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I might be telling you something you already know, and if so, I apologize. But there are therapists who specialize in this. It's probably more accurate to say that a particular therapist/approach doesn't really help, rather than writing off therapy as a whole. What about support groups? My hospital has a support group (it only meets twice a year?!) for bariatric patients. And while I, personally, am uncomfortable with the religious overtones in the ___ Anonymous approach to dealing with addictive behavior, Overeaters Anonymous does work really well for some people. You have a good tool, which is not ruined, and now is the best possible time to retrain yourself away from food-as-emotional-support and into food-as-fuel. I believe in you!

Has anyone heard of or used Liquid Bariatric Vitamins? Thinking they might go down easier

Hello Dear Bari Brothers and Sisters! Ellie123 is back!!!! I am have finally been released from the hospital and am back home. Thank you so so SOOOOO much for all the well wishes and prayers you sent my way during my scary ordeal!!! You all are so supportive and awesome! Here is what happened: On Sunday, (11 days post RNY op), I had half a Core Power Protein drink and a cup of fish broth with about a tablespoon of avocado blended in for texture and a little bit more substance. Still not sure if these food items were related but shortly thereafter I started to have horrid stomach pain in the general area above my belly button. It would tighten painfully then release and got progressively worse. I began to pace, hoping it was gas and will pass. I paced for 3 hours straight and it was only getting worse. I took some hydrocodone and felt a little better but 3 hours later the meds wore off and I was in bad pain. Called the doc on call and was told to go straight to the bariatric ER. There they gave me contrast, by now the pain was almost unbearable...I began to shake all over. Felt like a horrible Gallbladder attack (I used to have those before it was removed, so I know...). The CT Scan revealed a partial obstruction in the small bowl and swelling. I was put on IV, protonics, anti nausea meds, nothing by mouth and pain meds, but I continued to feel awful. through out the night I was violently vomiting, blacking in and out and ....well lets just say in that terrible horrible state none of us ever wants to be in... They let is ran it's course and yesterday it finally let up. More imaging revealed that nothing by mouth for a few days helped and my body seems to have resolved the obstruction. they slowly introduced clear liquids back, and finally sent me home back to a clear liquid diet. That specific hospital is owned by Dr. Alexander but totally out of network for my insurance. Glad to be alive, but dreading the bill for this setback... Anyhow, sending you all HUGE love and thanks for your support and prayers. I'm exhausted and a bit bummed about the ordeal, but grateful this did not happen during one of my trips abroad where no one would have known what to do! Hope everyone is doing great.

Hello Dear Bari Brothers and Sisters! Ellie123 is back!!!! I am have finally been released from the hospital and am back home. Thank you so so SOOOOO much for all the well wishes and prayers you sent my way during my scary ordeal!!! You all are so supportive and awesome! Here is what happened: On Sunday, (11 days post RNY op), I had half a Core Power Protein drink and a cup of fish broth with about a tablespoon of avocado blended in for texture and a little bit more substance. Still not sure if these food items were related but shortly thereafter I started to have horrid stomach pain in the general area above my belly button. It would tighten painfully then release and got progressively worse. I began to pace, hoping it was gas and will pass. I paced for 3 hours straight and it was only getting worse. I took some hydrocodone and felt a little better but 3 hours later the meds wore off and I was in bad pain. Called the doc on call and was told to go straight to the bariatric ER. There they gave me contrast, by now the pain was almost unbearable...I began to shake all over. Felt like a horrible Gallbladder attack (I used to have those before it was removed, so I know...). The CT Scan revealed a partial obstruction in the small bowl and swelling. I was put on IV, protonics, anti nausea meds, nothing by mouth and pain meds, but I continued to feel awful. through out the night I was violently vomiting, blacking in and out and ....well lets just say in that terrible horrible state none of us ever wants to be in... They let is ran it's course and yesterday it finally let up. More imaging revealed that nothing by mouth for a few days helped and my body seems to have resolved the obstruction. they slowly introduced clear liquids back, and finally sent me home back to a clear liquid diet. That specific hospital is owned by Dr. Alexander but totally out of network for my insurance. Glad to be alive, but dreading the bill for this setback... Anyhow, sending you all HUGE love and thanks for your support and prayers. I'm exhausted and a bit bummed about the ordeal, but grateful this did not happen during one of my trips abroad where no one would have known what to do! Hope everyone is doing great.

