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I just scheduled my surgery for October 10th with Dr. Patterson! I am so excited!!! I am a surgical nurse so I see surgery all the time (although we don't do Bariatric surgery at my hospital) but this is my first time having surgery I am also super excited to have Dr. Patterson because everyone I talk to tells me what a talented surgeon she is

Well I officially handed in my bariatric paperwork and medical records today! Woohoo! That was a lot of information to gather. Now starts the wait for the office to call and schedule my appointment with the nurse, NUT, and psyche appt. I think the waiting will be even harder than gathering all that information! Anyone else just getting started?

@Phoenix40...I called the Bariatric weight tracking line to report that I was within 5 pounds of the goal weight. The medical assistant called me the next day and gave me a psych appointment that was about two weeks later. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have a broken foot and sometimes I'm in a lot of pain at night. I was prescribed 5-325 Vicodin to take as needed. My bariatric doctor said it was no problem for me to take it.

What stage are you in? You will have may more options once you get back to regular cooked food. For me that was 4 1/2 weeks. Before that, I used baby foods for purees. For soft foods, I just took what I wanted and put it in the blender with enough broth or Water to make it the right consistency. If you are already in the regular stage and lost about menus, go to: theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com She is one of us and understands what we are going through. She has many recipes and bariatric - friendly menu ideas and wonderful stories about world-wide travel while newly sleeved.

Check out Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas. They have a fast track program for self pay/out of state. https://blossombariatrics.com/fasttrack/ I had my procedure with Blossom. I live in Las Vegas so I didn't do fast track but they have a very good price.

Who is Rex Bariatric in Raleigh and if you're going overseas for the surgery why do you need them? If your iron is low you have to find out why before surgery. Cuz these surgeries can be tough on iron status. So you need to be stable. If you of menstruating age that would or could explain it, but if not, then one of the most usual places for iron to escape is in the GI tract. Any doc can order a colonoscopy. How bout your PCP?

Haven't had surgery yet but how about those sites that send you clothes? Not sure if they are worth it, or if it works like I'm thinking but, maybe that would be a good way to try new clothes as you lose? Here is a site that has some tips: https://www.bariatricbody.co/post/12-step-guide-for-shopping-buying-and-making-your-clothing-wardrobe-work-after-bariatric-surgery

You should check with your PCP to make sure the absorption rate will not be affected by the size of your stomach. At the beginning I took mine two at a time with sips of water. After about a month I was able to take them all at once again. I was also told no pill bigger that the bed of your pinkie nail but fortunately the only one that was, was my multi which I switched to a bariatric brand and they are much smaller. I felt full but it lasted a short time. You should be fine, especially doing it right before bed.

Thank you Vinesqueen and Jack- I just needed to stop beating myself up over some damn corn chips- it's a good thing that the days of "flogging" are over..... I did take a nice 2 mile walk last night- made some healthy chiken salad and renewed my faith in myself! I was overly concerned about the hardness of my port area- thinking I had somehow stretched my pouch- I think it's just scar tissue- Anyway- Cheers to you both- (with my Peach Propel in hand) Take care. Viva La Band!!

There are two types of bariatric patients. Those who are chomping at the bit to get the surgery and get going, and those who have fear, cold feet, buyers remorse... however you want to put it. All I can say being on the other side for coming up to four years banded in January, is.....do it man! All the nonsense with timing, appointments, family stuff, personal stuff, whatever...is just that. Nonsense. Don't procrastinate my friend. Jump into the deep end. Believe me...you will be in such a better place a year from now. Why delay that? And so you know...I went into this kicking and screaming. I would have done anything to avoid it but my back was against the wall as I was heading towards a wheelchair full time. This is me just over a year ago and the before pic was easily 50 lbs. less than I was day of surgery. So..not only no wheelchair in that picture, but here I was riding a friggin' bike in preparation for a trip to London...which included a ton of walking. So believe me when I say that the grin you see is 'gen-you-wine' happiness. Time for you to have your happiness too. Good luck!!

