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I was sleeved on the 26th. My doctors office makes us buy their products for pre and post op. at first that annoyed me but it is making this a lot easier to manage in the long run. I bought core protein shakes, chocolate pudding mixes, cream of chicken soup mix, and hot chocolate mix. They are all formulated with protein. I have had no trouble getting my water in bc I always seem to feel thirsty. I have made a routine of sorts so that I get 3-4 protein supplements consumed in addition to just constantly sipping the water. We are also allowed SF jello and SF Popsicles which are counted towards water consumption. My bottle holds 24 ounces so I'm finishing one in the morning, one before "dinner time" and then another in the evening by bedtime. I take a lot of pills and vitamins in the am and pm which take FOREVER to swallow but I usually down about half the water bottle by the time I'm done. I also walk about three times a day including a one mile walk so I'm constantly sipping while walking. My docs office said these two or so post op weeks were going to feel like a full time job and I can agree!!! Good luck!! Hope you are feeling better!!!

I was approved by BCBS Fed in 2016. I was required to show 2 years of BMI history. I didn't think the policy changed at all from 2016 to 2017. If was submitted DEc. 21 - they should have processed it in 2016.

I have seen this before about a Dr. recommending sleeve or bypass vs. Band. Not sure why they feel it would be better than having a less invasive surgery . I am totally happy with my band. I have lost almost to my goal and I feel like a million dollars. I do have to do my part but you have to do that with any WLS. My husband is a cancer survivor, if he only had part of his stomach he would not have survived without being tube fed. It's your body and your choice. Go with what you feel comfortable with. Any WLS is better than being unhealthy and unable to move.

Don't take your anger out on yourself. You have to be your friend from now on. Don't punish yourself for the bs others put you through. Make them freaking pay. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

There has only been one other person I've read about having a one year "hoop" on this board! I think there should be one set standard!!!! A year is a long time---if it is medically necessary, provide the required info and keep going! I asked my "coach" provided/required by my insurance, "how many people have life changing weight loss after having 20-30 minute phone conferences once a month for 12 months AND no longer need the surgery?" She referred me to BCBS. ????Why would she refer you to bcbs? I'm sorry I'm a little dense right now from a hard day at work and trying to get used to my new eating plan. She is contracted by BC/BS---she didn't have the stats I guess. However, the MD office told me no one ever finishes the program!

All set for my surgery tomorrow!! Have to be at the hospital by 10am. So excited! just had My surgery this morning. Feeling okay, mostly tired some pain. Tried to get up and walk and walked around about 20 steps bc my legs were really wobbly and unsteady. How are you all feeling since being sleeved!??

I was just discharged from hospital today I had the bypass on 03/31. Bring Chapstick, comfy house shoes, your favorite crystal light, and your favorite hot tea ++ gas x strips. Walk ASAP.. I walked the day I had surgery even though it was excruciating....I cried and walked it takes a while for gas to pass but all the others who had surgery same day as me had to stay addtl night in hospital bc they were in so much pain and not passing gas bc they would not walk. Sent from my Z970 using the BariatricPal App

make what your drinking count for nutrition, protein and calories. you have alot of great advice above. I went thru the I'm not hungry for months. I was curling my nose up at the thoughts of having to eat or drink something. I forced myself to get in my surgeons protocol whether I felt like it or not. 60 grms of protein daily..it literally took me a few wks to work up to getting that full 60 daily bc of the tummy swelling but what I drank which was protein in everything or anything I consumed was protein. I added spoonful of protein to everything. no ice chips here. your body has went thru a major ordeal and requires protein for the body to heal and to give you some energy to get thru the day. fluids and protein. MUST HAVES daily. Did you receive a diet guideline? didn't the preop classes go over instructions ? just asking..when I see these type of questions I start thinking that maybe this person was a self pay and didn't go through the preop education classes I could be wrong please don't get upset that's not my intention here and BM are normal for not happening for at least a wk bc of drastic reduction of intake. I was the full wk..everyone's different in how they're body responds. my first 4 or 5 months when I did get some soft foods in it was usually only 2 to 3 bites at a time and it was protein all the way that counted. I am 10 months out and get about 6 or so bites in now. which is what I expect..

