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I also had to do the 6 month diet for my insurance, and I went to the dietician on the bariatric team who will be adivising me on pre and post-op diet. For a small fee ($35 in my case) she set up the program and she documented my weight every two weeks. I finally finished it in mid January and she sent me paperwork to take to my PCP to sign off and mail back. Then it went to insurance. I have been waiting 3 weeks for insurance approval (seems longer than the 6 month diet). My PCP sent me for a stress test and echocardiogram (I work for Cardiologists, so I had them done at work--no out-of-pocket charges, just what insurance paid). If you have picked out a surgeon, check with their office and see if the dietician will supervise the 6 month diet for you. Good luck.

Considering moving my aftercare to another bariatric practice - if they'll have me. Could use some feedback - as in am I crazy to consider doing this? Here's the deal: I had gastric banding in early March and lost 27lbs in prep for the procedure. In the two weeks following the surgery I lost 12lbs. Since then, I've had four fills giving me 4.8cc in an 11cc band. My weight has not changed give or take 2lbs - so I'm 238-240 - regardless of activity level and apparently, what I consume. I'm hungry within 2 hours of eating and can eat pretty much anything, but since my surgeon's practice states "No in-between meal snacks" I really try to hold the line which means there are quite a few meetings in which my loud, literally howling stomach is the source of discomfort for me and an amusing distraction for others. Couple this with the fact that I'm a Type II Diabetic who controls her blood glucose with a small amount of medication, diet and exercise. By the time I do breakdown and eat the forbidden "snack" rather than waiting for the next meal, I'm often sweating, hands shaking due to my blood sugar having dropped too low. Thus there's a chance I'll eat too quickly - we know what happens then or I eat the wrong, but safe items like ice cream or candy that melts quickly, and raises my glucose so I feel normal. Beyond the obvious problem of not making progress with my band is that I'm not getting through to my Bariatric Practice. 1) I haven't seen my surgeon since the operation - he doesn't "have time" as he's busy with new patients. 2) I see a PA for my fills. She's almost always overbooked and frazzled. When she complimented me on losing 25 lbs between fill #1 & #2 without even looking at me and I said, "Excuse me? I haven't but a pound or two!" She had to check the chart - "Oops! My bad - I read it wrong!" 3) I keep telling her (see above) and the reaction is basically, "Uh-huh...well, let's get this fill in". After fill #3 she told me I had 5.5cc in the band; last week she advises me it's only at 4.8cc?! 4) No labs have been ordered, the saline hasn't been removed to check the band is holding what it should, no fluoroscopy - and no concern that I'm getting nowhere - just "see you in four weeks!" Last week's trip in for my big 0.6cc fill was the same experience as fills 1-3. I arrive on time and wait for over an hour and a half - and it's an hour drive each way, so I've had to take at least a half-day off from work. While I wait in the over-crowded waiting room, wishing I'd brought something, anything to eat, I watch the single PA juggle fills and consults for pre-surgical patients, have a melt-down because the surgeon has asked her to squeeze in another post-op having problems. Meanwhile the bariatric nurse is ranting at another pre-op patient about his "failure to lose weight" on Medifast, when in trots a pizza delivery guy with two large pies for the staff...right through the waiting room of starving bariatric patients. When it's all said and done, I leave with a raging headache, a long drive and the need to find a convience store for OJ - not a "clear liquid" but better than having a hypoglycemic incident on that hour drive home. Thoughts? Comments?

