Search the Community

I'm partial to the ready to drink Premier Protein drinks (160 cal, 30g, fat, low carb)....BUT I think their sodium is a little high. Dr's gave me Bariatric Advantage, chocolate.....mixed that with almond milk, unsweetened, vanilla flavor, and it was tolerable LOL I liked unjury chocolate...chicken flavor (takes like broth), and unflavored.....but not sure what their nutrition values are......did the dr make any recommendations? Welcome, and good luck! You might want to look for a thread....there are two of them asking about august sleevers......one of them lists members by date of surgery......cool to see how many are being sleeved the same day you are.....I'm one day behind you.....good luck!

In my 30 + years of working in healthcare, I have rarely run across any two doctors that have the same way of practicing medicine. This is also and more so true with bariatric surgeons. What my doctor said is okay to eat pre op will not be the next doctors choice. What my doctor has me eat post op no other doctor may agree with. All this banter going on to other members of this forum to not listen to your doctor or nurses because they are wrong is not in any way something anyone should say to another person in this forum. Just because I was on clear liquids post op, does not mean every doctor makes their patients take in clear liquids. Some go right to full liquids and then on to regular food. It all depends on what that doctor chooses for his/her patients. If someone is eating yogurt the day after surgery and their doctor said they could then they can. If your post op and on clear liquids but want a glass of milk I would say call your doctor but I highly doubt that a glass of milk would hurt anyone. No two surgeons of weight loss surgery will give the same pre op or post op diet so if one doctor says its okay to eat food after a fill and another doesn't then neither is wrong its just what they prefer. Do any parents raise their kids identically? No they don't. Do all nurse give the same care? No they don't. Is every college student going to get straight A's? No they are not. So no one can say your surgeon is wrong because that is farther from the truth. Follow your doctors advice and his/her plan for your surgery and yours alone. They have invested their time to be bariatric surgeons and it all depends on what they were taught. Even though it makes it hard to have a community of people who have had the same surgery try to come together, no ones doctor is wrong unless he is being brought up charges of medical mal practice and since no one has said theirs has, then please follow your doctors orders and not what we are doing.

Of at I had my consult with my amazing surgeon, meeting with my nutritionist, meeting with pre and post op RN, meeting with the bariatric coordinator, my first support group and my first nutrition class!! From 2pm-7pm of doctors and specialists!! It was awesome!!!! However my surgeon suggested GB instead of the Sleeve I've been so focused on. I am still doing the sleeve though.

Ok, I tried a liquid mulit.. made me sick. I bought the Bariatric Advantage chewables, made me sick. What kind are you all taking? I need something that isn't going to make me throw up each time I take it.

I have to drink bariatric advantage, and I don't have any food to track, just the protein right now.

I started with the Bariatric Advantage but they made me sick. Ive been taking Centrum Flavor Bursts multiviamin and mineral and you can take them with or without food. Sent from my iPhone using VST

Try Bariatric Advantage. They have a website. I take the multi vitamin and the calcium chews. They are pretty good.

I can relate to feeling mentally and physically drained. Before I was banded in February, my knees and back always hurts. I had 3 surgeries to fix heel spurs caused by weight bain and I couldn't walk up my stairs without being out of breath and my relationship with my husband was going down hill fast. Plus, I was not as heavy as most that get banded, but the extra weight I had been carrying around for years took it's toll on my over all health and at 43, I felt much older inside and out. Now that I have the band, in almost 2 months I have lost 30#, most of that in the first month. If thats not motivation I don't know what is. It also helps that I have a terrific Bariatric group that I go in weekly for weigh-ins, which helps hold me accountable for my actions each week, especially right now that I am kinda new to this new phase of my life. But I think the key to your sucess depends alot on you. I really wanted this more than anything. I wasn't always big and I loved my life and who I was before the extra weight. That all changed when I put on weight. I love to travel, hike and swim as well as shop for new clothes, which I haven't been able or willing to do in years, because it was depressing trying things on that would not fit right. Last week, I was finally able to get out of plus size, what an amazing feeling. I also, while on vacation, bought some shirts that were too small right now, but motivates me to get into them by summer. I still have a ways to go, but each new success, no matter how small is something to be proud of. I just got back from San Diego on vacation, I really hadn't excercised much up till then, but was amazed that with the weight I had lost, I was able to climb some of the cliffs on their trails. I walked all week and with very little problem, something before surgery I could not have done. So you ask if this can change your life for the better. It has for me. Plus my husband and I have grown close again. Honestly it's the best decission I have made in a long time, now if you had asked me a week or two after I had it done, well lets just say, I was in pain and had a few issues, but I worked through them and with the help of my doctor and this forum it has made it so much easier to move through this process much smoother. Good Luck to you

