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Hi Veronica! Our stats are nearly identical, but I'm a tiny bit shorter than you are. My starting weight was 252 and I'm right at 5'6.5" tall. I'm relatively early post-op...not quite three weeks out. My doctor was Dr. Illan, who isn't quite as well known on the boards as he recently moved a practice with another bariatric surgeon to perform them on his own. There are a handful of us, though, who have had surgery with him in the past 6 or so months and frequent the forums. Of course, the vast majority of us who are post-op and satisfied with our experiences love our doctors. I adored Dr. Illan and his coordinator. I received amazing care! Although it wasn't the deciding factor, it certainly didn't hurt that his price was within my budget. It is a tough decision to make; good luck making yours. ~Kat

I went with Dr. Louisiana Valenzuela at Mexico Bariatric Centers and I can tell you I had a great experience. My patient care was outstanding much better than I have ever received in the States. From start to finish it was very easy. Dr Valenzuela had the same surgery three years ago and the Doctor assigned to our floor had it done 3 months ago. Dr V has: Performed over 4,000 Bariatric Surgeries Limits Bariatric Surgeries to 3 Per Day Performs Every Surgery She Schedules Successful Results & Close to Zero Complication Rate The price varies based on your BMI and other health conditions but I found them to be very reasonable. The key though is don't fudge on your weight or height because they base fee's off of your BMI at time of registration. So if you put down a lower weight on the application you might be assessed a fee at registration. Also, plan on a few hundred extra dollars for additional medications and such from the hospital. I needed a blood thinner for long airplane travel that was not covered. Whatever the cost find the money somehow and get the surgery done. It will change your life! I no longer have to take medicine for diabetes or high blood pressure.

Holy hell! this is a long thread. Some people for plastics, others not so much. I looked into it, I just can't afford them. No one here has to apologize or justify the reasons they choose to have a medical procedure. Dang, how many of us have been judged for having bariatric surgery? The only thing I want to leave here for newbies..... Is the loose skin is not as bad for me as being obese. it's livable. If your fortunate to be able to have insurance coverage or afford them. Go for it if it makes you feel better about your situation.

I would keep an eye on it and journal those episodes, but consult with your doctor. Do you have that communication to call a nurse from bariatric team?

I only get in 800-900 calories a day, sometimes less. I make sure to get in enough Protein (I do use supplements for this), make wise food choices (so that everything I eat gives a bang for its nutritional buck), and take a good-quality bariatric Multivitamin. I exercise daily, often twice, and have not had a major stall since banding. The loss doesn't seem dramatic on a day-by-day basis, but it really does add up.

Before and After by Susan Maria Leach, the owner of Bariatric Eating (which operates another great website). It discusses her experience with gastric bypass---but is relevant to bandsters, too. The eating plan is very helpful, IMO, as are the recipes at the end. (The website has tons of great recipes, too--and many of the members who post on the boards are banded.)

Well that was new...I called UHC to check on the status of my paperwork and I was transfered to the bariatric resources department. I had to enroll in their program and set up an appointment for their nurse to call me next Monday at 1:00 to go over my paperwork. The surgery is approved on a case by case basis. Anyone else go through this?

I have ulcerative colitis but have never had to have any surgery regarding it. Like you, I also have inflammation issues and bone spurs in my knees and heel. Similarly, I find the foods that are "good" for most people - fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, etc. give me real problems, whereas slider foods like bread, rice, pasta, fried chicken, chocolate, etc. have no problem going through my system. I always felt really frustrated that I have a disease that makes most sufferers thin, but that I am one of the outliers in being obese (although I did find an article somewhere that indicated about 30% of Crohn's/Colitis sufferers are obese). I'm on Pentasa which helps keeps things quiet and regular - but everytime I go on it I also gain weight as I can keep more of the food and nutrients "in" than without it. I'm of a similar weight to you, but since I'm shorter my BMI is 48. I'm having gastric sleeve surgery in Mexico in 5 weeks, I hope it will help with a lot of my issues. My gastroenterologist here in Japan seems to think it will help some of my symptoms, but he isn't an expert in bariatric surgery. However, the problem is my large intestine, not my stomach, so I think I'll be okay with (and research shows that WLS really helps UC sufferers - although it's more mixed with Crohn's sufferers). Sorry, I don't have any insights for you - as you probably know, people who suffer from Crohn's/UC can be affected by different foods (and stress and other factors). However, I've tried a few things in the past couple of years, and here's what I've discovered (for me anyway): -symptoms are usually worse when I'm having my period -alcohol often aggravates symptoms -although I eat a lot of protein (fish, chicken), too much beef can be problematic (I don't eat much pork other than bacon) -I tried going gluten-free for a while (with real food, not "gluten-free" products from stores) and my symptoms pretty much disappeared after one day. It was amazing. I kept going to the bathroom and sitting on the toilet waiting for something, anything to happen, and nothing did. So clearly I have some level of gluten intolerance that makes things worse. That only lasted a month though. -Any gassy vegetable is off-limits for me, which sucks, since in Japan almost all salads are made with cabbage, which makes it impossible for me to buy a salad anywhere. Broccoli, beans, cauliflower, eggs (sometimes), etc. plus other veggies like carrots, potatoes, daikon (a kind of radish), peas are all problems. Raw is definitely out, but I can handle most cooked veggies (other than the gassy ones). -I've also developed allergies to a lot of (raw) fruits and vegetables in the last 5 years. I don't know how connected that is, but my last gastroenterologist (who was fantastic - I miss him) was very much of the opinion that allergies are very common to sufferers of C/UC. -I love spicy food but it's just not worth it anymore.

