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I was thinking of you (my big* bariatric sister) Frust8 when I decided to post this: https://www.medpagetoday.com/primarycare/obesity/74961 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/2698683 *big as in older, not heavy

Stopping in for a minute to update with information others might find useful:) Don't intend to stay cause leaving the forum was a REALLY good idea for me:) It had become a daily habit that was sort of obsessive and weird...too much time spent here. It was time to refocus on other things, and I'm glad to have done so. I'm rooting for all of you in the trenches, though, and wish you every success! Hit goal at the end of July, 170 lean mean pounds, eating Mayo Clinic Diet around 1400 calories per day. Yep, I eat carbs. Tons of them. LOL. Mostly good carbs, though. I avoid refined stuff for the most part, but I do eat a lot of whole grain bread, protein pasta, whole fruit, and beans. Went on an amazing cross country camping trip with my daughter in August and continued to lose weight...which didn't make me particularly happy. (the trip, however, was amazing and I loved every minute!) I look a little like Skeletor past 165 and I'd gotten down to 162...I was not feeling the love for that aesthetic at all....so I upped my calories to 1600. Couldn't gain, so started doing 1800 every other day...and that seems to have worked. I'd rather be 170....but I'm at 166 and holding...and I'm ok with that:) This weekend I did my first community bike ride. Twelve miles! Hubby rode, too, and was insanely proud of me for finishing with the group. My hips and calves are feeling it today, but getting out in the sunshine and being physically ABLE to do that pretty comfortably was such a fantastic victory. Total freedom. God, it felt good! Also rediscovered my love of canoe river camping with my daughter last month. Sometimes I feel like losing 100 pounds has been comparable to getting out of a wheel chair. There are so many things I can do again. My favorite thing about the surgery has been the physical freedom and health benefits. The smaller clothes and aesthetics are great, but nothing compares to being able to move as much as I want for as long as I want. It's pure freedom and I'm so grateful. My walking obsession has recently turned into a running obsession and even with 46 year old aches and pains....it feels so damned good. Best advice I can give on this whole adventure..... I think diet is a small part of this equation. What diet you prefer isn't particularly important. The bottom lines is fewer calories in, more calories out. Any balanced healthy diet works. Limit junk. I think most of the challenge is in our heads......figuring out the crazy shite that made you hurt emotionally and made you eat. Figuring out what makes you ignore your portion control and eat when you're not hungry. Figuring out how to fix this stuff and redirect your psychological needs without ending up with another addiction. No one talks about it...and it's the core injury. It's what's wrong. It's what needs to be fixed. All this psychological crap that manifests in self destructive habits...the stuff we love to deny. I hit a bad stall about month three after surgery. Best thing I did....was start to see the psychologist about the causes of my lifelong overeating. I credit my psychologist with my success almost as much as my surgeon. But mostly, I give myself the credit, because dammit, I worked really hard to figure this out. I'm grateful for all the help and support I was given, but in the end....I earned this:) I did the work. Yay, me, dammit! LOL:) Will update with pics after the Bariatric Formal Event (as I lovingly call it...the Fat Prom...put on by my group). LOL:) Best wishes to everyone! There are gonna be victories and stubborn spots.... and times your head pulls some absolute crap on you. Hang in there. Go to your appointments. Get mental health support even if you don't feel like you need it. Don't do exercise you hate...find things you love and enjoy. Don't eat food you hate. Eat stuff you love that is balance and healthy. Eat less. Move more. Gratitude is good medicine. Love your life. You deserve a life you love:)

Hi everyone! I’m new to Bariatric Pal and need a little advice. I had my bypass Sept 2011 and my starting weight was 305 lbs. I lost 140 lbs down to 165lbs. I have done good for 6 years. Now I have gained about 20 lbs over the last year. I know exactly why, starting eating junk and not keeping track of my protein intake like I should have. I have also had some health issues and let this get in the way and became way too lax. I am so disgusted with myself for gaining and really want to get the weight back off. Anyone in the same situation who has any advice to get me motivated again? It would be welcome and greatly appreciated.

