GassyGurl

I never blended anything (gag!) . We couldn't have fruits, rice, etc so I lived off ricotta bake (I broke the rules by using the sauce), Buffalo chicken dip, canned chicken, pimento cheese, Greek yogurt, and sweetened ricotta (like cannoli filling). I chewed till mush.

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Buffalo chicken dip and pimento cheese.

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The only thing I used was my socks and phone charger. The slipper socks they gave me were 2xxl and fitted like knee socks. I was only there about 24 hours. Most of the time, I was walk, walk, walking. The rest of the time I was trying to get down a dinner tray (tea, broth, Jello, crystal light), sleeping 2 hours at a time, or high and passed out on Benadryl (reaction to something). You might think you'll have plenty of time,, but when they bring a tray of Fluid at 7, you walk, sip, walk, sip, walk sip and finally finish it, they'll bring another for lunch, lol. I did doze to some music on my phone, but any time I was awake, I was sipping or walking.

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Our nurse said standing helps the food go down better, even more so if you raise your arms. Might be weird for every meal, but she also says you burn more calories standing then sitting. So why not? It's my go to for when I feel full.

But, if you're going to stand to eat, you should still do it at a table, so it seems like a mealtime vs walking around and aimlessly munching, where it's easy to lose focus.

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Our surgeon recommends an id Bracelet saying no nsaids, and no blind ng tubes.

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My Dr used to prescribe for everyone, but recently said in their experience it didn't prove useful enough to keep prescribing it across the board.

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Decaf about day 4. I started regular once I started getting in 64oz of Fluid per day. Maybe 2 weeks?! Now it's 1 cup per day, and a tumbler of decaf w/protein powder mixed in.

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One more thing. If you go to the ASMBS (American society for metabolic and Bariatric surgeons) or something close to that, they have a physician finder. One of the search criteria is to find doctors who will care for other doctors patients. In my area both large practices will treat other patients. For me, that was a huge piece of mind before having surgery.

I seriously considered MX. But we would have needed an extra night beforehand, and after because of flight schedules. So that added a few more hundred, which is what made FL attractive. The costs of FL and MX were within a thousand for me. But, for you, the cost savings seems substantial enough to seriously consider. You should be able to join any support group later on, and like others said, use your pcp for routine care. there are Medical Tourism insurance polices that cover complications. They don't work like health insurance. Say you buy $1000k coverage for 60 days. If you have complications at home, get treatment, then they reimburse up to your policy amount. Premiums vary based on amount and time frame. I think global protection systems is the name of one company.

I use mostly regular stuff. chewable children's complete multi, liquid calcium citrate, super b complex from Walmart. Dissolvable Biotin and B12 from costco. The only Bariatric one I use is Bari melts Iron.

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I don't recall seeing what your self pay cost is, but there are places you can go in the US for $9000-$12000. I paid $8999 in Ft Lauderdale at Bariatrix, FL. Dr wizman offers BLIS, but I used Dr Taggar. Blossom Bariatrics in Vegas seems good, and Dr Borland in Louisiana has gotten good reviews. Maybe one of these cities has a non stop flight?

The other question I wanted to ask, is did you ask your insurance about complications or did you take your surgeons word? I wouldn't trust them, be your own advocate and ask your insurance company directly. I asked mine, and they were very clear that they would treat complications just like any other claim. It didn't matter where I had surgery, whether it was in our out of network, if they paid, or if I paid, etc.

Good luck!

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I'm sort of the same way. I used to go 2x a day, on schedule. Now, I might go, then go again in an hour. Or at work. I sort of miss my schedule!

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I was never sick or weak. My husband wished I didn’t feel as good as I did because I had “to do” lists for every day and I power washed our whole house 9 days after surgery! For a fat lady I have always been very physically active so I think that really helped my recovery too.

My doctor had me text him a picture, then offered advice. Since it's a weekday, why not call and see what they say?

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I had no pain from the surgery . My worst pains were a stiff neck and sore shoulder. The gas pains were pretty awful starting about 30 hours out. But I felt well enough 3 days out to walk on the beach for a few min and go to costco. Then the next day I had my follow up, and a 11 hour car ride home. No real issues, except gas. I did get pain meds, but only took 1 night, because that's what many seem to do. Best wishes!

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I can't answer these questions, but if you're worried about scars, look into single incision gall bladder surgery. Where I'm at, we have 2 practices that use the DaVinci system, it's out patient and there is only 1 incision in your belly button. I already have them in my phone in case mine starts acting up. They might not be able to do this in an emergency situation, but for routine scheduled, this is what I hope for.

Best of luck!

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Laying on my left side helped with gas. Use a pillow if needed. It would turn me into a fart machine and I'd feel so much better.

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Our nurse suggested we not even try eggs till 5 weeks. She said it's not uncommon to not tolerate them at first.

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I ate canned chicken during puree stage. I didn't actually puree it, just mashed it with a fork. I ate it in the form of Buffalo chicken dip

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Anyone that ever called me was not someone who could answer any questions if I had them. They just seemed like administrative folks.

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I take generic children's complete chewable multi. Then I take Natrol 5000mg fast dissolve tablets. And BariMelts iron+vitamin c, and Citrus flavored liquid Calcium from Walmart. I also take a Nature made B complex gel caplet (tiny). None of these taste bad. I was worried about the Iron, but it's actually tasty. I also take a 2500mg B12 strawberry sublingual on a weekly basis. Tastes like candy.

My main goal was taste, easily available and inexpensive. Everything was purchased at Walmart or costco, except the Barmimelt. It came from Amazon.< br>
Our nurse tells us basically any multi Vitamin that tastes good, doesn't have enough 'stuff' in it. How do they make it taste good? By taking the bad tasting vitamin/ minerals out (like most Gummies).

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I was googling other stuff and came across a procedure called sclerotherapy. They basically inject the stoma with morrhuate, which causes a build up of scar tissue, making the stoma smaller. Sounds promising!

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Have you tried Propel? For me it goes down so much easier than anything else. Post op, I also couldn't do spring Water. Now that I'm 2 months out I can tolerate purified water. But still not spring water. Propel has been a life saver.

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I went to Dr Taggar, and had an amazing experience. But he doesn't offer BLIS, only dr wizman does.

Also, check out Blossom Bariatrics in Vegas. Cheap flights, nice hotels and his price is somewhere around $11k. Was one of my top choices, but I chose Dr Taggar.

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I had to use dial soap the night before and morning of. Take 1 ppi, night before and morning of. Post op pain meds, if needed (they weren't) That's it! I was relieved.

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