One individual in our Bariatric Support Group Meeting had a band to RNY gastric bypass surgery revision because his band was wearing away into his stomach and the condition became life threatening.

Hi. I will answer what I can. 1. I don't drink coffee, but I do drink tea. I had to change to decaf because of reflux, but that has not been a problem. I could have it pre and post op. 2. My sleeve was my 12th surgery, and was the least painful of all. I was on pain meds for two days, and that was it. There was some discomfort to be sure, but tolerable. By the end of the first week I was bored. Think of the surgery this way: They give you a nice nap, and when you wake up you have a new lease on life and are free to re-invent yourself. The spot that hurt the most was the largest incision (which by any standard was still a small incision which they closed with surgical glue and a steri-strip). That is the one they took the remnant of my big ol' stomach through. I slept in my lift recliner for a couple of nights so that I would not pull on it getting in and out of bed. I did not have the shoulder gas pain that some people get. 3. I was allowed to do all the walking I could tolerate, but was told not to lift anything more than five pounds for six weeks. I am retired but I know that if I were still working, the fatigue and recovery from serious surgery would have flattened me. Coming off of ten days of liquids pre-op and 2 1/2 weeks of full lliquids post-op left me pretty much wiped out. When I started soft foods, I started to feel much more alert and mobile. 4. I took waaaaay too much stuff to the hospital for a two day stay. You can bring pretty much what you want to entertain yourself, but I mostly slept off the anesthetic. Don't take anything you will miss if it is stolen. 5. food... I am blessed to have a Mediterranean chef in the house, but if my food prep was entirely up to me on a lazy day, I would be batch cooking in the crock pot. The more you prepare your own food, the more control you have over it's content. Unless you are totally unteachable, this is a good time to learn how to cook from scratch. You can go a long way with a Foreman grill. Grilled meats are easy. Canned veggies are better than no veggies. There is not much work to boiling eggs or cutting off a piece of cheese. Since fruit is the peach and not peach pie, there is zero prep there. 6. Reading material.....if you mean concerning learning about bariatric surgery and recovery, look under the Resources tab at the top of this page. Congratulations on the decision you have made, and I wish you the best.

I was also banded by Dr. King in April and have really been VERY pleased with my care. I live and work in Tupelo and our hospital has just launched a brand new bariatric center with Dr. Terry Pinson as the surgeon. They use a team approach and many of my friends have now been banded by Dr. Pinson and are having wonderful results with great support by the team. Look into both programs! I would highly recommend either one!

Hello Sunset21May, It took about 6 weeks after my PCP refered me to the surgeon, after I did get to talk to the MD, he refered me to the Nutritionist and the Psychololgist for an eval and counceling. After that, it actually went pretty quick. I was already for my primary care at Kings Daughters, Temple and they also just started with the Lap-band. You also have a choice of going to Scott and White for bariatric surgery. I am very comfortable with Dr S. and his staff. For me it was the best thing ever! If you have any questions just ask ! Greetings Lulu66

