Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I literally only found this forum yesterday! I cannot thank you all enough for the amazing information you provide. I spent so long on obesityhelp.com but it seemed more focused on gastric bypass. I have found my peeps! I am having surgery on Thursday with Dr. Paya in Northridge. Thanks to all of you, I have all the information I need and feel confident. THANK YOU!

New to the forum: Going to pre-op today. Have been on the miserable liquid diet for 1.5 weeks. Procedure is Tuesday. Have been "cheating" on the liquid diet but not too bad....Just have more of the lean Protein than the sheet indicates...i.e. broiled shrimp, tuna sashimi, crab legs. My surgeon is a very close friend of mine. Who's been doing the band for 2 years. He's quite passionate about it and is very excited that I've decided to take the plunge. I've got a lot of naysayers (everyone but him and my wife) around me. I combat them with facts: 1. NIH study indicating that less than 5% of people can maintain weight loss from diet and exercise 5 years out vs…

i have not yet been banded but i have been pre-approved i am a little scared that thay may not approve me cause to them i may not be obease lol but is there anyone elese out there who is about 200lbs and the doc approved the surg?

Ive recently been looking into the lap band,Im 4'9 200lbs and pre diabetic,which im currently taking medicine for,I've done many diets and weight lose plans but nothing works or the weight comes right back,which is pretty frustrating.I wanted to know from people who have had the procedure done and how it went etc. ,since im nervous about surgeries. -Courtney

Hi my name is Crista I live in California and I am seriously considering the lapband..Looking for anyone in California that can give me a referal, ever try the laprascopic docs from san Francisco? I am really interested in side effects, danger, and outcome. What do I have to do to get started with the process? Both of my sisters and my mother had gastric bypass. I am not that obese, I have 60-70 pounds to lose~Do you feel the band inside of you? Any replies would be great! Thank You, Crista from California

:biggrin1: Hi everyone! My name is Marcia & I was banded on 1/23/06. So far I have lost 83 pounds. My health is so much better and I am so much more active! I live in Long Island, New York.

Just wanted to spread some light on finding a doctor from Mexico. I am being banded by Dr Jose Rodriguez on June 12th. I am thankful i found him. His staff has absolutely been awesome getting me scheduled and ready for my surgery. I feel very confident and excited about my choice. I found my doctor thru a referral person. I wish i would have found his own personal website though. Being i went thru a referral person, which i had no idea she was, its costing me $300 extra. So i wanted to make sure that those of you that are looking for an excellent team find him at his website. JoseBand Give Barbara a call, she is awesome!!! It upsets me that someone is making money off of …

Hi There This is my first time on this site. My lapband surgery is scheduled for June with Dr Neal and I'm so excited. I weigh 230lbs and I am 5'5. I carry my weight very well and people around me incl. my OBGYN think I'm "not big enough" for this surgery. I have wanted Bariatric surgery for 10 years . My insurance denied me until this year when I was diagnosed with type II Diabetes. Isn't it sad that you have to wait until your health get's really bad, when this could have been prevented earlier... Anyway is there anyone who had surgery with Dr Neall ? Also, how does one NOT get dehydrated the first weeks after surgery, when you can only drink 2 tablespoons at one time…

I Live in Oregon,and wanted to know if anyone found a doctor in Oregon that has experience in the surgery.

I'm hoping that someone can help me. I just had my banding done on the 21st of May. I was on a clear liquid diet for 4-6 days... and then mushies. HOWEVER, I don't seem to be able to handle the food at all. I was sick (nauseaus, not throwing up) last night... and today all I had was an apple sauce. I have acid intergestion... and I really don't feel well. This doesn't sound normal. From everyone I've talked to... they are up and at'em right away. What am I doing wrong? Is apple sauce too much? Should I go back to just liquids?

Good Morning! I'm Pre-Op, 2 months into insurance required 6 month weight loss, and had my first appt with my surgeon last week. I have been looking around this site and am very glad to see all of the support!!!

