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Nobody can take what you're learning ahead of time away from you but you might be a better candidate for Mexico. Now I am going to tell you something and I realize I'll get no bonus points from Alex Brecher, don't do this for that. Please pretty please consider BariatricPalMX If you do decide to go to Mexico. If I wasn't 72, didn't receive clearance because of low BMI, and the necessary money I would go there in a heartbeat! Alex Brecher,Bariatric Pal' s founder, who could afford anywhere else if he chose, chose Dr Ilian and Bariatric PalMX. for his own recent surgery I think that speaks for itself. Besides it's located in a beautiful area , not some back-alley clinic. Andvwhenthings are done update us, okay?😝

Hi! In the beginning of my journey I got in touch with INSURE nutrition to see if I qualified for no cost protein shakes, scar cream and vitamins. They did all the leg work and I ended up receiving all of that ( 5 cartons with 18 in each. Premier protein) for about a year. It then stopped and I was bummed. Because we all know how expensive it can get. Well, they contacted me 2 weeks ago. They check with former customers ins. plans to see if they re-qualify. I did! It is so worth the time spent going back and forth with them. I received the shakes, bariatric vitamins and a new folic acid supplement.

I am doing very well thank you Pegrae. Maybe Bariatric Pal needs to host a reunion/vacation get together for their happy patients. I am sure they would love to see us all again as much as we would enjoy seeing them.

What do you mean? It depends on which surgeon you choose and what your insurance requires. Probably a visit with the surgeon, a psych eval, several visits with nutritionists, an endoscopy, possibly a colonoscopy, a sleep study, an expected weight loss determined by your surgeon or insurance, and possibly a waiting period during which you visit your bariatric center monthly for monitoring your progress, possibly a visit with cardiology and anesthesiology. Then submittal to insurance for approval, a surgery date is given, and you have a pre-surgery diet to follow...then surgery.

I've never tried it, personally, but if it'll maybe help you can always try it... I've never had issues with my vitamins making me nauseous though so I'm lucky in that. Personally, I take Celebrate for my non-iron multi's (I take 2 a day), Bariatric Complete for my iron multi (I take 1 a day), Celebrate for my calcium citrate (I take 2 a day), and EZ Melts for my Vitamin A (I take 1 every OTHER day). I also take COQ10 but I'm not picky about brand for that... So if your doctor recommends that brand for you maybe it'll work. Buy some samples to try out to test it.

I personally did not find that any of the three nutritionists I consulted with offered anything I didn't already know. They were mostly coming at the consultations from a background of consulting with diabetic patients. Although one was more intelligent than the other two, I didn't think they were very well prepared to work with bariatric patients. The best nutritional advice I've received has been from my surgeon's physician's assistant who is extremely well educated about all things bariatric. Her best advice was not to eat so little during the weight-losing phases that I wound up having to eat very little to maintain my weight long-term. She was right -- I now average 1,800 calories/day to maintain my weight of 135 pounds. Ultimately, you have to learn a LOT about nutrition (macronutrients, calories, Vitamins and minerals, trace elements, etc. to learn how to feed yourself. For me, this has been one of the best things I've done to sustain my health long-term.

Serum fat-soluble vitamin deficiency and abnormal calcium metabolism after malabsorptive bariatric surgery https://link.springer.com/article/10.1016/j.gassur.2003.09.020

I dont know, but I imagine that most of the guides are for bypass which has a malabsorption component. Thankfully the sleeve has no malabsorption so you are able to get many vitamines from food. We don't eat a whole lot though, so we need to take a little something to make sure we are getting all we need. I take centrim daily vitamins as well as calcium citrate supplements. Many people take iron, vitamin d, and B12 sublingual as well. If you get a multi make sure it has biotin and zinc to help stave off hair loss. If you go to the Bariatric Advantage website, they have vitamins by procedure. I haven't had my labs yet so I don't know if I'm low on anything, but I feel pretty good.

Someone on the bariatric Facebook page told me we should call the "angel wings". Such a softer, gentler term!

I am so sorry to hear about your troubles. That is no good! Is there any other Bariatric Surgeons in the area that you could possibly see to get a second opinion or at least someone who deals with the lapband on more of aregular basis? It is a shame that you have to deal with people ( although they are healthcare professionals) that do not have a great deal of knowledge about the band. It't almost unfair disadvantage to you. Good Luck, i hope they can help you without loosing your band!

