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I have a vet surgeon...who is actually a member of the board that certifies bariatric surgeons here. My liver was pretty good before surgery because I'd lost 35 pounds. I still had to do a two week ketogenic diet "for extra safety." My surgeon is a very type A perfectionist. (great trait for a surgeon...wouldn't want to marry him...lol)

Well.....my Doctor who is in the top 5% of bariatric surgeons in the U.S. didn't even have me do a pureed diet. I was drinking full liquids right after surgery for one week. Which included Jell-O, pudding and sugar free popsicles. I am now 12 days out eating a soft diet. Every Doctor is different and it doesn't mean something is going to go wrong. I trust mine completely. Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello everyone, I have not been on here a while, but I had my revision from lap band to RNY surgery on July 9th. I was about 280 day of surgery and left 2 days later at 287 (?). Today I'm down to 274. I was out for 5 hours, the surgeon said there was a lot of scar tissue. I thought it was kind of cool because the surgery was robot assisted, which I haven't seen used much for bariatric procedures. Anyways, the root of my post...Lately I've been having strange dizzyness and head compression feelings. I strongly do not think this is related to the RNY because I've actually been able to get 60g protein and about 48oz of liquid per day. I've found I can drink more than 1oz per 15 minutes without feeling poorly, and my urine color is not dark yellow. BP is normal and blood sugar is normal (I checked it even though I'm not a diabetic) Also, I've had these kinds of dizziness/pulsed-compression feelings before when I tapered onto or off of antidepressants. I'm almost positive that's what I'm feeling. I take 75mg in the morning of lamictal for cyclothymic disorder (Essentially a version of bipolar-II where I don't have mania, but instead have atypical depression). I am on a very small dose, in the past, small doses worked very well for me. I believe the normal bipolar-2 dose is about 150mg. Anyways, I take 3x25mg tablets in the morning. I've done some reading and found that lamictal is poorly metabolized post RNY, so I was wondering if anyone here had to change theirs, and if so, by what multiple? (e.g. 4x amount, 2x, etc..). I know my psychiatrist is very willing to work with me on it, but I'd like to have a general idea before I go see him. I should have had them check for blood levels post surgery, but alas, I didn't. I also have panic disorder/General Anxiety and that was "more or less" under control with 2x25mg Luvox in the morning and 2x25MG Luvox in the evening. Luvux is also supplied in a very small tablet. (Both Luvix and lamictal are smaller than a claratin). I haven't seen much on Luvox directly since it is an older SSRI that everyone has pretty much forgot about, but for me it worked much better than the newer ones like Lexapro. Typically, with me, I get abnormal yawning reflexes when my Serotonin is being affected by an SSRI, and I'm not seeing it, so I suspect the metabolism of the lamictal is more the culprit (Although the wierd dizziness happens with SSRI taper as well). My doc told me that I did not need to crush any tablets smaller than an M&M, so I have not been crushing them. Thanks for any thoughts and I'm excited to be part of the RNY club.

It isn't even just Bariatric Surgeons that are that way. One upon a time I had an OB/Gym cut from that bolt. His favorite saying was Pregnant Women are Ditsy because all of their blood pools in their abdomen and none gets to their brain. And This Doctor Ding Ding went on a diet, ever notice how it seems some men lose easy? Got down to 135 lbs and keep telling us ladies that were his livelihood that we were fat cows because we couldn't lose that easy.

Thank you Kat0000 and Gingersnap112, odd Gingersnaps was one of my son's programs. Think he may have had a wee crush on Emily Perkins. At any rate it,is wonderful,to know I have 2 nice friends following me. It was a very,nice exam etc I had today,with Dr Needleman. He is as nice as I hoped he would be, he was amazed at how much I knew already, actually didn't learn as much as some because I am so,prepared but did glean some information to fill in the gaps Every challenge he presented, I believe I can accomplish. I really,feel like we are a team willing to work for me. Yeah he is a very busy guy, but he has this way of making each of us feel we are the most important patient in the 🌎to him. That's not,something easily taught, it comes from within. He's maybe 49-50 years old, getting gray a little, but cares and is approachable tous. Much better person than that first Asswhat surgeon I met at the previous place. And I feel very safe in his care. He was reading the whole list of bad things that can happen and I'm shaking my head NO. He asked me why, I told him nothing bad would happen, he is too good a surgeon, he would not want to mess up his record and my whole day by a calamity. Oh some of the things I have heard on Bariatric Pal are so funny, one woman was worried she would talk about ex-husbands and lovers while under anesthesia. Don't know if I helped when I told her she would have a breathing tube down her throat and couldn't say a word. Another was concerned about people who. might see her unclothed. Pish tosh, good ole Frust8 is going to be lying,on her back, arms secured so I don't slip off the table, belly pumped up so high I look like I'm expected octuplets and I should whether,people know the shade of every hair,on my body? Ask me , I'm 72, people who knew secrets about me are long gone. Got little if any shame in my game, yeah I'm a redhead all over,what does it matter if 8 to 10 more people know that? Unless the TV crews have a wide angle lens they can't get all of me in one picture! Yesterday someone was worried they didn't have an hourglass figure , shoot,i do, instead of 36-25-36 I'm 58-46-58 and my thighs are like bundt cakes instead of muffins, but I believe I'll renovate well,once I peel off my fat covering I am going to be dy-no-mite and really rock the senior set. Might take a year, might take 18 months, but I will be Cutie Pie reconditioned from Big Mama. Big project but i,am the woman for it!😝🍀❤

