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I'm still preop- but I've met all my insurance's requirements and now just have to get cleared for surgery by the psychologist, pulmonary specialist, nutritionist and physical therapist. Once the surgeon puts in the request for final approval from the insurance company, they say they make the decision in 2 weeks. My insurance only required me to talk with my doctor 3 times and get weighed- that was considered the 6 month medically supervised diet. No weight loss required. I also had to talk to a case worker with the insurance company's bariatric program every month. Once I completed the six months, I was referred on to the surgeon. I was in a situation a similar to yours- I had a baby and gained 40 pounds pretty quickly after he was born. I realized pretty early on in the six month "program" that I had developed so many habits to reinforce my dependency on food. I'm a chef by profession and used every excuse to eat and graze throughout the day, and never really have a meal, but ate nonstop after getting home from work. Now I have breakfast lunch and dinner, and track every single bite with My Fitness Pal. Even when I go 1,500 calories over my goal, I still track it. Who else am I lying to besides myself when I don't track everything? I'm trying to do everything I can to form better habits before the surgery so it's not so hard afterwards when I'm already struggling with my limited food choices. I see it as being nice to future me. Be proud of every good thing you do, and actively make good choices to reinforce that positive self talk. And most importantly, everything takes time. My surgeon requires Full payment of the copay before surgery.

My insurance required that I enter a 6 month medically supervised weight loss and exercise program. In the program I kept a journal of what I ate and met with a nutritionist/doctor once per month and went over my diet and exercise. Monthly weigh-ins. I was also advised to go to monthly Bariatric Surgery group meetings. I received a signed form at each of these that showed I attended. I lost 20 pounds during the process, primarily by giving up my 6 diet coke a day habit. My nutritionist/doctor then wrote a letter stating my progress and this went to the surgeon's office who then wrote a letter recommending my surgery. I did not have a set weight loss requirement to qualify for insurance. Obviously gaining weight during this period would set off some alarm bells. Watching "My 600 pound life" which is a TV series about individuals undergoing bariatric surgery, those that are very heavy seem to have a set weight loss amount pre-surgery by THEIR SURGEON. I think this is because they need to prove to the surgeon that they have the capacity to lose the weight and maintain the weight loss after surgery. It may also have to do with the fact that too much fat may make it difficult to perform the operation (no working room). Some individuals who do not need this 6 month diet and exercise program to qualify for insurance undergo a liver shrink diet for the same reason.

I'm a fan of bariatric fusion. All their flavored are good.

I am using Dr. Stetler at Emory Bariatrics (Emory Midtown). I have surgery in two days. He has been great to this point, and the program has been very easy to follow with them.

I guess the thing that bugs me most is that I try hard to show affection in a multitude of other ways as well. And to be honest probably part of my lack of drive is due to the lack of interest on his part for years, starting when our kids were born and I was a whopping 40 pounds over weight. When I asked him point blank what had happened to our physical relationship he said he was turned off by my fat! That is a comment I've never forgotten, almost 25 years later. So, yes, I do resent the fact that I've worked so hard to finally lose all this weight, he has gone on to gain way more weight (he has always been proportionately heavier than me), and now is express renewed interest. That part of me died, probably in some part to the 'use it or lose it' reality. He also has ED (along with diabetes and gout) and has told me that I'm the only one who can 'cure' it. Do I still love the nut? Yes, but I'd be happy living as partners, holding and hugging, and occasionally more. If I wanted it all the time I'd be a cougar but I'm not. I'm 57 and married to a 60 year old going in 15, and it is NOT what I want! If the 'plumbing' worked on my part (interest and desire) that would be great, but it doesn't. I'm more interested in the freedom of being me! Before anyone jumps in with hormone therapy I also have a brain tumor that expressly prohibits me from taking any form of hormones, which adds to the issue. Ie Does he REALLY put his sexual desire over my health?! He is still on the fence about that one (whether he believes the doctors about the hormone issue). So many things to take in. The tumor is what actually kick started my goal to good health. If I ever need brain surgery to remove this little tag-along I want to be in the best possible shape going in.

I'm not sure but I'd say there's a very small number of people here that could give you real advice or help. This is one that I sincerely hope your personal physician and your bariatric surgeon already know about and have dispensed their best advice to you. If it's not clear to you now, PLEASE PHONE one or both of them and seek help A.S.A.P.