I am getting banded on June 6th and honestly I am beginning to get scared. I am tolerable to a lot of pain, but after reading some of these forums about the port hurting soooo bad, is kinda freakin me out a bit. I have been on the all liquid diet now for 6 days and have lost 7lbs so far. It has been hard especially with all of the bbq's this weekend to celebrate Memorial Day, but I am fighting to be strong. I just keep telling myself how much this surgery is costing me and it helps to fight the urges. My liquid diet consists of 3-4 protein shakes a day, sugarfree jello, broth. Is there anything else out there that we can have, because I'm getting bored of the same stuff e…

Hello Everyone! Just starting my Lap Band Journey and was thrilled to find lapbandtalk.com! I am a 35 years old and have been overweight and on the yo-yo weight loss/gain ride all of my life. I'm still in the preliminary stages of the Lap Band process(I will be attending the seminar on June 21) and just wanted to get as much information as possible before I make the final plunge. Kind of hesitant and excited and a bit disappointed in myself for not being able to control my weight without taking such a drastic measure. Glad to be a part of the group!

Hi, I am new to this forum and am getting as much info as possible before my band surgery on Sep. 6th with Dr. Ortiz in TJ. Any sugestions or advice would be helpful! Missy~

Hello everyone, I'm new to this site and wanted to introduce myself. My name is Angie, I'm from Long Island New York. I was banded on 11/1/06 - to date I've lost 48lbs. I look forward getting to know you all!:biggrin1:

:nervousHi to everyone, I was banded on April 11 by Dr. Barry Greene at Shady Grove Hospital. I had my first fill of 4cc about 2 and a half weeks ago. I have lost 27 pounds since my pre-op liquid diet started. It is going slow but it is going.

Hi just wanted to introduce Myself. My name is Bob I live in Hendersonville Tn. I was banded by Dr Charles Morton on Oct. 2,2006. I have lost 75 Pounds so far and have another 30-40 to go. I hope to find some useful info here and share my experiences with others. I have inspired a few friends to have the surgery as well and hope to get them signed up here too.

just got banded may 24 by DR NEPOMNAYSHY at LAHEY CLINIC in Burlington Ma I feel great, and walked a lot at the hospital but then the drugs wore off lots of gas pain in shoulders I have to keep moving but fealing good in general

Hello, I have been reading the posts from this site and really like the idea of being able to ask questions and have them answered by other lapbanders, and so I joined. I am from the Norther lower part of Michigan and was wondering who else was from this area? I am scheduled to have my lapband surgery this Tuesday, May 29, and have been on the pre-surgery diet for 10 days and have lost 10 pounds. I figure if I can do this diet, I can do the post-surgery diet quite well....hopefully. Can anyone give me pointers on what things they ate when they were at Stage 3 of the post-op diet? What kind of proteins are high and good-tasting? Also.....(and this is VERY importan…

I am considering getting the surgery. I travel a lot for my job, and when I do, I rarely have time to stop for lunch. I do, however, have time to eat while driving between locations. What suggestions do you have for portable foods I could bring with me to eat on the run? :hungry: While traveling, I currently eat Breakfast, snack on something during the day, and eat one large meal around 3:00 or 4:00 and I'm full for the rest of the evening. I know I will not be able to eat that way after surgery. Can most of you eat Peanut Butter crackers? Is that hard to eat? Knowing if I can work the surgery into my life is major factor in my final decision. I am pretty sure I am…

Greetings fellow banders or wannabe banders. I had my surgery on Feb. 15 2007. To date I have lost 34 lbs. It has been much easier than I anticipated. When I didn't feel restricted on the amount of food I could consume I had an adjustment. This made a world of difference. So far I have had no problems. Thank God. Good luck to all.

Hi everyone, I'm Sharee from Chicago. I was banded by Dr. Vivek Prachand on 5/18/07 at the University of Chicago Hospitals. I am down 24 pounds since 5/8/07.

Wow!! It seems there are a lot of introductions lately I can't keep up!! I just want to say welcome and congratulations and I am doing it with you all! I was banded on Apr. 9, 2007 so I am just getting started on this journey. Feel free to PM me your story, I love getting the information and it is very uplifting to me and my journey when I hear from people. You can do it!! Believe!

