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My first appt. was with the bariatric doctor in April and I had one in May, June and July. I didn't go to a PCP (didn't have one) until June and she sent me for the blood work and did the EKG, etc. She also signed the required letter stating she recommended me for the surgery. Keep in mind, if your insurance is like mine, you have to have 90 days elapse between the 3 physician visits before submitting. For example, you can't go for the first on June 30th, next on July 30th and last on August 1st. I am thinking you will have to submit in Sept which is right around the corner. My surgery is tomorrow. Woo Hoo! Good luck to you and stay positive!

My first step was to know this document forwards and backwards. Cigna Bariatric Surgery requirements mm_0051_coveragepositioncriteria_bariatric_surgery.pdf

Are you struggling with the question "Is Lap Band Surgery for Me?" I was. I spent endless hours confused while I was researching weight loss surgery. Now I'm in my fifth year and maintaining a normal, healthy weight, something I never thought possible. With a combined weight loss of 340 pounds and ten years of experience using the lap band as a tool to achieve our goals, my lap band mentor and I wrote this book to help others answer this question. It's a step-by-step guide, written from the perspective of real patients, to help you with your decision process and it's now available on amazon. Learn what a leading bariatric surgeon has to say about why you should read this book if you are considering lap band surgery here. You can read the introduction here. I'm happy to help answer your questions. I really struggled with my decision and am hoping to help pay it forward. Good luck on your journey.

​I agree with @@VSGAnn2014, you are doing fine. My bariatric team told me that Isopure counted towards my Water intake, before and after surgery. Shows how different each clinic is with their guidelines. Your daily intake is very similar to what mine looked like pre and immediate post op. Hang in there, good luck with your surgery in May...keep us posted!

I have a lot of food sensitivities, one of which is Sucralose, because it is bonded to the chloride molecule. I discovered erythritol several months ago and used it when a little sweetness was needed. I just can't stomach many of the bariatric products because of the artificial sugars. My question is: Has anyone here had experience with it after a bypass? It is absorbed not metabolized by the body but is normally dealt with in the small intestine.

Yep. She's the nutritionist in my surgeons office that only works with bariatric patients. I just don't think they're used to patients hitting their goal weight so soon. I lost almost 90lbs in the 6mo pre op before the surgery, so I was at goal about 7 months post-op. I think another issue is that 90% of their patients are women who just want to get and stay skinny. The nutritionist struggles with me being a guy who is now interested in GAINING weight (muscle) after the sleeve. I just don't think she's had this scenario before.

My Dr. does take new patients - if they were banded in the states. (I believe). His name is Dr. Frank Veninga North Texas Bariatric & General Surgery 4333 N. Josey Lane Plaza II - Suite 205 Carrollton, Texas 75010 PH 972.939.8218 FX 972.395.1789 Have you had any luck with anything any closer?

Using an implant during a breast lift after weight loss helps in 2 ways: 1. It helps restore the volume that has been lost during weight loss. Most women's bresats are over 50% fat tissue, so as you lose weight, you will also lose volume in your breasts. 2.It helps adds fullness to the upper portion of the breasts. After weight loss, this upper part, or superior pole, becomes very flat. A breast lift (without implants) often does not add much volume to this upper pole of the breast. There are newer techniques that have been developed specifically for women who have undergone weight loss, desire more volume (particularly in the upper pole) but do not want an implant used. Experience bariatric plastic surgeons can perform this technique and give the appearance of implants...even though there were none used. Here are two examples of women who wanted the look of an implant...without the implant. The technique uses the extra skin from the side ("bra roll, "side roll") and transfers it to the breast to act as an "implant" of your own tissue. Example 1Example 2 I hope this information helps.

