Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

As you have guessed, I live in Florida and I have been overweight most all of my life. I have decided to do something about it. I have been researching the lap band procedure for over 1 month now and I'm going to a meeting regarding it on Sept 6.

:whoo:I just made my surgical appt today--can't wait. I'm using Dr Adam Smith in Fort Worth, Texas. I've been pacing all day, don't know what to do with myself for two weeks. I don't start my pre-op diet 'til Friday. I spent the day starting a list of all the chores that I need to finish before the big day: Trim the dog's nails (2 80lb heathens, 18 nails apiece) Weed the flower beds

I have been lurking for a couple days, but thought I would start here. My name is Melissa and my husband and I will be banned on Aug 31st (15 days, but who's counting ;P) Wish me luck!

Hello there, We seem to be scattered all over the world & I got to wondering, where are you all from & how far have you come & how far have you to go? Hope you don't mind me starting this thread... :guess here's my info My name is Audrey, I'm 32 and come from Glasgow in Scotland. I've been married to Chris (my second husband) for a little over 2 years. I don't have any kids. but do have a black floppy eared rabbit called Eddie... He was born on the same day as I has my band ! lol & he's WAY too cute! I was banded on 26th August 2003 and to date have lost Lost 104 lbs/7 stone 6 lbs/47.1 kg - I am 5 fool 11" tall (180cm) I've gone from a size…

Hello, My name is Lisa, I am currently being seen at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA to have lapband surgery done. At this time I am going through pre-surgical testing. We have a group of about 20 women that are all being reviewed at the same time. We all have our own concerns on why we are hear to have this surgery. I have mixed feelings on what I want, Lapband vs Gastric by pass. I have 100lbs to lose and I am a cheat and a lyer to myself on any diet I have ever attempted to be on. As I get older it gets worse, that strange women in the mirrior staring back at me I don't know who she is and why she keeps following me. She is exspecailly annoying when I go clothes sho…

Hello: My name is Laura and I am new to this site. I have had my group orientation, consultation and have all my pre-op testing scheduled for August 16, 2007. My surgery date will be at the end of August if all tests are normal. I am a self pay and am excited about the journey and the changes that will take place. My consultation weight was 270.5 and I have tentatively set 170 as my target weight. Dr. Avara in Ocean Springs, MS will be my surgeon. I'm looking forward to journey after I am banded... Laura "Howe"

I was banded on June 28th of this year by Dr. Stephen Malley in Overland Park, KS. I have so far lost 15 lbs. I received my second fill yesterday, and they got it too tight. Lost 3 lbs overnight, couldn't even sip water. Really awful. I went back this morning though, and they removed 1 cc and it made a huge difference. I guess I truly believed that the weight would just fly off. It's taking a little time though. I've always been a little inpatient.:whoo: I started at 232 lbs, & because of my bone strructure, I think I would look great somewhere between 145-155. I think the best advice for anyone out there researching is that this is not necessarily "easy". …

Greetings, I was banded 2 years ago when I weighed 330 pounds and very unhealthy, now I weigh 178 and I am stronger and healthier than I have ever been in my entire life. I went from a size 28 to a size 10. I am 46 years old and my only regret is I wish I would have this done earlier in my life.

Hey everyone, Keldar here. I am just starting the process. I have been shoving this idea into my families face for years and they have talked me out of it so many times but now I have gotten them on board and am on my way. All I have done is read up on it, I am going to do it I just have no idea where to start or who to talk to about it. I am excited though and hope to get everything going in the next few months. Nice meeting you and any advice or insite would be awesome. LUVS.

I have a consult on Aug. 28th with Dr. Ponce. I was just curious if anyone on this site has used Dr. Ponce for the Lap Band procedure? If so how was your experience with him and his team?

I just found your site and am looking forward to finding others who are ahead of me on this path.<br /> <br /> Will I live in the Santa Cruz mountains in California and I started this 360 lbs. My Doc was Vetter in Milbrae Ca.

Hi there! It's good to know support is out there. I have had so many questions and have been getting them answered but now that my husband knows this is all serious, he is wanting more answers! I have been to seminars and I have talked to doctors, I am so excited and can't wait for these 6 months to sail by!! Any advice or comments or just whatever anyone wants to say about it all is sooooo greatly appreciated. Look forward to hanging out here a lot in the next few months!!