I don't like pain. Surgery is painful, and gastric bypasses are major surgery. If I were in your shoes, I would try to find another surgeon in my area who would be willing to take on another surgeon's patient. If I couldn't find one, I'd go back to my original doctor. You might get a disapproving look. You might not. Explain that you were discouraged and afraid, but now you're ready to do what you can to make the band work for you (but this part applies only if you are really ready). I'm newly banded, but I've done a lot of reading and have learned that fills are fickle things. The first one doesn't usually give restriction to people. I was told to expect four to six fills (or more!) before mine would be where I need it to be. Maybe one fill wasn't enough for you. Don't forget that nutrition is important, too! If your surgeon didn't give you instructions on how to eat after you were banded, do research or call your surgeon's office! There's a wealth of information available in this and other forums. Find a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric surgery. Exercise!! If I did all of this and the band still wasn't helping me, I would consider other surgeries, but not before. Mainly because of the anesthesia, cutting, and recovery time :confused: Really, this is how *I* would approach it. You have to weigh your options and consider what is best for you. Lap-bands don't work for everyone; neither do bypasses. Sometimes it's because, for whatever reason, the particular method was incompatible with the patient's body. Sometimes it's because the patient cheated the system, which is possible with ANY weight loss procedure. You HAVE to follow the rules or you're not going to be successful. You HAVE to go to follow up appointments to make sure you're doing well and things are working as they should. *hugs* I understand feeling out of control and spiraling into a bad place. That's how I got to be 300 pounds. There came a time when I realized that what I was doing wasn't helping me at all. I had to pull myself up by my bootstraps (that was hard), admit to my mistakes (even harder), and decide what to do about the situation. It sucked! But I did it. And you can too. (Sorry for babbling and/or incoherency. I'm tired!)

I have had Crohn's disease for 23 years, limited to the terminal ileum (the end of my small bowel). I have had two bowel resections (one in 1989 and one in 2005) and have been maintained for the last six years on Imuran (an immunosuppressant similar to 6MP). My last colonoscopy (2-1/2 years ago) showed only one tiny superficial ulcer and was otherwise free of disease. I am considering the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. I have spoken to a bariatric surgeon, who feels that this is the best choice for me because it doesn't involve the small bowel and does not cause malabsorption. I have asked about a band, but he doesn't believe this works well (he has performed this procedure as well as the sleeve, the Roux-en-Y, and the duodenal switch), and could potentially cause erosion - not a good option for Crohn's sufferers. My surgery was just approved by my insurance, BCBS. I would like to lose 130-140 pounds. I would also be interested in hearing from anyone who has Crohn's and has had the VSG.

I just jumped on here today and found the Mexico and Self pay forum. So, I saw your post and wanted to chime in some recommendations to help you break your stall. I also think your body may be just "resting" after the extreme loss you've had your first 3 months. However, I'm going to give you some tips that I have learned and am trying to instill in my wls journey for the long term journey, and when you reach your goal and want to maintain that weight. 1. Log your food, every morsel/drink you are putting in your body on an app like my fitness pal. You are only a few months out but this is going to help you in the journey. 2. Be sure you are getting enough Water in. 3. Eat your lean Protein first, then the others. 4. Find a good support group, not just online but a hospital group or outside face to face group who will help you be accountable and encourage you. 5. Add Fiber to your diet instead of using laxatives. Now, if your doctor wants you on consistent laxatives this is something to discuss with him/her. I'm not a doctor, but I do think that eating higher fiber foods, adding fiber, etc. could get you back on track. 6. Don't just get stuck on the number on the scale. Are your clothes continuing to get bigger? Are you feeling good? Your body may be playing "catch up". If you are doing everything according to the doctor's instructions (bariatric rules) then you will continue to lose. Finally, you have done AWESOME!! Remember even at goal, this is a lifelong journey, so if you haven't gotten into a local support group or learning the behavioral aspects of overeating/overweight, I encourage you to look into this. It will definitely be worth it.

Hi! I'm new to this group as of a few minutes ago: ) I'm halfway through the requirements process for my insurance for the sleeve surgery. Last month I was told that I had thyroid cancer. My thyroid was removed last week and I'll be having radiation sometime later in July to make sure they got it all. If I'm approved my surgery would be later in July. I'm so scared that my sleeve surgery will be delayed but thankful that I'll be cancer free. I was just wondering if anyone has been through anything similar. How long of a wait after radiation before I could have surgery? I don't meet with my bariatric office for two weeks so thought I'd see what feedback I could find here. Thanks!!

