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I have not been cleared to start into real carbs yet, although I understand from other people that most of us won't tolerate much of these foods. However, I know there is a product out there called CarbQuick that is a low-carb baking mix - you can use it to make pancakes and waffles. I have seen it in many of the Bariatric Stores, such as American Bariatrics.

I found out on Monday I was team approved at my Bariatric program to have surgery so I picked my surgery date as June 11, 2012. They sent all my paperwork into my insurance co on Fri, 4/13/12. I talked to the bariatric program yesterday and she said Health Alliance usually decides within 1-1 1/2 weeks. I am hoping to hear something by April 27. I hope they approve me cause I am unable to pay for this surgery unless my insurance covers most of it less my deductable and some other fees. Anyone have any experience with this insurance co? Thanks in advance!

If you want there is a Facebook group with lots of Bariatric recipes that might help you make better choices. It's called Rock's Kitchen find it and ask to be included and I have found lots of very good recipe choices. Best of luck. Brian

I recently tried the Celebrate Multi-Vitamins - HUGE mistake for me. I had horrible stomach issues, gas, and diarrhea all day. Then I read the ingredients - first two are both sugar alcohols! Some people are more sensitive to sugar alcohols than others, but these vitamins CLEARLY did a number on my system - instantaneously! I have switched back to a Target (Up&Up Brand) multi-vitamin/mineral - it is in gummy form, and it works great for me! I am not switching again after the Celebrate episode... But you will need to try things out for yourself. In my support group, everybody has had a different exerience with the vitamins - it all boils down to what your body will or will not tolerate. Most of the Bariatric companies offer free samples if you email them - it is a great way to try them before making a big investment.

I take Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate Chewy Bites. I got 3 bags from Amazon...Chocolate, Caramel, and Raspberry. I mixed them all up in a cookie jar & take 2 a day. I haven't been as good about a Multivitamin yet. I've tried several brands, but I just seem to have trouble sticking to one.

When you say “very ill” are you in pain? If so you may need to speak to your Bariatric team and tell them everything ASAP. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It could last at least 6 weeks. I went to the ER bc I thought I had a blood clot but didn't, and the ER doc told me I was gassy (listening through stethoscope) and may have a leak. I though WTH? It wasn't he just didn't have any experience with bariatric surgery.

South Louisiana, $14K which included surgeon, hospital, anesthesiologist, nutritionist, testing, and 1 year of follow-ups. Like Lissa, insurance has a bariatric surgery exception. The employer is self-funded and does not cover WLS at all. Of course, Murphy's Law being what it is, on May 1 our new insurance went into effect which covers Lap Band only, but I was not interested in that option.

Hi there! I'm from Ontario (way up north in Thunder Bay) too! In a few days I'll be 7 months post-op (RNY). I had my surgery here in Thunder Bay and had no complications. So far I've lost 74 lbs in total (about 8 of those were during the pre-op Optifast phase). I've been struggling a little for the last couple of weeks - not eating more, but making bad choices as to what I'm eating (CARBS!). Thanks to the support of the TBay Bariatric Centre and my personal trainer I feel like I am back on track. This site is another fantastic support. Hearing how others struggle and meet their challenges makes me feel not so alone, and the success stories are a great inspiration & motivation! Good luck to you on your journey!

I got a Blender Bottle from amazon.com and use it 2-3 times a day. Also, I use the small thermometer that unjury sent me when I ordered their bariatric starter pack (and I now have them sending me Protein cannisters on a monthly basis). Also, I like the Bariatric Support Vitamins (multi, Calcium and B12) that I get from the Vitamin Shoppe. I also bought two thermoses off Amazon - an 18 oz and a 28 oz version - I use both daily for work. I can fit 2 shakes into the 18 oz bottle with ice, and fill the other with my water/apple juice blend (can't do Water by itself right now). Would recommend that you consider baby-sized bowls/dishes and spoons as well. If you don't have a good blender/food processor, that will help you too. Protein preference is incredibly personal, as you will see. I like Unjury because it doesn't get as thick or foamy when blended as other powders - this is especially handy the first 2-3 weeks. My favorites are chocolate Splendor (with almond milk) and strawberry Sorbet (with water). I also like their chicken Soup, and need to try their cheese sauce, which is only available in Autumn/Winter. I also like Chike's Orange Creme flavor. I buy both Chike and Unjury directly from their websites.

