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Has anyone gotten banded by Dr. Jamshid Nazarian in Southern California? His bio reads... Dr. Jamshid Nazarian is a diplomat of the American Board of Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons. As an active member of the American Society of Bariatric Surgery and International Federation of Bariatric Surgery, Dr. Nazarian's focus is on Bariatric Procedures. He has been practicing in Los Angeles since 1986, and has performed over two thousand Bariatric cases. In total, he has participated in more than four thousand Bariatric surgeries. After completing his general surgery residency in New York at the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital, Dr. Nazarian completed his fellowship in thoracic surgery at Wayne State University in Michigan and Hahnamann University in Pennsylvania. Dr. Nazarian’s practice specializes in Laparoscopic procedures (minimally-invasive Gastric Bypass), and he has performed a large number of difficult corrective Bariatric surgeries referred from other institutions. Dr. Nazarian believes that each individual’s needs are unique and require customized care. He strives to improve each patient’s quality of life through his surgical expertise, professional qualifications, and extensive experience. Residency and Fellowships: General Surgery Brooklyn Jewish General Hospital, New York Thoracic Surgery Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI Hahnemann University Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA Societies - Memberships - Affiliations: American College of Surgeons The International College of Surgeons The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity Maybe I'm freaking out a little but he yawned during my consultation and I just think that's kinda rude. Also, the staff that works at his 'practice' are kinda pushy... What do you all think?

Anything else on the bariatric menu besides Salmon?

I told everyone because I feel it helps to remove negative stigmas associated with obesity and Bariatric surgery. I have only gotten positive responses. I think my confidence in the decision and how I presented it may have shutdown any possible naysayers..

I would look for one that works with bariatric/weight loss surgery patients.

I too had a difficult experience with my first fill. The Dr. couldn't find my port for the longest time, and there was much poking around with the needle and two changes of needles before he finally got it. I had to ask for some local anesthetic half way through because I couldn't take it anymore. Now I'm going back again next week because I don't feel like I have enough restriction. Reading this thread has renewed fears that maybe there was something wrong with my band. I have some restriction, but I can still eat everything, and certainly more than I should be. It's all willpower right now that's keeping it under control.

I had a bariatric consult approx 2 months ago and was told that my insurance would not cover the surgery. (My husband had me convinced it would) I have a BMI of 31.5 with some other medical conditions. During my consult, the physician offered to see my husband, who had Gastric Bypass 1 1/2yrs ago. (We just moved from another state) To be pro-active (I don't have a date set yet) I called that doctors office and asked if they would follow me if I went to Mexico for my surgery?! They called me back a couple days later and told me NO! I live right outside of Omaha, Nebraska now... My primary doctor is okay~ But she wants to send me to a specialist for everything!! Has anyone had any problems?! Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom!!

@@snickysnack78 You are making very good progress! Think about losing 27lbs in 5 weeks, that is over 5lbs per week! As you get closer to your goal you won't see numbers like that. If I lose 10 per month now that is an exceptional month for me. I just saw my bariatric team yesterday, they don't set a goal. They want to ensure you are happy with your weight loss. Well, they were extremely happy with my progress and as I said, I lose on average about 10lbs per month. I may or may not get to my personal goal before my one year anniversary which is at the end of September. The big thing is that you follow the plan. If you do that and not stray off, the weight will come off. For some it happens a little slower but in the end everyone catches up over the long haul. I would not worry about your follow up, it should go well for you.

You and I are only 2 weeks a part surgery wise. I have skipped my vitamins and it is not as big an issue for us VSG, but we do need them especially early on. I cannot drink with meals because it hurts and sometimes I have to wait more then an hour because of the pressure. I have a prescription from my bariatric team for 800 mg ibuprofen. VSG here are allowed NSAID. Some days on vacation I have not gotten all my protein I have on vacation ate out quite a bit but do try to make the best choices.

Nancy, Thanks! I started out with it reading: Taming the Cookie Monster, but after a while, it didn't fit anymore, so I changed it. I like it better that way. I really did have a problem with baked sweets, Cookies, brownies, etc. It amazes me that those things no longer dominate my thoughts and my eating behaviors. That has been one of the miracles of the band for me. Congrats on starting your journey. I had my surgery in Denver by Dr. Dave Melniczek. His practice is much smaller than Dr. K, but he's about the same price; 9,000 for self-pay patients. That includes the first three months of fills. I've been very satisfied with him. I can reach him very easily by email or even by cellphone. He calls me personally every few weeks to see how I'm doing. I would recommend him. Here's his website: Lap Band Surgery Denver, CO | Weight Loss Surgery Center Colorado | Bariatric Treatment miztr, I totally agree! It is so much easier to make good choices when hunger isn't what is driving you! How did the fill go?

