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You are to have about 400-600 Calories and drink every hour. Usually 2-3 oz only a a time. Proteins shake wait 30 min the skim milk wait 30 then water then broth then protein shake. So every hour it should take about 20-30 minutes to drink your 2-3 oz then wait 30 min then on to the next. Usually this is for 2 weeks then it’s time for puréed. Go on to Pinterest and look for post bariatric surgery menu.

Lisa, I just saw this message. I don't look at many Lapland posts anymore since my band was removed (after 11 years) almost 2 years ago now. My band was removed because of a port infection. My family doctor and I spent months trying to figure out why I was having so much pain in the area of my port when my bariatric doctor indicated nothing was wrong with it. We were looking at every other part of my body and could not resolve this. No one actually suspected the port itself for all those months since there had been no obvious source of infection in recent months. Ultimately my port started to even loosen up and flip under my skin. Even the bariatric doctor I visited was not alarmed. Finally the pain became really strong -- definitely at my port location. The last sign was that I developed a small abcess above the port (it looked like a tiny pimple to start with). I finally gave up on my bariatric doctor and visited a major hospital in my area and saw another doctor. He very quickly diagnosed this as an infected port. The entire band and port were removed within the next 24 hours. The infection had not reached my stomach or the band itself, fortunately. However, this entire situation went on for almost a year before someone told me my port was infected. I just want to highlight this as I figured if I had an infection it would be obvious. Even the doctor I was seeing for this and my family doctor never suspected this could be the case. I figured since I was so far out from the original surgery that something like this really could not occur......I was wrong. Best of luck and I hope your port is fine. If you still have pain (it's been some time since you posted this), I would really encourage you to push your doctors to find an answer.

We have two levels are Bariatric Patients eating today. One who is a month post op and me who is on the pre op diet luckily they will line up ok...we are grilling out brats and hamburgers for the family but for us grilled cod with lemon and some grilled veggies. Family will feast on baked beans and deviled eggs and for the first time store bought dessert *gasp*. Hardest thing for me to stay out of is going to be those deviled eggs...but I will eat them again

Okay we shall try this again I had a beautiful message for you and verdompt Verizon dropped it First the guy at Riverside is Dr Rana ,I don't want Nnoni to think I deliberately messed up his name. If Dr Needleman decides to ever visit as a courtesy Dr Marc Michalsky's appointments you will see him. sooner than me. Dr Needleman has done many surgeries himself as well as training many many,other bariatric surgeons. You will be in the safest hands, just to make sure I am sending both best wishes and 🙏prayers your way for tomorrow and your REBIRTHDAY the 25th. Oh this is exciting for both of us! We are going to be such July Sparklers😛 lighting up both day and night skies!

And your Dr Michalsky is no slacker, heads a free-standing adolescent unit at Children's , 2 of my 3 kids were patients at one time at Children's as was one of my two,grandaughters. OMG just happened. to think, my younger grandgirl is going to be 21 in October. I knew I was nearly as old as Dirt but this comfirms it. Amy will be 21 on October 24th and I will be 73 on December26th. At least I know my surgery won't be the 25th, if Dr Bradley is off helping Dr Marc with yours. Too bad, that would have been my parents 75th W.A. Well,if I can't have that day I will cheerfully take another. Should be 16th on, depends on how long. a liver-shrinking diet I have mandated, hope it is 2 weeks or less. I officially have been passed on to the pre-surgery schedulers from Jessica my case manager/ coordinator. Dr Bradley for a pre-meeting and an EDS is given. That is my term probably unofficial for Estimated Date Surgery. Started packing items in my pink camo duffle,bag, so far a couple jammie bottoms, housecoat, and a cake of soap in plastic container. Not much I know but makes it seem closer to real.😛 When I went for my introductory seminar in March there must be a couple hundred there, you are the very first person I have met up with on Bariatric Pal that even knew Dr Needlman. I have a couple bari-friends on here that are having theirs at Riverside with Dr Raja. One said one of her BFF had surgery at OSU with Dr Noria, liked her a lot. Why doesn't my friend go to OSU? She works in another department at Riverside and they get downright crabby if their employees go anywhere else. Me, I am exceptionally nice, I spread my business around, my Pulmonary is on Taylor Station Rd, my Cardiologist is at Dilley Ridge in Canal Winchester, they are both Mount Carmel, my Neuro on Chatam Lane- Riverside, my Sleep Lab here in Mount Vernon, and rest of my stuff at OSU. Hope they all appreciate me and my insurance helping them meet their money budget. Well Marshall McPeak is going tell me when it is going to rain!😛🌂💦

Yes Dr Needleman is head honcho of Bariatrics and Metabolic Weight Management at OSU , has been doing minimal invasive (hmnn right spelling? For once my Verizon doesn't have a better idea) gastrointestinal,and bariatric surgeries since 2005 or so. Probably,could find his way around GI systems with his eyes closed but I would prefer he keep his eyes open. FYI although it truly doesn't manner he is 49 years old. Not bad looking, maybe not total eye candy but worth 6 or7 pieces of salt water taffy. NYC peeps he started out training at Mount Sinai, so when he was a youthful doctor he was one of yours. How did he get to Ohio ? I'm sure there's a story there, his partner Dr Noria trained in Toronto Ontario. Yes I looked both of their bio up, Frustr8 is very careful. whose table she climbs upon! At any rate Dr Noria is very pretty, snapping dark eyes, both Uber-smart and talented, I have absolutely no fear putting my life in their hands.

Make sure the physician is board certified in bariatric surgery (there is an online directory in every state so you can look him up). Ideally, you want a surgeon who did fellowship in the field and specializes in the type of procedure you want to undergo, ie VSG, bypass, etc.

I have a huge pill thing that divides my pills into four times a day. Once I found a calcium chewable (bariatric advantge brand) instead of those awful calcium citrate pills I was much happier.

I had my VSG surgery a few weeks ago at at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in Manhattan. My doctor’s name is Dr. Paul Thodiyil and he’s the Head of the Bariatric Department. He and his entire staff were really great throughout my entire process. For some of my stats:  *Insurance: Aetna  *How I qualified for insurance coverage: Had a BMI of 38 with comorbidities (Type 2 Diabetes/PCOS)   *Process for insurance approval: 4 months (4 monthly visits with the surgeon and nurse / nutritionist. 3 monthly visits with a physical therapist).  *How I found out about them: Surprisingly, YouTube haha. I was looking up people who had the sleeve done to see their process and there was a woman by the name of Passion Jonez who had her VSG surgery there but with a different surgeon (Dr. Zak).   When I found her channel, at that point of time, I almost put my process on pause since I’ve been researching for months trying to find a surgeon with no avail. But when I looked into it further and I set up my consultation, they were amazing so I decided to move forward and it was well worth it. What I liked about my surgeon and his staff was that they made my sessions very personable. They really took the time to listen to my concerns and answer any questions I had. So far, I’m two weeks pre op / three weeks post up and I’m down 25 lbs. Hope this helps and Good luck!

I would explain to her that its not exactly about losing the weight, its about keeping it off for life. Now, while this is only a tool, it can be very effective to keep weight off long term. One of my top ten tips is to surround yourself with people who are positive and supportive about this experience. It's about 80% mental and 20% body. Therefore, its hard to have someone in your ear who isn't going to support you. Not to say that she won't eventually. I would take her to all your consultations, bariatric classes, NUT appointments, ect. Maybe it just needs to grow on her. She probably thinks that WLS is for the extreme cases, but I find that the majority of people who have surgery have a lower BMI like you. Ultimately, at the end of the day, I would have done this with or without the support of my husband. This is for your health, and your life long happiness. She will come around, and see that you made the right decision.

Is Dr Needleman the head of the bariatric department?

Hola Bari-Siblings! Ohio State has a 8 stage plan for my Bariatric future, I am now at Step 6-meet with BARIATRIC surgeon, in my case Bradley Needleman MD, have him tell me the length of my presurgical liquid liver shrinking diet, 1 week,2 week(usual) or shudder an entire month. 1 month usually reserved for BMI greater than 51. One nurse awarded 47.3 other supposedly equivalent RN said I had shortened and gave me 50.15, who's right? I vote for the lower, but like my vote on National Election Day- meh. Insurance is okay, at this point they say " Will you just operate, already? We're tired of this dragging on so long!" So Dr Needleman, Estimated Date of Surgery, and then Glory Glory🏥 It is finally REBIRTHDAY for me me me!🚩🚩😪🚩🚩🎉

@Ash Ash1 I wish you had a Bari-cousin , only a post-RnY bypasser. Many of our stuff we probably do share with our Bari-cousins/ siblings the Sleevers. Like you I agree these minor bumps in the road and the life long vitamin supplementation is worth any inconvenience. I hope to become bariatrically improved yet this month, scared-NO thrilled for an opportunity at better health and an continued earthly life existance YES YES YES! And any good wishes, prayers, shaman consultations, candles lit,,earnestly solicited July 15th on! Your Bari-sibling. Frustr8

If only you could have seen my fridge and pantry before my surgery. I had surgery out of town, so my sister came with her family to dog sit for me, and I had to apologize because it looked like we were moving. Everything was empty. Even the condiments were gone, because not many were bariatric friendly. My husband said I probably overdid it considering he still lives there, but it helped me feel ready by getting rid of everything.

I too will be doing an entire purge of all my cupboards once I have a date set and know what day I start pre-op diet. I love to bake, and love to eat so it’s got to go. Instead I will work on stocking up on protein shakes, bariatric snacks and meals from my local bariatric store (Monarch Medical Weight Loss), and making room for my new life. My brother and sister in law both had Bypass (I’m having sleeve) and they bought a beverage cooler (like at a convenience store) and stocked it with waters, protein water, protein shakes, gatorades, etc. That became their “snack” cupboard. Hydration and protein are key. I can’t afford a cooler like that, but will have my pantry full to keep a fair supply in the fridge at all times.

I have liked several of the soups here on Bariatric Pal. I particularly like the Beef Vegetable, Chicken w Pasta and the Vegan Lentil

Surgery on 6/11/18. Still on clear liquids plus shakes until I get cleared by the Doctor July 6th. My paperwork says 2 shakes per day and 1/2 cup broth, but I am drinking 3 shakes because that is not enough calories to live on. Thank god I don't work in the summer. My iron dropped after surgery, so I am taking supplements. I alternate between diarrhea and constipation. Miralax caused diarrhea so I switched to benifiber. I keep hitting the treadmill and am able to go longer, but I know I am getting weaker. I squatted down to get something and I wasn't sure I was going to make it back up. It doesn't even make sense. Maybe when I can eat some beans or yogurt it will help. Currently getting between 700-800 cal per day 100 of which is from the chewable bariatric supplements/vitamins. I don't sleep well, and take about three 30min. naps per day. Once again, super glad I am not working, because when the gas starts I don't even want to be around me!

I would agree with this, if I were having a more complex surgery. Or if my treatment was for something chronic or severe. But honestly, VSG is in the scope of things, a simple and routine surgery. There really isn't a lot of variable my surgeon would have to know me personally to decide. I get what you are saying though. I'm going to have plastics later this year (hopefully!). For that surgeon, it will important that they understands exactly what I want. It will be important that we are able to communicate clearly to one another, and that I am definitely not a statistic. But plastics has so many variables, where bariatric surgery has few in comparison. I'm fine with my surgeons standard VSG operation, but I don't want a standard boob job! Thank you I think that’s an awesome vetting process! I’ve started doing the same hopefully I narrow down a shortlist tomorrow! What plastic surgery are you looking at?

Victoza isn't the first drug of choice if one merely wants to lower their A1C. Metformin will do the same thing and is much, much safer... and used daily by millions. Your endo will determine what is right for you. The most common dose is 500mg 1tab/twice daily. My bariatric surgeon told me that after my surgery that I no longer need to take Metformin. (I am not diabetic, btw; and my A1C never rose above 5.8 ... thanks to the Metformin I took pre-surgery.) Metformin also affects hunger. Many people lose weight from it as a bonus. It's not the reason why doctors prescribe it, though.

Okay, it’s been a few weeks, but I wanted to update you all with what’s going on. So, I found a very reputable psychologist in my city that is in no way affiliated with the VA, who actually used to be the chief psychologist conducting pre-bariatric surgery evaluations at a local hospital that sees both military and civilian patients. She runs a private practice now. I went to see her, and was honestly nervous, because I didn’t know what to expect after my experience with the VA psychologist. Thankfully, she was amazing! And I went to her letting her know that I wanted a completely objective evaluation and that I wouldn’t be disappointed or upset if she found I wasn’t a good candidate for bariatric surgery. After the conducting an hr-long interview/evaluation, she stated that she thought I was an excellent candidate for bariatric surgery and that she would compose an in-depth report of her findings and recommendation, and fax it to both my doctor and me. It was faxed 20 June. My weight management doctor didn’t contact me, but input notes on 20 June into my VA record, that she received the fax from “a community psychologist”, that included a pre-bariatric surgery evaluation report. 21 June, the VA psychologist input notes too. Her notes had a very ominous tone to them...almost like she was angry. She stated that I had gone against her recommendation of getting a second opinion from the specific VA psychologist she had chosen, that the “community psychologist” didn’t consult with my VA therapist(remember, neither did she, despite my therapist reaching out to her), that I “refused to consider alternate methods to bariatric surgery”, and that she was taking serious precautions because I am a veteran with PTSD, and had history of trying to commit suicide in my youth(twice, due to being sexually abused throughout my entire childhood). I’ve been yo-yoing between obese and morbid obesity for the past 10 years, mind you. And have been meeting the requirements for surgery the past 15 months...but she insistently suggests I’m being hasty and even insinuated that I’m being selfish because I’m willing to take the risk of suicidal tendencies after surgery instead of accepting my obesity and “being here” for my daughter. She and my weight management doctor have scheduled a meeting with me for Friday, and I can’t help but feel like I’m walking into a trap. It’s truly disheartening to feel this way...especially because it’s the VA, and they’re supposed to be helping veterans salvage whatever parts of their life they have left. It certainly doesn’t feel that way.

You may not have a deep internal stitch. Probably half of bariatric surgeons perform surgery with this stitch. Apparently, it pulls things back into place. It is VERY tight. Mine causes a very deep indentation in my stomach. It's so, so painful. Painful to the touch. Painful to move. Its just flat out painful. It was getting better, but I did something to irritate it yesterday and I'm in such terrible pain today. My abdomen is swollen around that area and bruised. My surgeon said it would dissolve or even "pop" sometime over the next 8 weeks and that once it did, there would be instant releif. It sounds like you are one of the lucky ones who does not have the stitch! If you did, you'd know! Lol... I envy you so much right now!

Taylor One other suggestion, based on your family's history with diabetes, and your low BMI. You might ask you doctor about taking a weight loss drug such as Victoza. It will lower your A1C, and will reduce hunger. It also slows food movement through stomach. There are different dosage levels, the higher are used for weight loss. I've considered it when my weight loss on the band slows done, but haven't felt the need to go that as of yet... however, it an alternative to surgery. There are medical weight loss forums on Bariatric Pal.

I am 10 years out from my sleeve surgery. I came to give an update (I used to love them when I was new!) and a warning. Update - I weighed 275 at surgery and now weigh 177. My weight varies within a 5 pound window. I don't worry about it, don't think about it, and rarely weigh except at the doctors office. It took several years to relax and get to the point of stepping away from the scales. My stomach has not stretched. I can eat approx 1/3 to 1/2 cup at a time and eat 4 or 5 times a day. Cautionary tale - I have eaten as I was told to do, always putting protein first. I take vitamins. I try to go for nutritious veggies after protein. After 2 years of feeling awful I now know that I AM MINERAL DEFICIENT! It's a long story about how I found out, but I now have concrete results from hair tissue mineral analysis plus extensive blood work. Mineral deficiencies are rampant in the population, not just bariatric patients, but we are more susceptible due to our diets. Our soils are depleted of minerals so our food is as well. It's not just about, for example, being calcium deficient. It's about the ratio of all the essential minerals like magnesium, iron, etc. They have to be in balance for them to work. So taking calcium supplements or iron or whatever aren't doing any good if the rest isn't there for them to work with. (hope that made a little sense) You aren't going to hear this from most doctors, it usually takes a functional doctor to be willing to dive into this. One symptom was passing out whenever I got hot. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital twice for this. My "regular" doctor kept telling me I was dehydrated and to take potassium. (Note: I still drink 100 oz a day since surgery, how am I dehydrated). He was looking at basic blood work. Under his treatment I got worse. Once I had all the tests done, I have almost too much potassium but practically no magnesium and low salt, both are needed to interact with the potassium. Good news - This can be reversed. I am telling everyone I know to start supplementing trace minerals. It's easy, I use a few drops of trace mineral concentrate in my water all day. Due to my deficiencies I take some other mineral supplements but that is the main secret sauce. And it's so easy! I feel like I have come back to life!! That's probably way more than you wanted to know. I'll be quiet now. LOL I just hope I help to keep someone else from going down this path.

I started by researching VSG on RealSelf. The Dr. I used caught my eye because he was a frequent contributor and answered a lot of questions, and was super local. I figured only passionate surgeons would spend their time answering questions for free. And to me, I figured that was a good sign. He also had good reviews on RealSelf. I next looked up the status of his license, and it came up all clean, no issues at all. I looked at his CV. He went to excellent schools, for his BS and his MD. He then did a Fellowship in Bariatric surgery. That was really important to me, as he took the time to educate himself in this specialty. He is a member of ASMBS. Finally, he is on staff with some of the best local hospitals. Prestigious hospitals do not allow bad Dr.'s on their staff. He also is the Medical Director of Bariatric surgery for the hospital I had my surgery, which is a Center of Excellence. So I took all those pieces together, and I concluded that a surgeon with a poor record would have a red flag, somewhere. Since I found no red flags, he was local, he was in network, that this was the best surgeon for me. I would agree with this, if I were having a more complex surgery. Or if my treatment was for something chronic or severe. But honestly, VSG is in the scope of things, a simple and routine surgery. There really isn't a lot of variable my surgeon would have to know me personally to decide. I get what you are saying though. I'm going to have plastics later this year (hopefully!). For that surgeon, it will important that they understands exactly what I want. It will be important that we are able to communicate clearly to one another, and that I am definitely not a statistic. But plastics has so many variables, where bariatric surgery has few in comparison. I'm fine with my surgeons standard VSG operation, but I don't want a standard boob job!

Yep most people do and if you happen to have it pull you WILL feel it. Much expert testimony on Bariatric Pal on the subject!😖