bakawaka

My nutritionist recommended avoiding alcohol the rest of my life. There is evidence in medical literature that bypass patients are at greater risk of alcohol dependence. But I love martinis. I do plan on drinking much less postop, and never on an empty stomach .

$26,500

My gastric bypass is costing $26,500 (self-pay). I am up to around $30,000 with other expenses. Hospital costs $3,000 per night. I hope that I will not have any complications.

I originally was going for the sleeve ($10k cheaper than the bypass and I am self pay). But the surgeon said that bypass is better in the of minimizing regain due to love of carbohydrates and baked goods, which I love. So I am paying that extra $10k. Surgeon this recommended the bypass.

My PCP claims that artificial sweeteners are bad for us. I have switched to stevia. But Splenda and aspartame are everywhere. I like sweet stuff. My nutritionist claims that caffeine stimulates appetite and thus to avoid it - decaf only. Measuring food might be a good tool to use to help distinguish between head hunger and physical hunger. I am still prep but know that at some poor post op I will face the issue you are facing. Wishing you success!

I have not been working out. That must be the problem. Well, I know how to fix that! Time to join a gym.

Is there fat-free, sugar-free cool whip? I do not detect rudeness - no worries

It sounds delicious. Another idea: freeze fruit and put it in a blender. Same with jello. It makes an ice cream type consistency. Never heard of frozen whip cream but it sounds like a great idea.

I am so sorry to hear about this and hope you get better soon.

My surgery is nov 28 and I am nervous, too. But who would not be nervous before surgery?

My surgery is Nov 28. Nervous about surgery but am going to go through with it. When is your surgery?

My BMI is 34.9 + high blood pressure + high cholesterol + GERD and insurance said "no." So I am self-pay.

This thought always helps me: "This, too, shall pass." A certain feeling state is likely to change. I try to remind myself when feeling the blues.

I love cheese. After surgery I am afraid to start eating it again as a protein source out of fear of not being able to stop. I love Gouda cheese as well as Brie, emmentaller, etc. I think that I will have to avoid cheese post op, despite its being an excellent source of protein.

My PCP'S stated that sometimes during recovery,GERD can get worse but that over time it can resolve. I will find out soon!

That is one I bought - comes in bottles in different flavors. Idea: try diluting with Water to make it go down more easily. I bought the green tea flavor.

Don, since surgery, do you have to stop and walk more often to prevent blood clots? My surgeon told me post surgery never to sit in a car or plane for more than two hours at a time. I drive 12 hours round trip every other weekend for family reasons. So now I stop at every rest stop and walk (pre-op, to learn about the future lifestyle). I also make sure when I fly (and i fly monthly 8-hour and 13-hour flights) to walk in the aisles at least every two hours. I also do leg exercises. What did your surgeon recommend? Thank you so much for your insights!

Even though I have a low BMI, I travel globally for my work and spend 1/3 of my year in hotels. Each time I diet, I gain back what I lost and more. I battle high blood pressure and high cholesterol and high triglycerides. I need the help of surgery. My primary care physician was the one who recommended it. My mother is diabetic, obese and practically bedridden from a lifetime of obesity. I do not want to end up in her situation. That is why I am self-funding gastric bypass. I do not have a goal weight - I do have a health goal, however, which is to get off medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, to reduce my triglycerides, and to be on a path for better health. In my opinion, a lifetime of protein shakes is not realistic, though I plan to use them in my diet the rest of my life, such as one a day. Yes, I am aware that surgery is a tool. I know people who have had the lapband and today drink milkshakes, thus causing regain. I have a friend who had gastric bypass and, after 10 years, grazes on high-carb Snacks all day long, thus slowly regaining weight. But I know far more people who have had Bariatric surgery and who re following the program long-term.

Don, Congratulations. I am still pre-op. how did you find the experience of recovering from surgery? I have surgery in two weeks and am nervous about the recovery (not stopping me, of course). Did you experience a lot of pain? How soon after surgery were you able to resume activities? Did you have a catheter and was it painful? I have to push myself to do some work 8 days after surgery (office work). Wishing you continued success! Congratulations! Thanks for the inspiring photo! John

One other idea: at least at my surgeon's office, the gastric bypass is much more expensive than other procedures, the vertical sleeve gastrectomy and the lapband. If you have to self-fund, these options are more obtainable.

It hurts to drain my savings account but I view it as necessary. I watched my father sabotage my mother's weight loss by deliberately bringing home high-fat sugary foods. And today she is basically bedridden and diabetic. All I can say is that each of us must be advocates for own own health. We are investing in a better future.

I am self-pay. I used savings to finance my surgery. Options that I know of include (1) obtaining financing through your surgeon; (2) if you are a Veteran you might qualify at a veteran's hospital; (3) you could explore surgery options in Mexico. I wish I had more ideas but this is all I can think of. Maybe someone else on the forum will have an idea. I recommend at least calling some surgeons' offices for ideas. Maybe they will know of something. I wish you success.

I was also told that complications with the bypass are more likely to show up while I am still in the hospital but that with the sleeve, the complications can arise several weeks after surgery. So that was another factor in favor of bypass in my opinion.

My doctor did not put me on Optifast specifically. He put me on shakes from Bariatric Advantage.

I also have GERD and am hoping that the RNY will resolve it.