I have developed a technique for dealing with people I don't want to tell about bariatric surgery and it works so well. Here's how it goes... There is a particular pattern to most conversations about weight loss that goes like this. Observer: Wow! You've really lost a ton of weight. Person who lost weight: THANKS! [explains how they lost weight, how much they lost] All I do is when people I don't know/like enough ask me about my weight loss, I just politely say "Thanks." That's it. I don't give details on how much I lost, how I lost it... nothing. I then either smile and move on to something/someone else or I flat out change the subject. You would be amazed how well this works. People don't know what to do when you won't play the game. When they give you the opening to tell them about your weight loss and you don't take it, they just freeze. It works like a charm.

Excellent! Congratulations mickally! What an inspiration for me...I'm making good progress but you have made GREAT progress. Very happy for you and feeling more motivated. Congrats to you as well KristinaRnY! The forums on bariatric pal are very helpful to me and especially so following the surgery. Best wishes!

Congratulations for making the jump! I too, have opted for the sleeve in Mexico. I'm going with Dr. alejandro lopez (Specialized Bariatrics) at Hospital MI Doctor on January 20. I honestly think that there are so many good surgeons out there that as long as you have made your best effort to research everything you can about them, the surgeon you ultimately choose will be the best for your situation. :-) I also decided not to deal with my insurance company in the States. By the time I jumped through all of the ridiculous hoops, denials, appeals, denials, appeals, etc., I would still be paying around $8k out of pocket, even if it was "covered" by my insurance. No thanks. I did my due dilligence and feel completely comfortable about going to Mexico, and hope to be able to be an advocate for it when all is said and done. Good luck to you! :-)

Sorry I just seen this, I don't usually go on this site much, I spend most of my time with a great group on FB, called Bariatric Living & recipes. So please accept my apologies. I am always available on FB too or by email if anyone wishes to keep in touch. I do have to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE my sleeve, best thing I've ever done.Wish I never got the band. I don't ever throw up, have food stuck, and can eat whatever I want if I WANT TOO. I had my surgery Feb. 29th and have lost 35 lbs so far and feel great. Its slow but that is ok with me. SO if anyone is thinking about the sleeve, I say GO FOR IT! My doctor is great also, Dr. Edward Pucci out of Ridgewood, NJ, but he does have offices in NY too. Thats all everyone keep the faith and contact me if you want to be friends! Check out the Facebook group too!

I need to find a primary care physician to write a medical necessity letter who has written them before. I moved to the Denver area and do not have one. I have a couple of co-morbidites, and am in the pre-op stage. I am at the 4 month wait period and need to get the letter ready to submit to insurance. How do I narrow the search down to find a primary care physician who does not have a problem with Bariatric surgery who will write the letter?

Well, I have found some to purchase on Bariatric pal. Amazon has some too. I have been researching through company websites, and just googling everything about the products that I think I might like. I have to avoid things like caffeine, and I don’t want everything to be super sugary. I spend a lot of time reading reviews and adding prices up on different websites to try to get the best prices. Next step I am going to e-mail the companies that I can not find samples for to ask about purchasing samples from them if possible. Who knows maybe soon there will be sample packs of everything available. They don’t know there’s a market for them if people don’t ask. 😁

I started mushies this morning. Threw up twice. Wouldnt go down. Burned my esophagus got stuck got nauseous right shoulder blade hurt so bad. Walked around n it finally came up with no effort or heaving at all. Scary. I think I will stay on liquids a while longer. I get full too fast. Popsicles are my favorite right now n I'll stick to fat free yogurt. Maybe this is best so I continue to practice abd learn to get all my protein and h2o in, etc. Moving onto mushies scares me anyway because I'm afraid if taking in too many carbs. Everything has so many carbs in the mushy stage choices. However, cottage cheese was ok. The things I purchased for mushy stage were egg white beaters, fat free cottage cheese, lactade far free milk, matzo ball soup, and two cans of fat free refried beans. Instead for now, I will stick to yogurt, pudding, Popsicles, jello, protein drinks, broth, and a little cottage cheese. The pain from the mushies really freaked me out bad. I started at 255 and 15 days later I am 233. I think I should walk more. And drink more h2o, but that's not an easy task and neither is getting down the protein drinks. My pain on right side is still persisting. Gas is not bad. I'm having a horrible time trying to get down the three massive sized bariatric advantage calcium pills. Ugh. The rest of the vitamins r ok cuz they r small and not so potent/powdery. My hair is ok at this point. I get really cold sometimes, but not bad. I have bad siatic pain still. So since I cannot stretch that much from the sleeve pain, I need to walk more like I said. Restroom issues r better. I get really tired a lot and lately more naseous. But I'm pretty sure that's nutrition related. I'm ok driving very very short distances slowly. My head definately says I'm hungry but the fact is I'm akways full for a long time on a tiny amount so even If I wanted to eat I could not. I'd throw up. Happy Sunday to u all. :0)

