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I've never heard of anyone losing all their teeth to it, but I've read some (albeit not very often - maybe a couple times a year on internet forums?) of people who've had issues with decay (moreso than they had before surgery). My take on this is although it can happen, it's not very common. I asked my dentist about it before I had surgery, and he said although he'd read about it, he's never seen it in any of his patients who've had WLS. My bariatric clinic doesn't know of any patients who've had that, either (of course, not all patients do their follow-ups through their bariatric clinic, though - so it could be that they just don't personally know of any patients). my dentist told me that the problems are likely due to excess acid, either from vomiting or unmanaged GERD. I don't have a problem with either, but he said he'd have the hygienist do a fluoride varnish on my teeth twice a year, and he also gave me a prescription for a super-high fluoride toothpaste that I use before bedtime. He said those should go a long way toward preventing any type of decay. I don't know if I necessarily needed it because I have regular dental checkups, so he may have done it just to placate me since I was so worried about it. But that's fine - I'd rather have all the extra protection! so long story short - I've never heard of anyone losing all of their teeth. We do see maybe one or two posts a year on people have more decay issues than they did prior to surgery, though - but I would think if it was a common issue, we'd see a lot more posts like that.

Thanks so much for the info! I've never heard of Built Bars, but will look into them. I have a bunch of Premier Protein shakes onhand, but was told they're off-limits as they're not on the "recommended" list for my specific bariatric program. Sucks because they are 30g of protein and I figure it's better than nothing. I follow the protein first rule as well, but as I mentioned, I can only eat so much of it before I'm full/very uncomfortable. BTW....glad I'm not the only one who can't stand Unjury! LOL! I keep getting told by my dietician and doctor that it's not that bad...YES, it is! LOL!!!

Kempner, TX but working out of the Killeen office with the Texas Bariatric Specialist group. Sleeved December 2018 and had revision to Roux-en-x-y gastric bypass on October 7th, 2020 per GERD/Acid reflux issues causing damage to my vocal chords and creating a cancer risk. Lost 20 more lbs since revision and am happy with results as I was only able to get to 173 with sleeve and now I am 8 bs from goal weight ( Now weighing 153) and finally within reach. I have had no complication and no longer any problems with GERD or reflux and am very happy thus far.

Hi! I just got done going through using Renew Bariatrics. They were fantastic! It is a company based out of the US that connects you to doctors in Mexico. They have payment plans available (no need to put everything down immediately), but require it be payed in full 10 days prior to surgery. I actually had to change my day of surgery and my coordinator was extremely flexible and helpful. There is Renew Bariatrics staff on sight to help with any issues, they check on you daily. I had Dr. Perez and the total came out to be $4199.00, and he is amazing as well as the staff. I did have someone come with me, but there were a number of people there who came alone. I was up and walking very quickly after surgery which helped tremendously with the pain and gas. Hope this helps

Yes I totally understand where everyone is coming from. My issue has always been the sweets and whenever I begin eating sweets again I regain and I’m so disappointed in myself. I will say I Started a vegetable and protein diet reboot back in March of 2020 and by June I was down the 40 lbs that I had gained as well as I had finally gotten below my smallest size. When I first had the surgery I stalled at about 243 and then maintained for four years at around 250-260. When I started this reboot diet March of 2020 ( five years post op) I was about to get down to 229 and that’s lower than I had ever been. So I say from my experience that you can do it if your body will respond! Go for it and if it doesn’t work that’s when you may need to reach out to your Bariatric doctor for redirection. I honestly thought that I wouldn’t be able to get the weight off again. I feel so blessed! I have recalls struggled these past few years after having my kids with keeping myself on track and caring for my sleeve. I want to make it my focus again! Who’s with me?!!!

Hey I’m just finding this post from October 27th 2014. I had my surgery on this exact date and I have not used this website yet. I wanted to reach out to any of you who still frequent Bariatric pal for some support from people who had the sleeve back when I did. I was very young and didn’t have a support group and I wish I had one then. I’m hoping to get back on track and to have help from people who are just a far out as I am! God bless and I hope to chat with all of y’all soon. Jess

