Danny Paul

One thing I found out is, we don't really need to buy our stuff from the surgeon or the hospital. Let me explain, vitamins, they are basically generic. At first I was purchasing them through my surgeons office since my insurance covered them. After two months my insurance stopped covering them. So, I consult my nutrionist and I go to Costco and buy multi vitamins, calcium pills, b-12 pills and save (excuse the pun) a ton of money. As for supplements, what are they selling you that you can't buy yourself at a cheaper cost? As for the cardiologist, mine would not sign off on the surgery unless I did a nuclear stress test. ( I have a heart condition) The psychologist is a standard one time procedure for most getting bariatric surgery. The only real problem might be the $300.00 for the assistant surgeon. At my group meetings the nurse practitioner who runs the meetings always says " Don't go to a vitamin store and tell them you need vitamins because you just had bariatric surgery, you'll end up walking out with $400.00 worth of stuff." What we really need doesn't cost that much. You can get a lot of good alternatives right here on the message boards. Just know what you specifically need. One other suggestion. Post surgery I started to see a therapist who recommended that I also attend Overeaters Anonymous (OA). Through them I realized that even though I had the surgery and lost weight I would probably gain it back because I am a compulsive eater. OA has turned out to be a very good support system for me. One person in the meetings had WLS. She said the surgery fixed this (pointing to her stomach) I know that I needed to also fix this (pointing to her head). It might be beneficial for you to try OA just to see if it will help you in anyway. If not you can always walk away. I wish you the best in your weight loss journey and just know you are only a keystroke away from getting support and advice right here.

The only pain I had was at the incision the stomach came out. I don't take narcotics so Tylenol helped me somewhat. After a few days it just became sore and eventually went away. Doctor wanted me up and walking ASAP. As soon as I got to my room I was walking the halls. The worst part of the post op was no liquids at all. I was dying of thrist until the next day after the test to see if the stitches are leaking. At home I did sleep in my recliner as this was the most comfortable place for me. Good luck.

Plus 1

Years ago my sister found my nephews to have high cholesterol they were eight and 12 respectively today they are both in their twenties. She didn't want them on meds at such an early age. Both were on the heavy side. She was determined that her two boys were going to be healthy by eating well. With the help of a nutritionist she went to work. Out went all of the snacks, sugary foods and soda. In came fruits, water and things like lean meats and veggies. My sister worked and was a single mom but she was determined to keep her sons healthy. Today they are very healthy and have a lifetime of good eating habits. Prior to my weight loss I would take them out to eat and they always ordered healthy and stayed away from the desserts. (Since they didn't have any desserts I took theirs.) It's very doable if you stick to the plan.

I inquired about Genepro on the boards and a poster (big viffer) gave valuable info on it . Unfortunately I dont know how to paste it here but basically Genepro cannot deliver 30grams of protein as advertised I also believe they have legal problems based on thier claims. As postop says concentrate on liquids at this point. Not doing what's popular just doing what's Right.

I too am a yo yo dieter. Losing x amount of weight only to regain it and then some. My reason for WLS was for my health since I had many co morbidities. I lost 60lbs and my diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and other diseases are gone or are very manageable. I recently went on a vacation at a place I go to often. Around my hotel is a place that makes a particular pastry which I can only get there. Day one I bought one just to savor it, eat it and put it behind me. Unfortunately, I ate one each and every day that I was on vacation. My rationalization was, I can't get these at home and I'm on vacation so I am allowed to eat them. I was wrong, I knew I was wrong but I did not stop myself from eating them. Upon my return I sought a therapist who specializes in abnormal behaviors.(I couldn't find one that specializes in bariatric patients) I soon realized that I have a problem with food. I am a compulsive eater and WLS alone would not cure me. My therapist also suggested that I join Overeaters Anonymous (OA) I have a great sponsor who speaks to me each day and I go to meetings which gives me support. For me, WLS was only a jump start to weight loss. If I did nothing else I would have gained back the weight over time because as SillyKity said "It will not fix your head." I am really beginning to see that the WLS was only the beginning of my getting healthier it wasn't the end. I have a lot more work ahead of me and I'm glad that I realized that I had a problem and there are avenues to help me correct or at least work around it. I've learned a lot about myself and why I have the relationship I do with food. I still need to find out more though. Please don't think that WLS will solve all of your weight related problems, it looks as if you might need to look for a support system to help you succeed. Good luck and remember you are not alone.