Yes! My son was 5.5 months when I had surgery. Bariatric surgeon and nutritionist both said I'd have to ween him since I would not be able to breastfeed after surgery. I've always had a very average milk supply - not low but definitely not plentiful, just enough -- so I was worried. However, my son's pediatrician said even with a very restricted-calorie diet as long as I was drinking enough water the breastfeeding would not be negatively affected. And she was right!! I've been able to continue fully breastfeeding my son who is now 9 months old. Of course at 6 months we started introducing solid foods and his nursing has decreased some as a result. But he's still getting what he needs. To be sure, I rented a hospital grade baby scale before surgery. I measured exactly what my son was eating at each feed. Then a few weeks after surgery I used the scale to check in again. As long as I am hydrated, my supply stays the same. No need for me to eat extra calories, just stay fully hydrated. I also hope the nursing provides a little extra calorie burn each day so I'm reluctant to finally give it up. I cannot speak to the fat composition of the milk as I imagine that has changed now that I eat so differently. But my son is gaining weight normally. I want to share my experience because there is ALOT of misinformation out there. These surgeons are not lactation experts and frankly they're often just wrong about the impact of weight loss surgery on breastfeeding. Oh one more thing!! The anesthesiologist said once you are awake from surgery, the meds are low enough in your system that you don't actually need to pump and dump from that point forward. People still always pump and dump for 24 hours as a precaution, but if you read the studies the evidence for that need just isn't there. That said I felt like such crap in the hospital for the first 24 hours that having my son come to nurse did not seem like a good idea. Pumping wasn't fun either but you do what you must. Good luck!! Let us know how it goes!!

He's speaking of the hiatal hernia. It's a condition in which part of the stomach pushes up through the diaphragm muscle. I've watched a ton of the actual surgeries on YouTube and the fix usually consists of a couple stitches. I think all bariatric surgeons are taught to look for this as part of the bariatric surgical procedure.

Well before surgery It was Food, Food, got to find my food, got to eat quick before someone else finds it and takes it away! I am an "only,child" but I acted like I hadv6 starving little brothers. Could eat an entire Family-sized bag of Lays Barbeque Chips at one sitting, watching TV, and not even feel like I had eaten. Now, if I feel hungry and that seldom happens, I heat,up,a 1/4 cup,of something, maybe I finish it, but usually don't. Very cautious what I eat, had too much emesis time. I still rely,on soups , broths, protein shakes, stir protein powder, beneficent or Miralax into everything I can for enrichment, Precious pouch, my bossy co-pilot,,, now through. my life, does not trust,protein sources, refuses to consider,meat, cottage cheese, Greek Yogurt, although,i,may try that again, been a month since last attempt. And what she doesn't care for just spews forth. And I dont,vomit like I did when I was "intact", now it sounds more like a cat with a large hairball. Some people say, that their full signal is hiccups, not me, for me it's Emesis coming within 15-20 minutes. Often you can find me curled into a semi-fetal ball over a wastebasket or Washburn. The blessing, if there is one? Good stays down such a short time, it is undigested and has no objectionable odor. Oh,i do manage to,ingest my vitamins, minerals and Zofran still,drink,out of my 2 ounce cuppies, a couple times when I tried to free-style with a normal juice glass? Up she comes because even fluid can choke me . And I was not a habitual vomiter prior to surgery, oh,if I bent at the waist, I could reflexively urp up but I thought my cardiac valve between my esophagus and stomach was weak from GERD. v So I am praying my blood vitamin levels are good, haven't been checked since late Feb/early March, had to,have an Iron INFUSION then. Should be about due for a repeat, but,nobody has ordered one, not my,PCP , not my Bariatric clinic, if the last N.P . is any indication, they are not overly worried or caring for me. Now I had always had an excellent relationship but the last time I spoke to one, she accused me of being a malingerer or Munchausen syndrome, I called only because I had been sick for 18 hours, having trouble even keeping fluids down. And my personality is not bulimic or even similar. Not scheduled for a clinic visit until August, having feeling this person just don't care. Meanwhile I am still losing 3-5 pounds a week,rare for 9 months out, but I guess I can accept,it. Do I grieve food? Not a bit, few times I come close, I just say That Was A Past Life, nothing significant now!. But perhaps I am an outlier, an exception to the Average person. I don't read the threads with pictures of "Look What I Just made and Ate", part of me,just can't relate to,it, the rest a little jealous that they can handle all that! My emotions were pretty settled, resigned to That's the Way,its got to be. Even close to happy, until that little bundle of Nurse-flesh unloaded on me, oh I do remember her name, if she crosses my,path in August, she will regret it, it will be Her Turn to Cry! I might try to forgive, but I do not forget and I am a natural red-head, and the Celtic were warriors, something she may not have taken,into account! But anything I can help with, I will be honored to do so.

oh that sounds amazing... my doc dictates 2 weeks of clear liquid. I think its a little restrictive but I'll yield given that this is my first experience with bariatric surgery and his one millionth lol

Thanks Sheri for the sample tip! I just ordered one from bariatric choice and will look around further. I'm having a problem finding something that is pre-mixed and fits my surgeon's criteria that it be whey isolate and less than 3 grams of sugar. I'm supposed to be drinking four of these a day right now but have barely managed to choke down 3.

