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Hi JRT Mom, my first set of ulcers were related to H Pylori. This time around they tested for H Pylori but it was negative. I don’t use a lot of NSAIDS so I’m not really sure what the culprit is. I had my gallbladder removed shortly after I was told I had Ulcers in 2011 (sludge). The MRICP revealed no pancreatic or duct complications but it did reveal I have Hepatic Steatosis (non alcoholic fatty liver disease). In 43 and so finding this out was a shock & that is why I have really decided I need to do something about my weight. I’ve already been told my cholesterol was high and was diagnosed with Hashimotos Hypothyroid about 2 years ago. I will definitely make an appointment with my gastroenterologist to discuss bariatric surgery and to get his input.

Hey, I am a few weeks pre-gastric sleeve surgery and looking for support groups in the Beaumont Tx area or talk with anyone locally that is planning or has gone through bariatric surgery? Any help or advice would be appreciated.

I just found out that if you go to the perky Jerky website, under the Contact Us They have a drop down for WLS/Bariatric Surgery patients. If you fill out the form, they will send you free samples! Just requested mine today.

i was just wanting to give this a bump. so if you haven't looked into this please do so. the money goes for a great cause. heres some more details about it. Birmingham, AL Walk from Obesity - at Regions Park To register online, please click the "Register Here" button above. If you prefer to mail in your registration, please click here to view and download the printable registration form and click here to view and download the printable registration form for children. Walk Date: Saturday, September 26, 2009 Walk Location: Regions Park Registration: 7:00 am Walk: 8:00 am Presented By: Advanced Surgeons; The Surgeons' Group - Dr. John Matthews; Freeman and Company; Miles & Schmitt, MD; Children's Health System - Birmingham; Alabama Weight Loss Surgery - Dr. Les Miles & Dr. Lee Schmitt; Birmingham Minimally Invasive Surgery - Jay Long, MD; and Dr. Andrew M. DeWitt, Birmingham Bariatrics Event Flyer/Walk Brochure: Click to download the flyer for this event and the 2009 Walk from Obesity brochure. Event Leaders: Sue Bunnell and Michelle McClinton Walkers: You may seek pledges using the online tools after registration. To collect pledges in person, a printable pledge form is available here. Event Sponsors: Please contact Sue Bunnell or Michelle McClinton directly for local Walk sponsorship information and opportunities. For more information, or to volunteer your services for the Walk, please contact: Sue Bunnell sue.bunnell@trinitymedicalonline.com Michelle McClinton mshellcpc@yahoo.com 205-783-9330 917 Tuscaloosa Avenue SW Birmingham, AL 35211

Thinking about ordering the unflavored and the peanut butter cup. Looked for reviews on line but couldn't find any, so I'm here for Bariatric Pal input. Anyone put it to the taste test?

Hello everyone! I've had the gastric sleeve. Since having the surgery and losing weight, I've decided to focus my Health Coaching practice on Bariatric Patients. I know how hard it can be dealing with all the changes and all the emotions that come with it. I'm giving away free 30min consultations for a limited time to those who feel like they could use some guidance. Please reach out to me if you'd like to schedule a free consultation! Lisagoberlmt@gmail.com thank you! Lisa (leelu) 🙏🏻❤️🌸

Bariatric advantage sells chewables that are actually not bad. Good variety of flavors.

But all of that being said in my previous comment, I think they tell people that to get their asses into gear. I think what they are trying to do is create a sort of "now or never" mentality in hopes that it will shock people into action. Because I do think that if you cannot make some significant headway while the surgery is still fresh and new, the thinking is that you never will. If your stalling at 4 months out, throwing the rules to the wind and frequenting the local fast food joints and have not made any significant headway or have completely hit the brakes on weight loss, chances are you probably will never get with the program again. Its a sad but true assessment of bariatric patients. Of course that does not apply to everyone and its obviously a generalizations but where there is smoke there is fire and there is a reason why its a general assumption.... GENERALLY it's true.

Every insurance company has a different policy. Call and inquire what your insurance company's requirements are for bariatric WL surgery.

