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My wonderful surgeon covered various bariatric surgeries and the success rates (and successful "reversal" rates) of each. He then went into more detail on the 2 he performs, banding and bypass. He described his "credentials" including how often he's done each surgery, what type of band he prefers/uses and why, etc. He discussed the procedure and life style changes required by each. He discussed the negative side effects (like hair loss and slippage, death...) and how much and how severe each is for his patients. Then he had a Q & A time (very patient) and THEN that great guy took another 20 min to just talk to my husband about it all (Husband is an RN who worked in a GI lab and was against it but was all for the band after doc and he talked and doc addressed his concerns) Afterward if we wanted we could immediately schedule a follow up appt, or we could take our time. No hard sell whatsoever. I immediately felt at ease and valued as a person, not just a patient.

Autumn, I do not have lupus but my ex did. Tough disease. Please let me know (pm?) if you get some good info about lupus and VSG. My ex wanted bariatric surgery and I'd like to be able to give her some more info. What's the problem with bypass and lupus? Many people with lupus already have to do B12 shots because of the lupus attacking the intrinsic factor in their gut, so it seems that bypass wouldn't make it any worse. But then again, I don't hsve lupus and don't know the full scale of all the problems it can cause.

I had the sleeve. I lost about 127 I gained back 25. How I handle stress lately varies. Sometimes eating, sometimes drinking sometimes working tour I don’t hate exercising I love it. Never gave that up. I don’t have a bariatric buddy to face time with or spend time with

I know this is not really going to get answers but maybe someone might have some insight. I have lifelong chronic illness and disability. A challenge is being sensitive to medications and side effects and having allergic reactions (my list of antibiotics I am allergic to is growing) It started with Umbilical area pain that radiated upward to the right shoulder blade area like spasms. Admittedly I am also dealing with diverticulitis issues, bleeding and pain I'm not sure the source as well as Interstitial cystitis. My gastric bypass surgery inadvertently revealed a form of neurological dysphagia I have difficulty drinking thin liquids. landing in hospital with aspiration pneumonia a day after I got home, I found out that was why. started before surgery but I didnt know why I was having difficulty drinking water. normally i could chug it no issues. For a while I had trouble with eating which turned out to be stricture. I had history of ulcers prior to my gastric bypass surgery. and they found it afterward as well. I had dilations. and eating got a bit easier I just had to be careful what types of foods I ate. But then some weeks back it got really bad I found myself feeling sick just taking nibbles of my lunch. I always meal plan daily and prepare portion control sizes so I know how much calories and protein I am getting and what my portion is so its never too much for my pouch. But Id get partway through nibbling slowly and at times depending what Im eating Id just have to stop. and then feel the need to throw up but cant at times heaving but only a thick mucus comes up. I saw my general practitioner and had a CT scan and bloodwork. I also made some appointments. She told me to see my Bariatric surgeon. I had to wait until just recently to have a Endoscopy. I am just frustrated. because the CT scan showed Hepatic Steatosis. My one liver level is high it was not high when I was losing weight. Only when it was stable already. I did not have fatty liver prior to surgery. But they want to assume I did and that no one told me. But that's something they check for because its a co-morbidity! Also my gallbladder was checked at the time it had to be removed due to chronic inflammation. People have gastric bypass to get rid of fatty liver ... I have only read of maybe a rare case of liver disease post surgery. Anyway. back in June I had a enteroscopy to check the remnant portion of stomach and dilation. no mention of ulcer then. I have trouble with proton pump inhibitors not working and they just seem to deplete my vitamin levels too much. plus trigger my migraines. Ive had ulcers go away without the PPI and gotten ulcers while on them so they just dont seem effective. Then there is carafate. one side effect is constipation and with diverticulitis I cant afford that especially since the CT also showed inflammation and narrowing of my colon ... and I am trying to get iron and even the supposed non constipating kind in my whole foods based multivitamin is throwing my system off. so I had the Endoscopy this month and it showed Jejunal ulcer so the doctor just prescribes proton pump inhibitor and carafate (my insurance decided to not pay for carafate) but what other options are there besides these? and what could be causing the ulcers if Im not taking motrin or similar meds even though I do need them. Ulcer at the junction between the pouch and small intestine can happen in the first months post op and common treatment is PPI and carafate but not nearly two years out. Hard to believe April will be two years ... my gut keeps telling me its issue with my remnant stomach. perhaps even with the staples used. but I dont know how to get answers. I have seen when these things dont work doctors do a surgical revision of some kind. my surgeon is great but yet he seems to address it as it too simply and its not that simple anymore. Also I cant figure out the fatty liver aka hepatic statosis and the high ALT (liver enzymes) they assumed it was high before but no not really. Also I had blood transfusions in June and the levels went down due to the transfusion but then went back up again. so one would assume if it had to do with the weight loss the levels would have stayed down. I cant sort out what move to take next. I kind of sat on this post a while and didnt post it. I still hesitate. I know its probably not something anyone can answer. I am just getting frustrated. I am also retaining fluid in my abdomen along with a lot of pain.

