Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

Hello. I am not as yet banded and I am brand new to this bulletin board and have been "lurking" on the Spotlight BB for a week or so now. I have been gathering all the information about the lap band experience that I can and have found the BBs to be invaluable. The information I have gotten (and much of it printed for later referral) from all you banders is so very different than the "just the facts" information I have found on the web sites of different surgeons, not that it hasn't also been helpful. I have my first appointment with my doctor in about 2 weeks to see about taking this to the next step. I don't know what comes after that, but I am sure it will be awhile …

Hi, I just found this site and am happy to see so many success stories. I am getting a little nervous as I'm getting banded on Monday. I have been excited and looking forward to a new me but the closer it gets I'm scared. Did any of you have second thoughts. Help. Roxanne

Hi my name is Cher. I am 31 and I weigh 306 (right now). I've been looking into having bypass surgery for about the last 2 years. Quite frankly I scared myself out of it. Finnaly, I found Carnnie and Anne Willsons site and found out about the Lap-Band surgery. I am so excited about it and reading all the success stories has really given me a boost of confedence. I was in the process of looking for a Doc. in my area and found out that I'm PG with my 6th child. . I have atleast 6 months now before they can do the surgery. Now I have plunty of time to do all the piliminary paper work and tests. Do any of you that have had the surgery have kids? I'm loo…

Hello Everyone, First of all I have to say, this is a super kewl site, I like the way everything is divided and it makes it easier to navigate and search for information. Thanks, Alex for giving us our own personal playground & research source. Now, my name is Monica.. I'm 29 and pre-band (hopefully not for long) I know many of you by name from Spotlighthealth (which by the way is working for some reason). I live in Southern California, I am a single parent to a 9 year old boy. I've been over-weight for a few years now and plain & simple am feed up with it, so here begins my journey to change that forever. (wow! I feel a great weight lifted off my shoulder…

Hi! Everyone! I am a male, 49 years old. I had the lapband on May 28th 2002. I weighed 458 lbs in Jan of 2002. I lost about 45 lbs before surgery in May and I have lost about 120 lbs since the surgery. I had a broken port that was discovered in June. My weight loss had slowed in December and a couple of fills were attempted. I actually had my first fill this past January. But since the port was broken none of them have worked. My port is now fixed and I should be back on the losing path again. Even with the broken port I was able to keep the weight from coming back on. The lapband has given me my life back. I am now capable of riding my bike and do the things I enjoy …

Hi everyone. My name is Barb and I'm from Missouri. I was banded on 11/20/02 by Dr. de la Torre, and I'm very happy with my band. In fact, I LOVE IT! My starting weight was 322 lbs., I am currently at 223 lbs. (one more to go to get to the century mark!), and my ultimate goal is whatever feels good under 200 lbs. I'm glad to see another website dedicated to the lap band -- so glad the word is finally spreading! I am trying to do my share letting everyone I know hear about it!

Hi everyone: I am Mary from Sacramento. I was banded on 12/10/02 by Dr. Bruce Wolfe at the University of California Davis Medical Center. My insurance at the time, Healthnet, paid for the surgery, and my new insurer, Blue Shield, has been paying for my fills. My starting weight was 262, present weight 232, need to lose 60 more lbs. to get to my goal wt. Although I have had 5 fills thus far, (last fill in May put me at 3 cc's in a 4cc capacity band) I have not yet had good restriction. The first 20 lbs. came off easily with the 2 week liquid diet right after surgery. The last 10 lbs. has come off slowly, as I can still eat anything, although not as much as before, …

Where to start...100kg(220lbs) I was banded in November 1996 in what I thought was a laproscopic operation...only to awake from the op with a lovely zipper scar from my breast bone to my navel... all went ok but the weight loss did not go as planned...I suffered from depression as a result of the unexpected scar that by now had gone keloid...yuck... defeat again whats the point of doing all this yada yada yada... several attempts at introducing Fluid to the band dropped 20kilo (44lbs)... suffered again with SALIVA problems couldnt swallow properly... drink always turned to, too much salvia no one could answer my problem so I had all the fluid removed in November 2001...…

Hi all, Been naughty and have been lurking at spotlight for a couple of months now but never introduced myself. But now seeing as Alex has put together this board well I just had to bite the bullet and say hi. Look forward to sharing this journey with you all Take care

