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No sorry. The office has me taking (in 2 weeks) optisource bariatric vitamins for 3 months, then I can switch to flintstones and a viactive.

I can't recommend one or the other but here are my thoughts: Advice for those researching Lapband: Ask what your doctor's experience is with removing lap bands. How long can I expect to keep my band before it needs to be removed? (Bands are being removed anywhere between 2 years out and onwards. I personally know of only 3 people who have had their bands 5+ years and one of those is on band #2.) What long term negative effects have your patients experienced with Lapband? Lapband is a high pressure system. The band creates a great deal of pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter. The esophagus, in attempting to move food into the pouch, puts tremendous pressure on the LES, as well. Over time this causes damage and the sphincter fails to open. This creates a feeling of being "stuck" but your food hasn't even made it to the pouch. This situation is becoming more and more common in the banded population and causes permanent long term damage that cannot be reversed. This is what is called "difficulty swallowing" on the disclosure. It's actually band induced achalasia. Often on the various wls forums or social media groups, people will speak of random tightness, difficulty with swallowing yogurt, liquids, etc, regurgitation of meals despite cutting their food, chewing thouroghly and eating only 1/2 cup meals. What's your practice's re operation %? (Re operation following Lapband is upwards of 50%) any claims of lower % might mean your doctors patients are seeking help elsewhere when problems arise. How many of your Lapband patients have reached goal weight? (Average EW loss is in the 40-60% range...if you have 100 lb to lose, you can expect to lose 40-60 lb.) What do you consider compliance? -attendance at support meetings? -weighing, measuring, logging food intake? -adherence to a particular diet? -steady weight loss? -monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual band check ups? -what is the protocol for fills? (Many doctors consider failure to lose 1-2 lb per week noncompliance despite their patients claiming to adhere to a strict protocol.) I hear a lot about certain complications such as: achalasia, gastroparesis, adhesions of stomach to liver, erosion, band slips, band tightening without a recent fill. What's your experience with these issues. (More and more banded patients are experiencing these complications starting as early as 1 year post op and as long as 9-10 years out.) Will you band someone with autoimmune disorders? (This is a mixed bag...my personal experience is that having a foreign object in my body exacerbated my IBS) Do you screen for contraindications using EGD, esophageal manometry and upper GI? (These tests should be done to evaluate your ability to tolerate banding) If I have a hiatal hernia, what procedure do you use to repair it? What type of sutures do you use? (Nissen fundoplication and pledgeted sutures are never used in conjunction with bariatric surgery to repair existing hiatal hernia). As a final warning, recently there have been increasing reports of cardiac issues following banding...irregular heartbeat, arrhythmias, palpitations, etc. The heart and the esophagus lie sued by side in the chest. The vagus nerve(controls heart rate, breathing and GI tract) is also in the same area. Food retained in the esophagus puts pressure on the nerve and heart. This is not good. I'm posting this because although I lost over 100 lb while I had my band, I now have permanent esophageal damage, cardiac problems and I'm on additional medications to manage the complications caused by my band. I was compliant with diet and lifestyle changes. Part of the problem was that my hiatal hernia was repaired using a nissen fundoplication and pledgeted sutures. Also, upon removing my band it was found to be placed very high on the stomach. I didn't have esophageal manometry testing prior to my band placement. (My band doctor was recently named as one of Seattle's Best Bariatric Surgeons for 2013.) 3 years later I had 0% motility when tested. I never had swallowing problems before banding. I still have difficulty with many foods. Bands are a money maker for doctors who are still implanting them. They get paid to put them in, fill them, empty them and remove them, then revise their patients. Many reputable medical institutions will no longer implant a band and many who still do, consider it a short term device and remove within 2-3 years then revise to gastric sleeve before permanent damage is done. I thought the band was least invasive. I have 15 incisions on my belly I didn't have when I started this. 3 surgeries, dozens of diagnostic, invasive tests, $150,000 later and I don't have a WL tool. I have a cardiac condition I didn't have, esophageal dilation and achalasia + 3 new meds costing me $150/month out of pocket. Do your research and be open to hearing the "negative" along with the positive...it might save you from years of suffering.

Thanks Sheri for the sample tip! I just ordered one from bariatric choice and will look around further. I'm having a problem finding something that is pre-mixed and fits my surgeon's criteria that it be whey isolate and less than 3 grams of sugar. I'm supposed to be drinking four of these a day right now but have barely managed to choke down 3.

