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Just read ur post and was curious who did ur surgery? I live in upstate SC (Liberty) & went to Bariatric Solutions in Greenville, SC. I had RNY 10/10/11 & have had only a few complications. My sister went to a surgeon in Spartanburg & is disabled from seizures as well. She had a PICC line that got infected & they think that affected her brain. You are right, the psychiatric ramifications are a huge part of the surgery. They really don't focus on that as much as they should, which is a shame. Hope things get better for you. I will keep u in my prayers. -Mandy

Dear Anita, Boy that is bad luck. I must say having seen thousands of people with the band, this level of complication I have not seen. The weight gain you have experienced may be due to the frustration and feeling let down by the whole process. I would hope that your Dr is giving some extra TLC. Keep at it and be extra patient until the process gets started. IN the mean time gain some control back in your life by focusing on what you can have control over. I think being active does wonders for your mind set, that includes fresh air. Good luck Bariatric Dietitian Helen Bauzon Welcome to globalgastricbandsolutions.com.au

Yep, I am having the same issue. I go see my PCP on Friday and I'm going to tell the nurses they need to use the same scale every time they weigh me because they have been using different ones AND especially since it is being recorded for bariatric surgery. It's never been 21 lbs off though

I take over-the-counter Centrum vitamins. My nutritional lab blood work results are all perfect. There's no way I'd pay the extra money for bariatric vitamins unless I had a procedure with some malabsorption such as a distal bypass or a duodenal switch.

There are many insurance companies that have a bariatric exclusion in the policy due to the contract your employer has with the insurance company. It doesn't matter if it's BCBS, Aetna, Cigna, UHC, or Joe Blow down the street, your employer negotiated the contract with the company. If there is an exclusion it will not be covered even if you can prove medical necessity. There are lawyers that will take the case and try to get it covered but that often is a long process and still no guarantee. I work for UHC and it is excluded, therefore I am self- paying. Hope this helps!

Hi Teresa, I'm not sure where you were banded, or which area you live in. Your band profile says one thing, but your surgeon info says another. I'm across the Sound from you (I think.) Have you asked your surgeon's office about support groups? Some will have their own group, or a counselor you can talk with about things. If you happen to be military, you may be able to ask Madigan Hospital or your primary physician if there are any groups they can recommend in your area. If you're actually in Bellingham, give a call to Dr. Walt Medlin's office - he runs a support group that is open to any bariatric patient. When I attended a meeting last year, it was all bypass patients, but they were very welcoming. If you can't find any place to go to, post your questions here. There are lots of folks at LBT who have been right where you are. Don't be afraid to ask for assistance. After I was banded I had a period when I was wondering what the heck I'd done to myself. I was sore and feeling pretty sorry for myself. I could only drink a little bit of Fluid at a time, and I was feeling pretty much on my own. I was mourning the loss of being able to eat like I had pre-surgery. But I had read about so many band success stories, I knew I had to just dig in my heels and follow through with the plan I'd started for myself. Within a few weeks my discomfort was gone, I was back to eating real food (from a bandster's perspective,) and I was up and around like normal. My biggest life journey had finally gotten started. And I have never looked back. Six months later I am well down the road toward my goal, and I am absolutely delighted. Nothing I have ever done for myself has been as rewarding. Hang in there. It does get better. Good luck! Dave

This is nerve-wracking, but I see I am not alone!.....I'm just over 40 also and my insurance is requiring 6-months doctor supervised dieting....and of course they have not said what weight they will go by. I don't have my first phone consult with the insurance's bariatric nurse for 3 weeks. Hopefully I can find someone on here that went through that with the insurance I have. Good luck to everyone!

I think the first step is as @@Bandista suggests. If you need bigger guns after that, there is a law firm in the U.S. that works for people in your situation. You'll find it by googling Walter Lindstrom Attorney. The name of the firm mentions WLS or bariatrics or obesity. You can't miss it. I'm only providing the name, as I've never heard from anyone whom they actually represented. I believe they work nationally. (There may be others, too.) If you do contact the firm, please let me/us know what they say. I may be in the same situation you're in. Best wishes to you.

