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Hi all! I am new to exploring Bariatric surgery and have my initial appointment tomorrow. I’ve struggled with my weight since I was a young child and am now thirty. At my current weight of 293 pounds, and my height, I have a BMI of 54.5 and multiple co morbidities. I suffer from Type II diabetes, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, sleep apnea, hypertension, high cholesterol, tachycardia, arthritis, and acid reflux. My mobility is significantly impacted and I get winded very easily. At thirty I have already had a TIA about a month ago and have been told I’m at high risk of another event or cardiac event. I don’t want to die and want my life back but no matter what diet I’ve tried it’s failed. I don’t know yet what procedure is best for me but I feel like this is my last chance to save my life. I’m here for support and education!

So! Today I got the Bariatric Hot Chocolate in and OMG I love it!! It has protein in it and I'm not getting near the protein that I am needing because if lactose intolerance and issues with the protein shakes. So I'm one happy chick today!! So glad to get something to get my protein intake up! Also got some of the protein soups! Excited to try one of those for lunch later!!

Yes, it's common for bariatric surgery patients to feel cold after surgery. I absolutely could not get warm for the first several months. It was spring in Texas and I was bundled up as if I were in Antarctica! The good news is that it gets BETTER. The bad news, you MIGHT have a noticeable change in your temperature tolerance for the long term. I'm 2.5 years out and I'm still cold quite a lot. Not the freezing, "I cannot get warm" cold, but I tend to wear layers and keep lap blankets around at all times. It's quite annoying to my husband who is exactly the opposite. He'll be in shorts/t-shirt and I'm walking around in a sweater and long pants.

I don't think anyone could tell at this point that I've had bariatric surgery. I'm 5.5 years out - although I don't even think they'd be able to tell when I was two years out. It was only obvious the first few months. Since then, I don't think I eat much differently than my never-been-obese women friends who are constantly watching their weight. When I go out with them, we all order an appetizer. Or else an entree and take at least half of it home. You mentioned not being able to eat 3 oz of chicken and 1/2 C of vegetables - I could eat that.

You have been through the wringer on this, so sorry you have had to go through it. I don't have any experience specific to this, but some maybe distantly related. I have seen that when they have an intransigent ulcer problem, classically it's around the anastomosis between the pouch and intestine, they usually just reverse the bypass, though that isn't really an option for you as that would put you back to your sleeve, which implicitly may not have been that well done in the first place. By reputation, I would try to seek a second opinion with Dr. Michel Gagner, who I believe has a presence in Toronto. He was one of the early adopters of the duodenal switch back in New York and has done some fairly complex revisions (such as RNY to DS) so is familiar with more complex problems. As to "done as much as we can" there is more that can be done. The most extreme thing would be a total gastrectomy, which isn't all that far from where you are now with an RNY, and is done in some cases of gastric cancer or gastroparesis. Basically they remove the remainder of the stomach and hook up the esophagus directly to the intestine, where your pouch is now. or close to it. Between surgery and adaptation, they form a new pouch in the intestine. Surgically, it is a bigger deal than it sounds as they don't like attaching the esophagus to anything other than itself (you would likely be on a feeding tube while it heals, but you've already been through that,) but it is a not uncommon configuration that people live well with (similar to your typical RNY lifestyle once everything heals.) Your average bariatric practice may or may not have the experience to do this, and you might have to go to a hospital that has a specialized gastric surgery department and/or cancer center. Simpler than the above, I have seen reference to a few people who were having significant RNY ulcer problems, again in the typical anastomosis region, where they went in and moved the anastomosis down the intestine a bit farther to a fresh spot, so that might be an option depending upon circumstances. Those are a couple of ideas that you can look into and question your docs about, and maybe seek out ones with a somewhat different specialty that may be able to help. Good luck in working through this,

If you want to stay in the states I hear that Blossom Bariatrics in NV will do it (I researched and then decided on Mexico). Belite Weight and True You Weightloss are a couple of the places I've seen on these forums where people have gone. Edited to say that my BMI is 31 and I'm scheduled for Nov 30th.