I applied for Insure Nutrition as well.. They sent the prescription to my Doc, who refused it saying that Premier Protein is NOT acceptable by the in house NUT..Don't know if it is because they want you to buy the in office Bariatric Advantage, but i am doing my pre op diet & using Body Fortress Chocolate. One scoop : 30 grams protein, 170 calories.. A large container at Walmart $15.88

The surgery itself went well; unfortunately, I was held hostage until I could pee on my own My surgery was at 10:30 AM Monday. Really the pain was light and I was only dimly aware of the pain from the incisions in the recovery room. What bothered me in recovery was a very sore throat and dry mouth; the nurses on Dr on staff made sure that I was given something to help me with it right away. I didn't get transfered to the floor until late (around 9:30 PM ). Walking was easy, I took a walk around the recovery room and then later before I went to sleep I took a spin around the bariatric ward. It was easier each time I walked, but I did take the wrong corner on my Tuesday morning walk and met a number of office workers. Poor people I was not a pretty sight! I experienced a problem with the iv drip on the bariatric ward. Unlike the recovery room, the bariatric ward combines the pain killer and the fluids with one drip. I did have a hard time with the dual iv-it made my fingers swell and the pain killers didn't numb that pain. My night nurse was sympathetic and helped me by switching the iv to another hand. My day nurse was another story (I swear why do people who lack empathy go into medicine?) I was part of the Nurse Cynthia show! I'll stop right there because I'm praying for an answer about how to handle her. But in a nutshell, I had had my swallow test and had passed i; I don't know why she waited to get permission to get the iv taken out; I was in pain for hours longer than I needed to be and it wasn't because she couldn't find a doctor. Being on fluids and the iv just made matters worse. By the time she finally asked the Dr on duty my hands had swollen to the point where I couldn't hold my cell.The more liquid that went in me the bigger my hands got. Once the iv was out and I was only on the fluids the swelling in my hands gradually went down. Everytime, I eliminated the swelling got better although it did take over 24 hours. My hands were not normal until around 7PM. That's the one thing I hadn't read about on the site; all of my experience (except wicked Cynthia) were described by someone else. So maybe my sharing will help a future sleever. I'm on percocet at home; it works fine, but I'm determined to only take it at night. I have a huge fear of being adicted so I can't wait until I pour the pills in the toilet. I praise God for a successful procedure and I look forward to getting stronger each day. Cheers!

The BariatricPal Store has a huge selection of bariatric friendly protein bars at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-bars.

Hello everyone... I am going to have plication surgery Feb 27th, 2013 in Mexico. I have heard and read up on the advantages and disadvantages of each. I leaned towards plication because of keeping your stomach intact and the fact your stomach secretes various hormones. You still get the "full feeling" because of the restriction. My wife had the sleeve done last March because she wanted the "Ghrelin Hormone Producer" removed along with having the restriction of the smaller stomach. She believes that having the stomach folded will eventually lead to blood flow problems or ischemia. I have talked to several surgeons and most agree it does depend on technique and individual genetic factors. Either one of them gives you the tool to help lose weight...but it is still up to you to eat right and exercise. (My wife has lost over 100 lbs and loves it!) I do work as a Respiratory Therapist at a hospital and unfortunately most of the feedback I get is questions about Mexico or the need for the surgery itself. I have no illusions that it would be more convenient in the US but almost everyone I know that has had it done are self pay. Most insurances specifically do not cover any bariatric surgery. It is essentailly the same as an out-patient procedure at a clinic. If you do due diligence you can find foreign Drs that are competent to perform bariatric surgery. The need is evident because it is a reminder and tool to keep one at a healthy weight. Many health care professionals I know are at an unhealthy weight due to stress, emotional eating, late night eating and did I mention stress?!? If anyone else would like to share their experiences with plication versus sleeve and if they would do anything different now, I would love to hear it! Thanks and good luck to everyone! Steve

