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I have only said that I have certain requirements, and made the same comments regarding the sleeve being an outpatient procedure here in the US. You don't see any of the members that had their surgeries on an outpatient basis here in the US, or any other facility coming out and saying that I'm rude, brash based on my opinion that I would not choose to have this surgery done on an outpatient basis. The operative words here are "I", "my standards". I've said my opinion or choice of surgeon was because of my specific needs as a revision patient. I don't think any surgical clinics should be shut down. I've never once mentioned that even about Dr. Almanza. All I've ever stated is that their specific facility didn't meet my needs, and I would not choose them to perform my revision. I can't recall one single time of discarding anyone's great experience with Almanza. As for my gallbladder, obviously a lot of bariatric patients need their gb removed at some point. But, I also know that not every patient has to have it removed. I have more issues eating post GB removal than I did with having VSG. So, while you would like to insult my surgeon's choice to leave my gb, I'll stick with the fact that my surgeon based his decision on years of experience, and training. I didn't ask about my surgeon's ancestral background because it wasn't a concern of mine. I've never once insulted, bashed, or claimed that Almanza is not good, qualified, highly trained surgeon. I've never questioned his licensing, his years of experience, how many surgeries he's performed. I don't know Dr. Almanza so it's not a fact of not liking the man or even questioning his surgical skill. All I've stated, once again, for the upteenth time, that I would not choose him because of the the clinic he operates out of. I choose to stay around because the friends I've made here were my lifeline during my recovery. It's the internet. I'm not going to lose any sleep over your or any other member's attempt to insult my age, my posts, or my opinion. Perception is 9/10th of the law, and if you choose to perceive my opinions as rude, tactless and/or brash, that's your cross to bear not mine. Not everyone is going to get along. Not everyone is going to agree. Not every single member here has to get along. It doesn't happen in real life, and it sure isn't going to happen on an internet message board. Support site or not, everyone has the right to post as they choose.

I am brand new to this forum. I have just sent in all my paperwork to the Bariatric Coordinator RN who will schedule all the pre-op Dr visits. I am 54 yrs old, will have surgery done by Dr. Sufficool in Rapid City, SD. At first I was so excited, now I'm terrified. I have had 8 other surgeries (not weight related) in my life & get more scared with each one. I keep thinking about how I will feel, all the things I'll be able to do, all the health problems I can kiss goodbye when I lose the weight. I'm just flat scared of the surgery (will it go right? will I throw up? will I be allergic to the band? will I be able to stick to the various diets?). What a worry wart I am! :thumbup:

Hello friends, I have been here for a while now. In 2009, I had the lap band but like most I had it removed in 2014. I am still diabetic and still have HBP and cholesterol. With the band I had lost only 45 lbs and have regained 15 lbs back. I've always feared having another surgery no matter how bad I've always wanted it. My diabetes is getting worse and I've been put on an additional pill and it's still not controlled. I've finally come to my final decision as I sit here very tearful, to go ahead and have another surgery. I know RNY is better for me, but b/c of my weight (215) I'm choosing the sleeve. I guess it just really hit me today that due to my health I need to do this ASAP. I'm 60 and feel time is running out for me. I only hope that I haven't waited too long. Feeling sorry for myself and realizing that I want to pick myself up and live, I called my bariatric center and said " I'm Ready". I'm awaiting a return call.

Hey there!! I just scheduled my surgery today with Dr. Steven Clark with Southwest Bariatrics. I will be having my surgery on the 31st!!! Woo! Hoo!! I am so excited!! I have been on my pre-op diet since this past Wednesday (16th) and so far, I have lost 12 lbs (I accredit that to cutting out sodas). If you need a snack, grab some peanuts! It will all be worth it in the end!! If you have a sweet tooth, I found something really great at the grocery store yesterday! Breyers ice cream has some Carb Smart chocolate bars!! They are delicious!!!! 9 grams of carbs!!! They taste like chocolate soft serve on a stick!! Yummy!!

Hi Direct Hit. I am going to a seminar tomorrow given by Southwest Bariatrics. I am so excited to get started. I hope your surgery goes well.

Hello all, I'm starting my count down to my May 30th surgery date to be banded. This sight has been VERY helpful. The biggest thing I've noticed is how differently each Doctor approaches the pre-op and post-op processes. The Doctor I have chosen (Dr. Mario Longoria, Southwest Bariatrics, Austin, TX), has put me on the following pre-op: 30 grams of Carbs At least 70 grams of Protien Fat in Moderation Post-op: 1st Week - Clear liquids 2nd Week - Liquids 3rd Week - Soft Foods 4th Week - Additional foods Dietician suggested No carbonated drinks, tough meat, shrimp (due to cartlidge like texture), fruits and vegies with skin. In perusing the Board, I have seen postings of many eating just about anything and at anytime - pre-op and 1 week post-op. I guess the main lesson here is to listen to your doctor and listen to your own body. (since each of us are so wonderfully different). 12 more days to gooooo!!!

