Search the Community

Alrighty! I jumped all the pre-surgery hoops, from psych profile and initial meeting with dietitian (who was great- went way beyond "food" to discussing behavior), got the cardio sign off after a chemical stress test and even though my primary was ambivalent, he talked directly to the bariatric surgeon- they know each other. It is a small medical community. Everything got submitted to Medicare for approval of insurance coverage. I use nicotine replacement therapy-- nasal spray- it helped me get off the ciggies 13 years ago and that apparently isn't a problem either. So I'm now waiting for the green light from Medicare. (I have a good supplemental program to back it up). I've got fingers crossed that it gets approved- I find my mobility worse than ever, breathing difficult given mild COPD and carrying this weight isn't just a cosmetic/ego thing- it is dragging me down. I have a hard time getting around, climbing stairs, walking any distance. Wish me luck. I'll let you know assuming I go in and get it done- I have Barrett's, GERD and atrial fib (which I attribute in part to the weight gain). I know I have work to do- this is not magic bullet, but I'm psyched! I've been on a modified FODMAP diet for a while. I'm getting close to 70 years old and want to have another ten or more years to travel and do things. I thank all of you for your support. I'm sure I'll have questions as this process continues. But, my continued thanks for this forum and its participants as a resource. regards to all, D6

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

My surgeon said while rny is the gold standard in bariatrics he also said the sleeve is a wonderful choice. Weightloss is up there quickly as with rny. If it were me I'd have the sleeve but nomination insurance won't take it. Welcome and you'll make the right choice!

I take the Bariatric Advantage Multivitamins 2x a day without issue. I am 2+ weeks post-op (sleeved 10/7). I start by sucking on them until they disintegrate and I take one in the morning and one at night. I have only tried Celebrate and they had a more chalky taste. People's reactions to the Vitamins just vary. Some people liked the stuff before and after surgery they can't stand it. Just make sure the vitamins that you choose have the necessary, vital vitamins. I currently supplement the Bariatric Advantage ones with Biotin, B1 and B12 (all meltaways tabs) 3 times a week, except the Biotin I take daily). You will just have to try different ones until you get one that satisfies what you need, without sickness. I can start back on the 500g Calcium x2 daily in about 2 weeks. Hopefully I still like them!

U look so happy, refreshed, and beautiful. I am truly happy for you. My highest weight was 360. Right now I am 338 and I feel miserable. And just like you said I am only existing and not living life. I can not wait to start living life because at the weight I am right now it doesn't seem possible. Thank u for being an inspiration. I can not wait to get this bariatric program rolling so that I can get my surgery.

I had a lot of those cartons of creamed soup post-op, which I often added milk and unflavored protein powder to. I also used a lot of protein powder (both unflavored and sugar-free flavored varieties) and smooth greek yogurt. I bought oatmeal but discovered I could only stand the unsweetened stuff immediately post op, the normal stuff was WAYYYYY too sweet for me to tolerate. High protein milk (Fairlife in the USA, Natrel in Canada) was a great way to get in some more protein and a hundred or so more calories a day, as well as upping my fluids when water was weirdly awful to drink. I think I had some unsweetened applesauce, but not often. Basically my rule for myself was if it wasn't a source of protein, I didn't eat it those first couple weeks. There was just so little room in my tummy or will to eat, I needed to make every single bite "count". I think the biggest surprise was how much sweetened stuff in general disgusted me and tasted bad though. Pudding cups, popsicles, protein shakes, oatmeal... I had absolutely zero interest in sweet things. I lived off of savoury for at least a week before introducing limited amounts of sweeter foods. (AKA going from plain oatmeal to plain oatmeal with half a teaspoon of raspberry jam VS the high protein maple brown sugar oatmeal I'd been suggested to buy). I know some surgeons include baby food in their post-op diet plans, but I can't imagine myself eating that post-op. If it's not specifically recommended for you, I would like to say it really isn't required. I was kind of emotional and crotchety after surgery and was even resentful of the pureed soups, so I can only imagine how crabby I'd have been to be eating food meant for a baby LOL. Your mileage may vary on that one. I think my biggest piece of advice from one planner to another though... is DON'T OVERBUY. I was totally like "oh yeah I'm gonna stock up on all this stuff and it'll be perfect!" and then things I stocked up on... I ended up not wanting to eat and not liking. Stuff like said high protein oatmeal which I had always enjoyed before suddenly tasted terrible and now I was stuck with four stupid boxes of the stuff. Buy enough for a few days so you're not stuck with stuff your new belly/tastebuds aren't digging. Yes it means you're a little less prepared for the post-surgery apocalypse, but there's always online shopping and grocery delivery if you don't have enough of something. Post bariatric surgery is the one time I'd actually advocate "better to need it and not have it than have it and not need it". Also, I really looked forward to grocery shopping post op because it was a great way to get out of the house and do some limited walking

