Search the Community

I'm 7 weeks out and had a lot of trouble with bariatric Vitamins. In the hospital, they gave me Flintstone Chewables, and they went down much easier. I've been using them ever since. I've tried to go back to bariatric ones, but they still make me gag. Maybe if I tried to chew half at a time it would be better. Anyway, the Flintstone work for me, so that's my go-to for the time being. Hope this helps. All the best!

I could be wrong, but isn't there a forum here on Bariatric Pal that is for family issues like this? Look around; maybe you can find some help/ideas there too. It sure sounds like you are ready to make this change in your life, and of course you want to respect your daughter's feelings and concerns. I attend a lot of support groups where the subject often comes up where a spouse or other family member is opposed to the surgery. What most often happens is that post-surgery, when they see how much the quality of life of their loved one has improved, that pre-op opposition/apprehension is resolved. My wish for you and your daughter is that you both can arrive at a peace together with this, pre-surgery, so that you both feel comfortable and look forward to the joy that WLS will bring into your life.

I started the Bariatric Advantage Multivitamin Chewy - I feel nauseous right after taking one.... anyone else the same? Do you get use to it? Or is it better to switch vitamins?

I just Googled, "Bariatric suicide." Apparently there is a small but significant increase in suicide among post-bariatric surgery people. I know that is not what anyone wants to hear. But, doctors want to know before hand if their potential patient has any underlying psychological problems, hence, the psych evaluation. The details are too involved for me to go into here. Apparently, some people eat because they are depressed and when that option is taken away by bariatric surgery, they have no coping skills and abilities. We all should go for psychological help if we need it. We all need support groups and visits with our nutritionists. Can't hurt!

HAD MY SLEEVE- 12-27- 3 DAYS POST-OP- The surgery was at 1:30pm on tuesday- I remember being wheeled into the operating room- it was cold- the nurse introduced me to the staff...like was I supposed to remember their names...was there a quiz later???? Well, after that I was out like a light remember waking up as they were moving me from recovery to my room. Lots of chest pains- thought I was having a heart attack- they gave me nitro pills under my tongue and dilauden for pain. Really bad the 1st three days- heavy acid and pain, everywhere- couldn't stay in the bed- slept in the chair for 2 nights. got more x-rays- too swollen liquid not going down- xray doctor concerned. my doctor- not. finally this morning I got steroids for the swelling- by 2pm felt like a new person. Why couldn't I have gotten them yesterday? went home at 5pm with dilauden, vicodin, zocor, lavaxor?- daily blood thinner injection. and 2 things for acid reflux. some nurses were great- others were ok- some were downright idiots- I thought there were too many nurses with degrees- how they found these few morons I don't know- i.e. bariatric floor- she gives me a straw and tells me to take big gulps so the pressure of the Water will flow through- are you kidding me???? or one tells me to lie flat on my stomach to push out the gas (incisions and all!). and fyi I didn't ask for anything...stayed very low key. So far- best day I have had. Very supportive family- came home to crystal light, broth and diet Jello all lined up for me and all of my medicines in a daily pill box. After going through this I don't know if I would recommend it yet- will keep u updated/

I only told my husband and my best friend when I had my lap band. I had to tell more people when I had the revision because it was not planned and we had to accomodate kids, job, and etc. So I ended up having to tell my manager and my mother and another friend. You will find out that this is NOT the easy way out and in time you might be comfortable telling people you had weight loss surgery. The truth is that you will be losing the weight from diet and exercise. As far a not working out until 6 weeks that is not what my surgeon had me do. I was expected to be up walking the day I got home. I was up walking the hospital the entire 5 days I was in post op (mostly my choice because I was paranoid about getting blood clots). I wasn't allowed to lift weight for 4 weeks but I bet you will be exercising right away. It is your journey so do it how you feel comfortable. I even told a few people that I decided to follow a bariatric diet to support my friend having a lap band (my friend was having the lap band so it was partially true and that explained all the protein shakes. LOL

