Search the Community

I learned the hard way (I usually do) that hydration is seriously important post bariatric surgery! I am 5 months post-op and my job involves walking a lot in a big county hospital. I just recently changed my work shift from swing (day-evening) to deep nights and my workload increased significantly overnight. I did not take the time to stay hydrated and over the past month, I would go as much as 10 hours without even needing to urinate. This is not a good thing. Segue to this past weekend as I was just discharged from the hospital on Sunday following my first, and dear lord hopefully last, episode of kidney stones. I cannot even begin to describe the pain involved with this lovely endevor but suffice it to say, I now prioritize fluids over everything! Fortunately, I was able to pass the buggers without surgery but I am here to tell you, this was not my idea of a good time! We are told to prioritize Protein as far as macronutrients, and this is still very important, but recognize that because we make this alteration to our diet, fluids take even more priority...you would think as a medical professional I would have not been such a knucklehead and remembered this little tidbit of data It took 7 liters of saline before my urine started to lighten up so I know this problem did not happen overnight. For those of you struggling to get your fluids in very early post-op, that is normal and it will take time but continue to persevere. For those of us a bit farther out, I hope this information prevents you from dealing with this in the future!

I started my bariatric vitamins a month before surgery. Start walking or working out. The better shape your body is in the easier your surgery. Start "practicing" eating more protein and eating your protein first in your meals. Also, start practicing not drinking right before and during your meals. Practice eating tiny bites and chewing 25 times. Good luck to you!!!!!

Did your surgeon not provide a plan or a nutritionist to help you plan your post-op eating plan? I ask because doctors/nutritionists vary quite a bit in what they recommend. @@roundisashape gives a really great plan. But if your doctor/nutritionist did not give you a specific plan, you can do a web search of "gastric sleeve eating phases" and you'll come up with many medical websites so you can see the different recommendations. I'm just concerned that your surgeon would perform a surgery and not give you a list of foods to eat that he/she wants for their plan. This is the link to my surgeon's plan. You can see the different phases and recommended foods and eating times: http://www.360bariatrics.com/360-process/bariatric-diets/

Hi there, I am in the middle of my 14 day liquid preop diet as we speak, (10/20 is my big day) and I have 8 oz ones for the main three and 3 4 oz ones for Snacks. I have to use the Bariatric Advantage ones that I add sugar free torani syrup to so I don't get so bored with them. I can also have a cup of specific veggies with lunch and dinner and thats it. Hope this helps! I would check with your dr office/ nut and see what they say?

My Doc and his team do about 500 of these surgeries a year and has done bariatric surgery for 15 years has had only one leaker. Definatley a question for your doc.

Ah, September! The renewal of hope is in the air as kids go back to school with the promise of straight A's and I with my promise of exercise!! I didn't like the pressure I felt last month with the 'specific' goals I outlined and it made me feel bad when I didn't measure up exactly. So I'm going to relax them just a little bit and break it down into Cardio sessions and Weights sessions, like many of the other Violets do. 8 - Full Body Strength Training Sessions 10 - Cardio Sessions of at least 45 mins. -------------------------------------------------------------------- This book is so awesome! This Year I Will.....How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True by MJ Ryan. I plan to buy several for Christmas gifts this year. I'm almost finished with it and when I am, I'll start it over again. Awesome. 8/30 - Got back to the gym today after my little sebbatical and it felt good. I actually had a hard time getting my heart rate UP! Could the quitting cigarettes only 11 days ago improved my performance that much already?? I did quit hacking and couging by day 3. Hmmmmm. Cool. :eek: 9/1 - Tried the rowing machine today! I like it!!! I especially like the idea of a total body workout on one machine and in less time. Was getting soooo bored with the other cardio machines. time to play racquetball!! 9/2 - Rowed again today for about 15 minutes and then the elliptical for 10 mins. I feel like I've lost something...can't seem to get a good workout in. Maybe I need to build up to it. 9/8 - Just had one of the most stressful weeks of my life and it was HARD to get thru it without cigarettes, food or booze. I think this Chantix is messing with my moods too....I can't wait to get off of it, but I'm not nearly ready. Exercise went by the wayside again this week. I think I got 3 workouts in. Pitiful. Discovered a 'fitness test' on the stationary bike computer and it said that I have low-very low O2 volume. I should have never taken that test. Here I felt like I was getting into pretty good shape and this computer tells me I suck. Well, whatever....I'm fast approaching 30# gone and that feels great!! 9/20 - Got back from a week in Vegas and California - ate anything I desired while there and gained 2#. Lost it all by Thursday. Yea! Got back to the gym last night by doing 30 mins on the stationary bike and reading. that worked out nicely - the time flew by! Scale at 186.6 Day 31 of not smoking!

I am finishing up my pre-op phase with surgery coming up on Tues Sep 22. Since being on the liquid pre-op diet the last week and a half I have been dizzy and weak most of the time. I am getting daily - 3 shakes of 30 grams Protein apiece (Premier Protein shakes) - 64 oz or more of liquid a day - 16 oz of clear broth - sugar free Popsicles - Herbal tea with Stevia - Bariatric fusion Vitamins (X3) - Vitamin B12 - Calcium - Biotin - recently added a glass of skim milk I have found that drinking peppermint tea helps with the hunger feelings, but I have stopped driving my car for now because I am concerned that I will pass out from the dizziness and weakness I am experiencing. I'm concerned about how I will do after surgery because I need to get back to driving for work and running errands for the family and not seeing at least for a while that my diet will be much different for a few weeks. My NUT said to increase my calories some so I added a glass of milk each day over the last few days. That helped a couple of days but now am back to weak and dizzy quite often during the day. Any ideas on what to do to make this go away?

Hi Asmith :smile2: You're definetly in the right place. You're 100% right that what you're experiencing now is far worse than the band. With the band as a tool you can regain your life and confidence Just poke around on here and read all that you can. There is a Plethora of knowledge on here for you to absorb. I would start with going to a seminar usually with your local bariatric surgeon to get a hands on feel for how it all works :biggrin: I am sorry but isn't that just an advertisement for your establishment Dr?

Most surgeon's won't allow you to take regular pills for the first month post op. Chewable Vitamins are the norm. Many will get the multi-vitamins with Iron, take Calcium chews, and B-12 injections/patches. I prefer an "all-in-one" approach. I'm currently taking OptiSource Chewable. They are a complete multi Vitamin including all the calcium, iron, b-12, and folate you need post op. Several pharmacies carry them, but don't advertise them. Also, you can get them through Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Optisource-Chewable-Vitamin-Mineral-Supplement/dp/B00CJB9K4K/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1452300980&sr=1-1&keywords=optisource+post+bariatric+vitamins

Also Syntrax Matrix 2.0 has samples. I can't think of the site. I think it's bariatric pantry. I will get it when I go to work.

Haha...I love it! If you really wanted people to get the message, you could set it up so you have to give your little bariatric pet sips and bites. And then give them Oregon Trail type messages like: "Oops, you gave your pet too many sips, too fast! He's taking nausea medicine and praying he doesn't throw up." "Your pet didn't take enough sips today. He has a headache and feels weak."

Has anyone gone through them for weight loss surgery recently? and if so what does the pre-op all day intake appointment consist of? My appointment is tomorrow.

If you're willing to travel over 2000 miles to go to Mexico (2090 miles from Chicago per google earth), you also might want to consider Dr. Tersigni at Bay Bariatrics in Coos Bay, Oregon (2341 miles from Chicago). Bay Bariatrics is a certified Center of Excellence and Dr. Tersgnin recently lowered his self pay price, in the surgery center, to $10,000. Bay Bariatrics - Steve Tersigni, MD - Coos Bay, Oregon I wish you success in your search.

That's awesome miiasan! I know that you can't cure diabetes, but the bariatric program says that the rny can totally help put it in remission. I'm hopeful. I would love to get off of all meds eventually. I have high BP as well. I recently saw people on another forum talk about how after their surgery they're actually having issues with low BP. Pretty drastic the changes your body goes through. But I guess it's different for everyone. Best of luck on continued success. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello everyone, I just joined Bariatric Pal. My surgery date is July 20th and I'm excited about sharing my experience others. This website is amazing. I've read many of the testimonials and they are extremely encouraging. Thanks.????

I can tell you from my own experience that the hospital process was incredibly smooth. It was kind of like hanging out. Got a beeper when I checked in. Beeper went off, went to the pre-op room, met with one nurse to go over medical history again. Told her I am a tough person to get an IV going and she called a different IV nurse into the room. Changed into the hospital garb, and then talked to the bariatric coordinator (who had been sleeved herself), until the anesthesiologist came in and put me in happyland. Woke up 3 hours later and it was over. The first week was not a lot of fun...the first full day home was the worst as I now had to get my own fluids in. Only pain I had was at the large incision point, no nausea at all. After a week, pain virtually gone. Averaging about 5 lbs lost per week. You will do fine. Complications are extremely rare in this surgery. My surgeon has done thousands of these operations and has never had a leak. Worst case if you have a leak is they do a bypass...not the end of the world.

Hi. I will answer what I can. 1. I don't drink coffee, but I do drink tea. I had to change to decaf because of reflux, but that has not been a problem. I could have it pre and post op. 2. My sleeve was my 12th surgery, and was the least painful of all. I was on pain meds for two days, and that was it. There was some discomfort to be sure, but tolerable. By the end of the first week I was bored. Think of the surgery this way: They give you a nice nap, and when you wake up you have a new lease on life and are free to re-invent yourself. The spot that hurt the most was the largest incision (which by any standard was still a small incision which they closed with surgical glue and a steri-strip). That is the one they took the remnant of my big ol' stomach through. I slept in my lift recliner for a couple of nights so that I would not pull on it getting in and out of bed. I did not have the shoulder gas pain that some people get. 3. I was allowed to do all the walking I could tolerate, but was told not to lift anything more than five pounds for six weeks. I am retired but I know that if I were still working, the fatigue and recovery from serious surgery would have flattened me. Coming off of ten days of liquids pre-op and 2 1/2 weeks of full lliquids post-op left me pretty much wiped out. When I started soft foods, I started to feel much more alert and mobile. 4. I took waaaaay too much stuff to the hospital for a two day stay. You can bring pretty much what you want to entertain yourself, but I mostly slept off the anesthetic. Don't take anything you will miss if it is stolen. 5. food... I am blessed to have a Mediterranean chef in the house, but if my food prep was entirely up to me on a lazy day, I would be batch cooking in the crock pot. The more you prepare your own food, the more control you have over it's content. Unless you are totally unteachable, this is a good time to learn how to cook from scratch. You can go a long way with a Foreman grill. Grilled meats are easy. Canned veggies are better than no veggies. There is not much work to boiling eggs or cutting off a piece of cheese. Since fruit is the peach and not peach pie, there is zero prep there. 6. Reading material.....if you mean concerning learning about bariatric surgery and recovery, look under the Resources tab at the top of this page. Congratulations on the decision you have made, and I wish you the best.

Ok, thats what I'll do. Dr. Brown, yes its Colorado Bariatrics its connected with Pres St. Lukes. Its suppose to be a center of excellance? I liked all the team. I went today for all my nutrition stuff and psych eval, so I am on information overload. Nervous but excited!

We did our classes pre-op, but our phases were about 2 weeks. Discharged on full liquids (yogurt, protein drinks, cream soups, etc.) Two weeks later, puree. Two weeks after that soft, two weeks after that full diet. (I was never so happy to see a scrambled egg as I was in week five.) Do the people who do the nutrition classes work with your bariatric team? My nutrition classes were taught by RDs who were in my surgeon's office so the program was continuous. In fact, they went through the stages with us during a 4 hour pre-op special class right after we got our surgery date talking about the pre-op and post-op diets.

Hello everyone! I've had the gastric sleeve. Since having the surgery and losing weight, I've decided to focus my Health Coaching practice on Bariatric Patients. I know how hard it can be dealing with all the changes and all the emotions that come with it. I'm giving away free 30min consultations for a limited time to those who feel like they could use some guidance. Please reach out to me if you'd like to schedule a free consultation! Lisagoberlmt@gmail.com thank you! Lisa (leelu) 🙏🏻❤️🌸

Hi I'm Leigh married with 2 teens 45 from Texas I'm 4'10" and 235# I've got my pre-op set for 5/21 and surgery set for 6/2 this is what and where and the who is at the bottom of the link Trinity Mother Frances Health System This helped me... DO NOT WATCH IT IF YOU ARE EASILY GROSSED OUT [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds_nwlgQztE]YouTube - Lap Band Surgery[/ame] Suggested reading from my Nutritionist The Success Habits of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients by Cook, Colleen M. and The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery by Alexander Cynthia L I'm excited nervous happy scared hardheaded and ready to go I should have done this 3 years ago I'm a hardcore gamer computer mainly but PS2 and 3 also WoW BF2 9Dragons MOH lot of mmorpgs and 1st person shooters I do graphics, OE scripted stats, tags, all kinds of different stuff mostly with Paint Shop Pro 9 I have 10 but blah..lol ~sigh~ yes i'm a GEEK :tongue2: and I LOVE it can't wait to get banded~

Hi, I want to introduce myself, I'm Adam. I've been lurking on this site and the mobile version for a while and I have to say it's an excellent resource. Every time I google something about the band, LBT always comes up. So I have a few questions and mods/admin I apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong place. My wife is strongly considering this surgery. We have Athem BCBS's Blue Access (we live in Kentucky). In our policy there is an exclusion for band surgeries: For bariatric surgery, regardless of the purpose it is proposed or performed. This includes Roux-en-Y (RNY), Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery or other gastric bypass surgery (surgical procedures that reduce stomach capacity and divert partially digested food from the duodenum to the jejunum, the section of the small intestine extending from the duodenum), or Gastroplasty, (surgical procedures that decrease the size of the stomach), or gastric banding procedures. Complications directly related to bariatric surgery that result in an Inpatient stay or an extended Inpatient stay for the bariatric surgery, as determined by Us, are not covered. This exclusion applies when the bariatric surgery was not a Covered Service under this Plan or any previous Anthem plan, and it applies if the surgery was performed while the Member was covered by a previous carrier/self funded plan prior to coverage under this certificate. Directly related means that the Inpatient stay or extended Inpatient stay occurred as a direct result of the bariatric procedure and would not have taken place in the absence of the bariatric procedure. This exclusion does not apply to conditions including: myocardial infarction; excessive nausea/vomiting; pneumonia; and exacerbation of co-morbid medical conditions during the procedure or in the immediate post operative time frame. We are not worried about the cost of the surgery. My wife has saved money and we probably are going to pay for most of the surgery in cash, financing only about 25% of it. My deep concerns/questions are the following: 1. What are the types of complications that arise from banding and do they require a hospital stay 2. We don't work for a large company so a band is a pre-existing condition and will follow her everywhere with every provider, is that right? 3. Do you recommend a course of action or a plan that we could explore? Our problem is that she is overweight and insurance companies WON'T cover her. Should we consider a state alteranative which one? I'm clueless 4. How long until our insurance does not consider it pre-existing. What are your recommendations. Are my concerns valid, should I fear the complications? What complications did YOU have and what was the financial cost if you were a self pay?

To get my Calcium in and to satisfy my craving for something sweet, I use the Bariatric Advantage calcium chews. The chocolate is so much like eating a tootsie roll and the raspberry is like eating a starburst. A daily dose is 4! During the first month, I would also stick my finger in the Peanut Butter jar. Now, a little over three months out, I keep dark chocolate on hand and eat a square here and there.

In a nutshell... My name is Terry and I give up, I can not do long term weight loss through will power alone. My BMI is currently 40 and I am 110 pounds over my ideal weight. I am very active physically, but have always been able to out eat my physical activity. While my health is good, I am 57 years old and have had both knees replaced, if I do not find a way to get down a healthy weight, I am not sure how much longer I will be able to maintain my level of activity. I went through a brief period of depression when I came to the conclusion that I was going to have to resort to bariatric surgery, but for the first time in a long time I have hope that this may be the tool necessary get my eating under control. My insurance covers LB after a 12 month Dr. supervised diet. If I could maintain a diet for 12 month without the surgery, I WOULDN'T NEED THE SURGERY! So, I will be self pay. I have picked a surgeon, submitted my paperwork and should hear back this week. In talking to the surgeon's lapband nurse at the seminar, they can process me fairly quickly and I am hoping for a January surgery date. The lifestyle changes that worries me the most are the speed of eating, since my family often wonders if I chew my food at all based on who quickly it goes down AND separating drinking and eating, given that for most of the life, a bite of food is always immediately followed by a swallow of liquid. But having discussed this with my wife and my two kids (12 and 9) I believe I can do it.

Already posted this in the pre op category, but I think it belongs here more! I'm Nicole, I'm 19, and I'm waiting on approval for my RNY! You are probably thinking, “Wow, she’s only 19, why they heck is she getting a Gastric Bypass surgery so young?" so I just wanted to make this post to kind of give you guys an idea of why I am getting the surgery, why I think it’s the best choice for me, and what has been happening lately! So, originally I opted for the Sleeve Gastrectomy, because I liked the fact that they didn’t mess around with your intestines and all that jazz like they do with the bypass, so I went to my surgeon, and I did all of my pre-op stuff, like my nutritionist visits and psychiatrist visits,and it turns out I was diagnosed with binge-eating disorder, so I had to do a month of group therapy before she would clear me for surgery. You have to make sure you are mentally prepared before you put your body through anything, which I get. I started this whole process the first of December. After all of my tests and appointments and stuff got finished, and I had lost enough pre-op weight, they sent away to the insurance company at the beginning of May. I waited and waited until just this week when my mom was finally like we should call and see what’s up. So she called the insurance company, and it turns out that my insurance doesn’t cover sleeves, but I was a clear candidate for bariatric surgery so I would have to re-submit for the bypass or the lap-band, So I made an appointment with my surgeon and we decided to go ahead and switch to the Roux en Y. So now I have to wait for this approval and to schedule a surgery date! As for my age, and having surgery, I have a lot of medical problems that no 19 year old should ever have to deal with. I take 7 pills in the morning and 4 at night. I have high blood pressure that I am on two different types of medication for, just to maintain it, I have asthma, I have poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, which causes me not to ovulate, and my OB-GYN said I may never be able to have children. I’ve been medicated for it in the past, but bariatric surgery has been proven to take this away in most cases. Also, when I was 18, i suffered from kidney failure and was in the hospital for almost a week. It just sucks to know that your body is so unhealthy that your organs are beginning to shut down. At this point, I know if I don’t make a change I will just end up getting worse and worse. I’m going to have to work my ass off every day, and my new stomach pouch is only going to be a tool to help me get to where I need to be, not an easy way out, and everyone who thinks that is horribly wrong. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it. Peace & Love