My LPN did scan and told me my esophagus was in spasm and therefore not pushing the food down efficiently. Thats why food gets stuck and I vomit. apparently this happens in "older" people (I'm 57) . She said that if she had known this , I might not have gotten the band. I've had to have some fill removed and I am presently gaining back the weight I lost. Needless to say, I am a bit frustrated. To make matters worse, there is no doctor at the bariatric center, only LPNs. A general surgeon placed the band, but he knows nothing about the functioning of the band. I,m considering having it taken out to avoid vomiting every other meal.

I am so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. I think it's wonderful that you have your husband as a co-bander. You sound like you are right back on track! You can absolutely lose those 20 pounds!! I also think it's great that you work in an office that does the procedure-that's helps keep you focus and honest. I always thought that weight watcher leaders had an edge because they were more on 'stage' with their weight lost. Now that spring is here I am sure you can do more outdoorsy things and that will keep your mind occupied and your spirit renewed! I can't believe that some people are so insensitive! Just think how much of a support you will be to someone who comes in and has gained -you now can say "Hey, that happened to me too-but I repriorized and refocused and you can do they same!" Good luck to you!

hi, hon, thank you for your post and welcome to our little group! By all means, if your dad is asking you to consider bariatric surgery, I would at least go to an informational seminar at a center of excellence. I do not know where you are in Texas but for sure they are in the major cities. If you have the financial means or insurance to cover it, I would seriously consider it. Nip it in the bud while you are young. Don't wait till you are my age (54) and have developed several co-morbities. All the best to you. Feel free to join us often. I really like this website. Melinda

No, I didn't say that to her. I didn't talk about it actually. She asked how much I weighed and when I told her 147 she said it was too low. Go figure. She never approved of my having the surgery, but in her defense, she doesn't have much experience with bariatric patients. She's supportive, just concerned. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Sleeve surgery..... my bmi is over 40 and I have hypertension. I've met all requirements and done everything they've asked. Now they want documentation that my obesity is not endocrine related and want my mild reflux treated..... which is weird cuz it's not bad enough to need treatment.... I'm waiting for my bariatric office to call me back with the next steps. I'm about to file a complaint with the state commissioner because this is a covered service and they are denying me for irrelevant reasons. Insurance is the most frustrating thing. Why I pay thousands of dollars a year for them to deny coverage over and over again.

ok...so I started at Nordstrom yesterday. And they have Aetna PPO insurance. The HR manager is checking to see if they allow bariatric surgery. If they do...I am a shoe in. way over BMI of 40. Way over the 100 pounds over weight. A few comorbidities. No problem. Dh's insurance is United Healthcare. Great right? No. All of their new policies they are sneaking in an exclusionary clause for no bariatric or nutrition coverage. So we are not covered. So we have chosen to get my surgery with Dr. Sanchez in monterrey Mx. But now there is the possiblity that it will be covered. Dr. Sanchez is an amazing doctor. He has done a lot of lap bands. (over 5k) And the hospital is a great american owned hospital in one of the most beauiful cities in Mexico. What do I do? If I go with the insurance I can't even start the process until july 1st. There is a waiting period before the insurance kicks in. Do I go for the insurance covered surgery, wait the extra time? Is there anything I should do until then to help make the process go quickly after the insurance kicks in? Or do I go with the years of exp and the many many lap bands under his belt, and the amazing hospital in the amazing city in mx? To some this may be a no brainer on either side, but I am really stuck trying to figure this out. Thanks in advance.

I heard about getting a temporary band on the sleeve if you haven't lost all the weight or if stomach stretches, I don't know how that would work though, cause after taking the band out you would gain all the weight back? I would go to a BAriatric surgeon with a lot of experience to see what he/she recomends.

