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**I would like to preface this by saying that the story may be long, but I have been on this sight for about 3 months and have yet to post anything substantial. I loved reading peoples in-depth stories and wanted to share mine the same way. Take what you will My journey actually began 3 short months ago when my parents confronted both my younger sister and I about having the surgery. My mother was overweight and has RnY gastric bypass in 2003 and it completely changed her life, and ours, for the better. My parents saw us going down the same path and did not wish for us to have that kind of lifestyle. Having said that, there were times in my life I was fit and healthy, but no matter how much I exercise or watch what I eat these pat 5 years, I never seem to lose more than 20 lbs. The weight always came back. I have tried multiple weight loss systems and had no positive outcomes. I'm about 20 lbs smaller than my sister, weighing in at 240.8 at 5'6" and 28 years old (size 18/20 jean/dress). Which makes me approximately 100 lbs overweight and a candidate for laproscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy with Dr. Aviv Ben-Meier at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center for Bariatric Surgery in Cleveland, Ohio. This is where my mother had her surgery done, so she made a few calls to her advocate there and got both my sister and I a consultation with the surgeon. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to do this. The topic had been brought up to my sister before and I had considered what I would do if I ever had the opportunity, so when I was approached with have VSG in May, I knew I wanted to. Thankfully, my parents were able to pay for this surgery so I didn't have to jump through insurance hoops and was able to have the surgery quickly. I did check into my insurance in case it was a possibility, but found that it wasn't, by any mean, paid for. Having said that, a consultation, psych eval, sleep study, and 3 nutritionist appointments later, I was scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, August 17th, 2011. My sisters short story will end here seeing that she is in college and planning on having hers the first week of Christmas vacation. PAT's were scheduled 2 weeks before my operation in which I had no qualms whatsoever about the surgery. You should know that I am the last person you would find in a hospital, around needles and blood, but I was not nervous about this surgery AT ALL. That is, until PAT, when I passed twice getting blood drawn and heard about the tube and catheter I would have after surgery. Let alone the IV I would be getting beforehand (which I was aware of but thought I would be fine with until the fainting incident.) I went home that night after surgery education and was quesy and nervous for the first time. I was a pile of nerves and couldn't allow myself to think about it at all without feeling nauseaus. I couldn't back out now! Thankfully the next morning I woke up with a new sense of ease and was fine once again. I am so gracious to have this opportunity to get my life back, I didn't care what I had to do to get it. The day before surgery came and I had to drink 3 bottles of Magnesium Citrate on a clear liquid diet. I mixed the COLD cherry Mag. Cit. with Crystal light lemonade, and honestly, it wasn't that bad. I encourage those of you who still have to do this to try it that way. Also, since its nasty, you want to drink it quickly...but it's carbonated and may make you feel a bit nauseaus. fyi. That night I took my mind off things by visiting my 5 day old honorary nephew. Unfortunately they were eating homemade roastbeef and mashed potatoes for dinner!! The morning of I was up at 4:30, showered, hair done, and ready to head to Cleveland. I actually arrived at my surgery 15 minutes late! I was praying for an early surgery so I wouldn't have to wake up and wait around...well, I got what I asked for. 6am surgery! During pre-op they gave me a gown and asked me to take a pregnancy test, then put me in a bed where they took my blood pressure and found my heart rate to be an extremely high 119. I was worried about the IV at this point, could careless about the surgery. The nurses and anesthesiologists come around and introduced themselves, I was given warm blankets, then left to wait about an hour until they came back to do my IV. Maybe one of the worst parts for me was that hour long waiting-for-the-inevitable anxiety. Finally the actual anesthesiologist came over and began. He said they WERE GOING TO NUMB ME FIRST! I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I actually reached up and grabbed his shoulder to thank him. He numbed my arm, and literally 4 seconds later the IV was in and I didn't feel a thing. I told him he was "amazing" which had the entire open pre-op room full of about 20 people laughing. He kept it going for awhile. Next thing I know, my surgeon, another amazing man, Dr. Aviv Ben-Meier, was at the foot of my bed asking if I had questions, saying that I would do great, and he would see me in a few minutes. They gave me a shot of heparin in my belly (which created a now 6" awful looking bruise) and some of what my surgeon calls "I don't care medicine." I was wheeled into the operating room and asked to maneuver over to the surgery table. Let me tell you, without that anxiety medication, there is no way I would have freely moved on over and allowed them to strap me down the way they were. I do remember calling them a bunch of friendly busy bees before they told me goodnight... Next thing I know I'm being wheeled to recovery in the hallway with nurses yelling my name. Honestly, this is exactly what it feels like waking up from fainting. I felt like they were screaming at me though they were just trying to keep me awake. Once in the preop area I was immediately given morphine through my IV which didn't help a bit! I was in pain! I'm a pain baby, just so you know. It is just intense soreness in your abdominal area. I will say that I didn't cry or beg for more medicine, but it was pretty miserable. Just prepare yourself. Thankfully every 10 minutes the nurse came with more morphine until the morphine pump was hooked up, but my guess is it took a good 45 minutes for me to feel any relief. It must have been about 2 hours, the last I was able to sleep through after the pain meds started working, and I was taken to my beautiful room. St. Vincent Charity Medical Center has remodeled all of their rooms to look like hotels! My husband, mom, and friend were then there with me. I was awake enough to hear that the surgeon found I had hiatal hernia which he needed to repair before the actual VSG took place, so the surgery took longer than expected. I was actually glad to hear that it got fixed! I'm sure that attributed to many of my preop symptoms. The rest of the day was pretty boring between pushing my morphine pump every 10 minutes and falling to