Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I got the Mid-band on the 21st of February. So far everything is going great, I have gone from 240 to 215. If anyone has any warnings, or just advise let me know.

Well, I can't believe it, but I am banded! Friday Feb. 27th was the day...I still feel full of air after 4 days..is that normal, my poor stomach is gurgling up a storm!!! I am feeling pretty sore, and last night was concerened I may have done something to my port area, but I think I may have just had a gas bubble under there, or I strained it a bit? My tummy itches like crazy too? Weird? Or just healing and dry? At any rate, I hope all these things I am feeling are normal! I am not having any problems with the liquids, and I am not hungry at all. I am hoping to feel more normal by the end of the week.

Hi All, Wow what an informative site. I am going to be banded on 3/24. It took me a while to decide. I work in the operating room and in November of 2002 our O.R. decided to start doing WLS. I was involved in getting the program started and have seen first hand the pros and cons for both the Band and the RNY. Quite a few of my friends that work other places in the hospital have had the band done, so for the last year or so I have sat back and watched their progress and wished I had had the guts just to do it back then. My friends are elated and have done very well and I have finally decided to take the leap and get banded myself. :Bunny Now that the date is nearing I f…

I am so sad, today I received a telephone call from my surgeon. I was told that my insurance (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota) has denied my Lapband procedure because it is too investigational. However, they would cover the open RNY. Not sure I want to go through getting everything disconnected.

hi everyone, Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jean. I was recently banded (2/21/04) in Monterrey Mexico. Dr. Arturo Rodrigez is my doctor. He was really wonderful. The experience was, well sort of perfect. No complications other than being very uncomfortable from the gas. Anyway, I've been reading the messages posted and am really glad to have found such a supportive forum. I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone and learning as much as I can from everyone's persepectives. cheers j

I am a journalist who is writing a story on weight-loss surgery abroad for a national women's magazine. (I was banded in Mexico two years ago.) I am writing this article to inform readers about the things they should consider when choosing a surgeon. I'm looking to talk to patients who provide such information on: --Difficulty in find follow-up care in the U.S. --Opportunity to get surgery with low BMI --Stories of mistakes/ bad hospitals/ unskilled surgeons (I know these aren’t the majority but want to provide information on how patients should avoid them and find the good ones – I don’t need to name doctors) I can protect your privacy. Please contact me direct…

So week 1 is behind me, I guess the most painful part should be over then. The surgery was fairly uneventfull. I woke up pretty sore and have remained sore since, although it is nothing compared to the first couple of days. My bruises are healing and I hope that the scaring will be minimal. I have had tremendous problems with my left shoulder. Many people seem to reporting the same, which is supposedly a result of the diaphagm aggravation and having been "inflated" in order to perform the surgery. My pain has been really severe on occasion. I suggested to my dr. that maybe I have low pain treshold, he disagreed since I nver once complained about the cuts and stitches.…

Denise - Yup, one full week of liquid prior to surgery, was pretty tough but I made it! I totally pigged out for the two weeks prior to that liquid diet week, so I know what you mean - so, tell me......have you eaten foods since surgery that you thought you never would be able to eat again? How'd it go? PattyG

tomorrow is my surgery im a little nervous on how its giong to go afterwards, im also a little nervous on how sore im going to be? does anyone think i can be up and around by the weekend? not going crazy but driving walking etc? also can someone tell me about how you fell on just lquids? do you have any energy?

