TEXASLADY52

There is a good Forum on Facebook......BariatricHELP Forum.......full of good information and it is a closed group

Depends on your insurance company. I got mine back real quick. When it was submitted it took 2-3 days. There is a lot you have to do before it is submitted. I had to have three months supervised diet and test ran. I had to write a letter to the insurance to put in the packet. Your doctor should be able to tell you what all you will need. It took me 5-6 months from my first visit until the surgery. Good Luck.

Bought some last week at Sam's for $15.99 a case

Do your research on doctors. Check out having a Duodenal Switch. Ask questions...are they experienced in this field? How many have they performed....etc. This is for the more morbidly obese patients and has had great success. There is others that have as high BMI as you. It is a greater risk but staying at that high of BMI is a great risk also. On the other website (ObesityHelp.com) there is a forum for BMI over 50. They may can help answer the questions you have. Don't give up. It took me years but I finally had the surgery last year and I feel great!

I bought a bariatric liquid Vitamin at GNC. Had a real strong vitamin taste and smell.....don't get it on your skin or clothes....it won't come off. I saw this earlier on another post....you might want to check it out... http://www.procarenow.com/Bariatric-Complete-Chewable-MultiVitamin-Once-Per-Day--Formulated-for-Roux-en-Y-Vertical-Sleeve-Duodenal-Switch-30-Day-Supply_p_10002.html

We all have our demons and struggles. You have to face them and learn from them. You will be tempted from now on. The surgery doesn't fix our minds...it keeps telling us things still taste good and we want it. Treat this like a small bump in the road. Where we fail is telling ourselves that we have already failed today so we might as well eat what we want the rest of the day. We have to plan our days and plan what we are going to eat so we don't hit these road bumps. We are going to be tempted from now on.....you just have to be strong enough to resist and not fall back into bad habits that got us in the shape we were in before the surgery. You can do this!

God never closes a window without opening another one. Keep the faith.

There is several apps......I mainly use my fitbit application. In the beginning I used an app on my phone "Water tracker" it is good and you can set up alarms to remind you. You can also purchase glasses that are marked to remind you. I bought an insulated one online that is marked so many ounces every hour. http://hydr-8.com/ Hydr-8 Insulated Mug

Everything tastes salty to me also, but black pepper is worst. I can now use a little pepper, but right after surgery I could not tolerate Black Pepper at all.

I had my thyroid removed. I put on a lot weight after having it removed and over the years kept putting it on. I have been on every diet there is. I would lose and then gain back and more. I had the surgery in June......fell better than I have in years. My TSH has been like a roller coaster. I started out on Armour....have been on three different medications trying to level it out. I am now on Synthyroid. It was still a little low this week but better. I feel have lost slower than most but I am older and no thyroid. The main thing is I am losing. I have gone down three sizes and close to four.

Have you found that you are real sensitive to the sun since your surgery? We had company last Sunday and I was sitting outside with them. I got a little cold so I pulled my chair over into the sun. I never got what you called hot. I felt a few hot spots from the sun. When we went inside I told my husband I thought the sun did a number on me. It burnt my stomach through my underwear, jeans and tshirt. By night I had huge Water blisters forming on my lower stomach. They later burst and then got infected. Went to the doctor and he said it looked like deep chemical burns. I had on old jeans (too big) that I had for a long time, so they had been washed a lot....I wear my tshirts long...so it burnt through three layers??? My bare arms and neck was red but not blistered. It is not my medication because I am not on any new medications.....the ones I am still on...I have been on for years. I am nine months out. Have anyone else had this problem?

I appreciate your posts. It reminds me that i need to be humble, grateful and appreciative. Life is too short for all the Drama! I have an older friend that I have looked after for twenty years....she was diagnosed with cancer and given nintey days to live. I have another friend that her and her grandson has been diagnosed with brain tumors. Her grandson was just starting his medical internship.....this just goes to show you how precious our lives are! We need to rally more and support each other.....think before you speak....sometimes words hurt!

Just wanted you to know how sorry I am that you are having problems. I had mine done by Barker Bariatrics this past June and have not had any problems. The only time I am nauseated is when I eat too fast or too much. I am a revision but I am a slow loser.....I contribute it to my age. I will be praying for you and that your will regain a healthy life and have a fantastic happy future.

Barker Bariatric....Charlotte Hodges. My insurance had a cap and I had to pay a lot myself....they will work with you. Most places are cheaper when you are self pay because they don't have to deal with insurance

I had something as you described done in June. I have lost 81 pounds. I had a stomach stapling in 1980....I only lost 11 pounds. The staple line came lose and therefore I had two stomachs. The doctor said that was why I was unable to lose weight all of these years. The Dr told me he recommended a combination (some call it a modified DS). Because of my stomach problems they were unable to form a sleeve and just made a small pouch. I haven't had any problems except when I eat too fast or don't chew good enough. You will need lots of Protein and be on Vitamins for the rest of your life. So far my labs have been good......just my thyroid is like it is on a roller coaster....still trying to level it out. I feel I am a slow loser compared to others on this board.....but I am older and probably don't do as much exercising. Losing slow is ok.....they say you are more often to keep it off. I have gone down three...almost four sizes.

The drinking is the hardest part for me. It is best you don't drink anything for thirty minutes before you eat and wait at least thirty minutes to one hour after you eat. I get so thirsty.....I have always drinked while eating. I have found to set a timer....so it will help me to know when I can have a drink. I have forgotten and taken a drink to soon....it will fill up my stomach and a lot of times my food and everything will come up because I am too full. My NUT told me to take bites as little as the tip of my pinky finger and then chew chew chew. After a few times....of not chewing...eating to fast or eating too much... you will learn. The pain is horrible and it takes awhile for it to go away! There is an app called Eat Slower....it is a timer to help you to time yourself and eat slower. This is something that I am still working on. Good Luck! You can do this!

I had my thyroid removed several years ago. Since my surgery in June....mine has been like a rollercoaster. I have been on three different kinds of thyroid medicine to try to find the one that works for me. One thing I was told (and it seems to work better).....take your thyroid medication the first thing in the morning on a empty stomach. Wait at least thirty minutes before you eat or take anyother medication. Hope this helps you. I go back to the doctor tomorrow to see if mine has leveled out.

Have you had any problems with your FitBit scales? The reviews on Amazon is not good and I have been hesitant in buying one?

We have a Drug Emporium and they carry lots of single packets in Jay Robb and other brands. Whole Foods, Natural Foods.....most grocery stores like these carry the individual packs.

That is fantastic! Hope you both are doing great! I refuse to let myself get stressed out over the bills.....I have been paying them $10 a month....each month they call and want to know if I can up my pay and I just tell them not at this time!! I probably owe at least $12,000 if not more. @@TEXASLADY52, I sure do. I work for a state university and my husband works for TDCJ so we both have the same insurance. We ended up going to Dallas and seeing Dr. Jayaseelan at Dallas Bariatric Center. We both had hiatal hernias, so he did the hernia surgery and billed insurance for it, then we paid cash for the sleeve portion of the surgery. Instead of the 18 to 20 grand each, it has ended up costing us about $6,000 each for everything.