Hello to every one this is my first time to post. I'm a 64 yr. old :) male that has been over weight :cry for sometime. Because of past back surgery and in need of a knee replacement I have not been as active as I would like. So therefore have gained to where I'm over 100#:cry plus . Like several others have tried several different ways of losing and gained it back plus. Some of my questions are where should I have the surgery in the states are in Mexico? I have health choice Ins. with the state of Oklahoma, they will not pay, I don't think. Has anyone used them? I will be eligable for Medicare in July does anyone know if they will help with cost? What is the recovery…

:decision: I'm going to have surgery on 6-19-07 and I'm struggling a little with the "Atkins" type diet did great for two weeks and know not so well the last two days. Not sure why. I have had nutritional counceling, a psychological eval and lab work this fri. My Dr. is Dr. M Srekanth in Federal Way, Wa. Any other Tacoma people and any advise on the diet thing?

Hi all. I had been looking into this site for the last couple of days. And I am very excited about how all the members are comfortable. Just wanted to say hello and I am glad that I joined.

My surgery is set for early July in Monterrey. I decided to go to Mexico after my year long fight with my insurance failed. I found out about Dr. Rodriguez through a co-worker that used him, so I feel good about that. He also had a good record and 12 years of experience. I have gradually been telling friends of my plans and they are FREAKING OUT! My good friend asked me to dinner so she could tell me how SELFISH I am for risking my life by having surgery in Mexico. She then said, make sure you have a will and I want to see you before you go because you are probably not coming back! Has anyone else had this problem? How did you handle it? I wish I never said a word…

I will be starting my pre-op diet on June 1st, my surgery is June 21st and I want to lose a few pounds. Can anyone offer me some tips on getting the scale to move in the right directions during my Pre-Op?:help:

I was banded yesterday, and I found this site. Still kind of sleepy from all the meds. I am very excited because this is the first day of my new life!!

Hi All :wave: 1st post here. I've been thinking about having LB surgery for about two years now so with all my health problems piling up I thought it was time to get serious. I've read so much but not sure where or who to go to. I live near St. Joseph Hospital in Pontiac where DR Pleatman works out of but I've read some very good things about DR Doel. I think I would be more comfortable with a woman doctor but I would use who ever is the best for me in the long run. About myself: I live in Pontiac, Michigan. 53 yrs old, 262 lb., 5' 6" with several health problems: severe sleep apnea high blood pressure back pain all the time (had 3 back surgeries already) am su…

My surgery date is June 1. I have a one year old and reservations about the risks involved in surgery. Even though they are minimal, has anyone ever heard of surgical complications? Amy

I've posted a few times now but I'm confused as to exactly where is the best place to start on my journey towards the band? I have an appointment coming up with my family doctor that I already had for a med check and I plan on bringing up the idea with her. But I'm wondering do I contact my insurance company first? I looked up on their website and from what I can see they do cover the band if you have a BMI of under 50 (mine is 50 but I'd only need to lose 5 pounds to lower it). I've found a doctor about 2 or 3 hours away that has done a ton of bands and I'd like to possibly check out one of his seminars. But someone mentioned on another of my posts to see which docs…

Hi! I am new to this site and wanted to quickly introduce myself. I live in Richmond, TX but work in Houston. My lap-band surgery is 5 weeks from today, yeah!! I am using Dr. Marvin. My starting weight is around 340 and I'd like to eventually get down to 150. I am about 5'9'' and am single. I don't have any children but I do have a pet Chihauhau named Bonita. She is the cutest! I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was in high school and have been managing the symptoms with meds but can't loose weight on my own. I have recently started taking meds for my thyroid. I am anxious to start the lap band journey becuase I know it will dramatically change my life! I hope y…

Khaliah is Muhammed Ali's oldest daughter and was banded awhile back, I'm not sure exactly how long ago. I just bought her new book yesterday and started on it last night. It's really good so far. It's called Fighting Weight: How I Achieved Healthy Weight Loss with "Banding," a New Procedure That Eliminates Hunger--Forever. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking into getting banded. She wrote it with medical professionals so it is partly an autobiography about her own struggle with weight and her experience with the lap band but it also has a lot of medical information as well.