At 9 days out, I had to travel a little over 400 miles by car to attend nursing training. It was 10 hour training days, and I was on my feet for 6-8 hours per day for 3 days straight. I had paid the 4,000 non-refundable fee for the training long before I finished insurance requirements. Because of the surgeon's office screwing me around with a date, I had no choice. I won't lie, I felt lousy, but I drank a lot of carbs and full calorie Gatorade, and I was able to get through it. When I got back to the hotel every evening, I was knocked out until it was time to get up the next day. If it's new job orientation, and all you'll do is sit and listen, I think you'll be fine. Just make sure you're sipping the entire time, and go home and take naps everyday. Also, know in advance, the nearest hospital with a bariatric program, just in case you have complications. Good Luck!

Rox.. Just ask for the bariatric "bible" It's not an exclusive thing. Almost everyone will share their drs instructions if they still have it. Mines on my desk top and I don't need to religiously refer to it in order o succeed. You learn what you need to through research and others helping you out. That's what this forum is for

Yes, my nutrionist affiliated with my surgeon also recommended Bariatric Advantage. Really I had no clue and purchesd a large bag like a fool $59 and don't like it. Through trial and error I have found so many other Protein powders out there that are delicicous (to me). I really perfer "UNflavored" protein powder because I can mix it with anything. I found unjury and Now's unflavored protien powder is the best for me. Now, I have found for myself that "Pure Protein" chocolate protein powder is very good and at $17 for 2 pounds of it you can't go wrong. The nutrional value is great, and you get lots of protein in a scoop. Honestly, it is going to be through trial and error you will find your favorite, best of luck

Hi Candy! Welcome! Getting healthy for your children is awesome. My understanding is that if you are self-pay they process moves along quite quickly. It sounds as though just the timing of the tests and your required weight loss are the only things holding you back. Was the no-way just because your insurance doesn't cover bariatric surgery? Can you at least take advantage of the anesthesia of the hernia repair and have the band placed then? Sort of like a 2 for 1 discount? Best wishes for a smooth surgery and speedy recovery!!

Disclaimer: I am still pre-op (until Wednesday). I also know that weighing/measuring/and recording foods are going to be my biggest challenge. That said: I do believe from everything I have learned that this will be vital to my success. At least, it will be in the first several months while I retrain my body to eat the right foods in the right portions. In the simplest of explanations: By weighing and measuring your food, you can be sure accurately eat proper portions and nutrient amounts. When we "eyeball" amounts, we tend to serve ourselves more than we are supposed to eat at one time. When we do that, we are overeating. We also are more unsure of what amounts of nutrients we are eating (too many carbs, too little protein). My "small" bowl may only hold 4 ounces of food, your "small" bowl" may hold 6-8 oz of food. That is a huge difference, and can mean the difference in being successful or not with your weight loss. The goal is to get the right portion sizes with the right nutrient amounts. And in keeping portion sizes small, you are reducing the risk of stretching your stomach back. When you do that, you are more hungry and you want to eat more. I hate measuring, so right now I buy individual sized servings of anything I can. 1 serving of tuna or chicken. 1 serving of greek yogurt or v-8 juice. Or whatever foods I have been told to eat. Post-op... I know I will be eating less at each meal for a while. So, I purchased 2oz and 4oz disposable containers. I will use them to put things like my jello and yogurt into until I am up to a full serving. For tracking food, I am learning to use the Bariastic app... but there are other apps you can use. I like this one as it is pretty simple to use, and I can take a picture of UPC codes for my foods. I also bought scales for food not long ago. Another tool I bought was a bariatric portions plate/bowl. Waste of money? Maybe. But I am hoping it's plate bowl sizes and visuals will retrain me to automatically serve myself smaller portions. I have 2 bowls, 2 plates, and some smaller spoons/forks. Eventually I hope to not have to measure everything, but for the first 6 months to a year I will do my best to measure and track EVERYTHING.

This topic is merely being presented as an educational topic with hopes that there has been experiences in the use of Marijuana after bariatric surgery. I smoke marijuana maybe once a week like having a glass of red sangria to relax after a long hard week. Although I'm not a frequent user, I am wondering if I will be able to use it after surgery. Fact for me is that it does induce hunger and I am sure this would not be condusive to being successful after the sleeve, but let's be real, there may be users out there who give it try. Unfortunately, there are not any concrete studies on this either like there is for tobacco and alcohol users. So feel free to enlighten and share your thoughts. Thanks!