Hey everyone, My name is Kasie and I am 22 years old. I have been married to a wonderful man, Donny, for 2 years now. I found this site through another message board I frequent. I am really interested in banding, I think that it would be the best option for me. I am 5'1" and I weigh around 230. I am at my breaking point right now....I have a tiny frame and all this weight on me is not good...I also want to have a baby. I have PCOS, and I am hoping that by taking off some of this weight I can finally get pregnant. I am looking forward to meeting all of you and learning all I can. OH, I havn't even consulted a DR. yet, I just want to get as much info as I can so…

Hello All - I just came across the board and am absolutely loving it! I scheduled my consultation appointment today for next week Tuesday! I am SO very excited. I am scheduling with www.lapsf.com I am a 24 year old female. I am 5'7" tall weighing in around 240. I personally don't have "health problems" but there is a long history on both my mother's and father's family history. I am so exctied about this life changing opportunity! I have been on the edge of my seat all day today since scheduling that appointment - I didn't realize that I was so excited until I spoke with the Dr.'s office. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone better and finding …

I scheduled my appointment for March 26 with Dr. Kuri. I bought my non-refundable airline tickets last night, so this is Official. I'm soo excited! This will be the best $8500 I ever spent! Shaunita Johnson

Hi, I went to our support meeting last night. It meets once a month and I will be banded by the next time we meet. I see my surgeon on Wed. for my pre-op visit and my date is the following Monday.....can't believe it is less than 2 weeks away !! Well this is my question........I am 51 and a hair dresser, 3 yrs ago i had my appendix out by lap and was ridimg my bike in the smokey mts 10 days later so I thought that this would be a similar recovery.........I was planing on working the end of the surgery week since surgery is on Monday, starting on Thursday then Friday and Sat. I was going to do minimal work and stand a max of 4-5 hrs and only work 3 days that week..........…

Hello everyone - glad to find this forum! I am scheduled for my lap band surgery on March 1st, can't wait!! I am on the liquid diet this week, starving to death right about now :cry But it'll be worth it! Wish me Luck!!

Just thouht I would go ahead and register here and say hello. I see LOTS of people here who I have gotten to know (passively or actively) on other boards. I am always looking for good ideas and to share the journey with others. I was banded by Dr Johnell in Colorado on 11/4/04. I have lost 30 pounds, but most of that was immediately post surgery. Since then, I have lost about 1 pound a week for the last couple of months. I have had 4 fills, and am at about 1.7 as it was measured, and I am really just getting used to having restriction.

Hi Everyone! My name is Joann. I just had the lap band surgery on 2/23/04. I was a little more sore then I thought I would be. Today is the first day that I have felt almost human again. I'm excited about finally have the procedure done!!

Hello - my name is Brandi and I'm in the process of getting approved for LapBand. It's been several weeks and I'm getting a little anxious about getting approved. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope everything goes okay. I'm glad to be a part of this board - I've been reading posts for several weeks now and am glad that there is a forum like this that we can come to for support. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone!

So now we're waiting on my insurance to come back with an approval. The appointment wasn't as thorough as I thought it might be, it was pretty much a Q&A session, they appeased me and laid to rest my fears, one of the doctors was actually banded 18 months ago and is trying to get pregnant which was a huge concern, I haven't started my family yet and needed assurances that I would be able to get pregnant with no risk to the baby. Dr Spivak is great. From being scared out of my mind to wanting to push the insurance company to give us the green light, it's been one heck of a couple of days. I'm so excited, I want the procedure NOW! m

Thank you everyone, this helps so much, I'm not crazy paranoid am I? Thank you for sharing your experiences and well wishes, I have my appointment at noon. I'm excited, so so excited. I'll keep everyone posted on the outcome, than you all so much, this is the best possible support group I could ever hope for. Thanks M

Hi Im new here. I've been doing research and I think I have decided to be banded. I am considering a doctor out of town and don't know of any support groups in town. I hope to find support and information here. Thanks!

