my surgery will be last week in July first week in August...so I am just "weighting" (play on words, HAH!). I weigh about 224, 5'4", and am 53 years old. Two questions: Anyone about the same who wants to "buddy" through this process?:thumbup: Anyone wish you had chosen the gastric bypass instead of the band? My physician has suggested that maybe I want the bypass because it is so much more successful for people my age.:tt2: Thanks, in advance, for any feedback, especially from the fabulous fifities people.

Hi everyone, I am new to this site and will have lap band surgery on August 27th with Dr. Barry Greene in Rockville Maryland. I am so excited but also nervous of the actual surgery. I am on a total liquid diet (2 wks prior to surgery) to shrink the liver. I have been reading a few posts and this sounds like a wonderful place and you all sound so nice. I am sure I will be back.

Hi everyone. First I want to say that the night I found this website I really cried. I don't know a single other person with a lapband and I didn't realize how much I needed support and understanding like this. yay. I have been browsing posts for a couple weeks and thought I would jump in and share about myself and get all those intro questions out there. My name is Rebecca, I am 30 years old. I currently live in Saline, Michigan (near Ann Arbor) and am married with 2 children. I am an attorney but currently at home with my babies. Why am I so fat? In my head I know it is because I consume more calories than I expend. right. Apparently so does every female on both s…

Hello everyone, I am new to this whole experience and am looking forward to any advice you may have. I currently have BCBS of RI ppo and I am wondering how difficult the approval process is. Any one with that info? Thanks!:wink2:

FOR SOYA MILK!!! LOL i started my liquid diet yesterday for 2 weeks, for my op on the 1st sept. And i was gagging :thumbdown:when i was drinking it yesterday....i was literally forcing myself to drink it! :thumbup:(i was feeling at that point i would rather starve and not eat than to have another one lol):crying::sad: But anayways....got a great tip from my sis to have it with soya milk, tried it this morn.....and my goodness it taste like a totally different shake!!!:thumbup: I am even looking forward to my next one for lunch and dinner!! SOYA MILK ROCKS!!! :biggrin::thumbup:

Hello all, I have not been on in a long time. I was banded 2/2007 and have had very slow results. I have no support so decided that well I need to find it! I go this Thursday for a fill and ready to get back and start losing again. My local support group meets during my work hours and about 20 miles from my home so feel pretty isolated. I am 44, 2 grown children, no grand kids, married. I love to camp, play computer games and work as a registerd nurse at our local VA. I live in Spokane, WA. Drop me a line if you get a chance or if you are also looking for a buddy.

Hi Everyone... my name is Maria... I am 33 years old, i am a married mom of two little ones.. 5 year old little girl and a one year old little boy. I have been enjoying reading in your forum... I am new to all of this. I have been overweight my whole life, im sure thats not new to hear. I am seriously considering the banding. I have an appt today with my general dr.. and i am going to mention it to him today. Are there any other steps i need to take..? Should i call my insurance company??? Thanks for all your help and guidance

Hi, just wanted to introduce myself. I am new to this forum and will be getting banded on 8/20/08. I am a little nervous. I will be going by car 600 miles to have the banding done and will return in three days. Does anyone have any advice for me? Anything I should take along. What is the discomfort level afterwards? Also i am not too computer or internet saavy, and might need help navigating the website! Thank you! J

it took one year of fighting with my dr. and one insurance company. my daughter had it one yr ago and lost 70 lbs. she;s almost to goal. i have 4 days left on the pre surg liquids hard to do but it will be worth it. xoxo:tongue2:

I'm one appointment away from receiving my letter from my Nutritionist for surgery. My final appointment is 8:30 am on September 3rd and I will have my letter in hand by that afternoon. She could tell how anxiious I was to get all my documention. All I will have to do is send everything to my surgeon on that day and wait for them to submit it to the insurnace company. I'm very hopeful that I may be part of the September Samuri's... wish me luck.

