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I take stool softeners and if I get no relief from those I was informed by the Bariatric nurse to use fleet enema. Gross but relief within 5 mins. Bought some in bulk from costco. Actually for me constipation is the worst part of this surgery. Which is a small thing. I'll take a lil constipation in exchange for weight loss everyday of the week! Lol Sent from my Nexus S 4G using RNYTalk

I think those are what I took during the first month or so after surgery. I then switched to the soft chewables from Bariatric Advantage but only took those for a very short period of time. I now take a calcium citrate capsule that I get from Vitamin Shoppe and haven't had any problems. I've been taking them since October without any problems. They are only 250 mg so I take 2 capsules, 3 times a day. I also take Vitamin D in the morning as well. I hated the taste of the chewables!

My nut insisted on Citrate. Here is the one I buy/take: http://www.bariatricchoice.com/bariatric-advantage-bariatric-chewable-calcium-270ct.html

I pushed "post" too quickly!! Sorry!! At Bariatric Advantage I am on the auto ship plan....they send it automatically however often I specify, and therefore I get free shipping. There are 60 chews in each bag, and I take 4 per day. (1000 mg total) I have them send 2 bags at 9.99 monthly. So it costs me $20 per month.

You are doing great! It could be a little water retention. I buy those little crystal light drops and love them. Its ok to have that. There is no calories. The other thing I just got which might help you for when you get through surgery is NutriWise Protein drink enhancers. They are powder that you put in your water. 15 grams of protein so when you don't want a thing but have to get your liquid in - they are a life saver. I bought the Lemon Razzy and it was really good. I also purchased Bariatric Choice drink enhancers. The blue raspberry wasn't so good but the berry was really good. Also 15 grams of protein. I hope they help you. I bought them on Amazon. Can't wait to hear your good news - you're almost there!

It wouldn't hurt to call around to bariatric Drs near you and ask if they would do follow up care. I know a person that had hers done in Mexico and did find a group that was willing to provide follow up care for her here in the US You will need specific blood work done at regular intervals and bariatric surgeons are most familiar with what needs to be checked

My date is 10/19 and I am so ready since I have been working on this since 2013. I am not doing good on my pre-op diet because at the pre-op seminar with the surgeon he said that they found it doesn't matter if you do the diet or not. However, as I have been working with my Bariatric doctor that has always been the plan. My mind now has its own battle going on and the wrong side is winning.

I am very happy to be here and have enjoyed reading this site over the past few weeks. I would love to get down some of my thoughts and hear any feedback anyone has for me. I tend to write essays so I apologize for the length. I am scheduled to meet with a surgeon in two weeks. I also have the psych eval and nutritionist appointment as well as some medical tests that day. The hospital is almost two hours away so I'm packing as much as I can into each trip. I have bcbs fep so still have the 3 months supervised program which has not started. I weigh 278 and have been around this weight or higher (highest around 300) for at least 10 years. I am 35, normal weight as a young child but as soon as I hit puberty quickly became obese. I am not saying it is all genetic, but I know that is part of it. My parents and brother all suffered with obesity or morbid obesity. My brother had gastric bypass surgery several years ago, and to make a long story short he had complications, and died two years after the surgery at age 30. This was not from the surgery but was medically fragile since the surgery. My parents blame the surgery although I do not. They have made it clear that they would be very, very upset if I chose bariatric surgery. Despite this, I have considered this for years. I try to base most of my major decisions on good data. I know that long term weight loss in significant amounts (like, 100 lbs) is quite statistically improbable. I have successfully kept 20-30 lbs (back and forth in this range) off for 6 years. Despite that I am concerned about my health. I have high blood pressure and take three medications to maintain this. I am in the prediabetic range for blood sugar. I see my dad with worsening neuropathy from diabetes type 2 despite really hard work on a very low carb diet. My paternal grandpa lost 3 of his limbs from this disease before he died. Despite being fairly young my knees are starting to hurt when using stairs. I worry that I won't have very long ahead of me. I honestly have come to terms with how I look and while being thinner would be nice, that is not a major motivation for me. Sickness and early death from health consequences of morbid obesity terrifies me. I work full time as a clinical psychologist at a Veterans Affairs. The work is my passion and I would not want to do anything else. However it can be very stressful. It is also very cognitively and emotionally demanding and therefore exhausting while being super sendentary. My salary also supports my family (son and sahd husband). I have recurrent major depression. I am doing very well, taking medication and when needed connect back with therapy. I always live with the fear of depression relapse due to fear not being able to keep up at work and how hard the last one was on me and my family (4 years ago). Fears: will such low amounts of calories allow me to have sufficient cognitive energy to do my job well? Will the mood effects bring on another episode of depression? Should I hide having surgery to my parents, which feels dishonest, or tell them the truth and live with their anger and fear of losing their only remaining child? Will I be able to regularly engage in moderate exercise which honestly I haven't done since my early 20's? If you made it to the end, thank you. I don't expect answers to the above questions but feels good to tell them to people who might relate. Any thoughts welcome. Any experiences of going through this while maintaining a demanding job are appreciated.

