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If we can help you in any way, we will. We all have your back and are praying for you,if we are believers, those who aren't still send you good wishes. You're one of us in the Bariatric Pal fold and we're loyal to our own. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

I am from SW VA near Blacksburg. I had my surgery done in Tijuana MX through Bariatric Pal. Msjenae I see you are from Charlotte NC. Are you going to the Living Beyond the Tool seminar in Spartanburg SC? Jopax35 and FlyEagleFly where are you from in South Jersey? I lived most of my life in that area.

Congrats on taking the first big step! I had my 1st appointment last month on Jan. 2nd and my surgery is in 16 days! Welcome to Bariatric Pal! You will receive some great advice and a lot of support!

The way I would handle it, some of which I did, some I should have. PCP first, say to him/her "Do you think I would be a good candidate for Bariatric Surgery? If not how can I get healthier so I would be a good candidate?" If PCP agrees ask if they would be willing to write a letter of referall or do they know of nearby bariatric programs. Ask for a Center of Excellence accreditated hospital or center, they are the creme de la creme of facilities, they can handle all facets of your care and much less likely to have anything go wrong. Study up on the procedure you want, I'll be having a RnY bypass but many people have as good a luck with the Gastric Sleeve, few places do Lap Band, even fewer in the US do,Mini bypass or SIPS but if you're interested just say on here, there are veterans who'll tell you where it's done, one that comes to my mind is Duke University but I'm sure there are more. To meet criteria: BMI above 40, your PCP probably can help you calculate yours if you don't know already. Some programs won't take you If you are below 18 or above 60 years of age. I'm lucky that they don't feel that way in Central Ohio, I am very healthy except for my weight, PCP told me I had a 45year old body trapped in this 72 year old shell.If you have BMI of 35-40 you have to have a condition aggravated by obesity, medicalese name for that is comorbility. sleep Apnea, Diabetes, GERD which is gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly severe heartburn, lung issues, severe arthritis, those the ones I can remember if the top of my head. If you're under 34.9 most US surgeon's will tell you that you can diet it away. Truthfully I think it's more that insurance won't pick up the cost. You'll probably,pay out of your pocket and may even have to go to Mexico. I wouldn't do it, an old saying from my youth: Everyone to their taste said the old lady as she kissed the cow. Have a list of questions ready for the surgeon. You'll probably want to know how long you'll be hospitalized, whether a liquid prediet is necessary? Varies from just the day before to several weeks. People on here complain about them quite a bit but sometimes they are necessary. Ask what prerequirements the practice and/or your insurance requires. I had originally private which required 6 months of nutritional supervision, one I have now only requested you be above BMI 40, I had no problem with that as I also had 2 comorbities. I've recently switched programs, my previous surgeon required no liquid prediet, just balanced and low carb before. The new one I'm not sure of, if he requires a liquid I'll try to do it with minimal whining. I have waited so long for my surgery I'd probably crawl over broken glass to get it. Hey text back if you have many questions seems like I'm almost always here, if not there will be someone else with an answer. Hopefully you'll have a beautiful day! PS I have heard Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus Ohio does do under 18 year olds with severe obesity, that's something new under the sun. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Very true. I do not focus on proteins or any other macro or micro nutrients. I eat a lot of grains and legumes, leafy greens, nuts, and trying to eat more fruits. After reading Proteinaholic by bariatric surgeon Dr Garth Davis, it just reinforced my decision that I’m eating how my body is designed and I’m healthy on the inside...like clear arteries, etc. Dr Atkins is a prime example of what high protein and fat diets can eventually do to you in the long run. Sure, you may lose weight and/or keep it off, but in the long run, are you really healthy on the inside? He sure wasn’t. Another good source is to look at the Blue Zones. These folks eat primarily complex carbs and veggies and are the longest living and healthy folk on the planet.

I think you are doing great. If you don't know, weight loss from sleeve to bypass is slower. Dr Matthew Weiner (bariatric surgeon) has a video on you tube specifically on revisions. I'm waiting for my revision date right now. Did you revise because of acid reflux?

All depends on how far out you are from your surgery. I stay away from anything nsaids even now at 9months post, but oh man, I would love to use some Motrin for some body aches, even today. I’d ask your doc when/if it’s okay for you. but I also read that with the sleeve the whole nsaid thing doesn’t really pertain to us so much as the other surgeries. “Sleeve gastrectomy and adjustable gastric banding tend to have little to no change in the absorption of medications. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and duodenal switch can have more significant changes in how medications are absorbed. “ Most docs tend to limit the nsaids after sleeve for precautionary purposes https://asmbs.org/patients/life-after-bariatric-surgery

Well, welcome Dylpowers. Always nice to meet a new friend. What type of surgery are you planning, how far into the process are you and where are you located? And what fears can we allay? I'm still pre-surg myself but not by choice. THAT is a whole nother story. At any rate I've been on Bariatric Pal coming up on 3 months so sorta know my way around. Studied up on the types of surgeries, don't know quite as much about mini bypass or ESG as the others but both of them are represented here. I live in Central Ohio, a candidate for RnY just don't have a firm date, maybe March, maybe April if it's later than that, heads may roll.I'm a trifle impatient, remember Mother Nature? I'm 72, knew her well and we might have graduated from High School together. World be warned--i am a force to be contended with! Any hoo if we can make your WLS journey easier, you have only to ask. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

I’ve been approved for the mini bypass surgery with a doctor in Mexico. I moved mid last year to a new city so I had to find all new doctors. I have spoken with my primary care doctor and my current metabolic doctor and neither will take on my aftercare. My pcp said she is not familiar and puts me off on the metabolic doctor. The metabolic doctor doesn’t want anything to do with the mini gastric bypass for many reason beyond my understanding. For one he doesnt recommend the mini. He just simply refused and referred me back to my pcp. So, I took it upon myself to try to find someone that my insurance will pay for and no doctor will take me on. Either they say no or they will not return my phone calls. I wanted the gastric bypass but the doctor suggests the mini. My old doctors will take me on but I can’t drive 400 miles both ways if there are problems that I need to see them for. I need a doctor closer. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to pay money and I will not have any care afterwards. My insurance covers bariatric but there is a year wait before approval will happen. So, I am choosing to pay out of pocket...I just don’t want to not have care. Any suggestions?

Put on your chaps and spurs, you're ready to,be in the Bariatrics Rodeo. I'm envious, my date hasn't come yet, you're gonna be all done and be a veteran before I get in the starting gate. Ah but my day will come, I'm holding on to that belief, surely nothing can somebody who wants it as bad as I do. My journey has been convouluted but I'm staying the course. Let me know how things go with you, okay? Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello, I was wondering if you have done a little research on eating keto and lowering blood sugars. I really like the Dr. that started Dietdoctor.com. there is great information and videos. To see the videos, you do need to purchase a subscription at 9.00 dollars a month. However, you can do a one month free trial, just put in your phone the date you started, so you can cancel before you are charged. I kept the subscription because I find the videos informative. BTW, you can get the recipes free of charge. He doesn't charge for those. Good luck on your journey. PS. I had to find a Dr. that agreed to this lifestyle . You are eating whole fresh non packaged foods but still some Drs. do not agree. I do drink the bariatric hot chocolate however. It's my sinful pleasure, but low carb. [emoji6] Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey There! So i got sleeved in 2012 lost weight for 6 months, then stopped. Never got to goal weight and didnt start gaining again until this last year. I went to a bariatric surgeon yesterday and he was awesome. He told me my sleeve hasnt stretched but rather I was sleeved incorrectly and the original surgeon left me with a large pouch thats why I stopped losing so quickly after thr first 6 months. He gave me the option of getting resleeved or converting to a bypass although he recco.ends the bypass. Im leaning towards resleeving. Im scared of rny complications and i feel like the vsg is less invasive. What do yall think? Im currently 238lbs and want to get down to 160lbs at the most. He said with the sleeve I could potentially get down to 180lbs (which honestly Id be happy with) but with bypass 160lbs easily. Any suggestions or opinions? Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Welcome. Normally you local primary care physician (PCP) only directs you to the bariatric surgeons. I had surgery at a Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery. These Centers of Excellence are available in many states in the U.S. The Centers of Excellence provide a complete support for the surgery. There are many components that require a range of specialist beyond just a surgeon who specializes in Bariatric Surgery. They include nutritionist, psychologists, a hospital that specializes in bariatric surgery, staff that work insurance issues, pre-op testing, weight loss and exercise programs, bariatric surgery support group meetings, five years of post-op follow-ups. It is like a "full meal deal", no pun intended. So you might begin by finding out where the closes Center of Excellence is and when you see your doctor direct him/her in this direction.

Hi all! Long time follower, first time poster. I have been seriously researching Bariatric surgery for the last few months (especially the sleeve). I am set to have my well check next week and I want to start the process of getting approved for surgery. I have an *** so I know there is a lot of hoops to jump through. Any insight on how to bring the topic of surgery up with the doc?

I take centrum complete multi vitamins and bariatric advantage calcium melts. Make sure calcium is seperated at least 2 hours from your multi vitamin, Iron interferes with its absorption. Unfortunately this means you have to take them on a schedule (I have to do 2 multi’s a day and 3 sets of 2 calcium pills). I’m not sure if chewables have better absorption or not.

I agree with both @Creekimp13 and @Apple203. I'd go to the bariatric center, sign a release form and stand there until you get your records. Then go to your new center, and sign a form releasing your medical records. You have a right to look that the psych report and to find out why she said one thing and did another. I'm so so sorry this is so hard!! ((hugs))

Well this is terrible news for you :-( Did they scan you GB before surgery? I ask because I've read a few posts from people who got their GB out with their bariatric surgery. And because I'm worried about my GB :-)

Procare Bariatric vit is what I take. It’s a one a day

I'm looking for vitamins in pill form. What do you all take? I currently am taking Bariatric Advantage Chews for my Multi, and Calcium. but i cant barely stomach those anymore. Its easier for me to just take pills.

It used to be that if someone was trying to pay you a compliment and call you special and unique they'd say "You're one in a million." The problem is that in a world with a population of seven billion, calling you one in a million would mean there are still seven thousand people just like you. Bet here are some stats showing that around 216,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in 2016. It's not clear whether that's worldwide or just the US, but if it is the US that would work out to one in every 1,481 people in the country. It's funny how 216,000 people sounds like a lot but 1 in 1,481 doesn't sound like many at all. https://asmbs.org/resources/estimate-of-bariatric-surgery-numbers

Does anyone know if there is a bariatric surgery support group that meets in Chester County, PA?

You can also ask the original bariatric program for a copy of your original pysch evaluation. During my pre-op with the surgeon, we went over ALL of the tests he ordered -- they were stacked right there on the table, and a written (and surprisingly long) psych eval report was there, too.

Creek Imp I'm in Ohio and I even know about Meijer. We don't have one in my town, they closed the one in Newark, can you believe they wanted to remodel and expand, the city fathers fought them because it would encroach on the flood plain, Meijer got p.o.-ed and. left town. That's 23 miles south of here but 23 miles to the north in Ontario, a Mansfield suburb there is one in good shape. Go there when I can get there. Otherwise I'm stuck with Walmart, Krogers and a IGA. Sniff sniff. Have you seen my Change Your Hospital thread? Changes in my tumultuous life. I need all the Bariatric love I can get. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

I don't know about trolls. I am however, a Naigerian prince, and I do not come to you by chance. The Naigerian government is offering free bariatric surgery services, and a lifetime supply of post op vitamins. Kindly send me your details, and $250 (application form and registry processing fee). As proof, that is my picture along with that of our finance minister, discussing as I was typing this message. Peas be unto yew. Signed, SumGai Onlyne. ***Sent from one of those dubious gadgets***

Update :::I found 3 other programs in my area. Made application to all 3. #3 is in my own town, I would have,to switch to a VSG as they don't yet do RnY. Not certain why but I can't have consult with the surgeon or her immediate staff until April 10, she is a general surgeon -only does bariatric consult Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoons. That program is starting, been up since Thanksgiving 2017. The other 2 are in Columbus, one has informational seminar March 9th, the other March 10th. I'm leaning right now towards the March 9th one but I do want to make sure it is a good fit and if I commit to them --will they commit to me? It is a two-way street, I am weary of. sublimating my will to someone else, for you don't win love or respect that way. I am a little wary after my last experience. I am reminded of a Bible verse addressed to Jesus " are you he whom we seek or shall we look for another?" And thats how kakatlady's world turns today. I still value any feedback any of you may have, still trying to make sense of what happened. P.s. Both #1and #2 have Center of Excellence accreditation, program#3 does not. Also since insurance picked up cost of 1st set of testing would they pay a 2nd set or should I hope all records transfer? This is a game I never planned to play! Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app