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Thank you all so much for your kind words and above all your generous support. I have 2 people in my life who are very supportive and all of you. I will just concentrate on all the positive around me as I become closer to starting my journey. I wish I could go to bariatric weight loss support groups but unfortunately there is none in my area, I live 2 hours away from the hospital and surgeons office, so would make for a long drive. I will just get my support and information on here through all of you. Thank You Again

Hi Benny and all the others on this thread. I commend each of you for your courage and for setting boundaries that feel right and comfortable for YOU. These boundary lines may or may not be the same for everyone. While others are not entitled to know such personal information I find it can be more uncomfortable to carry around secrets and tend to "over-share" as a result. So, when it came to this very personal journey I've made a conscious decision to exercise a greater level of discretion than I might otherwise have done had this been another type of surgery. I stumbled upon Bariatric Pal just in the nick of time and have been searching for this particular topic for a few days. My Feb. 3 surgery date creeps ever closer and I'm struggling with whom to tell and NOT to tell about my news. It took over a year to make my ultimate decision to move forward with my VSG and I've done tons of research as it's my nature to do so. I've also watched many YouTube videos of other sleevers. They've each made my decision SO much easier. I work in close quarters in an office setting with only about 9 administrative staff at my location. One of these co-workers had a Gastric Bypass many years ago. So far, I've told my husband, two teenage children, my mother, two sisters, my boss and one co-worker who also needs to know. These seven people have ALL been at least neutral if not outright supportive. They have expressed concern, a healthy dose of skepticism, and caution; but ultimately have been supportive - even those naturally slim ones who've not walked in my shoes along the arduous path of being overweight for years. Today, after more careful thought, I decided to open up to the co-worker who had Gastric Bypass. She smiled and hugged me. In her embrace I felt an immediate sense of camaraderie and acceptance. She told me how happy she was for me. I knew I had made the right decision. I'm sure she was also delighted to have a new "bariatric buddy" to commiserate with now! Unlike my family and co-workers, my husband's family is large (in number), rather opinionated and controlling. Once I broached the subject of weight loss surgery with one of them and she immediately responded, "NO! YOU'RE NOT DOING THAT!" I just brushed her comment aside and said I was just taking the 12-week preparation class to educate myself about the options 'out there.' Despite the controlling nature of that side of our family, we are close and they are loving and supportive of our family in many ways. I know they will feel truly hurt if I wait until after surgery to spring the news on them. I believe they will eventually come around once the realization sets in that this was my decision to make, not theirs. The partial explanation approach: "I'm just eating a healthier diet and exercising more." will never fly with this group. They all know I've tried EVERYthing to lose weight and they'd never buy it. They're far too astute. I suppose time will tell. I'm leaning toward spilling the Beans about a week before surgery so they have time to process the concept; but I'm still not 100% sure when the "right" opportunity will present itself. I'll suppose I'll just have to follow my heart and trust my own instincts ... Like most others, my decision was based primarily on the priority of extending my life and to ensuring my children and husband will have a mom/wife around for a long time; one who will soon be physically able to keep up and participate fully in our lives together. Blessings to all of you and my gratitude to those of you patient enough to read my posting. It's much longer than I expected it would be!

I would look around and find out what different surgeons charge. I'm in Houston and the self-pay pricing varies by thousands of dollars depending on which doctor you use for the procedure. In addition to the surgeon, differnet hospitals have varied self pay pricing. I was lucky because my hospital is a Bariatric Center of Excellence and also had an excellent "cash" price. Also, in my case, I have a hiatal hernia so my insurance is subsidizing the procedure, making my out of pocket costs about $4,000 less than they would be with no hernia. My surgeon suggested that I do an EGD and take a look since he suspected it anyway and it would reduct my overall costs. Don't get too discouraged. It may take a little more work than you thought but you will find a solution that works for you.