In the first 6-8 weeks it was definitely a challenge to eat anything more that 1/4-1/2 cup at a time. Now that I'm 12 (almost 13) wks out I am up to about 3/4-1 cup at each meal. I'm Canadian and had my rny surgery via a bariatric centre where I live. It has a whole team that has supported me throughout the process, and my dietitian has assured me that my intake amount is right on track. She stresses that when eating, the focus should be on getting the Protein consumed first. So I do just that. I've been eating a lot of peanut & almond butter lately, lol. I also love cheese so I try to have some of that everyday too. Tuna is something else I've been enjoying. My dietitian said that at this point any deficiencies from not being able to eat any or very little veggies & fruits should be balanced out by the daily multi-Vitamins and calcium/Vitamin D supplements that I've been prescribed to take. I stopped drinking the protein shakes (powder & liquid) at about 3 weeks because I couldn't find any that I liked. I then focused on Protein Bars (the soft, brownie consistency kind, not ones with nuts) and ate about 1/2 a bar at a time. Again, my dietitian said this was fine as long as they were sitting in my tummy fine. Now that I'm further along I make my own protein shakes using unflavoured Protein Powder. There are quite a few good recipes online - I just googled "high protein smoothies for gastric bypass surgery". One of my faves has soy chocolate milk, protein powder, 1/2 banana, 2 tbsp. Peanut Butter & ice. I admit that I don't really keep track of my protein count so I may be falling short. I have my 3 month follow up in a couple of weeks, and just went to get my bloodwork done for that this morning. So I'll be finding out where all of my levels are at - hopefully all is good!

I just want to hear from others how long after they did what the insurance needed them to do. Like the 3 or 6 month supervised diet. How long after that was done did you have a surgery date or your surgery? My final weigh in is May 16 and paper work will be sent to the insurance. I should be approved fairly fast i would assume. I talked to my Bariatric Coordinator today and she said once the approval is back to her it will take me 3 weeks to get in to see the surgeon, then i will start my presurgery stuff and will take another 6 to 8 weeks for complete all of that. Does this seem unreasonable to anyone? 3 Months after my insurance approves me before I have my surgery???????

I was thankful to hear that my bariatric office keeps hydration on hand. If its during the week we can go there and they will hydrate us and send us on our way.

Bariatric surgeons have resources--from band manufacturers--that we do not. These resources indicate, to them, the upper limits of fills for each band. These limits are well ABOVE the labeled amount for each band. I don't know what the limits are, but I do know that an 11 cc band, for example, can safely hold significantly more than 11 cc. It is rarely necessary to fill more---but it sometimes is, and in and of itself is NOT cause to question the doctor. While it is not a myth that pouches can stretch, it does not happen nearly as often as we are led to believe on sites like this. The stomach is a VERY elastic organ. It rebounds when stretched. (It snaps right back into place.) A pouch can be dilated by routinely stretching it well beyond its capacity---but I don't know anyone for whom that has occurred. More common is slippage, but the OP did not describe symptoms that even begin to approximate those experienced during slippage. I think we like to attribute problems to things like stretched pouches when, in fact, it's our MINDS that have "stretched." We become accustomed to eating more--and want to eat more--and it's difficult to eat less. That doesn't mean that anything anatomical is actually going on, though. It may well mean that we've let bad habits get a grip again. Unless you've been told by your doctor that your pouch is stretched, I'd dispense with the notion and just get back to basics, in terms of eating. (You don't have to go as spartan as a 5-day pouch test; just start following the rules you've been given.) Don't borrow trouble when there is none to be had. What are you eating on a day to day basis? Can you post a typical day or two?

Hello Everyone! I am new to this forum, although I have been reading everyone's very informative and inspirational posts for many months now! As my gastric sleeve journey is about to take off, I thought I should finally introduce myself to the group as I hope to post here throughout my journey... About me... I am what you would consider a gastric sleeve 'lightweight', although I have never thought of myself as "light" in the past 10 years! I am 5'2" female and 210 lbs, making my BMI 38.2. I am a self-pay patient as my BMI is "too low" (under 40) for insurance coverage. I am "pre-diabetic", have borderline high blood pressure, and ahve a strong family prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure. I want this surgery for my health. I used to be very fit. I was never an overweight child, but the pounds started creeping on when I went to college. Faced with buffets at the college diner and 24 hour pizza places, I gorged myself and the pounds slowly packed on. Eating became about "fun" and not nutrition, and I was tempted by sweets, fast foods, fried stuff.... I used to be very conscious about nutrition and have a wealth of information in my head about calories/protein/fiber of different foods. Somehow I am lacking the ability to translate that knowledge into my habits and hoping the sleeve will give me that missing tool I need. Fast forward 10 years later and I have never been able to "control" my weight. I have gained and lost 60+ pounds twice. My highest weight was 230 just after delivering my son... a weight that puts me at morbidly obese. Over the years, I have tried all sorts of diets--- phentermine prescribed by doctor (twice), weight watchers, atkins, medifast, slimfast, other physician controlled diets.... only to lose weight and have it come back. I am sure you are all familiar with this. I am looking forward to this surgery to get me back into a healthy range where I belong, and to give me a tool to help me eat nutritiously, and not purely for taste. My sleeve journey so far... I am planning to be sleeved my Dr. Tiffany Jessee at Suncoast Bariatrics in Tampa, FL. She has excellent reviews and very high patient satisfaction scores/very low complication rate. I met her at her informational session and am very confident in her. I have already attended the info session, nutritional counseling, and psych eval. Next up is my surgical consultation (next week), endoscopy and then pre-op diet. I am aiming to be sleeved n January. My support system is primarily my husband. He is amazingly supportive. He, too, needs to lose 30lbs or so, and I hope that with my smaller portion sizes and healthy choices (as I am the cook for us), this will also help his health. I also want to use these boards for support and plan to attend support group meetings. I realy don't want to tell anyone else in my lifea bout this surgery... I think they may hve a negative attidue about this and I am trying to surround myself with motivation and positive attitudes so I have the best chance at success here. I am really hoping I can get through the next few months fine (pre op diet, surgery and initial recovery phase) and get to a point where I dont ahve to think about the sleeve all the time and my choices are my "new normal". Thats what I am really hoping for out of this surgery. Does anyone have a similar circumstance to mine and want to stay in touch? (e.g., sleeved at the same time; similar starting stats; location in FL)? Good luck to all on your sleeve journey.... I can't wait to be on the other side and on the losers bench!

I had the lap-band done back in 07, and while I don't have it anymore (long story) I was blessed with a good doctor and support function. My friend got one in 06. He hasn't seen as much success as he would like. The doc and support staff are inaccessible and refuse to admit there may be anything wrong despite years of adjustments, pain and disappointment on his part. We have found it impossible to get any other physician to take him on as a patient. We get the same story everywhere: if we didn't put the band in, we cannot touch it. "Liability, don't ya know." Right now he's having all the symptoms of a too-tight fill (reflux, vomiting, coughing, etc). We contacted the emergency rooms of the two local hospitals. Both do bariatric surgery. Both told us that their bariatric doctors would NOT do an unfill on someone who hadn't been banded there. God help you if you get a physician who moved, closed, is incompetent or died.

