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no to almanza the butcher. there is a fb page called something like Mexican Weight Loss Surgeons or Weight Loss surgeons in Mexico Thie is a page that does NOT allow anyone to join that is involved with the surgeons, as in, works for thesurgeons in any way. It is a place where people who have had bad experiences can feel free to write about their experiences without hassle. Just google almanza and see what has happened. go with bariatric pal. I hope you are getting the MGB, i've researched it a very long time and it has amazing results, its a short operation and it is reversible and revisable. You get to keep your stomach. good luck.

Maybe we could start with a closed or secret Facebook page of mass- sleeved or lap and or what ever bariatric people? ( I say closed or secret) because even though I am just over 1 year out. I am not out. Only my husband kids and I friend that also had surgery know! Would love to meet up and maybe even find a group to do monthly activities like hike or what ever with. Ok just my 2 cents even though I posted before lol

I'm self-pay with Surgical Specialists of LA. They have offices in Metairie, Slidell, Covington and Lafayette. Ochsner has bariatric surgeons, but don't know if they require insurance or not.

My most recent girlfriend purchased clothes from there, and I had no idea it was a "big girls" store. I never really realized that until someone else pointed it out to me....though I doubt my ex would ever want bariatric surgery, I never really thought of her as big, so I guess that's why I didn't realize what Lane Bryant was....

andycharris mentioned the Matrix line by the same people who make the Nectar. I have to agree it is pretty yummy. I ordered sample packs of both the Nectar and Matrix from bariatric pantry(they had them on sale so I went for it) and am working my way through the samples and making a list of the ones I really like, sorta like, etc. So far I tend to like nectar for my fruity and mixed with water drinks. It can be a bit foamy and settles easily. But the taste outweighs the maintenance (frequent shaking). And I like matrix for the sweet ones I mix with almond milk.

I totally understand. I wanted the Duodenal Switch and did not get a response when I asked if he did it. I was able to research and find Dr Alejandro Lopez at ALO or Bariatric Surgeries is his Facebook group. He has experience in all surgeries and has a very responsive staff.

Hey all! I'm scheduled for my sleeve Sept 18th. I'm self pay because my weight is just under the bmi. I'm having the surgery done in hopes it will help with my colitis. As I have gotten older and had another child I'm having a hard time keeping my UC under control. The steroids keep packing the pounds on. Is there anyone else that is having this surgery for things other than weight loss? I know there are many health benefits for for this and the other bariatric surgeries.

It all depends on your insurance. But most insurance companies that do look at history only look back 5 years on your weight--and many of them don't look back at all. Just choose the highest weight for each year to give to them if needed. Do you have any of the top comorbids: heart, cholesterol, high bp, diabetes issues? If you don't then many insurances won't qualify you. So you would need to be at 40 BMI to qualify. Check out the Insurance Section of this board and see if you can find what others are saying that have your same insurance. You can also just call your insurance co. directly. That is actually the best thing to do first-- some companies (the company you work for ) choose not to have the bariatric ryder in their insurance contract, in which case you are really out of luck.

Hi all, I am now beginning the process for my VSG surgery. The surgeon I am going to have it with is Dr. Spencer Holover in Roslyn NY... he is with the NY Bariatric Group. Anyone had their surgery with him? Please share your experience if you have. I have GHI and BCBS insurance, how long did it take to get the surgery with these insurances in NYS? I am hoping to have my surgery by July🤞🏽.

I had my RNY out of town. It was 2 1/2 hours from where I live. I fired my surgeon and started going to another Dr. But my PCP always adds what needs to be done on my regular bloodwork order and then faxed to my Bariatric Dr. Now my hubby did go to Mexico for his Sleeve, unfortunately, he didn't use Bariatricpal. We used another service and am not happy with the service at all. But now the same Dr that I use is taking care of him. I also forgot I had Strictures and needed 5 EEndoscopes with 4 Dilation. My Surgeon that did my RNY did 4 of them. But the Bariatric Dr in Portland did my last one in 2015. We both have not had any problems with getting care that we need. Now hubby did go to the ER when he thought his Sleeve opening was infected but if there was any real problem we would take the trip to our Bariatric Dr.