I'm brand new to all of this as well. The board, the idea of getting banded, everything. I have my Dr's appointment tomorrow and really am excited just at the thougth of losing significant weight after a lifetime of being over weight. I hate the word OBESE, makes me think of my cousin that is over 600 lbs, she's Obese, I've been overweight fromt eh day I was born. I weighed in at 10 and half pounds! I've tried it all for years and years and years, yo yo'd up and down, my entire life. I have done the twice a day work outs for months, I've done the high Proteins, no carbs, low carbs, liquids, drugs, injections, everything but get my jaw wired. What I'm scared of i…

I love this forum! I'm waiting my consultation date w/ surgeon. I went to a support-group meeting the other night. Nobody there had been lap-banded and I was really disappointed! I really think that is the way for me! I'm so afraid of "failing" yet again, but if it were that easy to "blow-it" I don't think there would be nearly as many banders! I had a laporoscopy about 5 years ago and the shoulder pain from the gas was so intense! I was glad to read all the suggestions! I remember then that I could not lay down, and I was SOOOO tired and sleepy but everytime I would lay down the pain woke me up! I'll be ready this time! Thanks to all of you out there sharing you…

Ok my friends, today I found out that my insurance IS covering the surgery .........so I am now a definate go !! Had all my pats, have my pre-op appointment for next Wed the 3rd and my surgery is the 8th.........WOW I am sooooooo excited ! We are going on a cruise with 14 family members in Nov. to Celebrate my Dads 80th BD and 6 I won't see until then because we are on the east coast and they are West, so I am hoping to have at least 40 off by then (8 months).....is that unrealistic ?? I have only told my 3 closest friends and of course my DH and my sons.........I want to be successful before I start to talk about it. I am so happy that I have a support group for that rea…

Hi, I am new here! My surgeons office told me about this chat forum. I was banded on February 6th, 2004. I am starting on pureed foods tomorrow and can't wait! Been on a liquid diet for the past 4 weeks!

Hi, I just discovered the board. I have had my lapband for about 6 months. I love my surgeon and he did a great job, but, I have been disappointed in it, to be perfectly honest. I thought it was going to be a lot different. It seems like healthy food won't go down but bad foods go down really well. I try to stay away from them of course. I have only lost 35 pounds, which granted I am happy about, and I try not to judge my weight loss against some one else but, it is hard not to. I was told I would really start to see the weight come off after the second adjustment, and since which has been about 6 weeks, I have only lost 5 pounds and that is when I was on the liq…

I HAD BY PASS SURG. 1/6/04 TO DATE I HAVE LOST 34 LBS. THIS IS A WONDERFUL THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME. AS MUCH AS I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED EATING, I AM SURPRISED I DONT MISS IT AT ALL. I HAVE FOUND THAT GRAZING HELPS ME TO FEEL BETTER THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

When I started looking into this procedure I thought this could really be the thing for me. It's the waiting for the ball to roll that is so frustrating. I was looking at Dr. Deol site and it said they took BCN...I was SOOOO happy. I called first thing on Monday and was told that BCN does not accept this procedure.. Now I work for a managing agent for BCBS and BCN so I spoke with my boss, who is absolutely wonderful. They are trying to get this to work. I had to get the procedure code and diagnosis code and give it to the head of the department. The wait is driving me crazy, I wish I had the $$$ to just go and get it done! I read about all the experiences and can'…

Just wanted to pop and say "Hi" and introduce myself. I am 41 year old female. I have been married to a wonderful man for 23 years. We have 7 children-5 boys and 2 girls. Their ages are 21, 19, 17, 15, 11, and 5 year old twin boys. Yes, I am very busy, but not busy enough to be thin! LOL. My BMI is 43, weight 276. I am through all of the tests and evaluations and am now waiting anxiously for insurance approval. I hope to really get to know all of you. I have been active on a "twins" site for a couple of years and have gained some really great friends. Hoping to add some more from here.

Anyone have suggestions on surgeons in the Tampa Bay area? Thanks for any comments.

I received my phone call today.......March 8th.....now it is starting to feel like it is really going to happen--by Christmas I will be lookin' mighty good in my red sweater, NO MORE black !! LOL !!

