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Hi! I'm a Bariatric Dietitian and I can answer this question for you. With shakes the protein is already pulverized, and your stomach has still had a large protion removed, only allowing 20 grams of protein to be absorbed per meal. If it's a high quality protein food like meat, cheese, milk, etc. You will absorb 90% of that product. If it's a low quality protein like 1-5gm per serving. The stomach will absorb less. Hope this makes sense! Shoot for 20 grams of quality protein per meal or shake and you'll do just fine!

So, yesterday was my last appointment with the surgeon before surgery (see previous blog). I basically met with the surgeon, he had me sign some papers, explained a few things, told me I did NOT need an endoscopy (yay!), and took me off to see the insurance coordinator. That's when I had my little scare. First she tells me that I will will have to go in for pre op 3 to 4 days before surgery, and that they will call me the Friday before to tell me what time I have to be at the hospital for surgery. THEN she tells me that I have to front 20% of the surgeons fee before the surgery. I'm thinking 1,000's of dollars and I start to freak out on the inside. I just stared at her until I finally stuttered that I didn't think I could come up with 1,000's of dollars in two weeks. She then told me it was only going to be around 250. Thank God!! I almost hyperventilated and felt soooo much relief when she told me that. Not that I enjoy paying 250 either, but it's certainly better than what I thought and better than what a lot of other people have to pay. Other than that, everything seems to be going smoothly. She said that once I'm finished with my last Nutrition class (on the 9th) that she will send everything to the insurance. She said she may also call them ahead of time just to make sure everything is on track. Hopefully THAT goes well. I asked her before if she thought I'd get approved and she said she was almost positive I would. However, still fearful after reading the stories on here. I'm praying hard that the last 6 months don't end up being a waste of time and money!! After speaking with her, I stopped in to see the nutritionist as I wasn't sure which protein shakes I could have. I have a choice between four: Bariatric Advantage, Bariatric Fusion, Unjury or GNC 100% Whey. I need to have 6 servings a day for 9 days. As of right now (unless suggested otherwise) I think I'm going to go with GNC. It seems to be the cheapest out of the 4, plus more convenient as there is a store right down the street and I won't have to pay for shipping. Even as the cheapest it's going to cost almost 60 bucks because I need the 5lb jug to get me through the pre op. I also made my appointment with my primary care doctor for Monday to receive his approval. The insurance coordinator made me feel a little better because she said that they have faxed over all my stuff to him, so I know he knows I'm getting this surgery. It shouldn't be a problem receiving the approval thank goodness. p.s. While waiting the surgeon, the nurse who took my blood pressure was telling me that she saw a segment about the Sleeve on Goodmorning America that morning! She said it was all positive things. She also said that I was lucky because I'm young, that my skin should bounce back to shape while losing the weight. I know however, that it also depends on genetics, but a girl can hope!! Haha. She also stated that she was going to call in all the medicines I will need to my pharmacy so I won't have to wait for them, just go pick them up. Very nice lady and I'm loving my experience at the center I'm going to! Seriously excited! Only 16 days away!!

Hi all, my name is Janet and i am a band-failure. :-( i got banded in 2008, lost about 30 pounds total and then started regaining. I've had four fills but have never felt really restricted. I have yoyo-ed up and down the same 10 to 15 pounds for the last few years and have been at my heaviest weight ever for a while. i have an appointment for a consult set for 10/3 at the same place i was banded...they now have a new medical director and some new aftercare stuff going. they're a center of excellence in bariatric surgery so i'm not worried much about that aspect. what I AM worried about is that i'm going to be told NO. if you failed with the band why should we revise to a sleeve etc etc?? I am soooooo sick of feeling like crap. I am nearly 200 lbs overweight. my legs hurt. i don't want to do anything or go anywhere that isn't my job. i am ashamed of the way i look. i am so self concious. any tips for my consult? i just want to get this done, start losing and start living.

My bariatric doctor told me during my initial consultation that 90% of his patients lose 95 pounds during the first year with gastric bypass. He had never had a sleeve or lap band patient, so that was the only statistic he had on his past patients. To me, 95 pounds in one year would have been amazing. When I switched to VSG, it seemed like 95 pounds in one year would be almost impossible to reach. I was more than ecstatic when I lost 95 pounds five months after surgery. When I lost 140 pounds at 7 months post op, I hit goal. I would love to keep this weight off forever and I know it might be quite a struggle to do so. I've read that most post op patients gain about 10%-20% of their weight back after two years. That would be about a 15 pound gain for me, so I'm trying to decide if I should lose 15 more pounds now.

Congrats on doing your pre-op weight loss goal! After entering the bariatric program where I was it took me 7 months to get into the mind set of 'wanting' to really drop the initial weight. Wishing you a speedy recovery from surgery, and of course, much success!

You should just move on from the whole Insurance issue and seek out financing that is specific to plastic surgery. Start looking at options that are offered on this site like bariatric pal mx. It seems like so many people have had WLS and the plastics done in Mexico that it is just as viable an option as getting it done here in the U.S. at a much lower price. Good luck!

I had to take the iron twice a day and the coromaga at night. While taking the bariatric advantage chewable multi. I also take a b12 shot monthly but that it.

I have mercy insurance and it covers bariatric surgeries but only from Mercy doctors. Dr Elizabeth Ann Hooper is the only surgeon I found that does bariatric procedures but I cannot find any reviews on her. I know all the facts on her (when she graduated, where she did her residency) but no personal reviews. Any help?

My doctor was Dr. Frank Veninga.Thanks to this staff and their thorough paperwork and questions, I was approved on my first attempt. I can't say enough good things about them. North Texas Bariatric & General Surgery 4333 N. Josey Lane Plaza II - Suite 207 Carrollton, Texas 75010 PH 972.939.8218 FX 972.395.1789 website http://www.bariatricsurgerydallas.com/index.html

I am in the researching stage. Has anyone used Dr. Pasten? I am also looking at Mexicali Bariatrics but they are more expensive. Thanks

I am six weeks post op and have been living on this stuff. Sugar free, 15 grams of protein, and you mix it with water so you get your water in. Tastes exactly like real hot chocolate and comes in a bunch of different flavors like marshmellow, chocolate raspberry, and cinnamon which are my favs.

I used Opti-fast when I got the lap band and I bought it online. Are you from So. Cal? I wonder if we have the same doctor? Dr. Paya? I remember Opti-fast being available through him...Anyway, this time I bought my own whey protein and made my own shakes. I buy most of my vitamins at walmart or the vitamin shoppe but I do get my calcium citrate chews from bariatric advantage because I haven't been able to find the chewy ones (chocolate, caramel, etc.) in citrate form anywhere else.

Omg these taste so good but now I am worried. I am trying to get all my vitamins, etc ready before surgery and ordered a three month supply. The problem is these taste like candy and I am already craving them. I'm scared they will turn into a trigger food. Has anyone else had this problem?

For my pre-op diet I am required to drink Bariatric fusion Meal Replacement shakes (I am not thrilled when they specify a kind but whatever). Anyway - what's your favorite flavor(s)? I have to drink 5 shakes a day (that's basically all I can have for 2 weeks) so I'll get a few different flavors to mix it up a bit. I was thinking Cappuccino as one. Thanks in advance.

This is the only protein your coffee will ever need. Available exclusively through BariatricPal! With 4g protein and 2g carbs, ProteinFirst is the first coffee creamer for weight loss and bariatric patients that disperses completely and tastes delicious. You may have given up your favorite morning cup or dealt with a nightmare of lumps, clumps and tasteless messes. Until now. ProteinFirst has been painstakingly formulated to disperse completely in about 15 seconds, using only a spoon. The result? A creamy cup of coffee you will enjoy—filled with great-tasting, guilt-free protein. It's a cup you can feel good about, too, because there's no added sugar or excess carbs, fat and calories. Order now to enhance your line of weight loss and weight control products with this extraordinary, protein-fortified coffee creamer. As the only protein creamer that instantly dissolves with just a spoon, ProteinFirst is specially formulated so it won't clump, lump or stick when stirred into hot beverages like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. And it delivers a rich, creamy vanilla taste with every cup. With just 4g of protein, 0g sugar, 2g carbs and only 25 calories, now you can enjoy your coffee and protein every single morning. Order this one-of-a-kind creamer today and get your morning started right with ProteinFirst. 31 X Servings per ProteinFirst Protein Coffee Creamer bag.