Thank you so much for your very quick response, my problem is I can't exercise due to my illness,I've lost 7 stone 1lb so far but stuck for well over month and half! I've still got another 5stone to go! But I'm taking all that you've said on board, got an appointment in dec to see the bariatric team again so will see what they have to say then. Thanks for your support x

I'm new here! I've been lurking around the site for awhile. There's such a wealth of info and support I love it! I currently don't have a surgery date as of yet. I'm working with INOVA bariatric center in Fair Oaks. So far everything has been ok. I was waiting for my new BCBS of FL to kick in and it has. There is no pre auth needed and all I have to have is an psychiatric eval!!! Dr Moazzez has requested I have an upper GI, meet with their NUT, exercise person, and dietitian. As well as I have to lose 5 lbs. I'm sure I'll manage that with the two week Optifast diet! I have two appointments left tomorrow for the psyc eval and friday for the upper GI. I hope I'll have a date for surgery tomorrow or at least an appointment to discuss what's next. I'm so anxious! I'm 33yrs old, 5'1 and 238 lbs! My BMI is 43! Any advice or comments are welcome!!!

I used soups and chilis quite a bit after my RNY gastric bypass surgery. I fortified them with protein and that allowed me to quickly reduce my reliance on protein shakes. I put some of the recipes at the end of the following article. How 
I
 Survived
 Bariatric 
Surgery


Every year my hospital (Siani Hospital of Baltimore) hosts a Protein party for people that either had or are thinking of having bariatric surgery. We have vendors show up to answer questions and hand out free sample of their product. This is being held on Tuesday March 20th 6-7:30pm. We also have door prizes. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

I know this is all new to you and is extremely upsetting, and I am sorry you are having to go through this right now. However, I bet this is not your bariatric surgeon's first denial for one of his patients. His office will have a "plan B" ready to go for you. --like the one they suggested and is working on--the sleep study. Talk to the office Medical Secretary/co-ordinator. She/he will be the person "in the know" about this. It probably won't, but if "plan B" should fail, then a "Doctor to Doctor" direct phone call will get the approval. You have had another hoop to jump through, and I'm sorry about that. Just remember that the people who approve or deny procedures sometimes are not doctors or sometimes they are not even medical people. Sometimes their expertise is in finance. Sad but true. Try (I know that's a huge task right now) not to worry. Let this play out. Prayers going up for you!

Looking for fellow Bandsters that are in OC looking for workout tips, hints, buddy or a trainer! I was 380 five years ago, now im at 185 and doing personal training...specializing in lapband, and bariatric patients. Let me know if you need anything!

Sorry that this has happened. I know when i started my process i went to my PCP to have her start the 6 month documented diet only to realize that she was not the best person to follow me given she hardly recorded anything and I found out the surgeons office would need more info. So, I started over with the bariatric center of excellence that my insurance company recommended. Thankfully i was only one month into the process. I got much better guidance working with the nutritionist, physcologist and bariatric nurses and doctors in that 6 months. It set me up for success.

so if you go to mybariatricpantry.com click shop and it will take you to the samples page, if you go to bjsbariatrics.com and scroll down the first page you will see the nectar sample pack and you can choose your own flavors or you can call 1-866-333-7403 Ext. 803 mon-fri 8-5 central time and request the nectar sample pack for 15.99. at ohyeahnutrition.com click sample kits and they have different samples you can order pretty cheap. at bariatricchoice.com you can do a live chat and request the bariatric surgery sample pack for free. I also ordered samples of Celebrate bariatric vitamins at celebratevitamins.com they give you one of everything they sell for 3 dollars. hope this helped.

Are your choices really that limited in the UK? I've been looking for a small business opportunity that allows me to help other people at he same time. I would definately consider opening an online bariatric store to serve the UK.

Meal Replacements in Bariatric Protein generally means the protein is fortified with additional vitamins, minerals, fiber, calcium, Iron etc. Meal replacements are great pre or post-op when you're not eating normal meals. Meal replacements like BariatricPal Protein One, actually replace your regular bariatric vitamins and you can use them long term.

I always used the entire Syntrax packet as one serving - not sure about this 1/4 packet business - but I'd noticed that as well. I can't imagine most people drink less than a packet. One packet has around 100 kcal and 20-ish grams of protein, although it may depend on the flavor. most people ditch the protein shakes after the first few weeks or months (and you can as soon as you're getting all your protein needs met by real food), but some people keep up with them. They include: 1) people who malabsorb protein (like me). My protein needs are much higher than the normal bariatric patient, and a shake or two a day helps me meet them 2) people who can't stomach solid food in the morning. Some of them do a protein shake for breakfast instead 3) people who just flat-out like protein shakes (and there are some out there...)