You can find out for sure by doing the cottage cheese test, which is a valid test in the bariatric community... http://www.bsciresourcecenter.com/proddetail.php?prod=A4

I was banded in September 2008. My starting weight was 433 lbs. Even at 5' 9", my BMI was over 60. I was wearing size 34-36 clothes, and they were tight. If I gained any more weight I would have to wear mumus! Before my decision to get the lap band, I thought I would never be able to lose the weight and I would die morbidly obese. When my sister-in-law was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I thought of her children growing up without a mom, it made me realize that my children could easily face the same fate. So I vowed to do something about it. I chose the lap band because it is reversible and adjustable. I knew that I am young enough that if a better bariatric technique comes along I want to be able to take advantage of that. Whereas if I had a gastric bypass I might not be able to do so, since part of my stomach and/or intestines would be cut away. I had to wait 6 months from the time I made the decision to the surgery date. Waiting was hard, but it gave me time to prepare and get other health issues (undiagnosed Type II diabetes, high blood pressure) under control with medications. My lap band surgery went smoothly, and recovery was not difficult. Afterwards, sticking with the liquid diet for several weeks afterwards was a challenge. And waiting four weeks for the first fill, and two weeks in between fills, and four fills before I got to my sweet spot was a BIG challenge. I was so anxious to get the weight loss going, that it was hard to wait so long to get this tool in my hands after I had made the decision to do it. The nutritionist I met with before my surgery told me that the lap band is not a panacea, it doesn't do the work for you, but it gives you a great tool for you to use. It's like I had been trying all my life to dig a hole with a teaspoon. I got frustrated and gave up, who wouldn't? Getting the lap band is like trading in your teaspoon for a backhoe. I still have to do the work, but now I have a great tool for the job. I found this analogy to be extremely true in my case. Once I got to my fourth fill, and the lap band really started working for me, then the weight really came off. Although the rate fluctuated, over time my weight loss was a pretty consistent 2 pounds per week. Basically, I lost 200 pounds in the first two years. Those were two years of amazing changes in my life. I did a lot of work on the inside as well as the outside to get to know myself better and learn to love myself and accept myself, faults and all, even as I strive to make myself a better version of me. I did a lot of exploration, pushed a lot of personal boundaries, and even changed careers. I do believe that this internal work is a critical part of the weight loss journey for anyone, in order to be successful in the long run. Backing up a little bit, I had a pretty severe pannus even before I started losing weight. Once my weight loss got going, all my health issues got better (Type II diabetes and blood pressure came under control without medication) but the rashes under my pannus got worse! As I lost weight my pannus kept dropping lower and lower! Finally I sought out a plastic surgeon and we got insurance to cover a panniculectomy. He cut off 14 pounds of skin and fat! I had lost about 80 pounds by this point, so we knew that the band was working for me. The recovery from the panniculectomy was initially easy, but later I developed some pretty severe seromas, that required my surgeon to go in and pull Fluid out several times a week. But after the first month I was very glad I had the panniculectomy. No more rashes, clothes fit me better, and it was a lot easier to exercise! I have to admit, though, that I did not exercise regularly at first. I'm not proud to admit it, but most of that 200 pounds lost was through diet rather than exercise. After losing 200 pounds my weight loss stalled. I spent about a year and a half between 220-230 lbs, wearing a size 18-20W. At this point my life was already transformed, I had already achieved and exceeded the goals that my doctor and I set out for myself (my initial goal was to get into the "low 200s" which I later defined as 249 lbs.) and I thought that was all the weight loss there was for me. I was satisfied, but I still longed to go lower, to get out of plus sizes, and to be eligible to have a full set of plastic surgery procedures to transform me into the beautiful woman that I felt myself to be inside. I set a new goal, 199 pounds. So a little over a year ago I finally decided to get serious about losing the extra weight. First of all, I went in to have my band tightened. I discovered that my band wasn't holding a fill very well. After a series of tests, my doctor discovered that I had a leaky port, and I went in for port replacement surgery. That surgery was a piece of cake, and after I got my port and tubing (it was actually leaky tubing) replaced my band worked as good as new. So getting a properly working, properly adjusted band was the first step towards getting back on track. The other thing I had to do was get serious about exercise. All my life I had hated exercise, and had only ever done it out of obligation or guilt. But some friends were raving about a small yoga class, including one friend who also struggles with weight and body image issues, and I thought going to yoga with friends would be more fun and make it easier to stick with it. I struggled mightily with voices of self-doubt at first, but eventually I really started getting into yoga. At first I was going only once a week, then twice a week, and now I am going five days a week M-F. Now I love yoga! I have learned so much about myself as well as greatly increased my strength and flexibility through yoga. I can't recommend yoga highly enough. I only wish I had gotten into it sooner. Oh, and weight loss! In the last year I have lost another 50 pounds or so. As of this writing (2/25/2013) my weight is 185 (size 14-16), making my total weight loss 248 pounds. My current goal is to get down to 180, then have plastic surgery. I figure that will take me down into the 160s. Currently I am consulting with plastic surgeons in my local area (San Jose, CA) as well a few in Los Angeles, CA and Tijuana, Mexico. I am looking to have a lower body lift (probably with fleur-de-lis/anchor incision), liposuction, breast lift with implants, brachioplasty, and medial thigh lift. I still working out how I will pay for all of this, as well as find the time for these multiple surgeries and the recoveries from each. But it is a priority for me! I have been more than thrilled with my weight loss journey. The lap band has been an incredible tool for me to help me achieve my goals. I wish everyone similar success in their weight loss journeys. Before lap band: After lap band (I've actually lost more weight since this picture was taken. I'm not HOLDING my old jeans, I'm WEARING them!):