At a bariatric surgery conference I attended in July 2011, several surgeons stated that one of the most common reasons for failure to lose weight is the failure to separate liquids and solids....in other words, drinking while you eat. My #1 reason for not drinking while eating: the liquid would come right back up, in a fountain. Do that in public a few times, and no one will ever invite you out to lunch again. For further confusion on this interesting topic, read this article by Australian dietitian Helen Bauzon: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/healthy-living/food-nutrition/yes-you-can-drink-and-eat-at-the-same-meal-time-r63

You should bite the bullet and just have all the Fluid removed by a doc. That should eliminate the severe problems you are having unless your band has slipped or eroded. No insurance will cover you unless you work for a company that has insurance and you are brought in under their umbrella. In those cases, existing conditions are usually waived. You're asking an insurance company to fork out $6,000-$8,000 and you only contribute a few hunded in premiums? That's just not going to happen. Till you find employment that has a bariatric inclusion, get the fluid removed. tmf

I called my insurance company first to see what their requirements were and if I met them. Then I made an appointment with a bariatric surgeon. Of course, keep in mind that that was almost 6yrs ago and things change. It's like looking for a new car. What's the sense of looking if you can't afford one? Once you meet with the surgeon just answer his questions--honestly and to the point. That way you will always tell the same answers. Good luck and let us know how your journey is progressing.

Congrats! I'm glad it went well for you. I knew it would!.............as far as your required classes you need to check with your insurance to make sure what you have scheduled will count.....or perhaps, did the Bariatric center assign a coordinator for you?....Mine did and she was very very helpful! She scheduled everything for me. Good luck to you!

Hi Nina I had a revision or reconstruction for the same reason as dream believe. I went to Mexicali MX to a hospital. Mexicali Bariatrics did the reconstruction. It's been a slow process and I am 11 weeks. I feel very satisfied with limited food. I am exercising a lot more this time. I have more energy. I had to have a barium swallow and I had xray from the first sleeve. He told me it was not my fault for the weight regain. The did a barium swallow after revision checking for leaks and to show me the difference in the restriction. I lost 60lbs really fast the first time. I gained 25lbs over 6 years. I have lost 26lbs so far. The first time I lost a lb a day the first month. If your not happy get the second opinion.

I’m going to be self pay in FL. I found 3 surgeons in FL that were more “affordable”. Dr Radecke, Dr Shillingford and Dr Wizman. These are all around 10-11,000 for sleeves. 2 of those Dr do you surgery at bariatric centers of excellence. Other Florida Drs quoted me around 15,000-17,000 for sleeve. I will be cash pay up front. I am very concerned about self-pay complications though. I have United Health for insurance but Dr office told me my plan doesn’t cover bariatric AND I’m low BMI. I also have disc degeneration issues and following weight loss I also want to get a breast reduction. I have numerous herniated disc’s and a broken vertebrae. I think you are just going to have to google and call around like I did to find surgeons in your area. It was time-consuming but I wanted to make sure I knew all of my options.

Hi Morningoasis, I'm glad you're going to get this taken care of. I forgot to mention that some of my pain was very simular to yours...I couldn't take a deep breath either. I'll be interested to hear if your insurance will pay for this. I looked up my policy with BC/BS and it states: "No coverage for bariatric surgery including reversal, revision, repeat and staged surgery, except for the treatment of sickness or injury resulting from such bariatric surgery, or unless required by law." I'm hoping they consider abdominal pain when eating sometimes a "sickness" . If not, then I'll have to go back to Mexico and I'm not looking foward to that with all the killing going on there. Ofcourse, I could always wait until the band causes me a "sickness" :thumbup: I am also worried about living without my band. Although I never got to goal, my band has kept me from gaining it all back. I hope that repositioning is all we'll need. Take Care, Marsha