Bariatric FUSION is missing two important vitamins. Folate and Vit K. Amazon has Folate 800 IU which is amount recommended. But cannot buy Vitamin K by itself. They are all D3 with K2. None of the Bariatric brands CHEWABLE vitamins (for first 3 months) are complete with all recommended at proper dosages. WTF. Sent from my SM-T580 using BariatricPal mobile app

To me, it'd be worth paying out $300 to another surgeon in the hope that I'd end up in a bariatric clinic that doesn't resemble a cattle yard. I guess I'd favor a clinic with more than one surgeon, in case the one I interview doesn't click with me.

I had my sleeve in PV with Dr. Lopez on November 16. He was great. His assistant, Karen was very friendly and helpful The hospital is top-notch. I used Mexico Bariatric Center. Ron was GREAT!! I was lucky enough to meet him as he and his beautiful wife were in PV at the time of my surgery The hotel was beautiful. We paid to stay a few extra days to be tourists. Hubby went fishing. We will go back. Great experience! Highly recommend Ron at Mexico Bariatric Center and Dr. Lopez !!!

My bariatric surgeon was convinced that my band had slipped, so much so that last week he ordered, and I completed a repeat of the upper GI study I completed in June in a different state with a different surgeon (I have moved since my band was placed). The results showed a perfectly placed band...again. But I appreciated his wanting to be through with his medical opinion. My symptoms are only present at night after I am asleep, and otherwise I am able to eat without any adverse events. My surgeon discussed with me that even with slipped band, some patients are able to eat normally with few complications. With the symptoms I presented with he told me he would be surprised if my band had not slipped. I feel fortunate that it was still in place, otherwise he would have removed it. It will be best to discuss your concerns with your surgeon. I am not a physician, and only am able to share my own experiences!

You need to see your bariatric surgeon immediately- not an ER doc or family doctor. Only a bariatric surgeon is trained to identify problems with your band. And yes, you can have a slip or erosion without vomiting.

Please don't take what I say as bible truth, but I review surgeries for a major insurer (not Humana). For my company, if there any policy changes, they would go into effect from the day the new policy was published. Up until that day, the old policy will apply. The issue of a request being submitted shortly before a change in policy is something we have never explicitly been told how to handle. In the end, it may be up to the insurer. I'd say, if you have all criteria met now for the current policy, then submit now. An approval cannot be "taken back" once it's been issued. My company issues approvals that are good for one year for the line of business I handle. Some lines of business have 6 month approvals. And of course, it may be different for other companies. In any case, My suggestion is if you meet criteria and are denied for the basis that you don't meet criteria for the future policy, then appeal that decision. It is almost always worth it to appeal a denial since I see so many denial decisions overturned. The only hard stop I know of is if a group does not cover bariatric surgery. Other than that, it's always worth pursuing. Hope this helps.

Thank you Diana, If I was not an employee of UHC I would be covered, they do not cover as an employee currently, they stated last year that they were in the works with adding it, they said it may be added this year but its just a waiting game. And yes changing jobs would actually help because a lot of companies in CT offer it - I am a coder so I have lots of options- it is just the fact my company is based in TN I am a remote coder so TN isn't currently a mandated state for offering bariatric surgery, Neither is CT but majority of the companies that I have considered do offer it. I just have to weigh out the fact of being remote for 5 years to going back into an office setting.

i hope not, surgery with Usculpt in about a week. they have rave reviews. suggest you consult there if you haven't already, they specialize in bariatric patients.

I had my surgery done through Dr. Wilfred Aguilia, and he is amazing!! First of he owns his own practice called Surgical Bariatric Centers. He does his surgeries through Memorial Hospital in Tampa, Fl. I cannot say enought good things about Dr. Aguilia. I am self pay and there is no way I could have afforded the surgery if it were not for him. He charges 15,200 for the surgery and that includes fills for the first year, 3 personel training sessions, a dietician, and psychologist. He is very knowledgable and banding and has a no nonsense approach. His staff treats you like family and hugs you everytime you come in. I would highly recommend him! If anyone wants to know more just message me!

I am working on an upcoming article about the psychology of obesity, for a popular magazine. If you are interested in being quoted, please private message me. Specifically, I am interested in: the psychological impact of being obese (personally, professionally, socially) the psychological impact of losing weight (the good, and the bad - has the weight loss improved things psychologically or has it actually made some things worse?) the psychological impact of having bariatric surgery (have people accused you of "taking a shortcut"?) I am looking to incorporate several "stories" into this article. Please send any information to me within the next week. I will contact anyone whose information will be used. If you want to send pictures too, please do. I appreciate the help - I know there will be some great stories from everyone here.