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I did not use this forum to decide which WL procedure to have. I attended a WL seminar and had a consult with the surgeon. That being said, have you done either of these two things? My only suggestion for you would be for you to have a bariatric consultation where your medical history and weight loss goals can be addressed. The WL seminar will give you the details of each surgery. The seminar I attended had a question and answer portion, and the surgeons patiently answered tons of questions from the attendees. Best.

Would you be willing to go to Victoria? There is a Center of Excellence for Bariatric surgery there at Citizens Medical Center. There is an entire wing of the hospital there devoted to bariatric surgery. I had mine done there and have no complaints what so ever. Dr. Craig Chang is my surgeon and my hero. He's wonderful and is CERTIFIED. Many doctors do bariatric surgery but are not certified in it. This hospital is also fully equipped and furnished with the bariatric patient in mind. Chairs, beds, gowns, pressure cuffs, etc. that actually FIT. The Center is incredible. If you can, run down there and take a tour. They are happy to do it. I highly recommend him, if you dont mind a little drive. I drive from Corpus Christi, and don't mind in the least to have top notch care and facilities. I'm doing great and have had minimal problems. Dr. Chang is very approachable and very caring.

Lisa you are going through stages of grief. This is a process and I hope you can find a therapist to help get through this. It's not just about eating. It's about depression. Perhaps you can talk to your PCP or bariatric doctor about the depression. It is really super hard to lose a person you love so much and to see him fight as hard as he good and to lose the battle at the end. I'm talking as a therapist bc I am a therapist.... talk to us as much as you need too. Everyday.......

I do not have a problem with people wanting this and other WLS procedures without co-morbidities. I have worked in Bariatrics for years, this is the where it is headed. A responsible surgeon can and will decide who this is best for. I find it fascinating and exciting! Thanks for the positive response SunMoonStar

@@pinklantern Maybe your friends are picking up on your mood and are afraid to bring up the surgery. Your hormones are all out of whack. I would also encourage therapy. Bariatric Programs should have Post WLS Depression programs just like Post Partum Depression - as it's very common. Hope things look up soon.

I think that is the pill that I'm on, but I only have to take two per day. They are kind of big, but fortunately I don't have issues taking pills. I think if you contact bariatric advantage they will send you a sample. I take two of those and two calcium chews every day.

I have the bariatric advantage ultra with iron. They are too big to swallow and yes you have to take 3. I empty all 3 of them and mix them into one of my protein drinks. There is a little bit of a twang but it's not too bad. You could probably split them up as long as you wait the 3 hours before/after calcium. I still have to try and get the calcium pills in but I've been putting that off. I'm struggling with all of the pills I have to take and I admit sometimes I take a day off! I take other meds for an existing condition, so taking those plus the Prevacid and potassium to heal, plus stool softeners and vitamins.....ugh. AND, they want me to quarter all of my pills and wait 15 minutes between each piece. So basically I take something every 15 minutes from morning until I go to bed. I miss popping 2-3 pills at a time with a gulp of water. This is actually the hardest thing for me, as I don't really have any other issues so far. I would crush everything but then each meal would be hideous. Wish there was a daily IV I could hook up to!

Sorry to get so morbid here and mention chemo. I DO NOT have cancer, but it does run in my family like wildfire, and I expect that one day I might get the dreaded diagnosis. I am 48 now, hopefully this won't be for at least 2 decades, fingers crossed. So my malabsorption/malnutrition questions have to do with how does the body of an RNY patient get enough nutrients if -- heaven forbid -- they one day face chemo? I have seem family members really ravaged by chemo (granted, not all of them were compliant with doctors orders and suggestions), and many of these folks were overweight to start, and none of them ever had RNY or any weight loss surgery. So any nutrients they were able to get into their body had a chance to stay there and get absorbed. If RNY is malabsorptive and creates a Vitamin deficiency in most patients who are tested for these deficiencies, then how is any real nutrition getting to the body of a sick person undergoing chemo and eating very little? Maybe there's a set protocol between oncologists and bariatric doctors already? Do you all have any thoughts/experience with this? Are you living with a nutritional deficit in everyday life with your RNY? Thanks, I know this topic is a bit of a downer. :-(

My surgeon's office has me on Bariatric Advantage Meal Replacement shakes (2 scoops of powder with 8 oz skim milk). I can have 3 shakes a day with 1 frozen meal under 320 calories (lean cuisine, etc). I can also have veggies (no dip) lettuce with wishbone spritzer salad dressing and sugar free jello. I start on Tuesday, Feb 22. During one of our classes with the dietician we got to try them before buying too. A little thick but not horrible. They are so complete that you do not need to take a multi-vitamin if you choose not to. Good Luck!