Has anyone ever watched Dr. Duc Vuong’s YouTube videos? He’s a well known Bariatrics surgeon who has written several books on the topic. I just watched one about why you shouldn’t work out after WLS. I’ve been burning about 200 to 300 calories at the gym 5 days a week for about 4 weeks and hit a huge stall for two weeks, and I’ve only lost 1 pound since getting out of the stall. I’m wondering if he’s absolutely right. Everyone encourages us to workout, but if I’m only consuming 400-500 calories a day, which my surgeon says is fine, it sounds like this doctor may be right, especially considering my progress. Has anyone watched it? Opinions? The link is below. Looking for some other comments before trying out his advice and giving the gym up for two weeks as a test run.

Has anyone heard anything or experienced southwest bariatrics? I just found out the hospital my doc uses isn't on my insurance company's approved list. So now I've got to start over with consultations and whatever this new doctor may require.

No. You can still have the sleeve. I just had the endoscopy done a few weeks ago and they also discovered I had GERD and an ulcer as well and both the GI doctor and the Bariatric DR told me that if anything, the sleeve surgery might help the GERD go away after I lose weight. I just hear that the reflux can be a little worse right after surgery in some people, but that’s temporary.

HI i'm new to the site, after many years of going back and forth with multiple diets i have made the decision to proceed with bariatric surgrey, in stage one diet now , to be followed by liquid diet. Happy i have found this site. :-)

I have not been around as much lately and several LBT friends have asked why…… I was banded in February of 2012, lost 80 pounds in 10 months and have maintained that weight until I had a tummy tuck on Halloween… After the surgery I had 2 drains, they were removed after 2 weeks. Within 5 days, my tummy filled up with fluid and my doctor drained it (this is like drilling for oil with a really BIG needle….. not fun!). Within about 5 days my tummy was full again so my doctor put a drain back in. The next week the area above my belly button filled up with fluid and I had another drain put in just below my bra line. About a week later I had the upper drain removed & that issue was resolved, BUT…. I was still accumulating over 50cc of fluid a day from my lower drain. Doc said the magic number was less than 20cc a day for 2 days in a row, well that wasn’t happening. So on Monday doc flushed Ethanol thru the tubing of my drain into the pocket in my tummy (100cc total). This is supposed to irritate the area between my skin & abdomen wall and cause it to stick together. Today (Thursday) I am still getting 30cc of fluid a day from my drain…… I go back to the doctor Monday. My options are, do the flush again and if that doesn’t work…..another surgery. Ugh Complications happen, I know that. But, how has this affected me mentally? Well, I can’t exercise (every time I do the amount of fluid goes up), I can’t go in my hot tub with my husband (open incision), Have this glamorous drain to carry around in my pocket….. IT SUCKS! And I have gotten very depressed over it. I have disconnected from my life lines (Local support group, LBT wait I mean Bariatric Pal, and my family) Yes I looked to food for comfort. (We won’t even add the holidays on top of all this….) So you wonder….how is my weight? I am about 10 pound over my original goal weight (I weigh between 177-180, depends on the day). But even more important is how I am mentally? I will be honest, I am struggling. I am pissed, why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? WHY? Oh WHY? OH WHY????? Full on pitty me party here!!!! This is my confession, I am not the perfect role model. I struggle, I have pitty me parties, I ask why me…… and so I stayed away from my support. Too many people saw me as inspiration. How can I be inspiration when I am like this???? I am taking my complications day by day. I am not giving up (& yes the tummy tuck was worth it). I just don’t think I can motivate anyone right now.