Centrum Complete Chewables are a good option is you don't want to go with a specific bariatric Vitamin, I personally use Celebrate Multi with Iron and their Calcium Citrate. I also take them after eating to ensure that I'm not dumping a vitamin on an empty stomach. You can order samples from Celebrate, just tell them you had VSG and would like a sample pack of their multi and calcium. https://www.celebratevitamins.com/shop/multivitamin/multi-complete.html

Hi L.o.v.e I'll be soon after you but in Royal Oak. I'm doing my 6 month supervised diet with Dr Lowe at the SCS bariatric clinic because it's closer for me to go there each month from downtown than to RO but Dr Krause in RO is my surgeon. It's getting close!

Doubt you can hide very much from a Good Bariatric Surgeon, by now they HAVE HEARD it all!

If you (or anyone) does want to investigate other surgeons in their area, there are two basic ways to approach it...... 1) contact your insurance company for THEIR list of lapband bariatric surgeons included under your plan 2) or if you are self-pay, just use this database - http://www.asbs.org/html/about/membersearch2.html Put in your zip code and select LB from the dropdown menu. The results are in order of distance from the geographic center of your zip code. "FOLL" being listed means that the doctor will accept patient transfers when you've already had your surgery done elsewhere.

>>An RN should NEVER EVER access a lapband port unless under the direction of a band doc, in the office, and in a controlled environment. Contrary to the information out there Inamed does not certify anyone to give fills. There is no certification process, according to Inamed, for giving fills. I asked them about this once before when there were alot of supposed certified people out there giving fills in hotel rooms. Inamed told me they did not offer any certification classes to anyone for this. Only docs are cleared to do fills. It is under the docs supervision and his discretion to allow an RN to do a fill.<< We will have to disagree on this point. Inamed most certainly does certify RNs to do fills. *I* personally have been invited to a certification class from Inamed. I will be going the next time the class is available. They have certification classes every few months. I was scheduled for the last one but was unable to make it at the last minute. I will be attending the next one. I believe what you are referring to is that they won't certify just any RN. I have to be referred by a physician, and I am. A GI surgeon in my area is referring me. Matter of fact, he'd like to attend as well as he may consider doing fills. He is not a bariatric surgeon but a GI surgeon. He'd be great for fills, especially those not banded in the US or if someone's doc moves or retires. Their patients have a hard time finding a fill doc. I have no desire to do fills, but I would like the education. RNs access ports for a living for goodness sakes. Portacaths? Docs don't do it, RNs do. RNs are absolutely qualified to do fills with additional training, they typically have more experience accessing various types of ports than your average doc. When you go to an ER and the ER doc doesn't know how to do an unfill the best choice if your surgeon is not available is to ask for a chemo nurse because they have the expertise in accessing ports. It's what they do for a living. Nobody should be accessing any port for any reason unless in a controlled environment such as an office setting. I got my information and invitation from Bart Bandy (yep, that's his real name) to the certification class. He used to be the owner of Inamed. After he sold Inamed to Allergan he is now the Sr. VP for Allergan. It is the sales manager for Allergan that was giving out bad info on who may attend the certification class. I believe Bart Bandy corrected him on this info quite some time ago, such as about six months ago. There is an Inamed certified fill nurse in Arizona. She and her paramedic daughter are both Inamed certified, neither work for a doc (the RN is a RN Midwife and works out of her own office, no MD available in her office) and she went to the certification class. The information you received is quite frankly, incorrect.

Stay away from slimfast if at all possible. There is usually a very high content of sugars. Even Ensure is way to high in that respect. There are plenty of product our there that will fit your needs as a new bandster that is low in sugar and carbs. Bariatrix makes a good product. You can find quite a few different things at Bariatric Advantage. (Nutritional supplements for Gastric Bypass Bariatric Surgery Patients from Bariatric Advantage) Hope that helps.

I am on the fence with this topic- Yes, my weight was largely due to my own poor choices, and didn't expect the world to revolve around me. But, a doctor's office that caters to an overweight population should have bigger and heavy-duty chairs. Any bariatric doc should have this as a priority, especially if they care about having to replace broken furniture and, more importantly, subject their patients to the shame and discomfort of wedging into a chair that is too small. One of the things about losing weight is that I don't need the big chairs anymore. My Bariatric surgeon's office has mostly huge chairs, but now that I can, I seek out the small ones in the lobby, as a small victory.

