Search the Community

I was there most of the day. Had to be there I think 2 hrs before surgery then the last surgery went longer than expected. My doc did surgery’s by weight. Heaviest first. I was slow to come out of anesthesia and then had to recover, Walk and pee before I could leave. The pain medicine had to wear off before I could leave also. Then I had to take what the doc prescribed me. Which I can’t remember. I did for sure take it like clockwork the first night and next day. I had to have someone drive me for my morning doc appointment the day after surgery. By 48 hrs after surgery I was feeling pretty good! Sore but good. I could only stomach the chewable vitamins for so long. It was like eating chalk. I ordered the patches from Bariatric pal. Used those for 1-2 months and then I ordered their multi vitamin. Only one pill so I love that. Good size with no issue swallowing it and didn’t upset my stomach. I use nature’s made for calcium. My 3 month blood work came back good. I know some people say the patch vitamins aren’t good. My doc said they haven’t seen any issues with them and a lot of his patients use them. My hair has thinned. No bald patches yet and hopefully non to come. I did struggle to get my protein in. My doc said that people who didn’t hit their protein goals seemed to have a harder time with hair loss. But I also lost a lot of hair after each of my babies. So I think for me it is hormonal as well. I have no regrets. My pre surgery medical issues are gone. I feel fantastic. I had a great experience. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

It’s not a stupid question at all and I’m rather shocked your question at the drs office was brushed off. My initial plan told me I’d have to take them twice a days as well but I’m using one specifically formulated for bariatric patients so I only have to take one. As long as one meets the requirements you’ll be fine 😎

ProCare bariatric multivitamins has everything required by ASMBS guidelines, except calcium

Thanks for this as well!! I cannot wait to add it to my regimen! On my last visit with my primary she gave me a script for a retinoid (tretinoin gel 0.025%). Because I’m over 50 insurance won’t cover it (it’s main use is for acne but causes quicker cell renewal). I looked on GoodRX and got a coupon for $83 off. In just a week and a half two age spots that were raised on either side of my face are GONE!! I’ve tried using it on my neck but it some pretty strong stuff and has caused irritation . It says if that happens to back off to every other day. I also have to use sunscreen. Just throwing this out there for the other woman of a certain age. And I think with the coupon it was less than $85.

5 happy things: 1 My surgery and the attendant weight loss. I will never be ungrateful for the Tool-RNY- that is helping me achieve such a loss. Diets never did what this has! 2,) The love and support of Tomkitten , my son, he is my biggest cheerleader. I know I am not the easiest person to live with at times, especially when I went first into weight loss ketosis, as the fat started melting and all those hormones and other nasties got released I varied from crying like a broken pipe leaking, screaming and stomping around the house and complainIng there was nothing food-wise that appealed. 3 )Music- I like mostly all kinds, not hip- hop,that's more like disorganized screaming, I relax to Classical the best. 4) Bariatric Pal and the friends I have made here. It is nice to be accepted, even have my advice requested at times. When I came here I was scared,maybe I had but off more than I could chew, wanting Bariatric surgery at my age! But gradually I learned we are not jydgemental, I learned tricks and shortcuts that had worked for others and I grew more confident, when my surgery date came, I could face it with peace In. my ❤for I now knew things would be okay. 5) Nature in all its presentations. There is beauty all around us, waterfalls, flowers , sunlight, there is even beauty in urban settings, look at the buildings standing straight and tall, think of the people with plans that helped build each one. It is such a totally cool world we live in that I never could entertain thoughts of suicide, I want to hang around and see what happens next! Guess I am a curious beast, after all!

I had my surgery..gastric sleeve on 3/18/19. I have barely been able to stomach applesauce. I've tried foods based on my bariatric timeline but nothing seems to work long term. Im basically living on ice water. Everything causes discomfort, gas, pain, or diarrhea. Now im having some abdominal pain upper left side. I know im dehydrated due to my lack of water consumption but i get physically sick when i try to drink to much. I am beginning to regret that i did this. 😭 can anyone shed some light on these issues?