GamerGirl, you're so right about that one. After considerable academic research, discussions with some of the best in the business and which requires to be thrust in your rheumatologist's face immediately, is the undeniable fact that diets don't work. That everyone is pre-programmed to be a certain weight in our brains and all our yo-yo dieting has done, is to deplete our muscle mass and wreck our metabolisms. Does the weight come back after a few years post bariatric surgery? Yeah, it can do, I concede that. However, I believe we have the tool and it's up to us to use it. My Nutritionist said that I would lose 85% of my excess, gain about 20-30% and will level out. Even with those stats I was elated. I am NOT trying to look like Kate Moss here. Febi, for what it's worth and in my humble opinion? If you don't want the negative, don't give them the ammo. I know you felt obliged to share it with your boss - but in all honesty and based on UK employment regs; unless you're taking significant amounts of time away and not correctly accounting for it, the specifics of your medical care, is not really their business. As for the other people you're intending to tell? You already know what they're going to be like, so is it worth it? I know some people might truly surprise you. However, you know these folks and I would say trust your instincts. If you know they're going to give you a hard time, is it worth wishing for them to be caring and sharing, when all they'll end up doing is making you feel like crap? Just a thought. Wishing you the best of luck with everything to come. We'll all be here to listen when you need to get it off your chest. We're all pretty good at that! x

amf1025, Well, he had the lap band for 13 years. He did lose 100#. But his starting weight at the time was 515#s. The Surgeon said he wasn't strong enough for the RNY. Which wasn't true because at the time he was still driving log truck and long haul trucking. He was 50yo. So after the surgery, they kept having problems putting in the fill and finally ruptured the port. Back into a day surgery got that fixed. So in 2013 it malfunctioned and he couldn't hold anything down. The VA suggested that he see a Bariatric Surgeon which we did. they said he needed to have the band removed. And they would do the revision at that time to an RNY. When they got in there the band had eroded into his liver. They couldn't do the revision but removed his band and gallbladder (due to him having stones) they told him that in 3 months when he was healed they would do the RNY. He ended up getting abscesses and was deathly sick for 9 months and 3 months he doesn't even remember. So now he is healed up so we go back to the Surgeon, he tell us he won't do the WLS because he said, he was a "PROBLEM CHILD". But he did refer him to another surgeon in Portland Oregon. Now they would do his surgery when he lost 25#'s and got his A1C (he is diabetic) down to a 7 or 8. Which if he lost weight his blood sugars would go high and if his blood sugars were down he gained weight. He just couldn't get it done. So then we get the news that he has Cancer on his kidney. Which the VA didn't tell us for 3 years. Now he has to lose 150#'s before they can do anything about the kidney cancer. So then we get the money up and off to Mexico we went. On June 3, 2013 he has surgery and is supposed to get the RNY. When they got in there they found that his whole right side is solid scar tissue. They can't do the RNY so he gets the Sleeve. So here we are now he has lost 60#'s but just can't seem to get any more off. This could have all been avoided if the first surgeon would have done the RNY. When he was strong enough to go thru it. They gave him 4 years if they can't do anything about the Cancer. Maybe 2 good years but the last 2 would be HELL!!! It has been a year already. Now I just found the KETO diet so I'm going to try it. We are both going to do it. You can do it to lose or to maintain. I feel like if I can do it wth him it might make it a little easier on him. I feel almost desperate like time is running out for us. So this is how the Lap-Band has been for him. Plus we have heard that most Dr.'s don't do them hardly, but the do many revisions. Please think hard before making your mind up on which way to go. Good luck!!

And their insurance paid for it. My insurance excludes all bariatric surgery, but covers things like blood work.