I had sleeve surgery in Tijuana with Dr. Frayre from Ponce Bariatrics on December 5th. Like anyone, I was nervous about going over the border for this and my family was pretty freaked out about that, although they supported me in making this decision. I had the single port surgery through my belly button ($6,000), and for an additional $700, they took out my gal bladder as well through the same hole. My starting weight was 210 lbs, 34 BMI, and 5'6" tall. I had a friend who had gone through Dr. Ponce and had a great experience, so that is why I chose them. Dr. Frayre is another surgeon who works with Dr. Ponce and I was told that they always do surgeries together, even though I can't verify that, as I never saw or met Dr. Ponce. I won't lie, the first couple of days were rough, and it was my first major surgery, so I have nothing to compare to, but I do believe I received excellent care. I am a total sissy when it comes to pain and I really think I have a lower than normal tolerance for it. I was in a sort of tiny hospital called "INT clinic"...only about 12 or 14 rooms total and I had a room to myself with bathroom and walk in shower. The nurses were great and so responsive, even though they spoke little to no English. My single port incision is about an inch long, and located not so much IN my belly button, but at the top of it which was different from what I thought. I have a very deep and narrow belly button, and they have to get all their instruments through that hole, so maybe that is why. I also had a very small drain incision. From my experience, I wouldn't say my recovery was faster with this surgery, but if you want less scars, this may be what you want to choose. You could save $1,000 and just go with the regular surgery and have 4 or 5 tiny incisions. But I am healing well after 10 days and no issues. I do believe Dr. Frayre and Dr. Ponce are accomplished surgeons. I was told Dr. Frayre had the sleeve surgery himself. This is long, but I hope this info is helpful. Sent from my SM-N910G using the BariatricPal App

At my bariatric surgeon's office they would measure me EVERY MONTH during my medically supervised weight loss. I thought this was weird, so I asked about it. Apparently, all that weight compresses your spine and can make you shorter. Sure enough, when I got my driver's license when I was 16 I was 5'6. Now I'm 5'4 1/2. It remains to be seen whether I will get my 1 1/2 inches back--I'm getting sleeved on 4/23.

Bariatric pal is working with a plastic surgeon now Dr Alejandro Galvez you can email Michelle@bariatricpal.com to get a quote and see his work

Don't forget to look at out of pocket maximums for the year- I know my insurance charges deductible plus 20%, but if costs go over the out of pocket max for the year, I don't pay. Unless, of course, bariatric surgery is marked as "out of pocket maximums don't apply." Good luck!

Every nutrition plan is different. My pureed foods list also included canned tuna and chicken, soft cheeses, etc. I also didn't have to actually puree a lot of the foods as long as I chewed thoroughly and kept things moist enough. I would ask your nutritionist if there is a recommended foods list for each stage. Here is the link to the website where my surgeon/nutritionist's office posted their food lists: http://www.mybrandnewlife.org/patient-stories-and-support/bariatric-dietitians-guide-to-successful-weight-loss/

BJs Bariatrics and those sample packs saved me a lot of money. Now I know which ones I like and don't like. The Lemonade Flavor = gag!

You'll have a burger next year. I had a burger yesterday. No bun, topped with a small piece of cheese, onion, tomato and pickle. It was delicious! The best part? I was too full to eat anything else. You'll get there. I know it doesn't seem like it, but you'll be eating bariatric versions of normal food in no time.

Hi! My name is Felicia. I am 45, going to be 46 on May 2nd. I have 2 beautiful daughters, ages 23 & 29 and 2 grandsons, ages 2 & 5. I am married to a wonderful husband and we will be renewing our vows on our 10 year wedding anniversary June 25th of this year! I live with multiple chronic illnesses and multiple sclerosis. I've survived cancer twice! I'm very blessed to be alive. My family consists of mostly obese people and a lot of the health conditions that go along with obesity. I am determined to NOT be obese. I lost my mother (12/19/2012) at age 69 to colon cancer, diabetes, heart disease and a bunch of other health conditions that were related to obesity. I see what my children are going through missing there grandmother. She was my best friend and I was her sole caregiver 24/7 for the last 4 years of her life. I do not want to do that to my children or grandchildren. I am determined to lose weight the right way, get healthy, stay healthy and BE HERE for my family. The loss of my mother is hard on all of us and may have been preventable if she had not smoked, stopped smoking and taken better care of herself. Although, I suffer every day with pain, fatigue and multiple symptoms from my illnesses and disease...I am detemined to live! I've had 38 surgeries, 50 epidurals for lower lumbar back pain, 3 spinal surgeries, H1Ni, viral menengitis, a terrible car accident that left me with a brain injury, migraines, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, etc. I could go on. My heaviest weight has been 255lbs at 5'7. I started my weight loss journey at 232. I've tried all of the diets and fads....they didn't work for me. It's hard for me to get regular exercise in due to my health conditions BUT...I can walk, thank God! So, I walk. I do what I can when I can, which makes it hard to get and keep the weeight off. I started my weight loss journey in February of this year at 232lbs and am currently at 216lbs. My VSG surgery is on May 4th, 2 days after my birthday (my gift to myself) and I need to be at 212lbs by then. I've been on a full liquid diet for a week...and the weight JUST ISN'T COMING OFF!!!! Any suggestions? I am drinking 3-5 prepared protein shakes daily, along with all of my vitamins and minerals suggested by my doctor and 64-90 oz. of water daily. Thanks in advance for any help.