Hi, anyone want to chat? Well, my name is Trina and I was banded on June 5. I have a couple of questions for post bandits. 1) how does your doctor perform your fills?, does he/she fill the band with a specific amount and you drink or does he make you sit up after he inserts the needle then fill as you drink to see how much restriction he wants you to have. 2) did anybody's doctor do measurements before? My friend and I did our own measurements and it has been encouraging especially when it seems like your not loosing weight.

I've been banded for just over 2 weeks and i'm now looking for recipe ideas for after my first fill? :wink2:

Hi, everybody. My name is Barb from Texas. I am 25 years old and I'm two days away from surgery. Wednesday, August 20th is the big day and I am ridiculously nervous and very excited. :wink2: I'm joining this place because honestly-- I'm kind of freaked out. My family and friends don't really know or understand what I'm going through. I could really use the support from others who have gone through the same experience.

Hello to all! I am new to this site and sooo glad to find it.I weigh 250 as of fridays doc appt,new doc so did not bring up lapbanding,my medicare from my ss disability as well as the Humana PPO plan I enrolled in both will come into effect Nov,08. I wonder can anyone from KY tell me if Medicare covers any costs and/or does anyone have Humana PPO and does it cover What is a louisville doc on Humana liost?:wink2:

HI, I am new to this site. I had my lap band last Tuesday. Between the pre and post op diets I have lost 22 lbs. I look forward to advice from everyone. I am sooo glad I found this site!:wink2: Donna

Hello everyone. I am new to this site and wanted to say hello. I am currently doing research on the lap band procedure as I am very interested in getting it done. All my life I have been overweight and I am just sick and tired of it. So any advice would be GREATLY appreciated... Thanks.. Steph :wink2:

Hello everyone. My name is Jeff and I am from South Jersey. I am scheduled to have my first appointment with Dr. Adam Goldstein on Friday, September 5th. Having been to the orientation session twice, I'm reasonably confident in my decision but inevitably I still have doubt. More on that later. I am 25 years old and work in the public sector as a Network Administrator. I am 25 years old and I currently weigh 550 pounds. I was my happiest when I weigh 225, and even then I thought I was big. Fast forward 8 years and I sometimes have trouble believing the number on what is essentially a freight scale I had to buy (because I never could convince myself to ask my dog's vet …

Hi everyone, I just got banded August 14, 2008. I am still suppose to be drinking liquids but have tried a little piece of pizza. Seemed fine, I chewed, and chewed and chewed. I welcome any comments. My incisions are really blue and I am really sore. Did anyone else have blueness and soreness. I welcome any comments and suggestions. Thanks!

Just found this site, and am excited. I live in Las Vegas and happily married, 35, and have so much to love and live for. After 10 years of trying we finally (with no help) got pregnant. We have two awesome little girls, ages 1 and 2. During my pregnancy I got gestational diabetes, and after the first baby it stayed. I am devastated by this, and decided on my own to stop taking my insulin. It has been a couple of months.. I guess I am in denial. I am a smart person that is on her second degree, studies include business law etc. I am well traveled and yet I feel like a dummy. I think my after I knew my daughters were safe and healthy, I feel like I am in the c…

I have a question about whether it is absolutely necessary to recover at home:confused2: I'm scheduled for surgery in 6 weeks and would like to recover after the 1st couple of days at my camper (fully contained) about 2 hours from home (it's so peaceful there). I would have a friend with me to help with lifting, etc. Has anyone done this? I have read many entries from people who have gone shopping, and walking, etc. the next day without any apparent problems. I have never had any problems with recovery from surgery before. Any thoughts would be helpful.

