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Lying about not getting surgery is awful
SoulGardener replied to GinormousReislin's topic in Gastric Bypass Surgery Forums
I told an old acquaintance the other day that I had bariatric surgery. She proceeded to tell me about a horror story of one of her friends who had the surgery 25 years ago in Mexico. Her friend has had severe complications that have never resolved. Although I had mine done at a Bariatric Center of Excellence here in the states, her story did cause me anxiety. I’m only 3 weeks past surgery and I need to stay positive! I won’t be so open in the future! -
Wow. I ventured into what I thought was another support group on Facebook for bariatric patients and was really offended by the snarky admins there. Makes me glad I found this group. It is good to hear direct comments, but no need to be so rude in delivery.
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May Surgeries - check in!
BypassedSophie replied to ChunkyCali's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I always think you should listen to your body—pain is an indication that you need to take it easy for a few days. I am 23 days post op, and I tried playing golf on Monday—it hurt so bad, and It exhausted me. I am going to give it a few more weeks before I try again. I am not an expert on depression, so I don’t want to give you advice on that—except I will say, it seems to be common in bariatric patients. If it doesn’t go away or gets worse—call your doctor. In any case, take it easy and don’t be too hard on yourself! -
Someone in Florida???
seababe25 replied to Nellie86's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
You should see dr Wiljon Beltre in Orlando. I had my surgery May 12th 2021, now it’s two weeks later and I’m down 17 lbs & I’m in my 50’s. He’s great and has done thousands of bariatric surgeries over the last 20 years. He’s very confident and I was out of the hospital after only one day. His prices were the most reasonable of all. Good luck -
Revision completed
StratusPhr replied to Tracyringo's topic in Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums (NEW!)
How are you doing? My first appointment with a new bariatric surgeon in in about 3.5 weeks. Sleeved in 2010, indigestion, heartburn, GERD started about 18 months later, progressing to 8 - 10 Tums every single day for years. I had no idea it was a big deal, but it is not safe. I am sure the subject of a revision will come up. Please tell me how you're doing if you have time. -
Hi there! I feel your frustration. According to my new bariatric dr, this is all very common with a sleeve. Having had GERD issues my whole life, I was shocked they even recommended a sleeve to begin with. I have a stricture, as well, no idea what that is. I have my final consult today, and will keep you posted.
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I'll be eleven years out June 11th. I lost it fast and maintained at or below goal for six years. I've regained some, but not even half. I'm more concerned with another hiatal hernia (one was discovered and repaired when I had WLS), endoscopy (because of GERD) in Nov 2019 revealed another hernia, a stricture and ulcer. Surgeon made it clear he does not repair hernias, and I was not made aware of the stricture (what is that?) and I had no idea about the ulcer. I was put on a prescription PPI. It worked for two months, I had previously been eating 8 - 10 Tums a day, every day. I needed zero immediately.....and then started needing one every so often, he upped the medication to twice a day. That helped for a little while, but I'm back to needing Tums several times a week, although I do not need as many as before. I've been awakened with horrible GERD, coming up into my throat. I never did this before. This is new. I made an appointment with a bariatric surgeon/general surgeon, I'll see him June 17th. I'm not sure what to expect. Everything I've ready, revision to bypass is the best way to fix this for good. I was self pay the first time around, I'm hoping if it comes to that, insurance will cover it. Let me know what you decide. I'd love to know the process with your doctor. Tests etc. Good luck!
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Gastric Sleeve and Reflux
StratusPhr replied to Lori E's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Have you had the revision? If so, what do you think so far? I'm in the same boat you were. Great weight loss, surgery was in 2010, but the GERD has gotten progressively worse. Non-cardiac chest pain, trouble swallowing sometimes, I'm on a prescription PPI and it was helping but I'm back to eating Tums again. When I finally decided to see a doctor I was eating 8 -10 Tums every day. I had no idea it was a bad thing until I read it somewhere!!! I suspect the appointment with the bariatric surgeon next month will give me an idea of what the solution is. I was self pay when I had sleeve surgery. I hope Anthem BCBS will approve and cover whatever he thinks I should do. -
Gastric Sleeve and Reflux
StratusPhr replied to Lori E's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I had it every so often, sleeve surgery in June 2010, and now I'm seeing a bariatric surgeon due to a hiatal hernia and GERD. I know that revision may be what he advises. -
Had gastric sleeve on the 20th so 5 days out. 3 hours before surgery my doctor had me take a medication to lessen nausea post-op and boy did it work. No nausea this whole time, I had to pick up at my pharmacy a few days before and I took it on the way to the hospital. It’s named emend and it was $42 for one pill but so worth it. It’s prescribed for chemotherapy patients for nausea but I guess a drug rep talked my doctor into trying it out on bariatric patients. He can’t say enough about how this drug has helped lessen or eliminate entirely nausea issues post-op Anyone else here prescribed this drug?
