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So I work in the medical community and I have an appointment with a bariatric surgeon on 07/21. In preparation for this I had consultations with a pulmonologist and a cardiologist. I have appointments already scheduled for after the appointment with a nutritionist, psychologist, and gastroenterologist. I have my stress echo scheduled (07/28) and my sleep apnea appointment tonight. I've read several books and done a bit of research to prepare. Is there anything else I should do in preparation? I work strange hours and cannot always say I'll be out by time X, Y, or Z but I have a flexible schedule for the next four weeks hence wanting to schedule my specialists and testing as much as possible.

New Jersey....has he applied for NJ medicaid yet? IN NJ, Medicaid has gotten out of the Heath Insurance business and now contracts with 4 Private ***'s...all NJ does is pay the premiums and manage the system. You need to check with Dr.'s who do Bariatric surgery and find out who accepts what ***...not all of them are good, and not all Dr.'s accept all of them. There are a few people left who are enrolled on Straight Medicaid anymore.

Hi! I’m new here and only a couple months into my journey. So far I have been accepted into the local bariatric program, seen the psychologist and was approved, and now I’m meeting the surgeon for the first time tomorrow. Does anyone have any advice/insight/questions I should ask? I really have no idea how it’s going to go and what the steps after will be (most insurances require X amount of months dieting, mine does not). I’m nervous and excited!

I got the Injury stuff from the Unjury.com website. The bariatric pall bouillon soup I got from the bariatric pal website store.

Even though it's a bariatric psych eval, they are still Psychatrist first... LOL.... Thank you all for the help. I read one girl "scored a 90" and the Psych told her she needed to be in the 50 range. I have no idea what she was talking about and therefore I'm kinda apprehensive that I wont pass. If it's like a sit down "interview" I'm sure I'll do fine. I've read a lot about the lap band and feel pretty confident about my knowledge but I'm still nervous!

Prior to surgery, we had to see the bariatric program's pharmacist who checked out meds and figured out how we could get them in without any problems. They switched me to 2 lower dose pills of Wellbutrin rather than the one larger one, I split my Lexapro tablets, and I take Viactiv chewable Vitamins and Calcium. The only thing I have to grind up is a great multi mineral, and I take that in a spoonful of applesauce. I really don't want any meds to get stuck, so I stick with what I was told to do. Emily

Try this group in Austin, I've heard that Dr. Ganta will take patients banded in Mexico. I know that SW Bariatrics will not. http://www.austinbariatricinstitute.com/

Geeze I had to say something because I've passed this several times an every time I saw it my heart panicked. I kept reading thinking it said Oldham county. Scary thought! OP, where in KY are you? I know Louisville has quite a few Bariatric programs and there are some in IN that may be worth the drive.

There is always the exception, and I guess I'm it.... To me, it is a lifestyle.....NOT a diet. I have plenty of friends who are skinny, and probably never been overweight in their life. I follow their lead....you will never see them eating like a pig...always small portions. At parties, you hardly see them eating at all but engaged in conversation..... They do it out of good lifestyle, I do it because the band will not let me be a pig..CANNOT overat.... 2nd, what food they do eat is HEALTHY....you will never see them counting calories. They simply know what is good and what is not good for their bodies.....it's not rocket science and I don't need MFP to tell me. That is what I do...since myl food portions are so small, thanks to the band, I have educated myself to be a Health Nut.....I only eat the best foods, stay away from junk, choose organis when possible.. I have not eaten red meat in 18 months.....no flour products, no sugar, no salt, soda, milk, etc. to some that may be a diet, to me that's a healthy lifestyle. 3rd, my skinny friends are all active, involved in something like running clubs, cross country biking, etc. I too have elected to to be the same way.....even after having one heart attack with cardiac surgery, I am more active now than I was 30 years younger....which included 2 tours of Vietnam.... So, I do not think about calories, just eating healthy... Being banded, my portions are totally in control, cannot overeat even if I wanted to..and I have tried and learned my lessons well.... Most days, I do not even think about being banded at all....it is as though I had surgery once, I'm healed and cured, and life goes on..... However it goes on with a NEW NORMAL.... I have not gained, nor lost any significant weight in over a year. I see my bariatric surgeon every 3 months....he cannot be more pleasd because I make him look good....has had me at a few of his seminars..... He once said he wished all his patients had my attitude towards living a new life...... These forums are a place where no one is right, and no one is wrong....but it is a place where people who have been banded share their personal stories. I am shocked at what some people tell other people what they should or should not do.... I have been in the profession for over 30 years and , well, I'll leave it at that..... I have reached my goal, completed the journey....this is now my NEW NORMAL LIFE! Set free from dieting, calorie counting, etc.....and it is all easy and normal behavior for me.