Hi, My name is cathy and I received my band on August 1st. Before the surgery I was very worried about the effects of the surgery and if I wanted a piece of plastic in me for the rest of my life. I was also afraid to really tell anyone, I was thinking maybe they would think I was taking the easy way out. But now I am so happy, I have so much energy I feel great, I'm not hungry. I only eat about one meal a day the rest if mostly liquids. And my family has been great I told everyone after I had completed the surgery and they are all thrilled that I did this for myself. I wish I had not waited so long to question my doctor. I'm 43 and have overweight my whole life. …

My name is Janie. I registered with the formum over a year ago, but I have never posted. I had my band placed October 9, 2007. I did well at first, then things happeded, and my world began to weigh on me more than usual. I have had several fills, and I still throw up at times. I don't eat near the amount I did eat before my surgery, but I am reverting back to the habits of comfort foods for some time now. I've lost 40 lbs. total, but I wanted to be down much more by now. I'm embarrassed and ashamed of myself, so I find it difficult to admit my failure. If I did not have a counselor to see, I don't know what I would do. I am trying to get back on track, and start …

Hello, Has anybody had gastric band when at 35 BMI and had good results? I would be very interested to hear your experience as I have my booked for sept and still not sure of it being the right procedure for a secured weight loss. I am not convinced I will not loose what I need and/or on the time I would like to. CrisBela

Well, tomorrow is my surgery date and I'm really looking forward to it. Sure, I still have some butterflies but I know this is normal. I got up this morning and went to Church, come home, straightened up bedroom, packed my stuff, went and got groceries, and now I am sitting here on the computer typing down my thoughts hoping someone will take the time to sit back and read this. I'm sure alot of you will be reading this actually. I made up my mind last week that tonight I am having a big Steak, Baked Potato, salad, with a Coke to drink. For dessert, I am having a slice on Peach Cobbler. My Aunt calls it "my last REAL meal". lol Tomorrow morning, I have to be up …

Hello All, Have just booked my band for the 3rd of Sept but I am not sure it is the correct procedure for me. I have always been overweight and after a life long battle I decided to do something about (surgically that is) as I have never managed to keep weight down after slimming and dieting. That I must add, I have tried them all. I am 1.63cm (5"3") and weight 90KG around 14st I think. My BMI is 35.4 and the surgery is costing me a small fortune (£8.000,00). I can not afford it not giving me results as I will not be able to afford another procedure in case this one fails. I also do not want to wait 5 year to loose all my access weigh and I am thinking that Gastri…

I had my first 2cc fill end of July. I wonder if he even hit my port. I don't feel any differene. I cannot stick to 1/2 cup of food 3 times a day. Any of you have suggestions? I can't exercise because I have a blood clot in my leg, this isn't helping matters. I feel like I did this for nothing, I thought it would be a tool that controlled my hunger, but it doesn't. Help!:mad2:

Hello everyone. I have been lurking around for a few weeks. I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts. It has been so informative and inspirational. :tongue_smilie: I figured it was time to say hello. I will try to not to ask the same questions over again.

Hello, I am new here although I have been lurking for many many months as I did research. I know this will sound strange but I was afraid of jinxing myself and hoping that my insurance packet landed on a kind stranger's desk... It was submitted around Jul15 or so, and so I am getting kind of nervous that it's getting to be a pretty long time. About me: I am 185 lbs at 4'11 I have: T2 Diabetes (on Byetta and metformin) High cholesterol Borderline hypertension GERD (that's 4 unfortunate things isn't it?) I am a yo-yo dieter and I am about to go into the big life change so I'd like to get this weight off me before my hormones call me crazy. So there it is…

Hi, I'm from Virginia - but having my surgery in Greensboro, NC. Anyone else from Virginia being banded soon?!?

:tt1:Hi everyone! My name is Julie and I just had my surgery this tuesday. I am so excited! I have already lost 12.5 pounds and its still coming off. I am not hungry that much and I haven't thrown up yet. But my husband is wonderful and is keeping track of what I eat, how much and when so that helps alot. I am still sore from my surgery but not nearly as much as I was right after surgery! I think that everyday gets a little bit better for me. I am so glad that I had this done! I wish all of you as much success as I am having right now!:biggrin2:

Okay. . .so I'm new to this. . . I had my surgery about a month and a half ago and I've lost 16 pounds!!! I'm really excited about that but I feel like I am not eating as healthy as I should. I was wondering if anyone had advice about their eating habits. Does anyone follow Weight Watchers, South Beach. . .what works the best. . I want to be as healthy as possible and kick my weight loss into high gear!!! Thanks!!!!

