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I'm biased - Love my sleeve! However, you should attend an information seminar at a local hospital or bariatric center that offers weight loss surgery. You can get all the information you need to help you decide what is best for you.

Libby, I had a Vertical Gastric Sleeve 7 months ago today. I weighed 258 pounds prior to surgery, and today I weight 160 (and struggling to loose the last few pounds!). I love my sleeve. My cousin is a bariatric surgeon, and he was the one who convinced me to do the VSG instead of a Roux N Y procedure. He has had bariatric surgery, he had a Roux N Y about 10 years ago at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. After his surgery, he did a fellowship at Mayo Clinic and then started doing bariatric surgeries himself. He lost over 100 pounds and has maintained it very well. He was my inspiration to do something. I went to see him in consultation, and he convinced me that the VGS has far less complications than RNY, less problems like dumping syndrome that many with a RNY experience, no malabsorption problems, etc. So i went with the sleeve, and wouldn't trade it for anything. The day of surgery, I wore a size 26/28 top and 22 or 24 pant size. Today I am a size 8! (I love saying that, so I'll say it again "I wear a size 8." Gee that makes me feel good!) I don't have words to say how happy I am that I had my VGS. It is a non reversible procedure, so you need to be sure of your decision if you go with a VSG. When we crossed the boarder back into the United States (I had my surgery in Mexico) one of the gals riding in the van responded to the boarder guards question of "do you have anything to declare?" with "No, but I left my stomach in Tijuana!" So funny! No matter what you decide, Best of luck on your surgery!

My local VA has a bariatric program and when I approached my primary care doctor about getting the lapband outside of the VA she was upset. She stated that one of her other patients went through the VA program and had lost 20 lbs prior to his lapband surgery and then hadn't lost any more weight after that. I told her that I was not that patient and that I had done my homework. A month after surgery I went to see her and all she could do was parade me around and call me "her success story/" I just have to laugh about it. My only complaint is I am tired of people telling me to stop losing weight before I start looking sick or too skinny. These are the same people that tried to talk me out of it when I was big.

I finally met with my surgeon last week to begin the process of getting my sleeve. It was a very emotional meeting because I had originally thought that my insurance would cover the surgery. Well I found out I was wrong. It turns out that it is an exclusion in my plan. Not the insurance's fault, my employer who decided it wasn't important to include Bariatric Surgery. Everyone at the office was so kind and put up with my crying on their shoulders, and I unfortunately need more than one shoulder, haha. I don't personally have the money to pay for the surgery out of pocket, and really didn't want to get my dad involved. I have a lot of unresolved issues with him and the last thing I wanted to do was have to ask him for money. A little history, I used to have a Lap Band (2005-2010) which had to be removed due to complications. My dad paid for the original surgery as well as the emergency removal. He had told me at the time that if I needed another surgery, the only one he would pay for would be the Duodenal Switch. I do NOT want a DS. I left the doctor's office completely defeated. I called my brother to check on my mom (who's been having some health problems) and immediately got some more bad news in regards to her health. I couldn't keep it together and broke down on the phone with him. I had not told anyone about wanting the surgery yet, but I ended up telling him. He was incredibly supportive and immediately got off the phone and drove over to my dad's house to talk to him. He called me back not 15 minutes later and told me to atop worrying, and that everything would be covered. My dad agreed to the Sleeve thanks to my incredibly wonderful brother. To say the least, I had a VERY emotional day. Long story long (haha), I am now in the process of taking care of pre op appointments. Since my insurance won't pay, my surgeon's office thought it would be best to have my Primary Care Physician order the sleep study so that the insurance would definitely pay for it. I have an appointment with him to discuss the sleep study on Wednesday. I have also scheduled my appointments for my psychological test and meeting with the dietician on May 15th. My surgeon wants me to lose 30-40 lbs prep (yikes!). It sounds scary, but I know I can do it! Hopefully after my meeting with the dietician, I can get a date scheduled. I am hoping to have it done sometime this summer when it's slow at my workplace, plus it gives me the time to lose the weight. I still haven't told my mom what's going on. Though I know she will be supportive, I am having trouble finding the right time to bring it up with everything going on with her health (she has breast cancer). I have some time, I just hope the right time presents itself. I can't wait to get going on this new life journey!

I'm putting this post in the success forum . . . because that is what I consider it I just listed some clothes on eBay that are brand new and with tags that I cannot wear due to sleeve surgery. Here is a link for one sweater, and then you can look at my other items: http://www.ebay.com/itm/181628339848?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 If you win (and or "buy now") an item and mention that you found the auction on bariatric pal, I will pay shipping as a thank you. Here's to moving down a size!

Drink lots of water. Watch out for kidney stone symptoms. And gallbladder symptoms. Kidney stone attacks and gall bladder attacks are common after bariatric surgery.