Congrats on your surgery and glad to hear it went well! I'll be relocating to Georgia in about two years (hopefully to Atlanta) and one of the things on my list is to make sure I find a good bariatric surgeon to see there in case I need to. I'm having my bypass april 6.

Fall into the savings with our bariatric price specials. If you have been thinking about having a bariatric procedure now is the time Dr. Ponce and his team are running a fall special book your procedure between september and November and you will receive a $300 credit toward the surgery price; you will also receive a gift basket, and a 30 day supply of Protein powder. Do not delay if you are considering Bariatric surgery and have questions call or email Trish we are happy to serve you and be a part of your weight loss journey I would be happy to get you her info if you need it. This is a great deal! Sarah

I hear ya, sleeve sister. I am just not as motivated to make laps inside the house as much as casual walk around around the neighborhood on a pleasant sunny morning. What I did yesterday both pleases and shames me. My gentleman friend is from the Mediterranean Island of Malta, and they have a lovely pastry there, called pastizzi. For lack of a better description, pastizzi is like a baked ravioli using puff pastry instead of noodle dough. When we would visit Detroit when he folks were alive, we would go to a little neighborhood market and buy frozen ones by the dozens and bring them back home to Chicago. Outside of Malta, Detroit, and Australia, they had almost impossible to find. His favorite filling (and the most common on the Malta Island) has a ricotta cheese filling, although a corned beef / pea mixture is popular, also. I was sooooooooo bored yesterday (retired and post-stroke, so I really don't have anywhereI am medically permitted to go when I am alone). We had the perfect pastizzi storm in the fridge. There was ricotta, corned beef, peas, plenty of butter....the temptation was too great, and he has not had pastizza since 2011. So, I got up early and started the process of making home-made puff pastry, which I had not done in twenty years because of constant yo-yo dieting. I made up some ricotta filling, some corned beef/pea filling, and experimented with bacon/onion/spinach filling and two dessert fillings - ricotta with lemon, and ricotta with dark chocolate, crushed unsalted mixed nuts, cinnamon and dark chocolate. Oh man, I played in the kitchen all day. The fillings themselves are all bariatric friendly being mostly Protein. Since I am a year out and close to goal, I can justify the few carbs is the corned beef / pea mixture. But did I stop at eating the fillings? Noooooooo. When I baked the pastizzis for his supper, I just couldn't resist the golden brown yummy deliciousness, and had one of each between dinner and bedtime. Well, I am having pastizzi remorse today and still can't go outside to walk it off because it is 18 degrees here and snowing AGAIN. I will have to do some extra squats and belly dancing, I guess! But, talk about a happy man......he was so surprised when he came in from work - totally not expecting a surprise like that. He is the cook in this house, and quite skilled with the Mediterranean cuisine and has never made pastizzi himself. So, two points for making the homemade pastizzi, minus four points for indulging in too many for myself. I need some summer sunshine or at least another 45 degrees to get out and go walking. I don't do cold.

UHC was awesome for me as well! :thumbs_up:Covered all with a letter from my primary Care DR about my weight loss attempt history. It took some concinving for the buisness office at the clinic to understand that they could submit paperwork without all the rigamaroll that BCBS askes for...like the 5 yr history, physc evelas, dietician stuff etc. The local bariatric center required all these things as weel, & UHC didn't cover it all, so I found a GREAT surgeon who didn't require all these things as well. SO it all worked quick & fast! mnilene

I was told NO gummies. Maybe you are further out than I am, but they are too hard on the sleeve. Bariatric Fusion are chewable.

Get my vitamins from my Bariatric clinic. Told to take 3 a day. Blood draw every three months and they examine the results closely. They know right off the bat if you aren't taking them by the results of the blood test. I assume vitamins from the drug store would work as well but I wouldn't have any idea how many to take to equal what the Clinic wants me to have. A month supply is $25.