I just spoke to the surgeon about this bc I got mine (4 days early). This is not uncommon. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Before I ask for advice, I better explain why I'm having trouble reaching surgeon... I lost my job in April, and then when my roomies decided they didn't want me either, I lost that home and ended up at my fathers. He lives isolated on an island community, and while that sounds great, it is also a small fortune to get to the mainland particually when you're on unemployment and jobless. The surgen seemed to think everything was okay, and seemed to be okay with me going through GP most of the time, and didnt' send me out a next appointment... Anyway, so this is what has been happening. About six weeks ago, it suddenly started. Literally, after a meal, I was suddenly unable to eat. I threw up anything solid, or mushy, and even drinking tea was a problem. And at night, I'd have to throw up just to sleep, the acid wouldn't stop coming otherwise... This lasted for about a week and it was when I had a cup of tea, and had to throw it up, when I decided that I needed to do something... so I went to ER. ER was a bit of a disaster. I hadn't slept the night before, due to the acid, and when I got there the nurse seemed to mistake 'Haven't eaten solid or mushy food for a week' for 'haven't pooped for a week' after I mentioned that I did have a bit of constepation. So when I got in there, the doctor ignored the band and tried to prod around in the other direction. I got upset, being tired and having just spent a week drinking tea and watery Soups, and made sure he didn't get near me with that stupid gloved hand. Said that I didn't understand what my bottom had to do with the inability to eat or a lapband problem. So they did an xray and they THOUGHT it looked okay, but then, they also didn't know that a lapband could slip downwards so... The doctor told me to come back to the ER the next day. They didn't have the right doctor, sorry. Couldn't help me. Gave me some pills for the acid reflux, with no instructions, and being tired and upset I went home. Didn't go back the next day, couldn't AFFORD to go back for a second day in a row. ( As I'd told them.) Since when do people go to the ER for anything other htan what might be a big problem? SO I decided to be super careful, didn't want to keep throwing up fluids, so I went on a Fluid only diet for several days to be really careful and gentle on the stomach. It seemed to work and soon I could manage solids again. The acid kept on coming at night but not so much, so well rested and partly well fed, I refused to complain. Or go back to the bottom probing hospital. Then about two weeks ago, it got worse again. I either had the 'vomit acid' which meant I would wake up with nastiness in my mouth and in my throat and would try and throw it all up... but that was easy, seeing as it was 'natural vomit acid'. Or it was the 'gluggy acid' which I couldn't wash down with Water, or swallow down, or cough up, and it would burn me so bad that I'd wheeze and cough for air and feel pretty freaked out that maybe it might close up my airways competely. THAT only could be pushed down with plain weetbix, with no milk, thick and plain and wheaty.... So this time I went to the island's GP. It was so bad that it hurt to drink a cup of tea or to breathe. He reassured me that the band was probably okay, and proscribed me nexum, saying that I'd probably been damaging the espohagus for years but had only just felt hte pain. It worked for about three, four days? But then the acid slowly got worse and worse again, and nothing stopped it... not nexum, not weetbix, nothing. So last night it was so bad that I woke up every ten minutes till I just gave up on sleeping. I can eat all right... just can't lie down. I don't know what to do now, or what is going on. GP and hospital told me everything's okay, but this was so sudden, and I can't sleep! Should I go back to GP and ask for a barium swallow, even if he thinks it's okay, or call up surgeon directly and ask for an appointment... or what? Also, has anyone experianced this? Esspically the gluggy acid! I would love to know what I can do in the middle of the night to fix it, as my 'midnight snacks' cause a few arguements even if they are on bland tasteless weetbix. (Wheat processed then made into rectangles, a sugerless ceral.)

I was told by my PCP that the only kind of oral bc that I could use was jolivette the mini pill because it doesn't contain estrogen. The surgeon ok'd it but reading your posts makes me wonder if it's effective. Is anyone else on it?

Hey I’m from bc Canada and I got surgery almost 7 years ago in Cancun. My mom and best friend both went to Tijuana and also had great success. Do your research reach out to people who have had recent success stories everyone is different and has different stories. If you relatively a healthy person besides being overweight I think the risk is low but again it’s always a risk.

I am 25 and am not yet banded. My surgery date is January 23 with Dr.Woodhead in Delta, BC. I am very excited to start my journey and am currently on my preop diet phase.

WOWIE...I almost didnt read this bc quite frankly its too late now since my surgery is wednesday and Ive only done preop liquid for 3 days...however..I DID....when i said i cant its not bc I dont want to..i got physically ill 3x that i started...both times for over 3 days each....1000 calories a day for a spec ed teacher of 2 small children is just NOT ENOUGH,,, my sugar and pressure both dropped down and my pCP told me to stop for a week then try again,,then i did..same thing.....then again a third time,,,which is why i am doing it for 3 days before the surgery,,,so ill be off from work and be less active...My surgeon told me the liver thing is rare...so i hope that i wake up banded,,,if i dont the road ends for me,,,anesthesia is too scary for me to do twice....thanks for ur input,,just know,,,has nothing to do with putting my big girl pants on:smile2:

Thanks everyone for ur feedback..its out of my hands now,,,did my best,,,my surgeon saw me last week and was fine with my weight even though I didnt loose a pound....Im 375 right now,,,but i dont have any other medical issues,,,no gerd,,,no sleep apnea etc etc....Im praying to god to wake up banded and healthy.....Im getting banded for a reason,,bc I OVEREAT....does this mean Im not committed,,,,no.....food is my drug,,,and i dont thing anyone here would tell an drug addict to put their big girl pants on,,,just sayin:wink2:

