Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hi, I am Rita and I live near Anderson SC. I am begining my WLS journey. I am scheduled for the seminar at Lexington May 5. I am also planning to go to Dr. Bour's seminar. I will self pay due to ins exclusion. Any advice, tips or info will be greatly appreciated.

Hi All: I'm new to this. Just had my intro session last week and on Wednesday I have my first appointments (psych, nutritionist and surgeon's rep)! I am very excited about all this and it feels right and I am really glad I found this site for the support and the encouragement your stories offer. So I just wanted to say hello and see if my ticker is working! Have a great weekend. Susan

Hi Everyone, I had my surgery on 4/25. It went very well. I am now on day 4 and I am really not that hungry. Down 7 lbs already. What do you do about headaches? Also, in the full liquid stage, Can I have anything other than soup, or protein shakes? That is about all I am eating. Thanks for your thoughts! :biggrin2:

My first time to post.... I've been lurking around the boards for a few months now but never setup a profile until today. All requirements have been met, just waiting on approval from Cigna to move forward. I'm more nervous about being approved or denied than I am about the surgery itself. I live in Tyler, TX but I'm having my surgery done by Dr. Benavides in Dallas. This will be my first surgery ever (excluding having my tonsils taken out when I was 5 yrs old) so I wanted to make sure I got someone who was experienced and appears to also be well liked. So.... Just wanted to drop in and say HI!!

Hi there, my name is Alan and I live in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was banded on the 19th November 2007 at 1.45pm - I remember looking at the clock just before the Anaesthetist put me to sleep. I am doing very well and have lots of support from people around me. I had absolutely no pain whatsoever and I was back at work within 3 weeks of the op. I'd be happy to answer any questions about banding and support anyone thinking of having it done. I look forward to hearing from you fellow bandees and bandees' to be! Alan:thumbup:

:biggrin2: Hello! I'm Donna, and I was banded in April 2007 by Dr. Veninga in Carrollton, Texas (suburb of Dallas). I started at 312, and now I'm 235 looking to ultimately get to 160. I'm 5'10", 47 years young, and a single mom of 3 fantastic teenagers, including 16-yr-old twins. I'm loving my lapband! So many failed "diets", so many dreams come and gone. Now it's time to fly! :coolgleamA:

I just recently had the lap-band surgery on April 23, 2007 in Boston, MA. My doctor was Dr. Kim, she's great. And so far i've lost 16 pounds, and i feel great, my first fill will be on June 14th.

Hi all! I just read a book titled Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band: Everything You Need to Know Before and After Surgery to Lose Weight Sucessfully. It's written by Robert W. Sewell, MD, FACS, and Linda Rohrbough. I found it to be very informative. It explains how the band functions, what to expect before and after surgery, fills, complications, lifestyle changes, skin care after surgery, plastic surgery, and a chapter that addresses the people who live with bandsters. It will be one of my tools to help me during my journey.

Hello and Good Morning to all It's 1:00am the day after my procedure, and I hurt. I have been taking my pain medications every 4 hours and they make a wonderful dent allow me to just sleep through the pain. Sadly, it's 1am and I now hurt so badly when I lay down. While searching through these posts I have seen a lot of people recommend recliners. Sadly I don't have one in my tiny apartment. Any other suggestions so I can sleep relatively pain free? Thanks, Jennifer

I have just got the go ahead and have scheduled my surgery date it is May 6th. I am starting to get really nervous. Any advice out there about how to deal with the nerves. But I am also very excited.:biggrin:

I was banded on 15 April 2008. I have been reading these forums for a few days, and have found them interesting. I've also started a record of my experiences, in the hope that they might prove informational to others considering the surgery. It can be found at: Jason's Lap Band

Hello there! I just found this site today. I underwent surgery one week ago (4/21/08) and had a REALIZE band "installed". Dr. Frank Duperior of New Dimensions weight loss in San Antonio, TX was my surgeon. I had lost 16lbs prior to surgery, and I'm not sure how much I've lost so far this week just being on liquids. So far so good, and the recovery has been WAY easier than it was when I had a c-section. I'm looking forward to getting some great info here! :wink2:

:smile2:Hi I was banded April 16,2008. I live in Hot Springs Ar. and flew to Detroit for my surgery. I can't say enough positive things about the staff and surgeons there. They were super. I am on my third week on the post eating plan and so far I haven't had any adverse effects. I have lost 12lbs and I am so pleased with myself. I joined this forum to get and give support. :coolgleamA:

Hi. I am just getting started with the lap band procedure- going through Sparrow. I was surprised at how many people from mid-michigan chose to go to Flint or Port Huron when Sparrow was in town. Can anyone tell me why- maybe there's something I don't know here that I should be aware of with Sparrow. At this point, I'm awaiting insurance approval- Blue Cross, and I hope it's not going to be a battle. My BMI is 45 and I have GERD, hip and knee problems, and borderline diabetic, so I need this surgery. I was real skinny all my life, but in 1999, after having 2 kids in two years and a hysterectomy, I quit smoking for good and it was all uphill (in pounds) from there. …

Hi Everyone just stumbled onto this site and was so happy to have people to share with! I am 49 years old and my surgery date is May 13th. I am having my surgery at Journey Lite in Thousand Oaks CA with Dr Helmuth Billy. I am paying cash for my surgery because Blue Cross didn't consider my sleep apnea, high blood pressure or degenerative back disease sever enough to warrant surgery. I am looking forward to my surgery and just a bit nervous. My dear friend just had her lap band last week so I am getting daily updates from her so that is a help! I look forward to reading all of your success stories.

Hi there y'all!!! I'm Kristey. I have been flip flopping on getting weight loss surgery for a few years now. (Been to several seminars. lol) I was finally getting serious about it and was going to get it done in December of '05, but found out in October that I was pregnant. YAY!!! So obviously I put it off. I've been thinking about it again for the past year, but after trying to get pregnant again and NOTHING working to get my ovaries going again, I decided not to put it off any longer. I got my insurance approval yesterday and am scheduled for my band on May14th. I CANNOT WAIT!!!!! I'm a little nervous about it, but MUCH more excited than scared. I look forward to …

I have discussed this with my hubby and he is supportive of me either way I decide and in the end, that's all that really matters. But I've mentioned "wanting" to have this procedure to my best friend, who is fairly open minded, and she calls it a quick fix. She says if "you'd just eat right and exercise you'd lose weight". Wow, if it was JUST that easy...would any of us be HERE? :confused2: I love my BF, but she's really into natural foods and says I'm too "acidic" and I should drink barley grass or some junk. I don't know what that is, but I'm pretty sure I'd rather not. How do/did you get over the it's a quick fix remarks? :thumbs_down:

So I was suppose to attend the seminar last night and we had a family issue come up that kept us out of town longer than we expected and we missed it. I called to reschedule and the next date I can get in is May 13th. :confused2: Seems like FOREVER to me.... I tried to go ahead and make an appt. with the surgery doctor and they said I needed to go to the seminar first. I was hoping for something to progress quicker.....:wink2:

I was just banded on 4-22-08. The surgery went well and I'm home recovering. I was called on a Thursday and scheduled for surgery the following Tuesday, so I wasn't on the 2 week pre-op diet like most banders. On surgery day I weighed 225. I'm 5'4" and 39 years old. I'm wanting to lose 100 lbs in 1 year - maybe a little agressive, and, who knows, maybe as I go along 80 or 90 lbs wil look good OFF me! Love to hear from anyone - tips, suggestions, comments, your success stories - whatever!

I'm not sure if this is an American site...I had put in the request of a site that included Canadian cities that offer that lap band gastric procedure but can't seem to get to a Canadian site. Does anyone know if this procedure is available in the Vancouver, B. C. area? My daughter (33 tomorrow) has been trying to look into it and she was told that the only place that offers this surgery in Canada is in Missisagua (sp?) in Ontario. If anyone in Vancouver or Calgary (where she lives) has had this done locally could you please let me know asap? Thank you all. Judy:confused2:

Hi! Been looking at posts for awhile, but decided to log on yesterday. My band date is May 20th. The site has been very helpful so far. :biggrin2: Thanks!