I got alot of celebrate samples and it is what my doctor recommends. My bariatric coordinator at the hosptial also told me it's best to stick with the ones designed for bariatric patients because they are made to work and dissolve better with our bodies.. They dont seem to be terribly expensive either and from what I see they are jam packed.. What's your favorite flavor?

The Bariatric Resources is kind of like an answering service for the UHC people that run the program. Be prepared to wait a while before they call you back. I waited about 2 weeks and then I was not home when they called. Then they called again about a week later. I got an appointment with a Bariatric Nurse to call me back on 3/10 and she will be able to answer questions, and will be my caseworker, so to speak. Be patient. It will be worth it in the long run.

I went though the NY Bariatric Group -- that's pretty much all they do; can do all the testing on-site, have good follow-up and also a plastic surgery group too. I'd recommend them.

Hello everyone! I was just sleeved on 10/16 and my doctor doesnt have me starting my Vitamins until I'm in stage 2 of my diet which won't start until after I see him again on 11/1. There's not a whole lot out there by way of bariatric Multivitamins but the main ones I've seen are Opurity and Optisource. I do see that OptiSource is available at Walgreens, which I love that I could just go pick it up but it requires you to take 4 pills a day! Opurity only requires one and all the reviews of it on their website are great, but a quick jump to Amazon shows people saying it's DISGUSTING! My bariatric coordinator mentioned it tasted liked sweettarts, and OptiSource like tang but wanted to get some more thoughts. Thanks =o)

@It's all new Did you eat very low-carb during your weight-loss phase (first year)? A pattern I think I'm seeing is that those who a year or two after losing weight begin to suffer from post-bariatric reactive hypoglycemia are those who ate very low-carb for a long time. This doesn't happen to a lot of VSG patents (less than 10% -- maybe closer to 3% say some studies). But for those to whom it happens I understand it can really cramp your lifestyle. What do you know about this kind of hypoglycemia and its cause(s)?

I was super nervous as well. The psychologist asked me questions about being overweight, how long have I struggled with my weight, what are my eating patterns, and what is my activity level. Then he asked me about bariatric surgery, why I think it’s a good option, what kind of support system do I have at home and what are my expectations and goals. I took the MMPI test and a psychological evaluation exam online about a week later. Then I met with the psychologist a second time to discuss my test results. Then he approved me for surgery at the end of the appointment.

You will have to work on both of these things. The sleeve surgery should reduce your hunger hormone and will make you eat smaller portions but it won’t stop you from going back for seconds and thirds after a bit of time passes. If you are eating because you are board or because of emotions you may benefit from a bariatric therapist because boredom and emotional eating is disordered eating. The fluids you will have to learn to take smaller sips more often but your body should send you signals to help make that change. It will hurt if you drink too fast.

These are things you may want to talk to the bariatric therapist about. If you aren’t sure you can follow the rules then maybe you aren’t quite ready. Maybe you need to explore these concerns a little further. You don’t have to rush the process. Wait until you are ready.

Mohammed Ali, yep! He is the Robotics Instructer at my local Teaching Univerity as well as the head of Bariatrics. He used a Rock'em Sock'em Robot for my surgery.... another thing of interest. When I was going in for the Surgeons evaluation for this surgery, he asked me if I would be happy with a 50 pound loss, that was his estimation of my final weight loss. I said yes, but would love to lose more and he said "some people do, maybe you will be one of them" So at 80 pounds down (goal is 87-90) Im still a big winner by his estimation.

I started this thread,I'm bipolarand now post surgery 8 days. 1st surgeon I saw said there were no problems about me being bipolar and he approved me,however he couldn't operate in July so I saw another surgeon and he said he wouldn't operate on me as I'm bipolar,I spoke to their psychologist who okay'd me. Prozac I'm taking in liquid form,Rivotril liquid,lamitragine dispersible,and quetiapine crushed yuck 🤢 I've decided that I would rather swallow lamitragine and quetiapine,no problems there. I had slight anxiety yesterday evening and I thought oh no I'm going to enter a depression. This morning I spoke to psychiatrist who said it's understandable post surgery to feel a little depressed and that I shouldn't swallow the tablet drugs,as they wouldn't be absorbed properly. I then spoke to the nurse that works with the surgeon who said it was normal to feel a little blue and no it didn't make a difference what form I took the meds in!! I believe her as she's a trained Bariatric nurse. Good news,today I've had a normal day,no blues. Food isn't an issue,I'm just pureeing my food. The surgeon that I used recommends eating puréed food rich in protein,and not focusing on protein shakes to get my protein. Interested in what you're told on Friday,Nancy.

I also have blue cross blue shield so I had to pay all the same copays you did. Plus, and this sucked, a 300 program fee to my bariatric office. I was super bummed parting with that $300 but I guess it's worth it! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App