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Got it, ok. Mine are probably a more traditional case. They look more similar to post baby boobs, despite my never having kids. Good to know about Bariatric Pal MX. Since I will more than likely have to split up my surgeries, it might make sense to save the money and go to MX for one of them, if I can get good results. Maybe tummy tuck and crescent arm lift. I'll have to really check out their pics. Thanks for the heads up on the p0rn star boobs. I see enough of those around to know that is NOT what I want

I am not sure if the awkward feeling is related to your age or not, but I think its natural to feel a little uncomfortable dining out with other people, but you'll get used to it with a little time. It's an adjustment for you---particularly since you're still very restricted in what you can eat at this early point in your post-op recovery. I am sure it will get easier once you get approved to eat solid foods. If you're friends are good friends, they'll understand that you just had bariatric surgery and can't eat the same way anymore. As for you not being able to hold food/water down, that's also pretty normal this soon after surgery. You're new sleeve is still swollen and you don't know how to use it yet. I am a few weeks ahead of you in the recovery process and I probably throw up three or four times a week. I don't feel nauseous, but if I eat to much, too quickly or make the mistake of drinking too soon after eating--it's barf city!!! I feel like crap for a few seconds and it just has to come up. Again, totally normal and a sign that I (you) are still learning how to use your sleeve. It won't be like this forever--so no worries!!!!

I resist talking about my dad's surgery here because his tale is not mine to tell BUT since I am nameless and he doesnt internet it's ok. His kidney doctor told him to stop taking calcium. They just do blood tests to make sure he has enough or whatever. I dont agree. (He is a few years out and met his goal) My first urologist said calcium citrate does not contribute to kidney stones, high purine or oxalate foods do such as spinach and tea. My new urologist (new insurance) said whoa on the calcium and on all vitamins above 100% RDA but he wont put it in writing and defers to the bariatric doctor. I am sticking with bariatric stuff because I can live with kidney stones but will die malnourished. I am guessing the food volume being reduced so drastically should help. I have to get surgery and a stent placed next month.

I have kidney stones but probably started growing them pre-surgery since I was treated for a bunch of UTI for blood in my urine the year prior. I didnt feel like I had a uti, no painful pee etc. But passed 2 after surgery and had the tell tale back pain to go with them so that pointed to kidney stones. And then I started filtering my pee and there was enough sand to fill a bucket. Not really but peeing sand feels bad too. I have to have surgery next month because I have a 1.5 centimeter one that is too big to pee out. I came to snoop the forums because the kidney stone diet is totally nuts. And doesnt mesh with after surgery diet. Going to a new appt with new bariatric docs (since I now have kaiser) to figure out wtf. Kidney guy doesnt want me to take any vitamins over 100% RDA and non protein powder and no collagen. He is deferring to the bariatric docs whom I assume will refer back to him. Basically I'll follow bariatric stuff because I dont want to die from too little protein etc. So be prepared when the urologist hands you the most absurd diet you have ever seen. Only corn, squash, kale, parsnips and 6oz max total all day for animal protein: chicken, pork, fisg, low fat dairy. No spinach, no fruit, no anything. They actually said sugar was ok wtf. I am sort of freaking out.