140 pounds at 5'4" gives you a BMI of 24.0 which is in the normal range, so I wouldn't say you did badly with the surgery. It's good that you're trying to turn your regain around before it's gotten too large. Why not go back to eating the way you did soon after surgery? For me that was protein first, then veggies, no carby foods like rice, potatoes or bread and of course no sweets. My doctor's eating plan is moderately low carb, so I limited starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, carrots and corn. Although I can eat more than I could in year 1, I still don't eat nearly as much as I did before surgery (either in amount or variety), so I do still take a bariatric multivitamin. As far as types of protein, I eat lots of different things: yogurt, chicken, beef, a pork chop, Italian sausage, firm cheese like cheddar or jack, soft cheese like Ricotta, cottage cheese (I like large curd), lunch meat if I'm on the go and can't get anything else, turkey (whatever parts you like), beans of various kinds and on and on. I used to eat protein bars but they slowed my weightloss so I stopped, but you might not have that issue. When eating out I usually order a Cobb salad or Chef salad and focus on the protein (I generally can't eat much of the greens). Because you've lost 50 pounds, you might need to track your calories closely. I've lost 120 and I definitely eat fewer calories to maintain that than I did at my top weight. It's kind of trial and error to find the sweet spot where you don't gain or lose. As far as motivation, everyone has different ways of coping with the COVID-19 blues. I'm high risk for COVID-19 so I'm pretty much stuck in the house. It helps me to go for a walk every day. I get fresh air, exercise and sunlight that way and it's helped me keep my mood stable. I've also bought a few new clothing items that I really like. I'd hate to get too big for them so that motivates me to weigh myself regularly and adjust as necessary. I inherited a BEAUTIFUL dress from my Mom and if I gain any significant weight I won't be able to fit in it. Sometimes I just take it out and try it on again to remind myself of how awesome it is that I can wear it now. Maintaining the habit of weighing helps because you'll see any gain early on. I've set myself a "break the glass" weight of 135 and if I get to that weight, I will cut back immediately. At one point I did get to 133 so I cut back and lost 5 pounds to get to 128. I just find it so much easier to deal with a few pounds rather than a lot. You're in good shape since you've only gained 15. Go back to basics, get your protein, stay hydrated, try to find a physical activity you can do regularly and those pounds will be gone in no time. Hugs. 🤗

I'm almost 2 years post surgery and never hit my goal weight. I didn't have that much to lose, weight before surgery - 190, 5"4 but I only got down to 140. Covid has hit, I'm a bit blue and I'm up 15 pounds. I'm disgusted with myself. I'm going back to protein shakes in morning, any suggestions? I've continued to take bariatric multivitamins, do I need to continue for the rest of my life? What kind of protein do you eat on a daily basis? I can only eat so much chicken and eggs. I need some variety. I have no energy and probably down due to the pandemic. What are you doing to stay motivated? Thanks!

I have seen such devices being developed to treat diabetes, which makes sense as they emulate the surgical changes done in the biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) part of the BPD/DS bariatric procedure which yields exceptionally good results on resolving type II diabetes. It makes some sense that there will be some interest in trying to develop the concept for weight loss, but I suspect that they are climbing a very tall tree to get significant results. At best, I would expect it to be no better than the existing restrictive balloons and bands. Back in the 1960's and 70's one of the common weight loss procedures was the jejunoileal bypass (JIB), which was a purely malabsorptive procedure that resulted in pretty good weight loss performance, but at the cost of significant nutritional problems and other significant complications. It was largely supplanted by the RNY gastric bypass, which is highly restrictive, with a minor malabsorptive kicker, and that overall works well. Subsequently, the duodenal switch (the BPD/DS of above) came along which combines a more moderate amount of restriction with a moderate level of malabsorption, which has shown to work even better overall, but at the cost of being more complicated to perform. The lesson that I get from all of this is that for there to be enough malabsorption to yield the weight loss that we see in the current mainstream bariatric procedures (the VSG, RNY, SIPS/SADI and BPD/DS) it would probably have similar metabolic complications of the old JIB. Something with lesser malabsorption, such as these proposed sleeves, would likely yield relatively poor weight loss results - on the order of what is seen with other implantable weightloss devices (balloons, bands, etc.) and would likely have similar lifespan and foreign body issues. The other concern that I would have with these is how do they handle the bile and pancreatic enzymes that are released in the duodenum? presumably they flow down outside the sleeve to be introduced to the food flow at the end of the sleeve (perhaps that is the source of the pancreatitis and liver issues that Foxbins noted?) Overall it does seem like a neat idea, at least for some cases, but is not yet ready for prime time (and probably won't supplant the existing surgical weight loss interventions.)

I've heard of the 3 week stall. But I stopped losing weight at 1 week. I lost 10lb during my 1 week pre op diet and 10 lb the week after my surgery. My surgery was 11/30. I haven't lost anything since 12/7. I use a Bariatric app to track all my food/water/vitamins. My calories have gone up over the past 2 weeks (as expected) from around 300 to 600 and my carbs are higher than I would like (around 35 avg), but I'm finding soft foods are limited. I am not meeting my water goals of 64 oz. I'm getting about 30 oz. If I do too much moving around, my incision sites get really sore so I have not started walking but I do a lot house work and go into my office a couple days a week (not just a couch potatoe, like week 1). Anyone else experience this? Sent from my SM-N975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Let your bariatric nurse/med team know can be complications. For me I get that nausea thing. It helps me if i preportion the amount (you can use a scale or little cups marked 1-2oz on amazon). It's less nausea if I eat under that amount. But I then need 4 meals a day to get the protein grams which cuts into water consumption. However, there are some foods that cause a complete hurlfest in any measure. My surgeon said that it can be this way if you have a very sensitive stomach. Basically its like mini food intolerances, alot of them. She set me up an appointment with the dietician again so we can go over my foods and see if we can eliminate common culprits of stomach upset post bypass. See what your surgeon has to say about it they might have helpful suggestions.

