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Some patients simple suspect it. Others said something like "Ok, they maybe want us on liquids for two weeks but because the doubt our compliance they tell us 4 weeks so we're doing it for 2 week". Same thing with e. g. tumor surgery where most of the stomach has to be removed. They also need time to heal and yet they're on solid food much earlier (of course some patients need longer because they don't tolerate it) - but I bet there are different protocols regarding this out there as well. So from your response, I am getting that this is an impression or a guess and not fact? The reason I am asking is there are a lot of people new on this site and many times want to hear what they won't from their Bariatric team. If your surgeon puts you on liquids following surgery I am certain it is not to make your weight loss faster, it is to allow the time for it to heal given the limited amount of protein you can consume. I cannot speak for ulcer patients, but having researched post WLS diets for the last 3 years and speaking with multiple bariatricians and surgeons, and Bariatric nurses and Bariatric nutritionists. The first several weeks following are all about healing and NOT weight loss. Weight loss just happens because the change is so significant and the lack of food volume.

I can't answer re: the staples. I do know I had them and stitches. I didn't have a drain. Some surgeons use it, others don't. Some have you wear a binder (mine didn't) others don't. Some put you in ICU (mine didn't). Just depends on the surgeon. As for the Protein. It was hard for me, but YMMV. The rule of thumb is 30 grams in 30 days, 60 grams in 60 days, etc. I couldn't make that for anything. I was at 50 grams at 6 mos. and that was drinking at least 1 Protein shake a day. Then things loosened up and I was able to eat more. But everyone is different. You might be able to eat a lot. But if you can, don't fret. Just ensure it's protein and you'll be OK. I didn't love Protein shakes but I drank them. I liked Muscle Milk and Myoplex the best. They came in premade 4 packs. I never used powder. BTW, I looked at the ingredients of the Pure Protein Shake. They are low sugar so that's good. They're very high protein. While that's good in a protein kind of way; when things are very high protein, they're often very dense. Give it a try postop, and see if you can live with it. The Vitamins are a lot. I won't lie. Certainly in the beginning there were many fewer than I take now. It's all based on your blood work. That's why it's so important to do it annually or semi-annually (depending on your doctor's preference). Concerning chewables, we only used them in the very beginning. We then moved on to Centrum. Might I suggest a Dexa bone density scan before you have the DS? That way you have a good baseline. Also, keep all your bloods from preop on. That way you can watch trends and be your own best advocate. (I have them all and it's helped me). If you PM me your email addy, I can send you the docs. my surgeons and bariatric team distribute to new patients. Might give you some more ideas.

You won't get many responses here. This is the blog section of the site where people talk about their experiences. Click "forums" at the top of the page and post your questions there. That said, there are some great recipes at BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for protein, vitamins, and success. and flabby skin looks a lot better and is a lot healthier than obesity.

I was banded on May 28th and just returned from the Dominican Republic. It is not a cruise, but a little more dangerous. They tell you don't drink the Water or eat too many veggies and fruit. I had no problems at all. I was overly prepared. I spoke with my bariatric nurse and she gave me a lap band needle as a just in case. If I needed to have an unfill while in the Dominican I could. I also looked up a lap band doctor over in the Dominican. So many people go overseas for these procedures and I found a really good one. Did not have to use him. I lost 4 pounds on vacation. I kept with my walking 2 miles a day and really watched what I ate. Skipped the salad and Soups and had the entree with veggies and then a little desert. I did not deprive myself. I was able to enjoy my vacation more. Have fun on your trip.

Went to my seminar out here in San Diego this week with pacific bariatric. I have blue shield of ca ppo. I am 5'11 275lbs male with High Blood Pressure, high cholestorol, sleep Apena on CPAP, Gerd, reflux, joint pain. I am hearing bad things about blue shield. I was in kaiser options about 3 years ago but chickened out of the surgury. But I have all my records from kaiser as well as my primary physician now recommending me to do the Rny. Looking for advice, really don't want to have to wait 6-7 months for a surgery date if I can help it Thank you!