My weight is an extremely sensitive subject for me and it’s something I’ve struggled with severely over the last 5+ years. Being overweight is the number one cause of my shyness, anxiety, and depression. I’ve been going through the motions of life with no end goal and no ambition or motivation. I’m not sure what I’m looking forward to. I’ve always know about weight loss surgery but it’s not something that I ever thought I would be considering. A couple years ago, I met a friend who got her gastric sleeve done in Mexico, and the difference when seeing her before pictures, is astounding. She’s unrecognizable and wears a real, genuine smile. 2-3 months ago, I started doing heavy research on WLS. That led me to find articles on how difficult it is to get a doctor to refer you to a Bariatric surgeon in the United States and I got completely discouraged. I’m scared to go see a doctor just for them to tell me no and recommend something else. I’ve tried dieting/exercising and I always gain the weight back. Recently, I’ve been reading more and more about people who have gone to Tijuana, Mexico to have their procedure done. I’ve read some amazing stories and it gave me hope again. I have the money available to cover the cost of the procedure in Mexico, except my concern is that I will have to go alone. My mom passed away a few years ago, my dad can’t take a week off work and I don’t have a significant other or any friends that could go with. Not looking for pity, that’s just my reality. So my question is, have any of you travelled out of the country to have WLS, and what was your experience like? Should I take a chance and see a doctor in my area with the hopes of them agreeing with me having surgery? Or should I just travel alone to have this done? I’d definitely be scared/nervous but I really don’t have another option besides having WLS. Any advice is very much appreciated! Also, I’m new to this site, so please let me know if I’m missing anything. Thank you!

My bf and I made the conscious effort in the beginning of the year to lose weight together. He knew that while my efforts were geared toward natural weightloss I would speak to the bariatric surgeon and find out what I needed to do. His weightloss took off and loss 30lbs in 2 mos, I lost 14 and stayed stagnant. We continued on our journey and he stayed between 30-35 lb loss and we remained true to our new healthy eating habits. Fast forward from January to June and my weightloss never budged so I went forward with my options for surgery. My bf was and still is very supportive. He has remained by my side every day and while he eats what he wants, he does not support me eating fast food because he knows it's a bad habit waiting. He does allow me a cheat every now and then with a chip or something, but all in all, I could not have asked for a more supportive partner. Allows me to share meals with him when we go out and encourages me to work out even when I don't always want to. If your husband is all in and truly supportive he would not say or play the games he us playing. Is it possible he is insecure and fears losing you if you lose the weight? If that's the case counseling for the both of you is needed. If my bf did not support me, I know I would not be as successful as I am. This journey is about the both of us, not just me. It's my personal journey to get healthy, but it's our journey together because we both want the same outcome

Thanks MissPoodle. Congrats and very glad to hear you are doing well!! 1st q: Do you mind if I ask...was yours covered by insurance? I have sought a couple 2nd opinions and they say it won't be covered (I have no bariatric benefits with my insurance; but the one said "fluke" doctor is able to get it covered under insurance because of GERD/hernia, etc. (I asked other docs' billing folks why they can't do the same....just their policy). 2nd q: did you see how many abdominal surgeries I've had? Have you or any of the folks who you know that just had the revision had as many? Thanks again! Really appreciate the input!

Oh, yeah, sorry, I definitely seemed to hand-wave away stalls as if they all have an explanation, there. Definitely, there are just normal stalls in weight loss, too. In my experience, they usually map to my body re-configuring where its inches are, but that may not be universal. And ketosis-while-also-taking-in-carbs is definitely a thing I know less about than I should, @sillykitty -- I mean, I know it's a thing? Long distance backpackers experience it, as do bariatric patients. But I don't know anything else besides "it's a thing." Thanks for the additional info about ketosis, too, @FluffyChix!

