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Welcome! I actually felt pretty well prepared for my surgery because I spent a lot of time reading these forums in the months leading up to surgery. I also watched a lot of YouTube videos from people who have had the surgery. There are a lot of videos about "things I wish I had known about WLS," so I was prepared for some of those things that seem to surprise a lot of people. One thing that was still a bit of a surprise was just how difficult it was to get fluids and protein in the first few weeks. No matter how many times I read or heard about how difficult it was, I didn't fully grasp how it would actually feel until I got there. The other surprise was how little pain I had and how easy my recovery was. I took a week and a half off of work, but I could have easily gone back to work 5 days after surgery. I was taking a multivitamin with iron and a vitamin D supplement before surgery, just because I had some deficiencies. You don't need to start taking bariatric vitamins until after surgery because you'll be able to eat enough before surgery to get the nutrients you need from food (unless you already have a vitamin deficiency and/or your doctor tells you to). I've never had a C-section, so I can't comment on that, but I had surprisingly little pain from my surgery. The incisions are very small, so I'd guess that it's much less painful than a C-section. I had some gas pain the first day, but after that, I was fine and I didn't need any pain medication, not even Tylenol. Different people have different experiences, though. Some people say they had some abdominal soreness as though they had done a lot of sit-ups, but I didn't have that experience. I was concerned about being able to take care of myself because I live alone, but it turned out not to be a problem. I wasn't allowed to lift more than 20 pounds for the first 6 weeks, and I was careful about bending, etc., but I really didn't have any issues. I was still able to do stuff like light housework the whole time. You don't need to apologize! We're all here to discuss WLS. There are lots of people here who have been through it and are happy to answer questions anytime.

I'd put a call into your surgeon. Bariatrics is very specific and they may be better equipped to identify and help you with your pain.

He told me that they are hoping it will start up soon in Bariatrics. They gave the go ahead on other surgeries already. He said that they are just behind the Dec and Jan folks and then I can get scheduled.

some of the bariatric-specific ones are one a day. Most regular vitamins that you get at a place like Walgreens you have to take twice a day to meet our requirements.

Yeah, that's how I was reading it too but yesterday when the bariatric office called to set me up with my first meeting with the surgeon, I again asked about insurance coverage and what tests and whatnot was covered. The nurse told me that depended on the insurance and that I should call them to verify right after getting off the phone with her. So I did. Even though I reminded her that her office told me they were going to do that a week ago before anything could get started. Anyway, no one was in the insurance office, or they were busy with others, so I left a message and they emailed me back right away. But they were not helpful either. LOL The insurance rep said yes, it's covered but requires prior authorization? Um, aren't THEY the ones to authorize? She then says, that my provider (where I will have my surgery done) would be able to tell me what is needed and required before surgery. SMH So they tell me to ask the doc office and the doc office tells me to ask the insurance company. I'm pretty much ready to give up. I mean, if I can't get straight answers now I can't imagine getting into this thing and having to deal with uncertainties then. SMH