[8/12/10] I realized today as I was getting dressed that I always seem to go the “extra mile” when it comes to my appearance on days I go to the doctor. Today I meet w/my bariatric surgeon & dietician on the path forward. Sept 21 will be here before I know it! But back to appearance – it just dawned on me that I think I go all extra on days I know I’m going to the Fatty Doc, bc I feel like my “cute” will somehow overshadow my “fat” – which is often…or at least SOMEtimes the case in the real world. But at a bariatric Dr.’S office – they rarely see the “cute” – if at all, and mostly only see a person that they are glad had sense enough to do something major, about a major health crisis. *sigh* I’m good at being fat. Have been fat my entire life. And though after all is said & done a year from now, for all intents & purposes – I’ll still be a fat girl…but a lot healthier one (and 75-100 lighter). It didn’t hit me until today that this will most likely be my last “uncomfortable, morbidly obese, disgusted with myself and how big I’ve gotten” summer. This time next year – I won’t be so cramped in the metro seat as I blog by crackberry, ill be walking taller w/a lil more pep in my step, AND I will have ridden the rollercoasters that I haven’t been able to get on for the past 5 yrs – at least a thousand times. While still struggling with some future vanity concerns and how ill feel in my new body – I’m still excited. & optimistic that this was the best decision for ME. I know I’m cute (most of the time)…but for so long the magnitude of my good-lookigness has been overshadowed by my weight. Get. Ready. Here she comes… *doin my Geyonce dance* uh oh uh oh uh oh…

I was banded by Dr. Czerniach as well. Everyone went great, but I think any of the Umass doctors would have been great. Umass is considered a Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery. I think you'll have a great experience.

I'm on Bariatric Advantage. I get it at my doctor's office. I'd give it a 7 out of 10. Not great, but does not make me gag,

Scheduled for a mini gastric bypass this Friday, the 19th. Trying today to get a list together of everything I need as far as new foods and drinks so I can have it all in house by then. Confusing with so many different sites/people saying different things or mentioning different products. I would really appreciate any help or sites that kind of lay it out in simple terms. I've been given a lot of paperwork from the doctor and hospital and met with the hospital's bariatric person. Just ordered disposable medicine cups and case of Ensure Max Protein (suggested by Dr.'s PA) Also bought a bag of Bariatric Advantage Calcium Chews and Bariatric Fusion Multivitamins from them to start out on but will source out equivalent products that may be less expensive during my week off next week. Any tips or things to watch out for are welcome. Thanks in advance!

Thanks to all of you that chimed in. I am so looking forward to getting started. I go for all my preop stuff on the 21st and the date for surgery is tenatively set for 10/3. My Surgeon is Dr.Terry Pinson at the North Mississippi medical center Bariatric Center. It is great comfort to me to see so many people from so many different states that have had such amazing stories of success. Can't wait to be one:001_smile:

So after 3+ months of advising my doctor that I was having issues with the onset of dizziness upon standing up from the couch, things finally came to a head - my head. Sunday night marked the fourth time I blacked out from standing up and walking after being seated on the couch. The first time, I was able to brace myself against some furniture and stayed upright. The second time, I only managed to sort of brace myself and ended up dropping to my knees. The third time I slumped against a wall and slid down hard onto my knees and elbows. Sunday night, I tried to brace myself against a wall when my vision started going dark, but must have leaned forward too much. Came to on the floor seconds later with blood pouring out of a gash above my eye and the entire left side of my face in utter agony. Oh...and all of my neck muscles screaming from when I have to assume my face hit the floor full speed and my head bounced. 4 hours in the ER with bloodwork that showed no issues, an EKG that was perfect, chest X-rays that revealed nothing, and a CT scan that (fortunately) showed no bone damage or bleeding in the brain. Aggravatingly, my BP also registered as normal, even when they had me do orthostatic readings. I look and feel like hell. Have not slept well the past two nights (last night my upper left teeth hurt). And right now I've got some nerve issues due to the swelling in my face that have made my left nostril almost completely numb. As far as post-op complications go, I am sooooooo over this one. I'll trade it back for the constipation! (Okay, not really because I don't really want to deal with THAT again either). On the plus side, ending up in the ER with a head injury (5 stitches in my eyebrow) seems to have finally gotten my doctor to stop claiming that this crap is normal for bariatric patients and he is finally getting me the cardiac consult that I have been asking for since the first time I blacked out. Less thrilled about this knocking me off track for the time being. I do not feel well enough or comfortable enough to workout on my treadmill, so my exercise is definitely going to suffer this week.