Each bariatric team has its own rules. Contact your team & ask specifically why no black coffee. Advocate for yourself. If they give you an answer you don't like or understand, challenge them. Remember that what happens in your home is ultimately up to you. Good luck! You are not alone.

In the US, you must be 18 to legally have lapband. I honestly think you should wait until your body finishes developing. You could hit a growth spurt and thin out naturally. It happened for my son. He started gaining weight at about 8-9 years old. By the time he was 11 he was 5'7" and zeroing in on 200 pounds. At 13, he started to get taller and by the time he started high school, he was normal size. Now he is 21, 6'3" and about 185. You need to do what you, your parents and your doctor decide is best for you, though. Rest assured that lapband is the least invasive of the bariatric surgeries and therefore the safest. The mortality rate is less than 1:1000. At your young age, you should be perfectly fine. Good luck on your journey.

Well, firstly everyone jumps at the financial issue. I am not talking about one or two people paying for someone to have surgery. What I am talking about is opening an actual charity along the lines of "Make a wish" but for bariatric surgery. People can donate anything, even $5 to the cause. Second, I understand that most people on here are having their own surgery and all that. I myself have no insurance and no chance for financing...am trying to save up for self pay. But, there are also a lot of people on here who are years out from their surgeries. Maybe if there were organizations or charities for people like us down the line others wouldn't be having such problems like we are dealing with. But, hey if people are too busy with their own lives and all that no problem. I am not looking to start this today...but just looking for some opinons to see if it would even be worthwile...I think I got the answer. Thanks Dahlia

My bariatrics surgeons scale is 5 pounds higher. When I said I hate your scales the nurse told me yeah everybody says they are 5 pounds to high. I laughed and said you would think your scales being int he business they are in should be dead on. No one wants to go to their surgeon and weigh 5 pounds more than you should. Lol. What a downer. Now I weigh at home and I tell my doctors what I weigh. I am not weighing on 4 or 5 different scales.

Hello, everyone. I am a long time stalker, first time poster of this forum. I got the lap band in 2012 at 302 pounds (my heaviest ever, at the time.) After getting banded, I lost 35 pounds but I had to fight for every ounce to come off. I never felt like I was in the ‘green zone’ that the clinic continually talked about. I went in religiously for fills but never felt like I could eat small portions only three times a day and be satisfied. I even questioned my sanity and if head hunger really had that much control over me. After a year and only 35 pounds lost, when I needed to lose at least 150 pounds, the NP told me that I could not get any more fills. I was experiencing some stuck episodes but the NP said that my band was already at 8cc’s in my 10cc band and it wouldn’t hold any more fluid. So I left bawling. Here I was – a year out from surgery, having paid out of pocket for this device that didn’t do bunk to help with the hunger like it claimed to. So, I quit. I stopped eating healthy, I stopped trying, I stopped caring. I did that for a year and kinda maintained my 35lb loss but that was it. I eventually went to my primary care doctor who wanted me to start Metformin ER, but they are massive horse pills and because I needed the extended release, I couldn’t crush them. So I went back to my clinic and had all the fluid removed to take the Metformin. Well, long story short, I’m now sitting at 325 pounds. So I’ve gained back the 35 I lost in 2012 and have since packed on an additional 25 pounds. Last month, I had family in town and many people taking pictures - full length, unflattering angles, kinds of pictures - and posting them online. I had a coming to Jesus moment when I literally didn’t recognize myself. I’ve never seen myself as big as I am. Last year, I had two friends get the vertical sleeve and both get phenomenal results. I’m finally ready to take care of myself and finish what I thought I started in 2012. I’ve contacted the clinic that both of my friends went through and have a consult set up for next Monday. Does anyone have any advice or a similar story? I am almost frozen in fear when I start thinking that because the band failed for me, the sleeve will too. I cannot pay out of pocket for a second bariatric surgery and not get results. I don’t think I can mentally survive that.

Mirihawk, definitely check about the insurance. Medically necessary means NOTHING if bariatric is an exclusion in the contract - they won't cover an exclusion. Please check thoroughly. I'm a health care insurance broker.

