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@@tinkrbll Honestly this group has been my primary support system outside of my husband. There are plenty of people who would be willing to help including myself. Also I have made friends on this site that I know I will have forever. If you think you need more, the best thing for you to do is ask your surgical team if they are aware of any local support groups. Also, a therapist at least in the beginning is a huge support. I found a nurse on my Bariatric team, her name is Dorothy and she herself had RNY 12 years ago now. She is slim, feeling great and has tons of advice. You might also find resources like that with your team but if not, I am here an would be happy to help. Just click on my pic and send me a message. Good luck with your upcoming appointment! Congratulations on making the decision to get healthy.

#1 For goodness sakes go to a heart doctor and have a stress test ASAP...They might not even operate on you with those issues. #2 switch doctors and go see Dr. Bertha from NJ Bariatrics, he did my surgery and he doesnt require that 6 month failure program others do. and only 1 day liquid diet leading into surgery. #3 never drink soda again, ever..Worst beverage period. Then check out my Youtube page, my very 1st video will sound all too familiar.

Hi Biddy zz I am now 1month post op. Sad to say i still feel so much regret getting my surgery. Ive lost 27 pounds. I hit alot of stalls in the beginning not eatting enough protein and water so finally i have everything going ok im starting to adventure to new protein foods. These protein puffs from this bariatric store are actually pretty good with 21g of protein in 1 cup so when i go to the movies or i want to munch i put a cup in a bag and go to town. I need to excercise more i only walk to the park and back everyday and play soccer with my 5yr old. I guess i feel alittle not motivated right now which i need to get out of my head. Anyways i am doing 1 tbs of peanut butter in the morning on a spoon and that helps me drink lots of water then 2hours later i have a protein yogurt and for lunch i have a tuna albacore/ tuna packet. I need convenience so the packet that is just the albacore in water is nice and only 80 cal tons of protein and i can take it to go. I also have the 100cal tuna salad sometimes as well it just has alittle more fat and a few more cals in it. I have pudding in the evening and dinner some chicken cut tiny or canned or sometimes scrambled eggs. Ohb a d my favorite thing i have to limit is 2 sugar free caramel candies i will still lose if i only suck on 2 of them.

I'm in a bind, and no matter which way I turn, I come out stuck. STUCK. And screwed if I don't hurry up and find a solution. I have a terrible shellfish allergy, and am also sensitive to iodine. Finding a Protein shake that does not contain iodine and that is manufactured and handled in a facility that DOES NOT contain and/or sort shellfish or products containing shellfish seems to be impossible. I have no idea which way to turn. Even the unjury protein powders are handled in a facility that processes shellfish. They claim that they extensively clean the machinery that handles the Protein powder, but I still have a fear of cross contamination. I ended up in the hospital once due to cross contamination. I absolutely don't want to deal with that after surgery, or even again, for that matter. Does anyone know of a protein powder that doesn't contain iodine and isn't handled in a facility that sorts shellfish and seafood? Champion, Chike, Premier, Atkin's, and that Lean one from GNC are all out. From what I've seen, none of the nectar Proteins have iodine, but I don't know about their sort facilities. And the Bariatric Advantage vegetable Soup protein powder appears to be iodine-free as well. Haaaaaaaaalp?!?!?!

Okay, when you call your insurance company, ask them if there is a separate out-of-pocket max for bariatric surgery. If the person doesn't know, have them get a supervisor.

I have also gained part of my weight back. I have gone keto for normal people and the admin wanted me to consume over 1249 calories. I couldn't. I went to bariatric keto and it was more reasonable. Now the difficulty is getting back on track and cutting all the crap out. My family keep bringing it back in the house and I get angry and eat it. My bad. So now i need to pull myself back to basics. Tomorrow is my start date.

