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You find another doctor. No one should be subjected to insults. You are in this for the long haul and will depend on your doctor to be a partner in your progress. If he insults you he is not only unprofessional but also someone who will blame you for every problem you have post-op. My former doctor was an idiot and inexperienced to boot. It became obvious to me that he lacked in post-op skills - like how to do fills, reasonable weight loss expectations, etc.. I got the come to Jesus talk from him. All of his inadequicies became even more apparent when I took all my test results to an experienced bariatric doctor at a center on excellence. He told me I had a different size band (4cc) than what I was told by my former doctor (10cc) and he was very impressed with my weight loss (unlike my former doctor). What a difference. You owe it to yourself to find another doctor, even if you have to travel. Barring that, then you need to have a come to Jesus talk with this doctor and tell him you will not tolerate being insulted and will report him for unethical behavior if he continues. You need to be very specific about how you expect to be treated. Doctors are not very receptive to this, however. I also suggest that you ask for copies of all tests you had done pre-and post-op, including, and especially, your operative report. It is very important that you have these. Good luck.

I was in the same place as you are now. That's when I met Stacy with Bariatric Pal team MX. She talked to me about surgery in Mexico and let me know that the stigma that is attached is not true. I loved that Stacy and Bill lived there and knew the doctor's and hospitals. I knew they had actually lied eyes on things and could tell me the ends and outs of the Mexico medical tourism. I paid less than$5000.00 including my plane tickets. Best decision I have ever made! The support system is awesome! The preop and post op care is amazing! I couldn't believe that the whole experience was so great! You will know when the time is right for you. Do your research. Talk to different people about their experiences. Know what your getting into. It's not easy. Food is no longer comfort. I eat to live not live to eat. I was sleeved 3/8. If you have any questions just message me.

so what kind are you trying? My favorite is Muscle Milk 🍓. I also like part of the Premier Protein flavors, wondered why I couldn't find any at my Wal-Mart, then I read they are embroiled in a lawsuit. Dont know if they,arent shipping or Wal-Mart,isn't ordering. Do NOT buy their,house brand Equate it is VILE beyond all understanding! I would drink Slim-Fast first and I Do Not,Like it, not even before starting Bariatrics.

@@leag78 Hang in there---MANY of us have crazy stories like that, here's a synopsis of mine: --Hubby's work policy has specifically excluded WLS for at least 10 years --Last fall (early Oct), I looked into purchasing a policy for just me on the Affordable Care Marketplace ("Obamacare") --I'm in AZ, and all Marketplace policies must cover WLS -- not a well-known fact. I think it's 23 states ACA policies must cover WLS. Who knew? A fluke I found out... --Found a policy thru BCBS of AZ that costs about $600/month, but we save about $200/month by not included me on hubby's work policy. Expensive, kind of, but $3500 out of pocket max, after that, all is 100% covered. --Waited for open enrollment; purchased policy --BCBS sent me bariatric guidelines -- said 8-week pre-op diet; covers band, sleeve or bypass --Surgeon's office said have to do 6-month dr-supervised diet. Went round and round w/them since BCBS told me 8-week diet, not 6 months. --Yada, yada, yada -- finally, BCBS told me that they accidentally gave me the wrong guidelines. --UGH UGH UGH --'Real' guidelines say 6-month dr-supervised diet (which I'd done elsewhere, so that was ok for me), but only cover band and bypass, exclude sleeve. I have no idea why. --I get everything set up w/surgeon's office, have them change my file from wanting sleeve to bypass. They confirmed they had done that so when submitted to BCBS, it would say bypass since they don't cover sleeve on my policy. --Surgeon submits paperwork, I get call that my sleeve is approved. Yes, sleeve. --Dead silence on my part, then I ask 'so they now cover sleeve on my policy?" --Surgeon's office: "yes, they've specifically approved sleeve." I said, BUT IT'S NOT COVERED. --Surgeon's office checks w/BCBS again and lo and behold, sleeve is not covered. they were extremely apologetic, but I could have had sleeve surgery and they could have said 'oops', you're not covered for that!!!! --Plus, my surgeon's office had confirmed they'd changed my file to say bypass, but they obviously hadn't, and submitted me for sleeve (mistake) which BCBS approved (mistake) --Bottom line: Bypass surgery scheduled this Friday, day after tomorrow --Other bottom line: YOU have to be in charge of everything and know what's covered, what's not, get it all in writing, and triple-check EVERYTHING. Not to discourage you AT ALL, just offering advice. HANG IN THERE and keep your eye on the prize! Feel so very fortunate to have bypass covered, but what a huge hassle!!! I keep a spreadsheet of "to do's" and who I spoke with, etc. Names, dates, etc.