I had my sleeve surgery December 5th of 2017, and its been ages since I've checked in here. I'll be honest....after a while, this became an unhelpful environment for me and I needed to leave. Too many experts. Too many people who had "found the answer" and judged others who were following a different path. Sometimes ya'll were really helpful and sometimes you just made things worse. I'm not saying that to be critical of this place (there were times it was sincerely helpful and I think it's a great site, particularly for those starting out)....but I wanted to share my experience that there are times when it's better to walk away, take breaks, or escape relationships formed here that end up being unhealthy. I'm gonna talk about my experience with the disclaimer that this is MY experience. I'm not judgeing anyone else's experience. If it works for you...that's great. I'm not giving advice here....nothing I say will be "right or wrong" for anyone but me. It's your job to find your best path. This is just my experience. I had a terrific surgery. Either i'm really tough or was too excited to feel much pain, but I woke up from surgery feeling great and walked every chance I got. It helped. I had an easy recovery. I followed directions to the letter with the bazillion little ouce cups spaced out across the day. Got my fluids in, hit my protien targets, walked constantly. The two most difficult things I remember....were the liquid diet leading up to surgery. Mine was over Thanksgiving and wow, did that suck, because I was cooking dinner for everyone else. Crazy difficult. The other really tough part for me....were the first few months after surgery when my weightloss slowed and I was like....what in the world? I expected this big fast drop, and it wasn't like that at all. It was a slow weightloss with long plateaus. I also remember being angry because I was insanely hungry ALL THE TIME the first three weeks. Harsh! And here I thought all the little "hungry sensors" in my stomach would eliminate this issue....nope. My doctor had a different approach to what many people were doing on this site. I was told to eat more calories faster than many other plans, and my diet included a lot of carbs....which melted the brains of many of the protien police. LOL. Granted, the carbs I was allowed were high fiber, high protien and unrefined. (Potatoes were one of my first foods, I ate chickpea pasta, whole grain high fiber English muffins, sweet potatoes, beans, etc.) So yeah....I was clearly doomed to failure and killing myself in the minds of many here. LOL. And it's true...I lost weight slower than most....BUT! I continued to lose weight, and weirdly, my tastes changed. And I've gotta tell you....no one is more suprised than me about this....but better food choices are much much easier for me now. I stay away from refined sugar, refined flour and animal fat. I like plant based protien and fiber is my go to. My doctor stressed the importance of fiber and fermented foods in creating the right kind of gut bugs...and I really think he's on to something. Couple of things I've learned that apply to me: * I'm a food addict. I will always be a food addict. I have never met an emotion I couldn't eat. I need to think about that every day, and when things get tough....I need to go to therapy, because it helps. I don't go nonstop...but when really tough situations come up in my life (big changes, deaths, etc.) having an extra set of eyes and ears from a bariatric-familiar therapist really helps me keep the addiction in check. *At some point, you regain a little. In fact, statistically, most people will regain about 20% of what they lose the first year. I didn't. I regained ten pounds and joined Weight Watchers until I lost it, again. I didn't follow their diet, but found that going in to be weighed once a week and attending the meetings with a fun coach really helped keep me on track. (Therapy also helped, bigtime. If I gain five pounds, I schedule a therapist appointment...I know something is going on and I need to act) *I need to exercise if I want to eat the number of calories I find satisfying. I love my Fitbit. I wear it on my foot. In the summer, people think I'm a criminal with an ankle monitor. LOL. *I hate logging my food with a purple passion. But if I start to gain weight, I know it's absolutely necessary if I want to reverse it. *Menopause sucks. Particularly with your metabolism. You might need to make calorie adjustments. *No matter what life throws at you...no excuse is good enough to destroy your health with food addiction. Find better ways of dealing with anxiety, pain, grief, fear, boredom, worry, stress. *Weighing myself once a week reduces stress. I have been a lunatic with the scale most of my life. Get on every morning (or several times a day)...if the number is good, I'd go...heck, I'm doing great, I deserve a treat! If the number was bad, I'd get depressed and stress eat....it was no win. Weighing once a week is much saner for me! *I grieved foods when their taste changed and I didn't like them as much anymore. I used to love Egg McMuffins and Chilli Cheese Dogs. I can take or leave an Egg McMuffin now...it's ok, but kinda meh. Chilli Cheese Dogs just taste like salt and I don't like them at all. Have tried eating them a few times and each time...have grossed myself out. I genuinely miss and feel sad about how good they used to taste. This isn't a perception I've talked myself into...other naughty things still taste great...but your tastes honestly do change and some things get ruined for you and even though this is probably a VERY good thing, it can make you feel kinda sad. And here are some CONFESSIONS! I eat 1400-1600 calories a day now and maintain my weight at 168-172 Eventually, you really can eat almost anything. And I have. I've eaten all my old favorites and overdone it. And felt guilty and stupid. And I've also saved calories and eaten an appropriate amount of my old favorites and felt pretty damned satisfied with my discipline. There might be a few things that give you trouble forever. Last week I ate dry chicken with corn on the cob...did not get backed up saliva stuck...but felt that horrible stuck feeling for about twenty minutes and sipped water until it passed. Corn is my big one to watch...which stinks...because I really like corn. I drink diet pop. Yep. I do. A can a day most days. My restriction is still great...as evidenced by my corn issue. I take ibuprofen now. Never more than a dose or two in a week's time and always take it with antacids....but I do use it once in a while and my doctor is ok with this. (he said not advised for the first year after surgery) My maintenance diet has a ton of carbs. I still get about 60g of protein a day, but I try to get at least half of it from plant based foods. I eat fast food once in a while, when necessary. Usually, I cut a sandwich in half and eat half. No fries. Coffee with cream and splenda. I don't like it very much anymore. Honestly...it doesn't taste like it used to. My idea of naughty junk food now...is hitting the specialty deli for four pieces of sushi and one of those cups of watermelon chunks. LOL. Here is a current picture of myself. I'm not perfect, but not bad for turning 49 this year! Beats the hell out of weighing 270 pounds. I have no regrets. Wishing you all the very best.