Hi:...I too had these same questions...this is normal...everything we do daily revolves around food. I’ve spent hours reading and trying to understand why I could take the weight off, but couldn’t keep it off. I wasn’t heavy growing up, but put on a lot of weight after quitting smoking. I think I finally started to understand why it’s so hard to keep weight off after reading “A Pound of Cure” by Matthew Weiner, MD, FACS, a Bariatric surgeon. He talks about your metabolic thermostat and resetting it. Spend some time collecting the facts. List all the pros and cons. I think this will help with your decision. I hope this helps.

I have an appointment with my regular Dr in a couple days to talk about getting sent out to a bariatric surgeon. I was just hoping if anyone could give me an idea of the requirements Alliance requires for the surgery? I read where you have to be enrolled in Weight Watchers or a similar program in the last 2 years for them to approve it. Any information would be extremely appreciated!

Stay in therapy to explore all these issues and more. Some bariatric patients develop ED after surgery, or have a reappearance of one, it does happen. Anyone can lose weight, most of us have had great success at losing weight, me included - this surgery helps KEEP the weight off, it changes the metabolism and the hormones. I am still on the journey to my goal - I will get there. I wish you all the best. I am not dissuading you from a modeling career but just cautioning you that that path is rife with extreme body criticisms, chasing perfection, and prime for ED dysfunction. Have a plan B in place and stay in therapy.

@courtb86 I would try to chew on ginger. Yes, raw ginger. Just peel the skin and chew or suck on it, put it in decaf hot tea. It's spicy but it's natural and tends to rid nausea almost instantly. Did for me in my first trimester. I wouldn't drink any carbonated bevs as this point just because it isn't a good idea for a bariatric patient. Good luck to you and your baby.

Ugh!! I wish he wasn’t the best in the area, but he’s honestly probably the best in New York! It’s the only center in the state that has both a Bariatric and metabolic program combined. I’m just trying to brush it off. He’s operating on my stomach, not my muscles, so I’ll give him the pass this time. It was irritating to say the least, especially because he has no idea that I was an elite gymnast for 10 years 😂 like I know what I’m doing, bro. Anyway, I appreciate the support! It makes me feel better that I wasn’t just being a SENSITIVE, EMOTIONAL FEMALE... you know how we are 🤣

At the moment I'm using Celebrate Vitamin Multivitamin soft chews and Iron Soft Chews. I use ProCare Health Sea Salt Caramel Calcium Chews or the Bariatric Advantage Caramel Chews. I change the brand, flavor, and form of vitamins every few weeks. I like keeping things interesting. It helps that I have most of these products a few feet away from my office in the BariatricPal Store warehouse

Have you looked at any of the numerous studies on outcomes, both short and long term, for surgical weight loss versus diet/lifestyle changes? Overall, less than 10% of people who set out to lose 60-80% of their body weight will succeed with diet/lifestyle changes. With surgery 80% of people lose 60-80% of their bodyweight. 5 years later only 20% of the LESS THAN 10% who succeeded with diet/lifestyle changes are maintaining. With surgery, it's about 80% of the 80%. Gastric sleeve does a lot more than reduce stomach by 80-85%. The portion of the stomach that produces the hunger hormone gherlin is removed. As people suffering from obesity, our bodies because immune to leptin, a hormone our body makes that aides in appetite suppresion and signals satiety. After surgery, this immunity is no longer present. Gastric sleeve surgery is a reset for your body is so many ways. I think you need to better under the complexity of the surgery and how it truly affects bodies. There are many studies showing how the neuromapping in our brains actually changes following bariatric surgery. Obesity is a disease process and willpower alone is rarely the cure. Best wishes to you! My Blog: www.nourishingheather.com HW: 325 CW: 314 Surgery Date: 8/1/18 GW: 160

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Did you have sleep study done? Sleep apnea is a comorbidity. Does your insurance NOT cover bariatrics at all, or only with comorbidities? Or a certain bmi? Many say over 40 bmi w no comorbidities or above 35 with comorbidities. At any rate, you could always go to Mexico for cheaper surgery. This surgery with its physical restriction is a great tool, you still have to work at it, but keeping the weight off will be much easier