Why shouldn't you be hungry? You're, very literally, starting to starve. I went on a rant about this idea of "head hunger". If you've eaten a nice meal of chicken breast and veggies...but you desperately still WANT a cheeseburger and fries...that's "head hunger." Needing more fuel...and having physiological signs that you need more fuel...is actual real hunger. And YES lots and lots of bariatric patients suffer it when their calorie demands are high (healing) and their intake is dangerously low (first few weeks after surgery). Many people suffer nausea...that eliminates hunger. So, they beleive that no one else feels hunger. But lots of us don't suffer any nausea, and for us hunger can be overwhelming until our diets open up to more realistic amounts of calories. I could have eaten my own leg off a week after surgery...I was THAT hungry. You're not alone:) When more foods opened up to me and my caloric intake got to be about 1000 calories a day, I felt wonderful...no more hunger. Hang in there...it gets better.

Of course it is. It is extremely possible with every kind of bariatric surgery.

That's an interesting question. I had never thought about there being more bariatric sites out there. This one was listed in the literature as helpful resources at my surgeon's office, so that's how I found out about it.

There are also vitamin sources that cater specifically to bariatric patients, but they seem pretty pricey to me so I haven't used them. Others might be able to provide more insight on those.

Maybe flavored Water like Propel? I just bought a whole bunch of stuff from Dietdirect.com, they have Protein enhanced soups, different Protein drinks, Protein Bars and bariatric Vitamins... Good luck! diane5467

You know, this period of time pre-op and post-op is so short in comparison to the rest of our lives. Surely you can adhere to the rules for the amount of time we're talking about? There is a reason the surgeon / Bariatric Center puts limitations on what we can have and everyone has already spelled it out for you: to allow time for your band to heal in place. Now I have to warn you that even when the stitches seem healed, there is still a ton of healing going on INSIDE you--so you have to be careful for six to eight weeks... This surgery is serious, so buckle down--it won't be long until you can have solids again.

One of the things I truly admire about my father is how little he cares for anyone else's opinions. Unfortunately, when it comes to all things weight related, I'm more like my mom...who can be sensitive. I could use to emulate this characteristic in my father on this front...but how to do that, I'm still trying to figure out. I agree that this would be a good topic for therapy! I'm actually actively searching for a therapist now. I've worked with two great therapists who helped me work through some things in the past. One is retiring and the other cannot fit me in her schedule right now. And so I've met with two therapists so far. Both were not good. In fact, both were really bad. The first was a psychologist recommended by the psychologist in my bariatric group (he sees people privately, but does not participate in my insurance). The woman was awful...she may be a brilliant author on the field of food addiction (why I think he recommended her), but she should not have contact with living, breathing subjects. She was condescending, patronizing and judgmental. She made no attempt to get to know me, but instead started telling me how people who have weight loss surgery frequently become alcoholics, gamblers, shopaholics or divorced...I wrote to the guy who recommended her, just so he knew not to send people to her. Honestly, if I didn't have strong self esteem this woman would have done me some serious harm. The second therapist I met seemed better at first, although I was not comfortable with her at home office. I had to walk down a steep driveway, past her knocked over garbage cans, into her backyard, to enter into a basement office. When I left my first appointment with her, I was trying to overlook her rather slovenly ways, trying not to judge and be open minded and so I went back for a second time. On this visit, as I entered the backyard, she popped out of the office and said to me, "I'm sorry. I screwed up. Can you just give me a few minutes." So I sat in her backyard, looking at garbage strewn in her yard, thinking, "what am I doing here?" I was considering leaving, when 15 minutes later she finished with her other client. So I went in. about 1/2 an hour into my session, someone else is coming into the backyard. She commented, "They're early." So out she pops and asks them to wait. When she comes back into the office, there is only a screen door between us and the couple outside. She expected me to continue and I said, "They're right there." So she got up and closed the sliding glass door. I tried to soldier on, but then I could see her looking over my shoulder...the woman outside was pacing behind me! As I left, I heard the woman say to her, "We had a 4:45." as the therapist responded, "I had you down at 5:00." Now, come on...she was off 15 minutes on my appointment...she had messed up theirs too! It was all so unprofessional and uncomfortable. The thing that bothered me most, however, was that she wouldn't have made any attempt to protect my privacy if I hadn't said something. I thought as I left, "This woman is a mess. I'm not this big a mess. I don't need what she has to offer." Thank god, I've had good therapists in the past, or I think I'd be done with therapy after these two! But I'm still looking and I have an appointment to see someone else tonight. Fingers crossed that third time's a charm!

At one point, I was looking for a therapist just to help me work through the transitions I was/am going through. When I looked for a Dr., I asked if they work with bariatric patients, if not, I wasn't interested. Sadly, some "therapists", judge more than they help and it sounds like you found one of those. I'm sorry you were exposed to such asshats!