My surgeon is so skilled & experienced that all he does is insert a tiny needle with a numbing agent & then a slightly bigger needle with the fill. He doesn't use the one that came with the band. Out of about 6-7 times I've had this done he has NEVER had to poke me twice & the numbing agent doesn't hurt either. Last month I had some issues with my band getting tight 6 months after the last fill (wierd things happen with the band & everyone is so different!) & was having acid & pbing issues as well as over salivation. I made an appt. with the new Fill Centers USA in Austin & they were going to charge me an arm & a leg but I was willing to pay. The bariatric center flouro machine broke the day I had my appt. & the Fill Center Dr. refused to unfill me without flouro. She made a HUGE deal that she thought my band had slipped & that I should be in the ER....quite dramatic but then I found she is an ER Dr. so that explains it.....self employed so I have a really high deductible so ER is not cheap for me. She really freaked me out & I did not appreciate that she couldn't at least try to unfill me when my surgeon has never even done a flouro on me & I was in a really bad place. This is one of the reasons I went to Mexico aside from cost for those of us that are self paid....there is not this attitude that every patient is going to sue their Dr. - I sometimes get the feeling that Dr.s in the States are so cautious now because of all the lawsuits that there should be a form that we can sign that says we WON'T sue them so they can relax & actually give us an honest opinion & try to help us out. I then learned that some of the Dr.s in the US - I said some so don't e-mailing me defending your surgeon...don't have enough exeprience to find the port & are not yet comfortable with the fill / unfill procedures & feeling their way around the area so they heavily rely on flouro even when it really isn't necessary. I bought a ticket & flew myself to Mexico to see my surgeon for 1/2 of the cost that Fill Centers was going to charge me. He immediately drained the band completely & PROBLEM SOLVED!! He is the type of Dr. that reassures you & doesn't make everything into a catastrophe. He said there was almost no chance of the band slipping because of an extra stitch that they are now doing in Mexico to prevent this. I even went back to my old tricks of over eating I was feeling so good for the last month - I just went down & started with fills again. Don't be scared of the fill - It doesn't hurt at all if they do it correctly....some have gentler hands than others but in this whole "Band" game it all comes down to experience.

I tried so many different Protein shakes. It was a little pricey but I found some that I could tolerate much better than other ones. Its such a personal taste thing though. I like the Bariatric Advantage Orange Cream and banana. They were both good. I also like the Pure Protein Banana Creme ready to drink, in a can. Vitamin Shoppe makes a real good chocolate Mint. I am a vanilla guy, not a huge fan of chocolate but these things were amazeballs. whey Tech Pro 25 Chocolate Mint. Also, If you have not done this yet, its so worth it. nectar has a deal where you can get single serve sample packs of their flavors pretty cheap. You can only do it once, but gives you an opportunity to try their flavors. http://www.si03.com/EMAIL/nectar_gng_sampler/nectarsampler.html I also used the protein powders in the plain oikos non fat yogurt. That helps get more protein in. I also liked the Isopure prtein drinks. Its not as thick, more like gatorade but its an acquired taste. Hope these ideas can help.

Yes it is. Because so many had shared that they got full from "just two bites" I was so worried about being able to eat a whole egg or 1/3 cup of just about anything without feeling any fullness or restriction. I was certain I was going to be the freak of nature that the surgery wasn't going to work for. I talked to my dietician, surgeon and bariatric trainer and they all reassured me that eating that amount was normal. I started feeling more restriction and satiety around 9 weeks.

I also have Aetna Choice PosII, I have to see PCP for 6mos.(1visit left), attend nutritional 6hr class, get physc eval, meet with dietitian. Exercise was included with PCP visits. Bariatric center said they usually have ok within 2wks. I hope and pray!

We went over his "basic" stuff, and answered my questions...and then we would have to do it again because hubby had been out of the country unexpectedly the first time. It is OK, however ti gave me time to think of things I would have asked the first time, but did not because I didn;t think of them till I had my first set of answers. One thing I did have was a good Bariatric Coordinator, and email, and she would answer my questions over and over again sometimes...

You say you are taking your supplements but are you taking good quality Bariatric Vitamins and supplements each and every day? Vitamin deficiency takes a long time to show up according to my Nutritionist. Vitamins and calcium found in grocery, pharmacy and big box stores are not well-absorbed by RNY patients - according to my NUT, only 25% is absorbed so you would have to take 4x the regular dose. You might try Nutrametrix Isotonic vitamins and calcium. They are powder you mix with water and are 95% absorbed within 15 minutes. I've heard that RNY can be reversed but can't imagine you can be converted to a sleeve after 10 years.

What are your top 5 reasons for getting surgery!? No judgement here, just want to hear interesting/honest/funny/sad/happy reasons for getting bariatric surgery!