My surgeon released me week 2 to begin working out and weight training. He also spoke to me during that appointment about how big of a gift the first year really is, and encouraged me to do everything I can to follow my diet, drink my water, and keep up with my exercise. He said I should not even focus on my weight so much as the other three. Everyone's plan and surgeon are different, as far as when you are released. I was honestly stunned that I was not made to wait longer. I had a few gym memberships throughout the years, but never anything consistent and I mostly just stuck to the treadmill and the few machines I could figure out myself. Basically, I did not have any idea what I was doing or if I was doing it right. I left the Surgeon's office the day he released me and went to my chosen gym. I chose a gym affiliated with my local hospital which focuses on whole body wellness. They have the gym, but they also have a spa, cooking classes, and various education classes taught by the hospital staff. My goal is to make a serious life change and make exercise part of my daily life. I felt this place would help me do that. The gym offered a free personal training session. I met with the trainer to discuss my goals, he took me around the gym to show me how all of the equipment works, and had me do some exercises to test my mobility, strength, and stamina. Most of the exercises he had me do, were not with the machines, but with free weights, and bands and other stuff that I would not have even tried to go near by myself. That was the first week of June. I worked out with Joe (my personal trainer "PT") at the gym twice a week up until last week. He had me doing different exercises every time I went, so it was never boring. I learned more about all of the equipment and I became more confident in doing things myself when I was not with my PT. Joe helped me figure out what my limits actually are, what I should be feeling during exercise, what I should not be feeling, and how much I can push past my perceived limits. I know more now about resting times, and why they are important. This is all stuff that I maybe could have researched and discovered on my own, but I am not sure how safe that would have been. Joe left the gym last week and I immediately requested a new PT. My new PT has a completely different methodology, and while it is different, it is still very effective. I learned about some new exercises and equipment last week and I look forward to learning more today. Pros: I feel like a trainer helps me get the most out of my efforts and my time at the gym. I am able to learn how to work out and use the gym equipment safely and most effectively. The PT teaches me why I should do certain exercises and how they help me reach my goals. It keeps me accountable, knowing that I need to keep up with my recommended exercises and show up for my sessions I feel like they help me learn what my limits are and how to push them. I am provided extra activities to focus on outside of my sessions (I went from 2 min to 25 min on the rower just by doing my homework). The PT can keep moving me forward and providing new challenges as needed. Cons: I am accountable to someone and have to show up at least twice a week Having scheduled sessions makes it difficult to plan around. The sessions take it out of me and I am usually too wiped to do anything else but shower and eat once I get home. Neither of my trainers have worked with bariatric clients before, so I have had to provide some gentle reminders about my low calorie count and my need to sip (not gulp) water. The sessions are not cheap.

This would have def offended me, but I'm going to take a different approach on it. I would say that his opinion has little to do with your choices or success after surgery. You need him to do the surgery, without complications, period. After that, his job is to monitor your vitamin levels and record your weight loss. Just because he's a bariatric surgeon, doesn't mean he's a fitness expert. I wouldn't take advice from a surgeon on fitness, just because he's a doctor. So if you want to "bulk" up, then go for it! But I wouldn't let it discourage you from using him. If his known skills are reputable, and you've established with him... I'd say continue forward.

You can def make a list. I found that my first consultation was spent mostly with the doctor going over the different options. It made my head spin. I never did get all my questions answered (in that moment). Focus on really listening to what he/she is saying and asking follow up questions to determine which surgery is best for you. That is very important to choose what is going to work for you. And just remember, you will have plenty of time to ask follow up questions. If your program is anything like mine, you will have some type of seminar to go over info, bariatric class of some sort, NUT appointments, psych eval, and weigh-ins. Plus, I found I had more questions after my appointment than before. And believe it or not, some questions will actually be better answered by your NUT than the surgeon. If you have a concern for qualifications, then you can def bring up the PCOS. But it is, without a doubt, been known to help this condition. I have PCOS and I was told that it will help, to what degree is unknown. You can always use this community as a resource as well. I personally don't like giving medical advice, but any info we can provide about the process or our experiences.. this is what helped me tremendously! Good luck, and CONGRATS!

