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I just spoke with a doctor who works in an addiction clinic. He said stay away from alcohol as bariatric surgery patients become highly susceptible to becoming alcoholic. Don't know any statistics on this... Just may be one person's opinion. I've never been much of a drinker and certainly don't plan to start.

My pre-op went like this: EKG Nuclear Stress test Psy analysis Blood work Endoscopy Upper GI series Pulmonologist clearance Nutritionist visit - twice Chest X-ray Primary care doctor clearance Monthly visits to Bariatric center - 5 visits Seminar - 1 session EMMI pre-surg review Whew!

@Doodle210 if you consider Mexico, you might want to add Dr. Illan to your research. Dr. Selim Jalil Illan has been assigned as a Master Surgeon and Surgeon of Excellence. This means that he achieved both Mexican and US standards of quality, safety and care for his patients. He is also a fellow in the American College of Surgeons (FACS), the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) Feel free to contact me for more information michelle@hospitalbc.com 619-202-4405. https://drjalil.com/ https://hospitalbc.com/

Congrats on your pending surgery!!! Dr. Forrester is incredibly caring, and a really top notch doc. I'm actually finishing up a nursing degree and I tend to be very picky about MD's -- he completely impressed me, and so did his office. Overlook's bariatric unit is great too -- you will be in good hands with the nurses there... they really made me as comfortable as possible, and kept checking on me post-surgery. Keep us all posted on your surgery!!

As the poster above said you will want to do what your dr says but for me I take two chewable flintstones complete vitamins, two 500 mg chewable bariatric advantage calciums, a b complex that dissolves in my mouth, and a biotine every day. I space them out because you need two hours between the multi vit with iron and the calcium. I also space out the calciums by two hours because only up to 500 mg can be absorbed at a time.

I attended a Bariatric orientation and my Doctor advised that two patients lost 2lbs. on the pre op diet, so he cancelled their surgery. I am soooooooo nervous going on this pre op diet(June 21st). I do not want my surgery to be cancelled.

I asked my surgeon abt the clear liquid rule the day I went in for surgery because I tried the clear Isopure ready made drinks and thought I was gonna die. He said as long as I'm mixing y protein with water it was absolutely fine. I trust my surgeon a tremendous amount. He is the director of the bariatric unit at the hospital and I have not had a single complication. I couldn't imagine not having him to turn to.

For the first four weeks I took a double dose of Wellesse liquid multi-vitamin and of Wellesse liquid calcium. After four weeks I switched to Trader Joe's chewable high potency multi-vitamin (double dose). I stayed with this program until six months out, then switched my calcium to Citracal Petites (or generic equivalent), At a year out I changed my multi-vitamin to a single dose rather than a double dose. I also continued with separate supplements of folic acid, B12, iron, and D3, just like I had before surgery. All of these options are cheaper, lower calorie, and lower carb than the specialty bariatric products such as Bariatric Advantage. And my labs have always been great.

I am pursuing surgery in Mexico mid November 2013 (next month). I have to buy a new individual health insurance policy on my state's exchange as soon as possible to start on January 1, 2014. My state is not going to cover bariatric surgery with exchange policies, but I did find out that our exchange policies will cover revisions to weight loss surgery if they are needed to correct a life-threatening condition. A big boasting point of the various "exchange" policies and ACA in general is that pre-existing conditions can no longer be excluded from insurance coverage. I thought it stood to reason that if they HAVE to take me starting January 1 and if I JUST HAPPENED to have had VSG right before they take me on, then if I have a complication they can't refuse to take care of me. A fellow sleever shared a spread sheet with all of the states' intended policies back in June 2013. I can't get the url to post right now but if you search Obamacare in the forums it will come up. I welcome any research along these lines that anyone wants to share -- I am dying to buy a policy and get it in hand to look over because I know you can send them back after a few days and get a different one if you don't like the details. (I have tried to sign up for an exchange policy every day since October 1st... some days I have gotten further in to the process but I've always ended up with a "sign-up process failed -- try again" message so far. I figure it will work soon/eventually --so I will keep up with my daiily Quest , lol.)

Hello everyone, I just joined Bariatric Pal. My surgery date is July 20th and I'm excited about sharing my experience others. This website is amazing. I've read many of the testimonials and they are extremely encouraging. Thanks.????

