Search the Community

FYI Dr Vuong. Note Alex Breacher (founder of this site) knows him personally https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/420312-dr-vuong-seminars-who-has-been-what-are-they-about/?tab=comments#comment-4707590 Posted October 24, 2018 I know Dr. Vuong for over a decade. He is a very nice and entertaining guy who IMHO gives out so-so medical and surgical advice. He bounced around from practice to practice and has never been able to make it as a bariatric surgeon. 2 2 elcee, Christabelle, GreenTealael and 1 other reacted to this Quote Alex Brecher Founder & CEO BariatricPal BariatricPal Store: Huge selection of Protein Supplements and Bariatric Vitamins. BariatricPal Hospital MX: The Most Experienced Bariatric & Plastic Surgeons in Mexico!

Hey all, I’m just wondering why there is SO much variation from bariatric consultant to consultant when it comes to a pre-op diet. Practices vary massively from very strict, restrictive plans to no requirements whatsoever. Does anyone know what side the research comes out on? Has anyone seen any research on post op experience based on differing pre-op regimes? thanks in advance! NH1

To be strict or to be lax in this process is a personal choice. We are all adults and make are own food choices. The only one that has to be happy with your weight loss is you. Maintaining : I indulge once in a while. If it causes weight gain, I go back to bariatric food plan to get the weight off. Weight loss mode: I was consistent not perfect. I had slips and got right back on plan. We do have a cheats thread that shows you Yes, people eat foods that are off plan. I'm a bit conflicted about the thread. https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/417492-confessional-lets-post-our-cheatsconfessionsetc-so-others-can-see-that-we-are-all-human/?tab=comments#comment-4667931 Things to think about in going off plan or indulging once in a while: Adding carbohydrates and sugar makes you crave them more. It takes time to detox and get back on plan your first few months is your best weight loss. You also have your golden year. Weight loss is harder after your first year( still can be done) Monitor if indulging is slowing your weight loss down. Will it make getting to your goal take more time? WIll indulging become habit? Every weekend? Every month? How solid are you in behavior change? Going off plan can be a slippery slope for some. With the sleeve, you will get to a point that you noticeably can consume more food as your restriction becomes less. What has made people successful 2 years + out

Thank you for sharing Grady! (Grady is actually a family name in my family!) Happy that you too enjoyed “smooth sailing “! Frustur8- Wow! You have a really battled through a lot on your journey. Sounds like you have held your head high and pressed on. You bring up a really good point. Sounds like some of your original support system on this forum has stopped posting. Similar to what someone said earlier about if things are going good people don’t post about them. You made another great point... You really have to advocate for yourself with doctors. I had something like that happened to me. Dr wrote me off and told me I was overreacting. 24 hours later I’m on a life flight to a hospital in another state! I almost lost my baby twins because he didn’t take my concerns/complaints seriously. I knew something was wrong. After that I always spoke up! Again and again and again if necessary!!! Keep your head up and THANKS for supporting everyone on bariatric pal!

Bariatric Pal Jazzy125 says there are vertigo exrrcises on Goggle, maybe you could try those also.

Just remember why you want it in the first place. Start making changes now if possible because later you will not have a choice, The more weight you can take off now, the more of a head start you will have later. I know we want to eat everything under the sun because we feel like we will never be able to eat that stuff again, but that is simply not true. Yes your taste buds will change and there will be some foods you cannot tolerate, but you can actually eat those foods in moderation as time goes on. The only true food funeral i had was post surgery when i realized after 3 tries my stomach could not tolerate chicken anymore.. Hopefully that changes as i am still new to the Bariatric world! I was literally almost in tears lol because i couldnt eat chicken! We are going to try one more time today.. but a ground form in my enchiladas i am making.. if today doesnt work.. then i will give up trying for a while.