IDK. Maybe? If I did, I think I have to decide if I make a new one that's bariatric with healthy food (lower carb/controlled carb). We still have to eat lower carb cuz of my lifelong insulin resistance and also cuz of Mr. F's T2. But I know the amount of fat we now use in cooking is completely diff from FCC and isn't really mainstream low carb fare any longer. Plus, I'm still trying to figure out about the lymphedema thing and we're I'm going with it. It's actually gotten more painful now with the weight loss, cuz the foldy skin keeps rubbing against clothing and irritating the neuralgia.

Thank you! If the bariatric surgeon can do it laparoscopically, great! However, if he cannot, at least the skin he will be cutting through has never been cut through before. My upper abdomen is virgin when it comes to surgery. This will make for an easier recovery than the lower abdomen, where I have been opened three times prior and have a lot of scar tissue. And, the bariatric surgeon really does not want to do it open. He says it makes his job much more difficult. They have perfected the surgery to be done laparoscopically and the tools work much better when used that way. They do not work as well when they are not locked within a trocar

Brilliant! You're a Bariatric philosopher!

Yes, it is. Thank you. I never thought that I was a candidate for WLS, right up until I was approved by the bariatric surgeon. I figured that I'd learn as much about weight loss and eating right and if I can have the surgery, great. Otherwise, I'd be ahead just from the education.