sleep. My husband would push the pump while I slept which was awesome. I recommend you have someone on top of that if that is your line up of pain medication afterwards. The pump doesn't get pushed if your sleeping!!!!! I found that out the first night. The night of surgery they also had me up walking twice, which was unimaginable until I actually got up. Walking made me feel so much better. The first lap around the floor was difficult, but then they started to make me feel really good. I encourage the walking big time. The night of surgery went ok until I woke up 2 hours without pain medication. I don't understand this and probably never will. I tried to stay awake for 40 minutes to press the button 4 times but I would always end up falling back to sleep. Most of the time there are orders to push an extra dose of morphine if needed, so don't hesitate to ask your nurse. The next day they took away my morphine pump and put me on 2 separate pain medications that also helped with inflammation since I had the hernia repaired. The nurse came in and gave those through the IV every 6 hours. That was much better. I walked a lot the next day and also slept. The medication really didn't give me a choice to stay awake though I wanted to. My mom came and gave me a manicure and we watched the Bachelor Pad. That day I also had the catheter removed. I want everyone to know who is like me and never had one before, to not worry about it. I didn't even know it was there and it was no big deal when they took it out. My issue was that I was unable to urinate for a good 9 hours after and was told that if I didn't go they would have to put it back in. THAT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN. lol. Also, the abdominal tube you do not feel in you at all. I was not allowed to drink anything today which was the second day without any liquid. Cotton mouth was an annoyance for sure. The swabbie's helped me the most, and also brushing my teeth a lot helped at all, just make sure not to swallow anything. I sounded like a frog. The third day in the hospital I woke up and was taken down for a barium X-ray at 8:00am. It was far too easy, but also extremely gross. Thankfully they gave me anti-nausea medication before I went. After not having anything in my throat for 2.5 days, barium was not my drink of choice. 6 small sips later it was over and by 9am my surgeon had approved me for liquids and had a glass of icechips by my bedside. Ice chips were a God-send and lunch was great. I found that I was taking really small sips too soon together though. The top of my stomach was gurgly. My surgeon came in that night and said that the rest of the day I should time my sips every 5 minutes, then the next day every 3 minutes. It was this time I was put on liquid percocet which is now my pain med of choice. lol. The rest of the day I walked, walked, walked. I was called speedy by more than one other patient The next day was Saturday and time to go home. I had been worrying about my tube being taken out but by now I was a nervous wreck. I was told that it doesn't hurt, it's just a really strange feeling. When the doctor walked in at noon I had to buck up and make my own judgement. He said the same, that it won't hurt, but feels like you're going down the hill of a rollercoaster. Would you know, that is what I would compare it to! What a doc! Also, I did not have bad gas pain in the hospital. I was warned the first day after surgery that I might since having the hernia repaired. I've noticed it in my shoulders when it appears but it is not that extreme. I find that walking and doing shoulder/neck circles helps. I guess I was one of the lucky ones! Again, if you are nervous about that, don't be...it's not worth it. I was still on percocet, and walking, as my discharge instructions were given. Then I was in the car and headed home. Nothing compares to lying in my own bed, propped up on pillows, relaxed by percocet, with my pup and husband. I do believe I told him that night that I was in heaven. My time home has been going really well. My surgeon wants me drinking 6-8 8oz. of full liquid per day, one of those servings being a Protein drink. As of right now, I find that impossible! Yesterday I had about 4 servings and couldn't bare to drink anymore. I am finding that I still have drink at a rate of about every 5 minutes, but I believe that may be due to the swelling I also have from the hernia repair. I may also be taking larger sips than I should. I'm still trying to tweak that. The Protein drinks I am drinking are from Arbonne and are absolutely delicious. I'm also drinking some Diet V8 Splash berry Blend (which takes most of the yucky taste away from crushed pills), tea, Water, crystal light, and broths. I think I'm able to have diluted creamed Soup but I'm afraid to try that as of yet. The medications I am taking upon coming home are liquid percocet when needed, flintstone Vitamin +Iron daily, 4 chewable Gas-X daily for the first week starting the day I come home, and chewable pepcid twice daily. The most shocking thing I've noticed since being home is the amount of gurggling my digestive system is doing. I think it is just the mix of gas and liquid, but it sounds like a washing machine dinosaur, and I have multiple people that agree with me! I'm so embarrassed by it but am glad that it doesn't hurt. I start grad school classes next Monday and am unsure what I'm going to do about this! The other issue I'm facing is head hunger. There is no way I could fit anything in my stomach, but food is absolutely everywhere and I want it! I get sad that I will never eat pizza...but have to tell myself that one day I will be able to have a portion of pizza. Food comes to mind that I'm not even a huge fan of, like oreos, and I want one so bad. I realize that this is my addiction talking and that I will be able to enjoy food eventually, but life is more important that chips and chicken wings. When I have these feelings, I just think...wouldn't you rather put on a pair of skinny jeans, or wouldn't you rather be able to cross your legs? etc. That helps. Today I am 5 days post-op and am actually at work. It's not typical work, but I'm still not at home resting. I take care of my grandmother who is suffering from Ovarian Cancer. I drive 45 minutes to and from her house each day to help her. I got up early today, drove out here, and we are taking care of one another. It's been nice. I haven't had to take any pain medicine today which I am thankful for and am getting in more liquids since I didn't sleep in and haven't napped. My surgeon said that each day I should feel better and so far I am! I hope this post is at least a little helpful for you all. I'll continue updating on my journey and reading yours! Attached is a picture of me from a few months ago with my sister and mom. My sister is on the left, me on the right with the red hair. Hopefully soon I'll be adding before and afters!! WOOOHOOOO! Can't believe I'm on the losers bench!