Hi All, I've been on this site for about a week now everyday, reading threads. I am soo ready to get banded now. You all have been very helpful in making my decision to lapband. My husband has decided to do it with me. I've already talked to my insurance company, and am awaiting the paperwork from them. I've already made my first of probably many doctors appt. for the diet plan the insurance company is requiring. They are requiring us to wait six month before they approve it. They said we could do it in three months with a hospital program. Three questions: Does anyone know a faster way around this? How do find a hospital program? Can I get some input on how much thi…

Just had lap banding yestrday. Feeling okay. Very sore when I get up from a sitting position. Really don't know what to expect from here. I mean I know that I will get fills, etc., but what else to experience? Any one with experiences they can share? I have had absolutely know problems getting my liquid down. In fact, I feel like I could eat a full meal (I won't) but feel that I could. Will this feeling change after my first fill? Thanks for any comments anyone has for me.

I've been looking into lap band for quite sometime, but now that I found my insurance will pay for it I'm ready to go forward!! I have been lurking and learned a lot from this message board, so I'm hoping you guys can help me with some things. I just had my fourth baby (born on Christmas Day '06) and am still nursing. I want to nurse till he's at least a year old. As I do this I'm on Weight Watchers. I'm losing slowly, but losing all the same. My BMI is 41.5, and I'm afraid that if I continue losing I won't be authorized for the band any longer. Has anyone lost so much weight pre-op that they wouldn't do it? I know this seems like a strange question. I've been dietin…

Hey everybody, I was banded on 12/11/06 by Dr. Milton Owens from San Pedro, CA. I have a mongo VG band, 11 cc, with 5cc in so far. I've had three fills, and no sweet spot yet. When I get the fill, and there's swelling from the adjustment, I'm fine. As soon as the swelling goes down, I have very little restriction. I don't regret one moment of this, as I'm a self-pay and highly motivated to make this work. My starting BMI was 35, and according to the charts, I'm no longer obese (yea!). No rice, tortillas, Pasta, bread, popcorn, bubbles, pastry-type crusts, pretzels, etc. They are not worth the pain. I haven't PB'd, but I've wished I had. *erp* Anyway, I have so far to tr…

Hello, my name is Betty and I am from Philadelphia. I been overweight all of my adult life, well I have been up and down. I have an appointment to see the surgeon on the 13th of June, I did have an appointment on the 23rd of May, but the doctor had to cancel it. I hope that Aetna will pay for the surgery, this surgery is my last option, I have tried everything and if I don't lose weight and keep it off the remainder of my life will be very challenging. I have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholostral and triglisrides and anixeity. I have had all for years actually since I was in my 30's and I am not in my 50's. I was on the liquid diet about a year ago and I st…

Aloha I have posted before put didn't get to talk to anyone was a 50 something man or women that has had the banding done. Would love to get some more insight as to what I'm about to do. I'm in the approval process now, will be going to Oahu next month for the doctors seminar and psyc. eval. phy. therp. would love to hear back from anyone. Mahalo BWD

Hi, I'm Cathi from MD. I am just starting my research and journey towards LAP-Band surgery. I am an advanced stage ovarian cancer survivor (6 years clean this June) and I am ready to lose all this weight and start a new way of life. But , I am also scared. I know this will be more then just a simple surgery for losing weight. I know this will be a life style change. I question myself as to whether I am ready for such a change, but I know if I can survive 5 days a week of chemo, I can do this. I want to live without the fear that I am too big for . . . I would love to hear from anyone who has started this journey in regards to how they are dealing with the daily routi…

Has anyone used Dr Owens or Dr Quiroz? Dr owens has Coastal Obesity and Dr Quiroz works with him at CosMed in TJ?

