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I use a Bariatric brand from vitamin shoppe. Tastes great. Celebrate was just gross.

Have trouble with using multi vitamin, Celebrate. Three weeks out and they are now making me throw up. Any suggestions?

I've been taking Bariatric Advantage multivitamins and calcium citrate chewy bites. They're kinda like Starbursts candy, not the chaulky chewable kind. I'm 7 mos post sleeve.

Check out Bariatric Surgeon Profile - Guillermo Alvarez M.D. Guillermo Alvarez M.D. Dr. Guillermo Alvarez: Gastric Sleeve (VSG) & Lap-Band® 112 Rodrigo Andalon St. Suite A Piedras Negras I met a woman from Illinois who went to him. She and her husband had nothing but good to say about him and his staff. They showed us pictures and explained everything to us. I also sent messages to many other people on OH who used him. I received about 17 responses, and every one of them said wonderful things about him. If I were going to go to Mexico, I would choose him. I know he checks for leaks before releasing you from the hospital; then you stay at a hotel in the states for 2-3 more days; then he has you come back in and checks for leaks again before you go home. The hotel and transportation back and forth from the hotel and hospital is included in his price, which was $10,500 when I last checked.

Pianoguy, I would really recommend St Lukes..I am a week away from surgery and the support system and entire program have been a great asset. I attended a preop class which let me know what to expect- ive attended support groups-ive met with a very helpful nutritionist who as part of my surgery cost I get to see 3 more times after surgery. The insurance specialist for the bariatric surgeons really goes above and beyond to help you through that process. Its also considered a center of excellence which some insurance companies require. Good luck!

Hi All, I live in Doha and had the surgery on the 10th. I didnt go to a private hospital, I did it through Hamad hospital in Al Khor. You will be referred to General surgery but the surgeon is a bariatric surgeon and quite skilled. He also treats you as a person and not as a patient and even gives out his mobile number for concerns. I must say the care was first rate and would recommend a consultation with Dr. Hijran to anyone...... oh..... btw, I am north american

I was talking to my husband about the judgement passed on people who have bariatric surgery. He is on the fence about the whole "easy way out" thing. But he is being supportive of me. So he tells me that when he thinks about the easy way out, he compares it to jumping off a plane. The easy way out would be when someone pries your fingers of the plane and pushes you out. That's the easy way out but the problem is that after that the is no getting back on the plane. So you are screaming all the way down hoping the parachute will open. My response was, think about it this way you are on a plane that has lost its engines. They tell you they are going to try landing it but chances are it will still be a crash landing and many on the plane will die. Or you can put on one of the parachutes and jump? So what do you choose? The plane is obesity. We know it is a killer. Some live long, normal lives while being obese, but the majority will get sick in various ways and die prematurely. If you jump, which is having the surgery, the parachute might not open but the chances of that are minimal. The parachute might open late and you will get seriously hurt, but you survive and end up living a long life. You might not land well because you don't know how to parachute and break your legs. But you still land and live. So which one do you choose? Stay on the plane and hope you survive the crash? Or jump and take the risks of jumping with the more likelihood of survival? It is a personal decision that only you can make for yourself. I choose to jump off the DAMN plane!!!! Because I am already on the plane and the only decisions you can make are jump or crash. The option to never get on the plane to begin with is long gone.

The insurance company is bound by a contract, either between you and them for direct pay, or more likely between an employer and them to provide certain types of care. There’s no risk in calling them, there’s nothing to inadvertently agree to. All they can do is provide information on contracted plan benefits. In the end you need to take responsibility for your own finances and you should confirm everything with insurance yourself. I work with both health care and insurance and it’s vital to have a personal understanding of your plan benefits and how it will impact you. When I called I asked 1. Is bariatric surgery covered? Is there a prior authorization requirement? Can you share with me the page of the plan document that outlines these prior authorization requirements? 2. Are there requirements to see a surgeon/hospital within the plan network, or certain providers in order to receive coverage? 3. Is this subject to the deductible and coinsurance or are there special provisions for this coverage? Hopefully your surgeons office will help you with this, but I never recommend being passive and trusting someone else to do something when there’s tens of thousands of (your!) dollars on the line.

We loved Dr. Garcia and the experience at Hospital MI Doctor on TJ and would use him again. We went through alma at Ready 4 a Change and she was great. My daughter feels like she never had surgery other than the fact she is never hungry and can only eat small amounts of food. She's lost about 50 lbs all together. She's very happy with her decision on both Dr. Garcia and having the VSG instead of any other WLS. I've heard really good things about Dr. Kelly also. Just deal with him directly. Either will take good care of you. Take a look here http://www.obesityhelp.com/profiles/bariatric-surgeon/fernando-garcia/#profile_procedures You'll see Dr. Garcia has a lot of experience doing WLS. Good luck making your choice. I don't think you can go wrong with Garcia or Kelly.

me too! it will start again no worries:-) HW 250/1st Lapband 198/2nd Lapband 232/Pre conversion 2/6/13 to bypass 232. Currently 206 Bariatric GW 134, Realistic GW 150