Ok, had the psych eval yesterday.... a total waste of time! It was a sit down "interview" but it really wasnt. He talked a lot and just typed up the eval as we spoke. Nothing really discussed about bariatric surgery or anything really related to "eating disorders". But..... I got the eval and just verified with the surgeon's office that they received it. Now, it's a waiting game to see how long the surgeon's office reviews my file and compiles the info to submit for approval. I sure hope I dont have to keep calling and bugging them for a status. I sure hope they can get it reviewed and sent off this week!! Am I dreaming?? How long did it take any of you after your eval was received? I have BCBS-Fed and I've read that they are rather quick in approving surgery, I just have a feeling this doctor's office is slow in submitting the paperwork to insurance...... UGH....

Hi there...I had surgery last week for a hiatal hernia & replacement of my lapband and am doing great. I had a 4cc lapband placed in me in July 2008. I had a lot of restriction from the beginning and was only able to to get one fill. After a fill, I had constant reflux & food was hard to keep down. I had to get an unfill a few weeks afterward and was empty until 3 weeks ago. I decided to get a fill after having nothing for 4 months and I was only able to put .3 cc's in my band. There was obvious irriation and we couldn't figure out why. After one week of the fill, I started having reflux again. After having it unfilled last Saturday, the doctor said I still showed complete restriction. She said I should stay on liquids only, no sodium. I woke up on Sunday dehydrated and still having a struggle keeping water down. I went to the emergency room and they immediately started rehydrating me, did an upper gi, endoscopy, and finally a ct scan which showed a severe hiatal hernia. What I failed to tell you is that I had my lapband surgery in Mexico. I didn't know anything about different sizes of lapbands. The bariatric surgeon here in the U.S. that attended me this past week said that they never put a 4 cc band in anyone. IT's way too small and they're certain that my hiatal hernia was caused by my band being too small for my anatomy. Even though my hiatal hernia was pretty severe, they were able to replace my lapband and put a 14 cc band in. I was so excited that I didn't have to remove it permanently. Do you know what size band you have?

Can they move the port to a different location? I am not sure where might be better, but my bariatric surgeon said there are any number of locations that can be used.

I think the bariatric doctor your primary sent you to can go suck it! You might want to check into another bariatric doctor that may be in group, or even consider going to a different doctor altogether if you don't find one you like through your pcp. If you found one you like, you can always petition your insurance agency to get him or her approved. I was self pay so I didn't have to go through the the whole insurance run around. I absolutely love my surgeon and my trust in him made both my surgery and aftercare fairly easy. Bottom line, find a surgeon you feel comfortable with, and the entire process will go much more smoothly.

If i were you I'd find out First what is going on with the Band, a Revision to sleeve doesn't have be done at the same time a band is removed. Also if your Surgeon is saying he thinks the band has eroded, Then a Sleeve revision MAY NOT be possible? Then your going to have to consider another form of WLS. personally I'd start researching all the options (why wait). The literature states that a Loss of restriction is a sign of erosion, and epigastric pain, where others experience nothing. What happened that you Failed the Barium swallow? Did the Surgeon see the flow of Barium going somewhere other than through the esophagus/stomach? OR were you just unable to tolerate drinking the Barium? I ask because this is a Concern for allot of Banded ppl. Any information can be helpful. In regards again to the Revision, Get on the Phone call the Insurance company, then get them to send you a hard copy of the policy to explain your Bariatric coverage, it varies greatly and you can't always trust the person that answers the phone to explain it correctly. BMI isn't the only factor that the insurance approves a revision, if Co-mobidities are present those are also factored in the decision. Good Luck!! So Sorry that your having band complications, Please keep us Posted and i hope all works out in your Favor!!

