imaginegirl

It's good to hear that my diet will be flexible. The surgeon I'm thinking about does have a dietician, so I can talk to them about it. They're more informed than a surgeon about food choices anyway.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback!

I went to one bariatric surgeon who said I'd have to go on the Keto diet after surgery. I'm a vegetarian, and I have no desire to go on a diet that doesn't allow Beans, complex carb grains, and minimally sweetened yogurt (the kind recommended by bariatric surgeons).

If I tell another surgeon that I will not go on a keto diet after surgery, are they likely to deny my surgery?

On 8/2/2015 at 6:53 PM, grruss said:

It is a nicotine delivery method, if you choose to use nicotine.

@grruss, vaporizing weed does not involve nicotine. It produces vapor. And the weed doesn't combust, hence it is not damaging like nicotine. Perhaps I misunderstood you.

Yeah, I read that banana pudding and a few others are vegan. That might work.

1 hour ago, ShoppGirl said:

The hospital should call you a day or two prior to your surgery. I would ask them what options they will have for you. I know all I had was broth while I was in the hospital. I don’t think they even offered me Jello now that you mention it.

That's a relief!

When you're in the hospital, do they feed you instant pudding and Jello? I'm a vegetarian and I don't eat Gelatin products. I'm wondering if there are alternatives to these foods in the hospital.

@Darcell76, I hope you are doing well.

I'm still waiting to hear from the surgeon to schedule an appointment. But I'm wanting to get all of my questions written down so I'll be ready when he does schedule.

I got it in my head that they required you to lose 10%. Guess that's not true, thank God.

What if I can't lose weight before the surgery? To lose 10% of my weight, I need to shed 25 lbs. That's a lot and could take 6 months. Has that happened to anyone?

@Smanky, you give me hope :).

On 9/15/2021 at 7:19 AM, NinaMariexo said:

I am on my 2 week liquid diet, 12 days to go before surgery. I’ve been doing good so far! I’ve been smoking weed for years, as it helps me sleep and calms my anxiety. I prefer it over any pharmaceutical. I quit blunt wraps for the surgery because I am not addicted to tobacco thankfully. Because I’ve been smoking for years, I no longer have munchies. That was one of the effects as a newbie smoker, but now I don’t have them or I alternate to healthy Snacks. Smoking has been helping me get through the pre op diet. As long as I have the “munchies” under control, should I be safe to smoke after the surgery? Any other bariatric stoners out there?

@NinaMariexo, you didn't have to stop smoking before the surgery?

5 hours ago, ChubRub said:

I 100% blame myself for eating my way to morbid obesity, but even though I was ashamed of myself I still felt that I deserved to feel better, and WLS was the solution for me. I still remember the excitement of making my first appointment, and then the excitement of telling my husband about it. It truly was a whirlwind, and I can't believe it was 2 1/2 years ago. Best thing I ever did!!!!

@ChubRub, I know what you mean about the excitement. I've already told family and a few friends because I can't hold back the excitement.

5 hours ago, summerseeker said:

I ate myself to disability, I just got the news that I was diabetic on top of everything else I had. My moment had come, I decided pretty quickly that being so disabled, dieting again was not an option. Surgery it was. Now I am 90 pounds down and can walk again. I have my independence back

.

@summerseeker congratulations on being able to walk again! I hate walking, even while listening top podcasts or Audible books. But I guess I'll have to get used to it. From everything I've read, I'll need to walk a few times a day post-op. Ugh.

16 hours ago, Smanky said:

My golden rule is: Don't beat yourself up, but do take accountability and work to change it. I ate myself into 130kg. There were certainly external factors that influenced it - I used to turn to cigarettes in times of stress, and in the long process of quitting, turned to food instead. Got addicted to sugar. I have an addictive personality, so I'm prone to it.