Man, I need to go buy some glasses or something. You will need to decide what's going to drive your decision on surgeon: local, insurance coverage (in vs non network), or experience, etc. A lot of people covered by insurance gowith whomever's the closest to them. I personally found a handful who were close enough and went with the one I felt was the best surgeon. You also need to find a surgfeon who will take the insurance that you have. Your provider's website should have a searchable directory. The surgeons may or may not be listed as bariatric surgeons. There are also directory maps all over the place, here's one to start. The length of the process depends on two things: 1. What your insurance requirements are 2. How busy/quick your surgeon's office is (Ok, it can depend on a LOT of things, but those are your two primaries) There are different kinds of "special diets". One is an insurance required 6 month diet. (There are variations but this is the standard). Your surgeon puts you on it because your insurance won't approve your surgery without it. When I said "found out what requirements are" above, this is one of the things you will need to find out about. You CAN just go to a surgeon's info seminar and trust the office coordinators to do this research for you, but IMO you're 100% better off if you find out on your own. All it takes is a call to your sinsurance company, or a read through your SPD, or having them fax you the requirements... whatever gets you the info. The other kind if special diet is a "preop diet" that often, but not always, consists of about 2 weeks on sugar free liquids. It's basically to prep your body for the surgery. I didn't have to do it (either time: I've had two WLS) - mine was 2 days of sugar free Clear Liquids. Some people have to do a diet of shakes and small meals. The "usual" diet is the 2 week liquids one. Insurance approval usually requires 1 - 3 meetings with a therapist before your surgery (more if needed) and 1 - 2 afterward. The afterward will be dropped before the before ones are. It's very standard and just ensures that you're in a good place, mentally (in a comprehehnsive way), and prepared for the surgery. There is no single price for the surgery (like there's no single price for anything else). A haircut here is $7, a haircut there is $50. My surgeon charges about $13k. That's for SELF PAY, that's not for people with insurance. I believe his rate is fairly competitive, and is definitely one of the lower self-pay rates in my area. Start with our insurance requirements, and with finding a surgeon you think you'd like to work with.