Are other elective surgeries covered by your insurance before three years are up? If so, you may have an ADA claim. If not, you may still have a claim or you may be sunk, but talk to your rep. My husband has worked for a regional medical center for 20+ years. When he started, antidepressants, anxiety meds, bipolar meds, biofeedback, counseling, and all other mental health measures were not covered by insurance. Now they are, but it took a bunch of people complaining about discrimination and looking at legal action to get it changed. Even with our hospital's relatively liberal outlook on bariatric surgery, the insurance company dragged its feet for so long on approving my surgery that I'd nearly given up, as had the bariatric nurse in charge of the program. But they came through and I hope yours will, too. Enlist the aid of your primary care physician- if she recommends the surgery to improve secondary weight-related problems, it might help. My doctor really went to bat for me on this, god bless her. You aren't a monster. You are cute as a litter of kittens. Your nephew is a monster, however much you love him. I put up with "funny fat girl jokes" from my family for far too long to ever be patient with this kind of "teasing" again. He's either being deliberately cruel, in which case he needs to be told to shut up once and for all, or he's very young and/or dense and should be taught not to make personal remarks. My sympathy to you.

We at Henry Ford Bariatric Center are put on "FLINSTONES COMPLETE WITH CHOLINE" Now don't laugh to hard,, They happen to be one of the best vitamins out there for Bariatric patients. They are chewable, they are in a orange box not to be confused with the regular chew ables. These contain CHOLINE, and it is very good for you. I do about 4 a day, and no bruising. If I start to forget to take them, the bruises come back. Takes about 2 weeks to a moth for all to go away, and not come back.

If you had bariatric surgery your anesthesiologist ABSOLUTELY needs to know. They have to intubate you for surgery and sometimes insert oral or nasogastric tubes while you are under anesthesia. If they don't know you had bariatric surgery and insert one of them they could seriously hurt you. Honestly it "probably" won't make a difference in regards to your surgeon, but that's assuming that nothing goes wrong (which while incredibly likely for something serious to happen during a breast implant surgery, is still possible). But if you're not willing to disclose everything with your anesthesiologist you probably shouldn't be having surgery. (I'll note that it's very unlikely they would use an OG/NG tube for a breast implant exchange, but the point is there are viable scenarios where you could get seriously hurt by not disclosing something as significant as bariatric surgery)

I just did what my bariatric team instructed me to do. It was hard but I was too scared to deviate that soon after surgery. I just kept drinking warm tea, broth, diet cranberry juice all day. Surprisingly, it kept me full. I must admit I was happy to reach the mushy phase. I tore up some mashed potatoes lol. Best wishes to you.

I still would like some more info on Dr A and going through Bariatric Pal. Where do I even start?

1. What are/were your biggest challenges during the weight loss process? (insurance, medication, surgery, maintenance etc): Insurance, especially when they stopped covering lap band adjustments That was one of the main reasons I went ahead with the band to sleeve revision. I just couldn't afford $300 per 0.2cc adjustment, sometimes 2 in one week. It was just too expensive for me. 2. What would you like to have different to solve the problems that you need to face? And why? (new weight loss medication, new surgery approaches, more support groups, new insurance plan etc.): Better insurance plans for WLS patients. Although I know they are aware of how detrimental being overweight is, and I am grateful they cover WLS more now... I still feel that they don't cover enough of the additional things (i.e. fills/adjustments, removing extra skin, therapy, post-op shakes for just the liquid phase of healing) that one needs to further maintain their health. It's like helping an addict for one hospital stay and then putting them out on the street with no further help. Some may make it, and others will slide again. If the insurance companies can keep the WLS patients healthy, they would further save on all the future medical problems of those patients. 3. How much money do you spend for weight loss every year? (food, exercise, support groups, medications etc): Over $2K per year but now that I got the revision to sleeve, it'll be less money spent since I don't have to do lapband adjustments but just routine check ups (doctor check ups, Vitamins and other supplements, meds like PPI, Protein powders). 4. How did you learn about the surgery/medications that you had/used/are using? My bariatric center gave me lots of handouts and a book on everything that I need for the revision surgery (band to sleeve). We also had a nutrition class. I also read a lot on the forums (mainly experiences that others feel that are not usually in a book), and read many scientific and clinical studies.

Hello all - I just started the process for Gastric Sleeve surgery after doing a lot of research on my own. My insurance requires 6 month on a nutrition program, which thankfully I am already in Month 5. The part that has me nervous is the referral requirement. I really have not had a steady primary care physician for the past 6 years - mostly due to the fact that I’ve been so ashamed of my weight. So I really don’t know if I can just walk into a Dr’s office as a new patient and ask for a referral. Can I ask my OBGYN? Not sure if she would be open, but I can try. I have a BMI of 43 along with high blood pressure and sleep apnea so from that sense I don’t believe qualification is an issue. I have completed the initial application for the bariatric surgery clinic and am waiting for them to contact me for next steps. I am concerned about the referral becoming a blocker. I would appreciate it if anyone who has gone through a similar situation can share their experience or advice. Thank you!