Has anyone purched or used these cookbooks? Which ones would you recommend? Thanks

Ok will the insurance company just agree to send it out or will they try to tell me they can't? Also just ask for my complete detailed coverage or just bariatric

Hi Baileym, I originally saw my PCP in June 2003 to "talk" about weight. I wanted to get a feel for his thoughts on WLS (all types) and to also request a referral to a nutritionist. I was hoping that someone could test for my true basil metabolic rate because I swear I have stunted my metabolism from so many years of yo-yo dieting. Anyway, he referred me to a dietician and I was a bit miffed, but I went anyway. I ended up sharing ideas with her and teaching her a few things about foods I currently eat that are high Fiber, low fat, etc. She taught me absolutely nothing and I think she realized that. During my last visit we spoke about WLS and she encouraged me to go back and talk to my PCP. She thought I would be an ideal candidate for Lap-Band and my Medical Group had recently contracted with a Bariatric clinic, so she thought he would be more receptive than when I originally spoke to him. By this time it almost November, so I did some research on the Bariatric clinic and attended their informational seminar. That night they gave me a bunch of paperwork to fill out; over the next week I filled that out and met with my PCP. He put in the referral request on Nov 4th and I was approved to meet with the surgeon less than 2 weeks later. I met with the surgeon and she submitted the request for insurance approval back to my PCP and I was approved for surgery just after Christmas. If you are interested in a “generic copy” of my WL Resume, provide your email address or email me at sassaay1@yahoo.com and I will forward you a copy. Hope this information is helpful.

It was just great to hear the doctors tell the world that we have not, by no means, chose the easy way out by having bariatric surgery to aid us in our fit against obesity. We are committing ourselves to a lifestyle that is totally foreign to us for th rest of our lives. If you don't know, we are some strong folks, with inner strentgh like nothing I've encountered!!!

I've lost 23 lbs and I got my sleeve done at New York Bariatric

Okay, I hate to keep this saga going, but now it seems that the insurance approval department at my doctor's office has messed up and submitted me under his partner (for which I was accepted). I just spent an hour on the phone with them and since I was approved with a different bariatric surgeon and not my own -- they cancelled it (the approval for his partner to perform the banding) and resubmitted me under my regular doctor...however, it could take a couple of weeks to approve...AGAIN (and I'm not sure what my insurance is going to make of this...I have BCBS). At this rate, I may not be with you February bandsters if my band date gets moved to early March -- but I'll still stay. I'm just totally irritated that -- 1.) They messed up...I've never even met the other surgeon in the practice. 2.) My doctor only does surgeries on Thursdays and is booked up solid. 3.) I've been on the pre-op diet since January 26th and they want me to continue indefinitely...becaused they messed up. I feel really prepared and mentally ready, but things just keep happening. I started researching the band over a year ago and visited the clinic for the first time in October 2010. Sorry to complain so much. All I can say is BOO...major BOO. :sorry: Texas Mama ~ I'm so happy for you! Is your sis making it on time? You are going to do so awesome! I can't wait to hear how it all goes for you. Carollee ~ Hello! Thank you for sharing about the hiatal hernia repair -- how long did the pain last and was it primarily in your shoulder? I haven't really asked about overnight stays -- that's a good thing to mention, especially since I now have more time. How long does your doctor wait for you to have a fill? And, how was the post-op eating? Did you do 1 week Clear liquids, 1 week thicker liquids, and then onto mushies? Again, thank you for your input!

I go to my seminar on Mar 1 in Louisville. I have been to 3 other seminars in VA and TX in the past (with different insurance companies). This will be my first seminar with a bariatric group as opposed to just an insurance specific one. At Kaiser they made us do multiple seminars; the first was an intro to the surgery and a weigh in and the second was pre-surgery - how to eat before/after and what to expect. Make sure you have your questions ready and don't be afraid to ask - most of the time other people really wanted to ask the same questions but with held for whatever reason. Congrats - you are on your way!