I didn't think they tasted very good either. I had heard about Celebrate vitamins online, so I used Celebrate Bariatric vitamins for the first few months, now I am able to swallow regular vitamins without any problems.

I was wondering if anyone uses Bariatric Advantage products? If so, what products do you use? I am mainly looking for the Vitamins I am going to need after I have my lap band placed. I just went to my orientation class at Kaiser South San Francisco and am looking into what vitamins I am going to need. Any and all suggestions and input gladly welcome!!

Hi everyone! I have been lurking for a couple of weeks now and just joined a couple of days ago. I am 5'6" and 265 pounds. I'm tired of being fat! I used to be "merely" overweight, by about 3 pounds, and thought that was the worst ever. Boy, was I wrong! I was a teenager and constantly picked on by a step-father who enjoyed making cruel comments and pig noises at me. Now, I am 34 years old with two children and zero energy. I look at pictures of myself as a teen and wish I still looked that cute. For a long time I used to view every bite I took as an "Eff you" to the ex-step-father. I have made peace with my past and realize it was his issue, not mine. (FYI his comments to his sister, and apparently also his current wife, have made them both anorexic. That really helped me realize he is a small man, and I am worth so much more than him.) Unfortunately, now I am terribly obese, and cannot lose the weight. For years, I considered weight loss surgery but did not want to be re-routed. I also did not like the thought of a band stuck in me. I recently discovered the sleeve and I know this is the best option for me. I lost my job two years ago, which meant losing my insurance, too. I just qualified for Medicaid and view this as an opportunity to finally get the surgery I know will help me. I am pre-diabetic, have PCOS, high cholesterol and heart disease runs in my family. I am not living the life I deserve. My children are not getting the mom they deserve because I have no energy. Medicaid is a new thing for me! I have contacted the bariatric center I will be using and the *** (I had to choose an *** through Medicaid, so I chose Coventry Cares because they have an excellent dental plan). Can you believe Coventry has no actual criteria? They view each case separately which is scary! My first appointment with my PCP is October 2 and I am hoping I can convince him to make my case look like I badly, badly need this surgery. I suspect I will still have to do the 6 month medically supervised diet. I was hoping I could get that cut down to 3 months since my sincere wish is to be back on my feet financially and off Medicaid by the time the 6 months are up. I guess my health is worth waiting a few extra months! Has anyone else had any experience with Coventry Medicaid in Pennsylvania? Or any of the Medicaid HMOs in PA? The bariatric surgeon I will be seeing is Dr. Neale in Wilkes-Barre, so any advice to this newbie would be so very welcome. I apologize for the novel!

I purchased 2 bottles of the multi vitamins in mixed berry and calcium in cinnamon and chocolate. I do not like either. They have this fizzing like sensation going on and they taste very chalky. UGH!!! I'm stuck with them. I ordered online from Bariatric Advantage. They will not take opened bottles back and if you have unopened items, there is a 15% restocking fee. That with the cost of return shipping was not worth sending it back. It's great that some doctors offer samples. My doctor sells the products, but I didn't think to ask for samples.

My insurance required 6 months of weigh ins, nutrition evaluation, psychologist eval and blood test for stomach bacteria. I recommend you continually stay in touch with both dr office and insurance. I found out after doing all the requirements and dr submitting surgery date that my insurance required I enroll in the Bariatric Resource Services program they had! I had no idea about this requirement. It delayed my surgery almost 4 weeks. . I am happy to say I had my sleeve surgery on 10/20 and doing fine so far. Stay on top of your insurance company!! Best of luck!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Every bariatric surgery has it's problems. RNY is great because people lose weight so fast (due to malabsorption) but I recall my original band dr saying (when we were discussing options) that with RNY you have to work hard to get your weight loss done in year one because by year 2 the stomach begins to relax a little and the body adapts and weight loss becomes much more difficult. Then in the next breath he told me how much discipline it takes to lose weight with a Lap Band because there isn't malabsorption issues. I am hearing about more and more RNY patients coming back for a lapband, it's actually not so unusual. And so, she's on the same crazy journey we all are on. I hope she finds some peace.

