sandee123

Liquids don't act the same as solid foods- they tend to flow through the stomach more. I wouldn't chug a large amount of liquid, but drink at a pace that is comfortable to you; other than following your limits on how close you can drink to solid meals, you should be fine to drink the amounts you want.

I don't know if there is an "average" out of pocket as the % coverage varies with each policy. I would first make sure you can qualify with your insurance and that your provider is covered by your insurance. Additionally, you could end up with multiple bills not only for for pre and post appts but different things directly associated with the surgery including but not limited to the hospital, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the lab,etc. If you need it, I would encourage you to also enquire with your hospital/clinic regarding financial assistance (I was able to find information online). I qualified for assistance- between insurance and assistance, all care directly associated with the clinic and hospital was covered- i had to pay a copay for the anesthesiologist and biopsy of the stomach that was removed (less than $300)- my nutrition and surgeon appts pre and post op as well as labs were also covered.

I had a roommate, as I did while on bedrest while pregnant, following childbirth x2 and following gallbladder surgery. I think its odd that i had a private room prior to surgery, but the 'standard' remains so called semiprivate rooms while admitted to the hospital. My roommate was not a bariatric patient and had completely different care staff. I left the hospital as soon as I was allowed as there is absolutely nothing restful about the near constant stream of medical personnel in a 'semiprivate room.

Look at the info on the calcium pills...there is usually vitamin d in calcium pills.

Syntrax nectar has a fuzzy navel flavor and a lot of other fruit flavors and coffee flavors. I'm not a coffee drinker, but the fruity ones were relatively decent tasting and not heavy like a shake. I mixed them with plain yogurt for a while rather than making a drink...not terrible. They are 25+ grams of protein no other calories, pretty much no vitamins. I also found packets of isopure unflavored at costco- again only calories are protein, pretty much vitamin free. Isopure mixes really well. I have used it in food and no one else notices, I do smell the protein powder smell though. Overall I have stopped using shakes for now as I am nauseated by the taste. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs,chicken are some of my go tos.

Here is a link to "official" guidelines https://asmbs.org/resources/nutrition-guidelines. Of course if you have specific guidelines from your clinic follow/consider those as well. The number of pills/chews will vary based on the type/brand you choose. The guidelines state to take calcium carbonate with food. You can take calcium citrate with or without food. I believe most folks are encouraged to take calcium citrate. The guidelines state 1200-1500 mg calcium from all sources for vsg patients so depending what you eat (dairy etc) 1000 mg supplement may be fine. RNY patient vitamin recommendations are generally higher than VSG. The biggest timing instruction I follow is a couple hours between calcium and iron. I don't worry about timing vitamins vs meal times. I also noticed that the guidelines say to space iron from acid reducers. I'm currently using chewable but will likely switch to pills as I use everything up. What I currently take: 1st am B12 pill, d3 pill, multivitamin 2nd am. Multivitamin 3rd-5th. 500mg calcium citrate. I often only remember 2 of the 3 calciums.

I don't think there is a "standard" list. I only had clear liquids for a couple days post of, nothing preop. Generally a bariatric clear diet would include sugar free beverages- usually non-carbonated and possibly decaf, clear broths, and possibly sugar free gelatins. A clear diet is extremely low in calories and is usually used pre/post op as surgery prep or while early stage healing. A full liquid diet would include a wider variety of options including protein drinks and smooth soups.

We have the apple melon, found it at Costco. My teenage daughter likes it- tastes like candy.

Generally immediately post op you are told no pills bigger than an m&m...i think my nutritionist gave an ok for larger pills around 1 month out. Also as you move farther from surgery you can drink more normally, not just tiny sips. I personally would consider a small drink to take pills/vitamins with food ok...just not having a full on drink with the meal. Alternatively you could possibly take the vitamins 30 min or so after the meal-when it is ok to drink again, but you still have some food in your stomach.

One of his most recent YouTube videos stated he is running out of money,https://youtu.be/F3YUfw9vaSY, so you should signup for one of his seminars....also stated he wasn't doing surgery now. Several recent videos appear to be focused on the wonders of HGH.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25147125/

More accurately, vitamin patches ARE drugs. As they have not been properly tested, they are unapproved new drugs. FDA does not generally test new drugs- manufacturers have to test drugs and show they are safe and effective before FDA will approve them. That's part of why new drugs are often very expensive. Dietary supplements, which are considered a subset of food must be taken by mouth. THEY ARE REGULATED under 21 CFR 111 and have to be safe, but do not have to show efficacy like drugs. Patch manufacturers are essentially making and marketing an illegal product, I imagine since the risk of harm is comparatively small, they are not a top priority for FDA drug personnel.

So I looked up the Bariatric Advantage chewy supplement and compared it to the Flintstones Complete. The Bariatric Advantage says to take two chews and listed almost exactly twice the DV of each vitamin as the Flintstones Complete which states take one. The exception was that B-vitamins, especially B12 were much higher in the Bariatric Advantage chews, and the BA chew did not have any iron. The chews were also $30 for 60 chews...pretty sure 60 Flintstones Completes are less than that. In both cases an additional calcium supplement would be necessary; the BA chews would need an iron supplement and the Flintstones would need the B- vitamins supplemented. Additionally, the vitamin/mineral Daily Values (DV) set by the FDA are the SAME for adults and children 4 and over- so the comparisons of the labels is really apples to apples. All OTC vitamins are produced by the poorly regulated dietary supplement industry, slapping a "bariatric" label on a bottle doesn't magically make it better.