Just trying to help - I am lucky enough to live in Salt Lake City, where there are numerous bariatric surgeons, and for self-pay I recommend Dr. Daniel Cottam or any other doctor at Bariatric Medical Institute in Salt Lake City, because they have their own surgical center, so you end up paying less than if you were going to a hospital. They are across the street from a major hospital in the event of an emergency, but he has done thousands of successful surgeries, myself being one of them. My surgery in August 2021 was $15,000 total for both doctor and surgical center. You could drive to SLC from Oregon (or have someone drive you), so no airfare either. I did not need to be near a bathroom after going home for anything other than what would be considered normal.

Hello, chickabo. Please know that I come from a place of wanting to help provide you some information and share my experience. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong, this is just my experience over the past 8 weeks. And I know when I was pre surgery I wanted as much information as I could get to help me. Before I go into my story below, I found a doctor online, Dr. Garth Davis, (http://www.thedavisclinic.com), who is a Bariatric surgeon in Texas -he is a 'plant based' doctor. I found this guy after I had my surgery, but he seems to be a good resource and one that I wish I would have found pre-surgery. You may find his information helpful or at least contact his office to get information sent to you so that you have some to help you with your doctor. Here is my story, if you want to read further: I was a vegan for several years pre-surgery. So was my family (husband and two sons). We did it for the animal issue, not the health issue. Trust me when I say I have seen more than most people on animal cruelty and food and I battle mentally with it everyday. When I first started looking into the Lap-band, I didn't find anything on vegan and Lap-band. All I kept seeing was 'Protein, protein, protein' and more 'protein.' But I knew, as a vegan, that I could get enough protein to hit 60 grams or more a day per what my doctor was telling me I had to have. I had done it for years and didn't see the issue. (When I say protein here is what I mean: There are only a few "complete proteins" (a protein that contains all the 8 essential amino acids that your body is unable to make on its own) for vegans and they are soy milk, tofu, and tempeh (these are the only true "complete proteins" for vegans). All other Proteins that you get from plants are called "incomplete proteins" like grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts. Now as vegan, you can take two "incomplete proteins" and combine them to can get a "complete protein." Example: grains + legumes or legumes + seeds/nuts.) So the issue wasn't getting "protein" per say. The issue that I saw right away was getting the enough of the right "protein" (complete proteins) which lead me to where I would have the biggest issue being vegan-- the volume of food that I would need to eat to get a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day. You see, when I was vegan (pre band), I could eat a large tofu "egg" wrap with a cup of broccoli and vegan cheese inside for Breakfast. This would give me ~14 grams of protein for ~350 calories or so (including a low carb wrap). However, when I look at the numbers in more detail with my post-band rules, this just doesn't give me the right amount of protein for the calories (10/1 - for every 10 calories in the food it should have at least 1 gram of protein). So, even thought it would give me "complete protein" for the meal, it wasn't the 10/1 rule. But more importantly, that is a HUGE amount of food to be eating after Lap-Band surgery. There is no way I could eat that much in one sitting. I might be able to make two meals of it now. That means for two meals I would only be getting ~14 grams of protein. So, having said that, I could (and do on occasion) supplement with Protein drinks (Sun Warrior Original Flavor chocolate or vanilla is the absolute best tasting and it has a 80 calories / 4 carbs / 15 grams of protein - which is great), but I quickly learned after I moved to soft solid foods (after the liquid diet pre and post surgery) that I wanted to eat food - I was SICK of drinking my calories. So protein drinks can fill in the gaps for getting more protein, but I found that I wanted to eat my calories instead of drinking them. So this wouldn't be an option for me longterm. So, what's an animal loving vegan who really wants / needs a Lap-band to do? As I was doing research, I ran across an article that talked about a devout vegan (animal lover) who was vegan for years and all of a sudden started craving animal protein. Long article short, she took a bite of something that had animal protein in it and as she said, "guess what, the world didn't end!" That was my moment. I thought, I have spent years battling my weight and part of that was doing everything that was 'best' for everyone else and it was time that I took care of me. So that is when I made the switch to vegetarian. I had huge amount of guilt (that I still carry around) but I knew I needed to at least try it versus continue down my road of being obese and miserable. You see, WLS patients aren't choosing the easy way out, contrary to what you might think, read, see, or hear. We chose surgery where we are cut open and surgically altered - that is not easy. We chose to eat very minimal amounts of food when others around us are eating pounds of it - that is not easy. We chose to exercise at least 210 minutes a week - that is not easy. We chose to have to chew every little bite we take 20-30 times - that is not easy. We have to take Vitamins that are horrible every single day - that is not easy. So to me, making a few food changes to my diet didn't seem that hard compared to all the other "not easy" stuff I was agreeing to do. So, after my pre-op and post-op diet of all liquids (which I had for 3 weeks), when I made the move to soft proteins I incorporated some yogurt (which I still can't stand) and then I incorporated some string cheese and some egg whites (not eggs). I did this very slowly. I then progressed to eating salmon, tuna, and shrimp. I still use all my vegan condiments (vegan mayo, cream cheese, sour cream, etc.) but I chose to add in easier proteins to my day. I'm not going to tell you how great I feel or how I'm losing weight by the lbs daily, but I'm just going to tell you that it is working for me right now, today and that's all I have. Opening my mind and putting more focus on me is working for me, today. And everyday is another day to do it better. I have tried to get away from "I did bad today," to "I will try to do better tomorrow" and that has helped to. I hope some of this has helped you a little bit. It's okay if it didn't. I just want you to know that whatever you choose to do, do it for you. This is YOUR time and no one or no thing can take it away from you. Sending you all the best and well wishes. Keep us posted on here! Jen