Hello everyone, My name is Jennifer and I live in Tempe, AZ. I have been considering getting the LapBand to help with my weight loss, but I'm not sure where to start my research. I've been to the seminar at the Bariatric Services at Banner in Mesa, but I found them to be very impersonal and they rushed me out instead of answering my questions. I also had one person in the seminar tell me I shouldn't be there because I wasn't "big enough". Whatever that means. If you have had the procedure done or are in the process of it, I have many questions for you. Such as: What are the steps prior to the procedure? I've heard various stories anywhere from they starve you for 2 weeks all the way to requiring to see a psychologist to make sure you can handle the life change. Can someone clear this up for me? Also, choosing a doctor. How do I know I'm getting the best possible care and I'm not dealing with a doc who just wants to make a quick buck? I've been under general anesthesia twice for knee surgeries and it scares me to know that I'll have no control over what they do when I'm out. The first time I was under, the doc botched up my knee. The second surgery was to correct what the first doc screwed up. I don't want to make the same mistake with my organs! Are there any websites for surgeons in the area where I can check their backgrounds and get reviews from former patients? Here's a questions for those who can answer: Is this thing removable? If I decide several years after the procedure that I don't want it in my body anymore, will there be complications to removing it? What are the follow-ups after the procedure like as far as frequency and duration? What's the recuperation time after the procedure? How much work could I expect to miss? My email is Siobhan_Ra@hotmail.com is you would like to email me any information you have. Thanks for looking! -Jenn

I had the same problem with an MRI machine. Two years ago I had a tumor in my middle finger and it developed an infection. They admitted me into the hospital for surgery. That morning they wanted to take me down for a presurgery MRI, but they said I was over the weight limit. I said "MY HAND???" It took them a while to figure that out. To make matters worse, the nurse wanted me to strip down to nothing but a hospital gown for the MRI, then ride like that in a wheelchair across the hospital, down the elevator, and to the imaging center. Again....it was just my hand. I said "Lady, what do you think that gown is gonna cover up? I'm 6'1", 400lbs. I could use it as a dew rag maybe. " Long story short. I wore my basketball shorts and tshirt, and they just stuck my arm into the machine and MRI'd the hand. 2 hours of fuss, and 10 minutes to do the dang MRI. Thank God the Bariatric unit at the hospital where I had my sleeve had gowns designed to fit big people. That thing was like a 4 man tent.

Hi there! My husband just recently retired from the Navy... So now my life has some kind of stability... So that being said, I finally had the courage to ask my pcm that I was interested in bariatric surgery. I have asked 3 pcms prior to my current pcm at Kimbrough for a referral to General Surgery and with them being Army docs and nurses, they ALL said to diet and exercise, like "they" do. I was afraid to ask AGAIN after failed attempts to go to the gym (you think I would have the courage to go to the gym after the feds eliminated my position in April!) and eating right portions,but my PCM noticed that I gained 50 lbs within a 2 year period and steadily climbing up. Yes, did all the testing, thyroid, diabetes, but I just have PCOS and HBP (being managed by meds) and being fat just runs in my genetics. Overall, per my pcm (though she didn't say fat, lol), I'm "healthy" but fat. Diabetes and thyroid issues run in my family though and she wants to prevent that from happening. I'm about to call the Bariatric Dept to see what my next steps are... But I was wondering if anyone out there who has gone through any weight loss procedure with Walter Reed/Bethesda? Or any MTF? I have gone through their website but still have many thoughts, questions... Overall, MTF care is way, way different than civillian care and have had nothing but excellent care done with military treatment facilities. Sometimes you hear horror stories about MTF surgeries but I have faith in our military system. I really, really would like to hear from you if you had the surgery in an MTF or also thinking about it too!