Since you mentioned you've posted several times about already having a "stall", I will respond with a excerpt from an article written on Bariatriceating.com because it may be of interest to you: Your internal surgical wounds must heal – this is no time to go to the mall, out to dinner, visiting friends and on vacation. Sew what? In terms of food, you must stick to your surgeons program for post op food stages. You need time to allow the tiny pouch cut and sewn from the fabric of your giant floppy stomach to heal itself closed. We have all glued something only to have the seams pop open. The liquid & soft food stages are to avoid stressing pouch seams and give your stomach a break from the process of digestion. Is ice cream a puree? Sirloin steak is not a soft food. Ice cream is NOT a puree. You can’t eat popcorn, raw carrots or celery ten days after surgery. People ask if we think they could have a pork chop, we say ‘no’, they eat it anyhow, then tell us ‘they didn’t have a problem’. NO alcohol for a year… NON-negotiable… but people push back saying their surgeon said five weeks was okay. Folks… we know better and we are trying to help you. General Tso? NOT your friend The post op dietary stages are not a suggestion, they are a requirement for you own safety. You cannot eat Chinese food the week after surgery because you ‘chew it well’. A ‘craving’ for Orange chicken landed one support group member in the hospital! It’s a very bad idea to push. Being ‘released’ to ‘regular food’ does not mean what you think it does, but you already know that. How long until you can have pizza again? “Pizza is not a food for someone having obesity surgery.” (that’s a quote from Dr. N on My 600 lb Life) Every single week in our support group, these actions land new post ops in the hospital. Sip sip sip sip sip… If you had a back injury, you would not tile your kitchen floor the same week. Yet, people think nothing of making a trip to a theme park when they should be at home resting and taking in fluids. People ask us ‘Do you think I would be able to go on a cruise two weeks after my sleeve?’ (Nooooo!) As high as 30% of post ops are dehydrated enough to land back in the hospital with a Fluid IV. Not drinking enough Water after surgery can cause heart damage. Dehydration is the most common bariatric complication, yet it’s largely avoidable. Stay home and heal… drink hot water, cold water, broth, Diet Snapple, herbal tea, eat sf ice pops and Jello. (We have a free bariatric water app called HY, click for GetHyApp.com) Vitamins are critical It is impossible for you to have your stomach surgically removed or reconfigured and take in the nutrients needed to run your body. While your surgeons group has mentioned Flintstones, that is so you will possibly take something instead of being one of the 67% of post ops who take nothing. They are not optimal and won’t prevent long term problems like broken bones from simple falls and losing teeth, but may keep you from dying in the short term. The idea behind supplements is to prevent issues from grabbing you in twenty years when it’s too late to change the path. Take them! Protein from food? What a novel idea! Yes, yes, yes, we’d all like to get our protein from food and that’s what you want to hear. However, if you are unable to take in 70 grams of protein per day, you can either weaken and lose your hair or you can figure out another way until you are able to learn and eat the right foods. Protein drinks make up the difference between what you can eat and what you need. They are not simply a tasty beverage for your enjoyment for you to be all picky and ridiculous over. They are the antidote for your disease of morbid obesity. Morbid means death and obesity surgery only slows and reverses the disease IF you follow your plan. I personally like their no-nonsence approach to this life altering surgery we've all had. Also, yes to wait staff looking strangely at us but it won't last long. I found it harder for them when I wouldn't want to order anything to drink since we can't drink while eating. Now I tell them, "No thank you, I don't drink when eating". I've been asked "why?" many times. I then tell them how no one should because it doesn't allow your food to be properly digested when liquid is present. 95% of them tell me they're going to try it. I wish you nothing but success

Hang in there, the liquid diet was the hardest part for me! I had to do a week of 4 shakes a day. Do you have to do bariatric fusion? If not, searching for a brand you like may be a good idea. I really liked the Ensure RTD shakes suring my pre op diet. Make sure you look for the high protein ones, there are different kinds. You can find them at most grocery stores. I also liked muscle milk. If you are looking for powders (which I prefer) than you can order samples at www.nashuanutrition.com. I like the syntrax nectar brand- my favorite flavors are the chocolate truffle and cappuccino. Good luck!