Hey girlie, i live in maryland. I have cigna so my process was different. I honestly don't think any of the state insurance programs cover bariatric surgery. What i would suggest, is call your surgeon's office directly and ask to speak to their billing coordinator. They would be able to tell you if your insurance is accepted and how much you would owe out of pocket. Who was your surgeon btw?

Hello all, I'm new here, I'm trying to get the process started to get surgery, I have Maryland priority partners , I've been looking around online to see if priority partners would even cover bariatric surgery , but I haven't had any luck, the way they have things worded, doesn't really give a yes or no answer, can anyone point me in the right direction, as to what steps I need to take & how do I go about doing them, also is there anyone here, who is from Maryland & has medical assistance / priority partners that has been through the process and gotten approved, any tips or helpful info would be greatly appreciated, I feel completely lost & I wanna be sure I do things right so I'll have a good outcome

I have had my lapband for 7 years, haven't had a fill for 4 years. I have been at my goal weight for almost 2. In April I felt a twinge of pain in my band that was new and it has steadily gotten worse. Ended up in the ER on Thursday night dealing with a doctor that knew nothing about the band. Diagnosed me with gastritis and esophogitis but gave me IV Pain meds that made me throw up for 24 hours until my pharmacist finally suggested I take a phenegren. I went to the ER because I can't eat or drink anything, feels like I'm swallowing razor blades. To the point now that even my own saliva is painful. I am constantly aware of my band, feels like a knot in my chest. They took a catscan at the ER and he said there was inflammation above and below the band. I saw a bariatric surgeon today, he has me scheduled for a scope in the morning and scheduled me for lapband removal on Wednesday morning (feels like it is erosion). I can't really find anything online that talks about symptoms like mine. I am in constant pain. Water hurts, soup hurts, saliva hurts. Just wondering if anyone else has had anything similar? I am so ready to get this band out, I hope they do take it out. I'm tired of hurting. I do have fears of gaining the weight back, but I have been in a good place for several years now with regards to watching calories and making smarter choices, I feel like I can keep that going. Any feedback is appreciated. Kendra

Hi DuranFan1969 There is a good reason more and more insurance companies like BCBS are accepting and paying for bariatric surgery. I have diabetes and other co-morbidities. In the long run it is cheaper for insurance to cover this large bill for WLS, because over the years insurance will have to pay much more for medical supplies and medicine for people with such ailments as high blood pressure and diabetes, sleep apnea etc. So getting the WLS makes sense to the insurance company. I don't think insurance is paying for WLS out of the "goodness of their heart" it just makes good business sense. Good luck with you upcoming sleeve you will be very happy kathy

You are doing a great job Zinhaa!! Don't let the silly hunk of metal aka the scale rock your world, like so many things in life it is unreliable LOL!! I see you are from LI, NY, I am from Queens but my doc is on LI. I used NY Bariatric Dr. Holover, who did you use?

I'm fairly new to this whole process and right now I'm finishing up my 6 month doctor supervised diet (last appt in Sept) and my bariatric surgeons are beginning to send me off for the pre-op testing. I have been scheduled for a pulmonary function test which is no biggie since I've done that before. They are also doing the labwork that day which is no big deal. My question is about the cardiolite stress test and echocardiogram they have ordered. I've googled them and know what they are, but I'd like to know from a patient's perspective what its like to go through them (don't hold back). I'm a little concerned about the camera they use for the stress test. The picture from my doctor's office website shows a machine that resembles a CT scan or MRI machine. I am claustrophobic and have pretty severe panic attacks (even had one 2 days ago going through an automated car wash!!) What should I expect? Thanks, Tina

My doctor is Mark Shina, an excellent man and a wonderful bariatric surgeon. He could have finished the surgery he said but my blood pressure kept bottoming out, and he was scared he was going to loose me because the scar tissue in my abdomen had to be removed to get to my stomach which would take an extra hour. Apparentally certain types of blood pressure medications interfere with the anesthetic used to put you under. I am going off 1 of my blood pressure meds for two weeks and we are going to do it again the 16th.

