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Do you live in a place where you could have the EGD done somewhere else? I had mine done at my regular clinic, because my surgery program is a 2 hour drive from me, and they just sent the results to my bariatric surgeon.

At first googling, all I spotted was the facebook link, not your own site. Thanks. Now I have more googling to do! This is the first I'm hearing "licensed bariatric educator" and "certified bariatric coaches." Interesting how things keep evolving.

I'm sure a lot of factors contribute and every doctor is different in education and experience. We had a conversation about it in our local support group because people were coming into the program and having issues with their PCPs in some form or another. They did find that the vast majority of the PCPs who attended the education seminar the bariatric program provided are working much better with the clinic now so my bet is they are willing

Hey Tully, I went to The Avenue and they were great. I have only been out of hospital for 2 days. My Surgeon was Paul Burton from the Centre for Bariatric Surgery and he was fantastic as well. I have private health and my Out of Pocket Expenses were $3440 for the Procedure and $50 excess for the hopital stay. I know $3440 sounds like a huge amount of money - I ummed and aaahhed for MONTHS!! But you do have to take into account that all your follow up appointments are bulk billed for LIFE!! I am so glad that I have done this now. We didnt have the money lying around - we skipped a house payment and extended our credit a bit to pay for it and it was all worth it. Choose Life!!! DO IT!! Megan

Hey Tully, If you ring the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (95209520) they will tell you when their next information night is on. It is usually held on a Tuesday night at the Royce hotel on St Kilda Road. During the night they discuss ALL aspects of the band pre and post Op and you can ask questions. they have success stories come in and speak as well. They also give you a book which has all the information regarding the Lapband and it is a great reference point. I was re-reading mine today. You cannot see a surgeon from centre of bariatric without having attended the info night. you also need a referral from a GP. I suppose that weeds out people who aren't really serious. If it helps to know, I was REALLY stressing about the money. One main income and 2 small kids,mortgage, blah blah blah. But I still went and saw the surgeon for the initial consult ($100) just to start the ball rolling and take the first GIANT step towards what I wanted to do. My surgeon discussed going on the waiting list which I did. His opinion was, that if I was going to have to wait until I had the money to go private, that I may as well go on the list for the off-chance that a spot appeared in the public list in the meantime. What I found after having that first consultation was that I didn't want to wait at all and I researched EVERY possible way to get the money. One of the things you can do is access your Super to have the Op. I think it is a bit of stuffing around, but ultimately worth. The nurse at the CBS told me about it. At the end of the day, if a Doctor/s told you that you needed Heart surgery, you wouldnt think twice about finding the money! It is an investment in your future!! IT is not a vanity/cosmetic procedure - it is for your health. It took me a long time to get my head around it (I researched this for 18 months before I took the first step), but it is honestly the best thing I have done for myself ever. I will now get off my self-elevated Lapband high horse and let you think about it!! Feel free to tell me to jam it if you think i'm a bit too full on. SeeYa Megs

Will see how it goes and report back. I'm anxious for some reason, to the point of getting heartburn. They said expect this first appt to be 2 1/2-3 hrs. I've done WW off and on for years...know how to track, now just need to learn how to change what I'm eating to be in-line with bariatric surgery. It will be eye opening in sure, as like many people out there, even eating healthy includes carbs like bread, fruit and yogurt. Wish me luck! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Well... today is day 9. Now I am not going to lie, there were a few hard times in these past 9 days, but those were due mostly to behavioral issues. Actually, today I had my first growling stomache (thanks to a staff meeting when I would have been drinking my shake). In actuality though, I have been alright. I am supposed to be doing 5 shakes a day and can have broth... I do not think I have done 5 shakes yet... usually 4 and found some bariatric low-carb, high protein soups (85 cals w/15g protein) that halp me make my day complete. I even work out throughout the week (By the way, that only works if I have about half my shake before and then the remainder right after). I have a SF jello cup whenever I want a treat, H2O and plenty of SF drinks (like Crystal Light). I have to call in and verify my weight in 3 days and if my surgeon is not happy with my progress my surgery will be post-poned. This is what I think about most of the time. I can not even work because I am so caught up in the what ifs. It feels good to say it though. All you posters help me to keep going. I wish every one the best of blessings, and will keep you posted! ~Real

Hello Everyone, I will start the process to a better me soon,planning to attend my first seminar on Monday I would like to know if anyone has had surgery at Brooklyn Bariatric? What was your experience?

I never had a lap band. But I did have acid reflux quite often before surgery. I had high blood pressure and diabetes for several years before surgery along with several other problems. I had bariatric surgery (Roux-En-Y) 11 months ago. I was completely off my blood sugar medicine when I left the hospital two days after surgery. I was completely off my blood pressure medicine three weeks after surgery. I lost 20 pounds pre-op and 80 pounds post-op and now weigh 160 pounds.