Hi there, I'm Nikki from Sydney AUS and I have my surgery booked for Aug 22nd. I am excited but very apprehensive. Look forward to chatting with you and sharing experiences - I need all the support I can get. One question though. Is it normal to have second thoughts as your surgery date approaches? I'm hoping it's just last minute nerves!!!

Hello Everyone, I have just attended my first seminar which is the first step in my journey into the world of Lap Band surgery. I joined this site at the sugestion of my Bariatric Doctor. He told everyone in the seminar this was a very good site for anyone needing some first hand info about Lap Bands. My goal is to learn as much as I can to help me in my path to a healthy lifestyle. I am 45 years old and have been over weight since a young child. I was diagnosed with type II Diabetes in November of 2002. I spent my 40th birthday in the hospital when I was originally diagnosed. My hopes are to be less dependent on the various meds I am presently on and get down to a healt…

Not banded yet, going to a meeting tomorrow night here in Texarkana, TX. My insurance has a mandatory 6 month waiting period where u have to be enrolled in some kind of weight loss program, so I am going to be waiting a little while. Just trying to find out all I can right now, pro or con. I have my mind made up already just searching for anything I should know... Thanks everybody!!!

Hello everyone, I am seriously thinking of getting banded. I have been thinking about this for about a year. I am finding some really good info on this site. I am looking forward to visiting with others that are ahead of me in this process. I am planning on going to a seminar next week and then planning my consultation with the M.D. Any body else out there that are only planning the banding too? I would love to hear from anyone about their experiences with banding.

Hi, my name is Elena and i'm from Athens Greece. I've been lap banded at the 19th of December 2006 and till then i've lost 32.5kgs without any cc filled in my band! Yesterday i had my 1st fill with 4cc and i'm now trying to get uset to it. Today my scale showed -33.7kgs and i have another 17kgs to loose. I hope until Christmas or New years eve that i'll reach my goal!

Hi Everybody, I live in Athens, Greece and I'm new to the site. I must say that what you are doing here is great. I was planning to have my Lap Band Op next week but I've discovered I have kidney stones and a unirary tract infection. I've been on antibiotics since Friday but I'm not sure if I should postpone the Op. My insurance will not cover it so I'm paying from my own pocket. I fear to ask the insurance doc for advise just in case they give me some problem with the rest of my coverage. Really silly if you thing that I'm having the surgery to save me from diabetes, heart problems etc. I haven't asked the Lap Band Doc yet because he's away. I thought I'd ask …

Hello there! I am new to the site and scheduled for surgery next week. I had a question and wanted to introduce myself first. I am really looking forward to the surgery and wanted to get some experiences from others on what to expect. I am not real familiar with the forum and I am thinking I need to go over to pre op and ask my question so I am headed there now! Hope to hear from someone. Have a great night!

Hi everyone I'm new and am having my band fitted on 15 September. Would love to hear from anyone having it done around the same time so we can share horror/happy stories. I am really scared = am really worried about the 2 week liquid diet. how can anyone stick to just liquid for 2 weeks??!! Am also really confused about how much weight I can expect to lose. All the literature says lap banders lose about 50% of their excess weight but i cannot see how you do not continue losing weight until you reach a thin size given the significantly limited amount of food you can eat. can anyone help me?? thanks :help:

My name is Clara. My surgery will take place on August 27th. I need to know the following: I want to find a group of those who are over the age of 50. I want to know how to put one of the tickers on my site. I started my liquid diet today and already I am a raving lunatic!!! Lord help everyone in this house!!!!

This is my first thread to this forum. I live in Texarkana and will have my Lap-Band surgery here next Wednesday. I feel excited, nervous, scared, tired (and a few other emotions) with the upcoming procedure and lifestyle change. I hope this will give me the help I need. I am doing this for health and lifestyle reasons. I want to lose weight to be more healthy for myself and my children. I want to feel like playing with them instead of tired all the time. I want to have my youngest son stop calling me "Big Daddy"... In high school I used to run 1/4 mile relays, 1/2 mile sprints and 1 mile races. Boy; how things change with the years. I love to travel and hope I …

Hello all! I am currently waiting for ins approval before being banded. I've been lurking around and reading different posts. Just wanted to give a big shout out and say hello!

