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I have some bad news for you. No bariatric surgery will cure your medical issues. All it will do is force you to eat less for about a year. Sure, there may be some palette changes, or maybe dairy will suddenly become difficult to digest causing lactose intolerance, or you may develop gerd; but for the most part the surgery doesn't change a person medically speaking. Only the medical conditions brought on by poor diet will be affected by bariatric surgery. (e.g. High BP, diabetes, cholesterol, etc...) Unless there is a medical condition with the stomach itself, there is nothing that bariatric surgery will cure that diet alone could not as well. The surgery and subsequent honeymoon phase help cement new food habits.

A lot of people have food funerals from what I've seen on Bariatric Pal. Just don't engorge yourself and undo all the gains in self-respect and losses in weight you've achieved already. Every party needs a pooper and maybe I'm fulfilling that position. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

My BMI was under 35 but rapidly creeping up towards it when I consulted with bariatric surgeons in LA. They were all pessimistic that I'd be covered even if my BMI reached 35, and even though I had high blood pressure at the time as well as PCOS and Addison's disease (which requires you to take steroids that make you pack on weight). I had Blue Shield of CA then (2015). They still would have performed the surgery on me, but I would have been responsible for the cost, which ranged from $29,000 to $35,000 at their offices. An insurance coordinator said that even if I was approved for coverage, my portion of the expenses would be around $5,000. I just went to Mexico instead. $4200 in total, which included two nights at the Marriott. I had no hoops to jump through prior to surgery. I picked the exact week I wanted the surgery, to fit with my schedule. I had a really positive experience and no complications. I exceeded my goal and have been maintaining at my "dream" weight for more than a year now. My BMI is 19.5. I think my surgery was just as successful as it would have been if I'd gotten it done by a local surgeon. So don't lose hope if your insurance denies you!

Just had my final consult with my dietician before my surgery. I found out that my surgeon recommends two packets of Barilife vitamin powder everyday. It will end up costing around $30 a month. That is much better than I anticipated. https://www.barilife.com/product-category/bariatric-vitamins/complete-bariatric-multivitamin-powder/

Is that true?! Wow, I've been doing a lot of research on bariatric surgery but haven't come across any marriage stats yet... That's sad to hear. :-/

This might come as a shock to a few people here, but there are quite a few of us in the bariatric patient community who are ALSO part of the medical community:) Doctors, nurses, surgeons, physical therapists, nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, etc. etc......suffer from obesity, too:) Who knew? And yes, some of us are sympathetic and EXTREMELY GRATEFUL for the work bariatric surgeons do, and the sacrifices they make to help people with obesity.

I just had my vsg yesterday 1/29 the pain was minimal, gas is pretty bad in my shoulders even though I got up and walked immediately. I'm already on stage 2 bariatric and just had applesauce and cottage cheese, couldn't eat more than 2 spoons and I got that full feeling, but doing well and ready to be discharged. Good luck you'll be just fine Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

We do not decide what surgical procedures are considered elective or not, that is decided by people far above my pay grade. My surgery date was moved twice because it was considered elective. On the day of my surgery my time was moved by two hours in order for a more urgent surgery to go first. Each surgeon and each insurance company has their own process to qualify for these procedures. Not every surgeon requires you to lose weight preoperatively, not every insurance company requires six months medical weight loss. People elect to have surgery in Mexico when insurance won’t cover it. Until bariatric surgery is not considered an elective surgery and they start performing emergency gastric bypasses and sleeves on the obese all of us will have to follow the program guidelines preoperatively. If there are medical reasons that program requirements cannot reasonably be met as far as weight gain due to actual medical diagnoses it would seem that proper documentation from a primary care physician would suffice if submitted to the insurance company.

I have Metabolic Syndrome. My Cushing's Syndrome makes it almost impossible to loose weight, especially with the steroids I take daily. If I do not have Bariatric Surgery I will die. I guess you are correct. It is elective surgery. I can elect not to have it and die. I am sure there are many others like me who have illnesses that require this surgery or they will die. Part of the Insurance Company's requirements is to have a psych exam isn't it? A whole lot of psychiatrists/ psycologists are going to get fired for approving patients for surgery who are deemed not ready.

Next have him read the article where 75 percent of marriages end in divorce after someone gets bariatric surgery....that post is around here somewhere...

Yes, I do love surgeons and doctors. There are several in my family and friend network. They are human beings, too. They have rights, just like you do:) Bariatric surgery is an elective procedure. If you screw up and hurt yourself, your doctor pays the price. The first thing doctors learn is to first do no harm. Doing surgery on someone who cannot control their eating habits doesn't do any good, and in fact can do a great deal of harm. Doctors have every right to expect patients to comply with treatment guidelines and to refuse those who don't.

(1) How do you all keep yourselves accountable if you don't have too much in the way of in-person support and don't have too much time to spend here on the forums? Other people and this forum don't make me do the work I know I have to do. Some time its not motivation that keeps me going it's having perspective. My perspective is...... anyone that has cancer with only three months to live would gladly trade places with me for my weight loss struggles. We all have struggles in life. It's what we do to overcome them that counts. (2) For those of you who have tightly packed schedules and are making the time for yourselves early in the morning or late at night or whenever to get to the gym, how do you find the energy to get through your whole day without a nap or without a constant stream of caffeine? I feel zapped of energy all the time and all my Vitamins are in good working order (thought it might be Iron deficiency but no). I workout in the evening. I drink a pre workout..I still sleep like a baby. exercise helps shake off the stress of the day. I go when I don't feel like it..I have days I'm zapped.... I've never left the gym saying " I really regret that I worked out today" ___________________________________________ Log your food (myfitnesspal) hit your protein goal cut back carbs. Drink lots of water. Cook in bulk on your days off and freeze them in small batches to eat throughout the week Baraitric recipies http://insidekarenskitchen.com/bariatric-friendly-recipes/ Best of luck getting to your goal.

"Why wear the willpower of the patient out before surgery?" Answer: To prevent death and injury. And to protect yourself against malpractice suits and insurance hikes. Bariatric surgeons don't owe anyone anything. It is entirely at their discretion who they choose to do surgery on and who they believe will be a safe risk for a procedure they perform. What happens to you...is their butt on the line as much as yours. They have a right to refuse services to people who are not yet able to follow instructions and keep themselves safe. And they are smart to do so. As a patient, if you can comply with the requirements of a program, you have a right to be treated. But you don't get to make the rules. The doctor doing the surgery does.

I was just a bit younger and with a BMI a bit lower when I had the VSG in August of 2015, and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I also viewed it as a preventative measure to help reduce the risk of problems developing as I aged. I yo-yo'd throughout my 20s and let my weight control far more of my life than I should have, and I wanted to be able to thrive in my 30s and beyond and enjoy that time rather than receding as I did so often in my 20s. As a lower BMI patient, there are a few things you're probably already aware of, but I'll point out nevertheless. - You'll probably have to pay for it yourself. My insurance refused to pay for a cent of my surgery. I noticed that you're in Canada; it might be hard for you to get approved for the surgery there, too. Many Canadians and Americans go to Mexico for WLS, and so long as you chose a reputable surgeon and facility, it's safe. That's what I did, and I have absolutely no regrets. Even if my insurance had agreed to pay for the surgery, my out-of-pocket expenses would have come out to around $5000, and it would have been a far more time-costly route because they require years of documentation of weight loss effort, and months of seeing a nutritionist before they grant approval. My surgery was $4200, including a hotel stay at the Marriott, and I chose the exact week I wanted to have it done, to fit with my own schedule. I took on the responsibility of educating myself about the surgery, about common challenges following it such as stalls, and the post-op diet. You can find information on the websites for bariatric centers at Stanford, the Mayo Clinic, and other respected hospitals. - You will likely lose weight at a much slower pace than someone heavier. I've read so many posts from people on here who've lost more weight in two months than I did in two years, but that's fine since none of us are in a race. For me, losing weight slower has been beneficial in the long run even if it was frustrating along the way. I actually lost weight more rapidly on crash diets prior to having WLS, but always gained that weight back and then some even faster. By losing it slower, I've kept it off longer and more easily. It took a full year for me to reach my initial goal, and six months later I reached my "dream" goal. I've maintained that for over a year now. I have absolutely no loose skin. By losing weight more gradually, it also gave me more privacy. It wasn't as dramatic, so people never suspected that I'd had surgery. I'm not at all ashamed that I did, but I also don't feel the need to broadcast it. I'm very private by nature, and only told the people who actually needed to know about having the VSG. Best wishes to you!

Ha. "Bariatric card." I'll just tell them I had the surgery, and if they go on a power trip, I'll pull up my shirt and show them the scars.

I remember about a year post op I was with a large group of family and the easiest option was a buffet. I showed them my bariatric card, but they said they do not make concessions. No problem, I'll pay for a to-go buffet trip and eat that. They said that was fine. I loaded that SOB up with so much meat it wasn't funny. Then I sat with family and picked at their plates. Later on we all nibbled on my to-go order.