I get full quickly, but I do get hungry. I am not sure about how long it takes for me to get hungry after a meal--but it's usually in the evening when I feel particularly hungry. I had my week 3 stall for 5 days, now I think I am in week 6--so, it's another little stall. No big deal. I think this is just par for the course. I lost 6.5 pounds last week, so I expected a stall around now. I am sure the losing will start up again in a day or two. If not all do something to change up my diet a bit to get things going again. Probably adding more fiber to my diet would help! Hey Lolo, I agree that weight is lost in the kitchen, not the gym (technically the gym helps with weight loss too, but only if you stick to a solid diet plan). I am at the gym for 2 hours a day (because I take a 20 minute warm up on the elliptical or treadmill (moderate intensity), take a 45min-1 hour spin class (high intensity), then probably 30 minutes of weight training (4-5x a week) (I do cardio everyday, but only 4-5 times a week of weight training). There is a few minutes of down time between each activity, so the total minutes adds up. This is my "ME" time (the only ME time I get in the day). I feel great and I am starting to get some muscle tone and definition. I am also definitely improving my strength and endurance, which is important to me and is definitely a health benefit. I have watched Dr. Vuong's videos, including his video on why WLS patients shouldn't exercise for at least 6 months. To be honest, I am not a big fan of Dr. V. He might be a great surgeon, but he's also a full of himself and a big self-promoter. He puts out videos with controversial topics just to get his YouTube views up (IMHO). A prime example is his video entitled "Real Talk: Why You Should Not Exercise After WLS". Seriously, tell me that title isn't begging for views when every other bariatric surgeon in the world encourages their patients to exercise, including Dr. Matthew Weiner (another YouTube surgeon that I respect). Frankly, Dr. V has some good advice on nutrition and post-op dieting (that I largely agree with), but he is also full of crap half the time and much of his advice is based on broad assumptions and generalizations about WLS patients and how he believes we think and feel. His primary reason why WLS patients should not exercise is because he believes that for us, exercise (particularly) is a form of punishment that we inflict on ourselves or something we feel we have to do because that's what society expects. For some weight loss patients, maybe this view is true, but it certainly does NOT apply to many of us (yourself included!!). He also assumes that we have no idea what we are doing in the gym and we should not start working out in a gym until we can afford to work with a personal trainer. I think this might be a good advise for any person (WLS patient or not) that has never worked out before and has no idea what they are going to do when they get to the gym besides walk on a treadmill for 15 minutes. However, to suggest this should be a rule that applies to WLS patients in general is total BS. Clearly, Dr. V incorrectly assumes that all we did as obese people was sit on a couch and eat all day. That may be true for some WLS patients, but many of us had active lives even when we were at our heaviest and even went to the gym (we just couldn't lose weight and keep it off effectively). We are not all people that could have been cast on "My 600 Pound Life". Anyway, I can keep going when it comes to Dr. V--but I won't.

Oh and btw.... It's not just bariatric patients that that puke Sent from my moto e5 (XT1920DL) using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow! Congrats!! And a scary and awesome problem to have all at the same time! Hey so describe your food routine like how many times a day do you eat? How big are your servings? Do you eat meat/veg/fruit/grain together in 1 meal? Do you eat compound meals that are comforty/casserole/stewy stuff or do you concentrate on eating protein (lean grilled) + everything is separate? If it were me, I'd maybe look at getting a functional RD or trainer who understands bariatrics. I'd want to make darn sure that the weight I put back on was muscle which means strength building. I've no idea how to do that! But we have some fitness gurus who do!!! @Healthy_life and @BigViffer among others who might be able to shed some light. Sounds like you're a lucky one who gets to have more calories than you're taking in right now!!! Wooohoooo!

@elcee OMG you went through the wringer and back!! feeling those awful thoughts, hurting so much. i am so sorry you experienced this situation, being understandably scared of what was going on!! take care at home, heal slowly - don't rush - this was very serious - do only what your body is allowing you to. I don't think you should walk and walk as you would a "normal" bariatric surgery. Do whatever the doc allows. This is no time to be a hero - you must totally recover at your own pace. Take care my friend🤗 kathy

Hi I’m new here on bariatric pal, Im Caroline I’m 22 and I had my sleeve done December 31st. Does anyone else around my age feel awkward around friends when they eat? Also it is still normal to not be able to hold stuff down?

It's good I went early, too, because the bariatric surgeon saw my intestines had separated at the new juncture. O_O

So far a little better today. I threw out my first protein shake. Not entirely surprised as I hate strawberry. I replaced it w a tomato soup from bariatric pal. This isn’t a protein isolate so not really on my plan. But it was good. I have another Isopure drink, grape frost. I hate the after taste on these. I mixed it w Sprite Zero and its much more tolerable. Hopefully I don’t fall apart in the afternoon again.