So, I have promised to share my story with anyone who is interested. I’m not simply a bariatric surgery patient. Feel free to ask questions about what I have gone through. I am not shy about talking about my travails and have lots of experience with surgery in general. The photos I am sharing may be disturbing to some people. I am scarred and have an ileostomy. If you are squeamish, you may want to skip the photos. Here we go… Get your popcorn, this is a very long post. My name is Andy. I turned 52 in early July. I am single and live alone with my dog. I’ve been heavy most of my life. But, my journey is about my chronic illness and the effects it has had on me and my body. I have Crohn’s Disease. I started having symptoms when I was 15. It got really bad when I was in the Navy, but it was in 1990 that I was first hospitalized because of it. I was, at first, diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and started on medication. This seemed to help for a while, but it kept getting worse. In 1995, when my doctor said I had to start taking Prednisone again, I opted to have a radical surgery to “cure” me by removing the organ of choice for this autoimmune disease. On April 20, 1995, I had the first of three major abdominal surgeries at Northwestern University Hospital, in Illinois. I had my entire large intestine removed and an internal pouch was made out of my small intestine to take the place of my large intestine. The surgery took almost 12 hours to complete. It was done open incision; laparoscopic surgery of this type was not perfected until the early 2000s. (My youngest brother had this exact surgery performed in 2012 laparoscopically. Crohn’s disease runs in my family.) This pouch was connected to the exit and I had a loop ileostomy for three months while the internal pouch healed. Yes, I pooped into a bag hanging from my stomach for three months back then. Then, after the three months, I went back in for another surgery where they closed the ileostomy and dropped my intestine back inside. Things went well for a couple of years, then I got sick again. I moved to California and started a new job in 2002. When I found a new gastroenterologist in southern California, he did some tests and said I did not have ulcerative colitis, but Crohn’s Disease. (The difference between these two irritable bowel diseases is ulcerative colitis only attacks the large intestine, but Crohn’s disease can attack any part of the digestive system.) This doctor started me on an infusion medication called Remicade. This was the first medication that ever really worked. I took it for about 14 years until I developed antibodies to it. I kept taking it even though it was not working because the doctor never had me tested for antibodies. In 2014, I moved to Idaho. I found my current gastroenterologist, who is the best doctor I have ever had. He put me on Humira. This is a self-injectable medication that also worked for a while, this time about two years. When he saw that the Humira was no longer working, he ordered a blood test that would see if I had antibodies to it. This is when I found out that I had antibodies to both Humira and my previous medication, Remicade. I was then switched to Cimzia, which never worked. I just keep getting sicker and sicker. (The worst part of having Crohn’s disease is there are no outward signs that you are sick. I looked fine but felt like crap all the time. No one at work believed I was sick) One of the side effects of my surgery in 1995 was scar tissue in my small intestines where the ileostomy was. Because of this, I periodically have small bowel obstructions that usually require hospitalization. To date, I have had 17 small bowel obstructions. These usually clear themselves while I am in the hospital, by not eating anything (NPO) and having an NG (Naso-gastral) tube inserted up my nose and down into my stomach, to remove any contents using suction. Let’s jump ahead to last year – May 2017. I had yet another small bowel obstruction. I was hospitalized as usual, but this time it did not clear. I had been in the hospital for two weeks and then they decided I needed surgery to clear the blockage. When I was talking to the surgeon before the surgery, he said I had a 90% chance that I would come out of surgery with a permanent ileostomy. This was not the case. In this second major open abdominal surgery, the surgeon was able to remove scar tissue strictures from the outside of my small intestine and they immediately inflated and the blockage passed. I got lucky. The surgeon told me that if I had another small bowel obstruction, he would be forced to remove my internal pouch and give me a permanent ileostomy. In August of 2017, this is exactly what happened. A bit after 4 am on August 21, 2017 (yes, the day of the total solar eclipse – I’ll say more about this in a minute), I went to the emergency room and was admitted about 8:30 am for yet another small bowel obstruction. I had been up all night throwing up and getting sicker, so I was exhausted by the time I got to my room. About 10 am, the nurse came in and asked if I wanted to go out to the parking lot and watch the eclipse. I was so sick and exhausted that I said no and slept through the entire event. (I live in one of the areas where people came to view the event (eastern Idaho) and I missed the entire thing because of this damn disease…) When the surgeon came in later that day, he said that he had scheduled me for surgery on Wednesday, August 23, 2017,, for the removal of my badly diseased internal pouch and give me a permanent end ileostomy. So, again, I poop into a bag. So, on August 23, 2017, I had the third major open abdominal surgery. One thing to note here is this was the third time I had been opened up in the same place – from just above my belly button, vertically down into my groin. My wound had barely healed from the surgery in May and the surgeon was cutting me open again. This ended up being a long recovery. There were two issues with this surgery: the first was the placement of the ileostomy. The surgeon placed it in the scar tissue from my ileostomy that I had back in 1995. This has caused issues with the seal on my bag. The second issue was the surgical wound. While I got much better since the badly diseased part of my small intestine was surgically removed, the wound did not want to heal. I was in the hospital for over three weeks and eventually sent home on with a wound vac. This device keeps constant suction on the wound and removes any blood and body fluids from the wound, preventing infection and speeding healing. The problem with my wound this time is it was not closed properly and it took over four months for it to close enough for me to stop using the wound vac. I was able to finally return to work in January of 2018. Back to my gastroenterologist. I went to see him in Februar 2018 for a checkup and an intestinal scope, called a sigmoidoscopy. This is basically the same as a colonoscopy, but they use a much smaller device. It is about the same size as an endoscope. When this procedure was over, he said to me that I needed to lose weight. (He basically says this every time I see him, about every three months) This time, I was sick of hearing about it so I asked him for a referral to see a dietician to help me with my weight and my eating. About a month later, I get an unexpected call from a bariatric surgeon’s office near where I live and was invited to a seminar. I went and after the presentation, I went to ask the surgeon a couple of questions about whether or not I was a candidate based on my surgeries. She said that it was not out of the question, but she would need me to make an appointment to be sure. I was seen in late March 2018. When I met with the surgeon, she asked me to lift my shirt and show her my abdomen. She took one look at my scars and said she could do nothing for me. She referred me to a bariatric surgeon at the University of Utah, who I met with on June 29, 2018. Because I had already started the journey, according to my insurance, back in March, the doctor placed me on the fast-track to get everything done. Since June 29th, I have had 14 appointments in Salt Lake City, about 210 miles south of where I live. During this first appointment, I also talked to the bariatric surgeon about my other issues and he referred me to a colo-rectal surgeon, also at U of U. I met with him on July 20, 2018. We discussed revision surgery on the placement of my ileostomy and the removal of internal scar tissue around my small intestines on the left side of my abdomen. He said that these things need to be done and that he would coordinate with the bariatric surgeon. The bariatric surgeon was more hesitant and needed much convincing. I finally was able to talk him into performing both sets of procedures during the same operating room visit. I was finally approved for everything and am scheduled for surgery on September 6, 2018. In early August of this year, I was finally approved for yet another Crohn’s medication – Stelara. This, by the way, is the second most expensive medication in the United States, behind only Harvoni (which is used for hepatitis C). Stelara costs about $20,000 per dose and I have to inject one dose every two months. So far, it is working. So, to recap – on September 6, 2018, I will be having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, performed laparoscopically (prepped for open, but he is going to attempt laparoscopically first) by Dr. Volckmann as the first procedure performed. While I am still under and after Dr. Volckmann finishes, Dr. Pickron will come in and perform a revision on the location of my permanent end ileostomy and attempt to remove as much scar tissue from my small intestines as he can. This will be performed open, through the same incision location and scar tissue that has been used now three previous times. I am also posting photos of what I look like without clothing, with privates blocked out. Since my surgery on August 23, 2018, only my doctors have seen me this way. And the last photo is of my "surgery" haircut. I hate to deal with my hair in the hospital so I just cut it all off before I go in. If you have made it to this point, thank you for reading my story. I have never written it all down before and as such, have never shared everything with anyone.