Hey girl, I am scheduled for surgery in Mexico on 6/29/10 with Dr. Lopez Corvala at Hospital Angeles in Tijuana. There are actually a whole bunch of us that have/will have surgery in mexico. If you would like to talk to people or read about experiences, you can hop on over to Mexico Weight Loss Forums - Weight Loss Surgery, Bariatric as everyone sort of congregates over there. My doctor charges $5995.00 for lap band and that is inclusive of everything accept airfare. PM me if you have any questions I can help you with! :thumbup:

Welcome. It’s ok to feel scared & nervous. It’s surgery. Food likely is something you depend upon as an emotional support & that is going to change & you will be changing what & how you eat. Things like how much pain you will experience after surgery is very individual. You may have a lot of gas pain or nine at all (I didn’t after my sleeve) but there are things you can do to help the gas escape your body. You may experience surgical pain for a couple of days or a week but again you’ll have access to pain meds to help. You may have muscular discomfort & struggle to get up & down for a little while or you may have very little at all. Pre surgical diets differ a lot too. Some are two weeks, some are just a couple of days. Some are all shakes. Others 2 meals shakes & 1 meal protein & vegetables. Mine was keto so … (I have done shake diets before & for a couple of months at a time.) The first challenge to the pre surgical diet is the psychological loss of the crunch & chew comfort of solid food. This can increase your head hunger & cause a lot of emotional turmoil. The second is the withdrawal symptoms (headaches, nausea, tiredness, etc.) from cutting out caffeine & sugar. This usually lasts less than a week. These things are small & are only a couple of weeks in duration. Nothing when you consider the big picture of your whole life & your health. The surgery is an opportunity to makes big changes but you have to be psychologically & emotionally ready. Don’t be afraid to seek support from a therapist (one who specialises in bariatric patients & disordered eating are best). A lot of people have found therapy extremely helpful. Yes, you are on a low calorie restricted diet & eating small portions to begin. Initially it is to support your healing. Then to make you look at the nutritional benefits of what you eat but within a few months you’ll be eating more & a greater variety of food. By maintenance you’ll be eating the portion sizes we all should be eating (not those giant plates two & three times more than what we actually need & lead to our obesity). And you’ll be consuming only the calories your body needs to function effectively & maintain your weight. You’ll discover your relationship with food will change. I still enjoy eating & the taste & texture of food but I see it as something my body needs to function & not as something to comfort & soothe me emotionally - because I’m bored, sad, happy, angry, etc. I’m not continuously thinking about what & when I’ll eat next. It’s that maxim of eating to live not living to eat. All the best.

Also Syntrax Matrix 2.0 has samples. I can't think of the site. I think it's bariatric pantry. I will get it when I go to work.

My Doc and his team do about 500 of these surgeries a year and has done bariatric surgery for 15 years has had only one leaker. Definatley a question for your doc.

I have tried: Bariatric Advantage Protein Powder: Orange Cream, banana, Iced Latte They were ok tasting, overpriced. Premier Protein: Strawberries and Cream, vanilla Best bang for the buck if you can get them at costco or Sams. Taste is good Isopure whey Protein Powder: Alpine Punch I like this one. Its not as thick as other shakes. Wanted something Fruity. WheyTech BodyTech Pro 24: chocolate Mint, Banana Cream Hands down my favorite Protein shake. I was always a Vanilla guy, but this Chocolate Mint shake is amazing. And you don't have to buy a huge tub of it either. The Vitamin Shoppe sells single serve packets of it. Pure Protein Premade Shakes (Pop Can size): Banan Cream I liked these a lot too. Best Banana flavor I have tried. nectar Protein: Sample Pack. You can get 13 individual packs for $15.00. One time only. Its really worth it. They have some good flavors but buying a large canister for 28+ is a gamble. http://www.si03.com/EMAIL/nectar_gng_sampler/nectarsampler.html Isopure Protein Zero Carb DRINK: Alpine Punch, Apple Melon, Orange-Pineapple-Banana I like these drinks. I got sick of the shake thickness after the 3rd week post op. I also did them for 2 weeks pre op so by then I had enough. The drinks are not for everyone. Its like gatorade but with a weird aftertaste. I suggest trying one to see if you like it. It might not be for you. Vitamins: I started with Centrum Complete Chewables but after the first bottle, switched to Kroger Childrens Complete Chewable Multi Vitamins. Better price. I got B Complex Chewable wafers from The Vitamin Shoppe but didn't care for the after taste of the Kiwi strawberry flavor so I went back and got Strawberry flavored Gummies from The Vitamin Shoppe. Calcium Citrate I bought through the Pharmacy at my local hospital but you can get them online. Bariatric Advantage Cal Citrate 500mg Chews, Orange flavor. My Surgeon told me to wait till I was a month Post Op to take these. D3: I just got the cheapest bottle from the local Meijer or Kroger. 2000iu, once a day. If you go to The Vitamin Shoppe, sign up for their rewards program. After the 3rd week after you sign up, they will send you a 20% off coupon in the mail. Try a few things from there at first and once you get that coupon, make a list of things you want to buy large amounts of, that 20% off is for the total of one shopping trip. I saved like 50 by buying a bunch at once. Good luck!