A friend of mine who is scheduled for surgery next year was recently experiencing anxiety, maybe because of the covid isolation. Is it okay to push thru with the surgery even if she has anxiety or could weight loss surgery help her?

Well we had a major snowstorm here in the Southern Tier of NY with over 4 ft of snow-I think shoveling all day yesterday put me over the top with weight loss lol. I woke up this morning and FINALLY got that scale to move under the 200 lb mark (no stall but just a slow down in the last week or so). I started a new job a few weeks ago at a factory and adding more hours this last week for Christmas with overtime. I am on my feet with some heavy lifting and physical activity but it's helping with the exercise part. I had gained about a lb a week ago and figured it was for the muscle content with the increased movement to my daily normal activity but now it's going down fast again. Also marks 100 lb weight loss since program start this year-holy cow! My Dr and hospital scales are all one lb less then my scale-actually down to 197- but who's counting that close? ME, that's who! lol. I don't think many people outside of this group can understand how much my life has changed and is changing for this surgery. I work and am tired but no excrutiating pain for days after with just a few hours on my feet. Honestly I can bend, move and be fast with productivity at my workplace and feel awesome with a good day of work. I can take a freakin bath!!!! and feel just so skinny! My husband and I have a renewed relationship in all aspects but one aspect not mentioning that has been awesome :-)! Hey, I'm old-not dead lol. I sit down and have room with my animals able to sit on a lap that I now have and I am able to easily bend to clean the pens, guinea pig areas and even to play with my chihuahuas or walk with my family. It's just surreal how different and wonderful I feel. Oh I have my precious Holland Lop bunnies that are basically free roam and 9 guinea pigs rescued. I clean constantly and able to do that on top of work with really no problems. 40 more lbs to go. My birthday was Jan 21 of this year- I turned 48 and hit an unbelievable depression. I truly hated myself as the scale approached 300 lbs and I couldn't even walk. That's what spurred the research for medical weight loss and was able to start the program a month later-changed my life!! So grateful! I now wear a size 16/18-holy cow! Last year I barely fit a size 28.

Hi all, I did a research on bariatric procedures and surgeries, and found that I am interested in the intestinal barrier sleeve (aka duodenal-endoluminal sleeve aka removable gut sleeve) procedure. Even though it seems pretty effective, the least dangerous (besides the gastric balloon, maybe) and reversible, it is not popular compared to other types (no idea why, but it's not well known to public). In short, it is a two feet long flexible tube (barrier, sleeve - not to confuse with the famous "sleeve" bariatric surgery where the stomach is cut!) which is put in the upper part of the small intestine and physically prevents the food from absorption. I.e. its action is similar to a malabsorption surgery, but without the surgery (the tube is inserted by endoscopy, through the mouth, and could be removed in the same way at any time). You can find more info if you google "intestinal barrier sleeve". So, I have 3 questions: 1. Why is this procedure not widespread despite its attractiveness? 2. Has anybody in this forum did it (or wants to do)? Any ideas, impressions, considerations? 3. Any hospitals in Eastern Canada (or North-East USA, or Mexico) which perform the procedure? Search for "intestinal barrier sleeve Canada" only brings information about the classic sleeve surgery. Thanks to all in advance! To the moderator: since the procedure has no dedicated sub-forum, I've put it here. Please move to the correct sub-forum if I was wrong.

I have wanted to have surgery 20 years ago! My insurance wouldn't cover even with my comorbities. My new employer (22 years later) covers bariatric surgery! Went to my consultation today. My insurance requires only 3 months medically supervised program! No sleep study since I already have a cpap machine. First appointment is with the nutritionist January 19th!! Here we go! Hooray for me!!

Definitely file an appeal and also let your surgeon's office know what's going on. They obtained pre-authorization I'm sure, so they probably have documentation that can help. It makes no sense to approve a surgery and then deny the hospital stay associated with it (two days is not an unreasonable stay for bariatric surgery). Also check with the hospital business office and let them know. There may be something wrong with how they submitted the claim. They want to get paid, so it's in their interest to help you sort this out. Sorry this is happening, it's stress you don't need. But there's a good chance that decision can be reversed. Good luck!

they're probably having to shuffle people around because of all the COVID patients. I wouldn't worry about it. Like someone else said, you may get even more attention in the PACU unit than you would on the bariatric surgery floor.

