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I'm not quite your age, but still in the "boomer" set. I can't tell you if you should or shouldn't have bariatric surgery, only you can decide that. I did want to point out that if you approach bariatric surgery as something that will "feel like a sacrifice", this may not be for you. Instead, I would suggest you think about the things you are currently sacrificing at your current weight. Are you sacrificing your health? Are you sacrificing activities with family and friends? The only people I've met that regret bariatric surgery are the ones that didn't think of it as a life changing opportunity to fix their relationship with food. If you have the surgery and go right back to eating junk, you may regret having it done because you won't attain your goals. in the event you are wondering if it's safe and effective "at your age", I'll leave you with some studies: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-019-03718-6 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550728922001605 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ggi.12527 https://europepmc.org/article/med/30175564

Bariatric advantage is supposed to be the one that keeps you full longest. But don’t use it after the surgery only before.

As a side note, HospitalBC followed ALL US Covid precautions (better than most places here) and a passport is not required to cross back into the US on foot or by car. I also do not have one, so I took my birth certificate, SS card, marriage license, and drivers license and didn't have a bit of trouble. The bariatric hospitals in Mx. do this half a dozen times a day, so they will literally walk you through every single step. Tijuana is immediately across the border from San Diego, and HospitalBC is all of 20min of the SD airport. You really don't even feel like you're in another country.

Thank you for sharing that. I am 67 and this is my first weight (and I hope last) Bariatric surgery. Good luck with your next procedure and don't give up!

The nurses called my case "outside the bell curve." I had so much pain I couldn't get up for the first time until 13 hours after my surgery, and that's saying something since I don't have a low pain tolerance. I also had to spend a 2nd night in the hospital in the cardiac wing (not the bariatric wing because of my blood pressure going through the roof), but then suddenly I turned a corner in terms of pain and everything else, and now I'm 3.5 days post-surgery at home and doing quite well. I've had one dose of Tylenol since getting home yesterday afternoon. Hurts when you'd expect it to hurt... getting up, going up the 2 flights of stairs in my townhome, getting into a tall pillowtop bed, coughing hard, but it's quite low and manageable all the rest of the time. I'm getting up every half hour to move for 2 minutes.

I've wondered if Portion Fix would be helpful after bariatric surgery. It seems to be a very healthy way to eat - very clean. I just wonder if one would alter the container counts..?

OK, well for what it's worth the nutritionist I've had to work with on my programme has been by far the least well-informed and least helpful of all the professionals involved. I seem to know 100 times more than him about bariatric surgery. He's obsessed with carbs for some reason and won't accept that I've almost reached goal weight without upping carbs, as he suggested at every opportunity. Arrrrgh - would have loved to have someone available for the last 9 months who *really* got it and who I didn't have to start every conversation with along the lines 'well, how are WE getting on with adding in carbs now?' (the inference being - you idiot)

Same here, I don't know why they can't make bariatric chewable vitamins better. It is crazy, regular vitamins are fine... makes no sense. Regardless, my team wasn't too worried about me missing them in the first 2 weeks and then cleared me to take capsules at my 2 week follow up. They did explain that if I struggled with the capsules to reach out because then it becomes more serious. Luckily I have been perfectly fine with capsules and pills. Whew. Reach out to your team, maybe they can help or suggest something. Also, there are different brands you could try. I hated them all though, couldn't do it.

i could not dew chewables either. i threw up every time. I ended up using bariatric pal multivitamin capsules. Because of the high iron in it i threw up. I had to lower the iron amount down from 45mg to 18mg and i stopped throwing up for the most part and i take another iron supplement later in the day because my last labs came back with my iron saturation was on the low side.

My husband of 17 years is just really driving me CRAZY!!!! I've made a lengthy post about some health stuff I have going on right now (reflux, esophagitis, gastritis, esophageal spasms, and esophageal dysmotility which they think is caused by a hernia...waiting for appt for scope) and he's using it as an excuse to just stop working out, stop eating right, stop everything. None of what I have going on is from my surgery. I don't have any leaks, strictures, blockages, nothing. BUT, this started after I did an insanely intense workout, so everyone is thinking that's the cause. ANYWAY, he has a pattern of quitting stuff when he starts, as soon as it gets hard. College, 3 different side businesses, working out, keto, vegan, low/no fat, calorie counting, bariatric surgery (had 1 consult, set up the nutritionist appt and backed out. Did this 3x before they said he couldn't come back), etc etc etc. He's always been like this, but it's gotten worse over the last year or so. He literally follows through on NOTHING. Not one single thing. OH, unless it's involving wrestling or gaming. Oh THEN his follow-through is on point. Can't let his guild down!! Can't let his buddies down!! Can't miss wrestling (he literally watches Mon - Fri, and if there's pay per view on the weekend, he watches that, too). I work full time and pay all the bills. The deal we have is I will work and he is to take care of the house, grocery shopping, etc (I have a much higher earning potential than he does, and I love what i do, and he doesn't like to work, and I hate household stuff, so in theory the deal works) but he's been slacking on that, too. I'm cleaning up behind him, doing chores, grocery shopping. He's sleeping or gaming or whatever. We've argued about it and I told him if I have to take care of the house AND work, then he needs to go get a job too. If I have to work full time, do the cooking and cleaning and shopping then what the heck is he even here for? He's not supportive anymore, we don't do anything together, we argue a lot, and he has NO FOLLOW THROUGH ON ANYTHING. He gets all excited "I'm gonna start a youtube channel" or "I'm gonna start streaming on Twitch" or "I'm going to design websites for a living" or "I'm gonna go to school and get my degree in Early Childhood Education and work as a teacher online" etc. And he ends up doing NOTHING. "I'm gonna work out and get healthy so we can lose weight and have better health together" and "I'm gonna eat right and make sure we have healthy food in the house so neither of us are tempted to cheat" and then he goes to Burger King and buys 2 double whoppers with fries and eats it all. I'm just so sick of it all. I hate even being around him sometimes. He's just so LAZY and has zero motivation for anything at all. It's infuriating!!!

My VSG was August 3rd. I started taking my vitamin chewables that were recommended by my dietitian (Bariatric Fusion) when I started the pureed food stage. I am unable to tolerate them even slightly. I experienced the worst nausea I had experienced since surgery. I waited a day and tried again, and the nausea returned, almost immediately. Has anyone else had similar experiences? What else did you try that worked?

I do have to have the Psychiatrist visit to see if I am a good candidate for success. The therapists (not Psychiatrists, who are MDs, but Psychologists and certified therapists) will be ongoing to help me with my eating disorder(s) that have resulted in 50+ years of being overweight and being unable to keep weight off after one of my many weight-loss diets. I think therapy is going to be a huge help, giving me the mental tools to help me overcome my bodies need for the dopamine hit that comes with eating. And it will help me keep the weight off--ever little tool I can find to help me win this war is welcome. But OSU Bariatrics did not even give me a list of therapists that they recommend for eating disorders and bariatric patients. A little disappointing.

Hi! I am a nurse, in the hospital I work I did care for surgical Sleeve and RNY patients. I would say the most common description of the pain I have been told is “gas pain” which is alleviated by walking and with pain medicine. Of all the surgical patients I’ve cared for I’ve found Bariatric patients to be the most motivated to move after surgery and the pain is uncomfortable but not intolerable (I’ve not had a bariatric patient in tears from their pain if that helps you feel less anxious!). I used to be one of those people who saw bariatric surgery as “the easy way” until I cared for bariatric patients. Then I learned it is so much more than a surgery and it leads to life changes that improve quality of life.

My doctor's office gave me a list of therapists they recommend, and they informed me which would be covered by my insurance. The only pre-op aspect of my surgery that wasn't covered was my meeting with a nutritionist. I did ask my usual psychiatrist, but she recommended I go with one of the therapists my surgeon recommended, as they would be more familiar with Bariatric surgery than she was.

My insurance also changed from BCBS to Cigna during the process. It made things SO much easier. No supervised diet, no therapy. Had my surgery less than 3 months after my first bariatric visit which I was SO thankful for. I can't imagine being here 6 weeks out and still have months of waiting to go. I did have a letter from my PCP documenting his support and reminding the reviewer of my arthritis in weight bearing joints (which is already so much better). Other than that easy peasy.

VSG Surgery in scheduled for Sept 1, 2022. 4 years ago I started having a lot of gastric problems. Random and often vomiting, severe diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, etc. I had 2 colonoscopies and 2 endoscopes. Finally, diagnosed with gastritis and microscopic colitis but no reasons why those happened. I took lots of different meds, changed when and what I ate, etc. Nothing worked. It was so bad I was afraid to even leave my house at times. I went to a bariatric/general surgeon about a VSG. He ended up being just who I needed to help solve my huge gastric problem. At first, he said I would probably need to get a bypass instead of the VSG because he thought I may have had GERD/reflux. He sent me for another endoscope and discovered from the last endoscope (a year before) I had newly developed a hiatal hernia, stomach ulcers, and deformed pyloric. Did some more tests and found my stomach acid was about 5 times too much. My pancreas was not able to produce enough of the necessary stuff to neutralize the stomach acid traveling through the intestines, which in turned cause the gastritis and severe diarrhea. The bypass leaves a still somewhat function stomach so I will get VSG instead since it removes a large portion of the acid producing fundus. I will also get a repair for the hiatal hernia and pyloric. I am so thankful to my doctor for finding my gastric problems and explaining to me in a way I could understand. AND lose the weight, too! I ended up not having GERD/reflux at all, even I develop due to the VSG, I think I can handle it! Thanks for listening to my story!

VSG Surgery in scheduled for Sept 1, 2022. 4 years ago I started having a lot of gastric problems. Random and often vomiting, severe diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, etc. I had 2 colonoscopies and 2 endoscopes. Finally, diagnosed with gastritis and microscopic colitis but no reasons why those happened. I took lots of different meds, changed when and what I ate, etc. Nothing worked. It was so bad I was afraid to even leave my house at times. I went to a bariatric/general surgeon about a VSG. He ended up being just who I needed to help solve my huge gastric problem. At first, he said I would probably need to get a bypass instead of the VSG because he thought I may have had GERD/reflux. He sent me for another endoscope and discovered from the last endoscope (a year before) I had newly developed a hiatal hernia, stomach ulcers, and deformed pyloric. Did some more tests and found my stomach acid was about 5 times too much. My pancreas was not able to produce enough of the necessary stuff to neutralize the stomach acid traveling through the intestines, which in turned cause the gastritis and severe diarrhea. The bypass leaves a still somewhat function stomach so I will get VSG instead since it removes a large portion of the acid producing fundus. I will also get a repair for the hiatal hernia and pyloric. I am so thankful to my doctor for finding my gastric problems and explaining to me in a way I could understand. AND lose the weight, too! I ended up not having GERD/reflux at all, even I develop due to the VSG, I think I can handle it! Thanks for listening to my story!

Wow. Surgical regimes are so different. I had to inject blood thinners for a month even if I was running miles by then (I wasn't!) because of the serious risk of clots after bariatric surgery. I was prescribed a PPI for 4 weeks. I took it although I knew I was done with reflux within a few weeks of my sleeve, because my weight loss reduced my reflux symptoms so soon.

If I am required to see a therapist, then I want to actually get some benefit out of it instead of just randomly choosing a therapist. Does anyone have a therapist they recommend that: Accepts insurance Specializes in Eating Disorders and Bariatric patients Does sessions via Zoom/Teams/etc? Thanks!

I recently discovered these forums and I am super excited to explore and learn and hopefully help others, too. I have been overweight my entire life. Even when I was in elementary school. My dad gave me nicknames to try to get me to stop wanting to eat. Fat in the can, the Crisco Kid. He was funny and I love him dearly, but he had no idea of the forces behind my eating problems. And an old-school way of tough-love (never physical, but jokes, which can be bad too). Anyway, In '92 I enlisted in the Army Infantry. Yes, I lost enough weight to get in, and Boot Camp took care of the rest. Then slowly gained weight back while I was in, despite all of the running and pushups and "pleasant nature hikes." Weight became a problem and I was called out all the time. But I always passed my physical fitness tests, and always did my job and stayed out of trouble, so I was mostly left alone. Fast forward to today. Heaviest weight after the Army was 315 pounds (I am 6'2"), and now I am 275 pounds. Constantly up and down up and down. Discovered Engine 2 and stayed on it for 6 months, was down to my 250s, then simply could not stay on that diet, and pushed back up to my current 275. Finally went to Ohio State University's (OSU's) Bariatric program and in-processed trying to use BCBS. BCBS requires the last 5 years of weight history. I am apparently supposed to be under a medically supervised diet for 6 months. See a Dietician (end of this month) and a Psychiatrist (end of this month), and find my own Therapist and start having sessions. So no surgery until next year some time. HOWEVER, I changing jobs in a few weeks, and will now have Cigna Health Insurance. My OSU coordinator looked up Cigna and said they did *not* have a 6 month supervised diet, so if things go well I should be able to have surgery before the end of the year. SUPER excited! Going with bypass, not sleeve, because I became diabetic this past year (only taking Metformin to control), and have routine bad heartburn. It is a better fit. Anyway, that is me, and hopefully a new me is around the corner. I cannot wait for a fresh start in life, albeit a difficult start. Thanks for listening

Hello, I'm 6 days post-op from the sleeve and outside of terrible pain from my big incision. Normal, from what I've read. Anyway, I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has watched people in our lives go through the dark side of WLS with unfortunate life changing experiences like transfer addiction. Seeing this happen to someone close to me really discouraged me for a long time from taking the leap. I finally got past that and while I don't regret doing it, I'm determined to not fall into that pattern. My first goal is to find a good therapist that has experience with bariatric patients. If anyone has recommendations or advice, I'd love to use this spot as a safe and productive place to discuss. Take care all! Sent from my SM-S908U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s Pound of Cure book & his you tube videos. He’s a bariatric surgeon who supports a low animal protein diet. It may not be anything all that new but may make you more comfortable about how to manage your weight loss post surgery. A good dietician should help you devise a way of eating that is best for you, your health requirements & your eating preferences. The biggest ficus post surgery is your prirein intake (& fluids) but I’ve never heard anyone say they were restricted to getting their protein only from animal sources. Plenty of plant based protein shakes & powders, yoghurts, milk, etc. as you know you can eat to meet the goals you’ll be given. Initially after the surgery you will be on a staged return to eating diet. This is support your healing tummy & not put undue stress on your digestive system. There are some foods we’re not advised to eat during this period. But again a good dietician should be able to advise you of alternatives. Mind you many have refried beans on their list of recommended foods during the staged return to eating stages. While I was on keto for my pre surgery diet, I was not encouraged to follow it long term by my dietician: good for kickstarting a diet but not long term she advised. I had my own doubts about it so I was glad. Many of us use the weight loss stage to devise a way of eating that best suits our needs & preferences & don’t follow any specific ‘diet’. I mean if there was a diet that worked for everyone none of us would have been obese & needed surgery. Personally I’m a low fat, low carb (2 serves of whole/multigrain carbs a day), low sugar & high protein (absorption issue). Many vegetarians successfully have surgery so your eating preferences should not be a deterrent to you either once you find a supportive surgeon & dietician.

all surgeons are different. If it becomes an issue you can get prescribed it after surgery. I dont know what surgery you are having but one other medication i was prescribed after surgery was a medication called Ursodiol for 1 year after surgery. It dissolves gall stones which many (not all) get after rapid weight loss. other than that i got hydrocodone in liquid form, The PPI medication for 1 month (they refused to renew it but i didnt need it anymore) Anti nausea medication that was a green liquid, constipation medication (only needed that for a week or so) and that was it.

Small Medicine cups (bulk from Amazon) to measure out 2 ounces of liquid post surgery. Also a cheap digital food scale to weigh food once I got to solids. I also bought bariatric food containers (like Tupperware measured for protein, veggies, etc,), but NEVER ended up using them. I have a mini fridge I used, and still do, to keep my protein shakes upstairs so I don’t have to run down. Nice, but not necessary, Pre-surgery I had a snow cone/shaved ice machine and 0 calorie sugar free syrup. I thought I was going to die from so much drinking and not chewing. The 0 calorie snow cones were a g-dsend and saved my sanity. I called the dietitian freaking out about a day in when I was starving pre-op (only clear liquids). She told me to chew on ice cubes and after I told her off I asked about snow cones and was back in love with her when she said yes.

I went to one bariatric surgeon who said I'd have to go on the keto diet after surgery. I'm a vegetarian, and I have no desire to go on a diet that doesn't allow beans, complex carb grains, and minimally sweetened yogurt (the kind recommended by bariatric surgeons). If I tell another surgeon that I will not go on a keto diet after surgery, are they likely to deny my surgery?