So, there is definitely something going on with me. This morning I felt fine. I had breakfast- about 2 teaspoons of thin grits with cheese around 6 am. I felt fine and great and was thinking that today might be a good day to go do some walking this morning. I left the house to take my daughter to school on the other side of town and halfway there- at a red light I suddenly - felt shaky, off, my hands got clammy, and I got the sort of mental fog again- like mental confusion- and I felt like I was going to pass out. I got tunnel vision and I had to keep blinking my eyes and shaking my head to sort of stay with it. You know, I had my daughter in the truck with me- the last thing in the world I'd want- is to pass out while I'm driving. It scared me half to death- I managed to tell my daughter what was happening and informed her that I might have to pull over to the side of the road but that I was going to try to make it to a 7-11 about 2 blocks away. It was not a good area of town to break down.. for sure. I got to the 7-11 and by then I was sort of having panicky feelings about what if I passed out and I was trying to think of what to get to try to help my blood sugar- with the mental fog going on - it was very difficult to think- coherantly- I grabbed a bottle of orange juice after glancing around to see what was available- I opened it before I even got to the counter to pay for it- my hands were shaking as I opened the bottle and I was worried that I might not remember my pin number when I paid for it with my debit card because I had no cash. I managed to get two sips down me in the car and tried to call a family member to let them know where I was just in case- just in case I needed to call for an ambulance or just in case.. I needed someone to come get me. My Daughter's school is very close to the hospital and also my surgeons office. After 20 minutes and fretting about the fact that my daughter was already late for school and we were just under a mile away- I decided I should at least try to get her to school- I ran back in to the 7-11 to see if I could find something other than the orange juice because I'd been having problems with acid- and the orange juice reminded me of that and the idea of orange juice coming back up my already burning esophagus unnerved me. I grabbed an apple juice and looked around for some protein- still fuzzy headed- I saw the lunchables and grabbed one thinking either I could try to chew a bite of the turkey or if not then I could try the cheese. Then I slowly pulled out onto the street and attempted to make it to my daughters school- and we got there- course by then I was just barely holding it together for my daughters sake- but feeling absolutely positive that I really could have passed out while driving and killed us both. I let my daughter out of the truck to go to school - she was clearly worried about me and I tried to ease her concerns by telling her that I was just fine and the juice helped..but.. that wasn't entirely true. I parked on the side of the road there and tried to call my surgeons office since I was so close- much closer to there than home. The nurse came on to speak to me and - she seemed to indicate that I could come in- if I felt like I might pass out but- she didn't seem promising as to if they might could check to see what was going on with me. I felt like if I went in and she could SEE what was going on then at least they might send me over for some lab work- maybe iv fluids- something to try to figure out whats going on- or to help me to feel better. I got to the office-somehow- grabbed my juice which I'd taken 2 tiny sips of and nibbled on the piece of turkey there but it tasted terrible so didn't get more than a bite in- tho nibbled on a cracker more easily- just twice- around the edge - When the person came out..and i'm not even sure if it was a nurse- she told me they'd tried to slide me in around 10- it was then 8:45 or so. She said they had 2 big cases coming in and something going on at the hospital and she scolded me for having the apple juice in my hand- and asked me WHY WAS i DRINKING THAT- AS THO IT WAS A MORNING RITUAL OR SOMETHING. I tried to explain to her that clearly I'd had less than 2 sips of that juice- the bottle was still full and that 7-11 doesn't cater to bariatric patients in a situation of low sugar- she also scolded me for having the lunchable- I mean..really? I Haven't ANY JUICE- since before my pre op diet. I haven't had anything remotely similar to a lunchable since before my pre op diet. If I could ordered salmon or tuna- at 7-11 ..surely I would have but..as it stood.. I had few options.. lunchable..or .....donut.. I figured....I made a rational and good choice..by choosing the lunchable to try.. it's not like I ate a whole cracker..it's not like I ate a whole piece of the turkey..because I didn't come anywhere close to that. She suggested I ditch the lunchable- and maybe the juice or dilute it and go down to the first floor to the cafeteria and find some protein- and relax until 10 ish..when the might could slide me in but was sure to let me know that they couldn't do anything there- that they'd have to put in an order for me to have whatever they wanted done..somewhere else. So, I went down to the first floor- and began to look for the cafeteria- right away I noticed a generic starbucks called the espresso cafe but it was closed. So, I kept walking- you know- it's not easy to walk around when you feel shaky and off- There was a small sense of relief that if I passed out in the hallway that someone would find me tho.. that was better than sitting at a red light- and passing out. Small comforts- So I kept walking around..looking for this cafeteria or some sign showing the way to no avail and I saw a tech coming down the hall way and stopped him to ask where the cafeteria was and he said there was no cafeteria there- only the espresso cafe which I'd seen a half a mile back down the other hall way.. and of course it was still closed. Somewhere in all of THAT- I began to get ANGRY. Angry that I'd be waiting for another hour and a half..to MAYBE BE SLID into the schedule.. and that MAYBE.. some tests would be ordered but probably not done today- since fasting might be required. And angry that I'd been sent away to find a nonexistent cafeteria while on the verge of passing out- and scolded no less.. regarding the juice and stuff.... And Angry because I'd thrown out the apple juice and lunchable and now there was no place open for me to get ANYTHING. Angry enough that I went out to the valet parking attendant and asked for my truck- thinking I could at least get the orange juice I'd left in there and evidently angry enough to get into my truck..and decide to drive my self HOME... I called my mother on the cell phone and put her on speaker so that she could talk to me - as I drove home to make sure I had not passed out in route. Got home- managed to find some Protein mushie babyfood- ate a bit of that and sat down- called the dr's office to tell them that I LEFT..AND I'M HOME NOW..AND IF THEY WANT TO CALL ME.. THAT WOULD BE GOOD. The program coordinator called and said I needed to eat PROTEIN- SHE SAID IT LOUD AND SLOW AS THO I MIGHT BE HARD OF HEARING OR LEARNING CHALLENGED. I wanted to say something sarcastic in my defense- but I didn't- I honestly don't remember what else she said- I don't know if she said she'd make me an appointment or anything.. the conversation is a blur.. I have no idea what the woman said to me- I do remember her name tho. So- that's what's going on with me.