Huh, I guess I miss pizza! I wish we had all these crust options here, the *protein one* looks really good. Don't worry, OP. I don't like fish either. I always chuckle when bariatric recipe sites suggest "and then just add some steamed fish" ... yeah, I'd rather eat the box it came in thank you very much. *Pizza and the ol' McD were binge foods for me back when I was an overeater. I found peace with both pre-surgery, I guess I should again at some point after to tackle it head on.

I hear you. Has your bariatric team been able to provide any solutions? Mine was the 3rd and the first 4 days were HELL, but Day 5 I seemed to turn a corner. I hope you're able to get some relief soon.

So I'm new here and started a thread last week with some questions I had. You can easily find it if you want but pretty much I was asking WHY the bariatric office would contact the insurance company BEFORE they even allow me to go for an initial consult. I mean, the initial consult would better help me understand IF I even wanted to go through with the surgery to begin with and here they were almost acting as if they won't see me at all unless I have insurance that will cover it. Was just strange to me. So then yesterday they write me back. They simply say this (they also sent a separate email with details on classes, links to videos to watch and told me to look in the mail for a binder): Deductible: $150 Met to Date: Out of Pocket: $2750 Met to Date: Copay: Coinsurance: 100% Medically Supervised Weight Loss Classes: 0 That really doesn't explain anything. I mean, it tells me how much any coinsurance would cover (which I don't have) but not what my primary and only insurance will cover. So I messaged back to ask: What DOES MY insurance actually cover? When does the out of pocket expenses come into play, and can payments be made towards it instead of one lump sum? Does the "Medically supervised classes: 0" mean I attended none or I don't need to attend one? Are any of the additional tests needed for the surgery covered by insurance? So they respond today and still don't really answer all of my questions. One of the things she said was: "For the amount covered by your insurance you will need to call them for clarification." Huh, I was told last week that's what THEY were doing. SMH Then the last sentence she says: "Once you have the surgery we will submit to your insurance company and they will let us know what part of the balance is your responsibility. At that point you would receive a bill. I hope this helps!" ONCE I HAVE the surgery? WTH? Shouldn't they/I know what the insurance will cover BEFOREHAND? Gotta say, I'm not really happy right now. This is exactly why I wanted to go for a consult in person to ask all these questions. I mean, is this normal? Out of everything I've read here I can't say that I remember anyone saying they got the surgery and THEN were told what the damages were after the fact. This is all very discouraging but they are supposedly 1st tier in my network which means it SHOULD be covered 100% as I do believe my insurance covers this surgery 100% (a co-worker had it done with the same insurance a year ago). I mean, what is the job of these people if I am to call and find all this out myself? I was told in the first email they sent me that THEY would be contacting my insurance to see what all it covers then they would get back to me with the answers and the next steps to take. SMH I mean, am I over reacting or is this confusing and crazy to any of you too?