@@raquel_c He said that technically, the sleeve and/or gastric bypass should have nothing to do with delivering a child - he said it might be a little more touchy if you get pregnant right away and have to deliver before your stomach has completely healed, but if you wait the recommended year, your stomach literally grows back together and around the staples - making them part of your body, basically. So he said natural birth shouldn't be a problem and never has been for any of his patients. He DID say though that after you have bariatric surgery, a lot of other doctors/surgeons are a little freaked out by you (go figure - I guess because not all doctors know everything that bariatric doctors do about the surgery?) and that could lead a doctor to want you to have a C section just to avoid "possible complications." Of course every doctor out there now days prefers C sections anyway because they can schedule them and it's "less of a hassle" or whatever ????

My pre-op diet is Bariatric Advantage protein powder shakes for 2 weeks. I can mix the powder with water, milk, or soy milk, and add fruit or greek yogurt if I wish. I can have 4-5 shakes per day, which works out to be about 1000-1200 calories per day. I can also have sugar-free clear liquids as I wish. From what I have read on the forums, the diet varies surgeon to surgeon. Some people do the shakes for 1 week, others, get to eat food but have to follow an Atkins diet.

Bariatric Eating has an unflavored Protein (it's called PURE) that is outstanding. Add it to broth---but stick to liquids if that is what you were told to do. My doctor has his patients start on pureed protein on Day Three--but there's no way of knowing if my doctor's surgical technique differs from yours. Your surgeon gave you instructions based on what he did to your body--and you need to follow them. Find a way to stick to it. (The bullets are made of protein that is not as bioavailable--readily used by the body---as whey protein isolate. It's better to find a low-volume whey protein option; bariatriceating.com's Inspire and PURE lines require just 4 oz. of liquid--and are very good. I happen to like them with more liquid--but that's just me. I drink the Dutch chocolate protein warmed and it's something I look forward to rather than dread--and I never wanted to see a protein shake again, either. These changed my mind.)

Hi All! I'm excited to say this is my first post. After a lifetime struggle of being overweight, I made the decision to have VSG. I'll be having surgery in Mexico this July. I've been doing my research and am motivated to keep myself accountable throughout my VSG journey. I have very little support in my personal life and understand it's an important resource to have throughout the journey. I am very happy to come across this ultra supportive site and thank you all that have contributed to the plethora of information available here. I was wondering if anyone could share advice/their story regarding their struggle with emotional eating and/or food addiction? How did you cope pre and post op? Any suggestions as to forums/support groups specifically dedicated for bariatric patients who struggle with emotional eating or food addiction? Thank you all and I look forward to getting to know the bariatricpal family!

Hello - I used East Coast Bariatrics - Dr. Joel Sabastein .He is in Daytona Beach. He and his office have been amazing. I was living far from the office at the time and his office was great about sending me to local doctor for some of the pre=op blood work and test or he scheduled multiply appointment so I was not travelling a lot. Now I live close to his office (which is why I went with him - I knew long term he would be closer to me) I have been VERY happy I was banned in Dec 2010. His office also offers monthly supports groups. Very supportive staff and a few on his team have also had different WLS so they exactly what you are going through. Good Luck!!

I have anthem as well and I'm required to do the 6 months. This is the final month....they will submit this week!!! I love Team Bariatrics....very easy to work with.

I drink right up to the time I eat. I wait 30 mins after to eat again. I posted the video (yes, Once again) For someone new to the site. A quick explanation that is outdated. I like the funnel demonstration. If I have have fluid with my meals. Hunger kicks in on me. All of us experience things with bariatrics differently.

