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@@LittleBill they've heard it all from bariatric patients. It's in their FAQ. They know that some people, including WLS patients, are under doctor's supervision and are cleared to eat VLCD, but they will not change their program. It's not worth anyone's time to bug them about it.

I was kind of horrified that I had to tell my surgeon’s office this. Seems like something they should know, given how many bariatric patients have thyroid issues and take biotin.

I am using Centrum chewables (the ones with iron), I use fish oil which are large so for after surgery I bought two flavors of liquid fish oil that I can add to food I eat (lemon & pina colada), I bought a Bariatric Advantage b-complex which I have yet to receive in the mail so am not sure what that is like, I use the Bariatric advantage Calcium chewables (my Dr. recommends calcium citrate not calcium carbonate)...I think that's it. I currently take glucosamine chondrotin or however it's spelled....for arthritis in my knee. I bought a mortar and pestle to crush them but then found they are available in liquid. Haven't worried about that one as it isn't as crucial although once I am cleared to work out, I will need to start it back up.

Not on dialysis SandiJ but I just wanted to say hello, and wish you the best. Hope that you find the answers you need! My sleeve was done outpatient in a great hospital, and I was home in 8 hours. I think you need to consult with the finest Bariatric surgeon you can find.

Hi, I got the Realize band June 5, lost some weight was doing good and then on June 23 I got a blood clot in my leg, when I came out of the hospital, even though I got very little to eat, did the bariatric diet, I weighed as much as I did in the beginning. I can not get back on track, I am about to pass my pre surgery weight. And to top this off, I am losing my hair, even though I am eating a regular diet. Any suggestions?

I have been in the position of responsibility for infrastructure and upgrades and I was a paid full-time employee. I never had to endure the amount of abuse and bitching that has happened here in the last few days. If I had, I would have gone straight to my boss and HR. The amount of abuse that has been heaped upon Alex and his colleagues due to this upgrade has been downright ugly at times. I just hope people realize that he could decide to just close the site completely and do something else with his free time, and that we should all be grateful to him for the time and money he has thrown into this site, just to educate people about bariatric surgery. This is not a government-sponsored website and it is certainly not our right to have access to it. It is our privilege. SydneySusan, fair enough, keep giving feedback. But can't we all be a bit nicer about it?

I have a quick question. If I order some bariatric vitamins that are for helping to stop hair loss will this effect my bariatric multivitamin? Like will I get too much of certain vitamins? Also has anyone tried these and did they help or not? I am losing tons of hair after 3 and a half months out from surgery, it’s scaring me I need some advice!

I called my claims administrator today, I was starting to get panicky about the timeline, and someone offered me some solid advice and calmed me down until I could call. I'm very concerned about being able to have my sleeve done before the end of the year. Effective January 1st, my insurance will change, and I will lose my bariatric surgery coverage. I started this process officially end of July, but had seen my PCP in June and July to try and see what could be done about my weight. So, I called. We rearranged my appointments a little bit to get about another week squeezed into my timeline. I'm up for team review the 25th of September, from there, I schedule my consultation with the surgeon. I'll have two more visits to meet insurance requirements, the last one is on November 1st. After my appointment I call this gal back and she submits everything to my insurance. She said it should take a week, but we'll have an answer by November 8th. After that, it's just a matter of pre-op, and scheduling surgery. Could be all said and done as early as December 6th. SQUEE

What an experience! Thanks for sharing. I really hope you can see a therapist in addition to your renewed efforts. So much of this process is emotional. Maybe having someone talk your binging and emotional eating through with you will help with your journey this time around.

This might be late information to this thread, but hopefully it will help someone in the future. If you're from Ontario, Canada you can check out all the information at http://www.ontariobariatricnetwork.ca Just have to get your doctor to refer you into the registry, then you'll get a letter in the mail about 1-2months later telling you when your orientation date is... from there you're on your journey! There are bariatric centres in Hamilton, Toronto, Guelph, and Ottawa that you can have the surgery at. The bypass & sleeve surgeries are both covered by OHIP!! So rejoice!! I sure am!! :purplebananna: :not_ripe: There's a and shares some of the out of pocket expenses she had, so this might help you as well when saving money for this surgery. Hope this helps my fellow Ontarians! :cornut:

Hi Mollsy I too have no follow up for six weeks, although I had a telephone call from the specialist bariatric nurse, and I too can call, which I have, if needs be. I have my first follow up appointment with the surgeon and then an appointment with the dietician in another four weeks. I had my procedure with the NHS with Shaw Summers team in Portsmouth.

If they fill your body cavity with gas, how does it get into your intestinal tract? I'm just curious how that actually works. It's not like they fill your stomach and intestines with gas, right? My understanding of things, is this...you have a shortened length from food entering and exiting. Hence the extra gas coming much sooner after eating a meal. In my case, I have an even shorter distance for it to travel, since I'm missing a foot of colon as well, from a previous colon resection. So, when I eat...20 - 30 minutes later, I'm heading to the bathroom. If it doesn't improve, they want me to see a G.I. Dr. soon. I've had diarrhea ever since the surgery (6 weeks ago). Negative for C Diff. They tested me for that. I think it's best if you are having issues, and it's bad, let your bariatric team know. It might be a food allergy you didn't have, or an intolerance to something you didn't have before. Or they might be able to prescribe something to help.

Just wondering if anyone has Lumenos insurance and how fast/slow they were with the process of approving you. The bariatric coordinator says that they usually gove approval but wasn't really sure on the time frame...I'm just so ready and waiting is very hard(you all know this though:rolleyes:!!).

When I had my psych consult (pre-op), the therapist said I hadn’t failed those scores of diets over the years; the diets had failed me. Having had the bariatric surgery, I have to say this: No, it has not been easy, but I feel like my body is my friend now, and I’m not always fighting it to get my weight down.

Congratulations on your amazing success and progress. I wish you much luck in your renewed efforts and achieving your goal weight!

I can't commiserate with you on the severity of the acid symptoms you're experiencing, mine were much less severe. However, I can offer a suggestion on the change of insurance issue. I moved to a different state after I was sleeved. Therefore my bariatric practice was no longer available to me and most bariatric practices don't want to pick up bariatric care after someone else did the surgery. I was having some GERD issues and was concerned about the long-term use of PPIs, so I went to a gastroenterologist. He is good and understands the issues surrounding VGS. So, if your insurance prohibits you from going to your bariatric surgeon, go to someone who specializes in stomach issues (gastroenterologist).

No advertisement, just a recommendation. Bariatric Mindset Success 6 month accountability workbook. This workbook I found on amazon is helping a ton. Keeps everything in one place. I’m feeling more in control and less stressed. It’s not just about food. It’s about your mental health. Also listen to the Weight Loss Surgery podcast by Reeger Cornell.. huge support Sleeve 4/26 Hw:215 Sw: 215 Cw: 191 Gw: 145

Very interesting article that I thought I'd share. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some of the most firmly held beliefs about weight loss are unproven or downright untrue, according to an analysis comparing concepts promoted in the popular media with data from the scientific literature. The findings were published online January 31 in a special article in the New England Journal of Medicine. "False and scientifically unsupported beliefs about obesity are pervasive in both scientific literature and the popular press," write Krista Casazza, PhD, RD, from the Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues. The authors discuss a total of 7 myths, along with refuting evidence. Here are some examples: Small changes in food intake and/or exercise will produce large, long term weight changes — This idea was based on the old idea that 3500 kcal equals 1 pound of weight. But it does not take into account the fact that energy requirements change as body mass changes over time. So, as weight is lost, it takes increasingly more exercise and reduced intake to perpetuate the loss. Realistic weight-loss goals will keep people motivated — This idea seems reasonable, but it is not supported by evidence. In fact, several studies have shown that people with very ambitious goals lose more weight (eg, TV's The Biggest Loser). Slow, gradual weight loss is best for long-term success — Actually, a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled weight-loss trials found that rapid weight loss via very-low-calorie diets resulted in significantly more weight loss (16% vs 10% of body weight) at 6 months, and differences in weight loss persisted up to 18 months (Int J Behav Med. 2010;17:161-167). A bout of sexual activity burns 100 to 300 kcal per person — With intense sexual activity, a 154-pound man burns approximately 3.5 kcal per minute. However, given that the average amount of time spent during one stimulation and orgasm session is about 6 minutes, this man might expend about 21 kcal total. But, he would burn about 7 kcal just lying on the couch, so that amount has to be subtracted, which gives a grand total of 14 kcals of energy expended. The article also explores 6 "presumptions," or widely accepted beliefs that are neither proven nor disproven. Among them: Eating Breakfast prevents obesity — Actually, 2 studies showed no effect of eating vs skipping breakfast. Adding fruits and vegetables to the diet results in weight loss — Adding more calories of any type without making any other changes is likely to cause weight gain. Eating fruits and vegetables is healthful, however. Weight cycling, aka "yoyo dieting," increases mortality — The data are from observational studies and likely confounded by health status. Finally, the authors offer 9 facts about obesity and weight loss that are supported by data, among them: Moderate environmental changes can promote as much weight loss as even the best weight-loss drugs. Diets do produce weight loss, but attempting to diet and telling someone to diet are not necessarily the same thing. Physical activity does help in promoting weight loss and has health benefits even in the absence of weight loss. For overweight children, involving the family and home environment in weight-loss efforts is ideal. Providing actual meals or Meal Replacements works better for weight loss than does general advice about food choices. Both weight-loss drugs and bariatric surgery can help achieve long-term weight loss in some individuals. According to Dr. Casazza and colleagues, "The myths and presumptions about obesity that we have discussed are just a sampling of the numerous unsupported beliefs held by many people, including academics, regulators, and journalists, as well as the general public. Yet there are facts about obesity of which we may be reasonably certain — facts that are useful today." And they conclude, "While we work to generate additional useful knowledge, we may in some cases justifiably move forward with hypothesized, but not proven, strategies. However, as a scientific community, we must always be open and honest with the public about the state of our knowledge and should rigorously evaluate unproved strategies." Original article: http://www.medscape....warticle/778600

The health insurance bill covers MORE people for MORE things, not less people or less stuff. :001_tt1: Your fiance should be able to call up Aetna and ask them if his plan has a "rider" for bariatric surgery. Aetna should be able to tell him over the phone. If not, he should be able to ask his HR. Aetna does now cover VSG (it was considered experimental under their policies until just a week or two ago), however VSG is not explicitly listed under the surgeries covered for a revision... so you may have to ask about that once you are covered. I hope everything aligns right for you!

Nanna it sounds like you had a really hard time. How are you doing, both physically and mentally? You have been thru a lot. What could we do to help you? We can talk about what to eat and the like but I think the issue is more that you were depressed, feeling deprived and then ate the emotions you had. Did the doctor at any point suggest helping you? That's what I don't understand - unless they're like my bariatric surgeon.

It may be beneficial for you to see a counsellor as to what is driving you to eat more as well as a bariatric dietician. A lot of why we overeat is due to emotions and if we don't work on this we are doomed to keep making the same mistakes over and over again when it comes to overeating.

@@KaiserKid Thank you - and best of luck to you as well! Psychologist emailed me back on Friday and said he is clearing me for bariatric surgery, but that I absolutely need to follow up with him to discuss the rest of the results. I initially was a bit annoyed since I knew that was coming and I've literally had years of therapy... then I spent the weekend with my bipolar mother and grandfather and was like OK I WILL TOTALLY HAVE MORE COUNSELING lol. I'm pretty sure the remainder of the results are going to highlight my neurotic tendencies, and depression. The upside is that he really did seem to notice that I've come a long way and things could have been much worse than they are

i LOVE MY BAND AND IT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE BECAUSE....... it has made me feel NORMAL about food. I am able to do what I want, instead of censoring my activities according to who will see me, etc......I don't care about stuff that doesn't matter anymore--I literally only sweat the BIG stuff. I feel renewed, have more energy, sleep better, laugh more. I feel like I can be seen for who I really am, instead of a physical image that didn't match what was inside.

We're all "mean" for pointing out errors in her father's logic but her dad is just "nervous" for her? Someone who is just concerned for her wouldn't cherry pick pieces of an article out of context of the rest of the article, then inappropriately add them up in order to scare her into thinking that 86% of the people who have WLS have a serious complication. Someone who is just concerned for her, would do some research with an open mind and not call everything that goes against their negative opinion a "joke". Someone who is just concerned would attempt to meet with the medical team and ask questions about their concerns. Plus if you read her other posts/threads - there is a history there of negative and manipulative behavior on his part. For the OP - I know based on your other threads that you were hoping/expecting your dad to pay for part of the surgery based on him initially offering too. My thought is he didn't actually think you were going to go through with it and probably never had any intention of paying for any of it and is using these scare tactics in order to not have to come right out and tell you that he is rescinding his offer. I think it would be in your best interest to try to find some other way to come up with the needed money and even check with your bariatric team to see if you can set up an installment payment plan with them.

It's wonderful you have a Dad that is so caring and worried for you (I lost mine when I was 12). However, you are an adult now and need to make the right decision for you. Yes this is a life changing operation. But the first 4 on the list can be controlled and/or fixed if they occur. The DVT is a possible side effect of any surgery and good surgeons (I highly recommend Bariatric Center of Excellence programs) will test for leaks before they allow you to even take that first drink. I too have arthritic knees that I had to take 15 mg Meloxicam to walk comfortably. Two months after my Gastric Bypass and 46 pounds lighter, I can control the knee pain with Tylenol. They are still not totally pain free but much better than before.