Hello, this is my first time posting. I was approved to be banded on September 4, 2008. I am so excited as I know that this is the first step to a better quality of life. :mad2:

Hi all, I´ve been lurking a bit and thought it´s time to introduce myself to the forum. I have been over weight pretty much all my life, I cannot ever remember being thin. My weight has always been an issue, I hate the way it makes me feel and every year that passes it gets worse and worse. Right now I weigh 114.5 kgs (251.9 lbs) this is the biggest I have ever been. I have tried every yo yo diet out there. I was very sucessful when I learnt to watch what I was eating and excerising on a regular basis. I lost around 20kgs (44 lbs) on my own about 7 years ago. I have since put that back on plus some. I am scheduled to have my band fitted on the 1st July 2008 in B…

Congradulation to all. I am new at this and due to be banded on August 21st. I have BCBS FEDERAL and was approved in one week. :thumbup:I do have a concern. I read all these threads that people had to be on a liquid diets. My doctor did not put me on a pre-op diet. Is this normal? :confused2:

Hey everyone! My name is Erin I'm 23 and getting married in December.. I've been on the road to get my surgery and now after all of the prep I'm waiting to hear from Horizon BC/BS.. It's the worst feeling in the world!! My neighbor and I are doing this together and she got banded yesterday.. I'm so jealous that she is done!! Anyways I would love to hear some encouraging stories!! :mad2:

Hello all. I am new here and have my semnar next saturday. SO my question is do all insurance companies make you wait 6 months before the surgery? I have bluecross ppo. Thanks for any info

Hi, I attended a seminar in August and got to hear all about the Lapband surgery. I have already sent in my paper work and I have an appointment with the surgeon on september 5. I am really excited about this appointment. They have checked with my insurance company and they will pay for the surgery. Now I just set and wait:bored:

I would love to know the scoop on Houston doctors........The 'unofficial' guide to banding in Houston......Who to avoid....etc.....

Yep--we're on! Am starting the "clear liquids" today. Went to the strore and bought Propel Water, Crystal Light, broth of every kind and sugar free/fat free popsicles. Am at 360 today....am 53 years old. Am concerned about losing hair and the flabby skin--but it will be better than dragging around the extra weight!

Anyone wanna be my buddy on the 6 mo "dr supervised diet" program countdown? LOL Gotta love insurance. this is my first month, so I have a way to go. I also have to get my house in order/organized/freezer meals ready for a month at least for my family . I have 3 girls- ages 12, 10 and 8 and a dh, so I need to know that they will be able to handle my responsiblilities while I am down (it hasn't happened in the past), so that means I need to make a schedule or routine for THEM to help out (which they are loathe to do right now). So, I am looking for anyone who is starting this 6 mo battle of the insurance (LOL) who is looking for support as well (like me) and then be…

Hi - I have been reading posts for months and have felt blessed to have found this website. I am able to find the help I need for what ever issue I'm having in regard to my band and weight loss. Here's a little about myself -- I have been overweight my entire life (well from age 7 or 8). From the time I got married 14 years ago, the scale has been going up and up. I peaked last year at 337 and decided to have gastric bypass surgery. I started the process in July 2007 with a consult with my surgeon. On Aug 1 2007, I started my 6 month pre op weight loss program through the surgeon's office. I did really well and lost 40 pounds by Jan 2008. I felt so good about myself bec…

My name is Chipper and I just got banded today. Thought I would drop in and tell everyone Howdy!! Things are doing OK except I have terrible gas pain in my left shoulder and can't seem to shake it, has anyone else ever had this and how did you get rid of it.

Hi every1 ,my name is Laura and I'm from Texas..I have been over weight for more than 5 years and my current weight is more than what I was when I was pregnant with my youngest son. I decided to do something about it and this is why I'm here.I'm having my surgery on Monday the 18th and I cant wait. I would love to hear every1 that would like to share their story and is willing to give me advice.... Thanks :biggrin2: