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Welcome! Your story is very much like mine--except the BC--I spent my 20's and 30's in a bikini on the shores of So Cal and age, bad habits, and a removed thyroid have landed me into sleeve land. My surgery is 6/30/15, so you're ahead of me, but within a few months we will be about the same place. Keep reading these posts! They'll help a lot with the pre-surgery questions.

I am 2 months post-op and this is the first time i have had an issue. Every morning at 5:45 am I eat one cup of Special K with a 1/2 cup of 2% milk. That normally keeps me satisfied until about 9:30-10, when I eat my morning snack. This morning I started feeling hungry about 7:45 and by 8:45 I was dizzy. I got nauseated and dizzy, I knew my BS must be low. I got my snack out and when ahead and ate it. And with in 5 min I was fine again, so it had to be my sugar level. It's my TOM, could that be causing problems with my BS? My routine this AM was no diffrent from any other for a month. I just had a fill last Thursday, so I wouldn't think I am need a fill again. I just don't want to start need more to keep my BS up, because that will mean more calories. I had my A1C (diabetic test) checked before surgery and I was fine, not even close to diabetic levels, so I don't think I am having issues with that. Any body else had this problem?

Mj did you get the revision bc of acid reflux or weight gain? How long did it take to get approved? If it was due to Gerd, did you have to do a lot of tests to get approved? I was told I would have to do like 3 tests; scope, swallow test and another test where a device is attracted to my esophagus , I wear a device around my waist and everytime I experience acid reflux I press a button and it takes a pic and measures the amt of acid

Wow really lol, that gives me more hope. I m in Sacramento California and do you have Anthem BC through the Medi-Cal program or just Anthem BC it may be different.

I'm almost 3 months post op and I have stomach flu. This is TERRIBLE. I haven't had the stomach flu in 10 or so years. The vomiting and diarrhea is just awful. I went to dr. They have me some meds. Does anyone have any "go to" beverages? I cannot handle Water. I don't want to do tea bc of the caffeine. I have been drinking Powerade zero as much as possible and had some diet ginger ale. I went from nauseated to now cramping--- probably bc of all the meds and this is so rough on my tummy. Is there anything that helped you guys ever? I'm desperate and miserable. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Chanelle, my heart is going out to you. On doing a cursory search of the academic medical journals on pregnancy after bariatric surgery (because as of yet, I have not found one which encompasses 'surgery whilst pregnant' and I concede the procedures documented do not encompass VSG), I found the following. Go straight to the abstracts/conclusions to get the gist of the research and findings. Sorry to everyone else for the information splat taking up your screens. This is clearly not merely an issue of the fetus being exposed to radiation through an x-ray or the impact of the anesthesia on the fetus during the VSG procedure (which is not to be overlooked and if you'd like me to send you a complete article privately, I can - 'cause it's very long to post here and you'd need to read all of it to get the baseline). It is also about the severe nutritional, Vitamin and mineral deficiencies present in the first weeks after the operation which appear to have a significant impact on the progress of the fetuses growth and development in utero. A point that would need significant evaluation, monitoring and intensive hands-on care. If you would like to ask any questions on the below, please do not hesitate to contact me. Much love x Analgesia, Anaesthesia and Pregnancy A Practical Guide 3rd Edition By Steve Yentis Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London By Surbhi Malhotra St Mary’s Hospital, London Publisher: Cambridge University Press Print Publication Year:2012 Online Publication Date:December 2012 Online ISBN:9781139012966 Paperback ISBN:9781107601598 Book DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139012966 Subjects: Anesthesia, Intensive Care, Pain Management ,Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine Chapter 3 Anaesthesia before conception or confirmation of pregnancy Many women will require anaesthesia when they are pregnant and many will be unaware that they are pregnant at the time of the anaesthetic, especially in the first 2–3 months of their pregnancy. The thalidomide catastrophe initiated the licensing arrangements for new drugs and their use in pregnancy; the current cautious stance of the pharmaceutical industry is reflected in the British National Formulary’s statement that no drug is safe beyond all doubt in early pregnancy. The anaesthetist should have a clear knowledge of the time scale of the developing fetus in order to balance the risks and benefits of any drug given to the mother. A teratogen is a substance that causes structural or functional abnormality in a fetus exposed to that substance. Problems/special considerations The possible effect of a drug can be considered against the stage of the developing fetus: Pre-embryonic phase (0–14 days post-conception): The fertilised egg is transported down the Fallopian tube and implantation occurs at around 7 days post-conception. The conceptus is a ball of undifferentiated dividing cells during this time and the effect of Downloaded from Cambridge books Online by IP 129.215.17.188 on Wed Jan 29 01:41:58 GMT 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139012966.004 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2014 drugs on it appears to be an all-or-none phenomenon. Cell division may be slowed with no lasting effects or the conceptus will die, depending on the severity of the cell damage. Embryonic phase (3–8 weeks post-conception): Differentiation of cells into the organs and tissues occurs during this phase and drugs administered to the mother may cause considerable harm. The type of abnormality that is produced depends on the exact stage of organ and tissue development when the drug is given. Fetal phase (9 weeks to birth): At this stage, most organs are fully formed, although the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and urogenital tract are still developing. Drugs administered during this time may affect the growth of the fetus or the functional development within specific organs. Management options The anaesthetist should always consider the possibility of pregnancy in any woman of child- bearing age who presents for surgery, whether elective or emergency, and should specifically enquire in such cases. If there is doubt, a pregnancy test should be offered. If pregnancy is suspected, the use of nitrous oxide is now generally considered acceptable, despite its effects on methionine synthase and DNA metabolism, as there is little evidence that it is harmful clinically. Similarly, although the volatile agents have been implicated in impairing embryonic development, clinical evidence is lacking. Some drugs cross the placenta and exert their effect on the fetus, e.g. warfarin, which may cause bleeding in the fetus. Key points The possibility of pregnancy should be considered in any woman of childbearing age. No drug is safe beyond all doubt in pregnancy. Further reading Allaert SE, Carlier SP, Weyne LP, et al. First trimester anesthesia exposure and fetal outcome. A review. Acta Anaesthesiol Belg 2007; 58: 119–23. 6 Section 1: Preconception and conception Pregnancy shortly after bariatric surgery. Transliterated Title: Svangerskap like etter fedmeoperasjon. Authors: Skogøy K; kristin.skogoy@nordlandssykehuset.no Laurini R Aasheim ET Source: Tidsskrift For Den Norske Lægeforening: Tidsskrift For Praktisk Medicin, Ny Række [Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen] 2009 Mar 12; Vol. 129 (6), pp. 534-6. Publication Type: Case Reports; English Abstract; Journal Article Language: Norwegian Journal Info: Publisher: Norske Laegeforening Country of Publication: Norway NLM ID: 0413423 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 0807-7096 (Electronic)Linking ISSN: 00292001 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Tidsskr. Nor. Laegeforen. Subsets: MEDLINE Imprint Name(s): Publication: Oslo : Norske Laegeforening Original Publication: Chistiania : Alb. Cammermeyer, 1880- MeSH Terms: Bariatric Surgery/*adverse effects Pregnancy Complications/*etiology Adult ; Bariatric Surgery/methods ; Duodenum/surgery ; Female ; Fetal Development ; HELLP Syndrome/etiology ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Small for Gestational Age ; Obesity, Morbid/metabolism ; Obesity, Morbid/surgery ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications/metabolism ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Risk Factors; Time Factors ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal ; Weight Loss Abstract: Bariatric surgery is increasingly used to treat morbidly obese patients. Fertility in women may be enhanced after these procedures, owing to substantial weight loss and possibly a decreased absorption of oral contraceptives. We report a pregnancy that occurred two months after biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch in a 32-year-old woman. She subsequently developed haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets count (HELLP) syndrome and had a weight loss of 43 kg (from the bariatric procedure) until the infant was delivered preterm by caesarean section (due to low activity). The infant was small in relation to the gestational age, with a weight of less than 50 % of the expected (780 g at 29.6 weeks). Histological examination demonstrated a small placenta with insufficient spiral artery trophoblast infiltration, possibly caused either by severe preeclampsia or by maternal nutritional deficiencies. Severe metabolic aberrations may complicate pregnancies after malabsorptive bariatric surgery. Patient preparations before weight-loss operations should include information on fertility and birth control in the postoperative period. Protocols for monitoring of patients that become pregnant after bariatric surgery are needed. Comments: Comment in: Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2009 Mar 12;129(6):536-7. (PMID: 19291887) Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20090317 Date Completed: 20090319 Latest Revision: 20110330 Update Code: 20131125 DOI: 10.4045/tidsskr.09.34019 PMID: 19291886 Database: MEDLINE with Full Text The risk of adverse pregnancy outcome after bariatric surgery: a nationwide register-based matched cohort study Mette Mandrup Kjær, MD; Jeannet Lauenborg, MD, PhD; Birger Michael Breum, MD; Lisbeth Nilas, DMSc OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the risk of adverse obstetric and neonatal outcome after bariatric surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Nationwide register-based matched cohort study of singleton deliveries after bariatric surgery during 2004-2010. Data were extracted from The Danish National Patient Registry and The Med- ical Birth Register. Each woman with bariatric surgery (exposed) was in- dividually matched with 4 women without bariatric surgery (unexposed) on body mass index, age, parity, and date of delivery. Continuous vari- ables were analyzed with the paired t test and binary outcomes were analyzed by logistic regression. RESULTS: We identied 339 women with a singleton delivery after bari- atric surgery (84.4% gastric bypass). They were matched to 1277 un- exposed women. Infants in the exposed group had shorter mean gesta- tional age (274 vs 278 days; P .001), lower mean birthweight (3312 vs 3585 g; P .001), lower risk of being large for gestational age (ad- justed odds ratio, 0.31; 95% condence interval, 0.15– 0.65), and higher risk of being small for gestational age (SGA) (adjusted odds ratio, 2.29; 95% condence interval, 1.32–3.96) compared with infants in the unexposed group. No statistically signicant difference was found between the groups regarding the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, labor induction, cesarean section, postpartum hemor- rhage, Apgar score less than 7, admission to neonatal intensive care unit or perinatal death. CONCLUSION: Infants born after maternal bariatric surgery have lower birthweight, lower gestational age, 3.3-times lower risk of large for ges- tational age, and 2.3-times higher risk of SGA than infants born by a matched group of women without bariatric surgery. The impact on SGA was even higher in the subgroup with gastric bypass. Key words: adverse pregnancy outcome, bariatric surgery, gastric bypass, pregnancy Pregnancy after bariatric surgery: a current view of maternal, obstetrical and perinatal challenges Ronis Magdaleno Jr • Belmiro Gonc¸ alves Pereira • Elinton Adami Chaim • Egberto Ribeiro Turato Received: 6 May 2011 / Accepted: 14 December 2011 / Published online: 29 December 2011 Ó Springer-Verlag 2011 Abstract With the increase in the number of bariatric surgeries being performed in women of childbearing age, physicians must have concerns regarding the safety of pregnancy after bariatric surgery. The aim of this review is to summarize the literature reporting on maternal, obstet- rical and perinatal implications of pregnancy following BS. Methods English, Spanish and Portuguese-language arti- cles were identied in a PUBMED search from 2005 to February 2011 using the keywords for pregnancy and bariatric surgery or gastric bypass or gastric banding. Results The studies show improved fertility and a reduced risk of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia, macrosomia in pregnant women after bariatric surgery. The incidence of intrauter- ine growth restriction and small for gestational age are increased. No conclusions can be drawn concerning the risk for cesarean delivery and the best surgery- to-conception interval. Deciencies in Iron, Vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin K, folate and Calcium can result in maternal and fetal complications. Conclusions Pregnancy outcome of women who deliv- ered after BS, as compared to obese populations, is better and safer and comparable to the general population. Close supervision before, during and after pregnancy following bariatric surgery and nutrient supplementation adapted to the patient’s individual requirements can prevent nutrition- related complications and improve maternal and fetal health. Keywords Bariatric surgery Pregnancy Pregnancy complications Morbid obesity Weight loss Vitamin A Deficiency in Pregnancy: Perspectives after Bariatric Surgery Cristiane Barbosa Chagas1, 2, Cláudia Saunders3, 4, 5, Silvia Pereira1, 6, 2, Jacqueline Silva7, 2,Carlos Saboya8, 9, 6, 2 and Andréa Ramalho3, 10, 11 (1)Clinical Medicine, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2)Center for Research on Micronutrients, Josué de Castro Institute of Nutrition, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (3)FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (4)Nutrition and Dietetics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (5)Research Group in Maternal and Child Health (GPSMI), Josué de Castro Institute of Nutrition, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (6)Clínica Cirúrgica Carlos Saboya, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (7)Human Nutrition, Center for Research on Micronutrients, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (8)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil (9)Brazilian Society for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, São Paulo, Brazil (10)Social Applied Nutrition Department, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (11)Instituto de Nutrição Josué de Castro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373. Edifício dos Institutos Bloco J, 2° andar, sala 26, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-590 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Andréa Ramalho Email: aramalho.rj@gmail.com Published online: 12 December 2012 Abstract This study aims to describe the clinical consequences of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in pregnant women after bariatric surgery. Included are studies on VAD during pregnancy and after bariatric surgery conducted in humans from 1993 to 2011. There are few investigations on the relationship between pregnancy and bariatric surgery and on the damage to the binomial mother–child resulting from VAD in this relationship. The high percentage of VAD in the postoperative period is a cause for concern, especially considering the function of this vitamin in certain biological moments and in moments of intense nutritional demand. This vitamin serum evaluation is recommended during the prenatal period. Keywords Pregnancy Vitamin A Vitamin A deficiency Obesity Bariatric surgery Retinol Beta carotene Night blindness

Ok girls what kind of foods do u eat before the aunt flow comes. Bc i want everything i cant Sent from my DROID4 using RNYTalk

Aw!!! I love sweet stories that end up happily! OP - Impressed at your skills in sifting through all the BS out there. I wish you the best and hope the creepers stay away!!!

i wil have to agree…..not drinking while eating is the hardest part of this whole journey. i guess it's because i really don't understand what the big deal about it is. i just had my sleeve done 3/10. i don't think i'm getting enough Water bc scales really aren't moving so much. i am certainly not eating too much. i don't know what the deal is. any advice?

NikkiD, I called BC a few weeks ago to ask how long the pre-service review took and they told me 5 days max. (REALLY??!!) When I told the surgeon's bariatric coordinator she made a face and looked like she didn't believe it either. I guess I feel confident, since I was told by 2 different BC people. And it IS BC of California. Maybe they have a big pre-service review dept since everyone and their brother wants cosmetic and/or WLS!!! lol ;D (I live back in Michigan now, but my DH still works for his CA company and thats why we have CA ins.) Lets hope its true!!

The best thing to do is check with your insurance to find out what they required to be approved for surgery. I have independent BC/BS PPO in PA and they require a BMI of at least 40 or a BMI of at least 35 with one of their listed comorbidities (i.e. diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and I do not remember the rest). I qualified with BMI just over 35 and hypertension. I hope this helps.

My diet is not plant based but I do eat a variety of foods and happy to eat vegetarian or vegan when I visit my sisters (one vegan, the other vegetarian) or go to their preferred restaurants. As much as possible I will buy free range and locally/grass fed and the local farmers market is excellent. Fortunately where I live is a food bowl.