Thank goodness for this forum or I wouldn't have learned about the dreaded Week 3 stall. I was going crazy trying to figure out how I could be eating so little and exercising and yet not dropping any weight. Thank goodness in Week 5 the numbers on the scale are starting to move again. I wish my bariatric office had forewarned me about the Week 3 stall so I'd have been prepared for it and not freaking out.

Anyone can gain weight after a bariatric procedure by eating frequently of high calorie foods. For example, if I desired, I could drink milkshakes all day long. This is why surgery is a tool. It is up to the individual to follow a diet and exercise program. Once you are further out from surgery you will tolerate more foods, and slightly larger portions. All of us are at risk for regain.

I was told anything goes after 4 weeks check the bariatric eating website for protein products - I just bought coffee creamer with protein and they have snacks and stuff if u want protein but tired of shakes

Well not quite but it certainly feels like it. I'm finally home from hospital after spending 5 nights there rather than the planned 3 - 4. Went in for surgery last Thursday. Removal of band, repair of hiatus hernia and revision to RNY. The surgery took about 3 hours and was apparently pretty standard. Came round in recovery , felt ok and was taken back to my ward. Still felt ok. No real pain or nausea which is always a bonus. Had my glass of ice to suck when I suddenly started to feel really strange. Hit the call button and when the nurse came in told him (or her can't remember now) that I thought they may need the crash cart. By this stage my monitors had started going crazy as my BP was dropping through the floor so the first Met call was placed. Most of the nurses from the floor came rushing into my room and I was convinced I was going to die. All I could think was no how stupid am I , why did I do this, what on earth will my Mum and kids and hubby etc say.They got me partially stabilised and I stopped feeling dizzy and then I started shivering like mad ( another sign of hypovolemic shock) . I kept telling the nurse I was cold which was hardly surprising since they had me mainly uncovered but she was trying to concentrate on getting a cathline in and it wasn't working as my veins had all collapsed. 2nd met call placed and a couple of ED docs came in as well. They were ultrasounding me to see if they could find some blood loss and my BP was down to 75/45 My surgeon was contacted ( I think he was still in surgery at this point) and it was arranged to take me back to theatre urgently. At some point I apparently had a CAT scan but I don't know when as by that time I was very groggy and I am sure my recollection of the true events is severely impaired.I have since heard that they went back in , looked for a leak , cleaned me up etc. I don't think they found anything significant but I don't know the full details. I recall waking up in ICU and thinking oh I'm still alive which was a relief but I still wasn't confident that things couldn't change. Friday sometime I was deemed fit enough to be transferred back to the normal ward. Again I was doing fine on clear liquids, had no pain and wasn't using my Fentanyl pump excessively but I definitely felt like I had been hit by a bus. Zero energy and like a washed out dishrag. That could be expected after major surgery except I am usually the one that is bouncing around the ward in record time amazing everyone. I felt so good after my hysterectomy that I kept getting out of bed to go somewere forgetting I had a pain pump attached! Physician ordered more blood tests to check my HB levels, apparently they were still really low even though I had been given 2 units of blood in the second surgery so Saturday evening I received another 2 units of blood. My temp spiked slightly whilst the first lot was going in but the on call Dr told them it was OK to continue. I was lying there think yep I'm not out of the woods yet and being anxious is probably not good for