Hi All, I was sleeved about 8 months ago and I was pretty active on VST in the 3 months leading up to my surgery until about a month or so after surgery and I've been pretty absent since then. There are a variety of reasons for this, including the fact that I am a grad student working on my Master's thesis and I don't have a lot of free time right now, but probably the biggest reason that I have been absent is because I hit a months-long stall from about 2 months post-surgery until the 7th month after surgery and I was feeling very much like a failure. I lost around 40 pounds within the first 2 months of surgery and then virtually nothing--well, maybe 3 pounds that I kept gaining and losing--for 5 months! I know that I am not the only person to have this type of experience and it seems logical to come to this forum for support, but I personally have this tendency to withdraw when I should reach out for support the most (and I suspect that others do too). I can only speak for myself, but I also didn't post for a while because I didn't want to come across as negative about the surgery and wind up discouraging anyone because I would definitely still choose to do this if I had it to do over again. For whatever reasons, I think that a lot of the people who are struggling don't post on here nearly as much as the success stories, so it gives a skewed view for both the newbies who are considering surgery and the veterans who feel like they are somehow failing at this. I know that when I was reading here pre-op, I definitely felt that losing quickly was the norm and slow losers were in the minority and mostly people who started out with a lower BMI. I think this forum is a wonderful resource and I'm not trying to scare anyone, but my number one advice to anyone considering surgery or anyone who has had surgery and feels like it's not working or that they've failed is to remember that this is not magic and to know that there may be a fair amount of work on your part (mentally, physically, and emotionally) beyond surgery to reach your goals. My number one wish for everyone, on the other hand, is that the pounds just fly off quickly with no stalls and that maintaining goal is a breeze, but I don't think that's terribly realistic. Anyway, I had gotten really discouraged because I felt like I had tried everything (exercise, more calories, fewer calories, more carbs, fewer carbs, more fluids, etc) but then I talked to someone I know in real life who has had the surgery and, although I'm convinced that her surgeon made her stomach really, really tiny - she's 4-5 years out and can still only eat very small amounts, like 3/4 of a hot dog w/o bun, based on our conversation I changed my diet to consume fewer calories but much more Protein and this seems to be working. I have lost 10 pounds in the past month and I have a renewed hopefulness that I can and will get to goal. Now that I'm not in the deepest part of despair, I have come to my senses that it is helpful to have support on this journey, so I'm reaching out to the VST community again. I'm also on MyFitnessPal with the same username if you care to add me. My school quarter starts tomorrow and I have to finish my MA thesis within 10 weeks, so I may still not be online very often until I'm done, but I will try to check in on both sites as much as possible. Best of luck and/or continued success to everyone!

Hi, This is my first post. My name is Sandra McMahon-Gill (Sandy). I am 58 years young and awaiting approval from Keystone so we can get the ball (sleeve)rolling. It has taken me 3 years to get to this point, in 2008 I starting the necesssary steps when I was accidently unexpectedly diagnosed with ovarian cancer(stage one fortunetly), so I had the requisite hysterectomy but Yippee--no chemo or radiation necessary. Ok so get all past that and in 2011 tried again, when I came down with necrotizing facitis(a type of mersa), s--t, have to wait again. Thankfully I came out of the necro....with all parts intact! Finally Late Spring of 2012-I started the steps (one more time--3 is a charm--right) so here we are waiting for the almighty approval. I am hoping to get "sleeved" in mid september as my doctor (David Wernsing of Philadelphia, PA) is getting booked up. I've joined Vertical Sleeve Talk and and another blog. I've even contact a variety of Bariatric food sites to obtain samples. While talking to my hemotologist today, we discussed the upcoming surgery and he wishes to have me get Iron infusions, he says iron is not absorbed properly after these types of surgerys(any bypass type), since I am slightly anemia. The good part is that the infusion would only be once or twice a year. Been there- done that and it is painless. Has anyone else experienced this situation? Oh one more thing, is there a spell check available here? Later