Yeah, great stuff! So it's different for some of us...I was in ketosis before surgery and am keto adapted (long term since basically 2000 with a little time off for surgeries and poor behaviors through that time). And you make a great point about the IV fluids having sugar in them. I don't know of too many surgeons who want to risk putting you under while in deep ketosis. Maybe bariatric surgeons are different? Dunno. But my PS who did all of my breast recon work could smell it on my breath and skin and would say, that he would just give me some "juice in my iv" to bring me back into glycolosis before putting me under. He did explain why and said there weren't enough hours in his world for that risk on a daily basis with all his patients. But I do know that I also routinely come out of the hospital 5-15lbs heavier than when I went in and part of it is optimized hydration from the ivs, extra surgical inflammation in the tissues themselves, any extra stuff they put in (like my implants which may be about 1lb each lol). Plus the crap food that seems to have sugar in everything!!! (Even though i never ate anything knowingly that had sugar -- ie reg jello, juice of any kind, reg Gatoraide, high carb protein drinks, mashed taters, VERY little mashed beans, etc.) So I think there may be more to the hospital part than ketosis/glycolosis and water weight. I also know I had the 3 week, 6week, 3 month, and 6 month stalls. GAH!!! So hard and frustrating. LOL. And I was deep into ketosis at those times from each stage. So I just think stalls happen. Weight loss is non-linear. LOL. It just isn't. I lose, get to a new low, then bounce up and around for a few days before resuming going back to a new low...

There are many options when it comes to affording bariatric surgery and getting FREE or reduced-cost weight loss surgery is possible. There are many options when it comes to paying for bariatric surgery. Let's explore them. Click on each hyperlink to learn more on the topic. Having health insurance does not mean that weight-loss surgery is covered in your policy. About one quarter of people seeking weight-loss surgery will be denied three times before they receive weight-loss surgery insurance approval. If you have insurance coverage for bariatric surgery and are denied, you have the right to contest the decision and write a bariatric surgery insurance appeal letter. Since many health insurance plans exclude weight loss surgery, this leaves people faced with the decision to self-pay for bariatric surgery or to forgo what could very well be a life-saving procedure given the devastating effects of obesity and obesity-related diseases on health. An option is to take out a medical loan for weight-loss surgery. However, bariatric surgery is expensive if health insurance will not cover the surgery. And many people seek bariatric surgery outside the U.S. and engage in the process of weight loss surgery medical tourism. Thousands of individuals head to Mexico for Bariatric Surgery to realize excellent quality care, fast wait times, and attractive prices. With the question of safety of weight loss surgery in Mexico being being top of mind, I turned to Alex Brecher founder of BariatricPal Hospital MX for further exploration. Alex Brecher opened the BariatricPal Hospital MX in 2017 after having run a Mexico medical tourism business for 10 years. As far as free bariatric surgery in the US, while it will no doubt be a challenge, free weight-loss surgery is within the realm of possibility. Free or reduced cost WLS grants and charity care are available. There also are bariatric surgery clinical trials for surgical weight-loss candidates. Use our Match to Clinical Trials in 60-seconds widget on the bottom right column of MyBariatricLife.org to locate a trial near you.

There are many options when it comes to paying for bariatric surgery. Let's explore them. Click on each hyperlink to learn more on the topic. Having health insurance does not mean that weight-loss surgery is covered in your policy. About one quarter of people seeking weight-loss surgery will be denied three times before they receive weight-loss surgery insurance approval. If you have insurance coverage for bariatric surgery and are denied, you have the right to contest the decision and write a bariatric surgery insurance appeal letter. Since many health insurance plans exclude weight loss surgery, this leaves people faced with the decision to self-pay for bariatric surgery or to forgo what could very well be a life-saving procedure given the devastating effects of obesity and obesity-related diseases on health. An option is to take out a medical loan for weight-loss surgery. However, bariatric surgery is expensive if health insurance will not cover the surgery. And many people seek bariatric surgery outside the U.S. and engage in the process of weight loss surgery medical tourism. Thousands of individuals head to Mexico for Bariatric Surgery to realize excellent quality care, fast wait times, and attractive prices. With the question of safety of weight loss surgery in Mexico being being top of mind, I turned to Alex Brecher founder of BariatricPal Hospital MX for further exploration. Alex Brecher opened the BariatricPal Hospital MX in 2017 after having run a Mexico medical tourism business for 10 years. As far as free bariatric surgery in the US, while it will no doubt be a challenge, free weight-loss surgery is within the realm of possibility. Free or reduced cost WLS grants and charity care are available. There also are bariatric surgery clinical trials for surgical weight-loss candidates. Use our Match to Clinical Trials in 60-seconds widget on the bottom right column of MyBariatricLife.org to locate a trial near you.

