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It's generally safe to eat raw fish, such as sashimi, 5.5 weeks after gastric sleeve surgery, as long as you are tolerating regular foods well and do not have any complications or sensitivities. However, it's always important to check with your surgeon or dietitian before consuming raw fish, as they may have specific recommendations for you. It's also important to note that while you may have been able to tolerate rare seared tuna over the weekend, it's important to listen to your body and stop eating if you experience any discomfort or difficulty swallowing. Also, it's important to keep in mind that it's recommended to eat small and frequent meals after bariatric surgery and avoid overeating, and raw fish like sashimi, tend to be low in calories, so it's important to not overdo it, also consume it with other nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables. Finally, it's also important to make sure that the fish you're consuming is properly handled, stored and cooked to avoid any foodborne illness.

I was able to receive partial insurance coverage for the panniculectomy portion of my tummy tuck. Essentially, my plastic surgeon's office submitted everything to my insurance company (documents, photos, notes from the surgeon, etc.) and it WAS denied the first time. He's awesome though and he actually did a peer-to-peer review for me; after that, Medical Mutual did cover the panniculectomy, and I paid the additional portion out of pocket for the conversion to a full tummy tuck. My experience (though it may be quite different from others' experience) was this: my plastic surgeon told me in our first consult that he rarely does just a panniculectomy for a bariatric patient. He explained that if there were just minimal apron skin to be removed, it might be sufficient. For my case though, he was very honest and said to me 'If I just do a panniculectomy for you, you are not going to be happy with the results.' He was right and I went with the full abdominoplasty.

Hi, I am a classical/opera singer and was asked to sing at a concert 8 days after my Gastric Bypass surgery but I am unsure if I will be able too since I used my abdominal muscles to sing and support my breadth (the Bel Canto technique for anyone who understands). I am assuming that because of the stitches it would be unwise to sing so soon after my surgery since. I was wondering if anyone here has any experience regarding this or can tell me what their post bariatric surgery instructions where regarding rest and healing. Thank you

another thing to consider is follow-up. At my clinic (and I'm sure most others), I had to go back after 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months for follow-up appts. And then we're encouraged to go yearly after that (I do, but i don't think most patients do after the first year). Since it would be impractical to fly to NY for all of those, you'd have to make sure your PCP was willing to do that. And of course they don't know as much about the surgeries as a bariatric surgeon would. complications can happen, but they're pretty uncommon. I'm guessing the person you know who had issues was one of a handful of patients out of the hundreds they've had. I'm sure NYU Langone has probably had some that haven't turned out well, either. With some cases, it may not have even been due to anything the surgeon did. You can always check the reviews on each of the surgeons and see what people said about him/her.

Gastric sleeve is such a common surgery these days that I don't think I'd make the trek to New York for it. If the place in Orlando has been doing weight loss surgeries for awhile and you've heard good things about it, I'd just do it there. I did travel for my plastic surgery because I wanted someone who was really top notch, but I don't think it makes as much difference with sleeve or bypass (maybe duodenal switch - or various revisions - but not straight sleeve or bypass) P.S. to answer your question - no, I haven't had experience with either one. But I've never heard of people traveling that far for sleeve (or bypass) surgeries - unless you're talking going to a place like Mexico to have it done for much less than most places charge in the US. P.P.S. I just googled reviews of the bariatric surgery unit at Advent Health. Those surgeons all have stellar reviews. And I'm not talking 10 reviews - there are over 100 reviews for each of them. I don't think you'd have to worry about going there...

I wasn't obese as a teen and hardly overweight either. so I personally would not have qualified or wanted to have surgery. I think the recovery would be hard on a teen and that bariatric surgery is not a good option for teens unless they are severely obese. Children should not be on diets either, in my opinion. I think a lot of my weight problems stem from going on a diet as a teen, even though I was not technically overweight. I developed an unhealthy relationship with food and started binge eating.

Here's my two cents: Obesity is a medical condition and bariatric surgery has proven to be the most successful long-term treatment option. I'm surprised that even among those of us that have had WLS, we sometimes still act like it was needed due to a lack of willpower or some sort of moral failure. We really have to get over that and acknowledge obesity as a disease state that sometimes requires surgical treatment. To me, it follows that many children also suffer from obesity and that it would be morally wrong to withhold effective treatments options. I wouldn't withhold cancer treatments from a child, so why would it be okay to withhold WLS from children if we know that it can effectively treat their disease state? Regarding all the comments about can a child understand the need or what's required long-term, that really feels like a red herring. Just like we all had to show that we were ready for surgery by jumping through various hoops like psych evals, nutrition visits, & documentation of past diet failures, I would expect the same to be true for children. Those children or parents that aren't ready would be disqualified, just like some people can't or won't complete all the requirements as adults.

Oh my goodness, four months sounds like a nightmare! BUT worth it in the long run. I'm going to trust the process and keep on with it and hopefully I can have similar results to yours. Also, while on topic, as a bariatric patient do you think that the depo has hindered any weight loss? I've read that the depo makes you gain weight.

Hi! I am so sorry you are going through this. I am really surprised that your barium swallow test did not show anything if you are having such bad reflux. All of this is so frustrating. You go through the first surgery thinking that everything will be just fine and then find out something else has to be done, and then you have to fight with insurances and Dr.'s just to help you. I am lucky, I have amazing Dr.'s who have fought, I just don't have an insurance who will help me. I did not even know that the sleeve could cause reflux to get worse until I had a surgery consult in 2021. My reflux was slowly increasing since I was sleeved in 2015 and finally in 2020/2021 I could not take it any longer. Every night acid would come out of my nose, despite having an adjustable bed and practically sleeping sitting up, not eating or drinking 2-3 hours before bed. I was doing everything. I had an upper endoscopy that showed a hiatal hernia and I was referred to a surgeon. To my luck the surgeon was the leading bariatric surgeon in my region. He said that since I had the sleeve he could not fix my hernia that the only fix was to convert to the Bypass. I had no idea that was even an option, and he explained to me what was going on. I was blown away. He then sent me for the barium swallow. The radiologist said that she had never seen anyone with as bad reflux as I had. I refluxed the barium standing up! She had never seen that before. It was very clear what was needed and I was immediately fast-tracked through the Bariatric program since it had been so long since I had been through a program, and my first program was in a different area and through different insurance. Then came the brick wall. My insurance denied the surgery. They stated that my reflux was a complication from the first surgery, even though I had reflux prior to the surgery. I appealed and sent medical documentation to show I had reflux prior to the surgery and they still denied. I did 3 levels of appeal, and my surgeon also did a pier to pier review with the medical director with the insurance and they denied again. And I finally found out the real reason. I have my insurance through my husbands insurance through his work, and his company specifically excluded bariatric procedures, so bottom line, no matter the reason why I am getting the surgery they will not cover it because it is still coded as a bariatric surgery. And I have to now pay cash for the surgery. But it is worth it if it fixes the problem and I don't have to deal with the reflux! However this is my experience with my insurance. I hope you don't have the same experience with your insurance. Are there any other surgeons in your area? You are always free to get a second opinion. It is sad but sometimes you have to push Dr.'s to listen to you, and you have to be your own advocate and not wait for them. Please don't be afraid to fight for yourself and your health!!! I would think that they would take into consideration the medication that you have to take, and the conditions that the reflux is already causing. Good Luck!!!

Update: The latest return label is back to BP Store! Thank you! 😀👍🏻 Unfortunately, the newer boxes being used (Netrition) have a larger Bariatric Pal printing…sigh…at least there are a couple other brands listed next to it. So it’s harder to assume. I would love a plain shipping option.

Unfortunately, my surgery has now become self pay. I have bcbs of Florida and they refuse to cover anything bariatric. Because my fistula is from the previous gastric bypass, they will not cover it. I have exhausted every option. Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

The first thing my doctor said was that my BMI was at 31 and that insurance would not approve me. Then she brought up another procedure called Lynx. Some kind of magnetic bead thing that would keep the opening of your stomach closed unless things passed through. I don’t want it. I had the lapband and it’s was the worst and I feel like anything they put in your body that can be removed, it’s not going to help me. My bariatric doctor thinks I have a small hiatal hernia. They took me into radiology and made me drink the dye, but everything looked normal. In a week they are going to look down my throat to see if there is in fact a hernia. I have new insurance this year, but it’s still the same company. If I don’t have a hernia, I’m going to push for the revision or any other options. I can’t keep taking anti acids multiple times a day on top of vitamins, medications, etc.

Do you have what's app group link. My bariatric pal app isn't working. My surgery is Jan 23rd I'm starting my two week liquid diet today.

I understand that you are feeling frustrated and regretful about your decision to have surgery. It's normal to have ups and downs after any major procedure, and it can be especially difficult to adjust to the changes in your body and lifestyle that come with bariatric surgery. It's important to remember that everyone's journey is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. It's also worth keeping in mind that while surgery can be a helpful tool for some people, it's not a magic solution and it requires a lot of hard work and commitment to make lasting changes. It's important to communicate your concerns and feelings with your healthcare team, as they can offer support and guidance as you navigate your recovery. It can also be helpful to seek out support from other people who have had bariatric surgery, as they may be able to offer insight and encouragement. Finally, try to be patient with yourself and remember that it takes time to adjust to the changes that come with surgery. It's okay to have difficult days, but try to focus on the progress you have made and the improvements in your health that you have experienced as a result of the surgery.

Thank you for your insight. I'm only on here off & on but hadn't seen anything on it either. Perhaps I'm a 'one off' kind of situation. Pasta is tough for me too- just a couple of bites of that. Although I can eat the pasta protein meals found in the Bariatric Pal store just fine. And they are pretty tasty too!

I worked with a woman that was allergic to meat. I’ve read of others since then, but they could eat fish, tofu, beans and rice. Non of them had bariatric surgery, and it was rare. I would sleuth around with an allergy specialist. The people involved needed huge amounts of oral steroids to function before their diagnosis was confirmed. They had record high inflammatory markers in their blood work. I wouldn’t guess with this one, get it properly documented for your future health. I would even wonder if you could be in the same room as meat, like severe peanut allergy folks can be? What if you were stuck on a plane with 20 people chewing chicken?

Buyer's remorse is normal. Being tired and dizzy and sluggish is normal. It took me a couple of months to start feeling like I was myself again. Like you, I was a low-BMI patient with other health factors that got me approved. Also, like you, I tried all the diets - and nothing stuck. Only 5% of people will keep their weight off, long term, just with diet and exercise alone. Bariatric surgery is BY FAR the best way to keep your weight off for life. Don't be fooled, we still have to diet and exercise, but the surgery helps us do that. Hang in there. This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone, but it WILL pass.

first, I used to live not far from there (Boone and Banner Elk, NC) - went to the Tri-Cities all the time! (that was about 40 years ago, though...). I still have a brother who lives in the NC mountains, though. secondly, not many bariatric surgeons do the DS - so I'd be surprised if there were any in the Tri-Cities area, but just googling it, I did find some surgeons in Knoxville who do it. I also saw a place in Asheville, NC and of course, Charlotte (NC), but Knoxville may be your closest bet. But someone on here from the area might know - if so, hopefully they'll see this.

I don't know how accurate this calculator is overall, but it was helpful for me to see a baseline trend of what could be expected in the first year on a month-to-month basis compared to people of the same demographics (age, gender, height, weight, ethnic group, and WLS type). That being said, my chart predicts an average weight loss of 12 lbs in the first month, and I lost 9.5 lbs in the first 5 days after surgery. I'm only on day 9 post-op now, but I am 5'3", my surgery weight was 221 lbs, and I was at a BMI of 39 on surgery day. https://riskcalculator.facs.org/bariatric/ Hope this helps! Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

So you're barely over a week out - it's major surgery and it does take some time to bounce back from the body-shock. Some have a rougher time than others post-op, which sounds like where you're at. It's definitely not an easy recovery regardless, and some people experience very real hormonal disruption that can really bring on some horrible emotional turmoil. Regret right after surgery is actually pretty common. And I know it's a broken record, but it's honestly true - it gets better. Hard to hear when you're in pain, feeling weak, and are trying to navigate a brand new and often overwhelming new life change, I know, but even folks who had a rough time like you will, months later, attest that it gets better and is worth it. If you could have lost the weight without surgery you would have. We all would have. Never having long-term success is what brought us all to taking the surgical help. Be kind to yourself and like SleeveDiva2022 suggested, a bariatric therapist might be a good idea.

When is your surgery? It's pretty common for people to have "food funerals". Leading up to my pre-surgery liver-shrinking diet I did a lot of baking and cooking as a "last hurrah". I'm talking making and eating entire batches of hokey pokey/honeycomb/sponge candy within a day or two, cakes, slabs of foccacia... By the time my liver-shrinking diet came around, I was super ready to just get on with it. I kind of needed to get the baking-and-eating out of my system. Sticking to the liver-shrinking diet like glue was important. However if you really are feeling out of control, I'd start seeing a bariatric therapist who can help.

I'm having a lower body lift, arm & breast lift with Dr. John LoMonaco in Houston. Although he's a 5-hour drive from our Texas home, I chose him because he specializes in bariatric weight loss patients. He has fantastic reviews on RealSelf and everywhere else I researched. I only found 1 negative review and I asked him about it. He definitely lived up to the hype during my in-person consultation. My husband was skeptical about me undergoing surgery until he met Dr. LoMonaco and my fella is very difficult to impress. Because we live part time in Kansas as well, my initial consultation was via pictures. I was gobsmacked when he answered my emails (generally in the late evenings) personally. Not an admin nor a form letter. Good luck on your search!!