Oh I did have a seamless surgery, for the first 2 weeks except for having a bleed across my Fat tummy from a small skin blood vessel I was moving right along, losing back down my su4gery water weight and then more! I thought I had the bad things of Baiatrics beaten. And then suddenly I stopped and every time I attempted to eat anything expected except fluids, surgeon told me at 2 weeks I could handle stage 3 , keep moving along my diet. All the sudden I was not his " happy normal RnY camper" any more. After whining a little, okay 3 times a week, to shut my lips up they scheduled an Endoscopy, surprise surprise I was the unhappy step- mother of a stomal stricture and a bunch of ulcers in my jejunem, I knew something was WRONG, it wasn't just post-surgery swelling because that's what his Nurse Practioner kept saying. I might not have the Fancy degrees--- but Baby, I knew ME. Been living in this body a Good Many Years! And after 5 months I still haven't let go of that Tornado's Tail! But I will, maybe a couple more dialating Endoscopies, I'll be all better, the PZICC line can come out, and I will be eating like all the rest of my surgery day twins! The difference between me and them? Even when I am all better , I will not drop out, go away, because my Bari- brothers and sisters have been so supportive I will remain a Bariatric Pal person. Maybe I might not post as much, but I will still cheer on others as they did me! No regret, no sorrow, even with the Minor Bumps in My Roadway I shall be a Proud RnY, grateful for my remaking, even at 73 I am still living better, healthier than I could prior. My PCP has to now admit I saved me from Death by a few years, I was getting That Bad, of course he wants to take credit for suggesting it to ME, nope I brought up the subject in 2015, when he and I were certain I would never make it to 2020 alive, at the very least I would be in a LTF, also known as a nursing home, because my body would be so broken down. Now I am thinner, not as much as I desired, the TPN has slowed down my weight plummet to 3 pounds a month, but I now grow healthier each and every day, that may not be a spectacular NSV to everyone else, but even outsiders say "You're so looking so much better," must have been as ugly as a pile of mud before, I smile And say Thank You, only my peers on here know my stuggles to get,this far, if they ask I MIGHT tell them about the surgery, otherwise they canbthink,i came to my senses and did it all MYSELF, good for my formerly battered Ego and sense of pride. I'm doing much better as a Happier Smaller Widow than I did. a mentally abused. despondent wife, big as the side of a barn, afraid to step outside without protection, cause I thought every other person loathed looking at me. Now I am emotionally strong enough to stand up on my own, if I make mistakes they are mine to make, don't have to live in someone's shadow apologizing for even existing. Mine is somewhat a difficult story, but be True to Yourself, in the long run, that's the Only Boss you'll need, as the Late Ricky Nelson wrote " If you can't please Everyone, better please Yourself!" Frustr8 out, have yourself a dyn-o-mite day.😛👍

He is not bariatric surgeon anymore. His clinic in Albuquerque was shut down because of lap band scam and law suits. He is not affiliated with any hospital. He did a lot of mental surgery for bariatric patients and his methods are considered to be two sided. There is a lot on info about him on internet. He's into pushing MLM products in order to survive

I had mini gastric bypass(which is better and safer than R n Y) with DR LIZA POMPA@ LIMARP in Tijuana. I am a nurse and did much homework to finally choose her! And it was an awesome experience! I had my surgery December 19 weighing in at 258 pounds and today I weighed 216 and half and had no complications from my surgery at all. It cost me $8000 and it’s the best money I ever spent. She is the surgeon of an INTERNATIONAL CENTER of EXCELLENCE in BARIATRIC SURGERY in Tijuana. https://www.limarp.com/en

If you have had bariatric surgery or are planning to, PLEASE look up Dr. Vuong on youtube or purchase one of his many books about bariatric surgery. He is a bariatric surgeon and he is absolutely amazing. I am so glad I found him while still pre-op.

You should not be exercising!! Watch this video by internationally accredited bariatric surgeon Dr. Vuong.

An example of one surgeons meal plan 6 months out 1000 to 1300 weight loss mode https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/MediaLibraries/URMCMedia/hh/services-centers/bariatrics/documents/Bariatric_Meal_Plan_3M-6M.pdf maintaining 1300 to 1500 https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/MediaLibraries/URMCMedia/hh/services-centers/bariatrics/documents/Bari_Lifestyle_Meal_Plan.pdf SIDE NOTE: I was allowed to add carbs (whole wheat, sweet potato, brown rice) when I got close to my maintaining weight. This was to slow/stop weight loss. Again, all plans look different.

According to my GP, I am pretty healthy despite Type 2 Diabetes & High Blood Pressure. My GP sent my referral to the surgeon & he accepted me. I've had all my lab tests, Phsyc evaluation & first month appointment met of 3 with the Dietician. Yesterday I had an incident at the eye doctor where he sent me to the ER because of sudden partial blindness in my right eye. No pain, no headache, just an irritable grey haze on the bottom half of my right eye. The ER specialist diagnosed it as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, which basically is a type of stroke at the back of my eye. The nerve that sends a signal from the eye to the brain was damaged. It was not an Arteritic stroke which is a good sign. There is no current treatment or cure. There is, however a chance that it could worsen if I don't get a better control of my Diabetes & blood pressure. Now I am worried my surgeon will disapprove me. Being that the incident occurred on a Friday afternoon, I have not had a chance to tell my Bariatric team yet. Has anyone had an issue with their health that your surgery team dropped you?

I’m going to be self pay in FL. I found 3 surgeons in FL that were more “affordable”. Dr Radecke, Dr Shillingford and Dr Wizman. These are all around 10-11,000 for sleeves. 2 of those Dr do you surgery at bariatric centers of excellence. Other Florida Drs quoted me around 15,000-17,000 for sleeve. I will be cash pay up front. I am very concerned about self-pay complications though. I have United Health for insurance but Dr office told me my plan doesn’t cover bariatric AND I’m low BMI. I also have disc degeneration issues and following weight loss I also want to get a breast reduction. I have numerous herniated disc’s and a broken vertebrae. I think you are just going to have to google and call around like I did to find surgeons in your area. It was time-consuming but I wanted to make sure I knew all of my options.