Hi everyone. Just wanted to put down my experience for that first week for those who need lifting up. =) My personal experience was hell. Now that doesn't mean yours will be. I see people on here all the time who have truly stellar experiences! But for those of us who didn't. Here I am! Firstly, if you've read my story, you know I"m a liver patient, more than a bariatric patient. In the hospital I had trouble with pain control, blown IV's and pretty much just existed on Water. I was there for two days. I had made my own bone broth and Jello and brought it with me. I didn't even use it I was sick. However, after I got home I felt somewhat better. I had to find a comfortable way to lay on my back. That never happened. In the OR while laying on my back something shifted. It still isn't quite right. I attribute that from my Spondylitis in my SI joint. Chiro hopefully and my massage therapist will be able to help. Anyway, I was nauseated quite a lot the first few days and in a drug induced stupor. I threw up the second night home. That was a horrible experience. I am not one of those people who "ralph" very well. I think it was s combination of taking my liquid pain meds too fast. THEN I did my incentive spirometer, but I think I sucked in air. And out everything came! So be careful with that. That was day two, at home. I pushed through day three with a vengeance, because my grandmother always told me day three of a surgery is always the worst. And it has been. Day four was better....everything seemed clearer and I was able to drink more effectively and even take a few liquid supplements. Not all, but some. Day five. I felt this burst of energy. It was crazy. Mind was willing, body was not! So I walked around the house. Did try to bend, not a good idea... LOL. I was able to get all my Vitamins down this day. I was really proud of myself. But I was still short on the liquids. Day six. Weakness.... I just felt like a wet noodle. I think it was from not getting in the requisite amounts of Protein and liquids for as many days. Day seven. One week post-op. Woo! I finally "felt" hungry. Liquids didn't seem to be cutting it and I started craving fish. Which is a big deal for me because my liver disease had taken all hunger pains away for the past two years. I called my doc's office and asked if I could tolerate the foods on Phase 3 if I could have them? They said yes. I was over the moon about that. Not knowing what I was getting myself into. LOL Day eight. I decided to order the fish. I got sea scallops. And mashed potatoes. I was able to eat the scallop and about a teaspoon of mashed potatoes. It was heaven, it was also hell... I felt way full. I can tell you what they say about "real" food protein staying with you longer, is the truth. These Protein shakes don't last long. I am still drinking two a day to get enough protein in. Day nine. Same weakness. I just feel so weak. All over. And thirsty all the time. Ate scallop and potatoes again for one meal. Still got in all the vitamins. And today, day ten. I still feel weak. I'm hoping this will pass when I am able to actually get in all the protein at least a week in a row. I'm thinking the body has gone into survival mode or something. Two things. I had a bowel movement without taking anything on the second day home, and then again on day five. So I'm not going to take anything unless I have to. Second thing. I found this protein supplement called Reserveage, they taste awesome! Mix very well. Come in vanilla and chocolate. So that has become my go to supplement for protein. I still get individual packets of different flavors to shake things up a bit. I have an order into unjury that hasn't shown up yet. I'll let you know how that tastes when it gets here. So I hope this helps someone. Keep pushing though those first days. It does get easier. I'm excited about the future. =) Have a great day!

You need to find a way to get unfilled. For one, you're begging for a slip with it being too tight for months. The fact you're using alcohol as a way to eat is downright dangerous. It's not horribly uncommon for people to have transfer addiction, or essentially trade addictions, after bariatric surgery. By drinking as a way to eat you're putting yourself at high risk for alcoholism. More than just your band is at risk, your overall health is at great risk. Find a way to get an unfill before you do serious damage. Best wishes.