The sad fact is, many don't look at bariatric surgery like they do other surgeries. If someone told their friends or family that they were getting breast implants or other cosmetic surgery the overwhelming majority would not have a negative comment. If someone told their family and friends that they would be having surgery for a medical condition like removing their tonsils, still not many negative comments. Tell people you're having bariatric surgery to improve your health and the negativity starts to flow. Why? Because most people blame you for being obese. If only you can control yourself you'd wouldn't be so fat. If you took the initiative and exercised more, you wouldn't be so fat. What they fail to realize is over eating is a compulsion like drinking. No one would have a negative comment if they knew an alcoholic was having a liver transplant due to excessive drinking. No, most would say, hope this helps to get him/her to stop drinking and to be healthier. We don't get the same empathy because it's automatically assumed it's our fault that we are compulsive eaters. Work hard toward your goal of better health. Do not let the negativity derail you. After your surgery you will lose weight and you will begin to get healthier. Just remember that's only the first part of your success. After surgery you will have a period of time where the weight will come off easy. The mechanical part with surgery is taken care of. Now, you must work on the mental part to find out why you are a compulsive eater. Once you do, you will probably have many years of weight loss success. Be strong you're nearly there. It's nice to have support but if you must go it alone do so because your health depends on it.

When you say you're having trouble staying away from bad foods what do you consider bad foods? Here's what I've discovered about bad foods. (Sweets empty calories) they are poison to me. At first I never considered a piece of cake poison since it always brought me some sort of pleasure. That piece of cake and all the rest that followed were contributing to my obesity and bad health. Unlike the common poisons that can do you harm fairly quickly this poison takes it's toll on you over time. After my surgery and with the help of a therapist I see how bad foods have poisoned my good health. For some they can tolerate the poison in moderation and it will not affect them much. For me I must look at bad food differently and try my best to keep those poisons out of my system. If the bad foods are having an adverse effect on you stay away from them and bring healthier food with you. It's a long road we travel and many here find it easier than others. You like me (btw I'm 61,) need to work harder at it. If your insurance covers it a good therapist really puts things in perspective. Support groups also help. Good luck, don't be discouraged a healthier you is in the ma king.

Im an Independent voter who usually has no use for Democrats or Republicans but with our rigged two party system I have very little choices to vote for. That being said, when the poster,Elf made the point that Trump didnt denounce the Nazi group. It was spot on . Likewise I would have liked Oboma to denounce the Black Lives Matters group who expouse physical violence towards police officers. Instead he invited them to the White House. There must be a better way to get politicans to actually work for the people and not for special interests. We as Americans deserve much better than this rigged two party system. (This will be my only comment on this as I come to this board for health advice and not political discussion) Not doing what's popular just doing what's Right.

I thought I would go back to work one week from surgery. I needed two weeks because I was so tired and needed to rest. It's been said many times, everyone is different.

Coffee has only one effect on me, it acts as a diuretic. I worked the midnight tour for over 20 years and coffee was just a beverage to me. I began drinking coffee three months post surgery. I did cut myself down to one cup only because of the diuretic effect. It was counter productive to try to get my fluids in just to piss it away.

Erika, think about this as an investment. It's an investment in your health and well being but also an investment that will cost you some money. Before you invest money in the weight loss operation that might not be effective go to a professional counselor who specializes in eating disorders or bariatric surgery. Work out your trepidations with the counselor. If it helps you to become successful in your weight loss journey it will be money and time well spent. On the other hand you might find that WLS is not the answer for you. When going through insurance we have to get a psyche evaluation. Since you are paying out of pocket you probably didn't get one. Every poster here has given you his or her insight based on their experience. Those experiences might not necessarily be yours. Make the smart investment, confer with a mental health professional. You can always schedule the surgery at another date. You owe it to yourself to be as thorough in the process as possible. Good Luck and I'm sure I speak for the others when I say we are hoping for the best outcome for you.

As an end around If you are diagnosed with diabetes the insurance company should cover the nutritionist visits.