First thing you need is a good support group of other DS patients. This forum is ok but there are Facebook groups that are helpful and necessary to staying mentally healthy. Your family and friends will be important too but they won’t know what you are experiencing. Next you will regret your decision almost immediately after surgery but remember “It gets better”. The healing process is different for each person. Be kind to yourself this is major surgery. For the first few weeks/months the most important thing is Hydration. You should get used to carrying a large cup (30oz is a good size) everywhere you go. And Sip, sip, sip. When you get on solids you can start being concerned with protein and such but keep hydrated, always. Dont get down on yourself if you land back in the hospital for dehydration. It’s common and normal. Stay in contact with your surgeon and don’t hesitate to report anything happening to you that doesn’t feel right Do NOT WEIGH yourself EVERY DAY!! Stop doing it now. Post Bariatric weight loss does not happen in a smooth decline, your weight will fluctuate and it will drive you nuts if you weigh constantly. Once a week is a good idea but remember the number on that scale is just your relation to gravity, your body will be changing radically and these things happen gradually. You will lose scale weight and size sometimes separately you’ll notice your clothes fitting different even though the scale hasn’t changed. This is just the process. You may at some point need an anti depressant, hormonally you are going to feel weird and overly emotional. Don’t wait to get a little pharmaceutical assistance. It will help you get through the rough spots. There’s no shame in it. Good Luck Remember you are saving your life! This is a huge deal. But you are not taking the “easy” way (there isn’t one) and life is about to get very different. It Gets Better!