Thank you for your comments. Beef is back on the menu six months after surgery for our patients at The Center for Bariatrics at Bailey Medical Center. We understand that some patients can tolerate beef earlier than what is recommended by our guidelines. Beef is no more special a Protein source than other meats like poultry, fish, seafood or pork. It does have more Iron than the other meats, which might help a patient whose iron stores are low. Beef is an option if you can tolerate it. This really speaks to customizing your meal plan to what works best for the patient.

So I'm thinking about giving up on my insurance fight and just switching to self-pay. I had a slipped band over a year ago. It took 6 months to get the insurance company (Fed BCBS) to finally agree to remove the band but they denied a revision to VSG stating it wasn't medically necessary because my BMI was under 35. I submitted an appeal to the Federal Office of Personnel Management in October for what was supposed to be a 60 day appeal. They "lost" my case and had to start over. Then they closed it because they didn't understand I was asking for a revision and not some sort of random partial gastrectomy. They finally sent it out for review but it sounds like they didn't select a bariatric surgeon because the answer last week came back that it isn't medically necessary because my weight isn't over a 40 BMI. The told my attorney to wait for the report and then call and talk to the nurse but I haven't heard back yet. At this point it's been almost 7 months since I submitted the appeal. This has been going on for so long I'm almost back to my original weight. If I had it to do over again I'd have done a self-pay revision with Dr. Aceves right from the start. Heck, I'd be at my goal weight by now. I just don't have it in me to keep this up. I went ahead and requested a surgery date with Dr. Aceves and put first-class airline tickets on hold on my miles. I can't think what hoops the insurance company would have next. They just don't get that the standard of care for a revision doesn't require you to regain all your weight first. I could go forward with the surgery and then sue them after the fact but I'm not sure it's worth the mental energy after all this. I had some old Microsoft stock lying around and it's almost enough for the surgery. I'm thinking that I'll never miss the money and can just get on with my life. I don't want to self-pay up here because it's really expensive and they don't cover complications like Dr. Aceves does. I could be down there next weekend having this done and just moving on. Thoughts? I could use some additional input... Thanks! Britt

Hi. I’m also having surgery on monday. I’m in the uk but more than happy to chat.... bariatric surgery is less common here, so any shared tips/emotions/tears/laughs are greatly received. X

Howdy y'all, I discovered this forum when I would Google questions I was feeling and this seemed like a great supportive community to participate in while I go on my adventure. I'm currently 2 days post-surgery (had my bariatric sleeve done on the 11th) and was wondering if you guys had any advice for a newbie like me? Something you had wished you had known before. My current set up is I have a timer for an hour to ensure I hydrate and at the second hour I go for a short walk in my apartment hallways to avoid blood clots, shake down any gas still in me, etc. Currently, think I'm out of the weeds with the gas pains (though my shoulders still feel a little crunchy when I massage it, if that makes sense lol) and now just suffering from the abdominal pain from the main incision but I have my pain reliever for that when needed. But I am struggling to walk as I'm just shuffling my feet and hurts to reach for stuff, anyone know a good timeline to expect this to be lessen? I appreciate any helpful advice and guidance y'all might bestow upon me.

I have gotten better as the time has progressed. My energy I slower than before and I think they are giving me gas! I am on the Bariatric Advantage Meal Replacements.

Thank you so much. I just tell you life like this is very hard and it infuriates me when people tell me "Oh you went the easy route" no way shape OR form is gastric bypass easy. It messes with you emotionally, physically, spirtually..basically completely! I'm going the 10th to see what is supposed to be a very good bariatric surgeon. My lower half seems fine now, but its the upper I guess where the stint is. My spasims are so severe they feel like a heaart attack. It's horrible. I can truly honestly understand why suicide rates are so high due to this surgery. It's horrible. I'm probably scaring all these poor people to death, but i'm just trying to be honest and show you all that not everyone wakes up off that table "healed." Obesity is a disease something we all have to figure out ourselves. How why when did we get this way and then comes the hard part accepting you did it yourself...no matter how hard you try to deny it. Trust me I did it. Advice to those having surgery. Listen to your bodies you hear full, you stop walk away. Learn to eat things you thought you never would. Tofu is my favorite and your going to laugh but dehydrated vegies are also my favorite. I can't drink any milk because I became lactose intolerant afterwards. Be careful and listen to your body please. i have a friend who is the same amount of time out of surgery as I and she's already gained back. I teeter between 124-133 and have since 2011. 5 years post op and saying that I feel is a big thing. I'd like to see the ones having surgery come back wih the same success stories. I wish you luck and if you need me just hollar. Thanks yall