Hello everyone I am new here and just wanted to say hi , introduced myself and tell you my story. My name is Tom ,I am 40 years old and I am from Toronto,Canada. Yes, I almost use to weight 1,000 lbs. I actually was 910 lbs at my highest just about a year ago. On December 10, 2015 I checked in to a hospital weighing 910 lbs and I am currently still here at the hospital continuing to receive the treatment and help I need one year later. My 1 year anniversary stay at the hospital was just 11 days ago and on December 10, 2016 I weighed 475 lbs . So I lost a total of 435 lbs + in one year. Now , I also had another problem. I had developed a big nasty a localized lymphedema (big tumor)in my groin area that grew to be about 180-200 lbs it self estimated. This lymphedema caused me my original reason i went to the hospital because it pretty much ancored me down to the point I wasn't able to walk ,get around anywhere but a few feet from my bed to the couch.Also with moving and trying to walk around stuff came great pain since the Lymphedema tumor had developed lots of ulcers and open wounds that were very bad and nasty. I no longer could take the pain and suffering and reached for the desperate help I needed but was terrified to ask for. So in the hospital I was put on a strict diet of 1500 calories to start for the first month or so and then eventually decreased to 1200 calories a day food intake. Also along with the help of my physiotherapist, doing any bed excercise we could in the beginning because at 910 lbs that's all that I could do. I lost 400 lbs by diet and exercise by September 28, 2016...Which is when I had my Gastric bypass surgery. So in 9 months basically I lost those 400 lbs and had my surgery. When I first came in here to the hospital I wasn't even thinking about getting a gastric bypass surgery or any kind of diet surgery etc. I came here in hopes of having something done and even removal of that lymphedema tumor that was paining me and ancoring me down. So it was all about losing weight and seeing what will happen. @910 lbs noone in their right mind would do any kind of surgery on a person unless it was life and death. So they had no plans to have anything with removal of this lymphedema growth till I lost enough weight and be safe. As I started to lose weight the talks and suggestions of having a Gastric bypass surgery came up by doctors. They thought it would help me lose weight faster now so we can deal with the Lymphedema growth surgery with lower and safer weight levels. Also they said it would help me in future to lose more excess weight and keep it off or maintain my weight at least for life if i used this tool correctly (Gastric bypass surgery). So in due time my doctor said that I've lost enough weight and approved me for Gastric Bypass surgery and with a weight of 510 lbs I had my surgery September 28, 2016. Now, with all this weight loss my lymphedema growth has also shrunk from its giant enormous size down to about 1/4 of what it use to be but it is still there and weighs bout 50 lbs still. Me and my doctor here at the hospital are expecting a special surgeon to come see me today(December 21,2016) actually about the removal surgery of this lymphedema hrowth. So hopefully he will have good news for me. Because that lymphedema tumor is still a big anchor for me and really in the way and holding me back from doing a lot of things including not being able to walk and move around in certain ways because it gets in the way. Now the hospital I'm in has a special bariatric program and there was a reason why I actually ended up picking this hospital to come to. I knew someone who's dad is a surgeon here and he directed me to have EMS and Fire to bring me here from home. Also, since I'm in Canada all hospital stay to date including my Gastric Bypass survey was covered under OHIP as we call it here. That good old free Canadian healthcare that every Canadian gets at work for me luckily. I have been truly lucky and blessed with everything from being able to get the help I needed and all the amazing people involved including all nurses and doctors and other hospital admins who have done everything they could to keep me here and help me achieve my goals to get better and walk out of this hospital on my own 2 legs. Since the surgery on September 28th I have lost 40 lbs till now December, 21 2016. Now this is due to a problem I have developed with my platelets in my blood. My immune system became overactive and started killing my platelets in my blood thinking the platelets wee some foreign objects like viruses and infections so it destroy them . Platelets in blood help to thicken or congeil the blood incase you cut yourself you wont bleed away and can't stop the blood . Or if your platelet count is very low and say you fall, hit your head you could get internal bleeding etc. So the avg persons platelet levels should be between 150 to 400 ish. That's what's considered normal apperantly. Well I had mine go down as low as 2 . Very dangerous. So they got me on some steroids to calm my immune system and it seems to be doing ok at around the country of 135. So they aren't comcerned with me about that now. Anyway, these steroids cause weight gain due to Water retention etc etc. So losing weight has been harder after surgery and it was after surgery we discovered these platelet problems. But not related to Gastric Bypass surgery. Instead of me typing everything out and explaining so much that I have to explain and tell, I have created a YouTube channel so I could tell my story and progress through my channel. I will link everything below. Now, best thing would be is to watch my very first vlog here https://youtu.be/n3CLU2ghoiM My 2nd Vlog here to catch up on my story https://youtu.be/Y3MXkp-nQJ8 Or you can go to my channel and watch everything I ever uploaded here. https://m.youtube.com/user/Boosted00 But the 1st two Vlogs are my intro explanation videos to my weight loss journey and my 910 lbs life.... I'd appreciate if you all check out my YouTube channel Subscribe to me , comment like and share . Would be a great help. I will end it here for now, in the first vlog video I have pictures of when I use to look like ,I have a picture of the size of the Lymphedema groin tumor and things in the beginning of that first YouTube video along with the beginning stages of my story. I will be adding new content couple times a week and also continue explaining my story in a new video which will be Vlog#3 and 4 etc etc. Besides that I will be adding small side videos ,some funny some serious that I have filmed in the past 5 or so months. If you have any question feel free to ask away or just comment and I be happy to reply or just read comments. Old pictures pictures I posted down below in another reply because I was having trouble attaching them here in this first post of mine , I apologise for separating them. I also will add a couple current pictures down below as well. My direct link to my YouTube channel https://m.youtube.com/user/Boosted00 My first YouTube intro vlog about my journey Add me on Instagram to follow me there too. Instagram tommy910_ Email 910lbs@gmail.com Please help me help others get motivated thru my story! Plz SUB like and share , LOVE YOU GUYS ! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basic repeat and quicker rundown of my story here Basic story then my YouTube links down below.. I was almost 1,000 lbs....and I kept fighting and never giving up. I want to share my near 1000 lb life story and journey of how I kept on fighting and not giving up,EVER ! You must do the same and stay strong ,things will get better .KEEP ON SWIMMING #keeponswimming I would appreciate if you Subscribed to me to help me raise awareness and help motivate others with my on going success story of my weight loss journey. Thank you all. Here is my almost 1000 lb life weigh loss journey ! On December 10, 2015 i checked in to a hospital with a weight of 910 lbs. On my 1st anniversary in there on December 10, 2016 I was down to 475 lbs and counting.... Please check out my YouTube channel and subscribe to follow along. My direct link to my YouTube channel https://m.youtube.com/user/Boosted00 My first YouTube intro vlog about my journey Sent from my Pixel XL using the BariatricPal App [/url]

Congrats! I'm on puree/soft foods right now and refried beans are my go to. I add a little bit of cheese and sour cream and it's basically a feast. I also am obsessed with broccoli cheddar soup right now. It doesn't have a ton of protein, but kept me from going crazy after liquids for so long. I also made buffalo chicken dip (shredded chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce—I left out the cheddar cheese) and it was really good—made me feel like I was eating real food, even if I couldn't eat it as a dip with chips. I'm also planning on making crab cakes, which is hilarious because I don't like crab cakes, but I'm craving them now. I got the recipe from one of Sarah Kent's bariatric cookbooks. If you want more ideas, her cookbooks have a lot of recipes for all stages.