I feel much better with a smaller group of folks.:nervous I'm really happy to see locally active people... I've been feeling lost since I moved to the Detroit area. I had my banding done in Grand Rapids 5 months ago. I wasn't totally happy with my surgeon but the center at MMPC was great. Still the 6 hour round trip from where I am NOW is just too much for the followup services I need, so I am looking for someone nearby to take over my treatment. I've been stalling since I was told not many doctors will take on a bariatric patient in mid-stream (so-to-speak) but the time has come to face the music. Anyway, I have mostly stuck to my diet plan.... the banding helps when I start to weaken as it should. I've lost a lot, but I have so much to lose that it seems like an endless process. My knees scream at me every day: "GET OFF OF OF US!!:angry" . . . so I stick to the plan! Reading the comments of others here sure keeps me from feeling so alone. :clap2: Thank you all!!! :clap2:

I feel so badly for you. Just making the decision to have surgery and preparing for it is a pretty big deal for us even when everything goes the way it's supposed to. For you to have gone through all those preparations and the pre-op diet only to be bumped for a patient who was more important than you (ok that's a bit dramatic I know).... I go along with the others here who say always trust your gut. You absolutely deserve a doctor you have the utmost faith in, and, you are going to need to be able to depend on him AND his staff to be there for you in the coming months. I hate to think it might delay things even more for you but I'd think about switching doctors too. I would only go with bariatric doctors, and if possible, one who specializes in lap band. That was important for me and I think it's the best way to go. But as with everything on this board, it's all personal opinion. Good luck to you.... you haven't been treated fairly and I hope that changes for you real fast.

I just had gastric sleeve surgery on Dec 17, 2015 and I the only ones who know are my husband, our twelve-year-old daughter, my mom and my best friend of 30 years. I went in to surgery weighing 279, and today, twelve days later, weigh 266. Post-surgery is going well. I'm feeling better and still on the bland, mostly liquid/pureed diet, and thankfully, haven't had any real issues with portion control and keeping things down. My husband, daughter and mom are 100% supportive. My best friend's reply to the surgery news, however, was that I was "lucky" to be having weight loss surgery. She's a petite gal, and when we were in college, was a size 4 (me, a size 14). At age 50 now, she's probably a size 10. So, I don't see her as ever having had much of a weight issue that a little diet and exercise can't fix. Me, I went from 135 lbs in college to a whopping 308 lbs before deciding to have surgery. Like many of you, I've struggled since puberty with weight gain and health issues and have battled my way through POCS, infertility, fibroid tumors, gerd, gout, sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, RA, anxiety, etc., and finally sought bariatric surgery for some relief from all of it. At present, I have chosen not to tell my extended family about my surgery. Even though no one on my side of the family has had to deal with obesity, I know they will be supportive because they've always been supportive of me and each other (and, if for nothing else, my four normal size brothers will stop feeling embarrassed about their "fat" sister.) But, I know based on past history, my in-laws and my husband's siblings won't be. Some of them are obese and miserable, so not being overweight anymore will definitely ruffle some feathers with both the skinny and not so skinny ones. Heck, my MIL was jealous that I got a new (used) car for Christmas. (Didn't matter that it's 9 yrs old and we desperately needed a decent second vehicle so my husband can get to work.) She couldn't even be happy about that!!! So, I'm not looking forward to a conversation about anything personal like my weight loss or appearance. Wish me luck new bariatric weight loss friends.... and please let me know how you've handled your friend/family struggles with this topic. I really could use some support and encouragement and specifically what effective responses you gave to others in handling your version of this problem. I know I'm in for a bumpy ride when the weight starts coming off and I can't hide that I had surgery! Thanks