Hi all, My name is Daniel, I am 165kg / 364 pounds and I know I need to do something about it but I am struggling making the right choices. I have always been overweight, in fact I was born overweight. I have never won the battle to get to a "normal" weight range. I have tried several times to diet and exercise, mostly lasting a few weeks maybe 2 months then giving up because it was really hard to stop the temptations. Once (about 6-7 years ago) I was successful to some degree in that I started at 127kg and got down to 82kg which I was happy with however that was short lived. I had an episode that lead to a state of depression. When I am depressed I eat, so I ended…

I just found out about this site after I had been banded on monday! Before everything I weighed 280... pre op I got down to 271 and Right now only 3 days after surgery im down another 4 lbs and im at 267 This is really exciting! I'm healing fine, I can still feel myself recovering and not being as energetic as before surgery, but im slowly making my way back towards normal activity.

Hi everyone:ranger: My name is rhonda and I currently live in New Haven, Connecticut.. I am a full time nurse and receptionist at a clinic.. I have officially made up my mind to go for the lap band.. After being overwight all my life I have finally decided to fight back.. I have done almost all the step requirements you have to do for surgery except actually meet the surgeon and get a established date of surgery.. I think these forums are very helpful and I bless everyone:o on their decision to change their life just like I wish too. Rhonda Sanchez:)

Hi I Am new to the site, Having surgery on August 23rd, begining weight 337, I am very excited and nervous about the proceedure, currently I am struggling through a pre surgery liquid diet of mainly cream soup. I have had headaches and terrible diarhea, I know that the end is bright, some encouraging words from those that have been here would help. :help::help::help::help: I am so excited to find this site and very encouraged by the positive energy here!

My date to be banded is the 27th of August. I start my liquids tomorrow, the 13th. Is it common to be on liquids for 2 weeks prior to surgery. I am diabetic and have arthuritus. I have had knee replacement about 4 years ago and the knee still hurts. I had hip replacement in Dec. 2005. I developed one of those antibotic resistant infections(MRSA). To make a long story short, that hip had to be replace twice after the first surgery due to the infection. Needless to say, I still have hip pain, along with the knee pain. So, I have alot at stake here. Plus, we are having to cough up the money ourselves. I am afraid of this not being successful. However, all the …

I went to a LapBand seminar. The surgeon said you had to wait two weeks before going back. This seems like a long time. From what I have read most people have not described it as taking that long. Tell me your experiences...

Hello, I am new here and i am really glad i found this place. i am planning to have lap band soon (early september) but i am lost in deciding whether or not its the right option for me, since i heard and read that gastric bypass is the "Gold standard" and all that.. i know its safer and all, but i do like food and i dont know how my life will be like after lap band... any information is highly appreciated..

Ok, I must confess. I have been reading this board for months trying to get the courage to register so I could post to messages. So since I have an appointment with Dr. Billy in Ventura, CA on Tuesday of this week to discuss LapBand - I figured it was time to come clean. I tend to be a very private person so I'll still stay in the background reading what everyone posts and when I need help I'll SCREAM LOUD:embarassed: for help. So for now I have taken the name of my two 4 legged babies as my name to post :drum: Thanks in advance for all the help and support I know I'll get from being here:clap2:

Ok, I am 6'1 317 I just had 2 back surgeries and I need some help getting some weight off. I have been over weight my whole life. I am just worried what my family is going to say. Did anyone else have this problem? But I really think I need to do this.

I recently found this board and have been lurking but finally decided to join in! I have been approved for surgery but haven't scheduled it yet. I am really struggling with the final decision to have the procedure. I am still in the information gathering stage even though I have been approved by my insurance company. I have found SO MUCH great information on this board but I can't keep up with all of the abbreviations!! Is there a glossary of abbreviations out there somewhere? Thanks so much!

Can anyone PLEASE help me, when I first found this Forum, I saw a Thread that has a VERY NICE list of Items' to buy before your surgery date, it included every thing from over the counter meds. to disposible tong, to food, drinks I meant to print it out but never got around to it:eek: and now I cant find it to save me Thank you in advance:)

Hi all:whoo: Has anyone had their lap band surgery in Connecticut? I am waiting for the doctor to call me for my consultation with his at Yale New Haven Hospital soon, just wondering if anyone has got banded there before... RHonda:scared:

Hi guys, I'm new to this site and was wandering if there is a place where bansters have posted opinions on their surgeon. I'm thinking of using Dr. Dally from Vancouver WA and would really like to know who else has used him and what their thoughts are. Is there some list on this site somewhere where I might get this info? Thanks :-)

Hi everyone, I just joined the site. I went for an educational seminar yesterday afternoon and I have my md apt. tomorrow. I am nervous, but excited. If anyone else is from CT I'd especially love to hear from you.