Good evening, everyone! I am a 21 year-old with a BMI of 38 and hoping to get the lap band surgery sometime in the near future. I have tons and tons of questions and I have heard that this board is incredibly helpful so here they are! Firstly, my husband and I don't have insurance yet. He changed jobs which caused us to not have insurance for a couple of months. Our new insurance is going to kick in as of June 1, 2007 and this is when I'm going to start my journey of trying to get approved for the surgery. I don't even know if our insurance covers any of it but I am hopeful and I still want to get as much research as possible within me. We are going to have UHC so my gue…

With my band date around the corner, can you guys tell me how you handle eating in social settings? Like eating out with co-workers, resturants in general, or parties, etc. Thanks,

Hi everyone! I am very new to all of this. I am pre-op for sure. I am just starting the process. I am going to the informational seminar on Tuesday May 29, 2007 with my husband. In the past, I almost had the gastric bypass surgery. I got married 5 years ago and my husband was not pleased with how dangerous that procedure can be. So, I did not have it done. I am so glad that a safer alternative is now available. I have a ton of weight to lose. But at 53, it is way overdue for me. So I just wanted to check in. I have enjoyed all the great information and tips available here. I look forward becoming a part of this forum as my progress continues. Hugs:huggie:

Hi, all! Just taking a moment to introduce myself. I have my pre-op visit with my surgeon tomorrow and do labs and EKG. I am so ready for this!! Initial visit was 01/03/07, but my insurance required a psyche eval and 8 pre-surgery food counseling sessions with a nutritionist before approval. They approved me on 05/09/07. I'm very lucky as I have a very supportive family, friends and even co-workers. I have two co-workers who've had the surgery and one friend; all with great stories and experiences. And on the other end, I know several people who've had different bariatric surgeries with horrible results. I am mom to two adorable children, daughter 3 years 1 month an…

I was banded March 7th 2007. I have lost 10 pounds since my surgery and lost this 10 pounds within the first two weeks. I have had 2 fills and on the second fill I got the thicker solution which has done its job in making me feel much more restricted. April has passed and May is almost gone with NO weight loss. I walk 45 min. at least 5 days a week. I have eaten some junk food but not that much and my portions are so much smaller. I know I have to use the band as a tool but now I feel like I need to go on a diet. I got the band so I could finally stop all of these diets that I have been on for over 20 years! I know I need to be patient and am trying to be, but 2 months ha…

I just attended a seminar last night on both the gastric bypass and the lap-band. I've decided to go with the lap-band. I'd appreciate any input from others who have had the lap-band done. Do you lose weight even quicker if you up your exercise? Has anyone had to have plastic surgery after they were done losing all the weight or did you exercise enough that your skin tightened back up? Is the post surgery diet easy to follow? Did you feel hungry the first few weeks after the surgery? Hope to get some answers. I'm still a little nervous about the whole thing. Thanks.:clap2:

"Tis The Night Before Surgery" 'Tis the night before surgery, when all through the house Not a potato chip in sight, nor gravy stain on my blouse; The Klondikes were eaten by my son with such care I hoped the empty calories I would not have to bear; The Snickers were nestled, all snug in their wraps While visions of Milky Ways danced in my lap And hubby in his bandana, and I in my sweats Had just settled down with our favorite little pet. When out in the kitchen, there arose such clatter I found our son eating leftover pupu platter Away to the treadmill, I'll make a mad dash, To walk off the franks and Beans, and corn beef hash. The frosting on the cake w…

Hello everyone! I just found this website today. I have had a lap band for years, as a matter of fact I got mine as part of the test group prior to it being approved. I have now, unfortunately, gained back most of the 80 pounds I originally lost. I know I need a fill, but am hesitant to go back to my original doctor, Dr. Wittgrove in San Diego, because he used to only do fills with the fluro/barium and that stuff makes me very sick. I can hardly keep it down long enough for him to do the fill (this is not from the lap band being too tight, but rather a being nauseated by the horrible barium). He is also very expensive, so was wondering if anyone could tell me of a p…