Hi first of all vegan sausage is VERY high in fat. Try eating veggies or tofu. Check out Dr V bariatric surgeon on iTunes. He is a surgeon who’s patients eat vegan.

@@bellabloom Thank you for telling us all of this. I have just started the WLS process and have taken advantage of counseling pre-surgery. I don't feel as though I have an eating disorder but I sure can benefit from therapy regarding emotional or mindless eating (I think most could). I wish all Bariatric Programs required pre-surgery counseling. I hope you are soon in a good "place" physically and emotionally. Stay strong!

Hi! I love Dr. Ortiz and would go to him or recommend him in a heartbeat for bariatric surgery. And I was planning on going to the Ariel Center... but, after doing my due diligent research... I decided that Dr Sauceda in Monterrey, MX was the one for me. I couldn't find any info on the plastic surgeon at Ariel or find many of his patients to talk with. Dr. Sauceda has a group on ObesityHelp.com and Facebook page... so, I have gotten alot of great information and support from them. The aftercare with Dr. S seems more hands on. And when you email or call... you are talking to Dr. S himself... not a coordinator. I also like the idea of flying directly into Monterrey instead of San Diego and crossing the border. Hope this helps! I am scheduled with Dr. S this Fall... August 29 to be exact. Good luck with your journey! Cheers, Dottie

Thank you !!!! I need all the support I can get! Already have a good start. My cousin has had the surgery as well and she works at the bariatric surgery office and works for my surgeon! !!!!!

This doc gives a pretty good progression of how your meal volume, on average, will tend to increase over time, and it is pretty consistent with my experience. What I like about this guy is that he is one of the few bariatric surgeons that I have seen that addresses this issue and offers a prescription to mitigate its effects. You may or may not get along with his recommendation (I don't agree with everything he, or anyone else for that matter, says) but it is something to think about in planning your next few years. I have evolved into something akin to his program, as in being fairly veg heavy, but I'm not as grain averse as he is and I do think that his protein recommendations are a bit on the scant side for most.

@MotoZen, I'd read that the author of Proteinaholic was a bariatric surgeon. Does he have anything written about pre-op and post-op plant-based diets, or would you be willing to share information from your nutritionists there? I've tried asking the dietitians at my program about plant-based options and they are really not helpful. I'm not 100% plant-based, but mostly plant-based, and I don't eat meat or consume dairy. I was really curious for his recommendations...