Don't know if you posted in the wrong section or not... But I going to do the same thing because I am getting tired of all the runaround through my insurance company. It looks like one year before I am qualified to have the surgery. I have been thinking of doing bariatric surgery most of my adult life. I don't think I need to see a psychiatrist you tell me I'm mad, I don't need to see a dietitian tell me I don't eat right. So I am skipping the bureaucracy and doing this on my own. I just need some (a lot) guidance. I hope this is the place.

I think there are a lot of unanswered questions still. I did find this review article from 2013. A review article is not the results of a study - instead, they take an expert in the field and ask them to look across everything that is known at that point in time and to summarize it in one report. Review articles tend therefore to be more reliable than a single study. It's not right up to date, but it's fairly current. "Nutrition Care for Patients with Weight Regain after Bariatric Surgery", Carlene Johnson Stoklossa and Suneet Atwal, Gastroenterology Research and Practice, Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 256145, 7 pages. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/grp/2013/256145/ If you read section 1.3 (Energy Requirements), you will see that they are reporting reductions in resting metabolic rate beyond what can be expected from weight loss alone, in patients having bariatric surgery.

Hi LondonHawke - on the metabolism side of things, I don't think we escape the slowdown - when you look at two factors: Weight loss rates gradually slow, and total weight loss tends to level off with time, at roughly 60% of excess weight lost, on average Patients eat a good deal less than would be expected for a person of their age, sex, height and weight I actually asked the guy who became my surgeon this exact question in one of the pre-surgery group info sessions - is the metabolism permanently slowed, given the above, and does that explain why people stop losing, and why they need to continue eating so little? He didn't really answer - not sure if he didn't know, or if he thought I wouldn't like the answer. I understand that as our weight drops the calories required to operate our body at rest should drop to match the actual calories we consume, but the article seemed to indicate that the TBL contests actually had a change in that their bodies metabolic resting rate was lower than the norm of an individual of the same size ie. their body lowered the resting rate in an attempt to help itself adjust back to its programmed weight. It seems to imply that even if they kept up their rigorous exercise routine they would have regained weight or had to increase the exercise level in order to maintain. My question is that TBL contests would technically have the same amount of grehlin in their body regardless of their existing weight, we don't our chemistry has been altered so will or do we suffer the same consequence. That's correct - metabolism slows during weight loss - this is well established - the body is trying to preserve your weight at your previous equilibrium point. What's new here is just how big the shifts were, and how long they lasted - for these people at least, they appear to be permanent, having lasted 6 years. The subjects had their resting metabolic rates measured repeatedly over the study, and they declined steadily - and yes, far more than the weight loss would be predicted to cause. Now, these people in the study had extremely rapid weight loss, of a very large amount, so bariatric patients won't necessarily be in the same position quantitatively - in fact most bariatric patients maintain most of the weight loss they achieve. However, I am almost certain that the same forces are occurring in us at some level though. That's why weight loss is slowing down over time and levels off normally. As a man of 56 at 6 feet tall and my current weight of 241 pounds with light activity, I should be able to eat 2300 calories per day and maintain weight, according to the calorie calculator at Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/calorie-calculator/itt-20084939 ...I can't do that though, and yes, these calculators used to agree very well with my experience. Ghrelin affects hunger, but not metabolism. There is a whole suite of hormones producing the sensation of hunger, because that's critical for survival. The writeup mentions leptin, which causes you to feel satisfied - this declined in the study subjects.

sleep apnea has been a very hot topic in the trucking industry for about 10 years. A combination of extremely poor diet, constantly rotating sleep schedules, high stress and very long hours of sedentary work put truckers in a particularly high risk group to become obese and develop sleep apnea. Many obese drivers will be subjected to a sleep study when renewing their medical card. Truck stops are starting to sell components for CPAP machines on their shelves, which indicates the sheer demand among the driver population.

I am self pay also Bc ins doesn't cover bariatrics but for the psych I was able to use my reg ins and paid $50 copay instead of $250. (Dr Baum)

I've tried the bariatric advantage multi in orange and the after taste was horrible. So I switched to celebrate mv in pineapple strawberry and its so much better! No after taste and they have these calcet calcium chews in lemon that are delicious! Hope this helps celebrate also has some type of point program also

I am from Abilene and was banded and then abandoned by Dr Einspanier. I have had an absolutely MISERABLE time since then --> NO ONE WOULD TAKE ME ON FOR AFTERCARE. I'm sure those from Abilene in the similar situation have had the same problems and will breath the same sight of a relief because... CARE IS COMING BACK TO ABILENE Have you seen all those big green bulletin boards around town for "Bariatric Solutions"? I didn't really take them seriously... how good could a place be that needs to cover a town almost 200 miles away with giant boards advertising 'seminars with door prizes' and 'summer lapband specials.' BUT they do actually take a lot of insurance plans so I thought I'd give them a shot. I visited them yesterday in Dallas and was delighted not only by how nice everyone was, but by the news they gave me: they are soon to begin deploying something to Abilene called a "BandWagon" (ha, right?) - for FILLS!! And yes, it bears repeating, they take insurance!!! I didn't get the timetable for this because I was too busy dancing for glee. My only question is: what took them so long? Abilene has been a completely untouched market crying for care for a YEAR now. C'mon!! I'm legitimately surprised that no other enterprising dr/facility has swooped in to fill the need before this. ... though I guess I answered my own question: it's ABILENE. Oh, well... but good news, yes???

Hello! ( I'm placing this in different forums because I'm so new and I have no idea where is a good place for my question, apologies!) I'm so incredibly new to this so hopefully I'm placing this in the correct area! Anyway, I am 17 and severely overweight. I recently decided I wanted to peruse surgery. My mother is supportive, my brother wants to do it with me, and my grandmother (whom opinion mattered the most) thought it was a great idea. I am a in the 400 (yikes) and feel like I genuinely have no future for myself if I don't lose the weight. I want to go off to college and I want to be someone and I feel as if this weight is holding me back. I recently called to attend a seminar and a meeting with my pcp on oct 24th. I'm worried; it takes 6 months plus a wholeee bunch of tests. I never really kept up with a pcp, I was a very introverted child and pushed doctors away because I didn't want to accept my weight. So I have absolutely NO history of tracked diets. (I did them but never kept up or have evidence of them). So I guess my questions are; Do you think it will actually take 6 months? Will I need to track my diets with a pcp? Having my age AND WEIGHT in consideration is this a good idea? (If i fail the diets can they not let me have surgery?) Can they decide surgery isn't for me after 6 months? Sleeve or bypass I really want the surgery so I'm at a loss Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

If you don't want to go all the way out to Oregon, there is a doctor is St Louis that specializes in higher BMI patients. His name is Dr. Van Wagner and he works through a great program in St. Louis called St. Alexius New Start. Here is his web site: Heart of America Bariatrics, LLC While he is not the person doing my surgery -- I have heard great things about him. Hope you find someone.

Megan you are soooo pretty! I'm glad I don't have to renew my licence for another year - I want to be able to do side-by-side, can-you-believe it? pics too!

Megan - you are so pretty girl! My DL is up for renewal in Sept. Its gonna be a MAJOR change - seeing that I was 9 months preg. with my second child when I had the last DL picture taken.

I feel like you need a dietitian for our specific bariatric surgery need. I’m only 4 weeks out and I can’t fathom getting in that much protein. Especially with you having previous liver issues. Too much protein can also shut down the kidneys. I would seek a second opinion for sure.

Hello everyone! I'm "today" new.. ???? Just like mostly everyone here, I'm tired of battling that evil blob called obesity. My BMI is at its highest at 41% and I finally decided to start my weight loss journey. Today I saw my doctor (I have Kaiser ????) and after 60 minutes of questions, he finally gave me a referral to Bariatrics. He wanted me to test for sleep apnea and see a psychiatrist. Is this normal? He also wanted lab work. I'm assuming I should get used to this.. Hehe. He said I had to complete an information class and then I would meet my surgeon. I'm curious as to what I should expect. What is the process for Kaiser? What do they require before a surgery date? Any kind of information would be most appreciated. Thank you everyone for the support. #GettingMyLifeBack

Kaiser's bariatric program is called Options. It is a 12 week program. During the program you are required to lose some weight and do lots of tests like an EKG, A1c if you're Diabetic, a stool test, and lots and lots of blood tests. I actually enjoyed the program because you meet bi-weekly with others who are going through the same process so you have people to connect with and relate to. Good luck. The process goes faster than it sounds.

You just did! Welcome to the forum. Keep in mind that although opinions and tact may vary, your bariatric bothers and sisters wish you an uncomplicated recovery and good health. Feel free to post on any topic. I come to the forum every day to see what is going on. It keeps me out of trouble.

@vsgann and @@feedyoureye you are both right, as i asked on another thread topic what was the tracking app that people most used and, you guessed it, My Fitness Pal was the resounding reply! I downloaded it yesterday and love it! It also synchs with my Apple Watch, so i am beyond happy. As an aside i have lost 3 pounds in as many days since re-dedicating myself to going back to basics, and will keep doing so until i hit goal, and will no longer check in daily to this thread. Thanks to everyone here, what an amazing community of people here at Bariatric Pal. Xo Wynnie