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I had surgery at an all Bariatric Hospital. I am allergic to Morphine but that’s usually not a big deal, there are plenty of other pain meds out there. I remember waking up post surgery and as I’m in and out the nurse tells the other that she gave me 2 douses of something for the pain. I’m still waking up as they are wheeling me to my room and things are hurting more and more and I’m getting pretty agitated. A nurses assistant comes in and gives me the morphine button and I press it like crazy. Eventually the nurse comes in and tells me that it doesn’t work. I’m getting super agitated at this point and I’m in a bunch of pain. My bed was hurting my skin. Every sense was heightened. I scream “I want to go to a REAL hospital!!!!” Next thing I know, I woke up 6 hours later. 😳

Anywhere from 118/58 at Bariatric surgeon to 140/90 while feuding with PCP, yeah I am labile but don't raise my hackles and things will be smooth. Have an appointment with Dr Karve, pronounced Kar-vay, in January, she's my cardiologist, uber smart, sure will address it with her if not sooner! Yes I sure don't want hypertension beating my 3 kidneys to death, rather fond of them all, my paltry claim to fame!

I would suggest upon waking, drink water immediately. Then coffee or tea, then water again. Hydrate (first thing) as much as you can. It really sets the tone for your day. Try a different creamer for coffee (sugar free, fat free international delight's or fat free half&half) or as most of the bariatric community has tried, protein shake as creamer. Game changer. I do this everyday and I don't need the extra protein but I can control the ingredients and cals from it so win/win because it tastes amazing too.

I did just that. I had already ordered 3 months worth and when I asked my nutritionist about them she said they didn’t know enough about them so didn’t recommend them. I decided to use them for my first 3 months until I was cleared to swallow pills. When I had my 3 month labs done everything was excellent, I asked her if deficiencies would turn up that soon and she said she can tell right away if people aren’t taking their vitamins. I switched to a Bariatric multi with iron and have been struggling with constipation 😫 I never had any problems with the patch so I might just go back to them? I never did tell her that I used the patch. I realize some deficiencies might take awhile to develop but lots of people are using them with good results!

Hey, can't speak to the chewable vitamins--I'm on Bariatric Advantage Multi or whatever. I took Miralax for two days (Days 4 and 5, respectively) and ended up having 4 BM on Day 5 (ha!). Apparently things were just taking their time brewing. Now, I know that post-op BMs are different for our two surgeries (I had RNY), so I can't really tell you how similar your experience will be, but all of my movements have been of a more soft/borderline explosive nature. I think I've read more from sleevers about the very hard consistencies. Sorry I can't help more! I will say to have hope if you feel grumbles and rumbles in your gut. Things are moving! They're just trying to remember where to go.

Your gastrointestinal system has no conscience, feels no guilt, you just had a warning free-fall, didn't you? Gosh I'm so sorry, of course, I haven't had it. The way Precious Pouch and my rerouted intestines are, maybe never will? I get so upset and yes Frustr8-ed at the turn of events, but my nutritionist Roy, yeah got a MALE one, and the rest of my bariatric staff are NOT WORRIED, they say Frustr8 you're plowing your own pathway to success, you will be fine, you will be healthy when THIS is all Over! Me? I'm. NOT SO SURE !😧💦😥

Definitely on the mend, thanks! Just completely curious as to whether everyone would be having the same illness quirks as I'm experiencing, or if this is bariatric-specific. And if it's bariatric-specific, is this same routine going to play out (on a lesser scale, please) for other stomach bugs? It's very odd. Anyway, coffee: the grand equalizer.

I had to wait til mine was scheduled to get the payment due amount from the hospital. I called billing for it. A couple of days later the program manager at my bariatric office called and gave me the info also. I didn't know they would be doing that. I knew that I'd have to come up with the copay, deductible and out of pocket max. But since you have double coverage it may be different. If your bariatric office has an office manager or program coordinator I'd start by calling them and asking how you get the info. Sent from my moto g(6) play using BariatricPal mobile app

I did contact but they’re so vague. While it is a bariatric surgery the reason isn’t for weight loss it’s for the reflux and that’s what we’re hoping they can present to the insurance. We shall see.

Oh, I forgot with the Bariastic, you can also time your chewing, between drinking and meals. It's a lot like My Fitness Pal, but like I said it's simple and focused on Bariatric consumers.

