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My surgery is May 12th. I’m on day 2 of my pre-op diet, I’m allowed to have 4 of my bariatric advantage shakes per day, clear liquids, and 2cups of veggies a day. Today I’m having muscle cramps from peeing so much! I’m getting really excited for my procedure. I’m 5’9 and weigh 300lbs.

WOW Tina, you sound as though you are recovering quickly...after seeing some other TT pictures I had almost made up my mind that one is NOT going to be done on my body (when I reach goal), but your pics and post renew that flicker of possibility.... You ARE an inspiration is SOOOO many ways!

Hi everyone, My name is Anna and have just started the process of getting banded. I have so many questions, many of which I have found answers to in this wonderful forum. The more I read the more questions I develope though. I would love to hear from Wendy in IL. I too, am looking at having Dr. Van Wagner do my surgery. I hope to hear from you soon. Questions: - Unitedhealthcare Ins (coverage if bariatric surg is non-contracted) - Regrets? - Complications? Etc., Additionally, I eat for so many reasons other than hunger. I have given up on dieting. I can't even develope the motivation to do it anymore. Looking better and fitting into a smaller size is desirable but I just want to be healthy now. I wonder how/if the band will give me a sensation of fullness to the point that I will not want to overeat anymore. I understand the machanics of it but how does the band motivate you to change a lifetime of bad behavior with food. Help,:help: Anna

Thanks for the recommendations on alternate doctors! Depending on how my appointment with Dr. Mailapur goes this week, I may follow up with you folks. Queenvaruk, I'm sorry if my criticism of the seminar caused offense. It was totally not my intention. I wanted to document my impressions of the seminar for other people who may be starting out, so they would know what to (or not to) expect. It was based on my doctor's and your recommendation that I decided to give Dr. Mailapur a try. I value your experience, and it has been encouraging to me. I have thought about it quite a bit over the last few days, and I think several factors contributed to my negative feelings about the seminar. 1) The doctor showed up over 20 minutes late. Not a good first impression. 2) The $200 fee was stressed over and over again, but was never explained as an industry standard. I think a better explanation yould have made it easier to swallow, and seem less pretentious. 3) The doctor blew my question off in front of a lot of other people, who were probably interested in the answer. It gave me the impression that he is not interested in the patient's opinion or input. 4) The information given in the seminar was mostly a sales pitch for bariatric surgery, and was nothing more than what I had already gathered from this site and others like it. I'm a firm believer in second chances, so I'm chalking the experience up to a bad day. I'm going into the consultation with a positive attitude (and my credit card!!).

I see Dr. Lara in El Paso at the Las Palmas & Del Sol Bariatric Center. His phone number is 877-335-7657. He didnt perform my surgery, but has been my doc for every fill since (2 yrs ago). I really like him. He is kind, but gets straight to the point. His nurse, Deborah and dietician, Blanca are terrific! Very supportive and full of information.

Mexican surgeons could ONLY get the old 4cc bands, probably of lower quality also, so those who go to Mexico are gambling with their health, more than those who get their bands in the US. Who knows, Mexican surgeons have probably RAN OUT of 4cc bands, since Allergan has halted product, and it could be that Mexican surgeons have now concocted some type of "vooddoo" procedure...aka non-adjustable band again.... Mexican surgeons CANNOT get the new AP bands, they are ONLY sold to surgeons in the USA. http://www.lapband.c...fording-lapband CONSIDERING HAVING LAP-BAND® SURGERY OUTSIDE THE U.S.? The LAP-BAND® AP System is the most technologically advanced gastric band in the world today; however it is not available in Mexico. For long-term success all bariatric procedures, including the LAP-BAND® System, require follow-up and support from a bariatric practice—something that a doctor in another country may not be able to provide. Regular care and follow-up with a qualified surgeon close to home is important for losing the most weight with your LAP-BAND® System. Contact a local LAP-BAND® System specialist, to learn more about your insurance coverage an

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

Tricare South doesn't list the doctors under bariatric surgeon or weightloss (event though it would be a big help). The bariatric surgeon are listed under 'general surgery' or sometimes 'vascular surgery'. The way I found my doctor is going some of the doctor names on the LapbandTalk website in my area and then searching for the specific doctor's name on the humana-military.com site. My doctor Dr. Craig A Ferrara, DO is in Fort Worth. The surgery went great and I'm definately pleased with my results. It was VERY quick in getting the entire process completed. I went in Late July 2008 for my initial consultation, office submitted the forms and was approved first part of August. I think it was a total of 8 days until I was approved. Didn't know if I was going to be...but Tricare approved it and the rest is 'weight loss' history. PM me if you have any additional questions!!

The lapband is a tool that will help you control your portions but it doesn't keep you from eating the wrong foods. You sound like you have a good track record of being able to lose weight. If you are willing to follow a few basic rules, the lapband can help you keep the weight off. Talk to a bariatric surgeon. Initial consultations are usually free. Good luck! Bob

Hi everyone, my name is Alicia. I am 37 years old and have about 230lbs to lose to meet my goal weight. I have 2 boys, 6 yr old and a 10 month old. I have been wanting a Bariatric surgery for a long time but insurance always denies it. The company I work for has decided to help me out with the financial part of it. I was told the best surgery form me would be the gastric bypass but that is COMPLETELY out of the question because of the cost. I am so afraid I will get the lapband and won't lose very much. I have diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, you name it. I hope I will hear back from people that will make me feel like this is still a good decision and not a waste of 14k.

I'm truly happy for all successful banders, but even though some of us have issues not caused by slippage or erosion, does not mean we have "behavioral" issues with our bands. We are all different and there is NO "one size fits all" bariatric procedure!

Technical question. My Anti-virus is not schedule to renew for about 4 more monthsand in the last few days I have gotten tons of pop-ups saying that it has found possible problems and in order to fix the I need to purchase the latest version. Well I'm not due to renew it yet and I will renew when the time comes. So my question is, How do I get the pop-ups to stop? I have run all my updates and everything is fine. I keep closing them when they come up but it's getting rediculous. Can anyone help me???? Thanks.

There are two Dr. Ortiz's that perform Bariatric surgery in Tijuana. There's Dr. Ariel Ortiz from OCC and there's Dr. Elias Ortiz at A Lighter me. Dr. Elias Ortiz at A Lighter me is the surgeon that had the patient death that this topic is referring to.

I know you had the sleeve but here is why we should not use Caffine. http://hallmarkhealth.org/bariatric-and-weight-management-program/blog/caffeine-bariatric-surgery/ After gastric bypass, you don’t absorb all of your nutrients. Caffeine may further decrease Calcium absorption, which in turn may lead to osteoporosis and increased risk for fractures. Therefore calcium should not be taken with caffeine. Caffeine may also decrease Iron absorption. Plan your caffeine and food intake carefully. (And remember; don’t take calcium supplement with dairy. You can only absorb a certain amount of calcium at once.) Caffeine may cause: • nausea/vomiting • GI distress • Dyspepsia • increase in gastric acid secretion, leading to gastroesophageal reflux and diarrhea Caffeine is not recommended with peptic ulcer, GERD, or irritable bowel. It may cause ulcers in some people. Caffeine belongs to a family of drugs that are heart and muscle stimulants, cerebral vasoconstrictors and diuretics. Caffeine may cause anorexia in high doses and may increase hunger in some people. Dehydration is commonly seen after gastric bypass surgeries. Obese patients require greater amounts of Fluid to maintain normal fluid balance. Caffeine causes increased urine output, which can increase the risk for dehydration, particularly during rapid weight loss. Caffeine should only be added when adequate hydration is achieved and there are no symptoms of nausea. Fluid needs vary depending on your weight and exercise expenditure. Fluid goal is approximately 64 oz. per day. So, if you have surgery to improve your health, why would you risk getting ulcers, osteoporosis or other complications?

Yes we do, I've looked into it and their memberships are way to expensive for us. I'd rather spend that amount once, not repetitively to renew.

I am at fort Gordon, have tricare prime and we have a surgeon that does sleeve and they(nutrition, psyc bariatric nurse, and surgeon) have more so favored the sleeve and have coaxed us in our group sessions to choose the sleeve. I can't remember how they described it, but basically being the new age wls. Anyways I went to PCM asked them to refer me due failed documented attempts at weight loss. They set me up for the "super Tuesday" 8 hour day of knocking appts and support group out. I've been on the journey with appts through nutrition classes and one psyc appt. Was just approved to go ahead and schedule my pre-op with the surgeon. Now if I could just get the bariatric nurse to return my phone call I'll be good to go. Lol Eisenhower also have surgeons on staff to do sleeve RNY and band.

I think you need to stop googling stuff. Seriously. I could go out there and put up all manner of scare tactics and inflated ridiculous stories about why this or that is super scary dangerous and you are going to regret doing X, Y or Z. But you know what? It's all crap unless you know the site is reputable. That site is a Blogspot. You do get that means it's some joe schmoe that has no accreditation or even paid for their site (it's a Blogger site - ANYONE can make an "official" looking site on there!) And you're throwing yourself into a panic because they found a nearly 10 year old study that has been discredited already and was lacking randomized trials and included all deaths of patients - including the ones that died from suicide, drug overdoses and other obesity related events that were set in motion before they had WLS. In other words, the study sited is flawed. And did you read the invited critique of that study the website sited? It says not only was the study not done to look at bariatric surgery in real randomized trials but found... "Collectively these data suggest that the operations are not dangerous and that it may be a greater hazard to not induce weight loss for morbidly obese patients with concomitant medical complications" http://archsurg.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=400686 Please call your doctor first thing Monday morning and ask for help. You need counseling STAT, and get in and see the doctor and tell them you are in a state of panic and need to get answers to help calm you down. It is going to be okay, really. You did something good for your health. It will work out in the end. But you have to stop focusing on bad things and panicking yourself. Stop looking on the web for stuff - you're only going to make yourself feel worse. Get real help from your doctor and from a therapist that you can speak with face to face. It will make a difference.

I used Dr Garcia and he and his staff were really great. Sent from my SM-G930T using the BariatricPal App That's Tijuana bariatrics Sent from my SM-G930T using the BariatricPal App

Today has been really good. I was up at 04:30. I decided to go for a walk. 3.5 miles! It was not planned for that far but well into it, I got thirsty and did not bring Water. The only thing opened in my little town was the mini-mart. The cooler door is exactly 1.75mi from my front door. So I guess it is a good course to train for 5k! I think I need to really need to get back to the basics. I guess I forget that I am a bariatric patient after time. WE do have special needs for our eating. I would love to hear if anyone else just flat out forget and start eating fast and big bites. I may start a thread on this topic. Eating today has been good. Let's hear from you peeps!

Hi all! Very new to Bariatric Pal. Surgery date 8/9! I'm worried that I'm not nervous! lol. I'm very excited, though!! Best of luck to all here!! XOXO

Another point to consider is if your insurance limits you to one bariatric surgery per lifetime. If that’s the case, you should consider RNY over VSG, cut once, as there are a number of people that are requiring revision surgery after VSG and you would hate to have to self-pay for a 2nd surgery. As well, weight loss is typically better with an original surgery than a revision surgery. Long term use of PPIs is also not recomneded as they cause risks for serious health issues/diseases.