:smile2: Well, I heard from my insurance company on wed 4/23 and they denied my lap band that I was supposed to have done on Tues 4/29. Great timing. I have sent in an appeal and I have my insurance broker working on it. I hope to hear from her soon. I will keep you all informed on the final decision.

Hi, everyone. I'm new to this site - getting banded on May 7 (yay!). I'm sorry for my intro post to be a rant, but I'm so pissed right now. I asked my husband not to tell Anyone about my band, specifically his mother. I wanted to avoid negative comments (like the ones I've read about on this board), judgements, and expectations from Anyone - particullarly my MIL as she is hyper-negative. I just really think this is a personal and private matter and I should decide when, how and if people are told. This morning I overheard my husband on the phone to MIL say "...when Nya get's back on solid food..." :wink2: GRR. I asked him about it and he said he forgot. Now, this is entir…

Greetings, I attended the seminar with Dr. Woodman on 3/4/2008: I completed my consultation with the Nutritionist, had the Psych evaluation, copies of my past 5 year medical history, and a support letter from my primary care physician completed prior to my 1st visit in Dr. Woodman's office on 3/25/2008. The nurse told me that they would schedule my 2nd visit once they received a letter from my insurance approving the surgery. I received a letter from my insurance company last week advising that they have approved the surgery with a cc to Dr. Woodman. I assume that Dr. Woodman's office received the letter about the same time I received mine, and was wondering appro…

Hi from Toronto Ontario! I just got banded at the TLBC on April 17th, 2008. My surgeon was Dr. Yao. I got the band because I recently turned 40 and finally realized that my life was not going to magically improve unless I did something about it. I was tired and unhealthy and just fed up with being unable to live life to the fullest. Having tried just about every diet, fad or otherwise, and scared of more radical bariatric surgeries, the band just seemed the right choice for me. Pre-op weight was 347 lbs. I lost 20 lbs before the operation, and have lost another 17 lbs so far! See you in the forums, ~Maev

hi my name is deb and i am new to the group. i was banded 03/03/08 in rochester ny. i have lost 25 lbs since 02/27/08. i had my first fill on 04/17/08 and was pleasantly surprised at how painless and quick it was. i discovered this group while trying to find info online on how often you can have a fill. any info would be greatly appreciated.:wink2:

Hi all! My name is Kelly and I am a new bander. I received my lapband on March 28th of this year.... so it's been a little over 4 weeks. I was/am a self-pay patient and I have to say, my overall experience has been ok. But I do have a few questions. Maybe I should ask them in the post-op section? Heck, I'll ask them here too. Question #1: I'm assuming that it's my port incision (the largest incision I have) is still sorta "hard" and I still have a blackish-brownish bruise surrounding it. Is this the port that I am feeling that is making it hard to the touch? Why hasn't the bruising gone away yet? Any ideas? Question #2: I am going in for my first …

Hello, I'm just starting this journey. My insurance is requiring 4 months Dr. supervised weightloss, so I'm hoping to have my band in October. I'm right on the border of 35 bmi, so I really don't want to lose too much weight before the 4 months are up. I know that sounds weird because I do want to lose weight. I just am really tired of the yo yo weight loss and I know that is what would happen if I lost weight in the next 4 months. Does any of this make sense? My life has been filled with up and down weight and I'm ready for something to help me keep the weight off once and for all. I feel that the LB will be just the right tool for this. Any suggestions? W…

Ok, so I had my appt. today with my PCP to discuss this procedure. He was 100% FOR it. He said my blood pressure was starting to become an issue (I've never had BP issues before) and that he knew we'd tried everything and it just wasn't working. He said to go to the Seminar (which has been moved from next Tuesday to this Sunday in Cary) and start the process and let him know exactly what they needed HIM to do and he'd get it done. I'm really excited. It's kind of starting to become real now. :thumbup:

Within the last 2 weeks i've knocked out my psych, nutritionist, physical with PC (nice little surprise prostate check there) and lap band seminar. then on Thursday of last week - i got the call from my insurance with the APPROVAL. called my doc on Friday and scheduled a proceedure for 5/5/08. woo hoo! totally stocked about this. i wanted this procedure last year, but was denied by my previous insurance carrier. then, after getting an amazing job change offer and getting a new carrier, got approved. little nervous about the amount of food that i'll have to eat and not feeling hungry. but time will tell i guess. also, since i don't like to take any prescri…

Hi! New to this site. I am finding it very helpful reading peoples posts. Nervous and very excited at the same time!