I regret getting myself there. I felt horrible, and hit really low points in the year before my surgery. It's not a nice place to be. BUT - I did take charge, I did make the steps towards my last option to fix it with getting my bypass. I'm responsible for my obesity, but I won't beat myself up about it. We're human, we make mistakes, some of them affect our health, but there's nothing that self-flagellation can fix. Instead, embrace the steps to change, and cheer yourself on.

Your first appointment towards fixing yourself is a big step in taking yourself back - be happy with yourself for taking it! xx

@Smanky, how did you deal with sugar addiction post surgery? I have a bit of a problem there :).

@suzannethemom, year of ME...I love it!! I lost myself in my family and work problems for years. It's time for me to take my life back!

What a relief. Since obesity runs in my family, I'm prepared to be very diligent about my lifestyle choices after the surgery. I don't want to end up life 2 family members and gain back the weight.

Glad your health is better now!

Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am having a hard time not blaming myself for being 100 pounds overweight and having high cholesterol, high blood sugar, fatty liver, and other health problems.

How did I get here, I've been asking myself.

• I was under the most extreme stress of my life for the past several years. I lost track of the fact that stress can affect the heart and cholesterol, etc. or I would have handled things differently. Now I might be having heart problems, which I NEVER though would happen...I'm very careful not to eat foods that are high in saturated fat.
• Genetics are working against me. My father and brother were about 100 pounds overweight when they had sleeve surgery, and a few cousins had gastric bypass surgery.
• I've taken medications that affect the metabolic system, so I think that system is totally dysfunctional now.

I feel like I've failed my body by not taking care of it. It makes me very sad. On the other hand, I feel like this body isn't really mine. The real me is hidden in this body. But I swear to you I've had the best of intentions. I have done some things right, like eating lots of vegetables and fruits and drinking tons of Water.

I'm making an appointment with a bariatric surgeon to discuss gastric bypass surgery. That day can't come soon enough. I'm looking forward to being on the path that you all have bravely taken.

Has anyone else had feelings like these? I seem to be overcome by them lately.

One of my registration forms for the bariatric doctor says that recent alcohol use can disqualify you from getting the surgery.

I drank heavily for several years and stopped about a month ago. I can't start drinking again and don't want to start again because of health concerns.

Do you think this will disqualify me? I searched the forums and couldn't find any info about this, only about post-op drinking.

I'm watching a video given by a bariatric surgeon. Now I see that the surgery can get rid of things like high BP and heart disease. Good news!

My only question is that, as long as you don't regain the weight, will these symptoms come back?

Hi, I'm considering bariatric surgery. I've been on a medication for decades and have ended up weighing 250 lbs at 5'3". I can't stop taking this medicine, and there are no alternatives. And as with everyone here, no weight loss or exercise plan has helped me lose weight and keep it off.

So...as a result of taking this med, I have metabolic syndrome. That means high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and obesity.

I've finally come to the conclusion that bariatric surgery might be my best solution.

Has anyone else conquered metabolic syndrome (or any of these symptoms) with bariatric surgery?

Thank you for your advice!

17 hours ago, biginjapan said:

I'm also short (5'3") and for my first surgery was 150 pounds overweight, for my most recent revision, 100 pounds overweight (which put me at 41 BMI). I had no other co-morbidities at the time of either surgery. However, I was self-pay for both, so did not have to go through insurance at all. Unfortunately I think insurance companies have more say than doctors do, but if you meet the minimum requirement I can't see why they wouldn't accept you for surgery. Just don't lose any weight until you get approved!

Yeah. I was going to start Weight Watchers in case the surgeon requires me to lose weight. But then I decided to wait to see if he requires it. if he does, I want to get credit for all the weight i lose starting with our first appt.