Hello All Well I know this is strange me joining this site but I help others who have or are getting banded and offer help FREE to you all. You may all know me from off other boards or may have visited my website and got some info off it. Well Tomorrow I'm off to see about my new port replacemnt date this will be my 6 th port operation in 4 years, don't panic almost all due to my BIG weight loss. Anyway just wanted to say Hi

This looks like it will shape up to be a great way to learn about the band, give support, and receive support. My husband and I are both considering the band. He has 175+ pounds to lose and I have about 75. He has his first consult with Dr. Li in Burlingame, CA in a couple of weeks and is really excited. I, on the other hand, am trying to get pregnant right now and don't think it is the right time for WLS. After I am done with having babies, I will be more open to having surgery. By the way, if anyone here has had infertility issues related to PCOS on this board, I would love to talk to you in particular. My husband's main concern right now is whether or not…

My name is Chris and I live on Long Island. I am currently finishing up on my pre-op testing and I am hoping to be banded in Sept. by Dr. Alan Geiss. My husband and my daughter are my supporters (mostly my husband because he knows nothing else has worked). I am so afraid that I will regret this and I don't know why. I guess it's because I feel I will fail at this just like I did with everything else, especially sice I will still have to monitor my food intake. Any help to get rid of these feelings will be appreciated. Thanks Chris S. Preband 255

Just got my surgery date of 8-21. am very excited. Will have to have open surgery because of some other problems. Could not get ins approval so doctor is going to put in while he is doing other surgery at much lower cost for me.He is great! 8-21-03 259/256/135

Hi, my name is Celine and I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I am excited to see a board just for those with the Lap Band! Thank you! to whoever started this! Well, that's it for now.. I don't really know what else to add... Celine 9/3/02 Dr Geiss NY 299/239/ but back up to 257 for the moment... Baby girl due 9/1/03

Hi everyone! My name is Helen. I just thought I'd take a minute to say hello. I surfed on over here from SpotlightHealth.com. I'm sure I'll be here quite often. I am 31 years old, am married, and have two kiddos. I am pre-band, but I do have a date as of yesterday! I'm so excited, I will be banded on August 22nd. To all of you post-op, thanks for being here to support us pre-ops, and to all of the pre-ops, best of luck!!

Hi Everybody. I found the site on one of the bandster lists. Thanks Alex! Looks great! My name is Vicki. I am 45, and one of those overweight people all my life. I was banded 5/15/03 and have lost a total of 37 pounds (including before surgery). I had my first fill a couple of days ago and can feel some restriction. I am a nurse anesthetist (put people to sleep and wake them up! for surgery.) I love my job. I have three beautiful girls, all adopted. Two are from China. The oldest is 7, and the youngest is 2. I have been married for 20 years, and my husband has a weight problem too. I asked him today if he would consider getting a band, and his response w…

Hello! I just joined and already have seen a post from someone I know! Hi Sheryl! You're doing so great! I was banded 1/9/03 by Dr. Kuri in TJ. I had my first (and only, so far) fill on 5/5/03. So far I have lost 82 lbs. I am loving this band! I have a long way to go, and sometimes that makes me angry, but at least I'm on my way! The only things I really have trouble eating are tortillas and bread. Most other things I'm all right with. I miss burritos, but otherwise this has been really easy. I gave up beer and never drank much soda anyway. So far, haven't really missed the beer. So that's a nice bonus. I do have a web site with before and during pictur…

Hello everyone. I am just getting around to the intro. My name is Susan and I am 41 in a couple of days. I am getting banded on July 28th with dr. verboonen and dr. Ponce de leon, in Mexico. i am very excited. I am also very greatful to all of you in this internet community. The infromation and support has been great. I am married and have 3 kids. 21, 16 and 14. As my screenname mentions I am a Midwife with a homebirth practice. Susan

Hello Everyone, A little about my self ... my name is Michele and I was banded in Mexico by Dr. Rumbaut on 12/17/02. So far everything is going well, I did have a little problem with my second fill in May, it was too tight and all the Fluid had to be taken out. I have not gained any of the weight that I already lost nor have I lost any more and I am looking to get a fill again ... but I just moved from Texas to Oregon and I have not had a chance yet to get a fill. Well I guess that is it in a nut shell ... I am glad to be here :Bunny

I am so glad to be part of such a growing "community!" I was "banded" on May 15, 2003. I started at 241 and am now down to 207 I have received so much help from posts on the spotlight site... I never registered, just read. I decided to join to give something back by helping others as you all have helped (and continue to help) me. Thanks again! Jen

Hello. My name is Holly and I looking to get the band. I have scheduled an appointment with Dr. Geiss for August. I have always had a problem with my weight since I was a kid. About a month ago I woke up and truely realized what I look like and how unhealthy I have become. After a lot of research and talking with a freind who had the band done, I know that this is the answer for me. And the journey begins.....