This blog is being created to keep me stay focused on my goal and have accountability as well as hopefully be a resource for others who are considering starting their own journey. My journey started a few years ago when I started researching Weight Loss Surgery (WLS). I went to my very 1st seminar and found it quite informative. Until my husband went to the seminar he was not very thrilled about what I was considering and after that I have really have had his support. At that time most insurance companies were still not covering the Sleeve (VSG) and I myself had never heard of it but found myself quite intrigued with the information. At that time I was considering the lap band procedure. After the meeting I was ready to make my change but got really discouraged when the group that the Dr uses to handle all the insurance and scheduling, etc seemed to be more about themselves and the money they could make than what was good for the patient. Since I got the huge vibe that they were all about the money I decided to call my insurance company to see if there were other options and explained how this group wanted to charge for everything and it was all out of pocket and they sd it wasnt covered by insurance. My insurance encouraged me to find another doctor. I decided to do more research and decided surely I can do this on my own, yea right! So here I am 3 years later. I made my decision to go ahead and have WLS in October 2011 when my lab test came back to the dr showing that I was no longer a borderline diabetic that I now have type II diabetes and knowing my family history I knew this wasn't something to play around with. My doctor asked if I had ever considered WLS as if it was his idea, lol, and I told him I had and he wrote up a referral for me and it was ready for pick up in just a couple of days. So here's my calendar of events so far: October 25 - had annual physical and blood test done Nov 1- Drs appt - got results from test and Dr sd wd give referrel for WLS Nov 10- Bariatric Seminar Nov 11- Drs appt regarding blood sugar levels Dec 12- Drs appt Jan 12- Drs Appt ( gotta make sure I see doctor for 6 consecutive visits to keep insurance from denying surgery) Jan 12- 1st visit with surgeon Jan 17- Psych eval- was told eval wd be sent over by next day to surgeon with approval Jan 25- Upper GI and lab work done Feb 3- 5 mth visit with Primary doctor Once my 1st visit with the surgeon was done, I have felt as if I had been on a rollercoaster of dr's appts but I totally don't mind at all! My Dr appt with my surgeon went very well. One of the requirements they have is you must bring a support person with you to your 1st appt. They don't care whom you choose as long as the person is 18 or over. My surgeon told me the sleeve was a excellent choice and provided my husband and I with very informative information of what to expect in the coming weeks as well as when I have the surgery and my hospital stay. He also encouraged for me to go ahead and get plugged into their support group that they have which I find is a very good idea. I could use all the support I can get. One of the things that made me feel so much better about this is the whole process is totally different then the process I started going on 3 years ago. This is being handled as any medical need where everything can be filtered thru my insurance instead of made to feel as if this is elective surgery therefore if you want a support group you have to pay for it out of pocket, if you want insurance filed you have to pay for it out of pocket. I am so glad my Dr referred me to such a fantastic group. I have done my research and the Dr's are excellent and have had no deaths from the result of their surgery. In fact I didn't find not one negative thing about the entire group. One thing I do want to say is that the surgeons office gave me a list of Psychologist that I could use if I chose too to schedule my Psych eval. I actually called and spoke to one of the staff at one of the offices and I could not believe the fees, besides the 20% copay they sd they charged $185 to actually send the eval to the surgeons office and insurance did not cover that she did a quick calculation and sd it looked as if I wd be paying somewhere around $400 for my 1st appt with filing fees included. I decided before scheduling I should call my insurance company (Cigna open access) and I'm so glad I did. I called my insurance and they sd my employer actually has a EPT plan with the insurance and they gave me a list of names and numbers along with getting a EPT # for me and told me I could have up to 3 visits free and there wd be no cost for the evaluation that insurance wd take care of any cost. They also informed me if I needed any additonal visits after my surgery or even before that the visits are only $10 a visit. WOW! If I had not called my insurance I wd have paid out quite a bit of unnecessary money and I don't know about everyone else but I work hard for my money and have no desire to throw it away unnecessarily. I decided to go ahead and start working on trying to lose weight before my surgery and start walking to work on my endurance so once I have the surgery it won't be as difficult. I already know that alot of people are going to ask why have the surgery if you can lose weight on your own, the problem is i have never in 20 years been able to get below 201 lbs and the last few years with the pre diabetic sugar highs and now full blown diabetes it is even harder to lose weight. WLS is not a quick fix but it is a tool to help people get the help they need. I'm looking forward to my journey towards good health and am very open to words of wisdom and encouragement. Tammy

Hi, I live down the shore as well. I had my surgery in Montclair's Mountainside Hospital in October 2007 by Dr. Karl Strom. He and his associates and office are TERRIFIC. They have great monthly meetings, a terrific dietitian and Dr. Strom has done tons of bariatric surgery (no pun intended.) I highly recommend him. Please e mail me if you need more info. I'm at exit 80 (only Jersey people understand that, lol. It's secret code.)

I’m about 9 almost 10 weeks ago. I have been struggling with vitamins. They had me start with the celebrate tropical twist bariatric vitamins, made me sick no matter when or how I took em. Tried one of the bariatric advantage capsules, makes me sick. Barimelts made me nauseous, what do y’all do for your vitamins???

I had the same issue at first. I started with capsules and chewables, both of which made me nauseous. I found that Bariatric Pal "soft chews" work for me and I've used them for more than a year without any issues. I use the strawberry/watermelon and actually like the taste. https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/soft-chew-bariatric-vitamins/products/bariatric-advantage-multivitamin-chewy-bites-flavors

You can't blame the government for what insurance companies choose to offer. Yes an insurance policy is a contract that's why these policies were written with tons of back doors for the coverage to be dropped if the person insured got too expensive. WLS continues to show long term health benefits and I believe eventually the actuary tables will show that offering Bariatric surgery is less expensive in the long run and more companies will offer it as part of their plans.