It is a powdered high Protein Peanut Butter with 1/3 the fat and calories. I got mine from the hospital where I was sleeved, but I think you could find it online at Amazon, bariatric pantry or other online store fronts that focus on selling to WLS customers. I still have my original container from 6 months ago. It does last a while. I don't use it very often, but when I do it turns a truffle shake into 8 ounces of pure awesomeness. Give it a try!

Well, I'm 3 days post op and I've had such a wonderful experience with him. I would strongly recommend him to anyone considering bariatric surgery, he's amazing.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you are, say, 5'5", getting from a BMI of 60 to a non-obese BMI of 30 would mean an additional weight loss of 180 lbs. (on top of the other 80 lbs.) which even the most hardened insurance company would see requires surgery. But definitely ask your bariatric center for guidance and access to a nutritionist/dietitian to help you get those 80 lbs. down.

I got the sample pack and so far I've had Perfect chocolate, Milk Chocolate, vanilla and mint cookie. They are really good. Even better than the Syntrax. Especially the vanilla in my iced coffee. I may be ordering that one next time. The mint cookie is good but almost too sweet. The perfect chocolate seemed to have a little of an aftertaste, but not bad. Milk Chocolate tastes just like chocolate milk. And I mixed it with Water. It mixes well in a shaker cup. A lot better than the stuff I got at Walmart (Body Fortress). No yucky clumps or gritty-ness. They do have a few more calories and carbs than Syntrax. They are between 110 - 140 cal and 2-6 grams of carbs and 23 g. Protein per scoop. The ingredients are: Protein blend (whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, egg albumin, hydrolyzed wheat gluten), natural and artificial flavors, soy lecithin, salt, acesulfame-K, sucralose, FD&C red #40. Got them at Bariatric Pantry. About $20 for the sample pack. The 28 serving tub costs about $25 + shipping.