To clarify, many surgeons will refuse to see a post-op patient if they had their procedure ANYWHERE other than with their practice. That means another state, or another city, or even another practice in your own city. Others only care if it was outside the US. And most, if they will see a patient that they didn't operate on, will charge a 'retainer fee', ranging anywhere from 500-2k. So it's not just a concern for medical tourists, but for anyone who wishes to go elsewhere. It is definitely something to think about. For me personally..... My gastroenterologist will be looking after me for any issues. This will be the simple things, like incision checkups, labwork, etc. Should there be an emergency, I will be going to one of two ERs. Both of those ERs happen to use general surgeons that do bariatric procedures on their oncall rotations. Any general surgeon can fix you up should something happen. You don't need to specialize in bariatrics to go in after a leak is found, etc. (I wouldn't want a 'routine' general surgeon to DO the VSG, obviously, but post-op complications don't require more than that). It is also important to note - if you are a self-pay patient, your insurance will most likely not cover emergency surgery once it's all said and done if the issue is directly related to the surgery. (A long time down the road is a different matter, but I'm referring to leaks, etc). It doesn't matter if it was in the US or in Mexico or somewhere else. You can frequently get 'coverage' through your original surgeon where he and his practice will go back in and fix things if something occurs. BUT, you're still playing the odds that if something happens, it'll be in your town, and you end up at their hospital where he has privileges. TLDR version - These are ALL things that should be considered when you do your research. But be careful about rumor mills and how some local surgeons may phrase things. It's a business, and they want you to go through them. They tend to conveniently avoid some of the facts at times.

Try typing up the information that the bariatric MD wants addressed and ask your PMD to sign it and make comments ,if nec. Be strong and assertive, this is your life. Maybe that will show him how serious you are to get this done.

I have not had the surgery yet. I have had a lengthy battle with my PCP sending the appropriate documentation; she is a wonderful doctor and very supportive of my decision, but the office is a bit disorganized. I should also mention that my BMI is 67, so I am on the higher end of the spectrum, but that has not dampened my enthusiasm. That said, I was fairly lucky in that I work at the only hospital in my area that performs bariatric surgery. So, my surgeon, Dr. Wilson, offers seminars, education classes and other helpful tools on a regular basis. When I first started my journey to have the surgery, I quickly learned that my insurance would absolutely not cover it. The hospital offers 2 insurance options and I had unwittingly chosen the wrong one. It was a big disappointment to learn that I would have to wait at least another year before I could even consider having surgery, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because that time allowed me to do a great deal of research and make an educated decision. I will say that you are going to need to find a PCP ASAP, because with most any insurance these days you will have to submit proof of supervised weight loss attempts, lab work, physician's progress notes, and other documentation that you cannot get otherwise. To find a surgeon in your area, start with your insurance. Go to their website and search their provider look-up for surgeons. Another avenue you can explore is the search function here on BariatricPal. Good Luck.

Hi Natlin, How do you know if surgery is right for you? The best you can do is research, research, RESEARCH. Take a peek around the postings here, the different boards including the complications board. Read up on anything and everything. Check out the websites for hospitals near you and see if they have a Bariatric unit or the surgeons that do the different WLS. See how many they've done, etc. Then take that ALL in and ask yourself....Is this right for me. If you think it could be visit your PCP, get his/her recommendation on a surgeon who does them, make an appointment with that surgeon and ASK questions. There are also informational groups at many hospitals where you'll hear first hand what folks have gone through and questions they have. Amazing what you'll learn. Definately...make the decision being well informed. I know for me RnY wasn't an option. When I finally heard about Lap-Band I studied like crazy and THIS website has been the best. I'm being banded tomorrow (2/13) at Beth Israel in Boston,MA and I'm very excited about it! Good luck with your decision Sherry

I'm almost done with my first day with this liquid diet. So far, I'm not even hungry, thank goodness. I bought some powder packets(bariatric fusion) from my doc, and I liked the cappacino and orange cream. That's all I've tried. They also carry stuff called ProtiDiet, and they have liquid (basically liquid crystal light) and the fruit lunch was good, and they're 15 Protein per 5oz!

Try bariatric fusion all-in-one that you only take 3x a day.

Willbethin (actually, you ARE thin)-- The band isn't what is not working. It is a fact of every bariatric patient's life is that at some point, we HAVE to face the truth that it is OUR behavior that makes us fat. The band has clearly helped you eat less and lose weight. But NO surgery can magically relieve us of our compulsion to overeat, or permanently remove the desire to eat more than we need. That's just the truth. The hardest thing is to give up the idea that we will ever be normal. I know I struggle with that every single day, but I struggle with it MUCH MORE without my band. With the band at least I had a fighting chance of dealing with the mental issues while NOT stuffing my face. Without the band, food seems like an answer even though I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it's not. That's all the band can do for us. It's a lot, but sometimes it doesn't seem like enough. At those times, we have to look elsewhere for answers.