:mad: I just wanted to let everyone know i started my journey on June 6th which was my 1st consultation with Dr Boe. I had atena and bariatric surgery was excluded from my policy so i took matters into my own hands and switched companies. My new company Personal Choice became effective July 1st and i was suprised to get approved so quick...My surgery is scheduled for September i could of went as early as August but i have to quit smoking 6 weeks before surgery...so i just wanted to let everyone know the new me will be here soon!!!:biggrin:

Congratulations on your weight loss and welcome to the site! I think the majority of us are food addicts. I mean, you don't get obese to the point of needing bariatric surgery without some sort of major food issue. I have a lot of respect for you for realizing this and going to OA. I'm definitely a food addict, without a doubt. Granted what works for one definitely doesn't work for all, but I have found getting white carbs out of my diet really has helped my sugar/carb cravings tremendously. I stay away from white rice, white bread, regular Pasta, or anything that says "enriched" or "bleached" on the label. I buy whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice, I also stay away from sugar whenever I can and I have found Stevia to be a great non-chemical substitute. You can totally do this, Christopher. Best wishes to you.

Thanks for all the support.. I came to the same conclusions yesterday that this is about me, and whether I want to be here to see my children grow up.. My risk of heart disease is escalating every year and the thought of living through a serious stroke scares me to death. My doc told me to tell hubby that he could take care of me for a month now, or for years when I have other problems. I went to see my PCP yesterday and was totally stunned to here she was all for the surgery, and so was everyone else in her practice. I have had some real issues with them agreeing on whats best for me. I have some sleep issues and have for most of my life. Now that I have neck fat and reflux I am starting to get sleep apnea and have woken up coughing and choking lately. They won't prescribe anything until I see a psychiatrist.. I'll go, will have to see one at some point before my surgery is okayed anyways. There is a seminar on the 17th that I have to attend, and my doc will send my referral next week so a lot of the paperwork will already be done.. My hubby and I had another discussion.. he was being selfish and admitted it. He doesn't want to have deal with me being moody because I'm hungry and can't eat what I want to..Lol I have know idea where that came from,, I don't remember stomping my foot and screaming for icecream even when I was pregnant.. He also doesn't want to have to pick up the slack,, or do everything I do, which is everything but washing the kitchen floors, mowing and going to his job everyday. He is okay with things now and was happy for me when I told him my PCP was sending my info to the bariatric surgeon. There are huge waiting lists here so it could be a really long time,, up to nine months before a date is set.. frustrating, but I have things I really need to take care of.. I've played the surgery waiting game with my hysterectomy and I was sick,, I can handle this.. I am going to try to keep everything on the lowdown around here for now with my family and friends.. My sister in law already gave me a big speech about how I can lose the weight on my own,, just do some chi gong?? and some herbs.. lol,, shes a hippy from way back and is 66. I have young kids to take care of and want to be here.. I'm not much on "signs", but when I called my insurance company to see if they would pay for it, the woman who answered had the surgery 3 year ago.. she was my age and her children were the same age as mine at the time. She said she has a whole new life with them and even though the road was rough, she doesn't regret it for a minute.. It might seem frivolous, but I would really love to go dancing again and not be self consious, or out of breath with aching feet lol.. Thanks again ladies, your replies were fabulous

Hi, I would highly recommend Dr Tiffany Jessee. She has offices in Largo where I go and also in Tampa. Here is a link to her website. Lap Band Surgery Florida | Bariatric Surgeon | Dr. Tiffany Jessee Check it out and see what you think...I think she is the best!

Hey guys for those of you in AZ PHx area there is a Facebook support group page called Phx Area Bariatric Support Group, you can search for it on Facebook and request to join, it's a great group with lots of tips, support and we ha e monthly walks etc , Hope to see you all soon

I've never heard of night time coughing after surgery. Do you have sleep apnea? Or maybe a cold? I know that sounds like a simplified question, but trust me, after surgery, everything we feel, we relate it to the surgery. When in doubt always defer to your bariatric team Sent from my SM-G900T using BariatricPal mobile app

I've just learned about my bar bariatric pal and have to learn navigation and "how to's" on here but I had band to sleeve conversion on 12/18/13 and want to be a part of this thread.

I work for Verizon Wireless and I was approved the first time I applied. I have a high BMI w/no co-morbidities. Do you have a case manager thru Cigna? They should guide you through everything step by step. If you are employed by VZW then you would have needed to start the 6 month pre-op diet, have a case manager, and visit a seminar prior to 12/31/07. They no longer cover bariatric surgery and the only way to be approved is if you started the whole process in 2007. You also should meet with a nutritionist, have a psyc evaluation, and surgeon consult during your 6 month PCP monitored program. My surgeons office submitted for approval on 4/25 and I received the ok on 5/20. Good luck!!