After researching it and discussing it with my husband, I plan to get banded. I have Unitedhealth care plus and our insurance covers it after jumping hrough some hoops, I suppose. If they keep refusing my and saying no to my appeals then we will pay for it ourselves. I figure 6 months of trying before we pony up the money. I am hoping this board will prepare me for what is coming and inspire me. Any advice on how best to handle my insurance company and how to prepar myself for the surgury and what life is like afterwards is very welcome. I want to know EVERYTHING. thanks!

:help: I had my first appt and met with the nutritionist, surgeon and started my pre-op test probably 2 two 3 months out before banding. I have been looking around the site and have noticed some negative feedback in different areas. Tell me it isn’t so. May be on the fence now. More of the positives. Please.

I had my surgery in Febrary and received a fill 8/10. I'm having trouble drinking even on ounce. Do I need to be concerned?:help:

Hi: I am curious about something since i've been on this site. i hear people talking about their first, second and so on fills and so now i wanted to find out if the band is placed by the surgeon in an "empty" state until the first fill? in other words, they do not fill it during surgery do they? thanks! /nilsa:ranger:

Hello everybody!! My name is Lynette and I am 18, nearing 19 years old. I am from Knoxville, TN. I have fought obesity for as long as I can remember. I am 5'4 and 279lbs, I have researched lapband for the past year or so. Before a trip earlier this year, my sister brought it up and said my mom, her, and I should all get the surgery done as we are all overweight and have tried to diet and failed many times. I kind of let that thought go for awhile and on the 3rd of July, I ended up in the ER with two kidney stones and a massive kidney infection. I also found out that I had a slightly fatty liver most likely due to my weight. Then my sister told us that there would …

Greeting all. I am new to the site and I am so glad I found this place. This is my first post but I have spent the entire week reading and learning from all your experiences. Thank you all! Addict, yes. My addiction isn't drugs. My addiction is food. I've always considered myself to be no different than a drug addict. Our only difference is with our/my addiction is if I'm to stop, I cannot cut myself clean from food and stop eating it forever. I can never walk away from my addiction because I need it to live. My addiction, I must learn to use it in moderation. Wife and I are both planning to have the lapband surgery. We have went through the initial class and have fil…

Hi, I will be having the lap band surgery on august 23. My bmi is a little lower than most of the people that I have read about. But high enough to be a canidate for lap band surgery. Is anyone else having or had surgery with a bmi in the range of 35-37?:help:

Hi there, Just wanted to say HELLO ALL :faint:

Hello everyone. I was banded yesterday and am having some pain today - in the belly, upper back and shoulder tips. Perhaps I am still inflated? Went for a short slow walk today. I think I might go take a hit of pain-killers and come back and have a look around. I have been visiting before. Cheers Lennyboy

Hi all! I'm Melissa from NJ. I am having my lapband surgery Aug 21. Presently I am drinkin shakes, "eating" cream of wheat, drinking Water, and basically waiting patiently for my big day. I would love to hear from all of you, especially anyone who was banded in Northern NJ, the area where I live (Bloomfield). Ok take care and God Bless you all :whoo:

I have a date for my Lapband on Sept 4th. I am so excited. I have pre-op on Aug29th. This is about the most exciting thing I have done. Yes my life has been pretty boring. I did sell everything I own & buy a business in a small town, it has been doing well for the past 3 years, that was exciting and a lot of hard work. I expect this will be too. Yea..... P:whoo:

:)My name is Connie and I am new to the site..........I started my journey for Lap/Band surgery around april of this year. I am seeing Dr. Lee Schmitt in B-ham Alabama. I got my approval letter from my Insurance company today!! B/C B/S of South Carolina. I was so excited I couldent breath!!:clap2::whoo:

I just wanted to drop in and introduce myself. I'm currently in the process to have the lap-band surgery. I've already met with the surgeon once, did a sleep study, and met with a psychiatrist. I've got another sleep study coming up in a couple of weeks, as well as a meeting with a nutritionist. I'm hoping to be banded around Thanksgiving of this year.