This is a bariatric class... it's not limited to nutrition. I have a "coach" and a dietician who will be on these calls. It's completely unrelated to my surgery program.

I was BMI of 35.1 and denied by BC/BS the first time through. Then I assembled an appeal package, very much like your initial request. I went to all my docs, pediatrist, gastrointerologist, GYN, GP, and asked each for a letter of support. Then I wrote 2 letters of my own and attached them to the package and sent it to the bariatric doctor. By this time my BMI was 36.7 since I figured I would have to eat my way to approval. He submitted the appeal and it was approved. Best of luck to you. Sounds like you are on the right track.

Hi Y'all! I'm Amy from Texas, I'm not yet banded but I have my first visit with a bariatric specialist on Januray 4th, 2007. So I have been out scouting around for a support system that looked fun and helpful... this place beats the rest I've seen. I will be going to Dr Richard Collier in Conroe. Al little about me... I am 35, a recently remarried mother of two pugnacious preteen kids (and I say that with love! hehehe no - really they are great, but don't tell them! ). I love creating art and craft projects, singing, dancing, raising ponies, cooking and baking. I am 5'1" and I am starting at about 238 lbs. I figure my goal is somewhere in the 125-130 lb. neighborhood maybe, as that is around where I was in college before all this weight started showing up. I was no skinny-minnie, but that size worked for me. But really my ACTUAL goal is simply to be able to ride my ponies again without being cited for pony abuse!:nervous I am really looking forward to having this procedure done so I can get on with my plans. I think I do have realistic goals for weightloss speed and the amount of effort it will actually take to use this tool. I know, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was my butt! What I am hoping is that, with this tool, I will be able to remove food as an object of obsession and make it what it is supposed to be - a necessity. Trust me I DO know what I'm SUPPOSED to eat (wink), my problem has just been the "wanna" behind it and my T-Rex-like apetite! Hopefully, having physical restrictions put on my intake ability, I can refocus my head on what I need to eat and making the most of nutrition in that smaller stomach space! I look forward to meeting a lot of you on here, so you can help me through my wobbly times and cheer me when I am being a good girl! :clap2: Toodles! Amy

Try a laxative suppository. When I have got constipation really bad, that did the trick in about 20 minutes. Then once you get that taken care of, take a probiotic and stool softener daily to keep everything moving. The walmart generic stool softener works great, and I like the Bariatric Advantage probiotic. We all know that pain and hope you get it resolved soon.

Congratulations! Dr. Rodriguez was my bariatric surgeon too (April 30th at Star Medica). You've made a wise choice.

B-12 shots for me, for sure! I found Nature's Plus Source of Life Liquid Gold multivitamin when I could not tolerate the Bariatric Advantage multivitamin. A compound pharmacist recommended it. I wrote down and compared every ingredient in each vitamin, and the liquid won. I wanted the best vitamins I could find, to keep myself healthy. I even like the taste. Don't forget the Biotin, for your hair. Good luck!

Hi there! I got my surgery done on 12/29 out of Texas Bariatric Specialists with Dr. Leah Dill, Dr. Patel, and Dr. Houston. If there are any other sleevers out there from the Lonestar state, hellooo! I'll probably look into my clinic for their support groups, but yeah if you're present, say hey!

Yeah mine requires 6 consecutive months with a nutritionist with the last 2 years which I have a year straight so that's no biggy. I am worried my insurance will deny it and how much I'll need to pay out of pocket. I know some of what they want. Will the Bariatric program tell me? I know they usually check with insurances about that stuff. Yes, they will verify what is needed and let you know and my 10/26/2016.

kristaroberts, Allot of the issues with becoming pregnant after weight loss surgery, or rather immediatly after have everything to do with nutrition and stress. The issue is that you are already desperatly trying to learn how to just get enough nutrition for you let alone a baby. Also you have to think about the added stress that being pregnant puts on a normal healthy person and then imagine that on a body that has just undergone WLS. Getting pregnant soon after weight loss has a risk of several complications. I would advise you to speak to your bariatric dr as well as your nutritionist on this. Basically what i have read in some of my research is that it has happened and you can be successfull, however, the issue is that "can be". The risk vs reward is not there. That is the risk outweighs the reward. I wont go into detail but if you do some research you will find allot of issues can develop and most are in relation to the normal growth of a healthy fetus in relation to the nutritional issues that can develop. Its not the end of the world if it happens, but you will have a heck of time with the nutritional requirements. Obviously the further out the better, or at least after the majority of the rapid weight loss is done "says 2 bariatric surg. i found online info from." Great question!! Ps i'm not a lady but wanted to add my 2 cents sorry =(

Hi Liz, I would call, you have nothing to lose. Mind you, his secretary is not the best one to ask. I remember when I call she told me things that weren't true. I would call the bariatric clinic instead. The no. is: 544-3710 Let me know if they give you any date. I have one of my friend who went in December too and she's wondering like you when they are going to call her. clempier