I began my journey back in December and now my gastric sleeve surgery date has finally arrived. Back when I first started out and was attending pre-op appointments, nutritionist visits, getting various tests and lab work done, and generally jumping through a lot of hoops, it seemed like I'd never get to this point. Now that I'm here it almost seems like it's all happening too fast. I've done a lot of reading on here and other bariatric surgery forums in the past few months, but I never felt a desire to participate until now. I'll be heading to the hospital soon and I'm feeling emotional. Everyone seems to be so different in how their recovery progresses and I have a lot of anxiety over not knowing how I'll feel when I wake up and for the first few months. It's also daunting to be making such a big decision that involves a serious and irreversible change to my body. Still, I can only hope it will be better than the life I've been living. I'm only 24, but I'm physically disabled (from birth) and I've spent most of my life overweight to obese due to low activity levels, a poor relationship with food and nutrition, and a lack of positive coping skills to deal with my anxiety and depression. I'm tired of physically feeling heavy and how the weight exacerbates my disability-related pains and mobility issues. I'm tired of the slow creep towards various comorbidities. And I'm tired of looking in the mirror and being ashamed of what I see and how I got myself to this point. I also don't want food and eating to rule my life and my feelings anymore. I am scared. But the stories I've read about here and elsewhere online have inspired me. I think I'm finally ready to change my life. Wish me luck.

Hope you enjoyed it. I think you can still eat Chinese, I know I do... You just don't need a whole buffet full, So pick from a menu. Child's portion, show your Bariatric Card and save in price too.

THANKS!! For all the wonderful advise!!! I posted this as a reference for others, I just didn't want to have to go into my entire story but I'll post it to my profile. Let's just say : BEEN THERE DONE THAT! I Never thought the Left shoulder pain could be connected to my BAND. BUT IT IS!! 1) I saw a orthopedic surgeon had X-rays for rotator cuff & cortisone injection (no relief) 2) saw my Internist 3) saw my Chiropractor 4) saw the bariatric surgeon ( didn't believe it was band related) 5) had chest X-ray 6)had Spine X-ray 7) had ENG 8) have an order for MRI but insurance denied need, which is a good thing because after FINALLY convincing my surgeon to take 4cc out of band the shoulder pain is starting to slowly resolve. The pain started after a fill to 9cc (not all at once, but eventual) and continued for 5 months until my unfill to 5cc. Coincidence? I Don't think So

Got the Date! Surgery on 1/20/14! I have been pushing and pushing for this all to be done before the end of 2013 for insurance reasons, but that didn’t happen. It is OK; I will just have to spend a bit more. When the nurse looked over my chart she said “Wow. You were just here in Nov.” I didn’t realize until I go the surgery date what a whirlwind this has been. I got the referral sometime mid-October, first apt with the bariatric surgery team was 11/7/13. I got my psych eval (the longest part of the processes) on 11/12/13 and now have a surgery date of 1/20/14! I am super excited and stressed out! There is so much to get done in 2 weeks. I am getting a Hiatal Hernia repair and my Gallbladder removed too, so I may be out a little longer than anticipated. I have to train someone to do my work while I am away from my job. I need to get the house in order (pet sitter for the 2-3 days in the hospital, bills paid, etc.). I am so happy to start 2014 this way. I am ready for my life to change. I am hoping and praying (good vides or whatever it takes) that this will alleviate some of my pain and help improve my quality of life. OK, I know I have a lot riding on the outcome of this surgery, but I also know that if it does not help in the ways I am expecting, I can say that I have tried everything! Oh yeah….I have to go to the grocery store too!

HI, I had surgery with Dr. Wilhelmy and am happy to share my experience. This is what I posted on another forum. I am retired and live part of the year in Baja Mexico. I chose to have my surgery done at Almater Hospital with Dr. Wilhelmy and spend more for better care. I have been to clinics and smaller hospitals while here in Mexico and I did not want my surgery to take place in one of them. I wanted a proper hospital with all the credentials and specialist on site. I wanted to be in a safe place from the get go and recover there too. I did not want to recover at a hotel either. I was prepared to pay more because having worked 25 years in the medical field I know what can go wrong if you do not follow protocol. While it is true that certain things are done differently than in the US and I was prepared for that I can say that the care that I got from the staff at Almater hospital and all the doctors and staff at Mexicali Bariatric Center was one of the best in my life. The nurses and doctors are attentive and caring. I saw Dr. Wilhelmy daily and Dr. Beltran and Dr Campos visited me daily as well. Everything I had read about them was true! I am 62 years young and want to live much longer. Do not sell yourself short and go with the best! You deserve it!

Funny you say that because last Christmas was my breaking point and I went to my first bariatric seminar 2 weeks later. I was sweating, out of breath trying to cook. I over-ate and was miserable. I would sit on the couch and I'd have to rock back and forth to get back up. It was an aweful night and I knew I needed to do something. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using the BariatricPal App

Don't guess around with your insurance or ask others. CALL them and ask EXACTLY what is covered. Some plans have exclusions on weight loss surgeries. (mine) If it is covered, ask EXACTLY what information is needed for approval. Get it in writing, email, fax, etc....... Take that to your bariatric surgeon, and most offices are great at manipulating the data to meet insurance requirements. Your BMI is high enough where you should qualify if the surgery is an allowable benefit. Some people who are around 35-40 can get caught in the trap of not being fat enough.