I use Bariastic. It also has bariatric friendly recipes for different stages. It keeps up with calories, protein, water, weight, measurements, etc. It's super easy and simple to use. Not a bunch of bells and whistles. Some people can link it to their program and the dr's can see. Mine doesn't, but it's available for some people. It's a free app as well.

Great idea! My list is... 1. Mobility-my knees, I couldn't do crap because it killed my knees. This is already nearly resolved and I am just 2 weeks out heh. 2. Health-been crazy healthy my whole life til 2 years ago. Had something else go awry in my body and had transfusions.... within 2 months I was diabetic, an MS diagnosis, high blood pressure, a huge weight gain, and such severe exhaustion and fatigue that I could barely make it to the bathroom, much less do anything or go anywhere. And I NEVER wanna be that way again so here I am post op already off Metformin and bp meds as I no longer have those conditions... and I can walk around my neighborhood! 3. Family-I love them so much, I wanna keep being involved with them for a long time 4. Longevity-Again, I love my hubby and kids and grandkids sooooo much, I wanna be around to enjoy them a good while longer! 5. Looks-bonus! But I dont think I would have had bariatric surgery over primarily looks, its just the icing on the cake to be better looking lol 6. Romance- doesn't matter, I have the best, kindest, most awesome hubby I could ever hope for already! He's amazing and makes my heart flutter and my world go round!

There are medical studies about GERD and VSG, but the most recent that I'm aware of showed no correlation or limited correlation. That being said, from experience there are quite a few people on forums like this that complain of GERD after VSG. But it seems to be hit or miss and just because you had or did not have GERD before VSG does not predict whether or not you'll have it. I seem to be constantly battling it. It's not so severe that I'd do anything drastic about it, I just wish I could get off the PPI's (Nexium) because I don't want to be on them for life. I do see quite a few revisions on here from VSG to RNY because of severe GERD. If you have to have a revision, I would say that you will have to go through most of the usual pre and post-op challenges you did with the sleeve and yes, that might include hair loss. Tellogen effluvium is not specific to type of surgery, but more because of the shock to your system. ANY surgery could cause it, even non-bariatric surgery because anesthesia and the healing process disrupts the growth cycle of your hair. Good luck!

I'm not sure if one post on four topics is more annoying, or if four posts would be more annoying. Sorry if I guessed wrong. I'm not checking this site quite as often, now, and when I do come in, I mostly only ever look at this thread, to see how my October surgery friends are doing. Carbs: I wouldn't say it's exactly the whole truth that we "can't have bread or rice," as a blanket statement. Like, no, not right now -- at least not unless your team said toast was OK, as some do. But long term, yeah, most of us will probably reintroduce whole grain bread and brown rice in small amounts. Some people might choose not to, but that's a personal choice, not a rule we all have to follow. Some plans (Kaiser, for instance) have people eating mashed potatoes now, so the "no carbs" thing is just one school of thought that some of the veterans on this site (and probably some nutritionists who are really into keto) push, but it is by no means a universal bariatric surgery rule. Liquid: This wouldn't have worked for me right after surgery, but as soon as I was able to take normal-size drinks (as opposed to those super careful small sips immediately after surgery), I went back to using my favorite mugs with hot beverages that I really enjoy (decaf hot teas, decaf coffee). One is 20 ounces, and the other is 24 ounces, so I only have to drink three mugfuls per day to get to 64 oz. I find it a lot easier to get to my goal because it feels manageable ("three mugfuls" combined with "I like this beverage") than if I'm using smaller cups or forcing down plain water (which hurts, sometimes). Pre-op, I did the same thing with water bottles, sometimes with Mio or something in them, sometimes with cold herbal teas, sometimes plain. That's probably what I'll do next summer, when hot beverages are less appealing. 😁 I kind of expect my sleeve to be more consistently OK with water by then, too. Goals: Did your teams give you weight loss goals? Mine didn't, for which I'm grateful, though I know the average for the sleeve is 60% excess weight lost. (Take your weight on surgery day. Find your ideal weight--I use one of the higher numbers, since I've always been heavy and will have more bone structure to support that than someone who spent most of their life thin. Subtract your ideal weight from your surgery weight. That is your excess weight. Multiply that by .6 to get 60%, and subtract that number from your surgery day weight. That is how much you can reasonably expect to lose and keep off, long-term--but it's just an average: some people do better, and some do worse.) So I've got that number in a spreadsheet, a year out from my surgery, and I'm tracking my progress once a week to see if I'm on track for that, with a little chart that shows how I'm losing extra fast right now, even with stalls. (To be clear: not everyone gets there in 12 months, and I don't fully expect to, since I'm battling arthritis, which limits my activity a bit. Many people lose for the first 18 months or so--faster in the beginning, slower toward the 18 month mark. Weight loss tends to be about done, at that point, unless you are really working hard, either athletically or with an extra restrictive diet.) Motivation: I see people lamenting stalls. I wonder if the weight loss chart would help you? Because I had a week and a half stall, and I could still see clearly that my weight loss line was below a straight one year line to the average goal weight for where I started. Also, for your mental health, please stop weighing yourself daily if you are the kind of person who will be upset by a stall. Also, if you haven't already, take measurements. How many inches around is your calf at its largest point? Your thigh? Your hips? Your waist? Your neck? Your upper arm? Write all that down. When you hit a stall, pull out the measuring tape. Seeing those differences will help you see that you're still making progress. ❤️