Went to meet with the Bariatric Coordinator on Wednesday to start the process. She thinks I’m a good candidate and has given me all the first steps I need to do Already have all kinds of appointments set up... psyc consult, nutritionist and physical theory (that one was new to me... apparently its to help people who have not been active get active safely... she admitted it was silly for me but I have to go anyways). Go back in a month to see how I’m doing and how much weight I have lost (Need to lose 11lbs before I can have surgery). I’m very excited, but of course I had a curveball thrown at me today... found out I’m officially 'pre-diabetic' (exactly what I wanted to avoid) and I have some insulin issue too... now the doc wants to play the game of weight gain because of above or above because of weight gain :scared2:. This should be fun but seeing I have been over weight my whole life, I think the band will be a great tool for me. Well, that was long but what can I say... I’m excited :w00t:

you're right in that some of this stuff goes out the window when it comes to bariatric patients because we don't absorb a lot of things - or don't absorb them as well - as "normal" people. re: endocrinologists vs bariatric surgeons: my endocrinologist has me taking half the calcium that my bariatric clinic suggested, because she said I was excreting a TON of calcium, which is really hard on your kidneys. So I'm obviously absorbing it better than most bariatric patients do. So we've been playing around with the doses, rechecking bloodwork every couple of months, and then adjusting up or down as necessary. I do think this is more of an endocrinologist's bailiwick. five weeks of taking too much or too little of something is fine. Usually when they increase or decrease your dosages of things based on your bloodwork results, they re-check in a couple of months to see where you're at and then adjust if necessary. re: iron - I take carbonyl. A lot of bariatric patients seem to take that since it's easy on the stomach. I take 100 mg a day (all at once), and my labs are good. I'd cut back at one time but my ferritin got too low, so now I'm up to 100 again. We don't absorb all the iron we take, so even if that amount would be toxic to normal people (and I'm not sure if it is, to be honest), it might not necessarily be toxic to bariatric patients.

This is exactly why I say tell NO ONE but your spouse what you are doing. People are frequently uneducated about this procedure and the benefits it can have on our lives. As so many others have said so well, the reasons you listed are good reasons to HAVE the surgery. And I also agree, listen only to your SURGEON about whether this is a good plan for you. Not even your primary care physician is the authority on weight loss surgery, only a bariatric surgeon can look at all of your issues and tell you if this is a good choice. Call your insurance company, as if they cover adjustable gastric banding, then find out who they will cover you to see (and then have them send this to you in writing). Call and make an appointment to go to an information seminar (most practices have them at least monthly and they are free). Take your husband and go learn more about it. Frequently at these seminars you can then make an appointment for a consultation (so take your schedule/planner with you). Good Luck from a fellow Michigander