I'm fairly new to the site as I'm still in the pre-op stage. I've had 3 of 6 insurance mandated nutritionist visits and am having my psych eval and pre-op extended nutrition class in Feb. Hoping to have all requirements met and ppwk submitted in April for approval. If approved, I will not be able to have the time off for surgery until very end of May or early June due to my work demands. Like many people I've read about on here, I'm ready for a change and sick and tired of being sick and tired. I've struggled with my weight most of my life and have spent more time trying to lose weight in my life than not. I am now at my heaviest and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last year. My husband is 6'4" 195 lbs and has been pretty thin and fit most of his life. Though he knows my weight struggles and complicated relationship with food existed long before I met him 23 years ago, he has also witnessed my successes and disappointments since then. Last October I met with a bariatric surgeon my friend recommended and came home even more convinced that this was the right choice for me. I think when I told my husband I was going to pursue the idea and learn more, he went along with it perhaps not thinking I'd really go through with it. When I actually started my nutritionist visits in November he realized I was serious and the first question he asked was, "How much is this going to cost?" I cried at his response that he didn't care to learn more about the surgery or ask me questions about my well-being, but rather only showed concern for the bottom line. I told him this is now a LIFE SAVING decision for myself. It's not about vanity or just changing my life. I believe I MUST do this to SAVE MY LIFE! Of course I assured him insurance would hopefully approve me and cover most of it but that I'd budget for the anticipated out of pocket expenses in the meantime. I've kept him abreast of the little things the nutritionist is having me integrate monthly into my life and share with him tidbits about the procedure, things I read, etc. When I told him I'm now halfway through the 6 month waiting period, he replied, "So, you're still going to go through with it?" I told him of course that I had not changed my mind. He continues to ask me how this is going to be different than my other previous weight loss attempts... that if this is mainly restricting me from consuming calories then of course I'm going to lose weight and that I should just save myself the money and just restrict myself... he believes this is just a permanent, non-reversible way of restricting or starving myself for the rest of my life. I told him that eventually some people can go back to eating "normal" meaning not just having liquid diets and eating like birds for the rest of their lives. His reply, "Well, isn't that why you're getting it?! So, you CAN'T eat NORMAL? Isn't that what got you to where you are in the first place?" *SIGH* Now, I have to say my husband really does sound like a jerk. Really, he's not in any other way. It's just he lacks the ability to understand weight struggles and needs to work on emotional tact sometimes. I know he loves me and wants me to be healthy. I think it does bother him that I'm not as active as him and he really doesn't believe that I'm "big enough" to need bariatric surgery. I assured him he has NO idea how bad it is... I informed him that BMI 40 is considered morbid obesity and I am at 39 WITH diabetes... I'm a ticking time bomb. I also told him he has absolutely NO IDEA how deeply I hate myself right now. I hate how I look and feel. I've hated it for years. Even the evening I went for the bariatric surgery consult, I about cried. One of my friends who was sleeved 1.5 years ago came with me for support. My husband comes from the annoying mindset of "if you want to lose weight just eat less, move more." I told him if food/weight issues were that simple then a lot of people wouldn't struggle with it. He's the type of person that moans and groans when he sees weight loss shows - he just can't understand how/why someone would let themselves get to that point. I have my pre-op nutrition class on Feb. 18th. I told him he is welcome to come if he's interested, otherwise it's not mandated that he join me. Part of me wants him to come to show support but the other part of me doesn't because I think he's just going to be critical of it all and then he's going to become the food police on me post surgery. After spending "all this money" on these consults (that aren't covered by my insurance) and paying the difference my insurance doesn't pay, I fear my husband is going to ride my @ss for the rest of my life about everything I put in my mouth. Last night I gave him a great article about WLS I asked him to read. It explained how it's used as a tool, how it's not a magic bullet, the different procedures, and why bariatric surgeries are different than just cutting calories, exercising and dieting alone. It discussed how for sleeve/bypass patients it reduces the feeling of hunger by removing the hunger hormone and can often times reset someone "set point" and metabolic rate. All things I've already talked to my husband about... sometimes to a deaf or disbelieving ear. He said, "If I read this article do I still have to go to the class with you in Feb?" *rolling eyes* I told him he didn't have to go to the class at all - that was up to him. But, I would appreciate him reading the article because it was well written and I think helped explain a lot. He only read half the article last night... Hopefully he'll finish it tonight. *fingers crossed* I am still planning on moving forward with my surgery... praying I get approved... planning to start attending the support groups in February that my surgeon's office offers... it just makes me sad that my husband's lack of support, understanding, ignorance, etc. etc. is the thing that is making me hesitate ever so slightly. Can I handle someone being the food police on me for the rest of my life? Will he ever come around? I'm hopeful once he sees me be successful post-op, regain my physical/emotional/mental happiness, become more active with him and the kids, etc that he will move past it all and agree that it certainly saved my life. My weight struggles are so very personal to me and run so deep that I rarely discuss my weight issues with anyone. I am literally brought to tears at the mere mention of it and the "F" word to me is "FAT." I HATE that word!! Because of all this, I don't want to tell my family or my husband's family about the surgery until it is over and even then if I could avoid it coming up I would. My family and husband's family also are of the same mindset and would easily think "it's the easy way out" or a "copout." Sorry for the rant... needed to get it out... and I know there are others out there with similar people in their circles or have lacked support where they wanted it most.

