Hey Everybody- Are you out there? I know with all the excellent hospitals and weight loss physicians available in Ohio that there has to be a lot more people from Ohio in this group. I am KebfromCincy so you can guess where I live. I am in the pre-surgery program of Dr. Brad Watkins of the UC Health Weight Loss Center in West Chester, OH outside of Cincinnati. My insurance required a 6 month Physician supervised weight loss period before I could have the surgery. As usual, I seemed to gain and lose the same number of pounds whenever I would try to diet. This time I have managed to lose between 12 - 16 lbs depending on what day I look. I am looking forward to having my sleeve. I hope to lose 100lb at least. I think it will improve the many orthopedic problems that I have which forced me to retire from my 35+ year nursing career. Right now, I am generally healthy otherwise, and in that I am fortunate. Would love to hear from other Ohio people. KebfromCincy

Hello everyone. I am SandyF. I am from Hamilton ohio. I am going to Mercy healthy weight solutions at Mercy fairfield with Dr. Northrup.

Hello. I am also seeing Dr Northup at Mercy Healthy weight. Went today for my gallbladder ultra sound and blood work up. I need to complete a 3 month doctor monitored diet and am on just the first week. I hope to have surgery by the end of summer.

HI! I'm from around Lima, OH. I had my surgery 9 months ago with Dr Lalor in Bowling Green. I've done pretty good so far, I've lost 102# and I'm 7# from my goal! With my insurance and per the dr's office, I only had to do 3 months of supervision with the dr's office and the NUT. Due to other health issues, my 3 months actually ended up being 8 months. As upset as I was at first, I realized it gave me extra time to get prepared for this surgery and the life afterwards. It's kind of like a wedding. Get get so wrapped up in the wedding that you forget about what happens after the honeymoon. My best suggestion I have for you guys is to read and research all you can. Be prepared for the stalls, morning the loss of food as your comforter, and just the "after". Yes the surgery is very important and knowing what can happen and be prepared, BUT once that's over, it's your new life afterwards that can be rough. If you're prepared, and KNOW ahead of time that there can be rough patches, it's easier to get through them. Good luck!

Thank you so much for the information. I had to do a 9 month diet with my primary care doctor. I finished that up this month on the 13th. I go back to Dr. Norhrtrup on May 13th. I have all my testing finished and along the way found out I have leaking valves in my heart. But that is not slowing me down they say just another reason I need to do this. I have been reading all i can on this procedure, sometimes it scares me and other times I cant wait for the day that I feel better about myself and can enjoy spending time outside with my children.

Hey! I am also with Dr. Brad Watkins at UC Health Weight Loss Center in West Chester, Ohio. I'm a self pay (didn't have the opportunity to have insurance dictate a pre-surgery diet program), so because of the funds coming out of my pocket, I was able to fast track my journey. I received my call today, the surgery date is set for May 22!

I live in West Chester, Ohio and had my sleeve done last month. Dr. Dahman was my surgeon. He is in the same group at Mercy Weight Loss as Dr Northup. My insurance required the 6 month supervised diet, but it probably was a good thing to have the time to really prepare and get my mind set on how this would change my life.

My surgery went very well. The pain was uncomfortable for about 10 days, but never unbearable. i followed the food plan as it was written. I lost 12 lbs on the two week pre-op diet. I lost 10 pounds a week by a week after the surgery. Then I hit a stall at week 3. Yesterday I was starting week 5 and i am starting to lose again. I also would say that I am feeling really good now with very little discomfort. My goal is to lose 100 lbs. I'm almost 1/3 of the way there.

That is wonderful on the weight loss. I really hope and prayer I can do the same thing. There are times when I think this is great and I really want to do the surgery. Then I start to worry about things because this monitored diet is not going well. I am just not losing much weight. I must be eating to much or something but keeping track of the calories, I am staying around where I am suppose to be at. I just dont know.

I'm from Middletown and have my surgery date of 6/18 with Dr Maguire at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton

I live in Cincinnati and I'm waiting for my ins approval, I'm going through Journeylite with Dr. Curry in Evendale. I had a 3 month plan that I had to follow and I did great but I feel like this waiting game is WAY more difficult! They submitted everything last Thursday so tomorrow will be one week that the ins company has had my packet. My nerves are on edge because I want this SOOO much! Does anyone have Aetna and does anyone have any advice on how long it took for approval??