First off, congrats on your surgery! Hope you are feeling well and healing comfortably. Its difficult when your family is not as supportive as you would like them to be. My husband does not really want me to have the surgery but he is going along with it because he knows its important to me. My Mother and brother are in the same camp as my hubby but there's no other way I feel I can lose weight successfully and keep it off. God knows I've tried. As far as telling people about my surgery my immediate family knows and I'll happily chat with the health professionals at the Lab or Dr's office about it. I'm not gonna shout it from the rooftops but if someone asks me how I've lost weight I will be honest. I think doing this takes a lot of courage. I have an extended family member who the rest of the family has speculated had bariatric surgery because of a drastic weight loss and she hasn't admitted to it. We all think its kinda silly but ultimately its her business who she tells. Although it seems pretty obvious to us what has happened. What people seem to not get is that this is a health issue not a vanity one. If we were not dangerously overweight we could not be eligible to get this surgery in the first place. Obesity is not a moral failing it is a disease; one perpetuated by a food industry that puts profits before people and the production of healthful food products. Good luck to you and hopefully you can educate your family as you move though this process. I know I am sure gonna try

Hello! Recently I have seen a lot of people saying chia seeds are a good way to get some Protein and a ton of Fiber in. I'm curious to try them, but I hesitate because chia seeds absorb Water, and become a gelatinous substance That intrigues me, but makes me nervous because I don't know if that would be bad for a bariatric patient. the nutrition info is " One ounce (about 2 tablespoons) contains 139 calories, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrates and 11 grams of fiber, plus Vitamins and minerals." Is that too many carbs/calories? I feel like it might be fine if you presoak them? rather then eat them dry? Does anyone know?

I use Bariatric Fusion Vitamins. If you go with these, they're the only vitamins you need to take. They're chewable & you take them three times a day- a little pricey, but I get them through my doctor which is cheaper & then no shipping costs... I take those, biotin & my antacid prescription. Good luck to you.

All my friends and co-workers know and are very supportive. And if anyone asks how I lost 95 pounds in 5 1/2 months, I tell them, "Good clean livin', diet, exercise....and bariatric surgery." It's usually good for a laugh. Everyone has been great, and many people are fascinated by the surgery and ask lost of questions. If anybody has disapproved, they've kept it to themselves. So it's all been good!

It took me about 10 months to finally get a surgery date. Unfortunately I work for a hospital and with their insurance you are forced to stay within their facilities, forcing me to way long periods of time for some appointments. Requirement wise I had to fulfill the following: -weight loss of 5% of body weight -night oxygen saturation study -2 support groups -2 dietary appointments -psych evaluation -multiple appointments with a bariatric nurse practitioner -multiple appointments with my surgeon -pre operative class -chest X-ray -ekg -blood work I think that covers it all! Don't get discouraged by everything you have to do before surgery, it is all for a good purpose and helps fully prepare you. Best of luck!

Thats the reason my surgeon told me to start the iron at week #3 because it tends to be kind of heavy for the new stomach and you may vomit. As far as I know the bariatric advantage the iron is separate, there is another company that everything comes in one chewable tablet if I'm not mistaken it's called bariatric fusion.

Hello, I'm Matthew from Mid Michigan Medical Travel Agency LLC, specializing in coordinating trips abroad for affordable medical procedures. This is a new company and I am interested to hear if anyone from the Mid Michigan area has any experiences they would like to share with bariatric procedures as medical tourists. Poking around a bit, it looks like Mexico is the most common destination.

He does the sleeve. His Bariatric team is wonderful and his skills are great with the DaVinci robot. However he is not a nice person. Very judgmental post op and downright rude. He is the reason I had a leak. He has had me in tears in his office. Just yesterday I had my one year check up and he made my cry. Accused me of using my fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis as an excuse to not lose weight and even went as far as to say "your fibro is bad because you're still fat, we've had no other patients complain." If you'd like further info feel free to message me.

Your insurance policy is what you need to focus on. If you don't meet their requirements, then ...you don't meet their requirements. A doctor's office can only do so much, in terms of "creating" comorbidity. Joint pain and psychological effects of obesity are not among those covered by my insurance. The place to focus your attention is your HR department. They have the ability to request changes in the policies they offer employees. You may have to wait until they are next negotiating contracts to get approved--but between now and then, you can make a lot of noise so that they DO make this request. Fact is, with a BMI of 47, comorbidity will ultimately cost your employer health dollars. You can make a strong argument for them to change their requirements. (It's their decision; they chose the coverage based on $$--they thought it would be cheaper to restrict bariatric surgery; you need to convince them that in the long run, it's not.) Failing that, is there another health plan they offer? We have the choice of a handful---and have a window, each year, during which we can switch. If so, read ALL the policies to find which is most favorable to you, in terms of approval for the surgery you want.