Hey everyone! I finally asked my PCP if I could have bariatric surgery! He said yes but only if I go through the "lean program" first. I now have 2 new doctors for my weight loss program. Spoke with them yesterday, one is my nutritionist and the other is my bariatric surgeon. Both I'm meeting on February 13th yay! So the following week my diet should start. I'll have more of an understanding of when I will have the surgery when I meet with them in February. :-) I'm going to lose as much as I can on the diet, for success. Yay! Im sooo excited!

I only visited the one... it probably would have been a good idea to visit 1 or 2 others but I had gotten his name from another bariatric patient and was anxious to get the process started. I had the sleeve done because I was insistent upon it but he was kind of pushy about bypass and didn't listen much to my concerns wrt how bypass would affect me as a college student in particular... and his APN (who I have all my post-op appointments with) seems really against me being on sites like this which I think is kind of weird. So I think I might have been happier with another surgeon/team but my results have been pretty good so it's whatever. If you think the commute might be an issue I'd visit the closer surgeon just to get an idea for it.

If you're talking about an open enrollment period at his place of employment, you don't need to take a chance. Call the insurance company--or check their website--to determine their policy for covering bariatric surgery. (And don't let them get away with saying it has to be "medically necessary." When they told me that, I said, "So, if any doctor says I need this, you're going to pay for it, right?" THEN, they found the criteria.) If it looks like you meet that criteria, change insurance in November, but change back the following year. Unless the insurance is $1000/month out of pocket, you'll still save money. And even if THAT doesn't work, see if his employer offers a Section 125 account, which will let you pay out of pocket with tax free money.

My daughter had the bypass surgery. She lost 100 pounds in 6 months. However, she did have a dumping problem and unknown to her she had ulcers in the part of her stomach that was bypassed. This is a real issue for people who have a tendency to have stomach ulcers. Her ulcer went undiagnosed. They thought the horrible pain was a gall bladder attach. She had her gall bladder removed on a Thursday and died on the following Saturday of a perforated ulcer in that part of her stomach. So, for my husband (who had the sleeve done in August) and myself, having the sleeve on January 16th, there was no problem deciding. We went with the sleeve. Not everyone has this problem, but if you have severe pain, even years after, it is imperative that you get to an emergency room and have them call your bariatric surgeon. It could save your life.

I had gotten the starter kit from unjury and sample packets from (bjs bariatrics website )Syntrax. I also have pure Protein powder(store bought). I tried them all while on my pre op diet...they saved me and kept me going each day..the different tastes they all gave were a nice change. Post op, they all tasted the same to me. But you won't feel up to much of anything besides clear thin liquids for a few days or a week or two. All depends on your sleeve and recovery. I had and still have a very tight sleeve..even at 3 months post op. It was swollen shut post op for the first couple days and I couldn't take anything in.. (that doesn't seem to be the norm tho) I started to feel human again about a week n a half 2 weeks. I wasn't a fan of the Clear Liquids stage at all..but trudged threw it and followed the plan. Once I was allowed the shakes again was when I felt better for sure. I never had buyers remorse as they say...I just really disliked the clear liquids stage. I have followed my plan to a T and have had great results so far. 3 months post op and I've lost 48% or 68 pounds. Now, for Breakfast I have either a rtd pure Protein shake (target or walmart) or I will add a scoop of syntrax cookie flavor to my cooled coffee. Good luck with your journey!

That is not particularly high bp! Mine with meds was higher than that for surgery, then it went down the next week and my pcp had me quit meds altogether. It's gone up and down and seems to be evening out at about 125/80 or so for now. Could you go to a walk-in clinic? Seems kind of nuts your doctor can't help you out! My bariatric surgeon didn't want to deal with the bp either. I can understand that. good luck to you!

Im new here so just wanted to share Ok so I have been with bariatric advantage now for about 2 years, great company no complaints, but I ran into celebrate bariatric one day as I was surfing the net, I wanted to do more research as their flavors seem interesting, but here is what I found out, BA has 600 Mg and celebrate has 0 MG of calcium. I NEED MY CALCIUM, anyways I really love the watermelon flavor and I just found out from one of their reps that they are coming out with a new flavor BERRY. I LOVE BERRY. Just my 2 cents.