This is great! There are several of us close. I just got in touch with the office of Dr. Watkins again and found out that I am in an insurance stall. My insurance number changed because my husband went on Medicare and so I was issued a new card. But despite that, I am grateful I have insurance that pays for this. I should be able to set a date in two weeks or so. I am trying not to be a worry wart but I guess I am concerned about my emotional status after I lose the very thing that I have been using all these years to comfort myself. I don't have a huge posse of friends and my daughters all have lives of their own. My husband was a bit reluctant to start with but is on board now. Will he be on board in two months when he wants McDonalds and I can't have it. And how upset will I be when my best friend wants to go to a pasta restaurant and I drag my feet? But this is for me, me, me and I am not used to being selfish. And by the way, anyone else who asks will be told I had surgery for my hiatial hernia. I won't need naysayers.

Hi everyone I am Shellie and I am having my sleeve on June 19, at St Vincent Medical Center in Cleveland OH. I had Dr Hassan. Been working on getting this done since January and feeling pretty excited and nervous at the same time.

good luck this week I'm sure you'll do great!!

Hi! I live near Lima, Oh. I am having my surgery on July 29, 2013. Ready to get the surgery done and over with! I am having mine at Mr Carmel in Columbus, OH. Looking forward to my new life to begin!

Hello all. I'm Nikole and I too was sleeved ny Dr. Hassan at St. Vincent Charity. My surgery was not text book and I am healing slowly. On a happy note, today is my four week anniversary! Yay me!

Hello fellow Buckeyes! I'm Pam and I'm scheduled for my sleeve on 9/3 with Dr. Brown of Kettering Bariatrics. This is in the Dayton area. I'm excited and nervous! Do any of you have protein powder recommendations? I'm thinking vanilla because it sounds like it will mix with more stuff... but still unsure of what brand to choose.

Hi Buckeyes,
I am from Niles Ohio but I am going to a Dr in Cleveland. Dr Ben-Meir who was at St Vincents but now he is at his own Center in Willoughby Hills. He will be working out of the Lake Health Bariactric group. I am about 4 months into Insurance required 6 mth Med Supervised Diet and Brooke is my Nutritionalist. I also go to out how you really feel about doing this procedure before actually having it done. At least I found I really did. I needed to prepare myself emotionally, mentally and physically for such a permanant change. For example, I have been a potato head since my first memory and from what I have found after surgery I will be on high protein diet the rest of my life. That is just on aspect of what will be a permanant change for me. So waiting 6 months is no problem for me. Hubby is on board but will he still be when I cook and stock up our pantry with high protein food? He is mayby 40 lbs overweight but really it is just in his tummy not anywhere else. Wish I could find more sleevers that I could share with locally. Cleveland is too far to go to for group support meetings, etc. But I am still into making this work. If Gods in this decision the windows will open! Thats how I see it! I know it will be great here for sure. Hope we get to know each other well on this and any othere interesting subject. Hugs to All!
Laura

HI I live in northwest Ohio. Anyone else from that area? I am actually going to have my surgery in Ft Wayne IN by Dr Dale Sloan hopefully the middle of Oct. I have my insurance approval they just haven't given me a date yet. I am so excited to be on this journey and on my way to a healthier me! I start my 4 week preop diet on Wed. and have already had my EKG, Colonoscopy and EGD done. Glad the last 2 are out of the way. I still need to see the cardiologist for cardiac clearance since I am over 50. READY TO GO!!!

Hi there, I'm from Northwest Ohio. I'm having the gastric sleeve done Dec 3 by Dr. Peter Lalor in Bowling Green, OH. I'm very excited. I've gotten all of my pre-op requirements out of the way and insurance approval. I start the pre-op liquid diet Nov 22. The closer it gets to my surgery date the more nervous I get!

Hi fellow Ohioans! Just got sleeved in Tijuana on Fri Nov 8th. I'm in Medina and love this site for the support I have received.

Sleeved on 11/11/13 and recently moved to LaGrange.

Hi, I'm from the Lima area too. St Ritas opened a bariatric clinic in April 2014 & I saw it in the paper. Classes are really full so I'm going for my informational class Aug. 7. My daughter is having her sleeve sometime in Aug. Hope to hear from a lot of you.

Hello! I am from St. Marys--just south of Lima. I found this forum a couple of days ago, and can't stop reading! Here is my story: I had a colonoscopy, and while in the doctor's office, I noticed a pamplet for Mercer County Weight Management in Coldwater, OH. Four years ago I had gone to the Seminar for the Lapband, but did nothing with it. The doctor the other day saw my interest and suggested the Sleeve would be better for me. I called the number for the center, and she said to go online and watch the seminar first, then call back to make an appointment. So that's where I am. I will watch the seminar in the next few days, and call back. I weight almost 300 pounds, diabetic, blood pressure, cholesterol, sleep apnea--you all know the story. I will do the surgery in Coldwater, but I don't know the surgeon.