So I had my revision on April 29, 4 1/2 hour surgery, my stomach had prolapsed and was adhered to my liver. Passed out in the hospital, couldn't get a BP for about 20 min, and ended up staying 3 nights. No pain since drain was removed ( the drain somehow slipped into my pelvic area causing A LOT of pain). Anyhow, I am just weak weak weak! Walk up the stairs sit for 20 min, have to sit to make jello. I can drink anything at least 4 oz at a time. Getting about 60 gm of protein. Prob 48 oz water/liquids. Still on full liquids. My BP is still low this morning it was 92/56. BS was 124. No fever, very little pain, largest incision does look a little angry. Down 14 lbs including pre-op. Do I sound normal? I'm just soooo weak! Thanks Laurie

I have BC/BS and they told me they don't cover it, but true results knew what to say, and got it done. BMI had to be at a certain level and all that though.

My docs office submitted almost 2 weeks ago and today Cigna said they didn't have all the info they needed and was going to deny when everything they said was missing WAS submitted. The nurse is resubmitting today what was missing and hoping for approval. Just BS that they say stuff is missing when it's their in front of them to hold up the process. Very frustrated. Wanted to hear accepted this week since I did all I was suppose to and all was submitted. UGGGH! No guarantees I understand even if you meet all the qualifications. Just have to pray and be patient something I am not very good at. Sue

thanks Suzanne ... means a lot to me... this is not BS... if I was cheating or making bad food choices A LOT I would not be making this sort of noise... I would simply own up and get on with it... but like I said, I am doing as I should but without the rewards of that movement on the scale... I think a phone call would be a good idea!

My nut specifically told me that the protein "shots" are not a good choice early on bc almost all of them are not 100% whey isolate. So even if it days it's 28 grams if protein, it's highly unliky that you're actually getting 28 grams of protein. Could be dangerous if you're relying on them to get protein.

No but I researched it myself. It’s from the leftover stomach backing up into the pouch. My leftover stomach was removed so I have a decreased risk (as was yours with the sleeve). If you have concerns I’d say just go with the RNY. I wouldn’t over analyze it bc at the end of the day, YOU control your weight loss and side effects more than which procedure you choose. You can bypass acid/bile reflux by not eating foods that cause it and you can control how much weight you lose by your determination to follow the rules of the surgery. My own father had RNY bypass and gained almost all of it back. Ultimately your determination to get healthy and stick with the program will matter more than which procedure you choose. 😊

So today is my 1 month post-op and I also received my first fill, and let me tell ya, it came RIGHT ON TIME! So the first fill was easy, lay back, pillow under your back, cross your arms, do a lil' crunch, relax and done. The weird part was when she took all of my fluid out to make sure how much I had in me, then added a cc to it.. I could feel it "flush" through my body/band, what I imagine those lil' canisters at the bank would feel like as they get fed through those air tubes. It didn't hurt, it was just a weird sensation. Moving on to better news... So the other day I had my first non-scale victory (NSV - yeah I'm learning the lingo lol) on a whim I decided to try on my ever so expensive seven jeans that I bought 4 years ago, when Lane Bryant first started selling them. Yes the ones Kimberly Locke modeled with the rhinestones and crystals and tears on them.. Yes those ever so fabulous, expensive and I'm glad they're still in style ones. Let me say when I bought them in 2005 I was at the smallest I had been in YEARS or almost like ever. When I tried the jeans on I had to POUR myself into them, do the tight jean jump up and down, wiggle and finish with a deep breath in to button them. But I got them to fit, they were tight but they fit, and I figured I would keep working out and they would fit better. They were cut VERY small... I was an 18 or 20 in other jeans but in these jeans I had to buy a 24. The sales girls just smiled and said yeah they're cut REALLY small, be lucky you can fit into them, most people can't. I wore them once, I got "stuck" in them and had to have my brother free me with a pair of pliers as he carefully jimmied the zipper down so I could get out of them. So back to my "on a whim" moment. So I decide to try the jeans on, as I do every couple of months, in hopes that one time, just one time they'll magically fit. The last time I tried them on they were about 6 inches from buttoning. Hmmm maybe if I wear a long shirt, some rubber bands or my big 80's belt I can pull them off... Yvette you BETTER not walk out of the house in jeans you can't button.. sigh.. the years go by the gap grew from an inch or two to the most recent of 6 inches from closing.. So I decide to check my progress and put the jeans on....THEY FIT... OMFREAKINGOSH!!! THEY FIT!!! and not just FIT but FIT COMFORTABLY!!!! I have been wearing them pretty much every day since I tried them on on Saturday night. Ok so it's only Monday, doesn't matter... they FIT and I'm wearing them to get my money worth! lol But all of that being said brings me to what I was told at my appointment today....Drum roll please... Waist is down 7 inches since surgery one month ago! Weight is down 22.7lbs since surgery one month ago. I've lost 12% of my 66% of "extra weight" and am 90lbs from my doctor's goal for me. My BMI is now in the 40's high 40's but still 40's! My doctor says my progress puts me at the 3-4 month post-op mark, and this was done in a month. She was VERY happy for me, and I was VERY happy as well as I fastened my fabulous jeans after my fill lol I came home and had some soup, then a couple of ours later some applesauce.... about half way through the applesauce I felt I had had "too much" so I know the fill worked...YAY!!! I'm SO glad, because after eating 2 big tortillas yesterday (bean & cheese burrito and a quesadilla - took me 3 hours or so but I ate it) and the mini loafs of bread that come from the cheesecake factory a couple of days before I was starting to feel like I felt before surgery, so this fill definitely came right on time.. I'll see how this one goes, I think she could have put in another CC, but I'll go back in on the 8th and get another one, I honestly think that will put me in my sweet spot...we'll see. Either way I'm feeling great and I'm loving life. This is THE BEST THING I could have ever done for myself!