I just got banded a couple days ago and I feel a lot better today, I thought I was going to die the first two days, but I made it though all the pain, now I am ready to lose weight. I have already lost 8lbs. in two days, I'm so excited:thumbup:. ~Janea

Just found this site and can see that it will provide a wealth of information. I have been thinking about the Lap Band surgery for several years and finally attended a seminar in November. Unfortunately, I am told by my employer's benefits person that our insurance doesn't cover this surgery. I'm actually considering going ahead without insurance. I haven't begun any of the process. I'm still in the decision-making stage. I'd love to hear from anyone who had surgery done in Idaho and/or anyone who paid for the surgery without insurance. Thanks! 2Curious

Hello, everyone. I was banded on Thursday by Dr. Kevin Krause from Beaumont, Royal Oak. So far things have gone pretty well, although I'll admit that I'm a lot more sore than I expected to be. (I'm one of those hyper competitive people so I guessed I figured *I* would have an easier time than everyone else - HA!) I haven't taken any pain meds today and only took one Darvocet yesterday - I hate the way they make me feel and that icky urpy naseaus feeling is gross, so I'd rather just hurt. I am excited to start feeling a little better and being able to do some light excercise. I haven't felt the urge to have any more "food" (that's relative, eh??LOL) than I'm su…

hi, I am from michigan. I was approved by bc/bs 2 weeks ago and awaiting my surgery date. I am so afraid that after all the work I've done to get this far, that I am going to fail once I get the band. My will power when it comes to dieting is ZERO obviously, or I wouldnt be here! and I LOVE to eat. This thing better be made of steel. I am so ready to lose the weight, and have been on every diet known to mankind, but when I saw little to no results after a couple of weeks, I'd quit. I know your only supposed to loose a couple of pounds a week on a diet, but why is it that I can gain 10 over a weekend!!!!!!!!!!lol anyway, wish me luck cuz i'm gonna need it.:w00t:

Hi, I am new to this site, I have been reading threads for about a week or two. I had my consultation with Dr. Geiss in Syosset NY on April 12 and have my appointments with the pulmonologist and cardiologist on May 1, and my upper GI on May 7th. My friend had the surgery in December and my best friend is also doing all of his clearance for the surgery. I am super excited, I was told by the Dr's office that my insurance (HIP Prime) doesn't turn anyone down and doesn't requrire the usual 6 month Dr supervised diet. Hopefully I will have the surgery over the summer! One quick question....what is PBing? I tried looking it up in old intro posts but I cant figure it out…

I'm only 17 [18 in May] and i started thinking about the surgery after my dad actually sat down and talk to me about my weight. My uncle, aunt, cousin, dad and recently my mom found out she have diabetes and my doctor started worrying about me getting it. My uncle died from it. I was always chubby and i had astma when i was little. I missed so much because of my weight. I'm scared to do things. I don't feel pretty anymore & i'm tired of missing out on everything. I've basically missed out my whole teen years. I've been doing research on this & it might be my only choice. I've tried execising & dieting...it got to the point where i slept all day so i won't eat …

Hello Everyone! I was banded 4 days ago and I am excited to start my new life. The first couple of days was rough. I had to stay at the hospital for two nights due to unexplained pain and needing to be on a pump type of medication machine. Finally found out it was severe gastric reflux. Went home thursday and was thrilled to get some sleep. Yesterday I was out and about all day. It felt good to do a lot of walking. The reflux seems less severe when you are moving around. I am finding it difficult to eat as much as I am requiired to. I just don't feel hungry. My husband has been reminding me to eat. I have lost 10 lbs already. I don't know if that's a good thing consideri…

Hi! I'm a newbie to this whole Lap Band thing. I've just received my surgical date of June 23, and I'm so anxious. I've been heavy my whole life. I actually went on my 1st diet when I was 5 years old. My doctor thought I was prematurely growing breasts.......but no..I was just really fat. That hasn't changed 21 years later. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm addicted to food the way some people are addicted to drugs or cigarettes. Unfortunately, food isn't something you can quit cold turkey. Every diet I've been on has failed. I can never manage to last more than a few weeks, and I always gain back more than I lose. That's why I turned to Lap Band. Hope…

Hi All, just thought I would introduce myself. I am 23 (24 may 26th) and I am schedule for Lap Band surgery on May 21, 2008 at the Barix Clinic in Ypsilanti, Mi with Dr Schram. I am very excited to start my new life with my lap Band.

