Niabird

I had mine on 2/21. I did push out my departure by a day and left Sunday instead of Saturday. All of us that were there had successful procedures, one lady was admitted to hospital for inpatient surgery after her endoscopy revealed it would need to be an open, not laparoscopic procedure, so they are prepared with hospital care if needed. I also had a hiatal hernia repair so I had a little sub sternal pain (also, I’m allergic to Toradol so I had slightly less pain meds than everyone else but it was manageable)
Drs and nurses were great. The pre op testing is super thorough. I liked the hotel and the transportation as a nice touch. Not having to rent a car reduced the stress and there is a Walmart a walkable distance from the hotel to grab supplies if needed. We ubered to the strip once or twice to check things out before surgery and it was affordable. Good luck !!

I’m glad you’ve had a great experience with them! Everything I have read has been nothing but positive. I’m so excited!!

I had mine on 2/21. I did push out my departure by a day and left Sunday instead of Saturday. All of us that were there had successful procedures, one lady was admitted to hospital for inpatient surgery after her endoscopy revealed it would need to be an open, not laparoscopic procedure, so they are prepared with hospital care if needed. I also had a hiatal hernia repair so I had a little sub sternal pain (also, I’m allergic to Toradol so I had slightly less pain meds than everyone else but it was manageable)
Drs and nurses were great. The pre op testing is super thorough. I liked the hotel and the transportation as a nice touch. Not having to rent a car reduced the stress and there is a Walmart a walkable distance from the hotel to grab supplies if needed. We ubered to the strip once or twice to check things out before surgery and it was affordable. Good luck !!

I had mine on 2/21. I did push out my departure by a day and left Sunday instead of Saturday. All of us that were there had successful procedures, one lady was admitted to hospital for inpatient surgery after her endoscopy revealed it would need to be an open, not laparoscopic procedure, so they are prepared with hospital care if needed. I also had a hiatal hernia repair so I had a little sub sternal pain (also, I’m allergic to Toradol so I had slightly less pain meds than everyone else but it was manageable)
Drs and nurses were great. The pre op testing is super thorough. I liked the hotel and the transportation as a nice touch. Not having to rent a car reduced the stress and there is a Walmart a walkable distance from the hotel to grab supplies if needed. We ubered to the strip once or twice to check things out before surgery and it was affordable. Good luck !!

I had mine on 2/21. I did push out my departure by a day and left Sunday instead of Saturday. All of us that were there had successful procedures, one lady was admitted to hospital for inpatient surgery after her endoscopy revealed it would need to be an open, not laparoscopic procedure, so they are prepared with hospital care if needed. I also had a hiatal hernia repair so I had a little sub sternal pain (also, I’m allergic to Toradol so I had slightly less pain meds than everyone else but it was manageable)
Drs and nurses were great. The pre op testing is super thorough. I liked the hotel and the transportation as a nice touch. Not having to rent a car reduced the stress and there is a Walmart a walkable distance from the hotel to grab supplies if needed. We ubered to the strip once or twice to check things out before surgery and it was affordable. Good luck !!

I underwent VSG at Blossom Bariatrics/Warm Springs Surgical Center on 1/24/19. My surgeon was Dr. Matt Apel. I have nothing but positive things to say. Their staff members were amazing, but more importantly, they were completely thorough in everything they did- from the pre-op work-up, to surgery, to the IV infusion the day after surgery. They even emailed me copies of the surgical report and pathology reports. Everything was spectacular. The hotel they put us in was nice, clean, and quiet. The presidential ground transportation they provided was also very convenient for out of towners like myself. I’m a registered nurse with a background in pre-op/post-op, so I tend to pay attention to things that most people don’t notice. I found absolutely nothing to critique. Every T was crossed, and every I was dotted. I honestly can’t think of a single thing to complain about. If your insurance won’t pay to have bariatric surgery done locally (and even if it does), then I 110% whole-heartedly recommend Blossom Bariatrics.