Hello Soft Foods! Started Wk 3 diet today and per my doctor's diet I can introduce the soft foods like loose grits, yogurt, cottage cheese. All I can say is GLORIOUS after several weeks of a liquid diet. I was feeling so incredible weak and was wiped out after walking around with the kids trick/treating. Although I am still on the protein shake, I had plain greek yogurt this morning for breakfast, some cottage cheese with a sprinkle of pepper for lunch, and grits tonight. I feel like I cheated last night as we made pork butt in the pressure cooker with chicken broth as the base and I siphoned off some of the liquid for dinner. I had to take an extra step to skim the fat and remove the chunks with a sieve and towel, but it was a naughty pleasure. Mrs made beef vegetable soup tonight so I plan on using some of the broth as the base for my grits that will be dinner. As a home chef, I gotta have some flavor and using all kinds of stock to cook things is a great way while staying healthy since I can't add in butter, cheese, or the like. I opted for grits to keep things gluten free and am using the stone ground organic from Bob's Red Mill organic grits (aka polenta) since the instant tend to get a little bland and gelatinous. Should be yummy if only a teaspoon worth. Anxious to see what happens with the weight loss after reintroducing solids. Walked three miles with the Mrs. this morning to try and compensate for reintroducing solids but shooting for at least another 20 gone by xmas. That might be a little ambitious and I'm not rushing it. Love the fact I am 30lbs down coming out of liquids. I do feel like I loss some muscle and I'll be anxious to start resistance training after week 4 (bands at first). To everyone out there in bariatric land, you can do this and I'm so excited for everyone who decided to take the initiative to begin the path towards a healthier and longer life. Hang in there.

Has anyone had a gastric sleeve in Renew Bariatrics? If so go much did you pay? Did you pay in a lump sump? And what was your experience? Thanks!

@GottaBeBlair and everyone Hello everyone, I am new to this forum. It seems that GottaBeBlair and I had the same surgery about the same time, so I wanted to see if you are having the same symptoms as I am having. I am 1 week post op sleeve revision to sadi/sips/mini ds. I have just started full liquids, protien shake, yogurt +water. I take multi vit from bariatric advantage 2x day. I have been experiencing strong intestinal gurgling with explosive mini diarrhea with little black stool that smells terrible. in addition to the very smelly flatuence the only way I have found to calm everything down is to take liquid pain medicine. have you been experiencing similar side effects? and did your Dr. tell you how long this will last?

I’m on Nov 14th in Las Vegas at Blossom Bariatrics. I leave for surgery from Atlanta on the 11th. (Note - the last list I saw to quote was incomplete so just listing mine here.)

Hey there WLS family, Back in 2017 I had a sleeve done and then a roux-n-y conversion due to severe acid I was dealing with due to the sleeve. Since then I’ve dealt with ulcers every single year since. No matter the medications I’m on they always come back and they have left me in the hospital from just a couple of weeks to even 3-4 months on feeding tubes, and hydromorphone for the pain. Last year was probably the scariest of all the years as my ulcer began bleeding and left me have to get a transfusion only a week after being discharged and told I didn’t have any more ulcers. Due to these ulcers, I’ve been on long term disability now for two years. I’ve been sober for almost two years, which includes no coffee as well just in case as they said alcohol and foods and drinks that are acidic can make matters worse. Alas nothing has helped. The bariatric doctors I have here in Canada remind me constantly that they are the best in Canada and that there’s not a single thing they can do and I’ll just have to live like this, for the rest of my life. The nurses constantly remind me that this isn't new and the amount of people that have complications is actually pretty high (at least in our area) and that they hate seeing people come in and be dismissed. Being only 27 it scares the **** out of me, the idea of being in pain and on a daily dose of ppis (prevacid), hydromorphone (dilaudid), and sulcralfate. I’ve always wanted to have children and carry one and now I feel like I’ll never be well enough to carry my own child. I’m writing this because something in me says maybe someone has dealt with these issues, maybe your doctors came up with a better plan that allows you to live a more fulfilling life. Maybe you’re on medications that are actually helping. After begging these doctors to send me for a second opinion as they told me there’s nothing they can do to help me, it ended up taking the second opinion doctor four months to get back to me. That phone call he made sure to remind me I already saw the best of the best, and that I shouldn’t expect him to find anything or this situation with him to be the panacea. All his words. I broke down on the phone call not expecting a doctor to tell me that since I already saw those doctors, who have missed things in the past, that he will likely be of no help to me whatsoever. It’s left me depressed and defeated. If you’re someone who has dealt with this in the severe case I have and you’re doing much better or you’ve been given drugs that actually work, had procedures that actually worked, anything, please reply on this or send me a personal message. I can’t live like this anymore. No one deserves to live like this and I won’t take their “‘there’s nothing more we can do for you” as the be all end all. By no means to scare anyone but complications do happen and they should also be considered upon choosing wls.