It will take time for your emotional relationship with food to change. And the more effort you put into changing your lifestyle from " food centered" to " health centered" and all the things you can do to support that, the better off you'll be! I've found that pre planning my menus and looking for healthy versions on the bariatric food blogs has turned my focus from " can't to can! I have to be alert so my body doesn't go back to gaining mode. Also exercising. 5-6 days a week to support and increase weight loss keeps me busy. Believe me, nature wants to get me back to my old weight because that's what our bodies tend to want- homeostasis ( not change).

I just joined and saw your problem. I was banded in Sept 2005 about a year later i had excruciating pain in the left lower abdomen. I went to an internist, the gastroenterologist, had a colonoscopy, went to the gynocologist and my bariatric surgeon. She thought the port line was twisted. She did another laproscopic surgery. in fact the port cord was twisted. But 3 days later the pain began again until i had to be taken to the hospital. its my gastroenterologist who sent me there and i had emergency laproscopic surgery. The surgeon found nothing wrong in the abdomen or stomach. The pain came back. It was my family internist who figured out the it was proably scar tissue that developed in my abdominal wall ( in a muscle) which cant be seen during surgery or on scans and was pressing on a nerve. All I know is he put me on medication to relieve the stress and calm the muscles down. It has been under control since then. I hope you feel better.

Hello Texan/DFW Sleevers! I have been researching getting sleeved for almost a year now, as I have gained and gained more weight. My insurance has an exclusion to bariatrics no matter what, so I am going Cash pay. Ive looked up several in the area that have great deals and look good - but there are so many its hard to narrow them down. Anyone else do cash or is everyone covered by ins? Glad to be here and cant wait to be on the losing side soon! Misty

What exactly does the Bariatric University classes consist of?? Is it different from the BEND classes that insurance requires?? I will be attending my 2nd of 3 BEND class later this month.

Msro, I'm very glad for your having good insurance, too! It's key to good health. My husband lived in California for a few years before we were married and says he had the best insurance there. The premium was relatively low and the benefits were excellent. In Texas, the insurance industry is horrible. My husband has his own business and so he buys our insurance. We pay about $1,000 a month with a $15k annual deductible EACH (and there are three of us). Other than my weight (my BMI is 39 or 40), and my hypothyroidism (all that requires is semi-annual bloodwork and an inexpensive generic prescription) there are no other outstanding health issues in my family. I feel like we're just paying off a mafia every month or something, if we paid our of pocket for all our health expenses we would come out ahead (our monthly health expenses come nowhere near 1k). And yet, here I am, going to Mexico to have surgery. In Texas, he who has the gold makes the rules -- in this case, the insurance companies. BCBS TX sets the precedents and all the other insurance companies follow their lead. We had hoped to change insurance plans in the new year to one that had bariatric benefits, but our insurance salesman told us that no insurance company on the open marketplace in Texas offered bariatric benefits. If the big one doesn't do it, none of the other insurance companies feel compelled to. There's zero competition. Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts during surgery! I'll come back to this thread and let you all know how I am doing as soon as I am able. Please do the same. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Be mindful that all bariatric surgeons aren't skilled in every type of bariatric surgery. There are surgeons out there that will discourage you from having a surgery that they don't perform. I would try to find a surgeon that is skilled in both surgeries so that you can get an unbiased assessment of the best surgery for you.

The most important reason why a surgeon, and I believe all Bariatric Centers of Excellence, require a sleep study is to determine if you have sleep apnea because it directly affects anesthesia -- it is for your safety. Many of us who are morbidly obese do have sleep apnea, and it is a key piece of information for your anesthesiologist during your surgery. This is not to minimize the opportunity to diagnose sleep apnea and prescribe a lifesaving CPAP or other device -- but prior to surgery, it is a patient safety issue. You WANT your anesthesiologist to know if you have sleep apnea.