I have no problems with people at social functions. I have found that they are most accepting of my changes. They almost all know what I had to do for me, and they are quite supportive. But they are shocked at the small volumes I eat now. Been a long time since someone has not looked to me to finish something off. And when I save just a bit of room for a bite or two of dessert, well, that's a shocker! Now, more often, I get the oddest stares from wait staffs at eateries, mostly when I ask for the children's menu. They look at me and am sure they think, "Big guy...kid's menu? What's wrong with this picture?" But my hospital gave me a very nice wallet-sized card and I can simply show them that. It explains I had bariatric surgery and that is why I want to eat smaller portions. And sometimes even the smaller portions are too big, so when I ask for a container, well, shocks them even more. But, tough. I found that Bob Evan's (a local chain) actually charges MORE for adults eating from the kid's menu. Now I just talk to the manager, and no problems. It's important to be an advocate for myself!

ok ladies thanks for the advice. i called my bariatric office friday afternoon and asked if i need anything else besides mental health, and also to get an idea of when i would have surgery. the lady who runs the office is who i spoke to (i had been speaking to someone else every time i called in) and she helped me out. i asked her for those lab results. she got to looking and guess what? all they ran on me was vitamins! she was not happy. she told me she was going to have to see why the np only ran vitamins on me and left everything else off. low and behold she called me yesterday to let me know she had talked to the np and they were going to get the rest of the labs from me. so i did them today and it was like 6 different things including the hpylori that i've been so curious about. i also found out from her that i should be having surgery the first part of july which is certainly exciting. just wanted to update =)

Ok, so I am Self-pay. I have narrowed my surgeon search down to two. Each is from a different surgical center, one provides BLIS coverage the other does not. I am torn because I like the place without the BLIS coverage more than the place that does provide it. Here are the specifics: 1) Their prices are very close to each other. 2) I called my health insurance provider and asked them their policy on self-pay procedures and the possibility of complications. The general jist is this - if you have a problem that requires additional surgery to fix, correct or otherwise revise the original self-pay procedure it will not be covered. If, however, you go the emergency room for dehydration and that is what they code - you are covered. If I later require gall bladder removal - covered. So still a huge risk if I have a leak, infection, or bleeding due to the VS procedure itself. 3) Both are within 30 mins of home - so no travel issues. 4) The place without BLIS does VSG as outpatient, you go home the same day and come back in the morning for iv fluids and leak testing. The other is an overnight stay. 5) They both have all of the certificates and awards, centers of excellence, etc. 6) Both have fans here at Bariatric Pal - saying the center is awesome, loved the people, loved the surgeon, etc. 7) I am terrified that I will have a complication and bankrupt my family. But I never have never had complications in the past Self-payers in the US - what have you done? Did you have BLIS? Did you make your decision based upon the availability of BLIS? Has anyone had a complication that BLIS paid for? How did it go? I thought I remembered a previous post where BLIS was difficult to work with but I couldn't find it again via the search....

I thought it was just me. Ever since surgery I awake each morning with a headache. My surgeon blames my Fibromyalgia. My Fibromyalgia doctor says she doesn't know what's causing the headaches. I found a new study published online in the journal Neurology® that suggests bariatric surgery may be a risk factor for a specific condition that is known to trigger severe headache. Researchers found that the surgical procedures were sometimes associated with later developing a condition called spontaneous intracranial hypotension. The condition is often caused by a leak of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) out of the spinal canal, lowering spinal fluid pressure and triggering sudden headaches with accompanying nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, and difficulty concentrating. The study goes onto report that it is known that body weight plays an important role in CSF pressure. Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is typically associated with a tall and lanky build, while obesity is a risk factor for intracranial hypertension, or high CSF pressure. The authors hypothesize that the loss of fat tissue may uncover a susceptibility to spontaneous intracranial hypotension. Click here to learn more

I tried Bariatric Advantage and it was too sweet for me. I settled on Premier Protein shakes. My favorite is chocolate. I don't find the Premier shakes chalky at all. I used to like vanilla a lot before surgery, but after surgery, I couldn't stand the taste of it.

My last appointment with the bariatric medical specialist and dietitian at my surgeon's office on Friday, April 4. I am feeling very anxious about everything because I am afraid I will not get approved. I have several comorbidities: diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, GERD, and a bmi of 46. Should I be this worried?

Thanks everyone! I just ordered some Bariatric Advantage chewies

There's a new product at the BP store, BP's Multivitamins....for 6.99. No reviews on it...seems to have all the vitamins needed, etc. Has anyone seen this or tried these yet? For 6.99, wow...that's a great price! https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/multivitamins/diet-type_aspartame-free