I am currently trying to find out the projected out of pocket cost for my surgery next week, but am having problems getting the correct price! My doctor is Dr. Kenneth Hollis at Bay Choice Bariatrics at Southeast Memorial Hospital in Houston. He did my friend's surgery, and she was very happy with him, so I am using him. I have Cigna. Send me a message in about a week or so, and I should have the correct figures for you. Or if I find out soon, I'll post back here.

Hey, I am waiting for my appointment with my bariatric doctor thats nxt week but in the mean time I wanted to be productive. I had an appointment with the sleep doctor. She ordered a sleep study for me. Im wondering if they say I have sleep apnea will it delay the process for my surgery, will I have to be on the machine for a certain period of time before I can have the surgery? Just curious as to how this works. Thanx for the advice!

1) Area of USA-North Carolina 2) Price with and without fluoro-$250 in-office non-flouro, $300 + about $400 hospital charge for flouro (prices may not be current) 3) Type of Provider, (MD, APN etc)-Bariatric Surgeon, but does NOT do bands (Dr Gonzales in Winston-Salem) 4) Is that provider a "bandster? Nope

My Dr is good I think - saw him ONCE for the consultation. His Bariatric Coordinator is NOT however. She literally rolls her eyes when talking so fast I have to ask her to repeat things 3 times! I was told "call anytime" but can never reach her and if I can, she gets off the phone before I'm done asking questions - hangs up on me literally! So I am looking elsewhere. I know this will delay my surgery date but oh well. I have all the referrals/recommendations,; don't know if Dr has approved it and if it was sent in to Insurance for their approval or not. Don't know ANYTHING> One person at office changed my 2nd Dr appt for the 3rd time, to 2 weeks away and said "have you done your weigh-ins yet?" WHATweigh-ins? No one said anything about THAT! She said, you'd better talk to Gina, the B. Coordinator, and I said yeah right, like she ever calls me back... So it's time to get another surgeon /practice I think. Any comments? Is this typical? Should I follow my "gut" - pun intended - and move on? Hate to postpone surgery but really this is not good! I am 5' tall with BMI of 40 at 206 lb and 3 co-morbidities. Need to get this resolved!

My pre approval journey began on 3/11/11 with a phone call to Moncrief Army Community Hospital. My first appointment was scheduled for 3/7/11. I had appointments with the Bariatric Surgeon, the Psychologist, the Nutritionist and the Physician that would follow me after surgery. I had my last appointment on 3/14/11 . On 3/16/11 a meeting was held with everyone on the team whom I met with concerning me as a probable candidate for wls. They all found that I was an excellent candidate. On 3/17/11 I was contacted and given a surgery date of 4/11/11. I was ready for this. I was prepared both mentally and physically. I had already gotten a referral from my Primary Care Physician, attended two weight loss seminars, and had been researching on the internet for about 4 months. At my appointments I understood when they used Bariatric terms and I was able to respond when asked questions. My process was quite quick as I am aware that it takes some people months to get an approval. All that I am saying is that doing reasearch on sites such as this one was very informative to me. It made it even more easy for the team to make their expert recomendation. I am truly blessed to have been given this opportunity. Although wls won't rid me of Fibromyalgia, it will aid in relief to my joints and assist me with dropping some of these meds. I am so ready to be healthy once again. Please pray for me and support me through my journey. Thank you for all of your post, they are quite helpful.

Most of the major bariatric Protein companies offer sample/variety packs and I highly recommend order those first. I absolutely HATE About Time and Syntrax nectar but most people love them, and your taster really does change after surgery!

Hi I'm new here. I've had 3 months of weigh ins. I'm not sure if I have to have 6 or 9. I've been told two separate things from my Insurance company and the bariatric coordinator. Does anyone here have Humana that knows how long the wait is? I'm in Ky if that matters. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Well, I have been on this site since my PCP referred me to the Bariatric Clinic at Loyola University in August. My day has FINALLY come. I have to be at surgery intake at 5:30 in the morning 12/23/2013. I am the first surgery of the day. Doctor said I will probably be discharged on Tuesday evening or Christmas morning. My insurance - BCBS Federal generously pre-approved up to five days! Hopefully, I won't need them. So far on the pre-op diet and 7 days of liquid diet, I have lost 27 pounds. I can't wait for this time next year to see how different my health and life will be. Happy holidays to all of you......see you on the other side. So, cover me...I'm going in.