North Suburban Medical Center Center for Weight Loss Surgery Monthly Bariatric Support Group 2012 Meetings held monthly 6pm – 7:30 pm in NSMC Basement Classroom: Aspen, on the 3rd Wednesday All patients who have had or are preparing for weight loss surgery are invited to attend. Significant others, family, and support persons are welcome too. All meetings are free of charge and do not require registration. January 18th February 15th March 21st April 18th May 16th June 20th July 18th August 15th September 19th October 17th November 14th (moved up one week due to Thanksgiving the usual week) December 19th Questions? Call bariatric coordinator, Nora, at 303-453-2201.

Something you might consider is called gastric plication. It is pretty much the same thing as a gastric sleeve but it is reversible and they do not remove part of your stomach, just sew it smaller. http://www.arabia.msn.com/lifestyle/healthandfitness/2010/december/gastricimbrications.aspx For me the biggest issue for bariatric surgery is it has to be affordable (I will probably self pay), reversible, let me continue to take my medications and Vitamin supplements and be relatively safe. Right now there are only 2 options I know of, plication and lap band. Something called an endoluminal sleeve (by endobarrier) is being used in clinical trials, it blocks off the first couple feet of your intestine with a plastic tube (that is where most calories are absorbed) and it works pretty well. So that may work too.

That is for sure! Dr. Nowzaradan is a bariatric surgeon. WTF is he doing performing plastic surgery? I have never in my life, through all of my research of plastics and bariatric surgery heard of a surgeon that was doing both. They are both very highly specialized fields! I would never let a bariatric surgeon perform plastics on me or vice versa. It's insane! And the two younger doctors on the show... what is up with them doing tummy tucks with no muscle repair? That's pretty useless! No muscle repair, no lipo, everyone of their patients have a shelf and a terrible scar. Well, I'll cut them a little slack with the scar, because we aren't really seeing the patients a year or more out, when scars will really start to fade. But the no muscle repair or lipo makes it truly just "skin removal" surgery, which is not what most people think when they think of a tummy tuck. It will definitely require later revision with muscle repair for anyone to get the "flat stomach" they are hoping for.

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

Thank you. I love my doc! The place I go is a bariatric place, its all they do. There are 6 bariatric surgeions who do LapBand and Gastric. They have been doing it 20 yrs. I really dont feel like its them... it must be me. I asked about pre-op diet and he said it was not necessary. He said all my labs were good, workout routine was good and I was on the small side ( for this type of surgery). I totally realize I needed to change my ways of eating, which is why I chose this proceedure. Again, I though it would limit the food I ate so that I could lose weight. That hasnt happened. Im still gaining weight. Like I mentioned, Im not snacking on ice cream and cake at all. I feel like I eat pretty well. I do eat carbs though. Doc said that should be ok because of how hard I workout. I dunno....Im stick and feeling like this was a huge waste of money. Im so envious of all of you who say how much weight you are losing and how you can only eat little bits at a time. Im just not there. I think I will call him to see if he can put another few cc's in. He is very confident that I will lose weight and says Im his "star pupil" because of how ell I have tolerated everything so far. Well, thats all well and good.... but I would like to lose some darn weight, ya know?

Every Patient is different. Every Surgeon is different. Every Bariatric Center is different. Every Nutritionist is different. After listening to all of them I spent much time really listening to my own body! It will reach a quiet zone and really give you signals. (It was almost like the messages from the baby/fetus when I was pregnant) Now I don't hear it again because I'm overeating. I have been on this forum for inspiration to get back on the path again. . . . . .Please don't blog negative, run it all through your own thought process and be positive going on the road to being happy & improving our health.

Hey I know this is an old post, but chose balanced essentials based on the help of the consultant at vitamin world along with your post...but i was wondering do you take the recommended dose of balanced essentials or double due to the amounts we bariatric patients need? Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

When you've gotten to the stage where you can eat meat and you LOVE pizza like I do, give my recipe a try! The crust is made with ground chicken breast. I've included pictures for those who are "visual" like I am. Last time I made the crusts, I bought the 3 lb. package of ground chicken breast and it made 19 individual crusts. I put them in the green container and keep it in my freezer. When reheating, I use a pizza stone. I'll take a crust out of the freezer, put the stone in the oven and set it at 450°. Once heated I put the crust on the hot stone for about 30 seconds on each side. Then pull the stone out of oven, top the pizza and return to oven for 6 minutes. The pizza stone creates a crispier crust, especially the edges - YUM! Let me know if you have any questions or how you like it. PIZZA CRUST – (Chicken) Ingredients One pound ground (raw) chicken breast ¼ cup grated Parmesan ¼ cup Reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shredded cheese – ¼ cup shredded cheese is 1 oz. by weight ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp black or cayenne pepper (I used cayenne) Tools Mixing bowl (stand mixer - easiest combing method) Baking sheet, pizza pan or pizza stone (crispiest crust) Parchment paper Wax paper Rolling pin Pam or any vegetable non-stick cooking spray Instructions Preheat oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl combine all of the above ingredients.Place a wet paper towel on a flat surface then place your parchment paper on it. Spray it with Pam and then put your chicken mixture on top. Mixture makes 6 – 3 oz. portions, so 6 individual crusts. Lightly spray a sheet of wax paper with non-stick cooking spray (makes for easy removal). Place wax paper, sprayed side down and evenly press using a rolling pin to get it as thin as you’d like. Remove the wax paper and place parchment paper on pan bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness). Put the crust between two paper towels and pat to absorb any grease. It is chicken after all. Then place it on a new sheet of parchment before topping it. Top baked crust with sauce, cheese and you favorite healthy toppings. Place back in oven on baking sheet or preheated pizza stone and cook until melted and bubbly 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy! If you bake it on a pizza stone it will get crispier. Crust Only: Nutrition Facts Amount Per Serving: Servings 6.0 Calories 114 Total Fat 3g Carbohydrate 1g Dietary Fiber 0g Sugars 0g Protein 19g As Prepared : 1 Tbs Prego pizza sauce 2 Tbs Sargento reduced fat 4 cheese Italian shreds 1 tsp sautéed Vidalia onion 1 tsp sautéed red bell pepper ½ oz. cooked 90/10 lean ground beef Nutrition Facts Servings 1.0 Calories 238 Total Fat 10g Carbohydrate 5g Dietary Fiber 1g Sugars 2g Protein 31g