I was sleeved 10/16... I eat pretty randomly so bare with me . Today I had a half of a double tall skinny peppermint mocha from Starbucks on my way to work. Mid-morning snack I'm currently having peppered turkey breast from the deli. For lunch I'm having 1-2 oz of deli chicken, a mini babybel light, and a triscuit (yes one). I will get home late tonight because I have an appointment after work so before I leave work at around 3:30/4 I'm going to have a sugarfree tapioca pudding mixed with unflavored Protein powder. I probably won't eat dinner tonight because of my late night - I'll most likely go home and drink a Protein shake. As for ideas... my usual go to lunch is deli meat and cheese on a triscuit (I call it the bariatric sandwich ) or deli meat smeared with laughing cow light and no triscuit - sometimes I microwave it for a change. Dinner, I eat whatever I serve my family - I just get only a taste of the sides and fill up on meat first.

Well I put in an order for a Terrific Tuesday, but let's see what I can do to insure that! This is an every- other-day week for me. Yesterday was Urology. My former urologist Dr Clemens decided to confine his practice to Franklin County and Columbus so I now belong to his partner, Dr Jed Henry. Seems very nice, a little older(42) than Dr Clemens but still young enough to be my kid. That happens a lot when you're 73. Going to call me back on Wednesday with a proper antibiotic instead of prescribing an antibiotic willy- Billy. Said I don't like the color and consistency of your urine, well Duh, I don't either, and that's why I came in. We had a good laugh at the expense of my PCP who told me last Thursday he would give me a 5 day script for Microbid and never faxed it over to Wal-Mart, my usual pharmacy. If I knew he was gonna forget, I should have asked for a hand-written script, He's only 50 or so, young for senility, maybe a transient stupid attack? Wednesday I also go over to my local hospital, Knox Community aka the "Band-Aid Station" dubbed this by the Columbus hospitals. They have a habit of treating what they want and sending the rest by land or helicopter transport to Columbus. Hence the sarcasm. When I was getting ready for my endoscopy on April 12th, the anesthesia doctor had a low-grade hissy because she heard a Frank heart murmer. Had my PCP. talked with me about it? Well he MIGHT have mentioned it but I thought it was mild, functional and probably part of aging. She still was a less' than- happy - camper, would not let her resident do my sedation, did it herself, and must have sent a little note to PCP because I got more cardiac testing tomorrow at 1 pm. Oh Happy Happy Joy 😂 Joy! Then on Friday I see my ENT, Dr Suzie Helming, she is a really sweet person. I have had a noticable huskiness coming over my voice, usually a high alto/low soprano quality. Now I think I sound like Lauren Bacall & why is this? Is it the culmative effect of all those years of Gerd, is my recently found thyroid nodule pressing on a vocal cord, could it have some sort of heredity basis, my late Mama was also husky- sounding the last few years of her life( died 16 years ago at 87, I was 57 then) or could it be something else? Saw her hubby Dr Jarrett, the orthopaedic surgeon, he did my 1st knee in 2014. Asked why I was sitting outside the office building on a bench, told him about going to visit his wife on Friday, we joked about that I didn't have to go to such lengths to see here, he had pictures on his wallet of her and the kids. Their daughter Charleigh is petite like her, but poor child, she otherwise looks just like her daddy. Maybe she'll outgrow it? Must going to be 3 in June, and their son Dylan, gosh I do not see a resemblance to either of them. The last picture I saw of him, he looked like Suzie had gone somewhere for Donor IVF, maybe he resembles Suzie's Dad or Jarrett's Mama? Funny how genes work! One of the cousins, Brandee, on late hubby side, spitting image of their Aunt Lois, but her grandma Aunt Woneta and Aunt Lois looked nothing alike. My hubby was the son of the oldest sister Faye, then came Aunt Ruth ,Aunt Lois and lastly Aunt Woneta. If you saw them on the street, didn't know them, you would never suspect they were sisters. So we Will see how this week pans out. And next week on the 30th I go to Columbus to be seen at the Bariatric Clinic , my paperwork says I see Dr Noria, my surgeons partner, but one of the nurses I spoke to the other day said No I merely see Valerie the head Nurse- Practitioner. Well no big thing either way! In the meantime celebrating being down to 228 from alk- time high of 365+, I say + because I got to the point I would not get on a scale unless you jabbed me with a sharpened stick. Knew all scales carried a grudge and wouldn't say anything nice about me! Suffice it to say my BMI was in the 50s and now it's mid 30s and lowering by the day! Yippee Skipee Yahoo!👍😝👍🍀🌈