That is exactly what I do, also, I have started using bariatric advantage capsule vitamins and I swallow them whole. Also, the calcium I get from GNC they have two flavored chewables from the be-Balanced brand, one is chocolate brownie and dulce de leche. The are awesome! They taste like desert!

Anyone use New York bariatrics ?? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes, I definitely get your point. My Nut specializes in bariatric patients and has told me that she had to adjust what she had been taught to the bariatric patients needs since they (we) are different. That is a good point. Not all Nuts are educated about our particular needs.

I think there’s a BIG difference between a “general” nut and a “bariatric” nut My general nut is NOT a fan of my high Protein ways - My diet is protein and veggies - she wants me to add carbs (even refined) and fruits - which my diabetic body does NOT care for (well I do - but my blood sugars DO NOT) I had a side conversation with the Bariatric Nut - and she explained that the general nuts just don’t get the bariatric diet - My nut went so far as to say “I could never do that surgery - I like eating too much” - she’s a size 6 (maybe 8) and I wanted to scream - I’m doing this to mitigate my diabetes - and have a much more active lifestyle. You might be pleasantly surprised and like your nut -- I like the person - she’s a doll - and I would kill for her clothing - but the fact that she’s not enthralled with my choice to get bariatric surgery sorta sucks -- I feel like I’m playing her game and doing what she wants - but I wish I could just be honest and say I’m loosing weight because I gotta see you every month - otherwise I’d be having a heck of a food funeral were it not for these mandatory woo woo veggies and fruit meetings. whew - i feel better saying that.

I did not have drainage tubes post surgery. I'm glad for you all, I can't get an answer from my bariatric team. If this is normal, I can deal with it. It's just this "not knowing", if I look it up online, it directs me to "a leak". Which is SCARY. Does anyone know if there is something I can do to minimalize this? Extra fluids makes MUCH more sense than gas, I have NOT passed ALOT of gas since the surgery, just a "normal" amount.

Hi, I'm so near you. I live in Wadsworth, IL, just south of you. I attended an orientation at Froedtert Hosp. in Milw. They were very informative there. But their fee was 35,000. I'm a self pay. Alexian Bros. Hospital (Elk Grove Village, IL) has a wonderful bariatric group. 16,500. My surgery is 11/6. Next week!!! How far along are you? blueyes

I'll make this short and if any questions just ask.... If your having the pain under your left ribs, side, back and shoulder, strongly ask your doctor to examine you by laparoscopy. It's the ONLY way the reason for my pain would have ever been found. I had my band placed Jan,11.2010 and prolapsed May, 2010 and removed July 20,2010. I started having severe left upper back pain and pain underneath left ribs before prolaps.The pain continued to get worse after prolaps especially when walking and on a full stomach. It was a stabbing pain through the left ribs and directly through the back and shoulder. I would also describe it as though I had been kicked in the left kidney type of sensation in my left side. After having CTscan's,and an UGI along with second opinions, they were convinced it was coming from bulging disc in my back. I refused to accept that and in the meantime the pain continued to get worse but would get better if I laid down for awhile. The pain ended up getting worse just by sitting for a few hours, driving a few hours(sitting) or walking for a short time and was getting unbearable. To make it short, I went to the Cleveland Clinic and was seen by bariatric surgeon Dr. Stacy Brethauer(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)! He did and endoscopy the day before Thanksgiving to find my stomach was twisted. He then did surgery 2 days later to untwist stomach and look for any other problems. During laparoscopy to untwist the stomach he found that I had a dense lesion attached from my stomach to my liver tethering my liver and causing it to tear over time. The liver is why I had the severe pain which gave me the unusual sensation as though I had been kicked hard in the kidney on the left side. Also, the pain was worse on a full stomach due to the lesion pulling on my liver due to being attached to the stomach. PS. The stomach twist was from the band placement but is supposed to be put back in proper anatomical position by the surgeon when removing the band.

Yep. During my one-month post-op appointment, the nutritionist suggested I reintroduce crackers into my diet. I told her that wouldn't be a good idea because crackers are a trigger food for me. Prior to bariatric surgery, I would literally graze my way to the bottom of a box of flavored Triscuits, Cheez-Its, or Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers. Since I'm not the type of person who can stop at 5 crackers, it's best that I not eat them on a regular basis. Besides, crackers don't have enough protein to be worthy of my time.