Talk with your surgeon - My *surgeon* required 1 class/month for 6 months, and that included weight/bp checks and turning in a food log. That filled the 6 month requirement for my insurance, and I felt a lot more prepared going into the surgery. I also believe that it is a requirement under the Bariatric Centers of Excellence program (if not required, it's definitely a good idea). The surgeon's office or hospital should also have an insurance coordinator for elective surgeries that can help you with the requirements.

Hi everyone, I have my surgery date on January 12th, 2015. YAY! I have been looking for shakes & vitamins/ supplements. The shipping and exchange rates from the American sites are outrages (158USD in product plus $40 shipping plus the exchange rates. So I am wondering where Canadian Sleevers buy their products?

Just got some bariatric fusion in the mail today.

My doctor put me on Bariatric Advantage.meal replacement shakes. I ordered the vanilla. They were fine, but I was unable to stomach it after surgery. Just to sweet and thick. I now drink unflavored protein powder in fat free milk. I love it and don't even want any flavors added to it. Boy, how my taste buds have changed.

I've been living nicotine free since August 13th 2013 and Friday night my husband took me out for drinks and I had 2 cigarettes well today I met with the bariatric office for the first time and I have 2 do nicotine test for 3 months so I'm probably going to fail the first one. Man I'm so pissed at myself!

Daniella, I do not appreciate your SPAM in my inbox. I have reported you to Bariatric Pal with your initial post as it appeared in my email. If we hadn't tried alternatives before surgery, we wouldn't be here. Your input is NOT appreciated.

It sounds like you are at the front end of the process so I will discuss the steps along the way from my experience. I attended an introductory seminar at a hospital that specialized in bariatric surgery. In this seminar, the various types of surgery were discussed, I underwent an initial screening, I met with the surgeon and selected the surgery, and I met with the liaisons on insurance. Insurance is an important consideration for this type of surgery. My insurance required that I undergo a 6 month medically supervised weight loss and exercise program in order to qualify. So I began this program. I underwent a mandatory psychological review to see if I would qualify. Many of the weight loss problems have a psychological component to them. I began attending free bariatric surgery support group meetings once per month. I began to diet and exercise on a daily program. I went cold turkey on caffeine and carbonated beverages. I had been on a 6 diet-coke per day habit for many decades. I went through a week of terrible withdrawal syndromes after I went cold turkey. After 6 months my insurance indicated that I qualified for the surgery. I underwent a one day pre-op physical exam to uncover any physical problems that might endanger my operation or recovery. These uncovered a few problems, so I underwent a second round of pre-op exams with specialist in their respective fields to resolve these issues. I attended a one-day training session that went into fine detail about the surgery, the vitamin/protein/fluid/meal volume allocation after surgery. I underwent a RNY gastric bypass operation 17 months ago. I lost 110 pounds. I am now at 150 pounds. My diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, frequent urination problems, profuse sweating have all gone into remission. In clothes, I went from a size 3X in shirts down to a size small. In pants, I went from a size 46 down to a size 33.

So, I'm the girl that woke up after band removal only to discover they couldn't do my revision to RNY....too much damage and inflammation, too risky to revise at that time. Six months later I got my RNY. The first few weeks in between totally sucked. I was an emotional mess. Mad at my body, mad at myself, mentally a mess. But time moved on and next month I'm 1 year post RNY. I have lost much slower than my bariatric surgery virgin counterparts. But I've lost and it has been so much easier than my band ever was. At 5'6 and 195', I'm about 40 pounds from a healthy weight. I can eat small amounts of almost anything. I never get stuck, slime, throw up. I never have pain. I do dump and still get random bouts of nausea from time to time. I no longer feel starved or deprived. It has been fabulous. You'll do fine and are normal to have fears . You'd be crazy not to!!!!!