FLORIDA - Fill Centers USA 866-345-5872 Please call to find out. Locations in Miami, Tampa, St. Pete, Cross City www.fillcentersusa.com FLORIDA - St. Augustine/ Dr. Robert Marema 904-819-5861 Please call to find out. (Not Confirmed Yet) US Bariatric - St. Augustine - 300 Health Park Blvd, Ste. # 5002, St. Augustine, FL 32086 FLORIDA - Pensacola/ Dr. Jeffrey Lord 850-416-1628 850-416-1515 fax $400 for new patients $115 after that Sacred Heart Hospital, 5151 N. 9th Ave, Pensacola, FL 32584 FLORIDA – Pensacola/ Dr. John David Nye 850-444-4741 $365 office visit $150 for fills Yes Fluoro Baptist Hospital. Possible Insurance will pay for office visit (one time pay). FLORIDA - Duval - Volusia - Jacksonville area/ Dr. Abbas Shariat 904-246-9464 450 for the first one and $250 thereafter. Yes FLORIDA - Tampa area/ Tiffany Jesse 727-584-7666 $400 per fill (Dr. Fee) Hospital charges $350 $400 per fill in office First fill is done with fluoro (subsequent fills can be done w/o) (NEAR TAMPA) 2039 Indian Rocks Rd., Largo, FL 33774 http://www.shedthepounds.com FLORIDA - Tampa/ Sandel’s Health Care Center 813-635-9611 $200 for first fill $125/ fill after $75 extra for fluoro Also fills J&J Bands Sandel’s Health Care Center, 7750 Palm River Rd., Tampa, FL 33619 FLORIDA - Dr. Murr & Dr. Galitin 813-844-7473 Tampa, FL FLORIDA - Kissimmee (Celebration)/ Dr. Keith Kim 407-303-4504 Please call to find out. Bariatric Center at Celebration Health - 400 Celebration Pl., Ste. # A310, Celebration, FL 34747 FLORIDA - Orlando/ Dr. Beltre 407-830-6868 Please call to find out. NO Mexico PATIENTS...685 Palm Springs Dr., Ste. #1E, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 (in Palm Springs Medical Center). Www.wbweightlosssurgery.com FLORIDA - Hollywood area/ Dr. Thomas Bass 954-966-8559 $250 consult, $250 each fill, $250 monthly membership fee for 12 months until u are an established patient 1150 N. 35th #575, Hollywood, FL 33021 FLORIDA - Sandy Anderson, RN/ BSN 941-206-2111 Initial Visit $450 (includes pt. visit, consult, fill) Fills after that $150 Office consult $75 Fills w/ x-ray $450 (includes hospital fees) Surgical Obesity Solutions 3161 Harbor Blvd, Suite D, Port Charlotte, FL 33952 sandy@surgicalobesitysolutions.net FLORIDA - Miami/ Dr. Nestor Delacruz-Munoz 305-856-4385 Please call to find out. (Not Confirmed Yet) Surgical Weight Loss Institute - 3659 S. Miami Ave, Ste. #5002, Miami, FL 33133 FLORIDA - Miami/ Dr. Alejandro Hernandez-Cano & Dr. Ponbo 305-446-3636 $100 consults, $300 fills w/ fluoro 55 West 3rd Street, Hialeah, FL 33010 FLORIDA - Miami/ Dr. Brian Dunkin & Dr. Robert Bailey 305-243-2424 $800-$1500 for fills @ hospital 1475 NW 12th Ave. Ste #4023, Miami, FL 33136 Price depends on cc’s of Fluid. Price quoted is thru Insurance, call for info on self pay. FLORIDA - Miami/ Dr. Juan Fleites 305-856-3212 Call for current price. 3661 South Miami Ave., Ste # 205, Miami, FL 33133 FLORIDA - Miami/ Dr. Lourdes Pelaez 305-670-4134 or 305-670-0311 Call for current price. 7400 N. Kendall Dr., Ste # 403, Miami, FL 33156 FLORIDA - Miami/ Dr. Eddie Gomez 305-285-5090 $300.00 no fluoro Advanced Surgical Associates, 3661 S. Miami Ave, Ste. #301, Miami, FL 33133 FLORIDA - Coral Gables/ Dr. Moises Jacobs 305-669-2388 $200 fills (no fluoro) Laparoscopic Center of So. Florida 1150 Campo Sano Ave. Ste # 300, Coral Gables, FL 33146 (in Miami) FLORIDA - Weston/ Dr. Raul Rosenthal & Dr. Samual Szomstein 954-659-5228 or 954-659-5239 $250-$450 consult fee (depends on lab tests, etc) $250-$500 for fills Cleveland Clinic 2950 Cleveland Clinic Blvd, Weston, FL 33331 (near Davie, FL) FLORIDA - Ft. Lauderdale/ Dr. David Diaz, Dr. Michael Perez, Dr. Ravindra Mailapur & Dr. Robert Marema 954-351-1589 or 954-351-7770 $175 office visits, $250 fills (no fluoro) $150 for fluoro (if needed) U.S. Bariatrics 4800 NE 20th Terrace Ste # 303, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308 Speak to Elba Ext. #109 FLORIDA - Atlantis area/ Dr. Kenneth A. Larson 561-439-1500 $125 fill (no fluoro) $150 Consult every fill includes a consult $275 total Near JFK Hospital 142 JFK Dr., Atlantis, FL 33462 (in Palm Beach County, near Boynton Beach) Will ONLY do fills on INAMED lapbands. FLORIDA - Tallahassee/ Dr. Jeffrey Crooms 850-877-6212 $75 (please call to see what this includes or if there are any other charges) Please call. 1405 Centerville Rd., Ste #4400, Tallahassee, FL 32308 NEAR ATLANTA, GEORGIA FLORIDA - Melbourne 321-951-7074 call for a physician 321-725-4500 main ofc $300 no fluoroscopy Allergan Band ONLY! Kathy.Blair@MIMA.com 200 E. Sheridan Rd., Melbourne, FL 32901

