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Thank you for this!! That’s what I was hoping. I’ve been happy so far too with everyone I’ve had contact with at Blossom and everyone there has been very kind. I did not experience that at the Bariatric center here in MN. 😊 good luck to you!! Keep me posted!!

I am a claims RN who works for Anthem. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up about a couple of things: Anthem does not determine whether or not they will pay for the surgery. It depends on whether or not your employer or your spouses employer purchased the weight loss surgery rider. Although you are correct in that there iare general medical necessity guidelines that Anthem follows concerning bariatric surgery ,first your policy must have the rider. If you or your spouses company did not purchase the rider, then you will receive a contractual denial since it's not a benefit that you have :ranger: Talyn

Being vain?? No... sounds like your main motivation is improving your health!! We've all had those doubts, reservations and fears, but after one year, I still firmly believe I did the right thing for me. I feel better than I have in years, the weight is coming off and I'm physically in a much better place. My primary care doc has eliminated one of my cholesterol meds and cut the strength of one of my BP pills in half! Hey!! FIFTY POUNDS is a lot. You just have to keep plugging along! You'll get it off. I'm not sure if you need a fill though if starches get stuck. Do you know where you are at calorie intake? Pool exercise is great. Sounds like you're doing everything right. May have to adjust your calorie intake. I just did that five day pouch test and it gave me a boost psychologically and seemed like it gave me a renewed committment and fresh insight in to my hunger level, my calorie intake, etc. You might consider doing that. You can google it to read more. I second that!! Bravo!!

Denise--While you are on the board I have a question for you. I read one of your post on another thread in which you described some type of medical test you took that measured your resting metabolic rate?? I mentioned it to my bariatric nurse because I want to do it. She said she never heard of anything like that. What is the specific name for the test? It sounds like you were saying that if you know what your resting rate is then you will know how many calories, carbs, proteins, fats to eat? I really like the thought of having concrete proof of my nutrition needs. It sounds like it could take some of the guess work out of what I’m trying to do. Speaking of testing, I’m scheduled to do the precision body fat analysis this Tues AM. I decided to get it done for 2 reasons. First, there is a 30lbs weight range for my height. I’m actually a rather muscular person so I just don’t know how accurate the BMI chart would be for me. I’d like to know exactly what percent of fat I have so I can get a better sense of what my goal should be. The other reason is that I think it would be helpful during times of weight loss stalls to actually be able to see proof that my body fat is really decreasing. I know we can use a tape measure but I just feel that it would be more encouraging for me if I could really see the medical proof in fat content. And – then IF the fat content is NOT going down then I really will have hard proof that I need to do something different.

HI, I used Dr. Alexandro Cardenas in Monterrey. You can get in contact with him through Ready4Achange.com. I had a full face and neck lift with tweaks on my lips and ears. I had brachioplasty also. I paid around 7000 or so for all of it, it was a bit more but I can't remember exactly how much. I do know that his office staff will negotiate prices with you and he told me himself that the ears can be done as a part of the facelift without extra charge but the office staff charged me extra. We had a discussion about that and he ended up giving me a price break on the fat in my lips and face. So make sure you negotiate what ever before you go down there then if their are additional proceedures you want you will be sitting on your lowest price for the main work and negotiate the add ons. They take very good care of you. They have a driver that will get you back and forth to apts. but i think that he charges extra when he can. The nursing staff there is very welll trained. I met one who spoke perfect english as does the office manager. Dr Cardenas speaks excellent english and Dr Lozano who is the anesthesiologist went to high school in Houston and speaks perfect english with a southern accent to boot. The required stay for face lift is 10 days post. I stayed in the clinic one night and the hotel the rest. I hired a sitter through them named Angela who will act as your driver if you hire her. She is also a great nurse and tour guide. She charges $100 for 24 hours and $50 for a 12 hour shift. She does not speak much english but understands it quiet well. She is working on speaking it. She does not have a degree in nursing but gives excellent care for plastic surgery. I cannot say enough good things about Angela, she is skilled, smart and funny. So we had a lot in common. I have included her pics and the staffs pics in my plastic surgery album. You will want her services for the first couple of days unless you have someone who is a nurse accompany you. Just caring family is not sufficient support for a couple of days after plastic surgery. If you know anyone who needs banding the have a wonderful bariatric surgeon in Monterrey, Dr. Miguel Zapata. He did my rebanding. That was why I was in Mexico and had plastics there rather than in states. Although plastics are cheaper there, the cost of transportation, room and board and meals have to be factored in. I guess it just depends entirely on how it all stacks up in comparison to what you would pay in the states. I am not 100% satisfied with the work on my forehead. He was a bit conservative there and I am not crazy about the results, but he explained why he did it and we are talking about the possibility of him doing some revision next summer, but it is too early to say for sure that I will need it. Overall I love the outcome. I don't know that I would have liked the results if he had done a more drastic proceedure on my forhead. The difference in where I was and where I am now overall is amazing! I would defianately go back if I had it to do over again. Feel free to pm me if you want more specific information. If you contact ready for a change , tell Judy I reffered you. Good luck, Corliss

I buy my Protein Powder from Bariatric Advantage online. I also buy their lap band chewable vitamins(lemon flavor). They have sample paks you can buy.

Excuse my ignorance....but what is NSV.....a victory....awsome on the pant size. By the way, I buy lemon flavored vitamins from Bariatric Advantage....they are good. I just ordered mint flavored chewable calcium from them. YOu can set it up to have them sent every 90 days and the shipping is free. I want to go on an Alaskan cruise, but first I have booked a cruise of the Hawaiian Islands in April. I have a goal of losing 75lbs before the cruise. I am going to do it!:mad2:

I have United Health Care too, unfortunately it is a plan that had an exclusion on any bariatric surgery. So had to self pay. So it's not necessarily the insurance company, but the coverage your company allows the insurance company to cover. (the employer excluded it in my case).

Gall Bladders, who needs 'em anyway? I just got home from my surgeon's and I am going to get the surgery to have it removed. He recommended it due to my symptoms and my abnormal ultrasound. He said he used to do several gall bladders a day before he concentrated soley on bariatric procedures but still does several a month on his bariatric patients, so I feel in good hands. Wednesdays are the day that he sees all the prospective bariatric patients so the office is swamp. The gal that schedules the surgeries was so busy she said she'd call me in the next few days and get it scheduled. It will probably be in the next week or two. fun fun!! On a positve note, I lost 7 lbs since my last fill 16 days ago!!! And I got a .5cc fill today. I felt I just needed a 'tweaking' I can eat more than I was but still have some restriction. We'll see how this goes.

Hey guys!!! I'm new here, honesty had no idea that Bariatric Pal had a Forum haha. I am 6 weeks post-op, RNY on 6/27/02022. I am down 33lbs since the surgery date and am in an awful stall!! is anyone else going through a stall?

I had RNY on 6/8 with type IV hernia repair and gall bladder removal. I was 223 the day of surgery. I’m thrilled to be at 183 today. I’m started to feel less tired and lethargic just this past week although, the first 2 weeks post op I was full of energy. I started my Vitamins, I’m doing the Water thing just fine, and I’m getting my protein using https://protgold.com/ I used it a few years ago after surgery and it is a miracle worker for me. I have absolutely learned that I do not metabolize artificial sweeteners. When I eliminated them, my stall ended. I also stopped the Premier shakes and began using the pro-t to meet my Protein requirements. I mix it in my water and I’m killing two birds with one stone. I’ve been craving cucumbers and I am enjoying them with hummus. No salad yet for me. I still don’t have any appetite, but my head craves  things…that just takes discipline on my part. I love Soup and the Bariatric Advantage chicken Soup is something I really enjoy.

@yvonne47 how do you find the bariatric store? Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

2 months post op. Down 81 pounds. I tried the insurance route 3 times and all 3 times the ins.co would pull the no bariatric rider at the last minute. I paid out of pocket for mine, $13k. I gave them a check on 10/01 and was on the table 10/15. Dr required 2 visits. One was a “physical” more or less and the other was a sales pitch, the next day he was playing with my innards. 10/15 the day of surgery i was 381, 12/15 I’m 300. do what your dr says and the procedure will work. Water is critical, lots of protein, as few carbs as possible. I try to stay under 1000 calories and 20 carbs a day, and I’m usually able to do that the key is reading labels. Meat has few/no carbs- cook it simply and it’s perfect. Sauces and seasonings are the devil. I use a lot of garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary. And I grill everything beef, bird, fish... everything Dont graze eat. Figure out what you can “hold” and then only put 75% on your plate. i guess I got lucky- I have had ZERO complications post op. No bleeding, no dumping, no major pain, nothing. I went back to work after a week off... I was bored silly sitting at home that week I live and die by my 30oz yeti. I drink 3 cups plus a day. One before lunch, one before dinner, one before bed. Sometime I shoot some MIO or lemon in it. Somedays I have unsweet tea. I’ve been able to keep the soda and alcohol monsters away, but somedays I’d kill for a ginger ale Pouches of tuna and salmon and chicken are easy to carry in the car or work bag. A little thing I do is when I’m on dinner duty, I hit the free sample display at the deli. One cube of meat, one of cheese and I’m half full, keeps me from over indulging with actual dinner for a sweet treat, sugar free popcicles are just sweet enough to do the trick. Atkins has some good low carb/high protein bars. One thing I learned is the more you pay, the better they are. Exercise is difficult for me due to the nature of my work- I’m on a seagoing tugboat 9 months a year. So the whole boat is my gym- everything is 100 pounds or more, it’s difficult to get the cardio in though- you can walk only so many laps around my 150’ steel island.

I’m not even sure but to be honest I tried it because I mashed up the multi vitamins are hard for me to do alone and I mixed it but the day of discharge the bariatric nutritionist told me it was ok to try after about 3 days I did it about day 5

Hi! I'm in Chicago, too. You can find the better then boullion at any grocery store. I got mine at Jewels, near the regular boullion. It came in a jar. Also, I bought Centrum Adult chewables at Walgreens (I believe someone else mentioned them). There pretty good, big, but good. I did turn around and buy from "bariatric advantage" their chewable multi-vitamin and a separate iron pill. My nutritionist suggested them, because they are specifically designed for the bariatric patient. They also have available on their home site the "Nectar" protein supplements that BabyGotBack has described. So far, I've only tried the Fuzzy Navel, which was pretty good - I probably diluted mine more then Audree did, and the Lemon Iced Tea. It's not that bad either.

I'm learning from this board that everyone is told something different from their practitioners. According to my surgeon/hospital, you'd follow the liquid diet week 1, the pureed diet week 2-5, and the soft food diet weeks 6-9. You can find them all here: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/highland/bariatric-surgery-center/life-after-surgery/bariatric-diets.aspx

PSA!! Do yourself a favor and buy the Bariatric Advantage vitamin chews and calcium chews. Life changing vitamin experience. They are almost a starburst. I was struggling with everything about my current vitamins. Make sure you can have them at what stage you are on food wise. You can order through their website. Today I had my 6 week post op appointment and was cleared for all foods except beef and raw veggies!! A good day!

I'm going to an information seminar next week at a Center that does Bariatric Surgeries. You are required to go to one of the seminar's to get the process started.. For those that have gone to similar, what should I expect?

Agreed. Okay, so I will say that I’m more of a “tough love” kind of person and can be blunt sometimes. Part of that is decades as a healthcare practitioner (do NOT try to lie to me and tell me that the dog ate your Xanax and you need it filled early) and part of it is that I carry around a lot of mother/daughter issues with my mom. In short, she’s one of the biggest enablers on the planet and then tells lies/omits truth about it. Trying to confront her about it is like trying to punch a marshmallow, so how I compensate is to be brutally honest to the point of being (seemingly) outright rude at times. I used to feel bad about it, but as I get older, I’m more of a “take me or leave me” kind of person. I need to find a good support group— so far I can only find ones online. Both bariatric centers near me have crap format and hours. Meh. Anyway, just discovered this thread. Yay! I’ll probably lurk here more than post bc I don’t log food as often or as thoroughly as I should but I love seeing the menus

We're working on adding capabilities to our site and app which are similar to MFP. It's designed with Gastric Sleeve and other Bariatric members in mind. Do you have any suggestions on features you're unhappy with or would like to see changed or added within MFP ?

First I hit the lucky 7's this morning, down 77!!! YAHOO!! I just got back from a very full and fulfilling day. This morning was the monthly bariatric surgery seminar my surgeon/hospital put on. About 200 folks come and I was part of the panel at the end. I had to say which surgery I had, when, how much I lost, the best and the worst part of the surgery and then stay and answer folks questions afterwards. I enjoyed that so much as it was just 6 short mos ago that I was in the seminar contemplating this surgery and here I am on the other side. After that and lunch, I then went to the hospital to go through volunteer training to volunteer in the bariatric program in the hospital. Once my t/b test, background check are back I get badged and can help out. I'm looking very forward to it. At the end, my dr. thanked me and told me how great I am doing with the band and that I am way ahead of the curve in my success. I said that meant a lot coming from him. I capped off my day with a slice of pizza, it had a crisp crust. I thought I'd be okay. It seemed to be going down okay when suddenly I got the worst most painful hiccups and then PB'd all the pizza. I will not do that again!!! I had heard how bread products got stuck easily but thought the crisp crust would be okay. If I ever do pizza again, it will be the toppings only NO CRUST!

Good afternoon. I had a disappointing shopping trip this afternoon. After being able to buy a few things in XL in regular misses depts lately I thought I'd shop those. Dillards was having a huge clearance sale so tried on a couple XL's and they were too small, so I came home with a purse. :thumbup: I didn't want to go to the Womens dept because they are going to be too big soon, so I hope! Had a very interesting evening last night, went to my hospital/surgeon's 3 mos post op class. I got a whole new binder of info from this point on, my last one dealt mostly with preop diets, hospital stuff etc for surgery. This got into the nitty gritty of nutrients, vitamins, supplements, etc. I need to up my protein I am too low on that, and eat more often, I eat 3 or 4 times a day they want us to eat 5 to 6 times. Also they are starting so many new groups that sound fascinating, some bariatric personal training, some nutritionist classes and some psychologists classes, there's a small fee for some and many are free. The after care is one of the reasons I picked my surgeon and I am so glad I did.

The new habits are very doable, just choose one and start working on it now. I got a bunch of baby spoons off of Ebay and started eating my yogurt with it every day. One day I picked up a regular teaspoon, and it felt weird!! All this long before my surgery. Then pick another skill, like tiny bites and paying attention to how much you chew. I see no point in waiting until the band is in, and doing total immersion when you can get your feet wet gradually. As for the port, it depends on the surgeon. There are two bariatric surgeons in the practice that banded me. One puts it on the right, The surgeon I drew places it front and center several inches below the breastbone. I was careful to ask about this because the one place I didn't want it to be was on the left. Lying on my right side hurts my hip, so I wanted to have my left side available for sleeping on. Hope this helps! Orea

I was told my insurance company had up to 30 days to respond once the bariatric surgery group approved and sent it in. I heard back within a week. But it took another month to before my surgery date because of busy schedule. At the time it seemed like forever. Now, I can't believe it's been almost 3 months!

Pangea, Be sure to ask the bariatric facility you have been working with if they are a Center of Excellence - in order to have Medicare coverage, they have to have that designation. If they are not a COE, Medicare website has a page that helps you find a COE in your area. I'm probably telling you something you already know - apologize if that is the case - but it's easy to spend a lot of time talking to people at facilities that aren't covered. One of the facilities I spent some time with is a COE, but they are newly accredited, and have not yet received a billing number from MC. I would love to go there - very impressed with them - but my first contact with them was in early March and they still have not received their final okay. I'm not waiting when there are other options in the area. Good luck in your search!