After the surgery, I developed a serious problem with constipation. I tried several things to resolve the problem including Probiotics, Metamucil, and laxatives; without success. The only thing that was effective was using glycerin suppositories. I just couldn’t accept inserting a suppository up my rectum every three days for the rest of my life as a viable solution. This was a serious problem. Then almost by accident I stumbled on a simple solution. I found that eating an apple or two each night before I went to bed corrected the problem. But it was important to also eat the skin of the apple. I have followed this regiment for the past 10 months and no problems. My mother who did not have surgery also suffers from this type of problem. I suggested she eat an apple each night before bed. But she says she can't because she has false teeth and the skin gets stuck. I was at my monthly bariatric surgery support group meeting yesterday and another person said they experienced the same problem because of her false teeth. She wanted to know if I had any solution. I thought about it and decided that perhaps one could blend the apple. I experimented today. I cut the core out of the apple and blended it with the skin to the consistency of apple sauce in my Ninja blender. I soon discovered that I needed to add a little liquid to make it blend properly - about a quarter or half cup of (no-sugar) apple juice. It seems like it might work. But since I still have my teeth, I am not able to perform a complete test. So if you suffer from constipation and if you have false teeth and are up to an experiment - try blending an apple a day with the skin (but not the core) and let me know (1) does this type of apple sauce get stuck in your teeth and (2) does it solve your constipation problem.

Jenna: just checking to see how your dealings with Oxford have gone. Any luck? Have they stated what your out of pocket expenses will be? What's the cost of your surgery? Anyone else out there, please feel free to chime in. I had my first consult earlier this week and the plastic surgeon suggested a full lower body lift. Total fees will be in the neighborhood of $17k; i live in Manhattan and his office is on Park Ave. Yikes. Will need to see a dermatologist to verify rashes etc, a medical photographer to document the sorry state of my skin, and get letters from my primary care physician and bariatric surgeon. All seems doable and I'm hoping to have the procedure done in late November.

You can get packets of powders from Bariatric fusion and unjury.

I only had to do 3 months, since I did it through a verified Bariatric program! I'm in Yonkers, so I went up to Montefior New Rochelle -- they have a great program, with a great monthly support group as well. I'm not sure quite where you're located, though I think I recognize your face from the NY thread. Queens, maybe?

Yes I'm from Queens. I'm going through my bariatric surgeon hopefully they approve me with 3 months visits to him.

For example yesterday I ate the following; Breakfast-A salmon salad with cottage cheese I found on a bariatric food blog-3 ozs=31 g of Protein lunch-3 turkey meatballs with a little sauce sprinkled a 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese on top-25 g of protein dinner-black bean chipotle veggie burger(2.5ozs) w/ a slice of pepper jack cheese on top and a side of a babybel light- 16 g of protein That was 72 g of protein/26g of carbs/683 cals I also had 72 ozs of Water yesterday...

My would be surgeon presented me with the Realize band only. can I request and obtain the Lap Band instead ?. The operation would be at Banner Gateway Bariatric Hospital in Gilbert AZ. Thanks, Dave

[8/12/10] I realized today as I was getting dressed that I always seem to go the “extra mile” when it comes to my appearance on days I go to the doctor. Today I meet w/my bariatric surgeon & dietician on the path forward. Sept 21 will be here before I know it! But back to appearance – it just dawned on me that I think I go all extra on days I know I’m going to the Fatty Doc, bc I feel like my “cute” will somehow overshadow my “fat” – which is often…or at least SOMEtimes the case in the real world. But at a bariatric Dr.’S office – they rarely see the “cute” – if at all, and mostly only see a person that they are glad had sense enough to do something major, about a major health crisis. *sigh* I’m good at being fat. Have been fat my entire life. And though after all is said & done a year from now, for all intents & purposes – I’ll still be a fat girl…but a lot healthier one (and 75-100 lighter). It didn’t hit me until today that this will most likely be my last “uncomfortable, morbidly obese, disgusted with myself and how big I’ve gotten” summer. This time next year – I won’t be so cramped in the metro seat as I blog by crackberry, ill be walking taller w/a lil more pep in my step, AND I will have ridden the rollercoasters that I haven’t been able to get on for the past 5 yrs – at least a thousand times. While still struggling with some future vanity concerns and how ill feel in my new body – I’m still excited. & optimistic that this was the best decision for ME. I know I’m cute (most of the time)…but for so long the magnitude of my good-lookigness has been overshadowed by my weight. Get. Ready. Here she comes… *doin my Geyonce dance* uh oh uh oh uh oh…

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery has developed a chart for the treatment of bariatric patients in the ER. The download contains information for the treatment of leaks, sepsis, intra-abdominal bleeding, obstructions etc... The download comes in a PDF format so that you can download it for FREE before you go to the Emergency Room. You can download this PDF for here: http://asmbs.org/store/