Well folks I have started my journey. Earlier this week I went and had my Upper GI and chest X-ray done. Have appointments for the Pulmonary and several other's next month and into June. I am using my civilian insurance (Horizon NJ Health...i.e. Medicaid) since the Veteran Affairs is moving Sssooo s-l-o-w...but I have started. Should be an interesting set of experiences. I am concerned that Horizon will not cover it saying that my V.A. benefits are my primary insurance. That is a whole other can of problems just hanging there in the back ground. I keep telling Horizon that the V.A. dose not play nice with other insurance companies and I don't think they will do the type if surgery I want done. I have a problem with a surgeon who only wants "1 size fits all" bariatric surgery. It make me nervous to have him operating on me.....

I think that losing your hair and it's texture change is directly related to not getting enough protien in your diet. Protein drinks are good but they still are not as good as eating meat or fish. With protien suppliments and powders your body does not absorb as much protein as it does from real food. Step up eating protein and see if it helps. My MD always harps on eating your protein first and then worrying about veggies and starch if you can fit it in. Also, my good friend had the gastric bypass and she lost a lot of hair. When it grew back in it was wierd for a while but eventually went back to normal so hopefully it is a temporary situation. Finally, to the others talking about companies not having WLS on their plans. Unfortunately. this is becoming more and more common. My insurance has no coverage for any Bariatric anything...period. This is more cost effective for companies and what they pay in the short term for their employees health coverage. Unfortunately, they never seem to realize they will pay out more in the end with their employees having Diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems related to their obesity. My company is now even talking about making the employee pay more out of pocket for their health insurance if their BMI is over a certain percentage. I hear many companies are thinking about resorting to this. I think it is still an acceptable form of discrimination!

I am posting an article I just found online from Psychology Today. I am posting it here because this could be a complication of any weight loss surgery, with the lack of carbs we are able to eat after surgery. I am presurgery and struggle with depression NOW, so I am interested in your personal journey or comments about depression you may have experienced AFTER your surgery. Thanks in advance. food that would feed a gnat, weight loss is inevitable. So little food can be eaten at a time that patients are told not to drink Water at mealtime because doing so leaves no room for food. Pounds seem to melt off, leaving the post-operative patients optimistic about improvedsupplements. Eating too much causes severe nausea and pain, another unpleasant but avoidable side effect if the temptation to take one too many bites is overcome. However, some problems don’t disappear as quickly as the weight, and for some, may persist for years. Anxiety, depression and chocolate again might put you into a permanent funk. But the depressions reported both in the scientific literature, and in the hundreds of personal anecdotes on gastric surgery blog sites, suggests otherwise. Some have associated depression with the very low-calorie Protein and supplements to prevent muscle, Vitamin and mineral loss. Even though tryptophan is one of the amino acids making up protein, studies done over several decades at MIT showed that when protein is eaten, little or no tryptophan enters the brain. Low and/or inactive serotonin is associated with depressed mood and anxious mood, sleep is by taking prescription sleep medication,” is not an uncommon description of persistent wakefulness of many post-surgical patients. According to some of their reports, the insomnia lasts for months and even years. Some people reported taking melatonin but in such large doses (the correct dose is 0.3 mg) that it shut off their body’s own production of this hormone and stopped working. Others would attempt to limit the use of prescription drugs for fear of addiction, but eventually give in after several sleepless nights. Would eating more carbohydrates help? Might more serotonin help calm and soothe the mind so it stops racing around like a gerbil on a running wheel and allow sleep to come? No one disputes the life-saving consequence of bariatric surgery as it removes or decreases the many health problems of excessive weight. But unless depressed, insomniac individuals find some way to feel and sleep better, they are a risk for regaining weight and losing their health. Call it an unexpected blindside of a surgery meant to make life easier to begin with.

I am almost 3 weeks post-op lap band. Who am I? I have never taken drugs/speed before but I am assuming this is what it feels like. I can't sleep. I am wide awake and FULL of energy. I have a hard time falling asleep and when I do sleep it is only for a few hours. I can't sit still when I am awake. This is so not me. I googled insomnia and bariatric surgery and it said that I may be in ketosis. What I want to know is how do I make it go away because I feel out of control almost? My mind is racing at the speed of lighting. Has anyone else experienced this before after surgery? Thanks!