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Hi guys. Sleeved July 9th. In my thick liquids phase. Glad I found Bariatric pal. I don't feel so alone.

10 more days yay! What are you planning to drink for liquids? I am also nervous about the liquid phase. My surgery is on the 29th.I have to do 4 protein shakes a day that I'm mixing with unsweetened almond milk, sugar free clears (popsicles, jello) sugar free gum, fat free broths, 1/2 cup non strachy veggies a day for chewing. I plan to mix them with my broth to make "soup"Good luck with your surgery! That's a great idea. Are you hungry so far? What protein powder did you end up getting? I like the synthrax nectar fuzzy navel. I am looking for an unflavored one for soups or jello. Good luck with your surgery too. I may check back in w u post op to see how it went? (If that's ok). I have like no pain tolerance and am quite scared. I've had a c section before wonder if it hurts more, less, or the same with this? I am sort of hungry, but I think it's all mental at this point. It doesn't help that I'm at work and there's pizza and cupcakes in the breakroom (I'm an RN so we often get treats from patients).I'm using baraitric fusion, but I've never tried their unflavored one. Is bariatric fusion flavored? What do you mix it with? I am a nurse practitioner that works in a hospital and I notice there are a lot of food pushers around, be strong! Do you have to have surgery where u work? I do I bet that's gonna be sooooo awkward!

So, it seems like I may have to do my nutritional visits over again. The new bariatric program is much more strict regarding their testing and requirements...which is a good thing. However, all of this pushes me back even more! Smh Oh the wait!!!! Dawnie_doo

When I started considering WLS, particularly VSG Surgery, I researched extensively. I read medical studies, case histories, personal blogs and watched hundreds of hours of YouTube videos posted by patients and bariatric surgeons. I cannot remember where I read or saw the European study called "The Three Month Marker", nor have I been able to find the article or video again. The "supposed" study was of VSG patients and their success rates. The results of the study indicated that the total average weight loss at 12 months post-op was double the amount lost at the 3 month post-op mark for patients who closely followed the bariatric guidelines. Has anyone else heard about "The Three Month Marker"? For those who are at least 12 months post-op, does this study relate to your experience?

No, I have not yet obtained "one-derland". No, I am not at goal. But today is still a special and important day to me none the less. Today I hit the 100 lbs lost mark. It is a deeply profound number to me. I have lost 100 lbs. It feels wonderful to say...( although it is tinged with some guilt to admit I had that much to lose to start with) I still have 76 lbs to lose to hit my ideal goal weight. It has taken me just shy of a year post op to make it down to my current weight, so as you can see I am NOT a fast loser. But here is what I am...I am a loser. I am a winner for being that loser. I have lost the equivalent of a small human being. ( not that darn small either!) I am 100 lbs thinner than I was when I started. Today I am celebrating this positive and not focusing on negative. ( That it has taken me almost a year, that I still have 76 lbs more to lose) I have a renewed sense of hope. While goal still seems so far away, a year ago 100lbs seemed like an insurmountable amount to lose. Not everyone who has spent most of their adult life morbidly obese gets to utter the words " I have lost 100lbs". I feel such joy. I feel that reaching my goal weight could be possible. I know my body is healthier today than just one year ago. My aches and pains have lessoned or disappeared. I can do more than I have in years. I fit places I only dreamed of, and can wear sizes I longed to see again. To anyone just starting this process please know it is not easy, but it is absolutely worth it. To anyone struggling with eating right, or not losing as fast as others please know it will happen. Have faith, give it time. This past year seems like a blink of the eye now that it has passed, yet during the year it has been hard. No, it has been more than hard. It is a constant emotional battle. I thought I was ready to go, as prepared as any one person could be for the surgery. But I fooled myself. I was ready for the physical, but certainly not the mental. I am just here to say I would not trade one day of it to get where I am now. I have lost 100 lbs. I have tears welling up, it makes me that emotional. I truly hated what had become of me physically, but now I am slowly learning to love myself again. It is dawning on me I am fairly close to "normal". Ok, I am still heavy. ( obese technically) But I am closer to normal now than I have been in 18+ years. I am still adjusting to being in social settings and not having that overwhelming feeling of shame for being the largest person in the room. I can walk through a mall ( or even recently through an airport) and I am just another person in the crowd. My size is no longer what I am instantly recognized or defined as. Trust me, that too is part of the mental battle. But it is becoming a part I am growing more and more comfortable with. I hated the fat lady, but she was I and I was her. Now I am just Rhonda.... minus 100 lbs!

Are you seriously calling me fat on a bariatric forum! WOW! I should know better than to answer creatures like u Sent from my GT-N7100 using the BariatricPal App

Thank you so much. Everything you said is 100% right. I’m so glad I have come back to bariatric pal for some support. I’m trying to go back to bariatric basics. No water while I eat. Protein, protein, protein. Getting to goal is nowhere near as hard as maintenance. I have to accept that always going to be dealing with my “food issues”. Have to be vigilant!

Hi, Kat; Thanks for your reply. You ask some legitimate questions. And I have some legitimate answers! Actually, I did not plan on getting into this in the "Introductions" forum. I didn't look far enough to see that there was a "complications" board, so I suppose that all of this should be over there. I just wanted to introduce myself, and state up front that I am not a fan of the Lap Band. Which brings me to your "why Here, why Now" question. It's been a long journey from the installation of my LB to where I am now. The simple answer to your first question is that there is a POSSIBILTY that I might not be here in a month. The problems I have experienced as a result of the Lap Band are somewhat life threatening, and there is a possibility the surgery may not go well. I am confident that it will be fine, but if it does not turn out well, I want people to know what happened to me. My bottom line is that it DIDN'T work for ME....and the pain and suffering has been enormous. The Bariatric Industry is painting WLS as a "simple" and "safe" procedure, and while most of time it is, sometimes (often,actually) it is NOT. I think that the proliferation of WLS ads on TV, radio, etc, are making people give up TOO fast on finding the power within. The human body is a wonderful, miraculous thing. It was DESIGNED and BUILT to function a certain way. When it is given proper nutrition, rest, exercise, Water, etc, it arrives at it's NORMAL weight. But, our society has manipulated our eating process (processed foods, fast food, junk food, etc) to the point where we have just become bags of fat. I'll have more to say on that issue. "You have been dealing with this and knowing you had issues, and could have been "warning" others to "be aware of possible problems" all along. So....why here? And why now? And why put the obvious complication issue topic into an area devoted to newbie bandsters?" My target audience here is not the Newbie Bandster....it's those who trying to make a decision as to whether or not it is the right option for them. There are many on this forum that have not yet had the surgery. I want them to think twice. I have been encouraged by friends and family that have watched me suffer to come forward and tell my story. I have not been "looking into the talk show circuit", THEY have been looking into Me. My stroy has been getting around. So, my answer to your questions is simply that I hope to be a voice of caution to those that are considering the LB. Those that have already had it done, well, I do wish the VERY BEST for you, and I am confident that most of you will not experience what I have. David

FYI After my referral from my Primary Care Physician's office, I received my package from the Health Education Department within a week. The package included a Kaiser book call "Bariatric Surgery Preparation Program Options program" That booklet contained a lot of useful information, answered many questions, and listed what the next step would be for the procedure...which is to attend an informational class about the entire process and procedures. Best of luck for your journey. It's a step towards a happier and healthier lifestyle. Well worth the effort.:thumbup1:

@thin2be: Congrats on getting closer to finishing the Options classes!! I was so happy to be done with them, but I also thought they were super informative. I didn't meet my case manager until after the Options classes were completed. That might be because after the classes, some people decide not to do the surgery. My case manager called me to schedule a post-Options appointment with the referring bariatric doctor. She told me to do the blood work, chest x-ray, and ekg to be completely ready for the doctor to give his referral. They run all your Vitamins plus a whole bunch of other stuff (they took 16 vials from me!). These results are needed for the doctor to give his referal to the surgeon. When I went to my appointment, the doctor was able to review all the results and give his blessing. Now it is just a matter of getting in to my surgeon (which is happening on Thursday!) I went to the classes in Panorama City so it may be slightly different in Corona. Perhaps someone else has gone thru the procedure in Corona? I'm not sure if this is standard for Kaiser.

Yes, Debbie was my case manager. Remember, my Options classes were 24 weeks long, so I'm sure things have changed, but we had about 3 visits with a bariatric dr. there during those 6 mos. I don't even remember the name of mine, but he was very thin, tall, dark hair and soft spoken.(I remember I could barely hear what he was saying) Anyway just before the end of the classes was the appt. with the doctor where he said ok, you're ready to go forward after Options and he was ready to put my referral through to West La and that they were taking patients immediately with no wait, (but Harbor City had a 2 month wait). He said I didn't even need any pre-op tests. Well I wasn't prepared to hear that and thought I had another few weeks to make up my mind because at that point I was actually having second thoughts. We decided I would see him again in 2wks with my decision. When I went back I said ok I'm ready and Debbie put my referral through for West LA by mistake (I wanted Dr.Zane at Harbor City). West LA actually called me right away with a surgeon appt. but I had to start over with my referral to Harbor City! That was kind of a bummer, but I ended up seeing Dr. Zane about 2 months later and we scheduled the surgery. There were a few pre-op tests like EKG and blood work, but nothing much. I do remember that the girls that taught Options were a little out of touch with not only how the surgery was done, but they always told us everything would take longer than it really did. I remember the instructor, (Kristen, maybe) was a whole 130 lbs her whole life and seemed to have these stories of struggling with her weight which I could never understand. The nutritionist was a bit condescending to us, and not in the greatest shape, so I was not very impressed with Options at all. I learned more from this site honestly, but still glad they make you go through it, because you do come out more prepared than a lot of people who are self pay and jump right into surgery. Hope that helps. I know you're anxious to move forward, but use this time to really prepare yourself and get used to eating light. You'll get in faster than you think.

Hey. I'm having my sleeve to bypass revision next Wednesday, July 29. I was sleeved in February 2013. I lost about 40 pounds and kept it off for a year when I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and was started on a beta blocker. I gained 20 pounds the first month and it has just gone up since then. My insurance said only one bariatric surgery per lifetime however I decided to try to have it approved and they approved it within two days. The insurance company considered my failed sleeve a complication as well as my new heart condition and borderline sleep apnea. I thought for sure I would have to appeal the denial but was happily surprised. So if your insurance states one bariatric surgery in a lifetime, try to get it approved anyhow. You may be pleasantly surprised. I have completed all my preop requirements and I started my diet today. Has anybody gone through this and are you glad that you did this? My biggest fear is not the surgery itself but being a failure again. It's so embarrassing. I am telling very few people I'm having RNY. They all think I'm having a hiatal hernia repair. I would appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.

I'm 67. See my surgeon June 12. Hope to get a July date. My paperwork was submitted to insurance last week. At first I thought I was too old to even think about doing this. After asking questions at my bariatric center, they assured me they have done several people in their 70's. and Gmanbat, I thought you were 39. LOL Sent from my iPhone using VST

Without knowing a lot more detail, it's hard to know where to help you. Are there any support groups in your area? Check if Bariatric Pal has one nearby, how about a local hospital? You may find spending time with other WLS patients is a great way to debug your problem and get fresh ideas from people who know what you're going through. You have gotten this far, it's just another bump you need to get over, so don't give up.

Hey everyone, been nearly 24 hours and I feel pretty good. Surgery went great. Spent the night in hdu because of my sleep apnoea. I think I'd have been here anyway as my blood pressure was 180. Settled now but still on high side so I'll monitorat home and see my gp to review. Could just be the whole experience right now raising it. I've been having IV fluids mostly and can have 50mls fluid an hour. I'm doing a barium swallow shortly and if there's no leaks I can have full clear liquids. Going to bariatric ward in about 90 minutes too where I'll have my own room. My pain is manageable, only discomfort at the higher incision sites. It was quite painful in recovery initially. I had nausea then too and felt like I needed to burp. Gas pain does hurt but I don't have much of it and when it comes it's only a few seconds only. Going home tomorrow as long as I'm drinking around 1 litre.

OP I will address the copay. You likely should not be paying any copay for your 6 week visit. You should be in your post-op day period. Any care that is within the post-op period is considered part of the fee for the surgery. The surgeon should not be charging you a co-pay and should not be billing insurance, nor should the insurance pay for visits during the post-op period. Any major surgery should have a post-op period. It will vary depending on the surgery. The insurance companies use fairly standard guidelines. I think for the sleeve it is 90 days. (If you have a visit with the same surgeon for an issue not related to the surgeon a copay would apply.) The surgery fee is a global fee. I would check with the office and your insurance to verify if you will even have the $50 copay. If not, I would reschedule with the NP/PA. I would not use your PCP for the follow-up. Use your surgeon's practice for follow-up. The surgeon and his staff have the experience with bariatrics, your PCP not so much. If the NP/PA has a question or concern then the surgeon is right there to ask or maybe even pop in the room. If you plan on doing any future follow-ups or if you do have complications and need to go back then your bariatric record is all complete and at your surgeon's office. When I did my follow-ups I also saw the dietician. I would think that your bariatric PA/NP is going to be better versed in the nutritional aspects for a bariatric patient than your PCP will be. (Assuming you don't see a dietician separately). Can you tell that I pay health insurance for a living? 10 years ago I tore my ACL. I used a very good surgeon. He had awful bedside manners but is a great surgeon. I did not mind seeing his PA. His PA was able to spend much more time with me, he was easier to ask questions and gave more detailed answers than the surgeon. I was paying the surgeon for his OR skills. Yes, I paid the higher $40 specialist copay for his PA. But I got more bang for my buck with the PA for the follow-up visits than I would have with the surgeon. I view picking a surgeon as two fold: I am picking his skills as a surgeon and I am picking his program. That program includes his pre-op diet, pre-op testing, post-op diet, post op care and his staff. Like you I was 1 hour 15 minutes from my surgeon's office. I quit an orthopedic doctor's office over his front office staff- they never returned phone calls, never passed messages to the surgeon and let me run out of refills on my medicines even when I started calling for a refill 1.5 weeks before. My PCP recommended him for my husband and I would not let him use that practice. The staff is a very important part of the program. Don't shortchange the NP/PA that your surgeon picked. There is a reason they employ that person. Presumably they trust them for a reason. Like I said if the $50 copay is one of your big sticking points you should verify that you will even owe it for this visit. Maybeing have the visit free will make the drive worth it to you.

I was 30+ BMI with no hope of it staying down even after losing successfully through diet & exercise multiple times up to 50 lbs. The ASMBS has a paper/study advocating benefits of bariatric surgery for ppl with 30-35 BMI. Look it up. Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you!! BariatricPal has sponsored BariatricFoodie for quite some time! We're the first weeks Bariatric Foodie 2018 Pledge sponsor!! You can still sign up for the BF pledge at https://www.bariatricfoodie.com/takethepledge/ .

Keep in mind I'm 2.5 years out and have been in maintenance for 1 year. I drink with meals. I don't follow the 30-minute rule. I've never consumed the recommended 64 ounces of water a day. On most days I'm lucky to down one 16-ounce bottle of water. Too much water sends me to the toilet every 15 minutes. I'm a snacker. My favorite snacks are peanuts, string cheese, turkey sausage, and fruit. Snacking is discouraged in the realm of bariatric surgery. I don't chew my food 20 times before swallowing.

I'm having an internal struggle about telling people that I am having bariatric surgery. My husband has been so supportive so has my parents and 3 really close friends. But when I told my mother in law after I received my official surgery date. She said well why can't you just follow a diet. I don't think she meant it to be as hurtful as it sounded but its comments like that I don't want to hear. It was already hard enough to make the decision to start my weight loss journey and to get to this point I am now. Its an accomplishment that I am proud of but I feel like I am keeping it a secret. After my mother in laws comment I don't think I will tell anyone else. Has anyone had the negativity with telling people in their life?

I agree. Everyone needs to do what's best for them. Frankly, you don't have to tell anyone anything. I don't discuss my health condition with anyone that doesn't need to know. When it comes to close family that loves me, they are going to notice significant difference in my lifestyle as well as my appearance (eventually), so I think it made sense to share this information with them. P.S. You are wrong about one thing though. In the medical professional labels matter and these procedures are being called "metabolic surgery", not just weight loss (or bariatric) surgery. That's why the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery changed its name to add the term "Metabolic" a few years ago. This is the case because these procedures, which were originally popularized for weight loss benefits, are now being used to treat many different illness that are not necessarily related to obesity. Even the American Diabetes Association strongly supports the use of "metabolic surgery" to treat Type 2 Diabetes. This surgery is also used to treat very thin people that suffer from treatment resistant gastroparesis and other GI and metabolic illnesses. Sure, a large number of people are having these procedures done primarily because they are tired of being overweight, but to call it weight loss surgery does make it seem like "the easy way out" to the outside world. Metabolic surgery has a different connotation to the layman's mind as well as the minds of insurance companies. So, I suggest getting away for the use of the term "weight loss surgery" as much as possible.

Ghost Protein Powder. Has anyone heard of it? Not sure if it's new or not but recently I've seen some videos from other bariatric patients who were able to get their hands on some. They all swear it tastes so good. They have all sorts of flavors too such as............. Nutter Butter Chips Ahoy Peanut Butter Cereal Milk Pancake Batter Banana Pancake Batter Chocolate Cereal Milk Blue Raspberry Sonic Cherry Limeade Original Greens Sour Patch Kids Redberry Warheads Sour Watermelon Welch's Grape Blueberry Acai That's all I've seen thus far. I looked on Amazon and they are trying to rob people for like $70 a canister. But GNC online has it for like $40. They also have a website and a FB page but I haven't really checked them out yet. I'm really interested in that Chips Ahoy and Nutter Butter ones. LOL They sound amazing which is why I was wondering if anyone has been able to try them yet. https://www.ghostlifestyle.com/?fbclid=IwAR3h-Vj1UozGt1TbKN5hFRSsMeHZqtZRKNwU9QtqXjGH6tKaV9APjOhWJKE

Denise882 - I was on liquids for 3 weeks after surgery - I feel your pain! I called my surgeon and they recommended Milk of Magnesia. I used the Cherry Cream kind, and it worked a true blue miracle. Check with your doctor though. Also, my surgeon recommended that I get some of the Metameucil that you stir into Water and drink. It seems that the post bariatric diets are not as high in fiber, so we may get plugged up rather frequently. Nathalie

I don’t know why all bariatric surgeons don’t recommend ab binders after surgery. I was absolutely miserable the first three days until I remembered I had to wear one after the tummy tuck so why not after gastric sleeve. I immediately felt better after putting on the ab binder and within two days all of the bloating and swelling was gone. I did read on here that a few people woke up from surgery with ab binders already on them so there are a few surgeons who know how important they are for recovery. When I sneezed without the ab binder, day 3 post-op, it felt like the inside of my tummy ripped apart!! Good luck!!

Oh yeah.those containers of frosting from Betty Crockers is the real deal.Dip a graham cracker into that smooth chocolate frosting...Makes a Bariatric doctor have nightmares..lol.its all relative.phsychologically speaking.If you or someone you know.Abuses Betty Crockers smooth frosting.There has to be other problems in ones life causing this penchant for smooth chocolate frosting.Usually it's a lack of closeness and love.so I went out and found someone to be close to and love.Now there is no more smooth chocolate frosting in my house.problem solved