Yes it will be! Dexter was renewed for seasons 4 and 5!!! :laugh:

My wonderful surgeon covered various bariatric surgeries and the success rates (and successful "reversal" rates) of each. He then went into more detail on the 2 he performs, banding and bypass. He described his "credentials" including how often he's done each surgery, what type of band he prefers/uses and why, etc. He discussed the procedure and life style changes required by each. He discussed the negative side effects (like hair loss and slippage, death...) and how much and how severe each is for his patients. Then he had a Q & A time (very patient) and THEN that great guy took another 20 min to just talk to my husband about it all (Husband is an RN who worked in a GI lab and was against it but was all for the band after doc and he talked and doc addressed his concerns) Afterward if we wanted we could immediately schedule a follow up appt, or we could take our time. No hard sell whatsoever. I immediately felt at ease and valued as a person, not just a patient.

I was sleeved on 03/20/2012 and have lost so far 42 pounds. I am so excited about my weight loss but have noticed that Im already showing sagging skin under my arms. I want to know the importance of Protein. I have not been able to consume the 60-80 grams that I was instructed. All the power shakes I buy are gross and I dont know how to mix it. I was told to use 4 oz of Water and one scoop of protein. I found these protein shots at walgreens that have 28 grams of protein and 0 sugars 1 gram of carbohydrate. Does anyone know about that? will it be ok to take it? On another note I feel constipation what can be done to fix that? Theres days that I drink the minimum of 64 oz of water, then theres days I dont. Im so confused becuase I dont know how much is too much when it comes to water, I dont want to pop a staple inside persay. lol I need as much advice as I can get, The nutritionist thats involved with my bariatric doctor is the type that you have to push the words out of him. I want to be healthy and need all the help I can get. Specially with the water intake, protein & excercise. thank you!! desperate for answers and all the help I can get

It was several months after surgery before I tried any fruits, and I have tolerated them well. But just because it's a banana and not a Twinkie doesn't mean it won't make you sick or won't make you dump, so tread lightly here. I don't have a goal for grams-of-sugar-per-day, but I do have a limit of 10g per serving of anything. And that's a regular serving, not a bariatric serving, because it's mostly about the proportion of sugar-to-other-macros that I care about. So bananas are mostly out (except for occasional post-run recovery) and strawberries and other berries are in. There are simple and complex sugars and different kinds of sugar (e.g., lactose, fructose, glucose, maltose, sucrose, galactose), and so there's a continuum of badness that has lactose on one end and Twinkies on the other. My nutrition said that lactose was so far on the side of goodness that I shouldn't worry about limiting it, which seems to be common advice. But basically everything else is still a potential danger spot for your RNY-shortened digestive tract, so please be careful with the fruits and sweeteners until you know how they affect you.

Thanks, Pearldrop! I'll start preparing my bariatric-friendly appetizers!

I had my surgery done in Mexico. I found the Weight Loss Surgical Center in Wichita, KS who will do these fills. You have a choice to do a contract which I did. The details of the contract are Unlimited fills for 1 year. 1 bariatric fill, 2 unfills all for only $2,000. I had to share this news! :biggrin:

Your doc is right--the emotional roller coaster IS very normal. Some people don't have it at all; others have it big-time. I was (and still am) someone who has it big-time. Is there a therapist that is connected with the bariatric program you're in that you could see? It might help a lot. I know it has for me. Also if you have access to bariatric support groups (in person ones), they can be very helpful. Body image is a huge adjustment for a lot of us and has many layers that can surface. Maybe you can do some online searching (WLS body image; WLS self confidence). Also, if you haven't ever tried journaling, maybe you might want to look into doing that. Really think about all the progress you've made, and that you don't want to allow yourself to do these "cheat meals/days." You are better than that, and you deserve better than that for yourself. Stay on your program, because cheating eating is going to send you down the road to weight gain and we all know how depressing that can be. Try not to be too hard on yourself. Sometimes we just have to let our feelings sit there for awhile while our brains catch up. It sounds like you've accomplished a lot in a short 7 months. This is a big life-changing event. Right up there with graduations, marriage, having kids, etc. There's a lot of learning, growing, and adjusting to go. Just go with the flow. Take care.