And it is Jingle in Massachusetts, me in Ohio, it's our Morning ! Not sure of her surgery time but mine is 7AM EDT. ON my way to check in at 5 AM, main hospital at Ohio State University, I will be on the 8th Floor. I am Dr Needleman's very first Surgery of The Day, I hope he feels fresher than ME, I could not sleep. He does this every day, My first, My only Bariatric Surgery Day. Pray for me if you can! 😇🙏😷🏣

You are so correct, and it frustrates me to the inth degrees. Somehow it says I had Bariatric surgery in 2014, WRONG My one and only surgery,will be tomorrow morning!😷🏣👣

For those in the Arlington area: Wow! September Support Group should be AWESOME! We have our own surgeon, Dr. David Dyslin, as our guest speaker. He is going to speak about “Maintaining weight loss…The 2 year honeymoon of Bariatric surgery.” This will be extremely educational for old and new alike! Who: USMD Support Group When: September 11 at 6pm Where: The Café at USMD Hospital What: Dr. David Dyslin Why: It is Support! See you there! Cynthia Cynthia O’Kelly Director of Bariatrics USMD Hospital at Arlington 801 West Interstate 20 Arlington TX 76017 Direct: 817-472-3830 Cell: 214-243-0840 Fax: 817-472-3829 Email: Cynthia.okelly@usmd.com

I had a bad experience removing the band as well and have livid abdominal scars to prove it. The most weight lost for me was 64 lbs down from 280. The surgeon refused an instant revision because of the mess I was in with adhesions and embedded band. He then offered me a clip sleeve only. Another surgeon offered me the sleeve or bypass BUT said ALL bariatric surgery is only effective on most people for two years so I refused further treatment. I was fully self- funding throughout. Since the removal of the lapband I have gained 25 lbs max but on a new diabetic drug have shed 9 recently. High weight gain after removal of the band is normal. For one thing I found a vastly increased appetite. For me the band was a dream that totally failed to deliver.

You are correct, some programs are way more thorough than others. I met with one nutritionist, one time... and it wasn't even weight loss surgery specific things we covered. It was mainly about nutrition basics. Then I had a group class that went into more specifics, but in no way could it or did it cover everything. But that's when I stepped up to the plate and did as much research as humanly possible, including reading threads on this forum. I was never going to allow my program nor my NUT to tell me everything I needed to know. I probably, no... definitely, know more than my NUT knows about nutrition for bariatric patients. I felt like she was there to fulfill a requirement, but didn't know the specifics about bariatric surgery or nutrition related to that. Some people are looking for validation to break the rules, and others truly don't know the rules. But I don't think its safe to blame just the doctor for that. I think we should know things like... not to drink alcohol or eat bread at 1 month post op. Those things are common sense. And those are what get under my skin.

I had my lap band for 9 years. Up to the sixth year I was living life and got down to 160lbs. One morning I woke up and when I ate I just started vomiting. I thought well maybe after something warm it would be better. That was the beginning of my hell. I had moved from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville so my insurance was different. They would not pay for anything that had anything to do with the lap band. So I literally suffered. My gastro told me to unfill my band and once I could find a surgeon here to do it I had it unfilled. I still vomited. Between my gastro, primary doctor and my bariatric surgeon they went through hoops with the insurance company because this was a severe medical issue. They wouldn't budge. I just ate at that point what I could get down. Fast forward. I was sleeved 8/17/18. I had my lap band removed and there were so many adhesions it took the surgeon and hour and a half to remove it. It had adhered not only to my liver but other organs. After he sleeved me he had an endo done in the OR and realized I had a hiatal hernia. He went to repair it with even more scarring because my previous surgeon cauterized my hernia instead of repairing it. I am telling you now that lap bands are 80% failure rate at 10 years. Its not to scare you. Its to prevent you from what I just went through. It was horrible. The pain for the first week was horrendous. My surgery that should have only taken 1.5 hours took over 4 hours and a half was just removing scar tissue. Anyone that gets the band gets scar tissue and the longer its in there the more scar tissue you will get. My surgeon refuses to even do lap bands anymore. I don't blame him and if I knew then what I know now, I would never get a lap band again.

Can anyone give any suggestions of products on Bariatric Pal menu for soups and hot drinks. I will be having surgery around Christmas and would like to begin preparing for once I get home. My husband is very supportive, however he is a disabled veteran and not able to help me as much as I will need him to. Thanks

It's really tempting to buy a lot before surgery, but I'd suggest getting a selection that will last you a week or two, max. There are many stories on here from people who had to give away a load of expensive bariatric foods because they couldn't stand them after surgery - even stuff they liked before. After a week, you'll feel up to going to the store and you'll know what's "sitting well" and what isn't. Good luck!