Your skin will be an unknown factor of your weight loss. You can google loose skin after bariatrics to see many examples. It's good to prepare yourself for best and worst case scenarios. Weight lifting helps. The only way to get rid of it is plastic surgery.

2B--I recently read an article that said that in some cases, it is better to have bariatric surgery before morbid obesity to avoid having the problems so many of us have with high cholesterol, diabetes, knee and back pain, etc. I am sure your insurance would not have approved it if it wasn't in the interest of your health. And we all know going through surgery and having to work super hard afterward isn't something one does just for the heck of trying a new weight-loss strategy. We have a long road ahead of us and feeling guilty should not be one of the emotions you need to deal with through it all. Take heart! As for vitamins, I ordered Celebrate multichews and I really like the Iron + C pineapple ones. The lemon Calcium Citrate are also pretty good. I am not a fan of the orange-flavored Celebrate multivitimin so I'm looking for a better one. I'm going to try black grape of a different brand. Of all the ones I've tried, I liked the soft chews better than the chewable tablets.

Sleeve 2014 - maintaining weight. My goal is 130 Start February 1st -Starting weight 136 End March 1st - Ending weight Doing the self love challenge and no junk food for now. I had a minor surgery. (not bariatric related) I am still on liquids and recovering.

Well done @ binfinite, your last one should be perfect just convince them you understand what a big step bariatric surgery is, you have been made of all the pitfalls, all the things that might go wrong, this is still your desire and you have your emotional support in place, and things will be as smooth as a ripe avocado. Forward my darlin' , you're really entering the Final Countdown!👈😝👉

Hi! Stay optimistic but be prepared for UHC doing the wrong thing. The peer to peer process isn't often a great process for patients - it often starts with the UHC medical director and your surgeon having trouble connecting on the phone to even discuss things. So don't let that drag out before you act because even if/when they do connect your surgeon may be dealing with a UHC medical director who simply doesn't have the authority (or the expertise) to consider your individual circumstance. So be proactive and take control - Your best shot at overturning the denial may be the patient appeal process and you don't need to wait for the peer-to-peer to get started on an appeal. Your bariatric provider may tell you to wait for the peer to peer but you'll feel better if you're doing something proactive and know you're learning about the process. And if the peer-to-peer is successful (HOPEFULLY) than you're good to go and you've lost nothing. But you may want to call us to help walk you through things - we do a lot of UHC band removal/conversion appeals and we know their process better than anyone. Hope this helps and good luck!

Sophie and Psyched: I like New Orleans as well. Be safe and have a great time Sophie! So my vitamin regimen is 2 Bariatric Advantage Multivitamin chews, 2 30mg Bariatric Advantage Iron chews (they both taste like starbursts. I like them) and 2 calcium chews also by Bariatric Advantage. I tried the Celebrate 45mg Complete Vitamin but it tasted like a flintstone vitamin and it didn’t do well on my stomach. So my nutritionist said it was ok for me to get my vitamins like I take them now.

I also take 60mg of Cymbalta a day in one capsule. I've taken one every day since my sleeve surgery on June 13, 2018. I did have a brief period after surgery where I felt like my Cymbalta "wasn't working" and my PCP (not my bariatric surgeon) suggested perhaps they were not being absorbed fully and offered to up my dosage temporarily or look into another delivery route. I declined and decided to wait it out and see if things improved and they did very quickly. It was just a very minor blip and I've had no other issues taking it. I feel amazing! My surgeon never wanted me to stop it after my sleeve surgery or open the capsules. Good luck to you!!

I am having surgery to repair my right shoulder rota tor cuff as it has caused me more pain then the Gastric Sleeve and Hiatal hernia repair surgery did. I am on pain pills daily with little relief so I don't want to put it off any longer. I will be a day shy of 7 weeks post-op (Sleeved on Dec 26, 2018). Anyone else on this forum have a surgery following your bariatric surgery? If so how did it go? Do you feel it caused more hair loss? I know this is going to slow my weight loss down as I will be limited in my exercising. I am right handed and it's going to be challenging to to use my left arm for everything. I'll make sure I get my vitamin and supplements along with protein and water as I fear having another surgery so close will wreck havoc on my hair. I will also have my first Grand baby born at the end of March or early April. Hoping that I will have healed enough and have use of my right arm to hold that sweet baby girl.

Now I gotta get a skipping rope. Where the heck do I get a skipping rope from? Noone told me bariatric surgery was going to be this hard [emoji12] Sent from my SM-G930F using BariatricPal mobile app

My bariatric nurse said Benifiber helps with all poop issues. Both extremes. My gripe.....9 days post op. Feeling so great but craving real food. Today had bites of chicken (chewed to pulp) and a shrimp. So freaking good. I feel like I taste things more now. So far my tastes have not changed.