My doctor/nutritionist do not want me to ever eat any product that contains yeast. Not sure why yeast specifically, but I know they do not want me to have most breads and similar products. They also do not want me to have any rice and only limited portions of wheat pasta. I CAN however eat 6-10 whole wheat crackers, so I am using that as my "bread". I think I am going to just have to do my best to do a mostly keto"ish" diet. I also just ordered cheese crisps to substitute crackers and add a little protein in their place. Not sure how I will like those yet. Ordered a variety so maybe I can find something tasty. Pre-packaged food: I am going to do my best to avoid all processed pre-packaged food. It usually isn't very healthy for you. But, if I do need something quick and easy I am not opposed to using them occasionally. But instead of frozen meals, I will try to get some fresher versions from local delis. Haven't tried the bariatric site meals, but I did buy some bariatric soups for after surgery.

Oh my goodness this is one of the very questions I asked of my support group last week!!! I feel like we are all given this massive amount of education and help pre-op and then we are left to our own devices post-op. It was an interesting adventure to navigate post op, but I feel like there is SUCH a HUGE lack of long term support for all bariatric patients. Yes, we have out follow up appointments.. but what about emotional, educational, physical, and all of those changes we go through that have such a massive impact on our progress and growing into these more positive improved versions of ourselves on our journey. I was so disappointed by the lack of long term care I went back to school and am working on my Masters in Health Science (will be a registered dietician at the end of it all!). I work with the two local weight loss centers in my little forest town and have helped put together a great long term care program for patients that includes having access to nutrition, support of various types, and focuses on helping people grow in a positive direction post-op. It is so amazing to be able to help people that are at various stages of their journey and offer them support along the way, I feel like if we knew then what we have learned now and through these journeys we would all have made healthier choices hopefully not needing to go through all of this. BUT without this journey I would not be who I am and I would not be able to have such a positive impact on the world around me and helping others as they work through and navigate their own journeys.

Colds can definitely hose up your senses of taste and smell. I haven't noticed this yet myself, but a lot of the people in my bariatric support group have mentioned their tastes in food changing after surgery, so that might also be a culprit. Is it a metallic taste in your mouth? That could be a result of being in ketosis, which is generally good for weight loss but does leave a funky taste in one's mouth. I hope you get over the cold soon. Best wishes!

i love the recipes from Bariatric Eating www.bariatriceating.com great stuff! high Protein, low carb. and the Desserts are good too!

Hi all, I was banded on 9/15/08. I am 52 years old, married with grown children. Moved to MA from MI about 2-1/2 years ago. I had my surgery at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI even though I live in MA. Going into Boston for dr appts and fills just wasn't going to be easy when I was working (at the time) in Providence, so I went through the bariatric program in RI. I need to loose about 130 lbs total. I've lost 30 lbs so far. 17 pre-op and 13 post-op (actually in the 2 wks following surgery). Since 10/1 I have been bouncing back and forth, up and down between the same 3 lbs. Typical, I know... but frustrating none the less. I would like to connect with a buddy who has been successful in losing 100+ lbs. I know the statistcs state that we will only lose 40-60% EWL over 3 years, but I would like to become an exception to that statistic, and lose 80-100%. I know it can be done, with hard work and support. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I'd love to hear from you! Vicky

Check out Amazon or Bariatric Pal.com for vitamins, shakes, protein powders etc. I am 1 wk out from my sleeve surgery and my program said I needed the following. In either the Bariatric advantage or Celebrate brand. I found bariatric pal.com to be cheaper due to promo codes or reoccurring ordering discounts. I also take D3 2000iu, 2xday, B12 vit orally and Biotin daily. Good luck

I receive many private messages from members inquiring about Bariatric Protein, Supplements & Vitamins. The most frequently asked questions are which bariatric protein, supplements & vitamins products and brands are best suited for Gastric Sleeve patients and where to purchase them - at the best price, online and offline. Please take a moment and share any and all you have on this topic with your fellow members.

HELLO I AM TWO MONTHS POST OP AND I WANT TO KNOW IF ANYONE OUT THERE HAS HAD TROUBLE EATING AND DRINKING AFTER WARDS. I ALSO WANT TO KNOW IF ANYONE HAS ORDERED OFF OF THE BARIATRIC FOOD WEBSITES AND IF SO HOW LONG DID YOU HAVE TO WAIT EAT REGULARLY PORTIONED CONTROLLED FOODS