Okay. I just changed my insurance to Molina like 20 minutes ago. What are the steps I need to take? I've seen the Molina Healthcare bariatric request online. It says stage 2 approval though. Should I make an appointment with my pcp and go over it? Or should I contact UW first? I'm sorry ladies. Also. The only thing I really have is PCOS and my bmi is 47. So idk if I would qualify with MOLINA. Amerigroup denied me. I appreciate all the replies, I truly do. Ive been wanting this since I was 17. I'm about to be 25 November 18th and I just want to be healthy and happy. I've tried everything. The more information I can get the better. ❤❤ Sent from my N9518 using the BariatricPal App

If Aleve is OK with your bariatric surgeon.. that's fine. However, it is a NSAID and many bariatric docs prohibit or severely limit the use of NSAIDs. They are thought to contribute to the possibility of erosion. Just wanted you to be aware of this if you weren't already.

Take chewable bariatric. Vitamins, 3 a day and calcium citrate, 1 a day.

I may try this "Coromega" stuff. It is comes in little packets and is orange flavored. I googled for "bariatric fish oil".

I am scheduled for an abdominoplasty next week. During my initial consult, I asked about liposuction for my waist. I was told that I didn't have much fat but had left over skin. Oh good I thought... He has a plan to give me a waistline. Then I started looking at pictures and procedures. I soon came to realize that after abdominioplasty most women's waist lines look pretty androgynous. Some look like they had less waistline than before surgery. Well I thought I will ask all these questions during my pre-op visit. Little did I know that I would not see the dr. during the pre-op visit. It was just a visit with the nurse about do this and don't do that. I asked the nurse what procedure he was going to do... Was I getting an extended abdominoplasty to get rid of the extra skin on the waist? Oh no I am just getting a regular abdominoplasty. so I asked her about the waist and I was informed that I could always come back for more plastic surgery. I have to admit I am disappointed before I even get this done. I have limited funds for plastic surgery and repeated visits are not an option for me. My bariatric surgeon says he is the best in the area.. so I guess I just have to trust that and accept whatever result I get. I have taken bellydance lesson for the last 4 years and was soooo looking forward to having all that work pay off. All the hip work I can do just gets lost with out a waist to show it off... sigh... just want to cry.... Khy