Preop has been challenging that's for sure, my 4th day was the worst...its been much easy after I got over that hump. Stick to it, I have read and been told that recovery is much easier when you follow a good preop diet. Everything all works together. Congrats on your date. You got this!

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Yay! I fly out Sunday!!! I am ready to get this going!!

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I am scheduled for February 1st. I think my biggest dread is making it through the 2 week pre-op diet!
Good luck to you for your January 9th surgery.

Just had my last appointment with my pcp and she green lighted me so that’s my last hurdle I’m good to go on 2/21🙂

Also posted in surgery success
Through trial & error, I have hit a point where maintenance just feels normal. My eating habits are so ingrained that I'd actually have to TRY to regain. NEVER thought I'd say THAT!
My sleeve was 1/23/12 and I was 275. Within 9 months I was at goal, had tt/panni 10/2013. Maintenance was a very thin tight-rope. I was following the plan, high Protein, low fat, almost no carbs. It worked but 1 tiny splurge and I'd be up a pound or so. I hovered around 120-125. Which is great, but it was taking so much vigilance.
About a year ago, I noticed that when I ate my favorite ribs from a local BBQ place, my weight dropped. Calories didn't seem to matter??
After noticing this pattern for a bit, I began experimenting with other fatty foods. Olive oil, butter, real cheese, eggs, Mayonnaise, avocados, burgers (sans bun) When I eat these foods, I get full quickly and have no hunger for HOURS! Fat at Breakfast is important for me as then I naturally eat less throughout the day.
I eat whatever I want, stop at the 1st sign of full, only eat when PHYSICALLY hungry. I splurge once a month or so (really, that's all I desire as I am very satisfied with my eating) When I DO splurge on pizza, bagel, dessert, etc... I THOROUGHLY enjoy the F#*K out of it!
Now, I eat what I want, enjoy what I eat, no cravings, no weighing or measuring, no counting calories & no stress maintenance. My desires to binge eat have been gone for a long time. Surprisingly my cholesterol is NORMAL, I feel great and my weight hovers between 116-117. Now I (FINALLY) can eat to live not live to eat!
I'm very happy that I've found what works for me, I would love to understand WHY?

i had my sleeve 3 hours away. I went to the 2 week follow up and then my next appt is Jan 9th. I asked for a phone appt so i dont have to drive 6 hours for a 15 min visit. I will find out how it goes here in the next week or so and can let you know. I do know there are support groups locally that i can participate in and my Dr. Office also does an online support group. My new insurance after the 1st of the year also has a support group of some sort for weight loss that i am going to look into.

I am 57, 5’9, 231 on day of surgery with a BMI if 34 or so . High weight of 243. Very similar story , years of managing weight in my 20’s and 30’s and 40’s through starvation and extreme exercise. Post menopause the wheels came off and I just couldn’t lose and kept gaining . This was only and best option - was sleeved Thursday the 20th and feel great . Have lost 12lbs since the start of my Pre op 2 week diet . Walking a lot and hope to spin next week - go for it !

@Niabird. I'm going to Blossom, my surgery is 1/9, I'll keep you updated on how it goes. I had a friend go 2 years before they had the FastTrak program and has nothing but great things to say about the facility, Dr.'s and staff.

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I can tell you an answer, at 70 you will weigh 320, and you looking will start looking for help, you will try to find a program, nearly complete the only one you think will accept you , for many have a 55, 60, 65 year old age cutoff, then for reasons not yours your job and insurance terminate and you resign yourself to trying to lose weight on yourown, and you start trying multiple diets, and it doesn't work, you might lose 5-10 pounds only to regain it all and then some. You drag your fat self to your Primary Care doctor, humble yourself. and ask for some chemical help. You are put on a medication other patients have used with success, you keep a perfect diet journal, and you really are trying hard. At the end of the month you go back to be weighed and re-evaluated. And you have LOST no weight, instead you have GAINED 30 more pounds which you can ill- afford. PCP looks from you to your journal and back again. He does not say so, but you can see disbelief in his eyes. Finally he throwshis hands up, says " I have done what I could, go back to the Bariatric Surgeon." So once again you go back , at 365 pounds, more than you weighed for the first attempt. Since it is now 18 months later, you have to re-fulfill all the previous requirements plus now they add 2 more specialists. But still you go do them in good faith, and the time is approaching to be scheduled a surgery date. And you wait and wait, finally you start calling the office, and each time you are given a new excuse, flimsy as they be. Finally the end of February, when they bled all the monies out of your insurances, they announce they will not perform your surgery. I will not dignify them by stating their reasoning but it was an attack upon my very psychological/ emotional being. The only thing keeping me from binging on good at this point for solace was the fact I was too nauseous and somewhere deep inside remained the one shred of self- respect they had not stomped to death. I cried, I puked, considering suicide but they had convinced me I was such a screw-up I couldn't do THAT right either.
A week passed, I looked at my swollen eyes in the mirror, Said " Old Girl, you are better than this- are they going to kill all your hopes?" There were 2 other facilities in this city, all rated Bariatric Centers of Excellence, what would it hurt to explore their programs? So I booked at their seminars, looked up bios on all the surgeons at both places, did the research I should have done before attempting facility #1 where I was assigned someone. This time I would do the picking, I would secure someone wh9 be as close to perfection as I could find. After #1 had told me No One Would Want Me, this new facility welcomed me with open arms, asked how they could Help me to achieve My Dreams instead of being "takers" that regarded me as little more than a meal ticket, these were giving loving individuals who seemed to have my interest at❤and I had the feeling of being home. So I was accepted into their programs and it will be soon time to chose a surgeon , after some minor loose ends of requirements were tied up.
And I looked , I prayed, I thought about both of them, and I knew which one I was hoping for but when Jessica one of the pre-coordinators called I was nice and. said " Whichever has the first opening" finally I stated the one I REALLY WANTED, Dr Bradley J Needleman, the chief of Bariatric Medicine and Metabolic Weight Loss at the Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio, who performed my RnY on September 5th 2018, at 72 the oldest patient he had ever had, but in many ways healthier than the run-of-the -mill 72 year old and I will be forever in his debt. In my ❤of❤ he is a miracle worker. And even though facets of my recovery have been and remain difficult, He and his Partner Dr Sabrena Noria have worked to make things better and like me, we will see things through to their conclusion. I wish I had found them sooner, wish I had not had Dr Evil Mc Nasty and his band of misfits in my past, wish I could have had my surgery at a much younger age, you simply heal much slower in your 7th or 8th decade of life, but at least they have given me a chance to live healthier, longer and Praise God thinner than I once was. Don't wait until your BMI surpasses 50 to seek yours, I have lost 110 pounds since High weight but I STILL have about 80 to go, I was carrying around an NFL linebacker on my body, my body was breaking under the weight, I have sacrificed both my knees to science, and replacements,nice as they are, only 85% as good, there are activities my body cannot do again, I was a power forward/basketball center, a baseball/softball catcher, I was so good my boy cousins stopped challenging me to "Horse" their tender egos couldn't stand being trolled. And I was the only person in my neighborhood with a strong enough arm to throw to bases, didn't pitch because I DIDN'T want to, and the windup in Girls Softball was asinine in the first place.
So have I given you enough reasons to seek surgery at this Golden Time? Don't let Obesity side-line You like it ended up for me, Go and enjoy fitness in Your Life! Frustr8 out for I have spoke my piece.😝🎄😝🎁and Happy Christmas!