Welcome @Bowties. I actually belong to the other forum . I am An RNY candidate, well truly I am almost operated, I will be having mine in 36 hours, at 7AM EDT at Ohio State University- Wexner Medical Center in Columbus Ohio.It has been a long tortured pathway, things I wouldn't have believed could, did, but as the old spiritual said, All my trials, Lord, soon be over. I call it my REBIRTHDAY, my WONDER WEDNESDAY and I have a wonderful,surgeon,who,happens to be The Chief of Bariatric.Surgery and Metabolic Weight Loss and a full professor in the College of Medicine there, But better yet , he is very skillful and a darn nice,person. I like Dr Needleman a lot and I hope you will both like and trust your surgeon,and hospital staff. But welcome to Bariatric Pal, ask any questions you like.

And now a few hours more until it is JUST,ONE DAY. And like a child,with a very large piles of gifts🎁📦 I can hardly,wait until it is time⏰to,unwrap them all! I am going to mentally record everything in my mind so I can journal each and every occurance. Certainly,I do know many facets of ut,but,like,a large jigsaw puzzle, how do the pieces fit together? So I have been travelling Bariatric Pal, soaking up wisdom like a sponge. This will prepare me for the basics, but everyone is an individual so their experiences may vary but it will be personalized to ME.😜And I think that is just fine!

Confession ... ever since my hair loss stopped, I have been not good about taking my supplements or meeting my protein goals. I just bought a f*ckton of products from the Bariatric Pal store (thank you 25% off + Store Reward Points ), to help me meet my protein goals.

Try Millys,Sipping Broth but almost, any of their soups are Wonderful. Buy from Bariatric Pal, not the place starting with "A". These foods are designed for Bariatric patients but can be used and enjoyed. by everyone. I will be buying from them just as soon as Surgery is over, want to make sure I am home to accept delivery. And thank You Bariatric Pal, I have an ungodly amount of points and this month, September, I shall redeem them. Only other reason I haven't? With my struggle to get to surgery emotionally unscathed, I feared jinxing myself. So when it comes to,the BARISLATRIC PAL 💒STORE just DO IT! 😜

Hi Everyone, I am a little over 3 months out! I'm doing really great, and have lost about 60 pounds (starting weight was 238 and currently at 175). Right now, I just need a bit of help/advice. I am a college student who commutes twice a week for classes, but my classes start at 8 AM and end at 7:30 PM. This leaves me having to pack snacks and lunches as I do not have time during the day to leave campus for food. I am wondering what people are taking for snacks and lunches to work/school that is both easy to take on the go and bariatric friendly. My main problem is that I don't have access to a fridge or microwave (so whatever I'm bringing has to stay in an insulated lunch box for the majority of the day). I am getting really tired of string cheese and grapes! Any and all help would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Can anyone give any suggestions of products on Bariatric Pal menu for soups and hot drinks. I will be having surgery around Christmas and would like to begin preparing for once I get home. My husband is very supportive, however he is a disabled veteran and not able to help me as much as I will need him to. Thanks

I had Lap Band to Sleeve revision surgery in Tijuana Mexico in July. Everything went pretty well and I am losing weight, which i am happy about. The only thing I AM having trouble with is finding a Bariatric Surgeon or any kind of doctor (my family doctor told me flat out - he is NOT a post-op doctor), who will treat me. One liberal doctor/surgeon I found said if I were in crisis he would treat me, but said he doesn't have the 'bandwidth' to take on other surgeons' patients. He said part of the reason surgery costs locally are so high is for the post-surgical follow up and support they provide. Uggh! If I were you guys, do some looking around NOW and see if you can find a local doctor who will see you following your surgery. It is MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY. Fortunately, this doctor looked at the incisions (some still a tiny bit of scabs/healing) and said they looked normal, and I'm OK to go back to the gym. But on my own advice, I don't plan on doing any abdominal exercise at least until Oct or Nov - I'm afraid of popping a stitch internally. Good luck. You guys will look great when it is all over!!

I’ve been following a Bariatric keto plan that I got from Facebook group called Bariatric keto for women. It is low carb, moderate fat and high protein. I feel fantastic getting back to the basic of our weight loss journey. I am 5 years out with no significant weight gain however I had been eating to much sugary food and was feeling very sluggish, I know weight gain would be next.