I first looked into this about 4 years ago and chickened out. Then I got laid off my job of 23 years. I found out how tough that job market is, especially when you are 100 lbs overweight and your self-confidence is in the toilet. After panicking and feeling really sorry for myself, I thought about this again and went to a seminar. That was all it took. Now I am so excited and can't wait! It's going to be awesome! We're going to feel great, have energy, renewed confidence, and we're going to knock 'em dead! So glad to hear you are doing this for yourself, too! God bless!

Mmmmm well my doctors (both Bariatric surgeon and OB/GYN) said I should be fine trying for pregnancy 3 months post-op provided that I do my labs prior to trying.. They don't usually recommend that for anyone else but I have much less to lose anyways and will probably lose all my excess weight at 4-6 months.. So I guess it's safe to start prenatals now Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Who’s your surgeon? Anyone using cooper Bariatric?

Hello All, Any insights on Mini gastric bypass VS gastric bypass? I am scheduled for mini gastric bypass in Mexico via Mexico Bariatric Centre on March 12 2016.

There are many complications that can happen during and after any major surgery. The main ones that people worry about after bariatric surgery are: Bleeding, infection, blood clots, leaks, strictures, gallbladder problems, and malnutrition. There are probably 100 other things that could go wrong.... but keep in mind that significant complications only happen about 5% of the time for good surgeons. Malnutrition is an issue both close to surgery and years later. (Close to surgery, there can be a rare complication that keeps one from eating. While years out from surgery (usually gastric bypass or DS)... malabsorption can result in deficiencies (thus the need for lifelong routine bloodwork checking vitamin levels). Heart, lungs, and kidneys shouldn't be more affected by bariatrics than by any other major surgery.

Hello I have not had the surgery to lengthen my intestines for better absorption. I am currently 132 pounds and my bariatric doctor wants me at 154 pounds. Sent from my LG-K430 using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow, sounds like we have a similar exciting day planned! 8:20 with my bariatric center internist, followed by a dietitian appointment followed by my PCP for my annual physical at 11:30. I was released by my endocrinologist about a year ago along with my sleep disorders specialist, lucky me! I don't expect too much in the way of changes needed, just need a little boost to get past the last pounds needed to move me to my initial goal weight. Hoping for a good workout today too. I have been sick for the last five days and have missed my routine, but am hoping for the energy to get a little exercise in! Good luck on the appointments!

You need to call your surgeon's office and see what they say (and let them know that you took it and how much). As a general rule, ibuprofen is not allowed after bariatric surgery.

I haven't had BOB (band over bypass) but know a few folks who did that. It didn't help one of them, another did fabulously well and lost all the weight she'd regained plus another 10 or so pounds and has been maintaining fine. I've lost track of the other BOBsters. I would urge anyone who's considering revision to think carefully about exactly how their original surgery "failed". Did your original surgical tool stop working, or did you stop working it, or a combination of both? You really need to have that clear in your head before you have more surgery. Every bariatric procedure requires some degree of hard work on the patient's part. If your regain after RNY has been medically shown to be due to a stretched pouch or dilated stoma, you also need to talk to your surgeon about how to avoid those conditions once you're banded. Good luck, and congrats on the baby!

I am a teacher as well. Bariatric surgery is popular among teachers. The teachers at my school are a gossiping bunch, so I told nobody about the surgery. Don't you have a Spring break or an Easter Break? I've seen others use FMLA during their post op recovery time to keep their teaching position in tact. You don't get pay when you do that, however. Good luck on whatever you decide to do.

I agree that your surgery will most likely still go on if you don’t cheat again but Only you know if you are really ready to comply with the post op diet at this point. If you aren’t certain maybe call now to set an appointment to speak with the bariatric therapist. They can help you determine if you should go through with this surgery now or if you need a little more time to get your mind prepared. This is not just because you want to be In the best place possible to maximize your weight loss but even more important because immediately post op you can Seriously hurt yourself from just one little cheat. Not trying to scare anyone, but you need to be fully prepared to adhere to the post op diet in order to recover safely. If you aren’t ready just yet, there is absolutely no shame In taking a little more time and working with the bariatric therapist on some coping strategies or whatever else you need to get fully prepared.