Hi everyone!! I'm 4'11" and weigh 191#, preop BMI 38.6. I'm being banded in less than 12 hours by Dr. Spivak in Houston TX and I'm so excited. I should be sleeping, we have a 3 hour drive to the hospital but I'm just too excited!!! I'm been reading the board for months now trying to decide if this was the right decision for me and have found the forum very informative and supportive. Thank you to all who have shared your triumphs, trials and tribulations!!!

Hi everyone My name is Linda and I live in South Texas. My daughter and I are scheduled to have our bands put in just one week from today and we are both very excited...nervous but excited. I've tried everything imaginable to lose this weight and finally said...That's it! I've had enough!! I have read so many testimonials and have talked to a few women on the phone who have had it done. I am oh sooo hoping that I have the same success they have. I hope I'm one of the fortunate ones who lose A LOT...FAST Good Luck to all of you who are having it done or have had it done recently! Wish us luck too cuz we really are nervous and scared.

Hi, my name is Connie. I am 48 and have a bmi of 35.5 but have really uncontrolled diabetes. I have a 10 year old girl and a 4 year old boy and a 30 year old daughter and three grandchildren and would like to live a long time. I have decided to give myself a chance for better health with lap banding. I have all my pre -testing done and have a mental evaluation next week. When the doctor receives all the test scores he can then schedule the surgery and thought that they could do it in a month. I would like to ask how the eating process goes after the surgery. Will I be on liquids at first and if so how long. When can a person expect to eat solid food? I am having …

Hello everyone! So I did. Got banded by Dr. Artuso last Friday (2/6) in New York. Last few days have been pretty sore and painful. I can definitaly feel the port incison the most. It makes me move, especially sit up/down, lay down and get up a bit of a challenge. Silly question: has any of you had prblems with your shoulders after the surgery. I feel like someone has pulled my shoulder or twisted my arm...resulting in a piercing pain. I have asked my dr. and nurses about that. They told me that in order to the laparoscopic surgery, they need to "inflate" the patient somewhat and there can be trapped air buble that causes the pain but that will go away shortly. Any opin…

I am a newbie to this forum and also to having a lap-band. I am looking forward to meeting others with the lap-band and sharing our experiences and losses and support. My name is Maggie and I'm 28 and live in Oklahoma. My starting BMI is about 44 I think and I started this journey at 263.6 lbs. I've only been banded a few days but I'm down about 4 pounds I think. Hi everyone!

Hi everyone. I am so happy to find this forum. I am still doing my research on the Lap Band and would love to hear any suggestions or advice. I live in the Tampa Bay, FL area....I weigh 305lbs. and I am ready to move forward.

hey yall , i was just curious if anyone was from colorado on here...............im wanting to move there hopefully within the year and wanted some opinions on fill doctors ........... thanks :confused: sara

My mom wanted me to take that thing home and use it. I probably should have but I said no. Believe me it has not been all fun and games. I have had a non stop head ache since last week and it is not going away even with headache medicine. I have complete congestion in my chest. So I am a little wheezy and flemmy. Not a little a lot. My back hurts still I think from that hospital bed ( I mean really aches) so I am not too much of a trooper. Maybe just in the moment I was writing the message I was feeling good. I am feeling a little weak and dizzy too. I feel like I need to eat. All though I am not really hungry I feel like I just need food and the Water, yogurt …

I am banded! My stomach is rumbling and I really feel pretty good. considering I just did this Monday morning. The bad thing is I am coming down with a horrible cold that has me coughing and I that hurts where the incisions are. I am having trouble sleeping probably for several reasons. The surgery, my cold and I have not had any caffeine or nicotine since Saturday. But I really feel like this is the beginning of a new life for me. I am sore but more miserable from the cold I am catching than any thing else. I feel bubbles of air in my guts. That is a little uncomfortable but my stuffy head, ache body and congested chest is what really is making me uncomfortable.…

Hi! My name is Lisa and I want to have the lap-band procedure done. I only know the information that web-sites have given me, but I wanted to know more from some people that have had it done. What happens before, during, and after surgery?If you guys could help me out, I would be much appreciative. Feel free to email me at lisidiane00@aol.com or AIM Lisidiane00. Thanks:) Lisa