Thank you so much, OP, for asking this question! It's something I've been wondering about as well. My mom used Bariatric Advantage Banana flavor when she was pre-op. I can't stand the texture (it always comes out gritty for some reason.) I've been drinking Premier's new cafe latte flavor (does contain caffeine which I know a lot of pre-op diets restrict- I'm 8 months out from surgery so not an issue for me yet) every morning for breakfast and love it. The peach and cinnamon roll flavors are really good as well. A co-worker recommended Syntrax Nectar to me and I was able to find a 15 pack trial kit online for about $35. It should be here in the next couple of days. The fuzzy navel one sounds delish and I'm looking forward to trying it.

Are your multivitamins not chewable? I was advised to get children’s chewable and omigosh they taste chalky and terrible. How would kids ever take them? Blech! I need some soft chews also. What are you getting? today was not a good day for me. I had terrible, breathtakingly awful gas pain in the morning as I was trying to get my first protein shake down. They subsided mid-day but by then I was not even trying to drink any more shake. I called my bariatric clinic and the nurse said if I couldn’t stomach them not to force them and at least try for clear liquids. I had a heating pad at my back/shoulders a lot today. Your stitch pain sounds awful. I hope that stops soon for you. Do you have a follow up appointment soon? I have one Thursday. I too, am noticing and appreciating food smells but same...no hunger for food at all. these people (my family) are barely preparing food though since I’m not cooking, And it is chilly here today. The worst is the cold wind.

The 6-8 cups of water a day actually is a recommendation for everyone not just Bariatric patients. We’re pushed to drink water to get us off calorie laden carbonated drinks (there’s research about now that say artificial sweeteners cause weight gain as your body’s response to tasting sweet but not being able to gain the energy benefits so it holds on to any calories you eat.) Because it’s difficult to measure how much fluid we get from water rich fruit & vegetables (& I real on those to meet my goals now too) check the colour of your pee. Look for light straw coloured urine. The darker it is the more concentrated the toxins that are being excreted.

I'm working with Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas to hopefully have surgery in Sept/Oct of this year. Like you, my work insurance does not have bariatric coverage. They are able to use my out of network surgery coverage to cover some of the cost however. I still have to pay $10,500 out of pocket. I was also considering going with Dr. Elias Ortiz (used to be with ALM) in Tiajuana. My aunt and 3 cousins have had sleeve surgery done by Dr. Ortiz and all had nothing but great things to say about him. It's considerably cheaper than Blossom, but right now with Covid, the thought of traveling anywhere (especially internationally) is rather scary. I've also spoken with the University of Kansas and they have a low cost option if you are in a surrounding state. I'm in Montana which excluded me from that option or I would've gone with them for sure. Good luck!

$9990 is what i have been quoted in Alabama @ Alabama Weight Loss. That includes the outpatient surgery, post op visits and surgery complication insurance. I have my consultation the 15th and will have more details. I will be self pay because my insurance has bariatric coverage but there is a 6 month waiting period and my BMI isnt high enough even with the comorbidities I have.

I just had a full TT, breast lift and augmentation done 4 weeks ago. Very very happy w my results. He is in Round Rock Texas. Dr Mahlon Kerr. Google him and he is on You tube. He has been on TLC for removing excess skin from Bariatric patients. Love love love my results!!

Hi, Rob--and welcome! All of that makes perfect sense! Just about everyone here has a very similar story of yo-yo dieting over the years and then gaining all the weight back--and then some. It's also quite common for our friends and family members to be very skeptical (or downright hostile) toward surgery and think that we could lose the weight for good if we just put our minds to it. We know better, of course. I'd say the best thing would be for your wife to learn as much about bariatric surgery as possible. Do you already have a surgeon in mind? Many of them have classes and information sessions that families can attend. My surgeon did, and that was very useful for my spouse to better understand the process and why it was right for me. If you don't yet have a surgeon, perhaps your wife could accompany you to the doctor who recommended the surgery. My primary care physician also recommended the gastric bypass for me, and I was quite skeptical at first because it seemed so extreme. He explained that I was very unlikely to lose a meaningful amount of weight and keep it off due to my history of yo-yo dieting. It sounds like your wife is not necessarily opposed to surgery, just uninformed. If you haven't already, you might want to explain to her what your journey has been like and why you think surgery might be the best option. It's really difficult for those who have not struggled with their weight to understand what we go through. Ultimately, you need to do what is best for you, regardless of what others think. It's wonderful if we can get the support and buy-in of all of our friends and family, but that doesn't always happen. You need to decide for yourself what will give you the best chance at a living a long and healthy life. Please keep us posted!

