Search the Community

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!!

Something isn't adding up here. If she's getting in 109g protein, that's 436 calories right there. If she's only taking in 662 calories, then her protein would be about 65% of that. Maybe some misinterpretation of what MFP is reading? I can see that they might "recommend" 35% protein for her low calories - a typical normal diet might be 15-20%, and a bariatric weight loss diet might well be 50-60% (or more, at the beginning when we are eating little else other than protein.) 60-80g would be a typical recommendation for a woman with a sleeve, as there is no significant malabsorption involved, though some go higher than that as a means of avoiding "carbs", or under the false assumption that the extra will help avoid loss of muscle mass (it will to the point that one is actually working to build muscle mass, but the only thing the excess does, other than make expensive urine, is to avoid deficiency, but one doesn't need much extra to avoid that - the typical bariatric recommendations will cover it.) It does sound like a bariatric RD would be a good person to consult, and if she is truly only getting 6-700 calories and still struggling, then there may be some other metabolic issue going on, and some other appropriate specialist may be in order. But a good RD would be a great start in getting a good baseline of what is really happening dietwise. Starting at 400 lb, a sleeve is often somewhat marginal for getting to normal, particularly for a woman of that size (how tall is she - that's a factor as well in determining an appropriate goal and understanding metabolic issues.) You say that she recently moved cross country - where is she now - that can be a help in finding new specialists. It might be that the VSG is indeed marginal for her needs, and she really needs something stronger. A DS is a straightforward conversion from the VSG (as it uses the sleeve as its basis) and is typically the strongest metabolic tool of the mainstream procedures, so that is also a longer term consideration.

I know. I've been making changes since my first appointment. They say I don't need specific bariatric vitamins. Right now it's cheaper to buy them from the store. Regular vitamins. I really do want the bariatric ones tho. I do have a wightloss journal all set up and I am going to start using it. I did make a water log in it. The hardest part is not being able to drink with meals. If I drink water before eating, I need to wait 30 minutes before eating and then an hour after eating before drinking. BUT yeah I learned something yesterday! I called the bariatric center and asked about it and told them I didn't get a call yet. She told me that with my insurance I don't need an approval call. She said they sent the paperwork to the surgeons office. They transferred me over to them to schedule my surgery and I guess they aren't open on Fridays lol sooo on monday, I guess I will be scheduling my surgery!! Hopefully!

Do you take the appetite suppressant and metabolism booster from bariatric pal?

Hi, I’m at the very start of this journey! A little about my situation: I’m 53, live in the Atlanta area and have a BMI of 40. I live with excruciatingly painful knee osteoarthritis. I have a long history of failing at various efforts to lose weight. If you can believe it - I’m otherwise pretty darn healthy…sleep apnea but no elevated blood pressure or cholesterol and a healthy A1C. Haven’t found a single orthopedic surgeon who will operate on me without my losing a significant amount of weight - both my GP and my orthopedic consults have suggested bariatric surgery. My employer-provided healthcare excludes virtually anything to help me with weight loss - no meds, no programs and of course, no surgery (even if medically necessary). (Apparently having a heart attack or getting other serious health issues is preferable??SMH) One of my coworkers had the gastric sleeve done (she is independently wealthy and self-paid) and looks/feels fantastic. I haven’t found anyone locally who can do a gastric sleeve (I prefer this to RnY) under 15,000. All my research domestically yields prices that are comparable, as the quoted price is always more than the one in the ad. As a teacher, I have limited means. Surgery in Mexico is probably my best bet. My GP was trained in Guadalajara and recommends Puerta de Hierro hospital. I’m considering this over Tijuana because it is closer and I’d be in a plane for less time. Research seems to indicate a low of about 5K and high of 7K. I speak Spanish fluently (native speaker), so communicating will be no problem. To that end, I have a few questions: 1) Has anyone had a bariatric procedure in Guadalajara? Experiences? 2) I feel quite old in getting this surgery - has anyone done it after 50? 3) For those who have had the surgery in Mexico, what have you done for follow-up care? Any groups/resources for post-op support? 4)Is there anything you wish you’d known before you had the surgery? Any tips you would love to pass on? My deepest thanks for reading this and for any responses!

I use Bariatric Fusion because it’s only $27 a month at my doctors office, has everything I need, and I don’t have to try to find something different at Walmart since they only sell gummies and I can’t have gummies. As soon as I am able I’m switching to a pill form, not sure why I couldn’t take a pill now, I can swallow one fine as long as it’s one at a time. Only bad thing is that it’s 4x daily, so I have an alarm set in Baritastic.

The words "bari" or "bariatric". Seriously. Can't stand 'em.

I'm taking the Bariatric Advantage chewable multivitamins with iron in strawberry and the mixed fruit. They are very smooth and easy to take because they are not chalky at all. They kind of taste like a larger Flintstone vitamin. I'm also taking the Bariatric Advantage calcium chews and they are nummy. I'm doing the sweet assortment which come in chocolate, caramel, coconut, and maybe peanut butter? I also got a bag in the mixed fruit and they taste like Starbursts. I'm using my FSA to cover both as they are a little bit more on the expensive side but it's worth it for the taste. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Bariatric Adv EA Advanced Multi Vitamins and Calcium chews carmel.