I've tried to think about this whole process and make sure that I DO think about it and think it through. What I'd like to know is what do you WANT out of this process? I want to be able to get up in the morning and put ANYTHING on...and NOT have to pull, stretch and triple check in the mirror before walking out of the bedroom... that's it....:thumbup:

Hey ya'll I was just banded on 4/18/08 (yeah, one week down!). My starting weight was 200 lbs and I am hoping to lose about 75 lbs and get down to 125. The first week was a little tough, doing just clear liquids but I added some mashed potatoes to my diet today and felt a little more satisfied. I am still having massive pain in my left shoulder from trapped gas, but hopefully it will vanish sooner rather than later :w00t: I am so excited for this journey....

Hi I am new here. I am in the process of having my psycho eval and will schedule from there. I am hoping to get my surgery in Aug if all goes well.

Hi my name is Jane. I am 52, have been overweight for as long as I can remember and I am being banded on Monday. I am having mixed emotions as the day gets nearer.:nervous Some days , hours or minutes I am so convinced that this is the best thing to do :clap2:and other times I wonder what am I setting myself up for. Having said that my whole process of thinking about, researching and actually committing has been very fast. In all it has taken about 8 weeks since I first decided and went to an information night . From there I talked to my local doctor and then went for some blood tests etc before getting to see my surgeon. By the end of that first appointment I had a dat…

Obiviously, I'm new here. Getting banded in 3 weeks, and I'm nervous (probably normal). I just don't know what's ahead of me and I'm pretty uptight. I know I need this, I need to drop the weight so I can go back to a "normal" life and start living again. What's next?

hi everyone, i've posted a couple of times but thought it was time i introduce myself. my name is judy, i'm booked to be banded on june 3rd with dr.mumford in TO (Canada). i think i would probably still be riding the fence if it weren't for these forums! the results are fantastic, the mood is positive and if it is not, someone is always there to turn it around! just wanted to say thanks for the inspiration.

Hello, I am new here. In fact, this is my first post. :w00t: I am opting for the Realize band and my surgery is May 16th. I was nervous at first, but as I research more and more, I think I am doing the right thing. This looks like a fantastic forum and I'm so glad I joined.

I'm brand new to this site- and I'm quite excited! I've been approved and will have my surgery 4/29/08 early in the morning! So, today was day 1 of that "famous" liquid diet, I'm doing ok, but do know it will be tough to stay focused! Not to mention being on it after the op. I want to know how many pounds you all lost during this process(liquid diet)? I see people that say that in a month and 1/2 they've only lost like 15 lbs. and that worries me :biggrin:

I have done so much soul searching about this whole journey and I have decided that I could compare the lapband to "clipnotes" from high school. To me it is just like that, you still have to do the work, but it makes the journey a little less difficult for you. I guess I am showing my age with the cliff notes LOL. I see lapband as a gate to my freedom from being fat! I am so ready to open the door to a happy, healthy life!! I dont have a date yet, but I just cant wait! I am ready to start living and quit just "existing"!!

Hello everyone--My name is Cristi and I am so happy to have found this site. I was always thin growing up and I never even knew to appreciate it its just what I was. I gained 100 lbs with my first pregnancy and have had no metabolism since-I worked really hard to get all 100 plus 30 2 yrs after birth but it was a constant battle-it had to be my every thought. since then I had 3 babies back to back to back so you can imagine. I have severe asthma so its almost like a catch 22 for me--I can't move around and do alot until I get some of the weight off, but I can't get the weight off until I get more physical. My insurance just approved the surgery today-(after jumping th…