I’m scheduled for surgery on Monday. Due to Covid restrictions I’ve been recommended for a Home Care program where I have to give myself fluids and medicine via IV. Has anyone else done this, or gone home with an IV still in?

I can definitely tell a difference when I wear them and when I don't...I got bariatric-specific vitamin patches & I've been pleased so far. I googled and read about each kind to decide which ones I wanted to use first. Good luck to you in finding some you like!

Hello friends! I too am having my GS on the 17th. How Weber. I’m also having a nephrectomy surgery (kidney removal) includes on the same day. I am very very anxious, a little scared but I am very adamant of the success the doctors will achieve for me to start my new healthy lifestyle. I was already in the process of my Bariatric weight loss journey when I was blind-sided with a small mass on my kidney which is cancer. So, I’ll be having my right kidney removed along with 80% of my stomach... I’d appreciate any words of encouragement & any tips on the healing process if so.. We woman are so strong but it’s also OK to feel a bit vulnerable.. that’s human nature. GOD BLESS you all. ♥️

That looks just fine. Your protein might be a touch low for a guy, but in the ballpark overall (programs often have numbers like 60-80g for women and 80-100g for men, but generally men need a bit more owing to our typically greater lean mass/musculature.) I was aiming for 100-105 for the lean mass that I had and was trying to maintain, but my program was fine when I was at 90+, wanting me to add more veg at that point (which was only a couple of weeks out.) Things aren't all that precise in the nutrition world, so ballpark is usually fine! Actually, the "low carb, low fat" part is rather redundant, as any of our post op diets are by default low carb and low fat if we keep to our typical protein goals and keep the calories in a sensible range for weight loss (usually 1000 calories or less). People often get caught up in some of the magical macro limits or ratios promoted by some of the popular fad diets, but those just don't make any sense in our bariatric world. They might make sense (but usually don't) against a typical American/Western diet of 3-4000 calories, 300+g carbohydrates and 150+g fats, but our WLS and early post op restriction takes care of that. Tracking your intake is great, as that gives you a reference point of what you are doing and how that relates to what you may do in the future, and can help point out some of those "WTF - that's so not worth the calories" moments. I basically controlled to my protein and calorie goals, and worked to get as balanced and healthy a diet within the non-protein side, which in retrospect turned out to be a rough caloric split between fats and carbohydrates, though that wasn't a specific goal. As a side note, I found the tracking data to be particularly useful in finding my maintenance point after getting to goal weight, as it told me how many calories I was consuming in those final months, and relating that to my loss rate during that time, gave me a ballpark figure on where I should be to keep my weight stable - much better than any of those online calculators as this was based on real world data on...me! Good luck on your continued progress.

my surgeon's office contacted and worked with the insurance company. They'd worked with them before, so they were pretty sure it would be covered. as far as it being covered, it depends on your mother's employer. Even if the insurance company offers coverage for bariatric surgery, the employer decides whether or not they want to include it in their workers' policies. My insurance did not cover it until this past year because my employer wanted to keep the policies as cheap as possible, so they had the insurance company exclude a lot of things, like bariatric surgery. So I had to change insurance for a couple of years so it would be covered (of course, now our normal policy covers it, too....but I'm glad I had it done back when I did it, even though I had to change policies at the time...)

Here you go! https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1793517 Can tweak the toppings too! It's a bariatric favorite!

If you can find another surgeon, RUN, don't walk away from the first practice. There are a lot of competent bariatric surgeons out there, but the office staff is what truly makes a good practice! You won't often see the surgeon but you have to deal with the staff every visit and the failure of nurses to return your phone calls is a major red flag. Even if you have to travel a bit to find a practice you like it'll be worth it. My doctor is 5 hours away and I'm so glad I "fired" the one that was only three hours away. The best of luck to you!