I used Alabama Bariatrics in Huntsville, AL and it was $8995. I was nervous to go to Mexico and this pricing made it a good alternative for me. Might be worth looking into.

Becca i spoke to directly to the bariatric coordinator and she is the one that gave me the info about all money being paid up front because it is considered "elective surgury" i will not give up someone on the site said they are going through a program right in NY which is no where from me the function within the Aetna network so i may look into that. i also signed up to be notified about grants for 2011 so i will keep all my options open and see what happens. thank for your support.

I was so excited when my nutritionist said I could take pills instead of chewing multi's and Calcium at my 6 week check up. I found Carlson's mini tabs Multivitamins that I only have to take two, they have 100% of everything except Iron and calcium. I take 5 Solaray calcium citrate +D3 capsules throughout the day (totaling 1500mg) which are huge, Vitron C for 65mg of Iron (ferronyl Iron the same Iron BA uses in its vit/supp) at night. I also take a sublingual B12 and a dissolvable Biotin once a day. The above work OK (no issues whatsoever with the Biotin or B12) except the multi's get stuck sometimes and I have to gulp Water to get them down, they also make me nauseous if I don't have a bite or two of something prior and the Calcium's are so huge they trigger my gag reflex from time to time and they come back up with water. The Vitron C is the perfect size except it makes me have nasty burps on occasion. None of these issues are consistent, but when they happen it's disconcerting and something I would rather not go through if there are alternatives. I know some post surgery plans say Flintstone Vitamins are an option and I would love to only chew 3 lilttle Flintstones, but I have to have a Vitamin with copper, zinc and selenium Has anyone found any smallish multi's with iron, calcium or iron supplement that are easy on the stomach and esophagus? I know chewable's are always an option, but I'd rather find something that I can get locally and honestly if I have to chew those huge BA vitamins or taste another BA calcium chew I might hurl, plus bariatric specific vitamins/supplements are 2 and 3 times more expensive than most OTC options. My pre-op Upper GI did show a stricture and the barium pill they have you swallow did get stuck, but an EGD did not show anything and no abnormalities. My GI doc thinks I have esophageal spasms from time to time.

For my visit, I talked on the phone to a nurse and after met virtually with the physician's assistant and dietitian. I can post about my dietitian's visit later if anyone is interested. First, I spoke with the nurse over the phone for about 15 minutes. She asked the following questions: What type of surgery or intervention are you interested in? What is your current weight? What is your blood pressure? Tell me about any prior surgeries? Next, I met with the physicians assistant (PA-C), for about 50 minutes. She asked the following questions: What is your weight history? How long have you struggled with weight? What do you think is the cause of weight gain? What are your lifestyle habits? Have you taken weight loss medication? Did the weight loss medication work for you? How much weight have you gained in the last year? What is motivating you to lose weight? What type of exercise are you doing? What's your living situation like? Do you eat out? Who does the cooking in the household? Do you eat three meals a day? Do you snack? What are you snacking on? Do you struggle with emotional eating? Have you been diagnosed with a kidney stone? Do you have an irregular heart rhythm? Have you had an EKG? Any bleeding disorders or blood clots? Have you been diagnosed with an eating disorder? Have you met with a therapist? Do you have heartburn? Do you have a stomach ulcer? Do you use your CPAP? Multiple family planning questions. Next, we discussed my medical history. She gave a general overview of: Obesity Metabolic processes Emotional health Coping skills Lifestyle changes Weight loss medications Expectations The differences in surgery, benefits, and risks associated with the sleeve and RNY were discussed. She made a surgical recommendation. There is a 2-form of contraception requirement. I was given an outline of tasks to complete. Those were: scheduling a blood draw and contacting my sleep center to request my CPAP usage download. A scheduler will call to schedule a psychological assessment, physical therapy, and an appointment with the nurse clinician who'll act as my contact throughout the process. It was also encouraged that I attend the support group for bariatric and weight management patients. Lastly, I was given the clinic's late policy and the reminder that if I gain 10 pounds before surgery, I will be re-evaluated to be sure I'm a good surgical candidate. I had the blood draw and eight tubes were taken. I was tested for vitamin deficiencies including B1, B6, D. Also, calcium, iron, prediabetes, cholesterol, creatinine for kidney function, parathyroid hormone, and others. Hope this helps anyone curious about the first visit.