I used Dr. Armenta with Renew Bariatrics in Tijuana. He’s a hottie, I ain’t gonna lie. A lot of people use Dr. Green there but he’s so popular that he’s booked up 2-3 months out. Mine was a week ago so can’t comment yet on results. I had the SASI (mini gastric bypass plus sleeve removal) Cost was $5600 but is $5800 now. Make sure you ask tons of questions of the surgeon bc the coordinators don’t know what’s going on. It was all Americans in my cohort. The hospital policy is 30+ bmi but I’m not sure if they would make an exception for a revision. Worst case scenario is you could gain 10 lbs and then have it.

I've had restless legs all my life, so does my mom. I've found that if I eat LOTS of broccoli it seems to help. Unfortunately, not even I can eat 8 servings of broccoli a day/night. I take extra folic acid supplements and that seems to help. My mother read an article in Prevention magazine about 800 years ago and they suggested extra folic acid as a possible treatment/cure. My entire bed gets destroyed when I sleep, On the nights I don't/can't sleep, I'm absolutely astounded that when my husband get up, he can just smooth down the covers on his side of the bed, and of course, mine hasn't been touched. When I sleep alone in a bed, everybody's side gets messed up! I've been taking Mirapex for about 3 years now and it really makes a huge difference in my restless legs. The difference is in getting to sleep, or being miserable until I drop from exhaustion. You see, for me, when it's bad, it isn't a case of wiggly legs, but flailing about like a woman possessed by demons. I'm sure I'd have been burned at the stake! When I'm feeling compelled to audition for the Rockets, I find it's just easier to get up and high step round the house until I can't move another muscle. (Usually only when I run out of the Mirapex.) If I lie on my tummy, I just do flutter kicks, like I'm swimming, then my husband kicks me out of bed. Not really, but I’m sure he wants to kick me out on night like that. Instead, I take pitty on the poor man, and go wiggle and vibrate in the kitchen until I’m ready to drop. Someone suggested heavy blankets to keep one's legs quite... what torture that would be for me! My ex-husband would get fed up with me and my legs and would try to physically restrain me... what torture. As far as I know, RLS and panic attacks have nothing to do with each other. To give you an idea of the difference between the two, consider these the following: RLS is sort of like that guy who sits next to you with his leg wiggly, and just won't stop wiggling it. Bouncing that knee, like there was an imaginary baby being entertained. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, and wiggle. Panic attacks, on the other hand... AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Impending DOOOOOMMMMMM and AHHHHHHHH!!!! Impending DOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!! Impending DOOOOOMMMMMM!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!!! KIDNAPPERS!!!!!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Impending DOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!! SPIDERS IN MY SHOE!!!!!!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!! MISSING BABIES!!!!!!!!! and Impending DOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! DEATH !!!!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!!! Impending DOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!! and LOOKOUT!!!! CAR CRASH!!!!!!!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!!! SPIDERS!!!! Impending DOOOOOMMMMMM!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!!! WATCH OUT!!!!!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! DOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!! and AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Impending DOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!! And DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!! But that's probably just me.

Hi Tawnda! I was just looking around and spotted your msg from Oct. Did you ever select a dr and go through with your surgery? I'm just beginning to look around and not sure if I should use AL or GA dr's. I'm close to Opelika - actually in Lanett, about 20 miles up the interstate. Probably quicker to get to Atlanta for dr. I have Fed Gov BCBS, but I'm retired and I'm not sure if they now consider it BCBS of AL or what - need to call them. Those of you that have already had surgery, did your dr include the cost of fills with your surgical cost? And does doing without Water while eating prove to be a problem for you? That's my biggest worry. Thanks! Gwen