Bariatric Advantage has a Meal replacement that is Chicken Broth flavor. It was a life saver for the pre op liquid diet, I would add a drop of Tabasco or hot sauce to enhance the flavor. You prepared the shake with warm water ( hot water will make the protein curd). I highly recommend it. http://store.bariatricpal.com/products/bariatric-advantage-hpmr-high-protein-meal-replacement-flavors Sent from my SM-F707U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Sadly, it happens - more frequently a few years ago (6-10) when most bariatric surgeons were still learning how to do sleeves than more recently, but I guess that there are always some who are still learning! The sleeve tends to want to bend in the middle, or form an hourglass shape, if it isn't done quite right, it may not yield a total blockage type of stricture, but it can leave the narrowing that can impede the flow and/or exacerbate reflux problems. While most surgeons in the US are now far enough up the learning curve to usually avoid this problem, knowing how to fix it can be beyond their experience, hence many prefer to go with a bypass instead. It may be possible to correct your sleeve, but you may need to find a surgeon who is very well experienced with the care and feeding of the sleeve construction. My suggestion, if you want to go for a second opinion (which I think anyone should do when considering a revision,) is to book a virtual consult with Dr. Ara Keshishian, who happens to be on the wrong coast for you, out in Pasadena, CA, but he has been doing virtual initial consults for years before Covid as he has patients all over the country. This will at least give you a reading as to whether this is a viable option in your case, or give you confidence that the RNY approach is the best. If a resleeve is an option, then you can decide whether to travel across the country, or seek out another surgeon closer to you who can do it. I would suggest looking for one who routinely does the duodenal switch (DS) procedure, as they tend to have the longest and most extensive experience with sleeves. I believe that there are at least a couple in FL, and several further north along the East Coast. If you do choose to proceed with the RNY route, do discuss things carefully with your surgeon, as there are tradeoffs in how he proceeds. Limb lengths, as suggested above, are a compromise as if they are too short to minimize malabsorption, you can be more prone to bile reflux. There are several Facebook groups that cater to total and partial gastrectomy patients (primarily for cancer or gastroparesis) and bile reflux is one of their common complaints. When I was considering such a thing a few years ago, the surgeon I was dealing with said that as long as he kept the limb over a certain dimension (80cm, IIRC) then they saw no problems with it. Hopefully, the surgeon that you are dealing with has enough experience on both the WLS and non-WLS side of it to know those tradeoffs. Bariatric programs that are associated with major cancer center hospitals readily "swing both ways" on that, but one that only specializes in bariatrics may not. I wouldn't worry too much about the malnutrition issue, as the RNY is very well understood; it is somewhat fussier than your sleeve in supplement needs but things are pretty straightforward on it if you keep up with labs and change things up as those dictate; it can be problematic for those who get overly casual about such things and let it slide - then you can get into trouble. If you fall into that camp, then I would try to do everything to preserve your sleeve and its greater flexibility; otherwise, the RNY is a good alternative. My personal preference, as I was faced with some similar decisions, is/was to stick with the sleeve if it is viable, as the RNY (or something different) is always an option for the future, but once one has an RNY, changing things gets more difficult, so options are fewer. Also on the option front, with the bypass, there remains a "blind" remnant stomach along with the duodenum and upper intestine which are unavailable for endoscopic evaluation or treatment (things much be done surgically.) As there are an increasing number of procedures that can be done endoscopically these days, and into the future, and I have already had one lifesaving endoscopy this is an option that I am keen to preserve, if at all possible. Short term, you may lose too much as you go through the high level of restriction that comes in those first few months after surgery. In that case, there are ways to "eat around" your pouch by basically doing all of the "wrong" things for your WLS - drinking calories, eating slider foods, higher calorie options particularly fats as tolerated. The tricky thing is to avoid making too much of a habit of it as the restriction does diminish over time and you can naturally eat more of conventional foods to maintain your nutrition