recovery. By Sunday I was getting a bit frustrated with food as I was still on clear fluids , I think the extended stay confused the hospital kitchens and the weekend staff.Especially as by this stage I had been told I had to do a NO 2 before I could go home and obviously that wasn't possible with what was in me. I refused to take the lactulose as last time it had me in agony for hours and wasn't going to go through that again. I did behave and take 2 doses of Movicol on consecutive days which eventually had the desired effect. I also find it annoying that as a bariatric patient the kitchen brings all your food for each meal in one go and then they don't look happy when they have to take melted jelly and sour yogurt back a couple of hours later! We won't talk about that yogurt it was vile, sour, unflavoured drinking yogurt, it wasn't even palatable when it was fresh. I finally started some Optifast yesterday and was hoping the protein would help boost my energy levels. Sadly it didn't. The best meal of the stay was some delicious cauliflower soup. On Sunday my Physician ordered a Physio check on me but when they tried to contact her she had already finished her shift!!!!@@@@###( Does make you wonder why you pay for a private hospital). Got to see her yesterday and she just checked on my breathing exercises, made sure I was walking ok and gave me tips for when I got to go home. My energy levels by then were still zero, if I managed to do the recommended walking it would wipe me out for the rest of the day. I have no idea how people walk off their gas pain so its a good job I didn't really have much. I climbed into bed to try and get some sleep and then realised I could hear voices under my pillow. Can you imagine the state of my mind by now? I concentrated on the voices and then realised it was my breathing, some of the worst wheezing you have ever heard. I called the nurse in and told her and I think she made a note but nothing else happened. They change shifts at 9.30 so it was probably 8pm ish when I raised it again and said how frustrated I was. Surely it wouldn't have been that hard to get someone to check on me. Maybe nurses dont know how to use stethoscopes, thats fine but there must have been some Drs in the hospital somewhere. Then the **** hit the fan as the person in the room adjacent to me had a seizure so they had an emergency situation to handle which meant they went home late which meant that despite their promises they didn't call and speak to a DR. I am sure if they had one would have telephonically ordered a blood test or an xray or told them to give me some salbutomol. I swear I slept for a max of an hour last night. It was so uncomfortable. I couldn't get into a position where I felt I could breath properly. The wheezing was loud enough to wake the dead and I had the sensation of popcorn popping in my throat! Half way through the night the nurse must have realised there was a problem as she came and put the O2 back on me. I was terrified. I even messaged my hubby in the early hours telling him I was scared and asking him to get there as soon as possible in the am so he could be there when the drs did their rounds. Dr this morning was lovely, he couldn't understand why someone hadn't called him. He decided it sounded like Asthma( which I haven't formerley been diagnosed with) so ordered me to be nebulised. It seemed to help so I have now been sent home with an inhaler and spacer. It still seems pretty bad when I lay down so may have to try and sleep sitting up for a few nights. I don't regret having had the surgery now it is behind me but had I known how close things were going to be I would definitely have thought about it a little bit harder. I thought that I had done my research and that the odds were good but maybe I was a little too blase.I will definitely only be having future surgery if I really have to and even then I shall be absolutely terrified. Hope I haven't bored you all with my long story and if anyone else got Asthma after surgery would love to hear from you.