I would do things slightly differently although my friend DanaC84.did not give bad advice. Was your EKG/ECG done through your bariatric clinic or hospital or did a cardiologist do it? If it was not done through a cardiologist, I would consult one. Explain to them you are seeking Bariatric Surgery and this has come up, that you are wondering if this will bar you from your surgery? You may have to go through heart ultrasounds, not bad , I had one myself 2 days ago, maybe even a cardiac catheterzation, not as much fun, but I have had 2 full ones. This is your life and future we are talking about, and , Darlin', you are well-worth it. And then I would also speak to my surgeon, if I were you. If you are curious where I am giving this advice from, I will explain. I had my surgery , an RNY, a little less than 8 months ago. Because I have many 1st and 2nd degree relatives with cardiac issues and also because of my AGE (73) I had to go through more extensive testing before clearance. But I got it from Dr Karve, my cardiologist as well as all the others I had to see. In January it was time for my yearly, she asked if she might send me for a MRI, there was a blip on the radar, you might say. When I got paperwork to fill out from the consulting hospital, she's in a different healthcare system than my bariatrics, there in black and white was the reason she was sending me. She had not spoke of this, nary a clue . To Rule out expansion of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, OMG I had no idea! It is even more frightening, my Middle child who was also my oldest son, died suddenly at 31, he also had an Aortic aneurysm, his was in the Ascending Arch, very much closer to the ❤but it exploded and he was dead in the blink of an eye. Took a long time for my late husband , myself and indeed all that knew and loved my Kevin. It was our belief that it was just a freak happening, now with my diagnosis, it is more likely it had a genetic basis. Me, a mother who loved and would given her own life up to save him, may have instead been the instrument of his death. Talk about a never- ceasing Guilt Trip.Well my MRI shows at this time, mine is stable, if you have to have one, mine is the better of the 2 kinds, a fusiform , a uniform widening,if it had been saccular, like berries on the side, they rupture quicker so I would have had open surgery by now since I live 50 miles away from my specialists. Now as to why the latest ❤ultrasound , I have a murmur, it was being watched by my PCP and me, we thought not that uncommon. Well as part of my healing from surgery, I have frequent endoscopies, my pouch developed a stricture, and I have healing ulcers in my jejunem, the part of small intestine my pouch , the Ms Precious Pouch, so named because I fought a 3 year uphill battle to even receive her, attaches to. Well the anesthesiologist assisting had a tantrum fit, well that's what it seemed like, over degree that she was picking up with her stethoscope. Finally allowed the endoscopy to proceed but this time she was there to monitor and faxed my PCP before I could tell him at my next appointment. So that was Wednesday, praying it is either simple aging or a minor functional one, not a valve defect. Along with the other congenital problems, Kevin had an Aortic valve with 2 not 3 leaflets, hopefully I didn't give that to him as well. Funny that of my whole family he always seemed the healthiest, but I guess You Can't Always Tell. So you can understand my cautionary tale, but Bueno702, I am praying yours works out perfect and you do get your surgery. I will never, even with the bumps I've had along the way, regret having mine. At my heaviest I was 365+ unhappy pounds, now I am 224, hoping in a few months to break the barriers and be in Onederland, when I broke 300 I was so happy but it won't compare to writing my weight with a 1 in front!

Saying good morning from my hospital bed! Had the surgery yesterday. I was pretty knocked out and exhausted all day yesterday so I did t get a chance to post. Pain is better today. I was pretty nauseous and I a good amount of pain yesterday. I’ve gotten up to walk a few times but have only burped a little. Hopefully when my Dr comes in this morning I will be discharged! There were A few things I definitely didn’t expect or prepared for. I didn’t expect to only be allowed a shot glass size of water every hour. I thought I would be able to sip throughout the day. This was/is rough because my mouth is soooooo dry and I was so thirsty all day. Second thing i wasn’t expecting was the “numbing” stuff they put along your nerves in your stomach. This way you don’t feel the pain as much until the next day...I definitely feel the pain more today since it wore off. Sort of feels like I got punched really hard in the gut or did the hardest Pilates class of my life. And third thing I wasn’t expecting was pretty much telling a lot of info about this surgery to all the nurses. Apparently they do t get a ton of Bariatric patients so they weee extremely curious. Lol, I didn’t mind answering them though. Anyhoo... the first 2 pictures are from yesterday morning right before surgery. Last pic is post op and the incisions! The bottom ones don’t hurt as much as the top ones. (Sorry about the under boob)

I was just talking to my therapist when it dawned on me that "bariatric surgery is just like marriage". 1. You spend time looking forward to the day you get married and lose some weight in order to fit into the dress/tuxedo. / Pre-op weight loss 2. Wedding day! The happy day comes when you actually get married and walk down the aisle! / WLS surgery day! 3. Afterwards there is a honeymoon both directly after and during the next year. Everything is new and fresh and you look forward to (almost) every day. 4. You now live together and have to get along for the long run. / Your stomach has changed forever and you have to learn and keep up good eating habits. 5. Now you have actually realized your goal of growing old together, but still need to put in the work to keep the marriage going. / You need to keep up the good habits and work that got you to where you are. So what does this really say about marriage and bariatric surgery?..."Marriage/WLS" is not only about the wonderful "Wedding Day/Surgery Day", but about what comes before, during, and after. You have to keep putting work into it in order to make it successful. If you had problems before that day or develop them along the way, you are going to have problems afterwards as well. If you think that if you "only getting married / only having WLS" will make things ok then you haven't looked beyond that goal. Now, I want to know what you all think? I am no expert (on anything) and would love to hear what you all think.

If the main reason for seeking WLS is treatment of your T2 diabetes, then the duodenal switch procedure should at least be on your radar as while the RNY typically shows remission rates in the 80-85% range, the DS typically shows 98-99% remission rates. There is some legitimate sense to this as the DS started as a procedure to specifically treat diabetes, to which the VSG was added to make it a weight loss treatment. It is a more technically challenging procedure to perform, which is why most bariatric surgeons don't offer it - it takes resources to develop, and most particularly maintain, the appropriate skills, but ii is well worth the effort to research it and seek out a DS surgeon for a consult. It may or may not be the right thing for you, but it should be part of your "due diligence" in making a decision. Good luck in getting through all of this!