I was 12/12 as well. At my 2 week dr appt I was down 16lbs and was a bit dissapointed - it then the dr pointed out that's more than a pound a day. Since then I have gotten on the scales once more and am down another 5 - but I don't entirely trust my scale, some days it's down and the next day it is up. So I decided to only weigh myself every Monday morning and not fixate. I'm following my post op diet for the most part. I am not going to say I have been perfect because that would be a lie- but I am tracking everything I eat and mostly sticking to my calorie goal of 1100 set by my dr. I was a little worried because I feel totally fine - I could eat anything and I feel fine ... I just can't eat a lot. So I have had to force myself and remind myself that I am on the Bariatric diet plan and stick to it as much as possible. I was beating myself up a lot, and then my friend pointed out that if I was eating 1100 calories any other time I would feel like I was doing a good job so I should be happy that I am sticking to that goal. I'm just impatient and want the weight to fall off - but it still takes time. They weren't kidding when they said the sleeve isn't a magic fix - now I understand, it's still up to me to make the right choices. Don't be depressed. Stick you your calorie goal and just push through it. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I totally agree, i think what you’re saying goes both ways... no one can say how prevalent it is or it isn’t... all we can do is state our experience like everyone else. I was just merely addressing the comment that if it’s common they’d here about it, not necessarily. I’m finding evidence all over the internet in scrientific studies in medical journals like JAMA that correspond to a more broader issue with these surgeries (including less than 10 years post op) and there is a lot of complications still present even with ‘modern’ advancements. im not saying it equates common, but it’s equating enough stir in medical communities like neurological journals that warrant studies that have been done. If it’s very uncommon and rare... these journals would not have enough data to publish in the medical journals I’m reading. I think it’s fair to say that if there’s enough complications to warrant different medical specialities (for ex. The neurology paper) to see enough repeated visits by post bariatric surgery patients to warrant investigations and studies than maybe it’s ok to breach the scary topic and ask more questions, seek more clarity and transparency for everyone’s sake. Medicine is a business. Even in a free healthcare state like Canada. And business is business. Like cobalt in hips and then that poisoning those eith these hip replacements, so the companies then coat the cobalt, yet it hasn’t solved all the issues even knowing there’s still issues. im not ok with not knowing everything I can previous to any surgery and because I fall within whatever numbers are declared as a minority percentage, not getting full disclosures, just because my life doesn’t matter as long as the majority is somewhat ok.... still not saying bariatric surgery is bad at all... I’m saying full disclosure is paramount, and it should not have to be sought after by the patient post surgery, it should be a streamlined process of knowledge snd medical care continuity. I find it interesting how people are really riled up at just the questions I put out there. Why does it cause so much intense feelings. Why are quite a few respondents so quickly defending a surgery when I’m not attacking individual choice but just stating my experience and seeking my own health solutions. are people scared? I’m not judging at all... I’m being curious yet people seem very defensive and fearful of my struggles.... instead of being curious, most people who have responded are defending something I’m not accusing but I am definately curious as I said about a possible relationship between my complex medical issues that did not exist prior to bariatric surgery and are now mounting. just a mom, a post bariatric surgery patient, seeking with curiosity any possible connections here, as I’ve sought in other areas, reasons that could explain this... it’s interesting that this forum seems to be the only one very upset with my curiosity about others who possibly might have had or are having similar complex medical issues. im just a mom seeking solutions to a complex medical mess to I can live my life well and live a long healthy life with my kids. I am not attacking bariatric surgery as it seems others having feelings that I am... I’m simply seeking others who may be able to shed some light on my own individual personal experience with complex health issues post surgery, that’s all.... just seeking answers so I can get better in every place I can think of, there’s no one else to help me do it... so here I am... but seems as though everyone doesn’t even want me to ask such questions... it creates too much fear... I get that... I’m afraid too... I’m in the middle of this.... alone and trying to put a complex puzzle together. I’m not attacking or saying it’s wrong yet people are responding as if that’s what I’m saying or insinuating. I’m here because all of my issues are post bariatric surgery snd I’m just asking a simple question; are there others on this forum experiencing complications like me, do they think or have they found out that it’s from their surgery or it’s complications or that is caused by something else, and how was it resolved, how did they become healthy again... maybe no one knows, maybe the question then becomes to others; why is my curiosity so threatening to even ask these questions here? Why is my curiosity not met with curiosity but with obvious fear in the act of defending a medical practice that I haven’t accused as the cause... just being curious if it might be.

So glad you are doing so well! I know this post feels like a downer to most yet I think it’s a vital discussion so that all info is on the table to make a truly informed decision. I’m not saying all my conditions are caused by my bypass, but I’m saying all these seemingly unrelated type of complexities especially when following all regiment guidelines is a very vital discussion to have for those considering surgery and those who have had it. Information is power. I hope this thread balances information to provide a very clear picture of all incredible benefits and very scary possible or likely consequences even while following guidelines. It’s vital for informed consent knowing ahead of time. I know it would not have changed my decision (like you) to have the hope of my life back, yet if I had this info I would have been pushing much harder for bariatric specialists to be involved. Our governance g need to provide this coverage for a specialist (as they would any specialists for complicated surgery patients in Ontario!). This surgery radically changes everything for good and sometimes has complex complications only a bariatric dr. Would be privy to connecting some of the possible and connected health effects that lead all the way back to surgery snd weeding out causes that have zero to do with the surgery. I believe that access and info is vital for self empowerment and advocacy.

I had VSG on 8/27/20. My sister is a PACU nurse and warned me not to get the bypass or similar surgery because she has seen too many bariatric patients lose the weight but develop severe medical related to malabsorption that the bypass produces. She even told me that having the bypass shortens ones lifespan by 7-10 years! I have NO clue where she got this information but she scared me into having the sleeve rather than the bypass. So far I am doing great with the sleeve but again, I’m only 6 months out.