Dr. Malley sounds awful. I would run from him. To cut someone open and tell them after that they need to lose 20 pounds to have bariatric surgery? That's monstrous.

There is no comparason if you check the long term studies from Europe. In the U.S. the lap band is the new kid on the block and has gottan some bad press because so many of the U.S. Doctors are not qualified to do the surgeries, or haven't done very many of them. This procedure was only approved by the FDA in the last couple of years is my understanding. When I went to two specialist in bariatric surgery and requested banding they were both condesending about why I would choose this over bypass surgery. There was a suggestion that I was not as serious about weight loss if I chose banding. The new book on banding by Dr Ortiz "Lap Band For Life" should show banding in a more positive light. This book will answer alot of questions other Dr's have as well as the layman and seeker of help for life changes through weight loss surgery. Hopeful Brenda Banded September 24, 2004

I just saw that Bariatric Advantage has RNY Prenatals on their site. I just started using their calcium chews and was checking on some prices and saw that they existed. Congrats to all of you!!

thought I would revisit this tread. I don't know who said it, but it goes something like "you cannot achieve what your mind cannot concieve." If we cannot reallistically picture ourselves at our goal, how can we acchieve it? This is true for those of us who don't really know what we look like, ever. I wonder if there is a software package that will cause people to "loose" weight? I mean there are software packages out there that will age people, these are used by law enforcement agencies that track lost or missing children. (I watch a lot of true crime tv ) So, it makes me wonder if there is any software that will reduce someone's picture? I can see this being a very big seller for bariatric doctors...

The psychologist I saw for my psych evaluation had done a lot of bariatric evals and follow-up counseling and she said that she had seen a huge number of depression cases post weight loss. But a lot of her experience was in lapband, so I think she was referring more to the body image/not having adequate coping mechanisms/dealing with all the reasons we ate to begin with. For my own mental health, I'm planning on starting counseling soon and continuing with it. I know from experience that sometimes I fail in the coping strategies department and would like to be prepared.

@Goodlife1206: My apprehension has abated some, now that I've talked to my psychologist. The more I think about it, the more I realize that my positive attitude and determination will give me the strength to help me see this journey all the way through. I cannot let the fear of the "unknown" or fear of "failure" stop me from doing what I know is right in my heart, which is living a healthy, successful lifestyle. I, like you, have tried a 'gazillion' times only to tell myself, "This is just too hard, can't do it." But I have come to the conclusion that if I can quit smoking cold turkey after 30 years of putting my body through unnecessary sickness, then I can spend the next 30 years trying to make up for it by treating my body right. Attitude is everything, my friend. Thank you for your post and good luck with your journey. I am here if you'd like to talk further. Well, I went for my psych evaluation today and just as I suspected...I am certifiably crazy lol. Actually, It wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be. Dr. and I talked for about 30 minutes, then I took a computer test and two short paper tests, which consisted mostly of common sense questions, my opinion about myself and basically making sure I had the good sense to follow instructions and maintain my weight and health with serious dedication. After all was completed, Dr. let me know after evaluating all my tests that his recommendation is "I am a good candidate for this surgery". Again, the only apprehension I have is the fact that 85% of my stomach will be permanently removed and I just want reassurance (especially from previous patients) that, provided I follow instructions and recommendations, there won't be any "ongoing, major complications". After all, once I do this, there's no turning back. I believe in my heart and soul that I have the desire, determination, will power and support to make this a successful journey. I've done my homework through research, reviews, asking a lot of questions, weighing my options, etc. I quit smoking cold turkey on May 27, 2014 and have lost 17 pounds from 06/25/14 through today's date (07/17/14) simply by following the 'pre-pre diet' my bariatric clinic recommended to help me get used to the upcoming pre/post surgery diet. So far, so good. I plan on keeping a journal and updating everyone so that if anyone has questions, just as I have, maybe my personal experience can help them through and make their transition experience a little easier for them. I will post pics soon. Again, feel free to question or comment on your personal experience so I can get a "heads up" on your trials and tribulations of the sleeve surgery. Thanks for all your input!

Hello, I am considering bariatric lap band surgery, but my only concerned is that lap band patients are estimated to only lose approximately 50% of their excess weight. I read this on several bariatric web sites, however just today I saw on Dr. David Kim's site, that he estimated 70%. Since my insurance will not help with the cost of a bariatric surgery, it will come out of my savings, and I'm not willing to pay approximately $10K to only lose 50% of my excess weight. How Much Weight Can You Really Loose with the Lap band? Chow, DV817