Hello, I am new to the Lap-Band world. I am in the begining stages of my journey. I have the class on August 19, 03 and am hoping to have surgery in November. I would love to hear from anyone who has had this done, how they feel, their weight lose and time it took, how long it took them to get back to work, desk job, and anything that they want to share with me. I am a single mother and am worried about having another surgery, but am more worried about living my life fat any longer. Also would like to hear from anyone that has had this done that had prior ab operations. I am really excited about finding this site and I really look forward to getting to know you all.

I was banded on Friday July 11, 2003 by Dr. Ren at NYU. My recovery was incredibly easy. I walked 40 blocks *VERY SLOWLY* on Sunday the 13th! She is a fabulous surgeon. I weighed 291 just before the surgery. I weigh between 272 and 277 now, depending... I am a diabetic and I was on a lot of insulin (40 units of Ultra Lente in the morning , 18-22 units of Lente at night, and humalog as needed for carbohydrates). Two weeks after surgery, I am on no Lente, 10 units of Ultra Lente and much lower doses of Humalog as needed-- an incredibly dramatic drop. I am now hopeful for complete remission in a relatively short period of time. Prior to my surgery, I learned a tremendo…

Greetings fellow Bandsters! New site looks cool! Lovin it..... I am Amy from NC. I was banded 5/19 with Eric Bour. I am down 39lbs and can eat a TON. I need a fill asap! Currently I am in insurance HELL bc we had to change policy 2 weeks after my surgery. ack! Looking forward to future sucess and getting to know you all.

Hi, I was banded July 8, 2003 by Dr. David Carroll in Jackson, MS. I'm still in the healing stages and getting use to my new "tool". By day 10 I had lost 25# and that's where I'm am. Started at 305 so that puts me at 280. I'm on the mushy stage for another week and a half then start advancing to real food. I'm looking forward to this new weight loss experience even though I know at times it will be rough! Diane

I'm here..banded 8/24/00. Doing great! Have lost 145 lbs pretty much at goal but wouldn't mind losing another 10 or so. Nice to see you all... Robin 310/165 5'9":D

Hello, My name is Tina, I am 31 yrs old. I work full time as an Office Manager on top of being a full time wife & mother of a 3 yr old little girl. I was banded March 26, 2002 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I have had two fills and am in desperate need of a third but my port has flipped and I need to have it replaced. So my weight loss has been stalled way too long. At one point I actually lost over 50 lbs, then I have gain about 5 of that back. Which is not bad, considering I was eating basically anything I wanted. Without the band I would have gained it all back and them some!!! I love my band! :banana I am a faithful lurker & occasional poster f…

Hello..My name is Tina I am a 38 year old wife and mother of 3 very needy children. I was 18 when i had my first child and i can never remember me ever being #1, always had too many others to take care of. Well now it is my turn. I have always been heavy I graduated high school at 190lbs. Yes i did all the fad diets and they worked for taking off 20lbs here and there but the weight always found its way back to me. Last year i was giving weight watchers $13.00 a week to watch me gain weight every week and I was starving to boot. I found myself depressed and discusted amung alot of back pain. Working in the medical field i saw numerous people who have had bariatric surgery …

Hello My name is Cathy and I have been posting on Spotlight Health for a few weeks now and learned so much more that I thought I knew. This new web site is AWESOME! I hope to be banded soon so I can enjoy my new life like most of the people here and at Spotlight Health.