Well congratulations to Peaches for selecting you, congratulations on your weight loss, you know, Bariatric Pal is one of the few places you can say " You are less the woman that you used to be" and it will be regarded as a compliment, not a put-down. What a wonderful 6 months YOU have had, and keep moving on toward your goals, and keep updating us as each NSV occurs.

I was recently honored to be asked to contribute to the January 2019 Special Report entitled Heavy Liabilities: Obesity, Weight Control, and Treatment Risks for Medical Law Perspectives, a publication intended to help attorneys, physicians, insurers, employers, risk managers, diet drug manufacturers, and patients who want to better understand medical-legal issues that may arise in connection with the treatment of obesity or other weight-related conditions. My topic was "How Can Insurance Benefits For Bariatric Surgery Be Obtained After A Denial?" and I hope it is helpful to anyone facing a denial from their insurance company.

Bariatric Fusion chewable multi. 4 chewables per day and it has everything you need - so no need to remember different pills (multi, calcium, iron, etc). I like the orange, but they have a sample pack so you can try each of the flavors.

I was expecting to share a room, but was pleasantly surprised to have a room to myself! Plus, it was the bariatric floor, so there was tons of space and there was even a convertible couch type thing that my hubby could have slept on if he had wanted to stay the night with me.

Add coffee or bitter unsweetened cocoa powder to shakes and get as much as you can from real food like cottage cheese. Other than that, all I can advise it just think of the shakes as medicine. Once I went from 2 shakes to 1 it became more manageable. I drink 1 Ensure Max a day (unlike other Ensure it has 30 grams of protein, 150 calories and 1 gram of sugar). It is the most palatable of a terrible bunch out there but it sure ain't good. I add a little cold brew coffee concentrate to it, put it in a thermos and sip it over about 90 minutes. Weekdays are easier because I drink it at work and I am distracted from the gross taste, thick feeling in my mouth and the unsettled stomach feeling. I have tried adding fruit, milk, etc. but it just makes it bigger and it doesn't improve the taste much, so I just found a shake with low calories and high protein. It really, really sucks, but you just have to man up and drink the ****. I was not able to choke it all down right after surgery, but at least try at get a little more each day. Bariatric hot cocoa is a good way to get in the grams too, as is Fairlife milk.

If you have GERD they may advise you to switch to bypass, sleeve will not cute that, in fact it usually makes it worse. Foot getting stuck could mean you have an esophageal stricture or the valve between your esophagus and stomach is a little wookey, might be another strike against a sleeve. But your doctor will know more of your particular case than I do. Not a doctor, not a nurse. just another bariatric journeyer on her own trek.

Just an observation: I've noticed that the proper serving size for almost all foods is actually the serving size bariatric patients are supposed to eat. Everybody just eats 3 times the serving size on the labels. Nearly everything is 1 cup or less or 4oz or less or 1 slice, etc. Makes life easy since you don't have to measure nonstop... just actually follow the recommended serving size for once. Once upon a time I used to laugh at how little they'd say a serving size was... but now it makes so much sense. lol. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

I haven't heard back from the doctor yet on my endoscopy results but I logged into my bariatric app and read the discharge notes on the endoscopy. Apparently I have GERD. I didn't know that. I wonder what that will do to my surgery or if I have a hernia like my friend does and that is why my throat makes funny noises sometimes or food gets stuck. I never thought much of it. ON the positive side, the nurse at the desk said that I don't have to maintain my weight and that I should be losing so I'm ok there. My scale read 269.8 today! Of course that was in all my glory and not dressed at the drs but still, it was the first time I've seen that number in a long time. I hope I'm still there tomorrow. We will see. I have to leave work early tonight to go to the sleep study center to pick up the machine for the at home sleep study. I got up twice in the middle of the night last night due to female issues. I hope I can sleep through the night tonight so I don't have to do that and get an inaccurate reading.

Your best shot at it would be Dr. Keshishian in Glendale. He is one of the handful of docs capable of doing the very complex RNY to DS revision, and while you don't need that level of revision, a good DS oriented surgeon is a good bet for a VSG as the DS is based upon the sleeve, so those docs have been doing sleeves much longer than most bariatric surgeons. When I had my VSG done 7-8 years ago, I went up to SF to have it done as there was no comparable level of experience in LA at the time (Dr. K was still mostly practicing in the Central Valley then.) He will probably advocate that you revise to the DS, as that does generally provide better and more durable long term results, but the decision is yours. If your band failed mechanically rather than on weight loss or regain, and you otherwise lost and maintained well with it, then the VSG should do just as well for you, but without the mechanical issues. If, on the other hand, you did struggle to lose enough with the band, or regained with it, then the DS is well worth considering.

Disclose your surgery to whoever you want. If you want to post, blog, youtube or instagram for others to follow, that's great. You will find some people will be supportive and other negative about WLS. Don't waste your time educating others if they are not open to the information. Realistically it's hard to keep it a secret. You can't hide rapid weight loss. People will automatically suspect surgery. It's none of their business. You can truthfully say, I work hard at this. Logging food, eating healthy, and exercise. Personally, I don't feel the need to be the spokesperson for bariatrics. I told family and friends that were supportive.