Yes! I take a couple different brands I had some stock of a few different ones because I was afraid of toleration after surgery. So I take Barimelt: Iron and Vitamin C, and Biotin these are fast melting. I take Bariatric Fusion: Multivitamin and Calcium. The Multivitamin is a capsule and the calcium is a soft chew not a gummy. 😊

I completely agree with The Greater Fool above. It's not a matter of whether you are too young to have the surgery, but whether you have the right mindset and are ready to commit to a new way of eating for life. Some people in their 20's are ready, while some in their 50's are not. You have a tremendous opportunity by taking this step so early in your life, before you have developed a host of medical issues connected with obesity. You have the chance to enjoy a long and health life with bariatric surgery. Take advantage of it!

I’m glad someone has addressed this issue as I am 3 weeks post op RNY revision and having the worst smelling poo and farts of my life. The smell drifts through out the whole house and is quite embarrassing! Poopori and sprays don’t cover it. This with a liquid diet and now moving into soft purée only foods. Could it be intolerance to the bariatric protein powder I am using? But then it wouldn’t make sense as I didn’t have this problem during pre-op diet and drinking this powder with no fat milk. Gosh, I pray it’s something that passes but now that I read comments I see others suffering 5 & 6 months post op. Going to try digestive enzymes if I can find chewables? I already take probiotics and eat yogurt. Anybody out there with any other ideas? Please help!

Thank you for posting the link to Bariatric Foodie! These recipes look amazing!! Can't wait to trying some on down the road!

Every insurance company has a different policy. Call and inquire what your insurance company's requirements are for bariatric WL surgery.

The BariatricPal Store carries a huge selection of Bariatric friendly Protein drinks at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders. Here are some popular options: BariatricPal Protein ONE: MultiVitamin, Calcium, Iron, Fiber & Meal Replacement Single Serving Packet - 9 Flavor Variety Pack from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/products/bariatricpal-protein-one-multivitamin-calcium-iron-fiber-meal-replacement-single-serving-packet-9-flavor-variety-pack Syntrax Nectar Protein Powder Sampler Variety Bag - All 17 Flavors! from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/products/syntrax-nectar-protein-powder-sampler-variety-bag-all-17-flavors GENEPRO Medical Grade Unflavored 30g Protein Powder - 2nd Generation! from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/products/genepro-medical-grade-unflavored-30g-protein-powder-2nd-generation Bariatric Advantage HPMR High Protein Meal Replacement - Available in 8 Flavors! from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/products/bariatric-advantage-high-protein-meal-replacement Single-Serving Protein Powder Packets - Super Jumbo “60 Flavor” Sampler Pack from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/products/single-serving-protein-powder-packets-super-jumbo-60-flavor-sampler-pack

The holiday season always comes up faster than expected. That is even true this year when so many other things have been different. It is time to start thinking about gifts for the people you love. If they include bariatric surgery patients who are pre or post-op, we have the perfect gifts for you. First up are something your loved one is sure to love: favorite desserts. If they are missing creamy, starchy, sugary foods, you can be the one to give them their faves without guilt. Here are just a few favorite desserts you can gift this year! Gingerbread Cake Mix Nothing says, “Happy Holidays!” like gingerbread, but can your bariatric surgery friend really afford to be eating gingerbread this year? Yes, she certainly can if you give her a high-protein, low-carb version such as BariatricPal Gingerbread Mug Cake Mix. It has 130 calories, 12 grams of protein, and 1 gram of sugar. Even better than giving ready-made gingerbread cake or cookies, giving Gingerbread Cake Mix lets the recipient make it herself, which means the delicious smell of cinnamon and ginger can waft through the house. It is easy to make just by mixing a packet with water and microwaving it. Each box contains 7 packets. Creamy Cheesecake Cheesecake is not the standard choice for a smart dieter, but BariatricPal High Protein Creamy Cheesecake is no standard cheesecake. It has about half the calories, saturated fat, and sugar as the same size serving of regular cheesecake, along with 12 grams of protein to make it more filling. If cheesecake isn’t cheesecake without the graham cracker crust, you can easily make your own without adding the 20 grams of carbs per serving that a traditional one has. Just crush sugar-free Catalina Crunch Keto Cereal - Honey Graham instead of graham crackers to use in the crust. Each serving has 10 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. You can make an entire cheesecake using 7 servings of Creamy Cheesecake mix, or make your cheesecake in muffin cups for single servings. Each box has 7 servings. Pumpkin Spice Blondie A bariatric surgery patient could feel a little down after an entire autumn of passing up pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin lattes, and pumpkin muffins. How about giving a gift of a pumpkin dessert that comes without guilt? Eat Me Guilt Free Pumpkin Spice Blondie knocks the socks off the competition in taste and nutrition. The entire blondie has only 170 calories and 4 grams of sugar, or 90% less sugar than a slice of pumpkin bread from a bakery-cafe. With 22 grams of protein, it has as much protein as chicken and can be eaten for a meal, snack, or dessert. They come in single and 3, 6, and 12-packs. There is no shortage of desserts that are suitable gifts for bariatric patients and anyone else who is on a weight loss journey. By the way, remember that your favorite bariatric surgery patient can be...yourself! Go right ahead and give yourself the gift of weight loss and pleasure all in one with your favorite low-carb desserts!