You need to find a way to get unfilled. For one, you're begging for a slip with it being too tight for months. The fact you're using alcohol as a way to eat is downright dangerous. It's not horribly uncommon for people to have transfer addiction, or essentially trade addictions, after bariatric surgery. By drinking as a way to eat you're putting yourself at high risk for alcoholism. More than just your band is at risk, your overall health is at great risk. Find a way to get an unfill before you do serious damage. Best wishes.

I am sorry to here that you are feeling unsupported in this. It seems like your husband is dealing with some self esteem issues that he is projecting onto you. I have a very supportive husband he too does have some esteem issues as well but he never makes me feel bad like that. We aren't as intimate as I would like to be & I attribute it my health issues & our son he's 2 & sometimes being parents just interferes with wanting to be sexual. However the things you described don't sound that way they sound emotionally abusive. It sounds like you already carry enough emotional baggage from your other life experiences that cause you pain without the person whose supposed to love you for better or worse making you feel like crap. I would suggest seeking out a counselor would deals with family & bariatric patients so that they can work with you as a bariatric patient, as a married woman & potentially you & your husband to work thru your issues as a couple. I wish you luck with your process I get my RNY tomorrow & have been thru the 6 month waiting game & insurance approval process so I sympathize with you. You will get where you need to be don't let other people drag you down with them.

In our program, orientation was really just a high level overview of the bariatric program itself. They had 2 patients who were about 1 year and 2 years out from surgery respectively. They talked about their journey and allowed us to ask some questions. They then had the main nurse who coordinates things come in and speak for a bit, followed by one of the nutritionists and then a short video by one of the surgeons.

I finally meet w/ my bariatric doctor today. Im not sure what to expect can someone tell me what to expect please?? Does he give me a list of requirements, do I have to find a nutritionist, etc??.... What I have done in the mean time while I waited for the appointment was to schedule a sleep study, get a referral for a psychiatrist, put all my weightloss documents together and my letter for the insurance. I just want to make sure when I see the doctor im pretty much half way through the list of requirements. Im ready to be on the losers bench ????

I am speaking in general, because your requirements might be different, driven by your insurance. First determine whether they cover bariatric surgery. There usually are BMI requirements. Most follow NIH guidelines: > 40 BMI for a certain amount of time; > 35 BMI with 1 or 2 co-morbidities. Sometimes the insurance company requires that the surgery be done in a Bariatric Center of Excellence, sometimes not. Your insurance may have a certain number of nutritionist appointments you need to complete, usually 3 or 6, one month apart. If you miss one, you may have to start over. The hospital usually has a nutritionist they are associated with that has the schedule set up for these monthly meetings. Your hospital program may or may not have a bariatric coordinator that keeps track of the requirements met and those that still have to be completed. Sounds great that you are proactive in getting things scheduled!

I wish you all the best!! I also just got my approval last week and will be having my surgery on 2/15/11. I was lucky in that from first appointment until surgery date it will only be 2 1/2 months. Dr. Strickland's staff stayed on top of everything and was really on the ball in getting everything I needed done fast. I have been obese for 20 years and come from a fanily that as weight issues. I never thought I would have surgery because several people in my family had the gastric bypass and gained all their weight back. But my back went out in August and was barely able to leave the house for 3 months and the doctor said if I didn't get the weight off I would be cripple by the time I got in my 60s. So after some research and realizing that my family failed with their surgeries because they never changed their lifestyles I was determined to do the lapband. I was getting a little discouraged during the process of approval but once I got my date I had renewed determination. Can't wait for 2/15/11.

Hello Everyone, Let me introduce myself. My name is Enrique “Henry” Cortez, I am the Office Manager for Bariatric Pal Team MX. Having been born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, I have the advantage of growing up in the highly dynamic and always changing bi-cultural environment of the Tijuana-San Diego area and I am 100% bilingual. I have a Bachelors in Communications from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. I have applied my knowledge and skills in the fields of Government Communications Offices, Television & Film industry, Logistics and Transportation, Customer Service, Sales, Technical Support, Telemarketing and Medical Tourism in the capacity of Team Leader, Supervisor, Coordinator and Manager. What can I do for you? I can help you with your invoice, financing, surgery date and anything related to coordinating your surgery. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding your surgery. Have a wonderful day!

I'm 12/18 with Dr. Hamilton at KC Bariatric Center.