17 hours ago, AZhiker said:

the surgeons want you to be successful, because that makes then successful. The surgeon wants to know that this procedure will improve your life and that the benefits out weigh the risks. It is the insurance company that dictates what will be approved as far as BMI, comorbidities, etc. The surgeon will do the surgery as long as they know they will get paid and that you aren't going to die on the table. Obese patients are higher risk patients. That's why many surgeons require cardiac clearance -they need to know it is safe to operate on someone. The psych and nutrition consults are important for long term success - the surgeon does not want his patients to fail. So the bottom line is that if you are medically cleared, and you are psychologically prepared, the surgeon will most likely go ahead as long as you meet the insurance criteria which means he/she gets paid.

Thank you for the confirmation. I feel better prepared to meet the dr in two weeks.

10 hours ago, BayougirlMrsS said:

I suggest you do a little homework first. Call your insurance company and ask what are the requirements for WLS. Back in 2009 (lapband) the insurance i had the requirements were..... 35 bmi with 2 co morbids OR over 40 bmi with no co's. I quilified for the 40 bmi.
I am also 5'2".... (this is one time where being short pays off). I was 232lbs so my bmi was around 42 i think. WLS was a life saver for me in so many ways. Because i had the LB my weight loss was so, but i stuck with it and followed the rules. Got to 143lbs and stayed there for nearly 8 years. Then in March of 2017, after years of zero problems, i got sick and for a week i threw up violently, slipped my band and had to have her removed. Over the next 2.5+ years (and starting menopause) i put back 30lbs of the 89 i lost. Which was still great.... but i hated how i felt. I also hated that no matter what i did.... diet, diet pills, not eating, tracking food, crossfit,.... nothing stopped it. After about a year without her i realized i wouldn't be able to keep all the weigh off with out some intervention. So i started looking for a Dr. to do a revision. My plan was to get the MGB, but no one would do it..... all i kept hearing was... You don't weigh enough.... ughhhh. I started plans to go down to Mex and have it done there.... then on a last ditch effort i called a local Dr. and had a meeting with him. He agreed that had i NOT been a previous WLS patient he would never do anything.... BUT because i was he could get me in as a "revision". So on Aug. 28, 2019 i went in for the Sleeve. No, it's not what i wanted, but i grabbed the chance and ran with it... that and 14K. Mex was about 9-10k i think. Yes i would have saved a few thousand, but it was worth the extra to have my dr. 10 min from me and not in Mex.

Today, i happy at my current weight of 131lbs. The day i was sleeved i was 173.5lbs. Worth every cent of that 14k.

I've talked to the ins co three times about the requirements and they said I'll be qualified as long as the psych exam goes ok. I do meet the min BMI. I just wondered about which qualifications are the doctor's vs the ins co. I'll know more soon because I finally got my drs appt.

8 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

most insurance companies and surgeons follow the guidelines of BMI of 35-40 you need to have two co-morbidities, and BMI 40+ no co-morbidities needed.

I can't remember who puts out those guidelines, but they're the ones most places follow.

As someone said above, there are surgeons who will do the surgery even if you don't meet the guidelines, but insurance companies are pretty strict about it.

i talked to a third person at the insurance company who gave me more precise info. She said sometimes the surgeon is strict about their own requirements because they want the patient to be successful. But as far as ins goes, I do meet the requirements of 40 or higher BMI.

I've been waiting to get into a certain bariatric surgeon for 2 months because he's been bombarded with interest. In that time, I've had a lot of time to research and ask questions.

I am 5'2" and 100 lbs overweight. I've tried several things to lose weight -- going to the gym, doing power yoga, walking, counting calories, Weight Watchers several times, giving up sugar and white food, eating as few things a day as possible.

I'm never able to stay on my routine without getting discouraged that I haven't lost much. And of course, I gain back the weight and more.

You know how it goes.

So...I don't have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or other conditions that weight can effect. I do have a family history of these two and diabetes.

Do surgeons make a decision to operate based on your BMI *and* other health issues?

What if you don't have other health issues as I do? Is my chance of getting surgery less?

My insurance company says my BMI has to be over 40 OR I have to have these comorbid condition. I'm OK as far as that goes, I think unless I flunk the psychiatric exam.