Ok so tonight I sat down to watch The Biggest Loser, whilst I sipped on my yummy chicken stock soup. There was a bit where the trainer got a bit heated with 2 contestants because they were under eating; having 825 calories instead of 1400. He went on to say they were destroying their bodies by dropping their calories so low and the body will only hold on to their fat, they won't lose it but they will lose muscle and they will go into starvation mode etc.... Basically he was saying they won't lose weight, they will lose muscle and destroy their bodies... Now I've managed about 600 calories on liquids today and even that was a bit of a mission! I'm wondering how our bodies react with the little calories we take in and whether it's different with us because we do have smaller stomachs and that may send different signals to our bodies. However, I've never (on a diet) had less than 1200 calories so this is a bit to get used to. Any thoughts on this topic? I do trust the bariatric team around me and know they wouldn't let us under eat. However, that trainer scared me a little!

I bought the Bariatric Advantage because my surgeon's office uses them, but as long as you get chewable/meltable vitamins/supplements in the dosages recommended by your surgeon, then you should be fine. Shop around.

I’ve been watching the show for a long time as well and I really didn’t always believe everything was real, but after joining this app/forum I have read so many of the same traits...the struggle is just real...my heart goes out to most of them, some on the show are just stubborn, set in their ways and don’t want help. Now the Asanti family wow...serious issues beyond. Smh I love Dr. Naw 👏🏽 tough love Btw: it was funny because when I went to my first Bariatric appt with my team and they had the same scale with the handles, it reminded me of Dr. Naws office lol

Hi all, This is my first topic post here. So hi!! Tomorrow I see Dr. Long at the Bariatric and Metabolic Center in Parker, CO for my first consultation. I've been researching doctors and bariatric centers in my area for about 3 months now. I've chosen to look at Dr. Long first because he is highly reviewed on healthgrades.com, Cigna, Yelp, and Google. I think the average comes out to 4.8/5.0 stars with close to 300 reviews. So he sounds pretty decent. His office staff have been really nice any time I have talked to them on the phone. I'm excited and nervous. I've made a fairly good list of questions. I'm going to be self-pay as my insurance does not cover it, and will not even with an appeal. I have asked multiple times in multiple ways. So it's good and bad. I don't have to deal with the headache of insurance and their hoops. I get to have my surgery sooner but am spending a lot of money. I'm lucky in that I have some very supportive friends and family. With only one or two exceptions most everyone has been supportive. Some don't understand, but they ask questions to at least try. How have you guys dealt with family and friends who only focus on the potential side-effects of surgery though?

Someone told me to do this if insurance ever denied a procedure. Apparently the boards that make these decisions aren't doctors. 1. Who made the decision? 2. Are they Hippa certified? (Very imp ????) 3. Can I see their certifications? Insurance resubmitted the paperwork and they were approved. I don't think it was regarding bariatric surgery, but I wrote them down just in case. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Just had my sleeve done with Dr. Elias Ortiz at his Bariatric center in Tijuana. 2 nights in the hospital, 3 nights in the Grand Hotel Tijuana, shuttles to and from the San Diego airport. Wanted for nothing the entire stay. Was wonderfully cared for! $4500.

I am scheduled to have VSG on 9/21 with Dr. Illan. He is one of the best bariatric surgeons in Mx. and comes HIGHLY recommended. He has a provate FB group for patients that he, his nutritionist, and his patients t coordinator are heavily engaged in. I scheduled about 6 weeks ago and have been extremely impressed with the process. Cost for VSG is $4900, which includes valet to and from the airport, pre-op testing, surgery, 2 nights at the hospital, hotel for 1 night, meds, etc. The only thing not covered is my flight and the extra night I'll be staying at the hotel (by choice). If you're considering medical tourism, I definitely recommend Dr. Illan and Hospital BC. Sent from my SM-A205U using BariatricPal mobile app

It's understandable to second guess yourself. I tried for years to lose the weight on my own, but it'd take me a YEAR to lose 20 pounds and a month to gain it back with interest when I gave up out of frustration. Eventually I had to face facts. I wouldn't be around to watch my nieces grow up if I didn't do something about my weight. I was 389 pounds when I finally decided to look into bariatric surgery. I'd been coming up with excused for YEARS as to why it wasn't for me. Truth was I didn't believe I'd have the willpower to stick with it. But, surprisingly, it's been relatively smooth. There was this one girl in my bariatric surgeons office that comes to mind when you talk about backing out. She went through the whole process THREE times! She got right up to her surgery date and backed out and had to start all over again. I was talking to her in the surgeons office before my pre-surgery appointment and asked her why she'd go through all that and then not have the surgery. She said she was scared and then asked me why I didn't seem to be. I told her I'd gone through a much scarier surgery so this was like a walk in the park by comparison. I honestly don't know if she went through with it that time or if she's going though the process for a FOURTH time. Clearly she wanted to lose the weight, but the unknown of the surgery was terrifying to her. The unknown can be a really scary, I get that. But think of how much better you'll feel losing that extra 80 pounds. Who cares what your PCP thinks (vanity? pfft, a 37 BMI is still obese and your PCP is a friggin' MORON!) or if your mother doesn't approve, this is YOUR life and YOUR body! The surgery will help you become a healthier YOU! In the end though, the choice is still very much your own. Whether you go the conventional dieting route or the WLS route is still your decision and no one else's. Maybe write out a list of pro's and con's. Or read success stories to pump yourself up. Either choice you make, I wish you the best.

Is it true that weight loss with the band is basically the same as weight loss with a diet? And if it is, why have surgery at all? From time to time, a bandster will comment (sometimes in the context of a complaint, sometimes just in surprise or confusion) that weight loss with the band is basically the same as weight loss with a diet. They’re disappointed by this. They expected WLS to make weight loss easier than it is with dieting, and while that's true, it's only part of weight loss success. They may hold the mistaken belief that the band itself is what causes weight loss, but that’s not true either. The band is just a piece of plastic. Although it’s inside the patient’s body, it does not directly affect the way nutrients from food are ingested or metabolized. It releases no weight loss instructions into the patient’s bloodstream, nervous system, or endocrine system. It doesn’t directly affect the patient’s eating behavior or exercise habits. It doesn’t compel the patient to make good food choices, limit portion sizes, eat slowly, or resist the urge to graze or binge because of boredom, stress, cravings, etc. After reading that long list of what the band doesn’t do, you may be thinking that it’s a mighty expensive and not very helpful weight loss tool. Why go through the risk, trouble and expense of WLS when you could achieve the same results with plain old dieting? HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL? Here’s some news that may shock you: I lost 100% of my excess weight by dieting after my band surgery. My dietitian gave me a food plan to follow, and I followed it. It never occurred to me to do otherwise or to complain about that because my bariatric team had made it clear that I, not my band, was going to have to make some significant lifestyle changes in order to succeed. It wasn’t until after the excess weight was gone, after a big unfill to treat an irritated esophagus and stoma (after swallowing a large, corrosive antibiotic capsule), that I realized how much my band had been helping me by reducing my appetite and giving me early (if not always prolonged) satiety. I had been taking my band for granted – out of sight, out of mind. I suppose it’s possible that I had been experiencing a placebo effect; that my band worked for me simply because I believed it would. If so, it was a remarkable and long-lived placebo effect. It wasn’t until my band was being refilled after a complete unfill (to treat a band slip) when I was 3 years post-op that I experienced a stunning, “Oh, so this is what it’s all about!” aha moment. My experience of restriction then was quite different than it had been the first time around, because I understood more about my band’s effects and how to optimize those effects, and because my body had changed so drastically since my surgery. Whether your 8-ounce water glass is half empty or half full, it still contains 4 ounces. Getting the most out of those 4 ounces is largely a matter of attitude adjustment. You can accept that you have 4 ounces, then make the best of it, or you can give up all together and spend your life in wistful regret. You can find another way to fill your WLS glass – complain to your surgeon, or the band manufacturer, revise to a different WLS procedure – or give up altogether and spend your life in angry regret. Taking the “half full” viewpoint may be easier for me than for others because I’m an opportunist who actually enjoys making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Webster defines “opportunist” as one who uses the art, policy, or practice of taking advantage of opportunities or circumstances, often with little regard for principles or consequences. Since I do have immense regard for principles and consequences, perhaps I’m not a classic opportunist. But I see nothing wrong with taking advantage of opportunities and circumstances when my own careful plans aren’t working or have led me into unknown territory. Resourcefulness has been a handy life skill for me. BUT I WANT IT TO BE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME I do know what it’s like to be disappointed with a purchase, though, be it a band, a blouse, or a bicycle. I want the item I purchase to be suitable, if not perfect, for its intended use. During a shift at my retail “day job” the other day, I helped a customer whose garment size wasn’t in stock. She didn’t want to order that garment – she wanted it now, so much so that she considered buying the wrong size and having it altered to fit her. Before I could volunteer an opinion, this woman uttered the very words I was thinking: “I hate to pay good money for something new and have to alter it. I just want to buy it and wear it.” If I were a better (or pushier) salesperson, she might have bought that garment, but I’m not and she didn’t. If your adjustable gastric band hasn’t (yet) lived up to your expectations, you do have my sympathy. It’s not easy – if even possible – to return a disappointing medical implant, and it’s maddening to have to “alter” it (by dieting, for example) to make it work for you. I could tell you (unhelpfully) that your expectations were not realistic, but it’s also possible that your surgeon educated you well, you’re a “compliant” patient, and yet your band just isn’t up to snuff. According to Doctors Jerome Groopman and Pamela Hartzband, authors of Your Medical Mind, “Medicine is an uncertain science.” No one, not even your doctor, can say with certainty what impact a condition “will have on an individual’s life or how someone will experience the side effects from a particular treatment. Each of us is unique in the interplay of genetic makeup and environment. The path to maintaining or regaining health is not the same for everyone.” Doctors Groopman and Hartzband go on to describe what they call the ‘focusing illusion’. “In trying to forecast the future, all of us tend to focus on a particular aspect of our lives that would be negatively affected by a proposed treatment. This then becomes the overriding element in decision making. The focusing illusion neglects our extraordinary capacity to adapt, to enjoy life with less than ‘perfect’ health. Imagining life with a colostomy, after a mastectomy, or following prostate surgery can all be skewed by the focusing illusion. We cannot see how the remaining parts of our lives expand to fill the gaps created by the illness and its treatment.” Despite carefully-devised formulas and scoring systems (intended to direct resources and money to those most likely to survive) for calculating a patient’s chances of surviving a treatment or illness, doctors are lousy at predicting outcomes. A study in England found that one out of 20 ICU patients who doctors predicted would die actually lived, and most of those who survived had a good quality of life. I don’t think that’s a sign of medical incompetence. I think it’s a sign of the unquenchable human spirit and its enduring will to survive and even thrive against all odds. One of my life goals is to survive and thrive, no matter what. That’s an ambition you can’t get from a medical device or bottle of medicine. It comes from within you, and if you think you don’t have it, or not enough of it, I suggest that you look again. You might be pleasantly surprised.