Ive had 4 out of my six monthly visits to the bariatric surgeon. Have my psych eval scheduled for this saturday sept 21st. And picking up my letter of necessity next week from my primary then my 5th appt is on oct 9th. Last one is my pre surgery labs and ekg then surgery we are pushing for surgery date no later than nov 20th. Soo excited.

Thanks for all the input. There is some confusing information out there! Even the official government websites (US and Mexican) give some conflicting advice. From what I've read, it seems it's okay to fly from Mexico back to the US with a Green Card, but not necessarily okay to drive over the border. To be on the safe side I'm going to renew my British passport, which is a nuisance and will cost quite a lot, but better safe than sorry!

I went to a bariatric specific hospital so my insurance advocate had it on her calendar to request my records from my PCP the day after my last appointment. She submitted it that day and she called me 2 days later with the approval. From there it took 2 buisiness days to get scheduled. My surgery ways 10 days from scheduling. I’m pretty sure my experience is best case senario. I would just make sure to be your own advocate and follow up and make sure records are getting where they need to go.

Hi - My husband and I read this article on MSNBC today concerning bariatric surgery. I was really bothered by the very negative tone of the article. It discusses the downside of both bypass and lapband surgery. Which it is true that there are risks and complications, AND it is true that someone who does this without making the proper life changes will not have success, it seemed that the article was surprisingly one sided and negative. It did not mention one success story. I understand trying to show the truth (risks and big lifestyle changes) as opposed to painting the surgery as a miracle cure but this seemed excessive to me. Given that this is a 3 page article on a major news website, I felt it was really misleading and inappropriate. Am I alone in this? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Given that I have just started this path, I don't feel that I can truly argue with the author - I am not YET a success story. How many long term success stories do we have on this site? Not one of them was available for an interview to show the other side of the coin? Anyway, given how many people are researching the lapband to decide if it is right for them, and given how big a news agency MSNBC is, I really thought I should post this article and let actual lapband patients respond to it. That way, if someone reads the article and comes here for research, they can get a more balanced outlook. Here is the article, thanks for reading the rant.... The miracle weight loss that isn’t - Diet and nutrition- msnbc.com

ON-Q pumps are an old dying thing. They're often filled with Naropin. They work fine, but now there is Exparel. Which basically works the same as an ON-Q pump, but instead of a giant ball hanging out of your abdomen by ON-Q catheters that you have to carry around. They just inject the exparel into you and it works for 48 to 72 hours just like the ON-Q without all the crap sticking out of and attached to you. We used to use on-qs for every bariatric case and many other cases, now they're almost completely extinct from our hospital. And ON-QS have quite a reputation for falling out and getting removed prematurely. They sometimes would even fall out before patients got out of the operating room

Maybe you should call your doctor or the bariatric coordinator, and run it by them.

I was sleeved on 2/8/11. I went through the clear/liquid/mushies/soft food faster than recommended, but my body seemed OK with it. At 3 and 1/2 months I now eat anything I want and feel great. I have lost over 60 lbs and am losing about 2 lbs a week. I am off bariatric Vitamins, my doctor said see you in 4 months, and told me to keep exercising. I eat anything and everything, but not very much of it. It took me a while to learn when I had enough. The trick is to stop one bite sooner than you think you should. I feel great, my knees and feet don't hurt, my BP is down, I haven't had a gout attack in 3 months, and I sleep great. Yesterday I had Muscle Milk Lite and a Protein bar for Breakfast, an "Oh Yeah" Protein Cookie Bar for lunch, and filet mignon, caesar salad for dinner. Today, I had the same breakfast and lunch and Pasta with sausage for dinner. I don't get hungry and have to remember to eat. Oh, and I had some Hagen Daaz coffee icecream as a snack tonight. This is the best thing I ever did for myself!!! Your mileage may vary, but go for it.