I am scheduled to have my surgery on May 22 with Dr. Garcia in Mexico. I have had previous surgery in Mexico (tubal ligation reversal) and figured I might as well tell my mother this time. (last time I waited until after I got back and she wasn't too happy. So this time I fully expected her to give me grief!!!! Wrong, she is very supportive. She knows the medical issues that I have been having and how my insurance (Kaiser Permanente) has denied me twice. She says, that she is here to support me to help me a happier and healthier me. She is even going to travel with me for my surgery. I am totally happy that she didnt give me a hard time. Now, I wish my doctor was the same way. If anyone has Kaiser, you know that they are crazy strict with their guidelines and blah blah blah. Well I broke down and told him that I was "considering" going out of town (didnt say Mexico) and self-pay for my surgery. This is the same doctor that referred me to the board for consideration for bariatric surgery in the first place. But now that I am going to an outside doctor he is being a jerk. Says that if I come back and have any issues, that he will not see me and Kaiser wont cover it. Urgh. I don't anticipate any issues but dagnabbit ish happens. My friend and sister both work at Kaiser and just told me to switch my primary and never mention to anyone (at Kaiser) that I had the surgery. Urgh, but up until now I really liked my primary. So now I have to go through the whole process of finding a new one just because I decided to take matters into my own hands. Just because my bmi is "only" 39 and I only have 1 health issue(instead of two), I don't qualify in the eyes of Kaiser.... but now I am being blacklisted if I go through with it.... KAISER SUCKS But the one good thing about this is... MY MOTHER APPROVED AND IS SUPPORTIVE....so I am still on cloud now... thanks for letting me vent

Kevin, call the customer service number of your insurance. let them know what you have done and ask them to tell you what they require. once you submit everything to the bariatric center, ask them who to contact in their office for an update as to when they send in your paperwork and what their experience is. Follow up with the insurance and learn their process. I took my waiting time form 3-4 weeks to one week processing time. I have BC/BS of CA though. Please continue to do your research. Know that hunger is sometimes felt with the band until you obtain your "sweet spot" . Hope this helps you and I wish the best in this journey you have just begun.

Hi I'm Leigh married with 2 teens 45 from Texas I'm 4'10" and 235# I've got my pre-op set for 5/21 and surgery set for 6/2 this is what and where and the who is at the bottom of the link Trinity Mother Frances Health System This helped me... DO NOT WATCH IT IF YOU ARE EASILY GROSSED OUT [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds_nwlgQztE]YouTube - Lap Band Surgery[/ame] Suggested reading from my Nutritionist The Success Habits of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients by Cook, Colleen M. and The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery by Alexander Cynthia L I'm excited nervous happy scared hardheaded and ready to go I should have done this 3 years ago I'm a hardcore gamer computer mainly but PS2 and 3 also WoW BF2 9Dragons MOH lot of mmorpgs and 1st person shooters I do graphics, OE scripted stats, tags, all kinds of different stuff mostly with Paint Shop Pro 9 I have 10 but blah..lol ~sigh~ yes i'm a GEEK :tongue2: and I LOVE it can't wait to get banded~

My PS had to submit as well & as far as I know, for any surgery the surgeon needs to be the one submitting. However, info from your bariatric dr will be helpful to your PS to get approval. You will need to show weight loss & how long you have kept the weight loss, which is best shown by your bariatric dr that followed you close since surgery. As far as I know, lipo would not be covered by any insurance, bcuz insurance will only pay for what is "medically necessary" ..... I was approved for breast reduction/lift and the panniculectomy (tummy skin removal). Your PS may or may not charge you extra for the "tuck" part of the TT (which is the muscle repair, buck muscle repair is not really medically necessary). I had my port changed to a low profile port at the time of my TT & BR/BL & didn't have to pay for the "tuck" part. Submit for everything you want & see what is approved.....all they can say is no! Good luck!

I was wondering , if I am the only one here who got wls done at a young age .Im 19 and almost 7 months ago I got a gastric plications done. So far I have lost 42kg ( my biggest weight was 127kg, and now im 86kg) If there are people here my age , how do you deal with various situations infront of your friend,relatives,co workers. Cause i feel like my friends dont want to hang with me anymore bc I dont eat junk food or (as I say) I am on a strickt diet. Sent from my SM-J730F using BariatricPal mobile app

I am officially in the pre-operative bariatric program through Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic! I met with the surgeon yesterday and we determined that it was better to do the bariatric surgery before the ventral hernia repair. She set a pre-surgery goal weight of 264 and we will decide on the type of procedure (sleeve or bypass) in January. Surgery will be in April or May. I've already made my first nutritionist, lab and psychologist appointments, with the dietician being the first one next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving! I'm motivated and ready to change my life and it finally feels like I will have to tools to do it.

Didnt you ask this before. I saw that post didnt get any responses either. probably not many or any that follow your specific religion. May i suggest finding a Jewish group on facebook and asking if anyone got bariatric surgery if no one answers here. I am sure there are groups on there with thousands of people and hopefully someone else has gotten bariatric surgery.

Hi, my doctor is Dr. Dean at the Bariatric Center. You have done great! It is so nice to read success stories like yours. I can't imagine that there is really something that will help me! Who was your doc? I have a friend who used Dr. Spivak in Houston. Talk to you soon!:rolleyes2: