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I am self pay and have not decided yet if I am going to do the sleeve or the bypass yet (occasional reflux now). Does anyone have any recommendations for surgeons or even who to avoid in Missouri? I am right in the middle of the state so willing to travel. My health insurance does not cover bariatric surgery and therefore will not cover any complications either. So really feeling stressed about finding a surgeon with a great track record. Also if anyone has any experience with self pay in Missouri if you could share that with me as well that would be great. Thank you. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

I know everyone’s experience is different, but I felt like sharing mine. For over 20 years of being morbidly obese and trying different diets only one thing seemed consistent as I looked back over my history in considering starting the “sleeve” journey. It was this- without exception that the biggest discourager, hinderance and ultimate enemy of all my attempts had been that darned scale. When I knew I had sacrificed, sweat and did everything I was supposed to it was the negative influence of the scale that thwarted my efforts- every time. I took it’s word that I was a failure. Sooooo, when I pulled the trigger on the “sleeve” journey I made it clear that the scale would not be going on this trip with me! Of course my doctors use it, but only as one of the tools to measure my progress. But I have refused to use it! Rather I lean on the other tools my bariatric team has given me, nutritional goals, accountability tools, exercise goals, vitamins and supplements etc, I treat these things like a prescription for my health, ergo if I follow them and they don’t “work” I just ask my team to revise my “prescription”. But the scale is subject to me and not me to it this way. I don’t mean to come of like it’s been easy and some days I thought “if I haven’t lost........” But only weighing in at monthly and sometimes bi monthly has taken the pressure off, stopped the mental stress and helped me to make the priority changing my habits regardless of what the scale says. That being said- you got this- if you are ready for the change don’t listen to no stupid scale!

My favorite assessments which nobody cares much for: Bariatric Surgery is elective mutilation and the diets are structurelized starvation. Well truthfully they are but it was a mutilization I actively sought and reaping the benefits of. And the second also is true , but I did miserable on traditional diets and eating Willy-nilly both. I believe the structure was needed and the only thing starved out of my life were the quick fix, empty calorie things that did not benefit my dietary needs, had minimal vitamins, no roughage to keep my colon working and were so unsatisfying that I had to eat in another hour to 75 minutes. And that is the barbaric thing to me, that so many places produce this kind of food and it is so hard to find ones serving clean healthy foods, especially in my corner of America.

bariatric foodie has some easy recipe. I highly recommend ricotta bake (google "eggface ricotta bake") - super easy and tasty. Sometimes I add some sauteed spinach or a spoon of pesto. If you like shrimp, it is super easy and tasty. Defrost a few, add a bit of oil or butter to a pan over medium heat, and saute for a few minutes until they're pink. You can add some spices. I like cajun seasoning (if you can deal with heat), or italian seasoning. Added: this is super easy, don't even need to defrost the fish: https://www.bariatricfoodie.com/one-pan-cooking-tilapia-fire-roasted-tomato-sauce/ But, one fish fillet will serve me three times, and I don't eat thawed fish more than two days after it thaws, so I often have to toss some fish. Also really like egg salad - just 2 hard boiled eggs, masked with either a bit of ripe avocado or 1 TBL mayo and 1 TBL greek yogurt.

I love Skinnytaste.com recipes. They're low-cal versions of familiar staples. The recipes aren't bariatric, but all the nutritional information is given and I usually eat 1/3 to 1/2 of a serving. So, I just divide the nutrition info by the amount I actually ate.

I'm back! And the beat of my life goes on and on. Decided to post here because I was the OP and started it beck last summer. Well, the Fe Infusion wasn't too awfully bad, when I told PCP I had it done, nary an apology about failing to schedule me one in Mount Vernon, just reminded me I could end up on a quarterly schedule. Well that would make the next one within a day or 2 of Tomkitten's birthday and that's a warm pleasant time in Central Ohio. Now back to the Infusion and its side effect. Well early in the evening of the next day I was able to do #2 with a minimum of grief. Every since surgery except when I had my PICC line in, my stool is very reluctant to leave me, have to be on twice daily Miralax and when not even that works, the Trusty bottle of M.O.M. the cherry- tasting agitator of all things fecal💩. Okay I said to myself, small amount of stool, still fine, I do not eat that much. And then the tsunami hit, black viscous stool, the kind I rationalize as double or triple wiper. And it went on and on, each movement the same until the last 3 which ended about. 3 AM that were nothing more than black profuse water. And before each movement I was cramping in the same area as childbirth pains, I had 3 9+ pounder, last 2 Lamaze, that is an sensation one does not forget. Well, I says if your uterus does fall on with all this straining , we can push it back in , slap an ABD on it and see the doctor in the AM. If this is gonna happen every time, I would rather be unmagnetic, obviously my body didn't feel we needed or wanted that much iron so got rid of it as best it could! Now I don't know if I mentioned but when I had my Chest MRI at Mount Carmel East to check the status of my Thoracic Aortic aneurysm, the one my Cardiologist conveniently forgot to mention, maybe she thought it would depress me? OMG, my middle child and first son died in 2008 of an Ascending Aortic aneurysm which exploded in his chest and within a few seconds bled out and died at 31. This takes it from a horrid one in thousands freaky happening to be possibly genetic and. I , a mommy who loved him with every breath of my being, may have had a part in his destruction? I cried when I saw in Black and White, " to rule out ant enlargement of existing Thoracic Aortic aneurysm, current measurement____cm" , did not go into depression, because maybe my baby's death might somehow save me? Happy to report it is still holding at under " must do surgery" have to keep faithful on BP meds to reduce stressors. But I can do that! And now the results show I have a Renal Cyst also present, don't know which one of my 3 it's on, urologists office not as worried as me, said no need seeing you right now. Then next, about 10- 12 days ago I woke up with a stiff neck, not a "oops I strained something ", I could not turn it to either side, and I had a degree of nucal rigidity. Oh I am a Medical Geek, scary cause that can be a sign of meningitis, a disease that doesn't take hostages, and can kill if neglected. So off I go to E.R., it of course happened on a day PCP was taking off. After beaucoup levels of tests even I hadn't been through before and 2 I didn't even have book knowledge of, I received a diagnosis of cervical arthritis, okay-bee, the bad part I have a thyroid nodule approaching 2 cm on left side of thyroid. They suggested getting it checked-out by ENT, endocrinologist, or at very least PCP in very near future. Well , I just so happened to have an appointment with PCP coming up, so I mentioned it to him, at first he said" many geriatric patients have these" could shorten that man's life span, I am not geriatric I merely am in Late Middle Age and I've told him that! Says" maybe I should go to that portal and read what they said" and then had to admit We GOT to do more testing, so last Wednesday I had both thyroid screening and Doppler of my carotid because I also am having periods of double vision, it is bad enough seeing Donald Sr and Donald Jr on CNN , don't need them 2 at a time! Then to round out my week I had a Reclast INFUSION on Friday, in deference to my inability to chug down liquids, Thank You Ms. Precious Pouch, I can't have pills or capsules so get this treatment yearly because my osteopenia is rounding the corner towards osteoporosis. I am grateful to be alive, thankful for the extra years my bariatric surgery has granted me, really I am, but is every flippin' test got to have a " by the way"? I knew I had dings in my bodily chassis, but does the jalopy that is me have to have engine failure too?💦

Hi from Central Ohio! Most hospitals and Bariatric Centers do have support groups, if they don't maybe you could help found one. I love 50 miles from my hospital, all theirs are in the evening when I cannot locate transportation, my firm belief is that I am the only RnY in all of Knox County. My local Community Hospital is talking of starting a Bariatrics program in Summer- Autumn 2020, a little late for me and besides they plan to start with lap-band and VSG, and later implement RNY if they find enough demand. But if it does get off the ground , by then I will be 2 years out, able to speak as a veteran, but Bariatric Pal serves the need for me, and one day when my Dr N was running late, I made some friends among the others also waiting, we check on each other from time to time. And keep out a lookout for me, I am frequent poster, at 73 I think I know a lot about life, and I would rather post than do housework. Family Joke: If the police come in here, they will state there is evidence of a struggle! But it still is tidy enough I haven't lost my 2 cats or my son in the not perfectly done!

I’m on day 7. I’m surprised I’ve made it this far. It does get easier than day 1 but still hard. I cheated a little but seems like I’m doing something right since I’ve lost 4 pounds. Hopefully I lose more next week. Next week I’m going for my pre surgical testing , Bariatric class and clearance. I can’t believe it’s only a week away.

I'm shocked that your surgeon can't get this under control for you! Maybe a second opinion from another bariatric surgeon? My GP admits that she has very little knowledge about bariatric issues and she sent me right back to my surgeon when things were going off of the rails with my band and sleeve.

Has or does anyone have WV Medicaid and WV Health Plan? Have you had any issues getting approval? I was just referred to the bariatric dr so I haven't seen him yet. I really want the surgery but with state funded insurance, I think my chances are slim of getting it approved.

Hi there. Just wondering if Bariatric Pal Hospital MX is CSG or JCI accredited? Also, when do you do leak tests & how many do you do? How many patients over 400 lbs have been sleeved & can they be reached to see how their experiences went? And.. How long should patients wait before going home?... And what about potential complications after surgery? (DVT, for example) When should you stop taking birth control before surgery? And when can you resume taking it after surgery? (I'm female, so, need to know this) Thanks for your time!

Yes. I have been using Genepro to break a weight loss stall that began about 8-9 weeks post-op and continued through to 11 weeks. I'd still be in it had I not changed what I was doing. I came up with the solution described below to break my stall/slowed down weight loss as I was thinking about the days right after my surgery. My surgeon has her patients on clear liquids for 14, yes, 14 days!!!!! following surgery. No protein, no vitamins.....ONLY CLEAR LIQUIDS and medications for 14 days. I lost a pound or two a day on the regimen. Since my weight loss had drastically slowed, I was significantly behind on the amount of weight I am expected to lose by my next surgeon appointment and decided I would go back to post-surgery basics, but with protein, meds and vitamins added. I began this regimen on Thursday, March 14th, weighing 219lb. Today, I weighed in at 210 pounds. Here is what I do: I take three 16 ounce bottles of water and to them I add 1 scoop Genepro, which is flavorless, 30g protein and only 60 calories. You can drink it plain or flavor it however you,d like, just don't add calories more than 20, perhaps, with whatever you choose. I add sugar free decaffeinated ice tea powder to mine. These three bottles become my "meals" for the day, breakfast, lunch, supper, giving me 90g protein for the day and only 180 calories. In between these "meals" I drink another 16 ounce bottle of water, giving me a total 96 oz water for the day. Additionally, I take all my meds and vitamins as I am supposed to throughout the day. Once I reach 209 pounds I will be at the bare minimum of where my surgeon expects her patients to be at 3 months post-op, which puts me at the 50th percentile. I plan on continuing this regimen for the entire 14 days in order to get as near to 201 by the end on March, early April, which will put me in the 75th percentile, which is a MUCH better place to be. Anything below the 50th percentile is considered to be a weight loss surgery patient failure. This info is taken from a Duke University study conducted to discover early weight loss predictors for success or failure among weight loss surgery patients. I explain this study and provide links in the video I've posted here in my status update on Bariatric Pal. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. :-)

I completely understand the regrets. Knowing all I know right now, I would probably still have the surgery, but my side effects are not as bad as some of you (thank goodness the Miralax--after 6 doses and 3 days--is working on my horrific constipation, but only in small doses over two days now---gotta stay close to a potty). I had my first mandated-by-my-surgeon of three meetings with the bariatric support group sponsored by my nutritionist. It was a mix of folks who are considering the surgery, those about 9 or less months out, and those who had the surgery in the last couple of months. Much of the talk centered around whether to tell friends and coworkers about the surgery. Tonight we have dinner with a small group of friends where I know the host will have delicious steak and top-notch wine. She always makes the same dinner when we come over because it's my family's favorite (steak, mashed potatoes, buttery brown mushrooms, and asparagus). My brother and his wife will be there, and they know about the surgery, but the host and her husband do not. I will have to just go with it and see what comes out of my mouth when they notice I'm obviously not having cocktails, wine, or steak. I guess I'll find out what I say if asked as I doubt my brother will mention it (although I have not told him NOT to so he might). Someone in the support group said once you tell one person, sooner of later everyone will know so I guess it's just a matter of time. I suppose the most compelling reason for NOT telling folks is because I don't want "having gastric bypass" being associated with my identity....that is, people saying: "Oh, I know her, she's the one who had bariatric surgery." What do y'all think of that? Do you think it becomes true of someone who has had the surgery? Is it a stigma? Thanks.

Are you going through a Bariatric center in the U.S.? With a BMI of 67, you should most definitely do a liver shrinking diet before the surgery. You don't have a lot of time if your surgery is in 12 days. Be careful and make sure you have a bariatric team with lots of experience and knowledge. You should've been given all the tools you will need for both pre and post-op including a list of bariatric approved vitamins and what can be consumed before and after surgery. Good luck and do as much research as you can in the short amount of time you have.

If he continues to refuse your request? Then get a referral to another doctor connected to your bariatric surgeon. I am sure you can work this out. It might push your date back. However, you can get it done. Sent from my SM-J727T1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Reminder: Don’t stock up on protein RTDs (ready to drink) or powder products pre-bariatric surgery as your tastes may change after surgery. This is not uncommon. I made the mistake of sampling and buying a bunch of stuff beforehand that I couldn’t stand after gastric bypass, which I ended up having to give away - was a waste of money.

Since I was already a GI patient the clearance is what my insurance requires before they approve the surgery not the bariatric doctor's. The coordinator that handles all of the paperwork said that she was going to talk to one of the surgeons to see what he says but she really had no clue what to do. Sent from my moto e5 plus using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my lap-band in NYU in 2003. I've since revised to Bypass. Dr. Alfons Pomp is at Weil Cornell. He's originally from Canada I believe and a very well respected bariatric surgeon. If you're using him and his team, you're in great hands.

Doctors' philosophy on this vary from a few weeks to never again depending upon their experiences. The basic issues are: Healing - alcohol is somewhat corrosive to the stomach lining so one needs to give things a chance to heal first, Alcohol tolerance - rapid stomach emptying means it tends to hit faster, and with less (i.e., a "cheap drunk") so care must be taken there, Transfer addiction - we can no longer satisfy whatever addictive tendencies we have with food, so it is easy for transfer that addiction to something else, like alcohol, drugs, shopping, gambling, etc. What was a casual habit of a glass of wine with dinner occasionally can easily turn into full blown alcoholism. Liver health - starting as morbidly obese, or worse, our livers are not usually in very good shape to begin with (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that are often prescribed) and the liver is further stressed from its role in metabolizing all that fat that we are rapidly losing. It doesn't need any more stress from ingesting a known liver toxin like alcohol (not a judgemental thing, just our physiology at work). My surgeon is also a biliopancreatic (livers and pancreas) transplant surgeon, so he is in the no alcohol as long as we are losing weight camp (and ideally forever) and indeed we sign a contract to that effect - he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table! Those are the issues in play, and some aspects bother different surgeons to different degrees, so they have different policies. Check with what your surgeon's policy is, and decide for yourself - we are all adults here.

It may be a wording thing. Sic your bariatric office team on him. The way my pulmonary worded it was 'I don't give clearance. What I do is tell them that you don't have any issues that would put you at a greater risk in surgery than someone else'. Plus, the guy just sounds like a jerk.

I would check with your surgeons office about it, as you have the tests and data that is required - if a bariatric surgeon doesn't know how to interpret an endoscopy, then he shouldn't be in bariatrics! Mostly, they are looking for a CYA from another doctor before they proceed, but if the report is clean and there is nothing to worry about, then it should be OK. The important thing is to know what is going on inside as that can influence what procedure is done or how to go about it, which is what the report would tell him. To be somewhat fair, the gastro doesn't necessarily know what the surgeon may want as a clearance in this case - that is often an interpretation on the surgeon's part - and not just a "yes/no" thing from the gastro. One surgeon I know prefers to do some of these things himself rather than depend upon a gastroenterologist report (particularly when he is doing a revision) as he knows better than the gastro what he is looking for. A cardiac or pulmonary clearance, which are also common, are more of a yes/no thing ensuring that there are no big showstoppers that will cause grief under anesthesia, but an endoscopy or upper GI gives the surgeon information that is useful for planning his operation, so should be something that he can handle.

It may depend on the type of surgery you have. My surgery team said one year. I'm going with it because I've met a number of people now that have had bariatric surgery and alcohol became a problem for them. I don't want to become an alcoholic and I'm wary because it runs in the family. Oh, and yes, I work with individuals in recovery from addiction.

They may not be so concerned about liver size as much plans do. The old saying is Different Strokes for Different Folks and nowhere is it more apparent than in Bariatric Medicine. A portion is what the professors taught them, what has worked well in the past, a portion is their personal outlook, but every Man Jack surgeon wants you as healthy as possible before surgery, many paths to get there and believe what they have told you is what will fit your case best. Smile, keep peace in your heart and joy in your spirit, things are going to go fine for yiy!👍😝👍

I'm not a drinker but normally I'll have a glass of wine or martini on my birthday or special occasions (so about 8 glass of alcoholic beverages for the year). My surgery date is April 19 & I celebrate my 30th bday in June. Also my brother getting married in Jamaica (island) in August & I'll be attending. Read a diary entry online that after bariatric surgery no alcohol for one year. It's Saturday so my nutritionist is not in office. Is it true? Did your surgeon or nutritionist said that no alcohol for one year? Thanks Sent from my SM-G925T using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello, I am new to this forum. I had my bypass on January 29th in a Hong Kong hospital. The surgery went well and I have not had any complications except recently, in the past couple of weeks, I am developing sharp pain underneath the healed scars. It feels like the fat beneath is being torn apart. It got so bad this morning that I couldn't even get out of bed without squeezing my fat together to my side. I told my surgeon about this but he is not particularly concerned as long as i'm not developing other symptoms like fever or vomiting. It's incredibly lonely for a bariatric patient in Hong Kong. The community here is almost non-existent and I long to meet buddies who are in similar progress with me to share and cheer me on along the way. I have so many questions about exercises, nutritions and diet and often there is no one to turn to because the support in HK for bariatric patient is next to nothing. So a lot of the time I'm just making things up along the way just hoping i'm doing the right thing. It would be good to have a buddy...