Me too....waiting on PCP to submit a Letter of Support to Bariatric Team ...so they can submit everything for insurance approval...& Bariatric Nurse sd once they have approval, then Surgery gets sched in 2wks!!! so anticipating mid Aug appt too....???? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hey All! I'm a newbie here, but I've finally decided to start the process and get information about VSG. I feel mentally ready for it and that it's time, as I've been going round and round with the decision for years. I go back to my new PCP on 3/10 of this month to discuss it more and get bloodwork. I gave her a head's up at my initial consult that this was something I wanted, and she said let's see if you are a candidate at your next appointment. I already made my appointment with the weight loss center for the information center on 3/25. They advised they do not need a referral from my PCP, but to have my most recent labs sent over. When I called the weight loss center, I was advised that after the information session, you will be contacted within a week for the actual consult with the surgeon. I've been doing a ton of research so far, and I see a lot of folks have a 6-12 month supervised diet mandate with the insurance. After contacting my insurance company, they sent me the policy and advised that they have lifted their 6 month restriction. My policy states the following is needed for approval. BMI 40 and over or BMI of 35-39 with co-morbidity. Individuals should have documented to respond to conservative measures for weight reduction prior to the consideration of bariatric surgery and these attempts should be reviewed by the practitioner prior to seeking approval for the surgical procedure. HOWEVER, following that statement, it says "As a Result, some centers require active participation in a formal weight reduction program that includes frequent documentation of weight, dietary regimen, and exercise. However there is a lack of evidence on the optimal timing, intensity and duration of non-surgical attempts at weight loss, and whether a medical weight loss program immediately preceding surgery improves outcomes." HELP- what does this mean? Psych consult I'm pretty clear on the other first and last requirement, but the 2nd one has me spinning my wheels slightly. When I called my insurance to ask for clarification, I was advised that a letter of support from my PCP would likely suffice. My only hesitancy is that I just started with a new PCP, and I'm wondering if she will approve me off my BMI alone, or want to try conservative measures first since I am new patient there. If she doesn't provide letter of support, will the nutrition classes that the surgeon will inevitable require satisfy the letter requirement, can he be the one that writes it or does this text indicate that it needs to come from my PCP? I plan on calling the center during their business hours to ask if they've encountered this insurance wise tomorrow, as they were closed today. Any one run into this issue with their insurance policy? Any insight or perspective offered would be awesome.

This has been a very hot topic over the last few weeks. And I've got to say that things can get pretty heated and very preachy. Now, I know the "preachy" posters mean well and many have survived very harrowing life threatening complications (Iggy is one of them ...she nearly died). BUT, when chastising one person for "cheating" based on his/her particular doctor's conservative guidelines you are completely discrediting the other 50% of the docs who have more liberal guidelines. It is obvious from the wildly varied physicians post surgery instructions and "absolutes" that there is NO standardized guidelines. One surgeon allows mushy foods in the hospital, one says Clear liquids for 7 days, another one says clear liquids for 2 days then full liquids for 7 days then mushy, the next one says full liquids immediately after a leak test..... and on and on. One of the recent threads has a poster who was allowed STEAK 3 weeks!!!!! Obviously there is no consensus....and I'd find it hard to believe that the docs who are more liberal with post-op diets are incompetent or negligent. And in order to be so arrogant about one surgeons individual directives over another, that is the approach you would have to take. So, at this point I believe that the more conservative docs may be in CYA mode because people can be given and inch and take a mile. And I can say with almost certainty that the more liberal docs have never run into a complication that they believe was caused by patient compliance or their liberal guidelines. If they would have they would have immediately turned to the conservative route because malpractice sucks.... Now, to my individual experience. My doc's instructions fall into the conservative category... (clear liquids for 7 days then full liquids for 7 days then mushy).... I am 11 days out and for me to believe it poses a danger to eat some mushy oatmeal or thinned mash pototoes would mean I would have to believe that half the bariatric surgeons in the US are incompetent and negligent. Now, that does not mean I'm going to go hog wild and order a pizza and eat a steak tomorrow. I have no intention of eating solids until I've progressed along the actual phases. I am using common sense, my own research and my brain to make choices.

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Hello, I was banded on 12/17. I have my first fill on 1/3, I'm very ready! I haven't been an ideal patient since having my band. But I am ready to talk to my surgeon on Friday. Also I start my bariatric support meetings and have an appointment with my dietitian at the end of the month. Ready to get my mind better in the game and get some help and advice through this. Lapbandchic73, I know exactly how you feel!

I am wondering why people have chosen Lapband over other bariatric surgeries? I was set on Lapband but find myself considering gastric bypass. What influenced your choice?

I also bought the berry Bariatric Advantage brand and hated them! I am NOT a picky person and have had zero issues with nausea until those! I asked the nut and she put me on Flintstones Complete. No more problems:)