So as not to hijack an existing thread, I thought I'd start a new one. Since I began looking into bariatric surgery in 2019, I've done much research and reading. On the internet, I limited myself to sites that I knew were reputable and were evidence-based (i.e., Mayo Clinic) rather than sites that were trying to sell surgery. Once I was accepted into my program, I watched videos suggested by the program (i.e., Dr. Matthew Weiner) and took to heart the information I was given from my program. I came into the program with a lot of pre-existing knowledge on nutrition and diet having grown up with a Type 1 diabetic father and myself a Type 2. Despite that knowledge base, I obviously wasn't applying it or I would not have been to the point where I was considering surgery. One of the hardest things I had to do throughout my surgery preparation appointments and meetings was to go in and actually listen. I accepted that my way wasn't working and if I was going to proceed with a body and life-altering surgery, I needed to adopt what I was being taught. As you can see in my stats, it's worked. But I know I'm not done learning, maintaining and working on making good decisions and healthy choices for the long-term. In my classes, the dietician warned about social-media, weight-loss surgery groups. I admit that I move in and out of some groups. The overall lack of information and sharing of misinformation boggles my mind. It certainly proved that there are programs and doctors simply out to make money and there are patients willing to believe anything they are told without doing their own research or taking accountability for their own actions. I was grateful to find this site and have a source of information rather than opinion. I was happy to hear from WLS veterans who have gone through the process and how they are successfully maintaining. I wanted to hear what those experiences were so that I can learn from them. I did not want them to sugar-coat the truth and I did not expect unmitigated "support." If my understanding or behavior was counterproductive, I wanted to hear that. I needed to hear that. I still do. There seems to be a misconception that in order to be supportive, someone needs to say your choices are ok. Being truthful with someone, does not always mean saying what and how you are doing things is ok.

@@OKCPirate, thanks for the link to the article. There is definitely something to be said for believing one has the power of choice. I think it may be similar to self-efficacy, or how capable we believe we are at doing something. At some point, as you and @nyteacher12 say, who cares? Regardless of how we got to be obesity, we (at least those of us who decided to get bariatric surgery) know how we’re going to lose the weight: with WLS and changes in habits. Yes, the human mind is a complicated thing, @@OKCPirate! @@Inner Surfer Girl, I agree 100%!

And I hope all of the above posters are doing well with their pist-surgery lives! Happy campers make Camp Bariatric more fun, don't you think?🎪

Honestly, this thought scared me too. At 28, there is nothing in my life that is PERMANENT. It's hard to think about 60 years down the road. However, WLS supposedly began as a treatment for stomach cancer so we aren't the only ones who have been down this road. But, because of this, I was leaning towards the band for a while. I'm indecisive and I like reversible. Then when someone described the band as having a foreign object in my body, possibly forever, that changed my mind. Plus, two different bariatric surgeons recommended sleeve over the band. It's scary, I know. That's why I'm so glad I found this place!

In a bunch of products for post-op? Everything is sealed and within date. I have calcium chews and multivitamin chews in sealed canisters/bags, high protein shakes, gelatin, soups, oatmeal... ALL bariatric brands. Please contact me directly for more info. I bought a lot post-surgery during my recovery and then moved shortly after and I didn't even realize how much I had until now (a year post-op)... I was unable to get through it all and would love to see it go to a good home. Ideally I'd like to just have it as one big package and we can negotiate out the price. You will NOT find these products online for a quarter of the price. Email: brookebonic@gmail.com Will ship via USPS. Serious inquiries only. I'll list out the inventory for anyone interested and send photos to anyone interested once I'm able to. Payment via Venmo or PayPal only and you must pay for shipping prior to shipment as well.

I had my sleeve April 4 in June I had an episode in a grocery story were I passed out. The episode happened twice in about a 45 min period. Went to the hospital all tests were normal. I chalked it up to waiting to long to eat but followed up with my primary care. She did a 3 hour glucose test and found within an hour my insulin level went from 10 at fasting to 211, for those not aware that's and unheard of level, which she has seen one other time and that was in someone who had also had Bariatric surgery but she was 2 years post op not 3 months. She put me on metformin hoping to regulate and I ate about every 3 hours. I thought it was takin care of until out of nowhere I had another episode a few weeks ago and have felt pretty poorly since. I can never catch a sugar drop at least not at levels I believe should make me pass out. I get a continuous glucose monitor this week to wear for a week and have an endocrinologist appt at the end of the month. I can't find much research on this issue but my doc did give me an article about it. Essentially your body thinks its starving so it over reacts to food it gets producing too much insulin dropping your blood sugar ( sort of reactive hypoglycemia but a more intense reaction). And can actually cause your pancreas to grow. I am so pumped about my weight loss ( 80 lbs in 5 months) but I did this to be healthier too and I have followed surgeons/ nuts instructions to a T and feel very discouraged by this development. Has any one else experienced this? Essentially it's nothing I am doing wrong it's just a negative reaction my body has decided to have following surgery. But again not much research out there so I thought maybe some of you may have insight.

I tend to agree with this. You’re not going to dump on water. I’ve never dumped but had the foamies countless times. The sides are very similar to dumping but take a look at what you consumed to know the difference. Also, I wouldn’t put much faith in ER doctors when it comes to bariatric surgery. Take this as first hand experience from working in an ER for 10 plus years as a nurse and being a bariatric patient myself.