I have a medicare replacement policy through United Healthcare. Upon coverage verification I was required to go to a Bariatric Center of Excellence, have a nutritional and psychological consult prior to submission of the request for surgery. ($334 for those two visits combined not covered because there is no DSM-IV coding) My total out of pocket is $1,080 which is the $334 (mentioned before), $500 program fee and I believe a fill or two.

My surgeon has all his patients start taking bariatric level of vitamins 2 weeks before surgery to build up stores of them, because it's often hard for people to get in all the vitamins they need immediately after surgery.

I saw my rheumatologist today who is very happy about the weight I lost. But he says he doesn't recommend the surgery to patients because he'd rather they do it on their own, since the results from bariatric surgery are not that great long-term. Not that great? how about better than without the surgery?? This from a physician who should know better. Then he says "ALL the surgery did for you was restrict your intake." I looked at his skinny body and thought of asking him how many people did he know that could eat 600-700 calories day after day with an intact stomach, and then thought ..... Meh. I don't care what he thinks. He has no idea what I live through. Whatever. And so I moved on and stayed happy! You may have to do the same thing.

Check out Bariatric Surgeon Profile - Guillermo Alvarez M.D. Guillermo Alvarez M.D. Dr. Guillermo Alvarez: Gastric Sleeve (VSG) & Lap-Band® 112 Rodrigo Andalon St. Suite A Piedras Negras I met a woman from Illinois who went to him. She and her husband had nothing but good to say about him and his staff. They showed us pictures and explained everything to us. I also sent messages to many other people on OH who used him. I received about 17 responses, and every one of them said wonderful things about him. If I were going to go to Mexico, I would choose him. I know he checks for leaks before releasing you from the hospital; then you stay at a hotel in the states for 2-3 more days; then he has you come back in and checks for leaks again before you go home. The hotel and transportation back and forth from the hotel and hospital is included in his price, which was $10,500 when I last checked.

Ask your surgeon's office if they have a bariatric card, Most restaurants honor them and will give you smaller portioned meals. honestly, i never used mine.

I was self pay and went out of my area for surgery - I selected a local bariatric surgeon who took me on as a patient even though she didn't perform the surgery. I pay $120 for my visits with her. For me, it was important to have aftercare and follow up visits with her. I wanted to have a local resource where I can go to make sure what I'm feeling is normal and she can look at my bloodwork and determine if anything is wrong. I get the blookwork requirements from the surgeons office, then have my primary care doctor order the bloodwork so my insurance will pay (they have to code it as anything other than weight loss for the insurance to cover). I then take my results to the surgeon. That has saved me about $1400 this year. In the end, as with everything else with this journey, you need to do what's best for you. I feel like I get a value from my surgeon's visits and I really like what she offers.

I recommend checking out two of my favorite blogs - the world according to eggface & bariatric foodie. Both gals had rny & are several years out & have good recipes & lots of helpful info. I bought two or three books with with bariatric recipes but they don't really fit my lifestyle (I'm not a gourmet chef - lol). Most recipes I've tried & liked came from the above blogs or Pinterest.

I would give the Dr. office a call, you have nothing to lose. I have had paperwork misplaced. I am impatient also, but I think by now you should have an answer. Can you check the insurance company activity on line? I know I can access all of my BCBS info on line. Unfortunately in SC they don't pay for any bariatric surgery. Luckily I am eligible for medicare because of my MS and there isn't any pre authorization required. I was scheduled for 7/23 but just got a great new job working for an airline so I postponed it until 9/3 after vacation season is over...... I can't wait!! Good Luck!!