Hey all. I am now 4 days post op. It has been an adventure, but thought I would share. My surgery was scheduled for 9:15 am Thurs morning, I was wheeled back around 9:30 so not to bad. Surgery took about 2hours (RNY) they also did a liver biopsy, and egd, and found and repaired a hiatal hernia. I woke up in A LOT of pain. They tried to get me up and walking when I got to my room but I was shaky, dizzy, light headed and super nacseous (Know that's spelled wrong). That first night was very very rough but they left a catheter in so I didn't have to get up till morning. My pain meds were not lasting I could get something every four hours but my pain surged back to full after 2hours. I must have felt bad because it seems like I told everyone I wanted to die. [emoji45]. This is not to scare anyone I swear stick with me because my 9 the next morning less than 24 hours after my surgery it was already SO MUCH BETTER. In the morning I grabbed a resident and told him to address my pain what they had me on was not working. He listened and they staggered my pain meds between two kinds. My mom (who is 5weeks post-op) pushed and got that catheter out to make me get up, and got me on water. Then my mom set me in a chair in the bathroom in my room and washed my arms and back legs and face...she basically reminded me I was human and to stop saying I wanted to die! I did my first full lap around the bariatric floor and didn't feel like dieing. I was officially on the mend. It is going g to be rough, gas pain is no joke, I think the majority of my pain was gas and hiatal hernia. But you will get through it, tell them what you need, and have support there for you that know what you need, will fight for you, remind you you are worth fighting for, and who will sit and hold your hand when nothing else helps.

Hello Everyone. I am new to this forum but not new to the weight-loss/bariatric surgery world. I had surgery 11/13/2017 (gastric Sleeve) but first met with my Bariatric team Feb 2017. I had to due 6 months of dietitian visits before I could be approved by insurance and then I chose to delay my surgery by a couple of months due to starting a new job, hence why there was such a delay between meeting my team and actually having the surgery. I never wanted to have weightloss surgery (but really who does) but when I met with my OB/GYN in November of 2016 I was told it was either weightloss surgery or Adoption as my weight was at a dangerous level for carrying a child, and due to my PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) I was unable to get pregnant on my own (well with my husbands help of course). We had gone through years of fertility treatments previously and put that on hold due to a close family death, and when we were mentally ready to start trying again my weight was more of a problem than it was before. Fast forward to now: My highest weight was 336pds (when I first met my bariatric team). When I was discharged from the hospital I was at 297pds, and as of last monday I weighed in at 201pds. My first Goal weight is 200pds and under.....hoping for Onederland within the next couple of weeks. I am currently designing my next tattoo to symbolize my journey through weightloss and why I decided to get the surgery. Stats: Heighest Weight:336 Surgery Weight: 297 Goal Weight: Less than 200 Current Weight: 201 Height: 5'11.75" So thats the short version of my story and journey

Hi! So after buying a ton of vitamins off if amazon(few hundred dollars worth☹️😳😳) I realized I just can’t deal with swallowing or melting them in my mouth🤢 I decided to purchase the patches on patchmd after all. I read great reviews on them. This is my first day trying them. I bought the Bariatric 2 set(4 patches) and put 2 on left higher arm, 1 on right higher arm and one on right side of stomach. The ones on my arms burn a bit or feel sensitive. Has anyone experienced this and is it ok?

I don't mean to be an @$$, but I never thought of myself as being fat forever either, couldn't imagine it. I always thought I'd lose it, one way or another. But it became increasingly obvious that if I didn't get this surgery, that I would be obese forever. I would die from weight related diseases or complications. Just saying, this isn't the end of the world. I feel like a normal person now. I don't label myself as a bariatric patient. I don't think about it anymore. I eat well, that's it. Oh, and I go to the doctor to get my vitamins checked.

I guess I can chime in, even though mine is 3 week liquid diet and its on going at the moment. Seems that my doctors protocol is very strict compared to what I've been reading on the forums. I started on 7/9/18, my surgery date is 7/30/18, and so far I am down 8 pounds. Im on Bariatric Advantage shakes, 4x a day, BA Calcium Chews (3), and BA chewable vitamins.

Good luck! The liquid diet is like bariatric boot camp, you'll be great by day 3, I had a 2 week full liquids only pre-op diet. The first few days are tough, I'm not going to lie, but by day 3 it gets easier. I didn't work so I just drove myself crazy!

Wowee You are on Speed Dial instead of slogging along forever like I feel I have done. But you are very welcome and we are proud to add you to our world-wide group. I am 72, BMI of 47, planning RnY bypass surgery yet this month, I should find out an exact date 7/17/2018. It will be at Ohio State University Hospital with Bradley J Needleman. the top Dog Bariatric Surgeon. there so I am a lucky lady. Been on this trek since August 2015, many stops and starts, but soon it will be completed and I can start on a future life more healthy, more fit and a lower weight is pretty cool too. Lets share this experience together!😛🍀🙏😷🌈

And Courtney Anne mine should be pretty close to yours, I will find out July 17th at 11:15AM when I meet at Ohio State University with. my Bariatric Surgeon Bradley J Needleman, the chief of Bariatric Surgery and Metabolic Weight Loss . Frustr8 landed herself the Big Kahuna, very smart, surgically talented and I have no qualms about putting my 72 year body into his care. And July will be the month of both of our Surgical REBIRTHDAYS.🙏😛🍀😷🏣