Hi Helen Thank you for your reply! Such similar experiences! Wow! I’m seeing the Bariatric surgeon on 1st October and am researching like crazy ... I just don’t want an appetite! Ha ha ... and I don’t want my head to sabotage me... I’m probably asking for too much... lol When are you having your surgery and what will be the deciding factor for you? 🌻

Although I work for a larger not for profit, your medical records are private and between you and the insurance company. My doctor also had non- Bariatric stationary for my note with something like Advanced Laprascopic Surgery on it so for all anyone know you had an appendectomy or gall bladder removed. Btw, I had my surgery on a Monday and aside from being tired coil have gone to work by Thursday.

Hey @MattZ my local community hospital is going to venture into Bariatrics, thought you' d like to know, I haven't met or know the name of but I'm told she was a Rhode Islander, came from your hospital. Person telling me, I nodded my head , said I know it's good, I have a friend MattZ whose surgery was there.

Megan (and any interested others), the Methodist Bariatric Support Group meetings occur the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month on the second floor of the Meadowbrook Building, in the lobby of the General Surgery Department (which is where bariatric patients are seen). It's free, and runs 5:30-6:30. The group is usually quite large and more of an educational forum on at least half the meetings with a speaker. Meetings are free and comprised of people at all points along the journey (considering surgery to many years post-op). The address for the building is 3931 Louisiana Ave. S. Closest parking is the orange ramp. With validated parking (bring your ticket with you to stamp), is $4. You can park for free and walk from one of the surface lots around the hospital also. I would love to look for you at a meeting and be sure to connect.

I think if it were me, I would find this a little confusing. My surgeon told me that VGS is best for people like me (BMI 40) unless I had GERD. I wonder if he is worried you will blame him if you later feel that you did not get the best surgery for you? I like my doctor to be able to make good recommendations for me so I can decide what to do with her. My suggestion, if your insurance covers it, would be to have an initial apt. and get a second opinion from another bariatric surgeon at a different hospital and see what they say. I am excited to get the VGS because it seems like the least invasive and I think I will be successful with it, but of course, everyone is different. Good luck to you!

My surgeon recommends at least 2wk liquid diet preop: 4-6 HIGH protein shakes, 2 protein bars, and a banana (to keep up potassium levels) daily. (We use Bariatric Advantage products. They taste great!) The idea is to shrink the liver and the interstitial fat to make it easier and safer to maneuver around it during surgery. Good luck! Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you SHNGSTAR. I've felt so frustrated I can't find anyone else in my position. I'm shocked still it's crickets on the bariatric support groups. Wish you were in TX too! Ha!

Providence Hospital is accredited, but that might be new? https://www.facs.org/search/bariatric-surgery-centers?page=1&n=25&state=AK