My naturopath recommended Garth Davis as a resource, but I’m struggling with the idea of being 100% plant-based. We buy organic/grass fed meat from small farms and I’m okay with it - we are not huge meat eaters anyways. Anyone strive for a balance? I’m starting my pre-op diet in a week and I ordered Pirq and Iconic, one is plant based protein drink and the other is grass fed.

I went with Hospital BC in Tijuana Mexico, they are affiliated with BariatricPal and the only U.S, owned Hospital there. I had belt lipectomy with butterfly lift, medial thigh lift and breast augmentation. Everything was included, transportation to and from the airport, 7 night hospital stay, meals 24, hour care, pre op testing, Faja (x2) compression stockings, etc. $14,350 this also included my companion. I paid $366.40 for two people to fly round trip via Delta airlines. I did have one unexpected expense around $700 but that was all. My surgery was very long. I’m in the process of recovery since I had it June 15th. My surgeon is awesome 👏 I highly recommend them. They have 24 hour valet, nurse and doctor. Even when a nurse could not speak much English I felt they communicated well, and when they needed it the valet translates. I felt safe and knew my Dr. did a good surgery and the staff took care of me despite it being a challenging time due to COVID-19. https://hospitalbc.com

I don't understand why everyone's being so defensive. He was just asking a question and he's clearly frustrated because it's extremely difficult to change habbits. Everyone should calm down. Hamany ana msawya el 3amaliya gabel sboo3 oo ham waaaayed lay3a chabdi malait, kelyom abchii i misss old food wayed! Bs u have to remember u did this for a reason and try to think of the longterm positive effect. With time, i'm sure we'll get used to it and even love the new us. Goodluck!

yep, experiencing that right now. But guess what? We WILL lose weight because we really don't have any other choice. I remember when I was dieting that I would reach this point, I would stop losing, and I would say "to heck with this!" and just give up - and gain back everything I had worked so hard to lose and then some. But... this time, I CAN'T give up because it is physically impossible for me to eat too many calories (yeah, ok, if I sat in my recliner and fed myself ice cream all day long, I could). So... are we going to give up ? NO ! Are we going to be patient with ourselves and continue making good healthy food choices ? YES ! We shall persevere ! We too shall be "forced" to buy new wardrobes (hehehehe I can't wait !) ! We WILL succeed !

@ I am fed basic. I sent a letter to my surgeon's office and Ned records showing my side effects and weight for the last few years. They said it might be enough and to get my psych evaluation done. Doing that in two weeks and we will submit. We shall see! Thanks so much.

I was self pay for band in 2001 and did well with weight loss at the beginning. Had some fills and unfills around 2009 and after that never felt right. Was too tight and did not eat well. Had imaging studies in 2011that showed esophagitis, gastritis, and a hiatal hernia. I had terrible shoulder pain and heartburn almost daily. Finally had the band emptied in 2013 but still have symptoms. Had a surgeon send in a letter in 2011 but was denied. I never got a copy of the denial. I want to try again but I have not been at a 35 bmi for two years. Anyone approved due to medical necessity for similar circumstances? Also my preferred surgeon is not at a center of excellence and I really want him to do my surgery. I have thought about self pay but am scared that if I develop complications since I have had band for 14 years that insurance will not cover the complications. Thank you for your thoughts!

No one is saying that he's a bad person or has a bad bedside manner. He may be a carrying and attentive doctor, that doesnt mean that he doesnt have a higher than average rate of infection. I dont understand why you think all these people would come onto this board to lye about him. They've already given you examples of their research and still you cant even accept the possibility that what they say could have even a kernel of truth. Even bad doctors have some success stories. Why do you think that just because you didn't have complications, that no one else could have experienced any? Yes, there may be other people who share your name on google. However, you're not going to find another person who shares your name, occupation, living location and associates...get a grip its all there in black and white. The reason I said that 100% weight loss in all his patients is BS is because there isnt a doctor on the planet with a 100% success rate - bands are defective, people have bad reactions to them, people "eat through their bands," and so on., So NO, I don't believe that this doctor has not had any of those issues with his patients...that's ridiculous. Frankly, I think its offensive that you are trying to silence people who are trying to educate the rest of us. Especially when you have nothing to support your claim that he doesnt have a high rate of infection.