I started to regain as well. Fortunately for me I have a group of family and friends who have had bariatric surgery and we counsel each other. Here is what I have been doing to combat the weight regain. 1- First and foremost I stop eating after 7PM and don't start eating until 8AM the next day. This has a double effect. First it's an intermitent fast AND it stops me from eating/snacking before I go to sleep. As I found, two very important steps to take as it does have a positive effect on your body's ability to lose weight. 2- ANY exercise that I can get I do. Whether it's walking stairs, doing yard work, walking instead of driving. 3- I don't eat processed foods. They are empty calories and have no nutritional benefits what so ever. 4- I don't snack. I eat only when I'm hungry during my 8AM-7PM window and eat to get the feeling of fullness. 5- Adhere strictly to the 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after rule for drinking water. I hope this helps.

Butterfly, your entire post is very true and inspirational. Another bariatric success story.

So, I have been contemplating bariatric surgery for about 10 years. Kept putting it off, but now I have to have hernia surgery. Doc said he can do both the hernia and the sleeve at the same time, so I'm thinking two-fer sounds like a good idea. I'm not looking forward to worrying about what I eat the rest of my life, but I know that it will be good for me, and the fact that he is already going to be rooting around inside, makes this a little bit easier of a choice. Is there anyone else in here who had both done at once?

Hey everyone! Just a quick intro!! My name is Chris. I'm 45 and had gastric bypass in 2015. I lost 180 lbs and have kept it off! As you all know, sooooooo many things in your life change after surgery. More than just weight loss. One thing that changed for me was that I went back to school. I found it so interesting during the process leading up to, and all the changes afterwards, just how psychological eating is for us. I also noticed and was very frustrated by the way people, including myself, had been and still are treated as a big guy as opposed to a small guy. If you have been through the process, you know EXACTLY what I mean. So, I went back to school at Cleveland State University, and am on track to becoming a clinical psychologist! My specific interest is, working with bariatric patients! (big surprise right??). As a part of my senior project, I am doing a research paper on bariatric surgery and self esteem. I'm interested, of course, in surgery patients. But anyone who has lost a large amount of weight is also of interest to me. If you are interested in helping my by taking a simple survey I have created, it would be really awesome! it is all anonymous, and only will be used for my paper in class. Nothing to be published. That will be another study in the next couple years for grad school!! It would be awesome if anyone would be willing to participate! If you want any more info, or want to know more about me. Just ask!! Here is the link : https://forms.gle/TQy3fAreLdjmRQYq9 I think that link works. IF there is an issue and you'd like to help, please let me know and I'll email you a link. Lots of love and thank you everyone!! Chris P.S.- Anyone who has not had the surgery but is thinking about it. 1. Make sure you are REALLY ready. 2. Don't be scared. It saved my life. 3. All your feelings and emotions are normal and valid. Please feel free to take the survey even if you haven't had surgery. I'm interested in your feelings too!!!!!!

My stomach suddenly decided to reject solid food. They did several tests and could find no actual problem (such as stricture). Everything I ate would cause severe cramping and vomiting. My pcp that works with the bariatric program lovingly refers to me as a difficult case

I had Dr. Shillingford do my surgery. I hear that they have an amazing bariatric wing in the hospital they do their surgeries in. Unfortunately, due to Covid, I had mine outpatient with a nurse attendant at the Hampton Inn for one night. That being said, I have had no complications and I am not depressed because I have been out to dinner several time and as Gator says above, I can still eat, just not as much! I'm down 44 pounds in 3 months (7/30 was my surgery date) and feel great!

Gulf Coast Bariatrics Very good surgeon - No i do not miss food because i still eat all the time - Just smaller amounts - For example for lunch had 4 CocoNut Shrimp and coleslaw. Before would have eaten 25 and fries and coleslaw Its the food that is killing you -