What variety will you be having? in the long run, you'll have,our friendship no matter what. So welcome, tell us more about you. And don't be. scared, I had a very bumpy road to my surgery, but you,know what! I'll never be sad I did it. I am 72, red-headed, pretty spunky, still it beats death all hollow and I feel I dodged that mortal bullet. I had an RnY on September 5th, 7AM at the Ohio State University Hospital-Wexner Medical Center in Columbus Ohio. . My surgeon was Bradley J Needleman MD, chief of Bariatric Surgery and Metabolic Weight Loss, full professor in the Medical College, the Top Dog in a wonderful,kennel of supporting doctors. And I cannot help but sing the praises of them all. I had a rough bumpy road getting my surgery and it still is not Total smooth sailing⛵I developed a Stomal Stricture and 5 evil post-surgery ulcers which are being difficult to resolve, but they are resolvable. My surgeon , my endoscopist who is his junior partner and myself are a team and we will beat this yet. Am I sorry I didn't have a VSG? Nope, I already had history of GERD, gastroenterologist had already discovered 1 baby ulcer whom I named Hector while on average PPI, so swiched to what he called the Ferrari,of PPI,Dexilant. Why would I want an surgery that would worsen my GERD? Why would I want to throw away the vast majority of my nautral stomach to do it? And although I now am functioning with a reduced in size, a turkey egg in truth, I could be rejoined back together back together, worse case scenario. Oh a stricture is not fun, won't tell you it is, but still is far better than dieing on an operating clinic table at the Cleveland Clinic , my 1st cousin JuneEllen , GERD can lead to Barretts Esophagitis which can and often does lead to Esophageal Cancer. So another mortal bullet my surgery helped me dodge, been 2 years, she was 68, would have been 70 the 18th of last month, when I turned 70 we joked about it, made plans about how we would celebrate her 70th, God I miss my JuneBug! Nobody should have to die like that! And thanks to my RnY I won't. Sad someone has to die to help secure your own life. Strong history of diabetes on my Daddy's side, weaker on Mama's but both died diabetic. 💓disease,yes that also, my son , my older boy, died at 31 of an undiagnosed asending aortic aneurysm, so that was another loaded gun aimed at me. He did not have full Marfans but a Marfanoid-syndrome, possibly. True Marfans is a dominate entity, neither my late husband or I had the disease, but in a rare sequence of events, he and I both. had subtle flaws that added up to this conclusion. I have an aortic root dilatation, one of the facets I passed on to my son, I have a very good cardiologist who's keeping an eye on my cardiac health. I married a man with hereditary kidney disease in his family tree, my 2 remaining children get checked often, but my family tree is not straight trunked there either. One first cousin almost lost a kidney because of a kinked kiney artery, his daughter had also problems, so did another first cousin in California's son. Both my parents had 3 kidneys, as do I. And all my kidneys are functioning right now but have an urologist watching mine. I tease him and tell him. he's" on retainer" but he is very good. It is nice to be able to joke about such things. My PCP gets peeved with me Cholesterol-low side of normal Thyroid -a little low but doesn't need replacement yet BP- low normal Heat rate nice and smooth Lungs-asthma, some COPD, and sleep apnea. My dad had it bad, look up Pickwickian syndrome, this is the type of apnea surgery doesn't cure, if so, Uncle Snuffly and I have been a couple for over a year, have him on as I text . I had bad nightmares before him, maybe when I stopped breathing? My Blood Sugar is always on the low side of normal. And the esteemed Frederick Charles Carroll MD puts his hands on his hips. " I am less than 50, my test values are worse than yours. It isn't right, I tell you, it isn't right! YOU SHOULD BE BROKEN DOWN BY NOW!" But like the Energized Bunny🐰(snicker snicker) I just keep going and going! Last time, in August, right before surgery, I smiled sweetly and said "Sorry-y about YOUR LUCK!" So if you ever want to talk more, I hang out,on Bariatric Pal a lot. Almost always find me near my cellphone, use it instead of computer, most,of the time works well.