I have only been under twice in my life (within the last 4 years both times) and it always goes like this: I wake up, I am crying tears and I feel pain and the nurse asks why I am crying , but I can't really speak bc my throat is so dry. I choke out an "ouch" and they know why. Then when I am in recovery it is amazing how I am aware of everything going on and can hear everything, but I feel like I am in a coma. My last surgery (not lapband), the nurses couldn't figure out what kind of surgery I had done, so they were standing there in front of me, talking about me, where to put me, what meds should they give me, etc and I could hear everything, but couldn't speak up or open my eyes. It was quite frightening!!

no but I do agree that WLS will help eliminate or reduce the sleep apnea. I have Fed BCBS and got pretty quick response for surgical approval. I have other commordities so I think it sped it thru. good luck!

Im suprised they did it that young. I had a 26yr old coworker who was allergic to latex and for some reason i cant remember now couldnt use bc. The drs and ins would not tie her tubes ubtil she was 30, even though she had a 10yr ols and a 3yr old. She basically used abortions as her birth control.

Surgery: 9/4 Starting weight: 237 Current weight: 175 -62lbs and 50 inches Feeling amazing although I am pretty sure my weight loss has started to slow at this point. I still have 40-50lbs to reach goal. I do not struggle with wanting food anymore and I am extremely grateful. Seems like my life the past few years revolved around when and what we were going to eat and I just don't think about it anymore. I am one of the lucky ones where that is concerned. Even if I do crave something bad, which is rare, I can usually take one or two bites and it either grosses me out or it just doesn't taste nearly as good as I remember and I'm done. I am struggling to get all of my protein in as I hate all of the shakes and I have tried them all. I have always struggled with drinking things like that and now it's even harder. I gag and I just can't do it and since I can really still only eat very little it has been tough. I am probably still only getting 700-800 calories and that is me working very hard bc I just can't eat more than 3-4 bites of anything most days. I have also lost a significant amount of hair. My hair was very fine so even though I had a lot, now that I've lost so much (probably lost 60-70%) my remaining "fine" hair does not hide the loss well. Obvious thinning can be seen on my scalp. I am just trying to deal the best I can and hoping it stops as grows back ASAP. I look ridiculous in wigs bc they're all so thick and my hair has never been thick. Haven't gone down in sizes as quickly as I thought I would after such a large loss, but I'm also very short so I carry more in the middle and I have accepted that it'll take longer for jean sizes to change. I have gone from a 20 to a 14 or a size 34 waist so I am still happy. Sorry for the novel. Has been a while so thought I'd post what I could think of. Glad to see everyone doing well and love reading about everyone's victories. Some days it's so hard to imagine making it to goal, but look how far we have all come. Amazing!

My surgery was at noon yesterday. Woke up in quite a bit of pain. Two of my incisions that are close to eachother were really burning. Felt a little like he cut me in half lol. Once I was out of recovery I was pretty drugged up and don't remember much. I sat up though last night and could use the bathroom on my own. I've barely used the morphine pump. The nursing staff keeps calling me their ray of sunshine bc apparently a lot of people don't do this well. I had the test done to test for a leak and...NO LEAK (thank god). Hopefully starting fluids soon bc my stomach is kind of gurgling, but no hunger. Overall the worst part is the soreness but it's not unbearable. Hope everyone is doing well! Best of luck on all your recoveries!

Because with the patch it’s a one shot deal, taking pills you need multi, iron, calcium, vitamin D, extra Bs and B12 and some people like me suffer from constipation with all these supplements but not with the patch. Those are my reasons and labs have been great so far!