My name is Tonia and I'm a shopaholic. Oops..wrong board. Kidding! Here's my deal. I was a normal sized kid until around 10 years of age. I got a little chunky. At 16 I lost 25 or 30 pounds and was fairly trim and stayed that way until my mid twenties. My lightest adult weight was around 140 and I was a size 7/9 for several years. The first few pounds I gained didn't seem like that big of a deal, then my weight jumped up to the 180's. I honestly don't remember the gaining process. During my first pregnancy in 1993 my weight reached the 260's. I lost some of that, but regained it with my second pregnancy in 1996. Jump to January 2003 when I discovered the lap…

Hello everyone! Well, I am Karen... as you can tell by the user name! I am a "pre-band" am looking into going to Mexico. Have not yet definitively decided on my doctor, but am researching 4 of them. I am hoping to get my surgery done this September!

hey ya'll! i think this is a great idea! i'm looking forward to posting and reading. i'm being banded by Dr. Rumbaut in Monterrey on 8/5/03. i haven't been sleeping......so excited. i would be happy to lose 100 lbs, but would prefer to lose 120. i have gained about 10 lbs per year for the last dozen years and have tried it all (to lose the weight). i'm 35 and not willing to spend another year fat and hating myself (or fighting an insurance company). KOWABUNGA!!!! wendy (AKA gypsyqueen1968):banana

Hi, my name is Dawn and I live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth (Texas) Metroplex. I am (or formally was) a teen parent, graduated high school, just graduated from college and am now in the process of finding a job (I just got my license). I have been overweight since middle school but obese ( ) for the past 6 years. I am currently 23, but do not feel it. Not that I know what age I do feel. I have a 6 year old and a 2 year old and cant wait to get further into the process of banding so that I may enjoy energy that I once took for granted. I do not have insurance unitl Late Aug when my husband will be leaving with the Army National Guard for Basic & Specialty training...i…

Greetings All, I am 33, pre-band, from Oklahoma, and read as much of your postings here and else where everyday. I don't post that often, however want, All the "bandits" to know what an inspiration (to those of us waiting to cross over) they have become. I have 4 wonderful children, and a husband who is supportive, however, I feel as all of you are a part of my life as well. I have one more pre-eval tomorrow(psych) and then I am hoping my insurance (Cigna HMO) will approve me. I hopefully have jumped through enough of their hoops! Thanks, Shaedra Oklahoma 240/240/140 Dr. Gorospe

I would like to introduce myself as I have been "lurking". My name is Beth from Aberdeen NJ and I am convinced after much research and reading that the Lap Band is right for me. I have a BMI of 41, asthma, HBP, Osteoarthritis in my knees, severe heel spurs, and GERD. I have a consult with Dr. Borao in NJ on Aug 1st (waited months for it) and I have HealthNet insurance. I am hopeful that because I have several co morbidities that approval wont be to difficult. I would welcome any information or advice. And if any one has had dealings with Dr. Borao or HealthNet I would like to hear about it

Hi all! I was banded on 4/16/03 by Dr Ortiz. I have lost 55 pounds so far and am thrilled with it all. I just got my first fill 10 days ago, and I am losing once again. I am so happy that I made this decision. It hasn't been that hard, at least so far. I do feel that those 55 pounds are gone for good, not like the other times that I have lost weight. Feel free to email me if you have any questions!!

Hi, everyone! My name is Lisa, and I'm waiting to be banded on August 27. My surgeon is Dr. Richard Carter in Arlington, Texas. My story is probably similar to that of a lot of other people out there. My family hassled me about my "weight problem" even before I had one - I was put on my first diet at age 11, when my pediatrician put me on a diet. 24 years and numerous weight-loss attempts later, I *do* have a weight problem. I'm only 5'1", and I weigh a whopping 270 pounds. I've only come to realize the extent of my weight problem in recent years - for a long time I never perceived myself as fat. But one day I did, and I've been struggling with it ever since. My…

Hi I was banded 19 March 03, and to date lost 43 pounds. Never did i imagine i could do this. I have currently had 2 fills, both conservative that now bring me to 1.5cc I have ad a great mentor in Malcolm from Oz, who has called me almost daily most certainly written to me...invaluable as you are just starting out on your journey to have good backup. I have a great family with grown up kids, and train and show great danes, who really are the babies of the family Janie http://worldwyldweb.com

Hi, my name is Leo. I got banded in Tijuana by dr verboonen on 07/07/2003. So far i have lost 18 lbs. I have a little website with my experiences , please feel free to visit http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6pwwz/