I need help quick before I lose all of my finger nails! My finger nails are so sore from ripping down to the quick. I really don’t know what to do? This just started at month 5. I started losing hair bad about 4 months and upped the vitamins and biotin. I take chewable Bariatric fusion in addition to cal-mag-zinc, k, biotin, A, and fish oil. I get between 75-100 grams of protein daily and average 1000 calories a day. I bought some Hair, skin, and nails and added it one week who but I need a fast fix here. I am not vain about my nails and don’t paint them but just want to keep them for every day use and make them stop hurting. I don’t bite them, don’t drink and don’t smoke. My meat consumption is fairly low but I get protein through Greek yogurt, beans, protein shakes, and small amounts of chicken a few times a week. Please help me keep my finger nails!

I take ProCare bariatric multivitamin and supplement it with Celebrate Calcium Citrate chews twice daily. ProCare contains 3000 IU vit. D but has no calcium. Celebrate Ca citrate contains 500 IU vit.D. Makes total 4000 IU vit. D in a day.

Hadn't heard from you for a while but glad you're still on the active list. Happy news for you to share. My ENT weighs metric, 102 kg today, I actually weigh less than my son, diminishing a kg a week at nearly 8 months out. Had a mini-stall while on TPN, so my weight loss now less than typical but I will celebrate it. See my Bariatric Clinic on next Tuesday, hope they also will be pleased. Down almost to regular sizing, amazed at the increased selections. I think my face looks older, my smile lines show, starting to look more like my dead ancestors instead of a "moon face" . Had someone ask if that was really ME? So a strange NSV to not be readily recognized.

Hi! I'm 2 months post-op and take bariatric multivitamins. is anyone familiar with these vitamins? Do I need to supplement with vitamin D or calcium. I kind of thi k yes on the calcium as I dont see any in the list, however it says vitamin D. I've taken the vitamin D before, but it said D3. Thank you!

I don't know the answer, but I take a bariatric vitamin twice a day and calcium citrate twice a day, and one B12. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

it sounds to me like this is a money-making scheme for your doctor, not necessarily in your best interest. I would recommend seeing a dietician who specializes in post-bariatric surgery patients. It also raises red flags for me when a surgeon demands a certain rate of weight loss, or gives you a scale number for your ultimate goal. The focus of this surgery should be improved health, rather than static numbers on a scale. My surgeon is great about this - his goals for me included things like getting off CPAP, being able to comfortably exercise again. He encouraged me to make my own non-scale goals, like shopping in a regular clothing store. If your doctor gives you a goal of - for example - 145 lbs, but you stop losing at 155 lbs - you're going to feel like a failure, and they're going to treat you like a failure, even if you're off insulin and CPAP and 3 of your 4 blood pressure pills, and are in a relationship for the first time in your life. Right? There are so many more ways to succeed at this than focusing on the scale.

What state are you in? Depending on income levels you might qualify for assistance through a different route? Could you sign up for ACA and opt out of employer insurance for one year or get a rider added to BCBS on your own and wait the required time before allowed surgery? And it's insane that a hospital opted out of bariatric coverage.

Never heard of outpatient bariatric surgery! Glad it worked out well for you. I spent 2 nights in the hospital because I was not allowed anything by mouth for 24 hours. No leak test done though. Interesting how surgeons are so different! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

My BCBS is through the hospital I work for. The hospital has opted not to pay for bariatric surgery. My question is, who do I appeal to? If I have my doctors send letters, what department or job title do they send it to? The insurance company won't help because they say it is my employers choice. Any suggestions appreciated.

Hey Surgery twin! Im on pre op now and i just got off the phone with my nurse and she stated i can have unlimited seafood veggies and fruit but i have to make sure i hit my liquid goal. But honestly everybody bariatric office is different. If i dont eat seafood she said i could have 4oz of lean meat everyday.

I asked about the special soap, nurse said not for bariatrics, but they use soaps for different types of surgery.

I was told not to shave before my lower body lift, but not before my bariatric surgery. That doesn't really make a lot of sense since your legs aren't anywhere near the incisions, but whatever... Maybe your hospital just tells everyone that, regardless of the type of surgery they're getting? Beats me. That is sort of weird.

I completely agree with all of the above. Buy only what you think you'll need for the first few weeks. My tastes change almost daily but there are some protein powders that I never could stand. Also, vitamins. Ughh. I can't tolerate any of the bariatric vitamins so far.

having bariatric surgery is sort of a last resort. Don't blow it. Stick to your program.

There is a danger of anorexia, being unable to keep on weight, with both SIPS and DS. I would call a doctor and have blood work drawn to make sure you are not doing irreversible damage through malnutrition. You may need supplemental nutrition. Regain stats with SIPS does not exist. For traditional DS it’s less than 5% so it’s unlikely you will be counting calories. To help yourself out be sure your meals are nutrient dense. No simple sugar/carbs. Protein, colored Vegetables, fiber rich Fruits. Also Bariatric vitamins taken faithfully. It sounds like you are doing well but it’s better to be safe consult your Bariatric surgeon and Primary Doc for blood work good luck