Hi, My insurance with Wellmark went through in just one day. I am very pleased with them. I have had the best care with Dr. Teresa LaMaster's and her office team. She is with the Iowa Methodist bariatric center. I would love to share my experience with you if you want more informaiton. I had my surgery on August 14, 08 and have had 5 fills so far. I think one more fill and I will be right where I need to be. If you have any questions, just ask. carol

I am working on getting everything ready for the insurance company. I attended a 3 hour seminar, met with the surgeon and nutrionist, went to two appointments with a counselor, had my doctor send over 3 years of records, attended a bariatric support group. Now my bariatric surgeon wants a letter from my doctor to the insurance company. I am hoping this is the last step. The big thing your insurance company is looking for is information about diets and converstations your doctor has had with you in the past 3 years. Go for it. carol

Fortunately, I haven't met any of those kinds of doctors. I had surgery in Mexico, and have had excellent "regular priced" followup care from my PCP and gastroenterologist. And really, the only surgery related followup I've needed in the last year is bloodwork...don't need a bariatric specialist for that. The gastro got involved over a non-surgical issue, and he could care less if I had surgery in Mexico. In fact, he supported my choice of getting WLS despite it not being covered by my insurance. He said it was obvious my surgeon knew what he was doing and was impressed with the results.

You are killing it and never...NEVER let anyone discourage your fitness. I am in the gym 6 days a week. 3 of those are at a powerlifting gym. My life revolves around my workouts and my nutrition and I have encorporated It into my career. We are now bariathletes and should be damn proud of it. It’s much harder for us to temper our diet with our athletic performance. You are amazing and I am proud of you for what you have accomplished. Any time you wanna give powerlifting a try, just ask and I’ll bring you to my gym!!! If you want some info on nutrition and fitness as it pertains to Bariatric surgery, check out “Bariatric Strong” on YouTube. It’s a show all about just this!!! Keep it up!!!!

Hi Everyone! So I've been in this process since June, gotten all my blood work done for the sleeve, had my psych evaluation, met the surgeon, had my one nutrition visit and up to now I was so sure I wanted the sleeve! I'm an RN, and I'm doing my surgery in my hospital system just another hospital! I happen to speak to the Bariatric Coordinator at my hospital and she told me DO THE BYPASS! If you're going to have he surgery done, get it done right the first time! She was explaining to me that she's seen the results with the sleeve and they're not as great as the bypass! She also mentioned that the long term results are much better with the bypass! So me as a nurse, I'm taking everything she said into consideration but now I'm stuck and I don't know what to do! My BMI is 46 and and I don't have any comorbities. I explained to her that I'm terrified of dumping syndrome. She also went on to tell me that having dumping syndrome is GOOD because it will remind you to not eat that food again and it will keep you from being in a hospital! Has anyone else gone through this last minute? Was it an issue for insurance purposes? Did you have to change your surgery date? My surgery date is scheduled for October 6! Please any insight will help! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I found the pot of goal this afternoon. I was just out and about and came across a pizza restaurant with a full bariatric menu... Georgina's Pizzaria in Morrisville, NC. I ordered two meatballs with marinara for less that $5. The meatballs were probably large enough to make two meals (I haven't had my surgery yet so I was able to eat both). Taste great. They have a regular menu as well.

I am in Chicago, getting my surgery at Little Company of Mary Hospital - the Midwestern Bariatric Institute which is a " Center of Excellence".

I just bought the Fresh Start Bariatric Cookbook (there is s kindle version on Amazon) and I love it already!

See if your surgeon's office has another surgeon they can refer you to as a back-up. If not, get in touch with your primary care doc. If your primary care doc can't help or you don't have one, you might consider an ER visit -- if you can, choose an ER with a hospital that has a bariatric surgery practice. Your surgeon's office really ought to be able to help you with possible post-op complications. "The surgeon's away for several days, sorry, we got nothing" is not an acceptable response IMO. At the very least they ought to have an NP on staff who could check you out. Now, I am not saying that you *do* have a complication -- pain and a lump at an incision site seems to be relatively normal -- but my surgeon definitely wanted me to get seen if anything was getting worse rather than better.

To those lurking this thread, bariatric surgeons regularly and strongly advise WLS women patients and their partners to use not just one, but two forms of birth control for 12-18 months post-op. Apparently, the rapid weight loss makes women who are still menstruating more fertile. I don't know why. But it does.