Hi everyone. My name is Lori, I live in Maryland and I was banded on 6/27/03 by Dr. Eric Pinnar in Reston VA. To date I have lost 13 lbs and hope to continue losing 1-3 lbs per week until I reach my goal weight. :(

Hi! I recognize a lot of names from Spotlight, my other band home! My name is Janeen, and I was banded in October by Dr. Christine Ren at the NYU Medical Center. I've always struggled with my weight, but in the past year, my weight had finally ballooned to the point where I couldn't continue to ignore it. After a lot of soul searching and researching, I decided to have the band. I can definitely say that it has changed my life! I've lost a little over 70 pounds, and I'm just getting started! Looking forward to getting to know you all! Janeen

This seems like such a great place! I had my surgery with Dr. Joya and if any of you need any info about using Dr. Joya, one of mexico's best doctors, let me know. He has helped me lose a ton of weight and basically is fantastic! Talk to you soon!

Hi! I'm Linda Reynolds from Indianapolis, IN and I was banded on 3-20-03 by Bradley Needleman at Ohio State Univ. Hospital. So far I have lost 34# and I am very pleased with the band and the control it gives me. This site is great, but I'm a little intimidated as I'm not too computer savvy. It's very busy! lol I was asking my husband questions and he said that's just computer language. Duh, no wonder I can't understand what's going on!! I'll warn everybody now that I'm a reader, not a big poster, unless I feel I have something relevant to say. Can you receive the posts in digest form? Anyway, I look forward to reading and sharing. Best of luck to all that have …

Hi, everybody! I was just banded last Thursday in Azle, Texas. That's just a bit west of Ft. Worth. Had to stay in the hospital an extra day, but feeling much better now and already back to work. Had some trouble with runny Cream of Wheat going down last night, but survived my first scary incident! Will stick to what works best for now. LOVE this website with the categories. So many others are too difficult since you have to look through SO much to find the subject you want. Tell your friends!! Anyone else from Texas in here??????

Hi everyone, I'm Alexandra, gleefully looking forward to being banded on August 20. I live in Northern NJ and am an insurance broker, so maybe I'll be able to help with those types of questions. My story is an old one--obese since early childhood I've been over 200 lbs. since reaching my adult height of 5'10" at the age of 14. I've long ago come to terms with my size, but with the birth of my two children in the last five years I have found a whole new reason to lose weight. I'd never considered surgery before but last summer, when I realized I couldn't keep up with my growing children I started to look into RNY with lots of trepidation. Then I found out about the ban…

Hi Everyone I had Lap Band Surgery on 11-11-02 I weight 330 the day of surgery I went to Mexcio to Dr.Rodriquez .I have lost 140 pounds in 8 and half months this has been the best thing I have ever done for myself. Before I had my surgery I had not left my house in 6 months I could not move very well I was dieing .This surgery save my life now I can play with my grandson and I am working again.It has been 20 years sence I have been this small I still have about 40 more pounds to lose .I never dream that I would lose this much weight in this short of time .

It's so cool to have another board!! I'm 26 years old, 5'3. I was banded on 3/3/03, in Phoenix AZ, by Dr. Hilario Juarez. Before surgery my BMI was 38.6. Now it's down to 33.7. My insurance paid 100%, but only after they denied me & I appealed. If anyone would like a copy of my appeal packet, let me know.

Great Board I have been on several and I like this one. I am looking into Lap band for tool to help in my weight loss. My insurance will not cover so will be going to Mexico. Best of luck to all u guys on reaching your goals. ee

My name is Ellen and I was banded July 7, 2003, by Dr. Marina Kurian at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Although I am new to the band, I feel like I was well prepared for it. I have been thinking about it for nearly a year, and I respected this as a big step. I weighed 355 at my first consult, and about 9 pounds less than that on the day of surgery. According to my home scale, I weighed 325 the day before yesterday. But I will have a more accurate number tomorrow, when I go for my two-week followup. I have received so much valuable information from the various Lap Band forums all over the Internet. I hope I get to give back!

Hello Everyone, My name is Jurisha and I was banded on 04/09/03 in Houston, Texas by Dr. Hadar Spivak. I live in Humble, Texas (a "suburb" of Houston) I'm 27 years old, married, and working on kids someday. I think this new board is great, thanks Alex!