I have been delaying my surgery for years because I just kept working doing the bet I could with my health issues until I found myself unemployed. Now I'm more than ready to commit to my surgery and new life so I can seek new employment a much healthier person. I'm noticing that employer's are discriminating against me because of my size in weight and age. Can anyone please HELP! ME! with this dilemma? I've already completed all but two more appointments before Scheduling my surgery date which I was hoping and praying it could be before the end of the year. I've met with my surgeon and the bariatric team at MUSC. Tanya

Nine months post-op, I went to Mexico and lost 8lbs in 5 days (I do not recommend this). I followed medical advice, but I think being a bariatric patient probably complicated things. So! If you're going to Mexico post-op, or traveling anywhere prone to tainted water: As soon as you start feeling... liquid, go STRAIGHT to sports drinks/hydration fluids. Skip the water, it's not enough. I wish I'd had a bottle in my bag. From now on I'm going to pack the powder in my med kit, so I can add it to purified water in an emergency. You're not going to be able to leave the hotel room to get it yourself. Your stomach's going to be back at zero when it comes to tolerating content. Most people will be able to chug 20 oz of water and pass out in under a minute. You'll have to stay awake and really work at slowly sipping to get enough in you to make up for the periodic explosions, might take 15 minutes, 14 of which you'll be struggling to stay conscious. But skipping proper hydration for sleep will make things a million times worse. If you're still enjoying a lack of hunger post-op, this is a time when that's a BAD thing. When you can eat, EAT. Again, stomach is back at zero, so even when you're improved enough to start eating it's going to be tough. Half the stuff the docs suggest will not be manageable at first (dry toast, banana, flat soda). Don't postpone until you can eat those, which will be tempting because you won't have any appetite. You're going to need broths and soups (NOT ramen) and then can work your way up, but you're going to need those soup nutrients to get the energy to eat more robustly. Once you can eat, don't try to go back to any sort of caloric restriction/schedule until you're back home. Just eat food and drink Gatorade steadily, or you're going to pass out in the airport. You've been starving for days, any excess grazing is just making up for that deficit. You're not retaining as much as you think anyhow. Keep the sports drink in rotation for a few days after you're recovered. Can't hurt. One thing this entire experience has done is made me believe that the pouch reset idea probably works - after surviving on 5 liters of Gatorade for 5 days, I'm discovering that my stomach is a LOT less tolerant of quantity than it was before I left. This isn't the way I'd've wanted to uncover that info, but I guess I'll take it.

3 items beside the many normal things for holidays Frustr8 loved and still does. Didn't say I've had them recently. 1 Eggs Lyonaise- Mama would slice thinly into a buttered casserole white(usually) onions, then make a white flour roux/ white gravy and pour it into casserole over onions seemed like 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 quarts but I was a kid, just guessing. Then she would make depressions in the white sauce and drop a raw egg into each. Sprinkle with bread or panko crumbs, and bake in Moderate oven maybe 350 degree until eggs look nicely set. Perhaps originally recipe said softly set like "over easy" I always demanded "done" never could stand an egg that "slimed" down the back,of the tbroat! 2. onions in cheese sauce- boil small to medium onions in water until tender, drain and then put into cheese sauce, Mama usually used colby, I upgraded to sharp cheddar, sharper the better, I confess I 💓cheddar, but once for company I made it with gouda, dotted with butter and then panko bread crumbs. Yeah calorific but sometimes i worked HARD to get obese. 3. Au gratin or scalloped potatoes. Just please don't substitute sliced turnips or rutabegas for potatoes, lady did that once at a Carry- in Dinner, if I had a switchblade there WOULD HAVE BEEN a bloodletting! 4. Oatmeal cake with a caramel coconut praline topping 5. Texas Sheet cake. In later years after allergy raised its gnarled head, I learned to make it with carob powder. Don't flinch, it still turns out well, just a little more milk-chocolatey tasting, I have fooled people who thought it the Real Thing. Then in the last decade I found a recipe for Lemon Texas Sheet Cake, yeah still buttermilk containing but the thick pour- on frostening highlighters with lemon or orange zest. If you think me MEAN sharing this recipes that don't fit a Bariatric Diet Plan think how I feel, still on my Liquids Diet and looking at Green Tealael or Fluffy Chix concocted items. 💓them both, but for a few seconds garroting seems too easy a torture!😪😭

My pouch almost always hurts and aches, my ulcers, tension. repeated urp -ups or something to notify bariatric team about Monday-Tuesday?