Some of this is also about prevention. Diets don't work for you or you wouldn't have gone this far with surgery. If you weigh 235 at 40 and chose not to get the surgery, how much will you weigh at 50? The surgery is most effective if done early in the obesity process and you will have less issues with excess skin etc. Don't chicken out. I am exactly one week post op and it's been an easy recovery. No big deal at all. Just do it.P.S.I am a 5'10" man with a heighest weight of 256 and a surgery weight of 231 and a BMI at surgery of around 34. Statistically speaking my odds of reaching a BMI of 25 is around 85% and my odds of hitting a BMI of under 30 is 95%. Should I have waited to get up to 300 or 350 to do the surgery when my odds of success drop significantly--pushing me to consider more invasive procedures like RNY or SIPS? Of course not. I have T2DM and this was a no brainier for me.
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I had my sleeve done last Wednesday at Blossom, and they are as advertised. That practice is a well-oiled machine, and less than a week out I am feeling surprisingly good. I did not even have much in the way of gas pains. The worst of it was the side effects of the anesthesia and anti-nausea meds, which was gone within 2 days of surgery. I seriously debated flying out on day 5 or staying an extra day, but really wanted to get home to recover rather than stay in a motel room. I was able to fly as scheduled on Friday without any problems.
I am post-menopausal and had reached a point where after years of yo-yo dieting, I simply could not lose and keep off weight. Last summer I tried a diet clinic and ended up even worse off, gaining back 15 pounds I had lost earlier in the year. YouTube's Dr. Weiner says that weight loss surgery is basically a one-time offer--only redeem if you cannot lose and keep weight off any other way. I feel I had certainly reached that point, and I had the surgery with a BMI around 35. I am down 16 pounds since I started my pre-op diet December 1 (a few days early). In comparison, earlier in the year it took me about twice as long to lose the same amount, and I plateaued after losing 25. This was on a low fat, low carb, low calorie diet that was torture the entire time. I am glad that I did this after entering menopause, because I rapidly gained a lot of weight at that time and hope that the hormonal aspect of weight gain is behind me now, so that my redeeming this offer will result in a lifelong improvement in my health.

I am 52. I weighed 231 the day of surgery. BMI was 36 at that time. Don;t be ruled by the numbers!

When I began I knew it was right for me for medical reasons. I started the process but went on an extended vacation. While there I still I tried to lose weight on my own and honestly for the first time. I actively gained almost 5 lbs in 2months. I said screw it, set the rest of my appointments upon my return within a 2 week period and rushed it along.
I'm guessing you're taller than me, nearly everyone is, so our starting BMI is not the same or age but surgery day weight is/maybe similar. It was a great choice for me and I stand behind it.

I’m a very nearly 40yo mom and wife who has been on the weight roller coaster since probably birth. Im self pay and booked in at Blossom in Vegas around president’s day. Most days I’m sure this is the right choice since I just cannot keep near a healthy weight, but other days I think that a starting weight between 225-230 (depends on time of day) is not enough to justify this drastic of a change. Any input?

I’m a very nearly 40yo mom and wife who has been on the weight roller coaster since probably birth. Im self pay and booked in at Blossom in Vegas around president’s day. Most days I’m sure this is the right choice since I just cannot keep near a healthy weight, but other days I think that a starting weight between 225-230 (depends on time of day) is not enough to justify this drastic of a change. Any input?

CONGRATS 💜

Thanks for sharing your experience. Some insurance companies approve low BMI with comorbidities. Glad you found a self pay route. Congrats on your weight loss.

Day of surgery I was 234 and 45 years old. It was enough to justify having surgery to get my health back. Second guessing, getting nervous, and questioning your decision is normal.
You have time to think this over.

Seriously, tell the time you were on a diet and lost 24 pounds in 6 weeks (and could keep it off)??? This isn't about instant gratification.... it's about changing your life FOREVER! If you lose 1.5 pounds a week on average, that's 78 pounds in a year. I don't know where you are starting from, but that's a pretty impressive result. Some people are going to drop faster, but then slow down. Others are slow, but steady. It really doesn't matter if you end up in the same place.

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