Please see the magazine article by Dr. Adeyeri! " Your Mind is the #1 Tool for Bariatric Weight Loss Success", which is on the right side of the screen. It is so well written. It might help you some. Good luck, take one day at a time.

Please let me know how it all went. My insurance co. just this year added benefits for bariatric surgeries.

Ok, I am going to post this since it has been quite the trip being here with Renee. As is with most surgery patients, Renee doesn't remember the first day and a half of her hospital stay, which is probably a good thing. We said that we would tell the good, the bad, and the ugly. Renee and I have talked at great length about this post and she is aware of everything that will be posted and is in full agreement with what will be put out here. When she is feeling better and can get around better she plans on expounding on things. Renee had a really rough time with the surgery for a couple of reasons. 1) She has a hard time with anesthesia and 2) because of the fibro/cfs she had developed a very high tolerance to narcotics and lastly 3) anxiety. Our biggest concern going into the surgery was how was Renee's body going to respond to the surgery with the fibro. Was she going to come out of surgery in a full-fledged flare and be in uncontrollable pain? Fortunately for everyone, the fibro did not play a part other than her high tolerance to pain meds; which ended up being a detriment, but I will go into detail about this later. Renee came back from the recovery room in pain, but it was normal surgery pain, nothing more. Renee gets very emotional coming out from under anesthesia, and this time was no different. There were a lot of tears; she didn't want to stay in the bed. As a matter of fact she hadn't been back from the recovery room much more than 10 minutes when she sat straight up in bed - on her own, with no assistance, put her feet on the ground and announced to God and country that she was hot and then "FLASH!" She took both edges of her hospital gown and whipped them up as high as she could and started flapping! Fortunately, her son Logan wasn't in the room. It was at this point that I decided it was probably a good idea to put her shorts on her. This was something she was absolutely convinced she could do on her own...NOT! We got her shorts on her and got her back into the bed. If any of you own a dog, you know how they will circle, circle, circle trying to find a comfortable spot? Well, that is what it was like watching Renee after surgery, and it started right after Renee returned from the recovery room – around 5:45 pm. She was in a lot of pain and we had to ask for pain meds every couple of hours. She’d be able to sleep for 45 minutes to an hour at a time and we’d start the process all over again. At around midnight, Renee started dry heaving. Nothing was helping. When I went out the last time and the nurse said there were no more meds to give Renee, I said to call the doctor. The doctor made it in quite quickly, I was very impressed. After looking over everything, he came in and gave Renee a strong dose of nausea medication and then stated that part of the problem was that Renee had a very high tolerance for narcotics and that in fact he had only known of one other person that had as high a tolerance as she had in the 8 years he had been in bariatrics. I asked him at the time if we could be dealing with an addiction and could she be going through withdrawals. He said it was very possible. At that point I was actually more concerned about the Lyrica and Effexor. He then gave her a healthy dose of something and said it would make her sleep for 3-4 hours. Remember that circling dog thing? Well, I had walked out to talk to the doctor in the hallway. In a split second Renee managed to do a face plant on the floor, she had fallen out of the bed. It only took me a few seconds to get in the room with the doctor on my heels. Renee had managed to end up halfway under the hospital bed. She must have hit the IV pole full on and had a pretty good cut on her ear. I don’t know how he managed it, but the doctor was down on the floor and had gotten Renee pulled up on his lap and was cradling her head on his shoulder. I have never seen a more caring physician in my life. They finally managed to get Renee back in the bed and she was down for the count, but only for about an hour. It was when she woke up dry heaving again that the doctor explained the difference between dry heaving and nausea/throwing up. Dry heaving is a reflex action that can be controlled by deep breathing, the new stomach flexing its muscle if you will. Nausea/throwing up are mechanical, the stomach contracting, the contents coming up, etc. It was at that point that Renee made a turnaround and started getting better. From my standpoint, we were worried about how the surgery was going to affect the fibro/cfs, more from a flare perspective. In the end, it was her high tolerance to narcotics that was the actual problem and that came out of left field, something that wasn’t even considered. Withdrawal symptoms of all three medications she takes for the fibro/cfs – Lyrica, Effexor and Loritab have the same withdrawal symptoms – nausea, vomiting, high anxiety. All these things combined made for the ‘perfect storm,’ if you will. This had nothing to do with Dr. Aceves’ surgical abilities; I have the highest respect for the man as a surgeon and still feel he was the best surgeon for Renee. This is about things to be aware of, nothing more. The hospital staff, Dr. Acevas and Dr. Campos, and even the hotel staff were fantastic! So if anyone out there has the fibro/cfs issues please keep this in mind so that this same situation can be averted. The withdrawal symptoms combined with anxiety attack = the pain not being able to be controlled and ensuing dry heaving/nausea. Just my opinion.