Also...both of these meals are heavy on the meat for me...and are more rare. The diet I follow is more like the Mayo Clinic Diet. Lots of whole grains, beans, legumes. Tons of veggies and fruits. Much less meat. I don't like Keto. I know most bariatric patients follow keto for rapid weight loss and I did a lot of research to find a group that had different ideas. We still have a protein goal of 60-80g per day....but my group works with those of us who like to include more plant based proteins, fresh produce and whole grains. We eat a lot of carbs. I say that and people freak out. LOL. But it's true. What we don't eat...are refined carbs. Anything high glycemic is a no-go with the exception of natural fructose in whole fruits. Exercise is a key part of my plan.

Hi Ashara, what a pretty name.I'm a little ahead of you, I have done all my prerequirements, waiting on a call or letter from my surgeon's office, looks like early-mid March for my RnY. That said do you still wanna be friends? I'm a great resource person, according to,my avatar on Bariatric Pal I am a Guru in Training. I take that judgement as a great compliment. Ask me anything, at 72 I have little if any shame. Hope to hear from you soon. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey Brina isn't that the Washington DC suburban county that had the sniper shootings a few years back? Shame for such a pretty place to be known for that alone. Hey no place is immune, several years ago someone in my county (Knox County Ohio;) a guy killed 3 people and stuffed their bodies in a hollow tree. The sick joke that went around: What is he?A demented Keebler elf? Needless to say he is now a permanent guest,of the penal system and never will be released. Hey now that I've brought that up, wanna be surgery buddies? If so here are a few of my basics. 5ft8in, BMI 45, having a RnY early to Mid March, all my prerequirements in just waiting for letter or call-back from my surgeon's office. I will be having my surgery at Mount Carmel,in Columbus our state capital. I'm in it to win it , at the age of 72. Ash me any questions you might want to know, if I don't have an answer someone on Bariatric Pal will. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Raffi you are an Evil little Elk but gotta love you a little. You scared the bejabbers out of someone on.another thread with your cheeseburger joke, he took you for serious. It has nothing to do with Bariatrics but here's one for your collection. Question; when should someone use contraception? Answer: on every conceivable occasion. Stay easy and breezy my little buddy! Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi all. I just started researching bariatric surgery options and I was hoping to hear what your process has been from deciding to have surgery, pre-requisites to having surgery, why you chose your type of surgery, how long the pre-surgery process is... Any and all information is appreciated.

I think the challenges you have looking after your loved ones should be the reason for looking into getting the surgery.They need you and you cannot be there for them if you start having obesity related illnesses. Obviously it will be a lot harder for you to go through the process with so much on your hands. Talk to a bariatric doctor and see how you go.

This is my last post. I understand people’s concern if a dr recommended you to go to the ER, I also would recommend they to go but this was not the purpose of this thread per my original post. I had two questions and only 2 people actually helped to answer one of the two questions I had while others are quick to question my decisions. To the naysayers, I did go to the ER today after further discussion with my dr and the result is...I’m fine. Thank you to all who were genuinely concerned for me. After a chest X-ray, bloodwork, and CT Scan of my abdomen they said the reason for my abdomen pain from an attempt on taking in a full breath is simply because of spleen infarct. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery are 25% at risk of getting a lesion and is not considered an emergency issue, but one that will resolve on its own. I hope this post will assist someone else who may have the same experience I did and looking for possible answers. Of course any kind of symptom not previously disclosed to you to expect is scary and your dr should be informed. Obviously every doctor has different methods and recommendations and every patient has different needs so while we may have some similarities please don’t assume your way is the right and only way! Do share your experience. That’s what this website is for, but leave it up to others to make up their own minds on how they want to proceed. I’m told by the physician assistant that the top part of your spleen is removed because your stomach is attached to it so this is somewhat common occurrence for 25% of the people, though not everyone feels the pain. I did.

Slippers if you don't want to wear their nonskid socks when you walk and a small pillow to "splint" your tummy when you cough, when I had my gall bladder lo these many,years ago I even used it while walking. Some hospitals provide a Bariatric Bear, I think Creekimp got,one. If I don't take Chickie my little buddy from back,then I'll go out and get the Valentine pillow/blanket combo from Wal-Mart for about $9. Pillow is heart shaped, about right size and I can always use a blanket to snuggle into. Remember to bring home the little baby,cups,if they hive you any.Those mini medicine cups are really good for sip sips.You are gonna do fine and I' will be sending you healing thoughts your way,tomorrow. . Now get some rest tonight. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app