After bariatric surgery my iron levels dropped so I began taking iron supplements. I was told by my nutritionist to take ferrous sulfate as an iron supplement for the best absorption. Also it is important to give a 2 hours separation between iron and calcium.

I am planning to have sleeve surgery in January with Dr. Ariel Ortiz at OCC. My insurance won’t cover bariatrics or weight loss and I am planning to switch in Jan. But I am also trying to lose weight as soon as possible to be considered a kidney donor for my sister, so I’m doing Weight Watchers (again!) until January when my schedule is open for surgery in MX. 1) My PCP is un-supportive. Is there anyone from the Tucson, AZ area with a wonderful doc that embraces bariatrics? 2) What were your pre-surgery preparations that you recommend? Books, etc. Finally, this is a dumb question, but is there any way to sort this forum so that I see newest posts first? Thanks!

Ok, so I am new to this forum. My name is Tricia and I was banded at St Vincents Trussville AL on Nov 22, 2011. I quickly lost 50lbs and the loss slowed down to a stand still. I was ok with that for a while and went to have them put more Fluid in my band. I went from a 7.5cc to a 9.5 cc over a few months. I got the restriction I needed, but over time developed the horrid complication of nausea and vomiting just about everything including Water. Went back to their office, ( I live 50+ miles away), had a barium swallow and endoscopy which were both inconclusive. Had all fluid removed and basically was told my system needed a break and to reboot. I (and I know this is my fault for non restraint!) quickly gained back those 50 lbs plus a few friends. While all of this was going on, I lost the job with the bariatric coverage and now have only my spouse insurance which has no bariatric. Fast forward to early this year, had fluid put back in again and finally got an appointment where I saw the MD and not the nurse practitioner for the first time since surgery in 2011. He recommended starting over and bumped me up to 7.5cc. I explained to him that I am extremely frustrated with the band and the lack of patient care I have received from him personally since my surgery, and that I would like to explore the option of getting this band out and having the sleeve done. He said that he was sorry and basically since I no longer have bariatric coverage I am out of luck. I have gone to a seminar for a bariatric MD in Huntsville, but he wants $500 up front with no guarantee that he will even take me on as a patient! SO - here I am needing to start all over on my journey - almost 3 years out. I am disgusted and frustrated. Is there anyone here who has had a similar experience and been able to make the band work? I have pain that radiates up into my left shoulder almost every time I eat anything tougher than the consistency of an egg. Because of this I end up either not eating or eating "slider" type foods that I know are no good. Sometimes I wish I had never done this surgery!

I was originally 4/21 but a project that I was working on at work got postponed from 4/1 to June... So I quick called the surgeons office to see if they could move me up and (yay) they could. My docs pre-surgery diet ended up being super simple. He's not real strict about pre-surgery diets other than to cut out the caffeine and sodas (cut out sodas 2 years ago) and not go hog wild this week on the food. He said be sensible. Nothing but clear liquids next weekend. Have to do the "cleanse" over the weekend too (oh boy!). It is going to be so hard to focus at work this week. I'm like nesting...cleaning my house, throwng out and giving away the contents of my fridge, freezer and cabinets so there is nothing in there but bariatric friendly stuff. Making lists and trying out Protein drink concotions in the little blender. I keep arranging and rearranging my protein drinks, Vitamins and supplies an the table. LOL Can you tell I'm just a little excited?

HI! I am new here:) I will be joining BCBS Illinois in feb and will be jumping their hoops to have VSG. I came across this in my research today and am wondering what your thoughts are, or if anyone else has read related info. it states that BCBS (Illinois, tx, OK, NM) has decided in conjunction with HCSC (their parent company) and ASMBS (american society of metobolic and bariatric surgery) to eliminate the pre operative 6 mth diet requirment. It states that it was announced on sept. 21, 2011. I have called bcbs and they say they have no knowledge of that policy change. HOWEVER... i have read a ton on this board and it appears that many people didnt know in febuary that they would be making the policy change from 3 mth diet to 6 mth diet that was done in march. AND in sept of 2010 people had no idea that VSG would become a covered surgery in Oct. so it seems like maybe you wont know about the policy change until it happens. thats what im hoping for. i will do this however i have to, but it would be amazing to not have to wait the 6 mths. http://asmbs.org/2011/12/hcsc-removes-mandatory-pre-operative-weight-loss-requirement/ thoughts? tricia