Hi, Amanda   I live in Waianae also I had surgery October,23 2005.  My weigh 308lbs. now 145 lbs.I had RYN Dr. Balfour at Strubb. If you would like to ask me any question please feel free.

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Here's a good link to answer a lot of your questions regarding the VSG:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/cmsID,8457/mode,content/a,cms/



There is also a VSG forum that is very friendly and there are a bunch of us who have had or are having a VSG.



My insurance wouldn't pay for surgery outside HI, so I was a self-pay. I wasn't going to let my insurance company dictate what surgery I was going to have. I wanted to make that choice and I was fortunate enough to have family support.



I am still pretty new from surgery. I will be one month out on the 31st. I don't really get hunger because the part of the stomach that produces the hormone, Ghrelin, has been removed. I have had no alteration/re-routing of my intestines. My stomach is banana shaped now... a cylinder. I am still on mushy/puree foods. My doctor has a strict post-op diet progression to follow and I follow it. Some people don't have doctor/nutrition support following their surgery. I do and I listen! I believe that is important for success.



I did not go through any required pre-op program, however, I spent years trying different diet, programs, fads, what-have-yous. My doctor did require both a psychological and nutritional evaluation and a lot of tests.



Obesityhelp.com has a lot of forums with people having different surgeries. There is a lot of information out there. I do like our VSG forum best since we don't have a lot of the issues that RNY or Lapband people do.



Again, feel free to ask anything specific. Just like HIgurl, we'll answer your questions!

I did not know what a VSG was.  I just looked it up.  Unfortunately, for my insurance, that isn't an option.  But out of curiousity-what types of preparation did you do?  Did you have to go through a program with a cohort?  Also-this may sound odd...but, do you ever feel hungry?  I realize your stomach is smaller, but it seems for many of us that eating is an emotional, not physical thing.

Hello.  I'm new here and this is my first time posting at any weight loss support group. A brief intro: I'm Amanda, 27, living in Waianae, Hawaii.  I'm a full-time teacher and my hubby and I are in the process of adopting 2 children.   I'm 5'3" and weigh about 319lbs.  I've already attended the "first step" meeting in the bariatric program at the local hospital.  I got a lot of information regarding the different types of procedures my insurance covers (gastric and lap band).  My mother had gastric bypass surgery in April of 2007 and has already lost 110 lbs.  She went from being a size 32 to a 16.  I currently wear a size 26 pant.   I just wanted to say hello and to talk to people who have had one of the procedures or are thinking about having them.  All of my friends are thin, so other than my mother-I have nobody else to talk to about this!