Who is up for a Spring Renewal??? I know I am!!!! The weather on the East Coast this Winter has been pretty brutal, and even though Elsa is my all-time favorite Disney Princess….I’m ready for some Sunflowers, and Daffodils! The next NYC/LI chapter is meeting is going to be on April 11th from 2PM till 4 PM We will be meeting at The Atrium at 805 Third Avenue. The building is on Third Ave between 49th and 50th Streets. The Atrium is at the back of the space on the lower level past the shops. We are looking forward to seeing many of our forum friends there for a fun filled afternoon. We hope to share a bit of information, education, and ultimately support with our friends!!! So mark your calendars today forum friends and make plans to spend a beautiful Spring afternoon in NYC. If any Jersey friends want to attend, please feel free to cross the Hudson and join us. 10 Tips for Spring Cleansing and Renewal Feel the power of Nature all around you and within you. Know that this awesome force is available to you, and allow it to influence the course of your life and health. Identify the areas of your life that need some work and plan specific improvements that incorporate the changing seasons. Allow yourself to visualize your Perfect Life, and nourish that vision through your cleansing and renewal process. Spring is the time for renewing your life - letting go of what you don't need (physical, mental, and emotional habits that undermine your health) and bringing in what you need anew (accepting positive health habits that will satisfy your soul). Take a break from the TV to be more creative, or read by candlelight without the electrical vibrations at night, or just sit quiet to meditate and listen. Get more outside exercise and spend more time in Nature. Take hikes, plant a garden, or work in a community garden. Create a balanced fitness program or modify the one you are already following that will support your healthy, body/mind happiness. Working up a sweat helps you dump toxins; this will improve your health and lead to fewer doctor's visits. Also add some reflective practices such as stretching, yoga, or chi gong; these help support renewal by giving your body time to gently de-stress and deepen the changes you are making in your life. Consider a special and specific detoxification program. This could include substance avoidance (off sugar and caffeine, for example), Renew all aspects of your Life. Go through your piles of papers, your clothes, and the corners of rooms in areas that haven't seen light for years. Don't be afraid to let go and let things flow. Give things away, have a garage sale, and recycle or re-circulate what you can. "Being simple, simply being." Begin to gently, yet seriously, re-evaluate the key areas of your life - work (career), relationships, and health. Again, look at what undermines your potential in these worlds and allow clear guidance, suggestions, and actions to arise in your being. Try to be more aware of the subtle areas of life and the effects of foods. How does the food you eat make you feel. Increased vitality and improved health will change how you view your life and how much energy you have to create positive change for yourself. It is your healthy body that lets your Spirit fly more freely. Nutritional supplements (as the raw materials--Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids) nourish and support your body and mind. The cleansing process de-stresses your body and lets your energy rise and awaken your psyche. Freshly squeezed juices and herbal teas are vitalizing, high-vibration nourishment. Sprouts from seeds and grains are live, vital food. Aromatherapy and smelling the beautiful sweetness of the spring flowers will soother your soul as well. Be Earth-aware and Earth-friendly. Be conscious of where things come from and where they go - and the real cost of products you use - such as plastics and chemical products. Re-use and Re-cycle. Support more earth-conscious businesses and products. How do you vote with your dollar? Cleansing habits to incorporate include deep and relaxed breathing, yoga-type stretching, dry skin brushing, and wonderful walks in Nature. When was the last time you de-stressed, downloaded and digested your life experiences to catch up to the present? Do something that uplifts your Spirit, such as caring for a loved one or an elderly neighbor. Trust your heart and feed it joyful experiences. Put your Spirit on the line for what you believe. Doing for another is key to completing the circle of life, called Love. Building community is a positive change for Earth as well as for our Spirit.

Welcome back!! I was just thinking of you the other day and was wondering where you have been. I am excited for you that you have another procedure coming up in which to make yourself even more fabulous. I know you have been wanting to get your teeth/mouth fixed for awhile so congrats! Hopefully with the protein/liquids you won't lose a lot more weight. I know you are at goal. Maybe you could add in a few shakes that normally we Bariatric patients wouldn't drink ( higher carbs and calories) so you can maintain your weight. I know you will figure it out because you always do. You will have to keep us all posted.

I did not want the malabsorptive issues of bypass, so I never even considered it. I originally looked at Lapband, but my friend who was banded 6 years ago strongly urged against it. She felt that adequate maintenance (fills and unfills) would be very inconvenient since I would have to travel 2 hours one way to the closest Bariatric center that did them. And She actually needed emergency surgery when her band slipped and was concerned that slippage would put me in a dangerous situation considering my rural location. Then I learned about VSG and the rest is history.....

I know the info on the Wellesse website is provided to sell their products but they specifically say it is good for bariataric surgery patients. I'd like to find out more about this product. 10g of protein in one ounce while my stomach is the size of an egg sounds great to me. My protein shakes now give me 20 to 23 grams of protein but they are 8 ounces of liquid -- it would take hours to get it all down and I'd still need more. 10 g in one ounce liquid sounds smart -- just for the early weeks. I am going to a required nutritio class on Monday. I'll ask about it, altho I bet the NUT knows nothing. I have yet to meet a NUT working for a bariataric clinic that knew anything about the needs of bariatric patients and nutrition.