I also had the sleeve in 2013 (after my lapband slipped). and severe reflux ever since. I tried everything (adjustable bed, diet, ppi's) and nothing worked. I was up for 2 hrs at nite about 3 nites a week. It was awful. I didn;t have enuf stomach for the reflux surgery, Nissen Fundoplication. So, my GI dr sent me to the bariatric surgeon. Also a different dr (moved out of state since my sleeve) who recommended the RNY (did u know the RNY has been around for 70 yrs, first 30 just for reflux. They noticed that people lost weight so it later became a weightloss procedure. I had a rough recovery (surgery sposed to take 90 min to 2 hrs and it took 5 hrs due to lots of scar tissue from pervious wls's). When I woke up, my eyes were swollen shut and they felt like they had sawdust in them. For the first day, I couldn't see anything and my eyes burned. I had diarrhea and my toilet was broken so I had to walk down the hall to the employee bathroom (by day 3, they moved me to another room). It sucked. I spent 4 days in the hospital cuz I wasn't getting enuf fluids and they had to restart my iv. I cried when they told me they were keeping me. I just wanted to be home in my own bed. Oh, and I didn't sleep AT ALL the first 2 days/nites. I had a pain pump and my dr was scared t order my usual sleeping pill till nite 3, when I was on oral meds - and I don't sleep AT ALL without them. Hubby stayed all 4 nites with me, sleeping in the recliner in my room. Drove 2 hrs to work 2 of those days. I live an hour away and his job is about an hour away from home. It helped much having him there. I regretted my sugery the first week. A week after my surgery, I was 100% and have forgotten about the pain. But, guess what? I have NO REFLUX! I can even put my bed flat and sleep on my side! I've experienced a couple episodes of dumping (when will I learn) and it truly sucks but I'm finally glad I did the revision. I went in weighing 155 and I now weigh 144.6 (yep, .6) and haven't lost 1 lb in 2 weeks. Had my 6 weeks appt this past week and my dr said I was a normal, healthy woman and if I didn't lose 1 more lb, I'd be great. My bmi i 24. However, why have a goal if I don't reach it? My goal is 135. Hoping my body hasn't stopped losing. I've been exactly 144.6, down to the ounce for 2 weeks. I can eat almost anything (I ate 4 Nilla Wafers this past week and thought I might die. So cookies r not in my menu plan for a while!). I wish u the best. Chances r u will do well post op and receive the benefits of the revision immediately. Good luck!

I was 310 when I started in the Bariatric Program in August of 2017, and 286 when I had my surgury on June 1 2018. This morning I weighed in at 241 - crazy! I always said I didn't care about getting skinny - I just wanted my knees to stop hurting and to be able to go up the stairs if necessary. It's a process for sure!

Here are the official ASMBS 2017 Estimate of Bariatric Surgery Numbers by State.

No I'm sure you ARE NOT the only one, maybe because you feel this is the LAST Bariatric surgery you want and you fear it is not? I would think. since this is your Third you were going to be super-relaxed , but guess what? You ARE a people not a plastic doll,with a plastic smile on your face. You are warm and have feelings. And,most important,, You are doing You and you are,do8my your own path and journey. AND THAT IS OKAY!

I do shakes twice a day. I'm thinking of ordering some bariatric soups to mix it up because just the shakes is so boring and simple broth is flavorless and depressing. Nice pun lol. 2 more weeks of this. Never in my life has pureed scrambled eggs sounded appetizing until now. I can't wait to have texture back in my life. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

First I checked where I could go with my insurance. I am lucky to live in a major metropolitan area (Chicago) so I had a ton of choices. A friend of the family had his done and almost died due to medical negligence so I checked what hospital he went to and crossed that one off my list. I asked a high school friend where hers was done. I also did a ton of research. Which hospital had the best bariatric program, how many surgeries had the surgeons performed, etc. I ended up choosing Dr. Prachand from University of Chicago and I'm glad I did. I did not have a recommendation from my primary care physician or anything.

Hi! I lost almost 140 lbs w/my sleeve but have slowly regained 35 lbs over the last 3 years. I'm scared I'll be back to where I started at this rate. Since my original bariatric surgeon passed away, I went to see another WLS doc and he performed an endoscopy. Said I have a hernia, reflux, kink in my sleeve and stretched out sleeve, so that is why I'm gaining weight. He recommends a revision from sleeve to bypass. He also said the surgeon who did my sleeve had a different (inferior) technique for doing sleeves, thus this Dr. does a lot of revisions for my original surgeon. Insurance has approved but I'll have out of network coverage. Here is my concern: In the waiting room of this surgeon's office, it just so happened there were 5 revision patients, and they told horror stories of complications, and ending up in severe pain, kinked intestines, needing additional emergency surgeries, not being able to eat, pain months after, regret, etc. I'll be honest....it scares me!! I asked this surgeon about those patients, and the doc said it was flukes, that there are a few people who have complications, but they may not be following directions, or maybe they had numerous WLS before, etc. I'm scared if I do go forward with my planned revision, I could end up in worse health and have regrets, but I am scared if I don't, I'll end up where I started 5 years ago....very unhappy!! Would love to hear from a good number of folks who have had sleeve to bypass revisions, and what your experience was? Thank you in advance!!