Might still be early days for chicken, eat slow, small small bites, pause between bites, lay your eating utensil down, don't talk, don't get distracted, don't brood over what someone said or snide remarks, warm things work better for me. Remember you're not punching a time clock, respect your new gastric environment, it is having to learn to cope too. I am 9 weeks out, and as I said in the previous thread I have become the DoorKeeper and bouncer at Club Stricture, a job certainly I did not interview 💦🔉for. And I argued for 3 weeks with my Bariatric Team that I DID have a stricture, and OMG the excuses I got! Varied from" You have to give things ⏰time" to " You just want attention!" Oh was the 📣stridecy in my voice a CLue? Finally,to shut ME up they scheduled an🔍 Endoscopy, an EGJ, because of course you never can visualize an bypassed duodenum by EASY MEANs. And who was right? ME ME ME! Yeah I don't have a bunch,of degree letters after my name, but I do know MY body, I have been living in ME a long time and besides I am puking almost as much as I did pregnant, and I can count on my 2 hands without going to toes, the episodes of emesis since then. I do not upchuck freely. So every 2 weeks, October 12, October 26, November 9th, I haul my Happy Hoohah to Ohio State University Hospital to the Endoscopy/Hepatology Lab for Fun and Games. The nurses are starting to recognize me, Dr Noria, the😷 bariatric surgeon who LOVES doing endoscopy greets me by name instead of #. and the surgery tech nurse says I get a Frequent Flyer card at the End of November. Asked if it has a Plumb and Fun sticker,on it? What a lovely idea THAT IS! That's me, a bundle,of fun and weird suggestions!👈👸👉💦So omeprazole twice daily, Zofran 3 times daily, Carafate every 6 hours around the clock and now a new directive, I can no longer be around active smokers or anyone with residue on their clothing. Why? Because my 3 ulcers have weakened. and are now at risk of bleeding/ perforation. Since Tomk8tten and I neither smoke or allow it inside, that's her first intervention. Lovely going up friends, associates, even people on the street, May I sniff you FIRST before we have a conversation? Barely have that many left, remember I have reached the age when peers drop like Flies!😭😝😪

And I hope all of the above posters are doing well with their pist-surgery lives! Happy campers make Camp Bariatric more fun, don't you think?🎪

Walking is what helps gets rid of the CO2 gas that is pumped into your abdominal cavity during laparoscopy surgery. Gas-X does NOT help as it is for gas within your GI tract, which is not the cause of pain & discomfort post-WLS. It is an Internet fallacy that you should use Gas-X right after bariatric surgery. Save your money and just walk, walk, walk.

So, I thought I was sure on who I wanted to do my surgery...but recently two other strong contenders came into the picture. I am looking for some help and thoughts on the three I have listed below: 1. Dr. Ungson at Mexicali Bariatric: Pros: Will allow my husband to stay with me, performs multiple leak tests, has good reviews, Dr. appears very competent but he does lack US certifications like AMBTS. Cons: cost is more expensive, Doc does not have that international certification that I can find 2. Dr. Alejandro Lopez at ALO Bariatrics: Pros: has good reviews, cost is less, Dr does have AMBTS certification Cons: There may be an issue with my husband staying with me and that makes me nervous 3. Dr. Illan with Bariatricpal MX: Pros: Has good reviews, cost is good, has AMBTS certification, performs leak tests, will let my husband stay with me Cons: I am concerned about Tijuana. MX and whether it is safe. Any thoughts on these three programs?

Case in point, first time poster named Erin (typically a female name) but 'he' posted his first post, link to that website, and always the dramatic message with the link. Other click bait posts have included my mother, father or sister got colon cancer and or/died after taking this bariatric drug etc etc

I like Dannon Light & Fit. Very smooth and 12g of protein in a 5 oz. container, 7g sugar. Avoid the cherry, blueberry, and strawberry in the beginning. They have chunks of fruit. My favorites are the key lime and coconut flavors. The Dannon Triple 0 (Black container) are excellent for bariatrics, too. I didn't care for that texture as much. But that's a personal preference. You may like it better 😊