I am having my gastric bypass surgery on Aug. 24. I have been on my pre op diet for almost 2 weeks. Nothing but clear liquid on the day before surgery. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Bariatric Advantage also has a version of these! many flavors to choose from, among other items. They have 25g, or 50g...your choice. I like em!!

I just scheduled my surgery for October 10th with Dr. Patterson! I am so excited!!! I am a surgical nurse so I see surgery all the time (although we don't do Bariatric surgery at my hospital) but this is my first time having surgery I am also super excited to have Dr. Patterson because everyone I talk to tells me what a talented surgeon she is

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.

Hi everybody! My VSG surgery was last Wednesday Feb 4. I used Dr. alejandro lopez with Specialized Bariatrics at Vida Hospital. Walking into the hospital was like walking into an Architectural Digest photo shoot! Absolutely beautiful, state of the art. My husband and I were treated so very well there by everyone we came into contact with. Every step was discussed, explained until we no longer had any questions. The surgery went very well, recovery was painful but tolerable. I was up and walking the next morning, trolling the halls. I was in a private room Thursday morning and it was super fancy! Silk quilts, infinity marble sinks. But super low toilets. They seriously need to get taller toilets! OK, so I start drinking, expecting the worse, and wow, no issues! I can drink Water, broth, gatorade, anything I want! And plenty of it! On Thursday I guess I slept a little too much and didn't get enough Fluid in and got a horrible headache. I sipped-sipped-sipped it away! No drugs needed, just more hydration. Released from hospital Friday, started running low grade fever Friday night. Sandra, our coordinator, came to the hotel, took my temp and called the Dr. He spoke with my husband on the phone and said this was not out of the ordinary but he wanted to stay on top of it. Sandra went out and picked up a prescription for me and brought it back to the hotel (that always happens in the US, right?!?). I ran a little temp on and off Fri-Sun. Never higher than 100. Fever free since Sunday evening. Trip home was easy-peasy. Drinking plenty of Protein shakes, broth, water, ION drinks, and doing great! I do get weary in the afternoons, so I sit down for a while, sometimes nap. I have lost 10 pounds in this past week. I would do this all over again in a hot minute! I am eternally grateful to the veterans on this site like @ who guided me through this entire experience and kept me from freaking out. The only way I can repay their generosity is to pay it forward! I love being on the LOSERS BENCH!

My insurance excluded it as well. I look back now and don't care. I paid out of pocket and would do it again in a New York minute. Lucky, I live the the Dallas area where we have an abundance of top notch bariatric surgeons. (I paid $12,200 all inclusive) Don't get me wrong, that is a huge chuck of change but SO worth it. It was the best health decision I could have made for myself. My husband agrees! It would be great if insurance paid but if it doesn't, go for it! You will not regret it! Best of luck to you!

Hi there I am doing great I lost 42 pounds already other than having a little problem in the beginning with the small infection that has cleared up right away. Even though I always had a life that I was sitting down watching TV and eating things that work the best for me I am now walking everyday and getting these weak legs of mine a run for their money lol. Hope you're doing this is a journey I probably should have done years ago but I'm glad I did it now. I'm on a regular bariatric diet which means I can eat mostly anything if it agrees with me and looking forward to what the future brings I hope you're doing well on your weight loss Journey take care. Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

You are in the South Bay? That's so close! I had my surgery done with Kaiser in South San Francisco. I really love the bariatric team they have there and my surgeon was amazing! I had a friend who had her sleeve done at El Camino a few years ago. She said she had a really good experience there. I also have the month off....well I have a lot of time off since I am unemployed right now. LOL At least I am giving myself the month to recover and then I will be actively looking for work. Michelle, how much time do you have off? Just curious. Kpay, I think I am going to have to try the fudgsicle/protein drink idea! I'll try it with my ice cube tray. Sounds yummy. I am so thankful that I don't have to puree anything. I go from full liquids to soft/blended foods. I probably won't be blending anything but just sticking to soft foods. Unless I get to bored with what I am eating I guess.

@McButterpants. Thanks so much for the response. My pre op two week diet required I drank Bariatric Advantage shakes. I did the vanilla and was fine with it. After surgery I now have no tolerance for sugar or the sweetness of the shakes. I actually enjoy the unflavored protein in the skim milk. Strange, right? I'm glad that you say you still drink a shake. The shakes are the only way I'm able to meet my protein goal. I'm two months today, no weight loss in two weeks, but I'm mostly happy about my decision.