Howdy from Texas. I am in the beginning stages of pursuing my lap band surgery. I am collecting all of my medical info. and have an appointment with Dr Adam Naaman in Houston Texas. I am very nervous, and scared, and I have 3 friends who have had gastric bypass who are trying to talk me into not having the lap band. After all of my research, I have peace in my heart about the lap band being the best surgery for me. I would really like to hear from you veteran successful lap banders about your experience, and about your opinions regarding the difference between the 2 surgeries. I am finding that there is a definate ocean of controversy and difference in opinion abou…

This forum is so cool. Because as an overweight person you feel so isolated (or at least I do) with my body and image. Yet you know you are not alone but very few people you share these things with. Here there are so many people in the same shoes as us (and many success stories who have been here before us.) This is such a great forum. Yes I too am on a pre op diet. But I am struggling and trying but also trying to get a taste of some of my favorite bad foods before I can not eat them. Sick isn't it. But I am so excited. I know that it also is going to take really hard work and determination. But I am so ready for this opportunity of a tool to help me get there. …

HI Everyone, I have been reading with avid interest all the postings in the different forums---mentally preparing myself for the process :confused: Everyone is so supportive. I am going to Dr. Deol in Troy. If anyone has anything to share about her and their experiences, I would be greatful. Thanks

i forgot to ask my doc if i was going to spend the night in the hospital ............ ive asked him tons of questions but that one !! i am going to call first thing monday , but i figured i would ask yall first to get some input ........... my surgery is at 9 am ......... is it normal to stay at least one night? or do you think im going to go home the same day ? sara :confused:

I am being banded on Feb. 9th. am so excited. A whole new life awaits me. What is the ONE best piece of advice you can give me?

Hi everyone! I am so excited and scared at the same time. I am sure I am among the thousands who feel this way. I started my journey 1 1/2 years ago with aquiring and insurer who would pay for bariatric surgery. I talked with the people at Bariatric Treatment Centers and they told me BCBS would be the best insurance for me to get. So I did. I had to wait a minimum of 6 months before doing anything. So I did. I went to my evaluation, meeting and consultation. They told me I was in. Then I broke my ankle in 3 places and was a mess. On top of being a single mom with a house hold of animals and a full time job I now was barely able to get around even on crutches. …

hi yall :confused: , just wanted to introduce myself , im sara in tampa florida , my surgery date is friday feb 13th .... my doc is dr grossbard .........just a quick question , ive been researching bariatric surgery for over a year , was scheduled for gastric bypass in oct of last yr ........ chickened out , i got a nervous about all the cut and pasting to be done to my anatomy .... im overall healthy , just fat ! and have been battling my weight my whole life , one of the girls at my moms drs office said she was banded and although i heard about it ... i just went right to the extreme with the gbp , well learning more and more about the band , im hooked ! its exactly…

Hi, My name is Trenda. I am in Maryland and have Tricare Prime, Region 1. I have been on this lap band journey now for about 1 1/2 years due to a relocation mid way through. I am now about to pull my hair out because I am nearing the end of the road. I have submitted my insurance paperwork and am awaiting a decision. I feel so helpless. I don't enjoy the idea that some stranger is about to determine the outcome of the rest of my life. I know that sounds extrememly melodramatic, but that's how I am feeling right now. Thanks for your time, Trenda

Hi , I am excited now.....had my consult on Friday and I am on my way !! I have my psych evaluation tomorrow morning, have my dietician app.for 2/8 and my gastroenterologist 2/3........then they can give me a date !! There is a chance I can get in Feb. because of a cancellation if all goes well !! I have been reading here for awhile and I not only want to thank you all so much for all the info I have picked up but also all the positive re-enforcement.

I am new here and I am trying to get lap band I have a dr.s appt. in june and Just wondering how long after that does it take to be approved if you are going through KY Medicaid?