I get my vitamins at Costco. Inexpensive and good quality. Advice that I've been given at my monthly meetings, don't go into a vitamin shop and ask for vitamins for post bariatric surgery. They will sell you hundreds of dollars of vitamins you don't need. You will need to take a multi vitamin, calcium citrate not carbonate (the body doesn't absorb it as well) a b12 sublingual pill.

I am not making a plug for Bariatric Vitamins but here goes. For me I thought about what I had just went thru and knowing that I am in this forever. I felt like I should at least buy the Bariatric vitamins. I tried the Flintstones and they were horrible, I tried the Chewable Centrum vitamins but man they are so nasty I ouldn't handle them. I have taken CELEBRATE Capsule for the whole time after trying the ones that made me sick. Another thing about me is I started taking chewable Vitamin C, they tasted so good kind of like a sour candy which I love beyond love anything sweet and tangy. Not good for me when I was woofing them down like candy. lol I buy CELEBRATE at Amazon. I like the fact that they are capsule and if need be you could open them and put them in applesauce or something while you are early out. Just my take on vitamins.

My surgeon recommended Slim-Fast Optima for the pre-surgery diet. 3 per day along with a Bariatric protein shake or 4 Slim-Fast Optima per day if you didn't buy the Bariatric shakes.

Hello all! I will be sleeved on Monday March 5th!!!! Super excited!!!! I have a question.... What are the best bariatric multivitamins out there??? And where have you purchased them??? I appreciate any and all the help!!🙃[emoji4]

I got mine from walmart! My nutritionist wants us to take 2 flinstone completes, calcium citrate (which I got a big off brand bottle at Kroger for like 8 bucks), a sublingual b12, iron (if you're a women and have your period still),and vitamin D. I got all of mine at either Walmart or Kroger, and the good thing about Kroger is most of the time certain brands are buy one get one free! From my support groups, the only one I see people actually buying from bariatric advantage is the calcium citrate as chews. They made me nauseous though, so I take mine as pills. I feel great, I just had blood work done, so I'll know at the end of next week if they're working!

i drink diet soda every day no issues. and still losing weight...also i take nexium every day... just in case,,for any heartburn issues...my bariatric doc said i can drink diet soda i have to live my life he said.. just don't overdue it.. he also said on occasion i can take nsaid for pain..i had the sleeve 8 months ago...

I got mine from walmart! My nutritionist wants us to take 2 flinstone completes, calcium citrate (which I got a big off brand bottle at Kroger for like 8 bucks), a sublingual b12, iron (if you're a women and have your period still),and vitamin D. I got all of mine at either Walmart or Kroger, and the good thing about Kroger is most of the time certain brands are buy one get one free! From my support groups, the only one I see people actually buying from bariatric advantage is the calcium citrate as chews. They made me nauseous though, so I take mine as pills. I feel great, I just had blood work done, so I'll know at the end of next week if they're working!

My bariatric surgery program teaches that solid, chewable, or liquid vitamins are all fine, but that patients should not use vitamin gummies. I don't know the reasoning, but that was mentioned in the online recorded class I attended yesterday.

I think you're fine. I think bariatric pal has some chili for the early stage. I had it because that was the most difficult part of the journey for me (other than pre-op diet) and it was pretty good. lol

The center who performed my surgery looked for that automatically. I guess I thought they all did. I was told that almost everyone has it, and that the insurance companies have to repair it. If possible, I would use a bariatric center who knows all of the insurance ins and outs to ensure your insurance covers as much as possible. In my case, I went to my initial consultation, and found out that day that my insurance did not cover WLS. They told me what my out of pocket expense would be if I had/didn't have a hiatal hernia. They scheduled an EGD (which the insurance company had to cover as well), and they confirmed the hernia. They provide pictures as proof for the insurance company and that was that! My surgery was scheduled, and I knew what my out of pocket costs would be. They also had a payment plan available no matter your credit. They repair the hernia, and perform the WLS at the same time. That's how they get around non-coverage.