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It was easier for me to decide. i was 47 years old. I'd had plenty of experience losing and regaining weight. I'd lost as much as 120 lbs in a health kick at 45 years old.....only to regain after an injury and surgical repair that kept me outa the gym for a while. I healed but turned that "while" into way too long. Anyway.....a bulging disc at T-12 knocked me on my arse. Outa work for an extended period trying to heal it and avoid surgery. Back surgeon suggested bariatric surgery and that losing a significant amount of weight would allow my back to heal itself. Suffice to say that pain is a powerful motivator. That back injury was the most painful thing I've ever experienced....and that includes knee surgeries, broken bones and two prior hernia repairs......those back spasms were a beyotch. Within a month of having my VSG my back started to heal. At five months I was taking vacations and having an absolute blast. Live was good again........and has been ever since. Weight is coming off nicely. I can eat anything I choose to eat, just choosing weight loss friendly foods now. I can eat smallish to normal sized portions at meals. Nobody I'd meet today would ever know I'd had wls if they didn't see older pictures. Nothing in my daily life would reveal this. Living like a normal person......eating normal foods......normal portions. What, exactly, is your fear ?????????????????? A better life awaits you. Get lean. Enjoy the results. Gotta run. 14 hour shift awaits me.....and I have tons of energy to burn. Will even hit the gym during lunch break. VSG life is good !!!! Edit: VSG life is GREAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weeelll ... ... when you weigh in at the bariatric surgeon's office, you could stick some half-pound weights in your bra, pockets, shoes, underwear to make sure your BMI is at least 35. And if you want to go whole-hog you could wear weight belts layered under your clothes. (Just sayin!) I was covered by Medicare at 39 BMI (without any weight belts ) with 3 comorbidities at age 68. What YOUR insurance company will cover depends solely on your insurance company's guidelines and the terms of YOUR insurance policy. Good luck. P.S. I'm 5'5", started at 235 pounds, have lost 100 pounds, and now weigh 100 pounds. The sleeve was my first WLS. I didn't have fatty liver issues.

Yeah, I recently injured a knee and it is not healing. No issue with the joint, but the meniscus is torn. I'm normally a reasonably active person, but now I can't do most of the things I like to do in terms of physical activity. Which is only strengthening my resolve about surgery. Thank you very much for the reassurance! I also have a torn meniscus, which has halted my favorite activities: African Dance, jazzercise and hiking. I started physical therapy and my therapist taught me all sorts of fun stuff I can do in the pool. I jog laps with various kinds of "weights" made from styrofoam and plastic, walk forwards, backwards and sidewise, kick with a kickboard, lunge walk, and do squats and heel lifts. I suspended my jazzercise membership and as soon as my PT period ends, will join the hospital gym and pool, and go after work. I am also in the process of completing my pre-requisites for bariatric surgery...I am just completing a horrid round of anti-biotics to get rid of an ulcer caused by painkillers for the knee, and will be issued my CPAP next week. I hope to have the surgery in October or November. My plan is to see if weight loss relieves the joint pain. If not, then I will look at knee surgery in the spring. Oh yeah, I'm 56.

@Postop I wanted to follow up on your comment about chewables. What's the issue there? Gummy vs non-gummy? I ask because I'm taking the Bariatric Advantage chewables now. The things are specifically designed for bariatric patients, but are you saying they're no good for DS'ers? thanks

@postop Saw where you had the DS several years back and wanted to ask you a few questions. 1. I saw somewhere that you commented about calcium citrate vs carbonate. So what’s the issue with carbonate? I have been taking carbonate and am having kidney stone issues again and wondering if it’s coming from the carbonate or rather it’s making them worse. 2. What vitamin do you take daily? I found that Bariatric advantage has a vitamin specific for BPDS patients and I only have to take two a day and then add an iron supplement and calcium. My blood work with the exception of vitamin D is all normal. At that time wasn’t concerned with the D being a little in ten low end . I’m almost a year out this month.

Hey there @NurseMichael! Just watched the video, liked and subscribed - really enjoyed it. Love your energy and passion, and while I don't know how much I can get out of it at this point in time (only one month post-op), I know it won't be long at all until whatever I learn will be so valuable. Thank you for doing this, what a great service to the bariatric community! P.S. Is it bad that I burst out laughing when your mic fell over? 😂 I'm so glad you didn't edit that out, it made the video even better!

I recently looked into this and am at the stage of deciding which surgery I want: Re-Sleeve or Bypass. I'll preface the following by stating you can research many articles on "pubmed.com" to read published papers by physicians. There is a re-sleeve procedure and it's either done by plication or utilizing Overstitch; key difference is that part of your stomach is NOT cut and removed, as is done in the initial sleeve. The stomach is made smaller by suturing to make it smaller. In my case, revision, even if it is to a re-sleeve, would be covered by my insurance. Re-sleeves can be done endoscopically (through the throat, no incisions on the abdomen); this is the approach I am being offered. Bypass would require abdominal incisions as it is performed laparoscopically. Bypass would yield a greater overall weight loss, initially. There's a study that indicated the long term weight loss between those re-sleeved vs. conversion to bypass levels out and is similar. Articles: Re-sleeve Gastrectomy - An Efficient Revisional Bariatric Procedure - 3 Years Results Re-Sleeve Gastrectomy for Failed Primary Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Short-term outcomes of revisional surgery after sleeve gastrectomy: a comparative analysis of re-sleeve, Roux en-Y gastric bypass, duodenal switch (Roux en-Y and single-anastomosis) Laparoscopic re-sleeve gastrectomy as a treatment of weight regain after sleeve gastrectomy Weight Regain After Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Look at the Benefits of Re-sleeve Reverse: Laparoscopic revision of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass to sleeve gastrectomy: A ray of hope for failed Roux-en-Y gastric bypass As to which procedure has higher risk, in general, risk increases with every subsequent surgery. In this case, it would depend on the approach your physician would take to re-sleeve; endoscopic or laparoscopic. Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty versus laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: a case-matched study If both options would be performed laparoscopically, then it would be a matter of you deciding which procedure you feel the most comfortable with to achieve the long-term results you are looking for. Endoscopic surgery is performed using a scope, a flexible tube with a camera and light at the tip, allowing the surgeon to see inside and perform procedures without making major incisions, allowing for easier recovery time and less pain and discomfort. Laparoscopic is performed by making several small incisions in the abdomen, which increases risk when compared to the SAME PROCEDURE performed endoscopically (no incisions). The approach with the highest risk is open. Bigger incision. Bigger incision, bigger risk. One type of surgery that has taken off in the last few years is minimally invasive spine surgery. Many spine surgeries can be done laparoscopically versus open -- even fusions. The difference? Patients that have it done laparoscopically can have it done in an ASC (ambulatory surgical center), meaning they leave the same day, no hospital stay or large incisions in the back. And...always remember, whichever surgery you have, it's a TOOL, not a magic pill (those don't exist either). Hope this helps!

I wish it was a range of responses. The questions per my bariatric program are all short answer. It may even take 2 sessions to get through them all

I ordered the cookbook from the Bariatric foodie that has tons of recipes for different shakes. She uses sugar free coffee syrups,PB2, and sugar free pudding mixes to "spice up" the powders. I have a bunch of stuff on order and can't wait for something different other than premier shakes. http://www.amazon.com/Bariatric-Foodie-Perfect-Protein-Shakes/dp/1480101095/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y/189-0106789-6371661

This is definitely a polarizing subject. I did a self-serving cost / benefit analysis before I committed to surgery (like a pro/con list). One list concerned financial cost, risk, expected lifespan,possible medical complications, etc. The other list concerned financial relief due to better health, expected lifespan, improved mobility, reduced inflammation and pain, etc. The Bariatric Center at Loyola University did not shield me from the harsh possibility of complications and regain. They were very open and answered all 17 questions that I pounded them with on my first visit. I feel like I was very well informed. The risks to not having surgery were greater than the risks of following through. One of the concepts discussed in my college statistics class was that you could prove anything with statistics. The result was just a matter of where your personal bias was coming from. As a matter of fact, one of the books on our recommended eading list was "How to Lie with Statistics" by Darrell Huff. So....I think one thing we can all agree on is that each individual needs to research the subject of weight loss surgery very well and make the best informed decision that they can. One of my resources for being educated on this subject was this very forum. The forum presented me with real people having real outcomes, and put a face to the experiencing I was considering.

Is your insurance company paying to have the band removed? My surgeon refuses to talk to me about removal of my band even tho I am vomiting for 3-5 days STRAIGHT (no food and unable to take meds) EVERY MONTH. He tells me the band is fine... move on to another idea (like see G.I. doctor which I have done with no solution or even a diagnosis). He also tells me that "the board" wanted to fire me as a patient... basically refuse to treat me or even discuss what might be happening to my body with me. While in the E.R. this same surgeon yelled at me, and my mother, telling me that if I don't get myself under control nobody is going to help me. At this point I've lost my job, had to cash out my 401k with major penalties, and I still don't have a proper diagnosis and none of my doctors have a plan for controlling the monthly vomiting episodes. This bariatric surgeon, after telling me to "move on", then said, "do you want me to talk to your insurance company about taking it out based on your personal preference?" I'm having to apply for disability because a person who is vomiting/retching so hard, to the point of losing bladder function, is not employable. I'm not saying the band is causing this cyclic vomiting/abdominal migraine but I find it really hard to believe that after a year of this my surgeon will not discuss removal of my Lap-Band. It is as if it belongs to him, not me.

Yes, I think that a lot of surgeons are anti-band because the patient education, aftercare, and support is time-consuming and expensive. That's partly because surgeons are trained to approach surgery as a one-time fix-it thing. But bariatric surgery doesn't work that way. I would not have a band put in by a doctor who hates the band. I don't think you'd get the patient education, aftercare, and support you need from him (see above) to succeed. I hate that you've gotten this far and only now have discovered his true feelings about the band. If he or someone in his practice speaks at pre-op educational seminars, they need to make that position clear then so other people don't waste their time as you have. On the other hand, the sleeve is not as terrible as you might think. While it's scary to think of losing a big part of your stomach, people have been surviving gastrectomies for decades. Years ago I had a coworker who had lost most of her stomach because of ulcers and she was healthy and happy. And slim.

Are you taking little sips and allowing them to go down? Are you on Clear liquids? Did they give you the little one oz measuring cups to help you gauge your intake? Those really helped me. The best thing though, was the bariatric coordinator's advice to change my posture - to put my shoulders back and stick those boobs out, head straight up - and that helps things move smoothly through the new little stomach. Man, I wish I had seen her earlier. That didn't fix everything immediately, but that was the beginning of the end of the terrible pain of day one and two! I am here thinking about you and hoping things will get better. Try the posture thing for sure.

I'm with BCBS of Mississippi state and we have to participate in a six month weight management program also before receiving our surgery date. The way it works for me is for 3 months I'm assigned a life coach who with discuss healthier eating habits to get you on the right track. It's done over the phone and lasts about 30 mins. The next 3 months you will be assigned a Bariatric nurse who will walk you through preop and post op stuff. Also during the last 3 months you are getting everything u need done for surgery. Not hard at all. My husband is getting sleeved with me and we are hoping for the first of October.

I've thought this through because it's a concern of mine, too. I want and need a support community and resources (bariatric recipes, etc) as I go through this journey. My regular FB is full of co-workers and others who do NOT need to know my personal medical plans and medical history....Definitely none of their business. I'm sure that several people I know would be judgy, critical and gossipy, including family members. I want to "like" all the Bariatric FB pages (including BariatricPal), but your FB friends can see the pages you "like". It would be very easy for regular FB friends to figure it out, even just by what pages you like. My solution was to create a new alternate FB profile. It's very simple to do. I created a new personal email address to open the new FB account with, and that email address is specific to my bariatric journey, too. Now, I can "like" everything I want to on FB without any of my regular FB friends seeing what I'm liking. I've liked/joined a couple dozen awesome pages already. I will join groups with the new FB account, secret or not secret groups. I will make FB friends with the new profile who are genuinely supportive, especially new friends going through the same thing. It's making me feel really free to be doing my thing, and have a "safe" community via FB. I'm still pre-op. After I have the surgery and lose noticeable weight, people will be asking me how...especially certain snippy & gossipy people at work. I won't tell them about the surgery, but I will tell them about counting calories, tracking everything I eat and drink, drinking tons more Water, eliminating the "white stuff", working out a lot more, etc. It will all be true. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010667087919

