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But you're doing it! I'm less than a month I will,be doing it too. Don't have a band but I'm sure I could rent the Salvation Army Tambourine Band if I wanted on September 5th. Point those toes ahead, it's your DAY OF DAYS, me along with everyone else out here at Bariatric Pal are sending our very Best Wishes to you! Update us when it's been completed but we are VERY PROUD of YOU today.😛🌸😷🌺😛

I still would like some more info on Dr A and going through Bariatric Pal. Where do I even start?

My surgeon gave me the option of doing it all at once or separate surgeries. I chose to do separate surgeries because I had the band for 10 years and figured there would be alot of scarring and adhesions and to be honest I was still coming to terms with whether I wanted 85% of my stomach removed. When they removed the band in late September, they spent alot of time removing the adhesions and I will be sleeved and hernia repair in December. I don't think it is a skill level question; I think it is a question of what do you think is the least risk. I suspect that there isn't very good data on which approach gives best results statistically speaking (ie fewer complications) so surgeons are working off their own experiences. for me, this has been good. I have been so hungry and gaining weight, in spite of trying to diet since the band came out. It has really removed any dellusional thoughts of "I can do this myself". It may sound crazy, but i needed that last dose of reality, that my obesity is out of control and I can't get a grip without bariatric surgery.

I am down to a large from a 3X. If I catch a glance at myself in a mirror, I'm happy with how I look, but when I go to put on size large clothes, I'm sure they won't fit. It's very common, but I agree that working with a therapist can be helpful. Also, I read in a book on bariatric surgery that you can look at those around you and try to guess their size, then you'll be surprised when you realize that you're actually smaller than them. I also would recommend getting clothes that fit. I don't see how much weight I've lost when I put on bigger clothes. When I see my body in clothes that fit, it's more obvious.

First of all, I would meet with a bariatric surgeon, not a general surgeon. You want a bariatric surgeon because they see these issues regularly, and are at the top of their game with weight loss surgeries. Secondly, if you live in an area that has a university with medical school, find out which hospital they teach at and find a professor of bariatric surgery that is practicing and teaching. They are on the forefront of bariatric surgery. My bariatric surgeon is a professor and she told me that she does revisions that other bariatric surgeons won't touch. Don't take the general surgeons word for it. Seek second opinions with bariatric surgeons. Best wishes!

Without knowing you, I'd say you're falling into a delusional trap. Here's the deal. The vast majority of us can lose weight just fine without the help of surgery. However, most of us cannot keep the weight off without bariatric surgery. After losing the weight on your own without surgery, there's a 5% chance of maintaining a massive weight loss. There's a 95% probability you'll regain it all plus more. When we lose weight on our own, a few months pass before the body fights like hell to regain. You become tired, hungry, and develop cravings that overwhelm your capacity for willpower. With the neurohormal changes prompted by surgery, you'll actually have a fighting chance of keeping the weight off for life. Bariatric surgery is the only proven method that helps formerly obese people maintain whatever weight they lose. Without surgery, you'll climb an uphill battle for life. Good luck to you.

I belonged to the CPC (Clean Plate Club) for over 50 years, so I consider myself something of an expert on it (and I am, after all, The World’s Greatest Living Expert on Everything). I thought it was a lifetime membership, but my bariatric surgeon rescued me from the CPC Cult – oh, excuse me, Club - and deprogrammed me so that I’m able to function more or less like a normal person now. Here’s my story. I was inducted to the CPC as a child, when I was too young to realize that the promise of going to heaven if I always cleaned my plate was a bit more complicated than it sounded at the time. All I wanted to do at the time was to please the cult leaders: my mother and my grandmother. I have reason to believe that my grandmother, whom I called Dranny, was the original founder of the CPC. Orphaned as a small child, she was passed around the family like a piece of unwanted furniture, and she raised her own children during the Great Depression. Through the combination of those circumstances and her own peculiar (and wonderful) character, Dranny was a pack rat. She didn’t live in filth and disorder (just the opposite, actually), but she couldn’t bear to throw anything away, especially not food. If three green peas were leftover from a meal and she hadn’t been able to persuade someone to eat them, she would lovingly place them in a custard cup covered with a shower-cap style cover (this was in the days before Glad Wrap), and store them in the fridge, where they would remain until someone ate them (or my mother threw them out while Dranny was in another room). I’m a lot like my grandmother in various ways, and also something of a pack rat. So after eating my way through hundreds of childhood meals with Dranny and my mom (who was not a pack rat, but who was offended by the idea of wasting food that she’d worked so hard to procure and prepare), I emerged into adolescence with warring impulses – part of me still wanted to clean my plate, and part of me wanted to starve so that I could lose weight and be as skinny as the British supermodel, Twiggy. 101 WAYS TO CLEAN YOUR PLATE One of my problems with meal planning and storage is that it's hard for me to predict how much food I'll be able to eat at a future meal. Often I don't know that until I've eaten several bites. My basic strategy for dealing with this unpredictability is to keep my plate clean from the very start so that the food I leave behind doesn't overwhelm me or provoke an attack of guilt that could bring down Dranny's loving wrath upon me. A simple way to keep your plate clean is to prepare smaller batches of food so you won't be tempted by serving dishes overflowing with food or burdened with an excess of leftovers. I can't speak to recipes for baked goods (not my department), but most other recipes can be easily cut in half, thirds, or even quarters through the use of simple arithmetic. Sometimes I prepare the whole recipe, subdivide into 2 or 3 batches, serve one batch immediately and freeze the other 2 for future use. When we lived in the northeast, the elderly widow who lived next door was delighted when we shared excess food with her. Sharing food with family, friends, and coworkers can yield multiple benefits. When I'm craving a food or recipe whose leftovers would be a problem for me to store (or resist), I prepare a big batch of it for whatever social event is on the horizon and keep only one or two portions of it at home so that we get to enjoy it without having to worry about to do with all that food. I use cheap, recycled, throw-away packaging so that no one can insist that I take my corning ware, Pyrex or Tupperware container of leftovers home with me. You can also keep your plate clean by using the portioning technique I recommend for bandsters who are still learning their band eating skills, food portion sizes, and stop signals. Here's how it works for me. When planning my day's food (which I commit to my food log and my accountability partner every morning), I might decide that I'll eat 4 ounces (by weight) of chicken thigh and 1/2 cup of barley and veggy salad for dinner. Come dinner time, I grab my small plate (a salad plate) and put half of my planned meal on it: 2 ounces of chicken and ¼ cup of the salad. If I'm able to finish that, great. If I'm still physically hungry when I'm done with it, I go back to the kitchen and dish up the remaining 2 ounces of chicken and ¼ cup of salad. At the end of the meal, I'll probably have only 1 or 2 tablespoons worth of food to save or throw out instead of a plateful of food, therefore much less guilt to deal with. When I do have a plateful of food leftover, I usually scrape it into a small plastic container that I can quickly grab and stick in my lunch bag when I go to work the next day. Fortunately, we actually like leftovers at our house, and arguments occasionally break out over unauthorized consumption of leftover food ("Who ate the rest of the eggplant Parmesan?!?"). The same approach works with restaurant meals. We're happy to take leftovers home in what used to be called a doggy bag (as if I'd share my Maryland crab cakes with a dog!). My sister-in-law used to scrape leftover food into a bucket to add to her garden compost pile. I have no idea if that's a good practice. We'd have to have a 40' high electrified fence dug 20' into the ground and topped with razor wire in order to keep dogs, cats, deer, rats, raccoons, and other critters out of that kind of compost pile. I've also known people (including my mother) who fed leftover food to their 4-footed garbage disposals (dogs & cats), another practice that we avoid because why would you want to cultivate a fussy eater? Our pets have survived eating (stolen) candies (complete with foil wrappers), latex paint, and kip tails (fishing flies), and at our house, a fussy eater will end up starving because someone else is always willing to clean your plate for you, sometimes long before you've decided you're finished with it. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE STARVING CHILDREN? After over 6 years of post-WLS life, I'm now better able to detach myself from my emotional attachment to the food on my plate enough to throw out what's left. If it didn't taste right because my tummy was in an odd mood, if it caused me eating problems, if it wouldn't reheat or store well, I let it go. I haven't been struck by lightning for doing that, nor has God punished me with plagues, floods, or infestations (apart from the dog infestation, that is). Like many, I was raised to eat every meal while listening to a chorus singing the Children Are Starving in (fill in the blank) hymn. I agree that in world where so many children (and adults, and animals) go hungry, it is just plain wrong for an overfed middle-class person like me to waste or throw out food. But the fact is that me eating more food than my body needs (rather than throwing out) is not the solution to the problem of world hunger. The solution to world hunger, and to diminishing global food resources, is far, far more complicated than that. Working in your community (be it a village, a city, a country, or a planet) to solve that problem is a worthwhile effort, but you taking personal responsibility for causing the death of a starving, unknown child in India or Appalachia because you threw out a chicken wing and 5 green beans last night is (in my opinion) a misguided and foolish use of your energy. And you eating that extra bite of food just because you can't bear the thought of throwing it away is also foolish from a medical standpoint. If that extra bite causes you to PB, get stuck, or over-pack your pouch, it could lead to messy and expensive medical complications like esophageal or pouch dilation and/or band slips, especially if you eat that way on a regular basis. Finally, as long as overeating endangers your health through co-morbidities and through disrespecting your band, you may never be able to help deal with the hunger problem, whether on an individual, local, or global basis. So, first things first: make a top priority of eating sensibly for your own sake before you tackle the rest of the world.

What an amazingly strong woman you are. I'm in awe. That is why it's so unfair for others to judge based on what they see. I've met so many fabulous folks on this site and we all talk about our challenges and struggles and not giving in to them yet others see us as fat and lazy. It just makes me mad... Oh and your auto immune disorder....same here. All this time, I was told to lose the weight and my knees would feel better. Well...I lost the weight and got worse. Finally I went to the surgeon who was convinced I had hip trouble, not knee trouble and oh boy was he right. Turns out I have osteo-necrosis which is compromised blood flow resulting in dead bone. It's likely a combination of some auto-immune disease that they are still trying to identify along with genetic pre-disposition. So much for being heavy. Yes...I'm better and healthier at this weight. I'm not sorry I had the band...not sorry at all. But same as you, this was not all obesity related. Though all of my doctor are very supportive of my getting WLS. Your doctor is just showing how ignorant he/she is by telling you to do it the old fashioned way. No sorry...it's not ignorant. It's stupid. Good luck to you. We are here to support you. Part of my problem is I have always tried to be the strong one, and instead of saying I'm hurting, or I'm sad I would just eat. You know the old joke about having a child inside screaming to get out, but you can shut it up with Cookies? Sadly that was my reality. My sleeve really truly saved my life. I'm blessed with an amazing general physician, an excellent bariatric team, and a supportive family. I don't know what I would have done without that trifecta. When I was using my old doctor (the one that didn't support the sleeve idea) I really felt as if I would die if I didn't make a change. I started seeing a new doctor, she not only suggested the sleeve, but sent me to the surgeon that I ended up using. And they keep very close tabs on my labs, both offices share any results with the other. It's nice to have a doctor on my side, that actually cares about my health. It's funny my mom also sees the same dr, and I was in the office last week with her, she was getting cleared to have a minor knee surgery, and my dr that I haven't seen since early feb noticed my haircut right away. My own daughter took several hours to notice it, and my sister has yet to realize it was cut. LOL, but my dr noticed, and complimented on it right away. She also said it hides my hairloss very very well. It's nice to have her know my first name without a chart in hand, and she remembers my medical issues. She even remembered to ask me about my shoulder/knee pain. My mom and I have different last names, so I know that didn't give my name away, like I said she knew my first name off the top of her head. It's a really big practice, and I've only been there 1 year.

5 or more is sleep apnea. 5 is literally the lowest you can get and be diagnosed with sleep apnea, but it's so minor that they usually don't treat you unless you're symptomatic, and if they do treat you it's often with like a mouth piece or something minor. Someone with full blown sleep apnea will likely have an AHI of like 40-200 And for bariatric purposes most insurance companies require sleep apnea to be severe to count as a comorbidity

I know about that one. I am talking about having speakers (bariatric surgeons, plastic surgeons, etc.) and clothing exchanges... Perhaps a biggest loser contest, before and after boards, etc. All sorts of fun stuff. I have the means to secure speakers, and sponsors, and a place for fills. Just need to get a general idea of who would be interested.

Hey allycatt98, Yes, my friend went through a coordinator named Cathy. My friend will not recommend her surgeon to anyone now. She saw everything I received as a patient from A Lighter Me and recommends them and Dr Ortiz to her friends. By the way, the owner of the hospital is an Internist named Dr Sammy Tepperman. He does not do the surgeries himself. But when he has a patient that needs it, he refers them to Dr Ortiz out of all the drs that perform bariatric surgery there. Dr Ortiz operated on one of Dr Teppermans's patients while I was there. I learned a lot while there about things other surgeons have done to rip patients off. I met the patients. That is why I'm thankful for Dr Ortiz and his group. $250/nt for a nurse at the hotel seems unnecessary. I stayed in the hotel 2 nights after 2 nights in the hospital. I definitely did not need a nurse. I changed my own bandages that were provided by A Lighter Me. They gave me bandages, tape, pain meds with directions written in them (non narcotic, Toradol) which I didn't need because I had no pain, antibiotics with directions and a bottle of mylanta to take prior to abx. They were in a goodie bag of items for hospital stay. My driver also took me to a pharmacy where I purchased a supply of Omeprezole that I need to take for a few months. I bought 4 months worth for $60. Much cheaper than Prilosec OTC in Walmart. The lack of follow through my friend experienced would only be related to the split in that Dr Lopez left A Lighter Me, where they actually take care of their patients. He now contracts with a different group.

I'm really grateful for the info that you've all generously posted here. It's helped me mentally prepare in so many ways. Now I'm at a crossroads of my own. I'm totally comfortable making my own decisions, but a little feedback from others in the same situation doesn't hurt either. Synopsis: I live in FL and have UHC insurance with the Bariatric Resource Program. Within a two hour radius, there are only three approved hospitals. I finally decided on a hospital and surgeon only to find out they want a ridiculous non-refundable $600 "Program Fee," in addition to me having a MOOP of $6000. So total estimated costs are at $6600. The alternative path would be venturing to Mexico for either Drs. Lopez or Osuna at Specialized Bariatrics -- estimated costs $4200 - $5000 (surgery, flights and incidentals). Yes, there are flight costs and no follow-up, but considering my initial FL doc choice was over two hours away, I doubt I would necessarily return to him for complications. But if I opt for a Florida doc, I wouldn't be alone. There is a chance that I would be alone going to Mexico. So what are your thoughts? Would you opt for Mexico for a savings of $1600 - $2000 dollars?

There are many very good protein supplements (you need to use the ones made for bariatric patients not jocks and not off the grocery shelf...they usually have too much sugar, too many carbs for us)....just keep trying. My favorite is Micellar Milk....comes in a 4 pack....17 oz each, 40 gr protein.. It's creamy vanilla and tastes something like rice pudding....you can drink it straight cold or warm, mix it with coffee/tea, make pudding with it, make ice cream with it, put SF flavored syrups in it.....it's wonderful! I also like Nectar Cappacino mixed into coffee, Matrix chocolate by itself ho or cold or mixed in coffee. They are all good enough to extinguish a Starbucks addition.....I promise!!

I'm laughing as I re-read this thread. I was bored and just looking through, reflecting on the past year of my life. (I just got a renewal notice for my apartment....) I still haven't gotten to Onderland yet, but am working hard to do so. I've run two 5K races, rather than just doing the initial one in May that I planned. I competed in the discus (my college sport) in two track meets in June and July and eventually hurt my knee. I haven't been able to run since July, but am meeting with my trainer on Tuesday and keeping up with PT. I spent yesterday with friends from growing up. We have an annual wiffleball tournament that is all eating and drinking, from early in the morning til late at night, and I had a huge "lightbulb" moment. (Think 120+ people with a bonfire, food tables and a farm!) I cannot believe how much more I enjoyed the party without the push of needing to eat everything offered. I'm still single (but dating up a storm!) so I didn't bring anyone with me....however, an old friend brought a few of her friends and I really enjoying getting to know one of them. I realize now how different life is without my ex. The winter was a truly transformative time, when I realized he was not the "man" I thought him to be, but a boy playing a role....I am still stunned to hear about his past and who he apparently really is. He has a criminal past and has tried to cut back his visitation with his two young boys. (After being with all of my friends' kids for the day, I can't imagine how any parent could do that....) Everything truly does happen for a reason. I'm facing challenges and doing things I never imagined I'd do. I hate running still, but I LOVE the challenge of getting to the finish line and of wanting to better my time with each race. There will be more when the weather cooperates and my knee heals. If not for my leaving my ex, this life would not have been possible. Thank you all for your encouragement. I shared with you things I never could have told my family or friends. (Incidentally, I've finally started telling people that I was banded!) I have learned to love being single and living alone. I am truly a better person for having had this experience. I'm still single and not any closer to being married BUT I'm enjoying being me....finding what makes ME happy and spending time with the people I love. When Mr. Right comes along, I'll be ready.

Yes, Actually, I am taking Bariatric Advantage Vita Band Lemon Flavored Cream, 2 X per day. They are just for lap banders. Also I am on extra iron and b12. But I am old. So I think the older you are the harder this is. Dot

Hi I am a teacher too :bored:. I am in S. Florida and our insurance does not require a 6 month supervised diet so I made my pcp and nutritionist appointment in Feb, psych appt in March, and pre op in May, and was approved May 29th just in time for summer..I hope everything goes smoothly for you. I got a good surgery day with summer vacation and all. I know some teachers who came to work right after other bariatric procedures and I do not know how they were able to do it!

This is a little off-topic but if you like WW cookbooks, check out this site: BariatricEating.com Health & Nutrition - Bariatric recipes Great recipes there!

No. You can still have the sleeve. I just had the endoscopy done a few weeks ago and they also discovered I had GERD and an ulcer as well and both the GI doctor and the Bariatric DR told me that if anything, the sleeve surgery might help the GERD go away after I lose weight. I just hear that the reflux can be a little worse right after surgery in some people, but that’s temporary.

It's up to anesthesia as well, since they are responsible for the patient under (and shortly after) anesthesia. If something has a reaction with cautery, or swelling, or gets caught on a gown the patient should have an injury. Not to mention as a surgical nurse who regularly assists with bariatric surgery I would prefer all my patients to remove all their jewelry. There's a reason we are forced to make patients sign all kinds of waivers if they keep their jewelry in, and that's because it's an unnecessary risk. And I'd say anesthesia and the nurse will likely care about the jewelry more than the surgeon will

Oh and I was self pay at Mexicali bariatrics. It included 3 nights IN the hospital with nurses taking care full time. Plus 3 leak tests which I was glad for. Fly in and out of San Diego. I chose this because the experience and care was far better than local hospitals that just send you home. And I wanted multiple leak tests so I would feel confident there would be no complications. Many in state people don't know how their new stomach works. I got to swallow something and watch the X-ray machine and see it for myself. And of course got to take it home I highly highly recommend MBC. Cleanest hospital you will ever go to. Most skilled surgeons.

I to am Hypothyroid. There is a site on here for people like us, because we know it's a harder for the weight to come off. I am on Armour Thyroid for my Medical condition, and it's helping. Does he know all these problems exists with you? Because if he does, anytime that he sees you, and you have weight loss, he should be HAPPY ! If he is a beotch about it, then I would find another Dr...... I found a new Bariatric Surgeon, and the weight is starting to come of..., I went to a good ! Endocrinologist, was diagnosed, and my meds are watched. The two together, with me watching my calorie intake, is letting me lose weight at 1 1/2-2 Lbs a week. Do you have a Endocrinologist? I hope you do. Let him know whats what with your Health and Care. If he is just a pain in the A$$. Then for sure move on.... I will try ti find our site, and send it your way. Good Health to you, Shirley.

I met with my surgeon individually. Loved him. I chose him because he's a very well known bariatric surgeon in NYC. He has done several celebrities and has been in the media alot in the last few years. Your BMI is not very high however, you have life-threatening co-morbitities. That alone should get you approved. You probably mentioned this on one of the previous threads. I don't remember. Why are you on blood thinners? What's wrong with your circulation/heart? Talk to you soon. Em

I am working on getting everything ready for the insurance company. I attended a 3 hour seminar, met with the surgeon and nutrionist, went to two appointments with a counselor, had my doctor send over 3 years of records, attended a bariatric support group. Now my bariatric surgeon wants a letter from my doctor to the insurance company. I am hoping this is the last step. The big thing your insurance company is looking for is information about diets and converstations your doctor has had with you in the past 3 years. Go for it. carol

wow - I appreciate that you didn't blast me, but those ideas are part of a program from a very successful Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence program - I guess ymmv. For you, maybe the ideas don't work. And we have to be very careful treating the band as a 'limiter'...it WON'T keep us from eating too much...we can shovel just as much food down our pipes as we did before if we want to...it won't stay down, and will cause plenty of problems over time. also, if you eat the wrong kind of foods, it won't limit you at all. So - we DO have to change what we eat, how we eat, and how much we eat in order to be successful. I was just trying to share ideas from the program I'm in...maybe I'm too new here to be allowed to do that.

Hi, My insurance with Wellmark went through in just one day. I am very pleased with them. I have had the best care with Dr. Teresa LaMaster's and her office team. She is with the Iowa Methodist bariatric center. I would love to share my experience with you if you want more informaiton. I had my surgery on August 14, 08 and have had 5 fills so far. I think one more fill and I will be right where I need to be. If you have any questions, just ask. carol