Definitely check in with your surgeon & try the changes you mentioned and let us know how it works out!!! You may help solve someone else's bariatric mystery

Everything you go through Is and Always will be Temporary!! Subject to Change, Depending on How You Look At the Situation!!! If You have Belief and have Faith that Your Issue is Not Spiritual but Carnal: Worldly!! Then You Know that You Need to Renew Your Mind Your Thinking!!! Once You see the Situation as Worldly Not the Life You Want Then You Change It!!! Philippians 4:13: I can Do All Things Through Christ Which Strengthens Me!!!

Thanks, everyone, for the great responses. I will keep all these words of wisdom in mind while on my journey! P.S. Yes, I lost waaay less weight on Weight Watchers, but the reason why I chose bariatric surgery is precisely because the other methods weren't working. So, yeah, I have high expectations. But as someone put it, once that weight is loss, it's not coming back. I know I have to concentrate on the direction of the scale, however slow it's moving.

So, I know from reading about others experiences that this can be a long process. I also know that the clinic coordinator told me it could end up being late summer/early fall before I could expect to have surgery. So this is probably just a whine. I went for my sleep study consult, pulmonary function test and an Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) test yesterday. My next required test is the psych eval. So, maybe I was starting to feel a little too optimistic in thinking MAYBE I could end up having surgery sometime in June or July. BUT after the sleep study consultation I went out to schedule the actual sleep study. At first I told the scheduler I would prefer to do it on a Friday night. The next Friday night available was in late July! So I changed my tune to accept any night of the week and now I have it scheduled for Tuesday June 9. So that didn't sound so bad until she said, "now lets schedule your follow up visit." GRRR, after the actual study I have to come back to see the doc who did the consult yesterday and that appointment is not until July 14! Then the staff at the bariatric center will decide whether I meet their criteria and THEN they submit me for insurance approval. I am starting to feel like it may be Christmas before I get the actual band! It shouldn't bother me, because I was well-informed going into this. But I found myself feeling a little frustrated and down about it. I said something to the person doing the scheduling about the process being so long. She said that yes, it is and that she finds a lot of people get frustrated with the process and just quit pursuing it. So, I guess I just need to suck it up and carry on ::::thumbup:::: Thanks for letting me vent

Dr. Yarbrough joined the Samaritan Bariatric Program in Corvallis and is doing the same type of work. I've started the program and am hoping to have him do my surgery in spring.

Thanks everyone! I still have 40 more lbs to go. And I owe it all to the great preparation my Bariatric Center provided me with before having the gastric sleeve done. I actually lost 130 in 10 months, the other 60ish was required to lose before my insurance would pay for the surgery and it took me all of 2011 to lose that! I'll post what my typical meals are daily in another post!

You can check out Dr. Gagner on Obesityhelp.com He was in Florida for a short time, and then went overseas to teach the sleeve and other bariatric and lap procedures to surgeons in Europe. I believe the last I saw on the Florida forum, he is now practicing in NY. He's one of the best, and has a phenomenal reputation. I have zero personal experience with him. But, his name came up during my research for my revision. Unfortunately, he was already in Europe when I was able to get my insurance stuff figured out for revisions. I liked his stats, his patient testimonials, and the sheer fact that he is a well rounded surgeon, not just for bariatrics. I did independent research as well on him as I did with many US and Mexico surgeons. And of course, there is the Weill Cornell Medical Hospital in NY, New York. Again, no personal experience, but their guidelines, stats, and reputation for bariatric procedures are well respected and documented. Best wishes in your research. I know one member here (bushidomaster) is having his surgery in NY, but I don't remember his surgeons name. You could find him through the member list at the top of the forum, and possibly shoot him a message.

Hi Bariatric Pals - Can any of you recommend some budget friendly Protein shake brands that taste good but will give me the best bang for my buck? I've tried and like the Premier Protein shakes (available at costco & some Walmart's), but I am wondering if anyone has been able to find a good tasting Protein Shake or powder mix that is a little more cost effective? I need to be able to afford it but I also need to be able to choke it down, I haven't been liking most of the powdered mixes I've been trying. I appreciate your suggestions and sharing what has been your favorite protein shakes for the best prices??? Many Thanks & Warm Hugs!