My total out of pocket cost was a $300.00 co-pay. Which I couldn't get my secondary insurance to cover.

One reason (and there are many) why people have friendships is there is a commonality. There are things in the relationship that both strongly share. For most overweight people it's being overweight and food. When you have WLS you are going to lose weight and you won't have the same relationship you did with food. You therefore lose that commonality. This doesn't mean you can't be friends but now you have to rework the relationship. For me, I don't like going out to restaurants anymore. I don't have the same joy as I once did. On those occasions I do go, I take the advice from many on this board. I order small, shuffle my food around the plate and maintain conversations. One other thing I do that I believe helps, I down play the weight loss as much as possible. When friends ask how I feel I tell them although I'm healthier I don't have the "zip" that I thought I would have had by losing weight. I say I guess thats because I'm older. I then change the subject and talk about the kids or something else. I try to take the spotlight off of me and the weight loss. From my support group I find this happens much more with women than men. I believe women have more bonding in friendships than men.

I no that.....

Nothing is wrong with good grammar it's never a waist of time to point these things out.

We are very similar in height and weight. You 5'8" me 5'6" weight you 224lbs me 221lbs. We are both currently at 161lbs. I'm about seven months out you eight. While I don't experience much in hunger I too was at a weight loss stand still. I just lost four pounds after a month and a half. I was at my goal weight of 165lbs for quite awhile. Today I weighed myself and saw that I am now at 161lbs. From all that I've read and from those who I have talked to it seems the body has a "natural" weight it wants us to maintain. For me I'm thinking it's 160lbs-170lbs. I'm comfortable with that. I get my proteins in, drink and exceed my liquids , get my vitamins in and exercise. I realize I've come far for myself. No more diabetes, high BP, Gerd, etc, etc. So now I focus on maintaining my health. If I do lose more weight I look at it as a plus. If not my health has improved dramatically and that's the real reason I went on this journey. I wish you more success as you continue your journey.

I would love a cold glass of chocolate milk but I don't like the taste of the sugar free chocolate syrups. I can tolerate most anything sugar free but not the chocolate syrups. I will look into the FairLife skim milk for my protein shakes since it does have 13grams of protein. You continue to enjoy your bedtime ritual.

It's been discussed in my support group. The members who have experienced this have found that doubling their fluid intake helps to curb their appetite. One member found the extra fluid intake not only curbed her appetite but also promoted weight loss. If you've been reading some of the threads on unflavored protein powders some do add it to their fluids to increase protein consumption as well. After much experimenting I bought unjury brand protein powder and it doesn't have the strong whey taste other non flavored powders have. So, by drinking more fluids and possibly adding a protein powder to the fluids you probably can work out your problem.

Sherry, hope I'm not out of line here but it seems that you're pretty much a success as far as weight loss goes. Fluctuating between 10-20lbs after 19yrs doesn't look so bad. From what I read and experienced many not only gain their original weightless back and then some. You're right on point to be on top of the weight gain and to lose it but overall kudos to you for doing such a good job.

I hope all goes well and good luck.

Found out during my support group session that the sounds are coming from the intestines and when we had our stomaches the sound was somewhat muted. Since our stomaches are diminished the sounds are now amplified due to the lack of "sound proofing".

It's been my experience that the main obstacles in higher education isn't the University itself it's the individual professors. The higher up you go in your studies (under grad to grad) it seems the professors become more and more difficult to work with. It will take time for your surgery date to become a reality. In the meantime plan it out as best as you can. I'm sure that you can have the surgery during one of the numerous breaks that university life affords. Once that hurdle is jumped you can prepare for the daily planning of your meals, liquids and vitamins. It isn't insurmountable as long as you plan ahead. Good Luck.

I always get a flu shot every year and the worst I get is a common cold. Getting a cold never stopped me from going to work or from going about my daily business. This year it's different. I got a cold earlier this week and I've been be ridden ever since. I went to my PCP at the outset and he took a flu test and it was negative for the flu. He told me just to rest and in a few days I'll be back to normal. These last few days I've been lying in bed when in the past I've gone out to work. I don't have a fever, the chills or anything other than a common cold. My question, has anyone of you had this happen after WLS? Mahalo in advance for your replies.