That is horrible, I guess every medicine is going to give some people bad side effects. I am glad I was able to use them. They helped me so much especially in the beginning. I had hair falling out, cracked tongue, and thinning fingernails! If I couldn't use the patch, I think I would use Flintstones before the bariatric chewables, but keep an eye on your blood tests for all the nutrients you are missing.

There's a new study that was just published on the Sleeve that shows weight loss as good as RNY and DS... but complications lower to or similar to a Lap-Band. VSG is definitely better in terms of complications/malabsorption... plus, they remove the portion of the stomach that produces ghrelin... so you aren't hungry at first. As for staples... not all docs use them... some use glue and sutures. (I think Rosenthal at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida is one who doesn't use staples.) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17356932&query_hl=4&itool=pubmed_DocSum "Vertical Gastrectomy for Morbid Obesity in 216 Patients: Report of Two Year Results" Lee, CM, Cirangle PT, Jossart GH From Surg Endosc. 2007 Mar. 14. Epub. ahead of print. Department of Surgery, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA, gjossart@lapsf.com. BACKGROUND: The vertical gastrectomy (VG) is the restrictive part of the technically difficult biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch operation (DS). The VG was originally conceived of as an independent operation-the first stage of a two-stage DS that would reduce mortality and morbidity in the high-risk superobese because of a shorter operating time and no anastomoses. This article presents two-year data after VG. METHODS: Laparoscopic VG was performed in a nonrandomized fashion in obese patients that met the NIH criteria for bariatric surgery. By using 5-7 firings of 45-60-mm linear 3.5-mm GI staplers along a 32-Fr bougie, a greater-curvature gastrectomy is performed and a 60-80-ml gastric tube is created. VG was compared to adjustable Lap-Band(®) placement, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RGB), and DS. RESULTS: Between November 2002 and August 2005, 216 patients underwent VG. The mean age was 44.7 years (range = 16-64) and 173 (80%) were female. The mean preoperative weight and body mass index (BMI) was 302 +/- 77 lbs and 49 +/- 11 kg/m(2), respectively. Of the 216 patients, 5 (2.3%) had a BMI > 80 kg/m(2), 6 (2.8%) had a BMI of 70-80 kg/m(2), and 25 (11.6%) had a BMI of 60-70 kg/m(2). The mean operative time was 66 +/- 11 min (range = 45-180) and the mean length of hospital stay was 1.9 +/- 1.2 days. Complications occurred in 20 (6.3%) patients (vs. 7.1% after Lap-Band). Leaks occurred in 3 (1.4%) VG patients, reoperations were performed in 6 (2.8%), and no conversions to open or deaths occurred. Weight loss on par with the DS and RGB was achieved with just the VG alone. CONCLUSION: The VG operation is able to achieve significant weight loss comparable to the RGB and DS operations but with the low morbidity profile similar to that of Lap-Band placement. PMID: 17356932 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Fortunately our hospital is ALL private rooms which is awesome. I was on a regular wing so all kinds of patients plus my doctor only does about two Bariatric surgery’s per week.

Here's the whole slew of things I'm taking pre-op and supposed to continue post-op (aside the biotin/collage - that's my choice). So far I feel like a million bucks just after a few days! : - Multivitamin capsule (BariatricPal 1xday) - B-100 Complex (NOW brand 1xday) - Vitamin D3 (Zahler brand - 3000iu 1xday) - Calcium Chewy Bites (Bariatric Advantage 3xday) - Biotin (Sports Research 10,000mcg 1xday) - Collagen Peptides (Sports Research 1 packet daily - taken this for 4 months already, makes my hair and nails grow super fast) - 50 billion Probiotic (Renew Life Extra Care) - B12 chewable (Radiance Platinum 5,000mcg)

Hey! I'm taking the ProCare Health one a day bariatric vitamins with 18mg iron. I started with Opurity chewables and could not stand them for more than a few weeks. I haven't had my first labs yet (those happen @6 months out for me, I am currently 3mo). Hoping the labs are fine. I also switched from Opurity chewable calcium citrate (too chalky) to the Celebrate chewables and love them. I'm using Bariatric Fusion sublingual B12 also and so far that's it. The Opurity sublingual B12 is decent too. I always find it interesting to see what others have tried. Sent from my Pixel 3 using BariatricPal mobile app

Has anyone been banded by or heard anything about Dr. David Rohrer, Dr. Amy Elizabeth Martin, or Dr. Dale Mortenson from Benifis Bariatric Institute in Great Falls Montanna? I'm from Alberta and waiting to get in to a Dr. here, but concidering self paying if the wait is too long. How long did it take to get in and how much $ if you did. thanks, Marie

My gosh, Strikeuptheband (love the name), I can't even imagine driving myself home from surgery, and for that length of time! I had foot surgery a little over a year ago, and I was a blithering idiot when I got out of recovery and all the way home. It's a good thing you arrived home safely. I guess I'm lucky. I've been there for my partner when she's had surgery, and she's been there for me. For the band surgery, we've arranged with friends to make sure the dog gets let out on the evening of surgery day so I can stay as late as possible and then come back the next morning (I'm still thinking I'd prefer to get a dog-friendly hotel room near the hospital). I don't care if she is going to sleep most of the day. She doesn't seem to think I need to be there, but I do. I'm certainly no expert here, but I'm learning that this surgery (like all bariatric surgeries, I'll bet) really brings out the best and the worst in family members in a way that I haven't seen with other medical procedures. Maybe it's because the end result, weight loss, will change the status quo for everyone around the bandster in a way that, say, knee surgery won't. Your SO might have dropped a few pounds by eating healthy and watching his portions, but can he keep it off? As I understand it, that's one of the primary criteria for getting the band in the first place - trying and failing other weight loss programs, like dieting - which you have obviously tried or you wouldn't have been approved to get the band. I had an old friend once say to me, "Talk is cheap. Watch the feet." 'Nuff said. BadgerMom

You will get sick of the same tasting shake every day...get a variety..that way when one starts to turn your stomach...you can turn to a different one. I started with Bariatric Advantage vanilla so I could mix different flavors in. But the smell started to get to me...so I turned to GNC brand for a bit. Vanilla, is a good base flavor..I have changed the flavors using sugar free Jello mix...or sugar free syrups down the coffee isle.

Well, I am 5-8 to 5-9 and weight about 268. I think I want to get the band, but am not sure. I know I weigh WAY too much, and know that I have tried every diet I have ever heard of, with the most success coming from traditional diet and exercise (lasted about 5 months, and I went from about 255 to 220). Now, I weigh more than when I started that diet (2 years ago) and am constantly gaining. I def feel lost with my weight problem (I think I am a binge eater/emotional eater/bored eater), but I dont know if the problem is bad enough to warrant surgery. I dont know if the Doctors are going to say "You're not nearly big enough for bariatric surgery." I mean, I would like to get the surgery if it was available, but I dont know that I will be a candidate. Anyway, I have insurance so that is a plus, and I am scheduled to go to a meeting Thurs night to get a consultation at the local hospital. So, just looking for advice from people who know more about it than I do. Thanks in advance.

I tried the Celebrate Vitamins too. I found the big ones chalky and the chewy ones had a weird aftertaste. I prefer the Bariatric fusion chewables but you have to take 4 a day. They do include Iron and Calcium though, so no need to take extra of those.