It will / already has!! I can do dishes without excruciating back pain already! I also have slept on my back some... the problem is I have permanent nerve damage. Part of the reason I got Bariatric surgery was so I can have another surgery where they implant into my back a nerve blocker. I had to do this 1st because they imbed it into the fat in my back. They knew I was on the path for Bariatric surgery and wanted my fat on my back to be stable otherwise I would need another surgery to reposition the nerve blocker after I lost weight... so it’s a process and I’m praying if I lose enough the nerve pain will be bearable and I won’t have to have that surgery!!

My surgery is tomorrow and they called me today to tell me my surgery is still on. Only one change, I will stay in the PACU overnight until I am discharged home. I was supposed to go to a bariatric surgery floor afterwards. I am freaking out, but is it really that big of a deal? I have very bad anxiety to begin with so I feel like the world will end but everyone says I will be okay. Opinions? Recommendations? Please help

I think it is the Joint Commission that hands out Center of Excellence ratings. It might be worth a call to Joint Commission to report the poor care. But before that, maybe you just want to give a little heads up to the office of your intentions unless they start giving you better aftercare. Center of Excellence isn't just about doing good surgeries, but doing good follow up, as well. Do a little homework and find out what the criteria are for Bariatric Centers of Excellence. Discuss this with the office MANAGER. If they want to keep their rating, they need to take care of issues - not just knock off patients who have problems. If the office manager is unwilling to listen, go up the chain of command.

Oh that's terrible! I haven't experimented with premade home delivery meals, but I'm sure they come with bariatric macros with low carb, low fat, low calorie, etc. if you explore for them. Good luck!

I see all these companies that premake meals and send them out weekly. has anyone found one that's good for weightloss and bariatric? I'm so off track and have been doing this all on my own since the day I had the surgery. I had the WORST weight loss center in history. I had complications with dehydration and they told me that I would hurt their Center of Excellence score if they found out so they just stopped helping me a week after my surgery.

Ok, I know no one asked, but because I am anal and a self-proclaimed research queen, I did a bit of a deeper dive of the reviews on Baritastic and downloaded the app for a bit of UAT: (Mind you I have been using MyFitnessPal for 3 or so years so I am a little biased) I find Baritastic layout quite busy/cluttered (MFP is waaaay cleaner) The set up for daily log is by 3 meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner) and snacks which is fine if this is how you eat, but I eat many little meals a day so.... I HATE ads. Page loading is noticeably slower than MFP (though this could just be me) If I wanted extended services, like social groups, recipes, reminders, etc, this app would be a nice all-in-one. But I dont, so.... Looks like there is no desktop version? Not sure this is such a big deal, but I do find it much easier to import recipes and edit them on a desktop. From the very small sample of reviews that I read, there is a general consensus that MFP's food database is superior (I have not used B enough to have an opinion on this). The big PRO of B for me is that it offers two of the things I paid premium for in MFP for free: Net carbs & timestamps. Based on this, I'd probably still go with MFP as my needs are less "bariatric-wholistic" and I'm a sucker for simplicity (use and looks). If I never used MFP, all the above may not bother me so much. But I did, so....

I had a ton of flare ups after my surgery for some of my autoimmune issues. I blamed it on the added stress to my body. Ended up on steroids. Definitely some rocky times after surgery, but it ended up OK. As others have said, it all depends on which autoimmune disease. Make sure your doctors talk to each other if needed. My rheumatologist told me he didn't know much about bariatric surgery (and he's head of his department in a major hospital).

I'm not really sure that I'm asking for advice, more just griping. I'm over 2 years out from surgery. I eat healthy - pescatarian and mostly fruit/veg/protein. Almost no refined carbs (my body does not like them). I'll let myself have a small dessert on my birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (knowing I wont feel great after) - something fairly low cal/sugar. Stay under 1000 cal /day (any more than that and I gain - even though I'm still teetering on an obese weight). I have two issues: 1. It seems like every month new foods do not do well with my stomach. So far: dairy, most raw veg, some cooked veg, some fruit, cocoa, peanut butter. New this month - apples. They just are cutting up my stomach. It makes my stomach hurt. Shouldn't this have all settled out by now? My surgeon and NUT say yes, but it doesn't for everyone. I'm basically on a very limited diet in terms of variety. I mean, its better than I was in months 4-18 of this journey where I was in extreme pain no matter what I ate and struggled to get more than 600 calories, but still not fun. 2. I'm in my early 40s. About a year after surgery, I started getting the worst hot flashes 5-10 times a day. That has tamped down, but now it seems like about 15-20 minutes after I eat, I get a hot flash. Every damn time. Could be wholly unrelated to surgery, but still irritating. Anyway, not really looking for anything here. I'm just a person that sometimes needs to send my frustrations out into the world to start moving past them. And this seems like the place to toss out my bariatric surgery related issues. I hope all of you are well.