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YMMV of course, the notion of spending a bazillion bux on "bariatric" anything is anathema to me. It's just license for them to charge more IMO. It's been 10.5 months and Wal-Mart's generic Equate equivalent to Flinstones chewables have worked just fine for me. I realize that some people have issues with taste & texture when it comes to medications, food, etc., but I always start with the cheap options first.
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Did revision due to weight gain actually work for you?
StratusPhr replied to JulieCab's topic in Revision Weight Loss Surgery Forums (NEW!)
I was up at 2:30 AM sipping (3 sips will do it) a carbonated drink because of chest pain. This has been going on since about 18 months after sleeve surgery. (June 2010!!!) I had NO idea this was a hiatal hernia symptom. My NP (when I finally said something a couple of years later) called it non cardiac chest pain, said I was having spasms. Medication prescribed did not help at all. I finally stopped and tried what a friend told me to do. Take a few sips of a carbonated drink. I resisted because I don't drink anything carbonated since before surgery. It worked and I keep something in the frig at all times. I hope this new doctor who is familiar with bariatric patients, will help me and insurance will cover it. Thank you and good luck!!! -
if you're still seeing your bariatric team, I'd start there. Or if not, is it possible to see them again? Otherwise, if you're not still tracking your food intake, start there. Track for a couple of weeks to figure out what your average calorie intake is now. Then try cutting back by 100 calories or so for another couple of weeks. If that doesn't do the trick, cut back by another 100 calories. Rinse and repeat. Eventually you'll find the level where you'll start losing weight. also, start doing some of things we did that first year after surgery (NOT all the way back to shakes and purees - I mean how we ate after the first couple of months - focusing mostly on protein and non-starchy vegetables. Then if you have room, maybe a small serving of fruit or whole-grain carb). if you're having trouble with hunger while cutting back, add in more vegetables - I try to eat vegetables with every meal when I'm trying to lose (I don't always with breakfast, but I DO blend a cup of fresh spinach or kale in with my morning protein shake to make up for it). I also always keep raw veggies (with a dip made from plain Greek yogurt and ranch dressing mix), sugar free popsicles, and sugar free Jello around, too. Healthy fats like avocado and peanut butter or a handful of nuts can also help with the hunger - but just have a small portion of those since they're pretty high in calories. good luck with this. I know it's tough - I'm battling a 10-lb COVID gain right now and I know it isn't easy, but people do it... At least you're catching it at 40 lbs while it's still do-able oh btw - I know a lot of people who've regained who've had success with Weight Watchers, Keto, and/or intermittent fasting - so those might be options for you, too...
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thanks everyone, it’s not a constant pain it comes and goes in clusters like a sharp stabbing under my left ribs, i will get intouch with the bariatric team. Thank youse.
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I agree, it is confusing. I started off with items from this site, such as a bariatric multivitamin capsule that contains iron. I also got two different flavors of chewable calcium citrate from bariatric advantage. Although I was able to swallow the capsule, the chewable calciums were very large, gummed up in the back of my throat which made me gag, and tasted gross. My surgeon’s office recommended Citracal petites. I was able to swallow those. Within a month, however, I had to change up everything. The iron in the capsule made me vomit, so I purchased a slow release iron tablet upon a pharmacist’s advice. This has been a godsend. I had to find a standalone multivitamin without iron, which I found at a grocery store. Then, The Citracal was making me vomit, so I found a liquid calcium citrate, not great tasting but I can definitely tolerate it. Do some reading, look at reviews, and start with a small supply of what you think will be good for you: multivitamin, iron, and calcium citrate. Take them at the start of a meal to help prevent stomach upset. If something doesn’t feel right, contact your doctor or nutritionist, and there are so many other options! Good luck!
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What kind of vitamins should i buy
ShoppGirl replied to SH76's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Well you will want chewable for a while at least and calcium should be calcium citrate. I take the bariatric advantage of the multi vitamin and calcium chews. My nutritionist had samples of them. Mostly it’s a matter of tastes as long as they meet the surgeons requirements. I did get one flavor from them I didn’t like and they took it back and processed a refund no questions asked but I’m willing to bet if you called and asked they would send you samples. Their number is 800-898-6888. If you are going to see a nutritionist or have a bariatric coordinator wait to order until after you see them because they may have a discount code if they endorse the vitamins you choose. I didn’t wait and missed out on any discounts because it only applied the first time. -
May Surgeries - check in!
NitroTrashPanda replied to ChunkyCali's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Yeah, I went back to my hotel room an hour or two after. Next day I was on a plane headed home. I had VSG outpatient with Blossom Bariatrics -
No matter if taken after meals, vitamins make me NAUSEATED!
Soon2bFit21 replied to SBFARRIS's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I can’t take bariatric vitamins because I have a severe sensitivity to zinc unless it is in piccolinate form, I also can’t take iron due to an overload. I get very nauseous from zinc even before surgery. Iron can do this as well. I’d highly suggest splitting up your vitamins into different groups, it’s less convenient but it will save the issues of nausea. I take a b complex, zinc, vit c, D-K2, magnesium, and liver capsules. -
Puréed food stage: what are the recipe favourites?
catwoman7 replied to Bariatric852's topic in Purée (stage 2)
you may want to check out the blog "The World According to Eggface". She's a long-time bariatric patient (and still very active in the bariatric community) who loves to cook - she has several recipes on her site for all post-op stages. -
What was your tipping point?
pk88 replied to 3tallwomen's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I had multiple food allergies as an infant and toddler and became a chubby kid with a mom that restricted my eating. At age 7 my mother committed suicide and I began stealing candy from the local drug store. I hated vegetables, loved carbs, cheese and fried foods. I was alternatively rewarded and cajoled for my eating. I managed my weight in early adulthood by doing 500 calorie a day diets and staying active. I gained 80lbs with each of my pregnancies, and stopped nursing my second child early so I could do a calorie restrictive diet. I got down to almost normal weight, then started gaining, weighing 280 lbs in my mid thirties. I divorced my husband, lost some weight, started working out. Decided I'd just get comfortable being 50-60lbs overweight and was for fifteen years. By the time I hit my 50's I was steadily gaining, then losing (no carb diets, doctor supervised diets, calorie restricted diets, personal growth programs - because certainly there was something wrong about me that I could fix!) I was depressed, borderline diabetic and took meds for blood pressure, thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, PPI for reflux and used a CPAP. I gained an additional 40lbs during the pandemic because I literally decided I would eat anything I wanted - and I did. Shortly after the first of this year, I realized I was constantly thinking about dying. The only future I saw was of my continual decline. I could see no way to interrupt the path of my life. Then, I saw a post of an acquaintance on Facebook who had VSG four years ago. She looked fabulous and seemed so happy. I contacted her and we met for lunch. I began to consider surgery and started doing my homework on it. When my insurance turned me down, I again reached out to my friend who had gone to Mexico to have hers. She offered to accompany me if I decided to do it. I discussed it with my kids. I met with my doctors and told them what I was thinking. They all supported the surgery, although one was concerned about me traveling for it. I researched the surgeon, found Bariatricpal.com and read some of your stories. I journaled and wrote about my big why, and I began to have hope for my future. I started to imagine my life without the shame and fear around eating and food. I called everyone I knew who'd had bariatric surgery and asked them about their experiences. Finally, I called my Facebook friend back and told her I was committed. I paid my deposit, scheduled the surgery and I haven't looked back once. -
No matter if taken after meals, vitamins make me NAUSEATED!
SassySonz replied to SBFARRIS's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
There is the Bariatric Advantage capsule. Its just one pill a day. Their chewables at times made me feel sick but I've never gotten sick with the capsules. I've worried about the vitamin patches as it takes months before you will have vitamin deficiencies show up. So I've not wanted to take any chances. So maybe try the once a day capsule first? -
No matter if taken after meals, vitamins make me NAUSEATED!
SBFARRIS posted a topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I don’t know if it is just the vitamin I take or what, and I had vitamin intolerance BEFORE my sleeve, but I am literally having to MAKE myself take these. I TAKE THE Bariatric Advantage soft chews. They taste fine, but damn! Do you guys have any advice? I have actually skipped a few days of vitamins because I would like to NOT feel sick! thanks for any suggestions. Again, I do eat first. Susan -
A friend of mine recommended a book to me when i was considering surgery and I'm glad i read it ahead of time. It is called The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery, by Cynthia Alexander. She really stressed that the surgery is just a tool, but that the mental aspects of overeating, the depression/anxiety that underlies eating disorders doesn't go away. It is crucial to find other outlets for the needs that your overeating has met and it isn't easy. There are counselors who specialize in eating disorders and overeating or eating as a mood stabilizer is disordered eating. There are 12 step groups too, such as Overeaters Anonymous that can be helpful. I have a recommendation for a counselor in my area that I've hung on to for when I am "eating normally" again, because I know myself well enough to know that it would be easy to fall back into some of those same patterns a year or two from now. I may need that help, Bariatric surgery isn't a magic bullet. The hard work begins once we are healed. We then have to face ourselves without the crutch of food; we have to learn to see ourselves as whole without the trigger foods that got us into trouble in the first place. Many of us will need support with that. I admire you for being so honest and I hope you'll let us know how your'e doing.
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Great new job with lousy health BCBS of AL insurance policy - no bariatric surgery coverage?
catwoman7 replied to SkinnyKathy's topic in Insurance & Financing
in my case, my new insurance policy (which DID cover bariatric surgery) accepted the six-month supervised diet that I did under my former policy. -
Great new job with lousy health BCBS of AL insurance policy - no bariatric surgery coverage?
SkinnyKathy replied to SkinnyKathy's topic in Insurance & Financing
Ugh. I see I will have to lobby the head of HR to include more insurance options next year. I don't mind paying more for better health insurance to get bariatric surgery covered. I just wanted to get it done in 2021, not wait until 2022. I wonder if I should start documenting the 6 months of medically supervised weight loss now in anticipation of hopefully a new medical insurance option in 2022 that will cover it. Or would the six months have to start once the policy is valid?