I am about 4 months post op and my scars are pretty dark because I tend to hyperpigment. I have 5 of them!!!! Dont know why the surgeon cant do the single incision gastric sleeve through the belly button. That would've been my preference but the only two surgeons in the US that do that were not near me. Anyway, I went to my dermatologist and he mixed up a prescription strength formula to fade these things and happy to say it is working. But honestly, I think it is something the bariatric surgeons should address.

I really wished I had a choice on what shake I wanted to use. this sucks My shake is horrible also. I'm using Bariatric Advantage. I was using Pure Protein to replace one meal before my liquid diet started and it wasn't bad at all. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My understanding is true results is more of a referral service they probably had to send it out to the surgeons office for clearance, I believe(could be wrong) they use Peachtree Bariatrics in Atlanta.

@Elode Do you want to have cosmetic procedures done? If you are within 15% of the lowest weight you might want to be, you can have cosmetic procedures done now. I was 157 when I had my consult for my first set of surgeries (tummy tuck and boobs) and 153 the day of surgery. My two other procedures were done when I was around 147 and 137 and they also look just fine now that I'm about 20-23 pounds thinner than when I started the procedures. I don't think I would have any better results waiting and I think I actually would not have hit goal if all the extra skin hadn't been removed. I can run so much faster now, lol. Also, not pulling away skin is really motivating to stay thin. I read a study that people who had plastics after bariatric surgery were more likely to maintain at their goal than those who didn't, which was another contributing factor for me. I know this is shallow, but I wake up everyday, weigh myself, and check my naked self out in the mirror. My boobs and stomach are my favorite procedure and everyday I love how they look. So...you're pretty small now according to your profile, you could totally go get your plastic consults out of the way and be ready in 6 weeks or so to have the procedures done without having to really lose much more first.

Bowel prep is one of the many things that varies from doctor to doctor and program to program. May the Bariatric Surgery Gods bless you with not having to go through THAT particular experience. The worst part for me? The first of two days of bowel prep was on my birthday. Crappy Birthday to me! Literally.

hour, scary serious. I am finishing up a mandated 30 day electronic compliance , 4+ hours per 24. I averaged 6×. it gets faxed to Columbus. to,my bariatric program. Jessica b, my case manager delivers the faxes to Certified Nurse Practioner Valerie, my surgeon Dr Needleman's right hand woman. And then something occult,happens. They consult a voodoo priestesd, play cards, go fishing, nobody really knows. Either Valerie calls 7/6 or Jessica calls 7/9. because she will be on vacation until,then. And if i,understand i receive my surgery date. I probably,won't be able b to discard Uncle Snuffly, my,father also had apnea.

Hi AllieCat I'm going through the Rex bariatrics program too!! Surgery date June 26th!!, I'm getting DS through Dr sharp...so nervous and excited Sent from my VS500PP using BariatricPal mobile app

It's your surgeon's and dietitian's JOB to help you lose weight. They are better qualified to do that than anyone else you know, and avoiding seeing them is (as you've discovered) self-defeating. So many bandsters are embarrassed or fearful to admit their problems to their surgeons, but unless the doctor has a lousy bedside manner, I can't think of a single good reason to avoid a come-to-Jesus meeting with him/her. Your surgeon and dietitian already know that you have an eating problem, as evidenced by the obesity that brought you to their office i the first place. Every single bariatric professional I've ever talked with or heard speak at a WLS convention has expressed chagrin over losing patients to aftercare. It's very, very frustrating to them to have a patient drop out of sight. That said, I will also say that the prodigal bandster may not like what he/she hears when finally talking with the surgeon again, but sometimes we need some tough love to get us back on track.