I was just reading what another patient, age about 40, wrote pre-op about her wls goals. She said that she wanted to fall in love and get married. NOT that she wanted to be healthy, or to move better (her pre-op BMI was around 55), or to be able to fit in normal-sized places, or to NOT be pre-judged by strangers based on her obesity, or to be able to go shopping without becoming exhausted or needing a helper, or to NOT base her restaurant choices on which ones had armless chairs, or to be able to go out of town and know that if her luggage was lost she could buy clothes...etc. Nope, she had an adolescent, romantic vision of what wls would do for her. So, after this woman lost a considerable amount of weight and got down to a BMI of 27 or so...and she hadn't found Prince Charming...she picked up drinking as a substitute behavior...and regained to a BMI of 35...so far. I would HOPE that any mental health professional or bariatric surgeon would recognize that having the dream of falling in love and getting married at the top of her list was like a warning flag. This woman doesn't know who she is or what she wants, other than she just wants to be acceptable to a man. WLS does what it does. People who are counting on it to solve all of their problems should be educated on what they can reasonably expect the surgery to do and what needs another approach.

Hi bullwinkle, I "flunked" my MMP and I was told the same thing. They wanted me to take 12 sessions for anger management issues which in my opinion were totally unband related. All of this was really about the shrink's office who was just pissed off that I called a half dozen times after waiting almost a month for test results. I got angry wiht her receptionist since they kept putting me off with no answers and they didnt like me pushing them. I had to find another surgeon since they were tied to a training hospital and I had to meet the criteria even though it wasnt a trial and my insurance was paying. I went to a second shirnk specializing in food disorders who actually interviewed me for two hours instead of taking a test, which was not a requirement for my insurance anyway. She wrote a letter saying that I wasnt insane and although she didnt support bariatric surgery, she felt I knew what i was doing and cleared me on the mental front. I DID on my own go to a therapist post band for almost a year to try to resolve some of my issues. Not anger management, but the other stuff that happens when you lose a lot of weight. I advise everyone who has insurance that will cover therapy to take advantage of that if you can. It didnt solve my problems but it sure helped me to "think" differently. Good luck!!! Babs in TX 334/190 ish 3 1/2 years and counting.... and still insane!!!

I'm 5yrs out and I am brutally honest about this surgery. I am the type I'd rather you tell me like it is instead of sugar coating it. I've lied to myself almost my whole life with the "I don't eat that much.." excuse. I am where I am today because I did it to myself. The obesity I did myself and the surgery I did to myself. I accept my actions and trust me its a dark life when ur in a hospital and all u have is urself and ur thoughts. I do not intend to terrify ppl to have the surgery but I can say this I care enough for my fellow bari patients to tell yall the truth and what can happen. Bariatric surgery has became so mainstream now I fear a lot don't take this seriously hence why suicide, sex addictio. Or alcoholism rates are so high for us. The reason you will probably hear about my story in every post is bc I would have truly appreciated someone in my pre-op post-op days coming to me with the truth. Instead I felt dooped. Out of all the reading on forums etc not once were there a person openly honest about how it truly affected them. Do you know how hard it is to be deathly sick and you hear rude comments from nurses such as "bet ya wished u had just got a gym membership huh?!" Or to have your family just get tired of listening or you lose relationships bc of your condition? It really hurts to come to a site and literally pour your heart out only to be berated by somebody you look to for support. We may weave our story in all the time but we do so bc we know or HOPE fellow bari pt will listen and not mind to do so bc unlike everyone else we r all supposed to be on the same road. Accept us all no matter what bc haven't we lived a life of hell prior to surgery due to the constant degeading conments and stares...let this be the one place u can trust to come to and know ur not going to be hurt..we r all entitled to that. =)

I was given a list of aproved shakes and vitamins at my first visit to the Bariatric clinic. I take Celebrate Vitamins. I ordered a sample package of them and decided on my flavors pre-op. I chose this brand due to price and the ease of scheduling them through my day.

My NUT recommended the Bariatric Advantage Vitamins. She suggested taking 2 calcium citrate per day--- they are a pleasant caramel taste. I also take the Bariatric Advantage "Ultra Multi Formula with Iron". I take the calcium citrate in the morning and evening, and the multi-Vitamin in the middle of the day so the Iron and calcium don't negate each other out.