I have the chocolate flavor of Bariatric Advantage. So far, I have been putting a packet of splenda, a half of a banana and a little Peanut Butter. That has been great so far. Plan on picking up some syrups today.

I have Medica which is adminsitrated by United Healthcare, In fact the bariatric policy is United Healthcare's policy and Gastric sleeve is covered by UHC. No longer considered investigational. Ask to see a copy of their current policy, Do not take their word for it! I was originally told that the Sleeve was investigational and not covered. I pointed out the policy has been revised and offered to send them a copy of the one I found on their website. They were looking at an out of date policy!

My doctor recommended Bariatric Advantage, I'm using that (mixed berry, chewable). It's not too bad. Good luck!

Well surgery is in the morning at 11:30 am- 3/23. I have spent the last two days inundated with last minute things- my daughter leaving for France on Friday, one of my sons had to get scheduled for wisdom teeth extraction next week. Monday I woke up shaky and crying- like when hormones overtake you when you're pregnant- no rhyme or reason you just start bawling. Lasted for a few hours and then I calmed down. Tuesday I saw my surgeon for my "day before" appointment. Begged him to let me have a turkey sandwich ( I was kidding!) and he said no way! I told him he was a bully and we laughed so it helped relieve some tension. Meanwhile it is 2:14 am and I can't sleep a wink. Never can when something important is happening the next day- like a trip or in this case surgery. Had a great conversation with my "Bariatric buddy" tonight and now I'm one hundred percent ready to go! But these last two days have been a crazy roller coaster.

READY TO BE WEDDED TO YOUR BAND? On a humid May morning 37 years ago, after a four year courtship, I married my first husband. We exchanged our wedding vows in front of a Catholic priest, a Presbyterian minister, and 40 guests consisting of family and friends. We walked out of the church and into our married life with “until death do us part” in our young minds. Six years later, we divorced. Eventually each of us married again, this time to the right partner, and we’re all still happily married today. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. It’s practice that will make your “marriage” to your adjustable gastric band perfect, or as perfect as any human endeavor can be. It’s important to know that when you wake up in the recovery room after your surgery, you won’t be magically endowed with all the knowledge, experience, and habits you’ll need to succeed with your band. Even if you did tons of research, faithfully attended every pre-op educational class, and listened closely to and made detailed notes of everything your bariatric team told you, some things – important things – you’ll have to learn through the everyday experience of living and eating with your band. When you leave the hospital or surgery center after your surgery, you probably won’t be headed for your honeymoon quite yet. That will come later, when you’ve had enough fills to achieve optimal restriction and you begin to feel that your band is really working. The excess weight will start coming off and you’ll walk around in a dreamy pink haze, delighted with your new life partner. You might even give your band a silly private pet name, the way my husband calls me “Love Bug” (which always makes me think of my first car, a chubby little Volkswagen Beetle). Then one day, the reality of banded life will wake you up. You’ll think, “Who is this creature I’ve married?” And like Jenny, a former coworker of mine, you’ll realize that while the engagement, wedding and honeymoon were exciting and fun, the day-after-day business of marriage isn’t exciting or fun 24 hours a day. It’s hard work. It’s boring. It’s frustrating. It’s humdrum. Jenny divorced her new husband after only three months of marriage not because she didn’t love him, but because she didn’t love being married to him. For many of us, being a wife isn’t nearly as fun as being a bride. One day you’re a smiling princess dressed up in flowers and lace; the next day you’re a haus frau frowning at the skid marks in your prince’s underwear. I suspect that Jenny just wasn’t old enough or mature enough to be a wife. Neither was I when I married the first time. One of the reasons most bariatric surgeons and insurance companies require a patient to have a pre-op psychological consult is to evaluate the patient’s understanding of what they’ll have to do to succeed after surgery. Are they ready for a lifetime commitment? Do they have reasonable expectations? Can they follow instructions? Are they capable of learning the new behaviors they’ll need for a productive, peaceful partnership with their band? HABIT FORMING New bandsters need dozens of new habits – something like 60-70% of my book Bandwagon is devoted to explaining those habits, so I’m not going to try to cram them all into a single article. I’ll pick one at random. Hmmm…how about EAT SLOWLY? How are you going to turn that behavior into a habit that will serve you well for the rest of your life? So Dr. McMillan tells you, “Eat slowly,” and you nod your assent while thinking, “Get real! I’m too busy to do anything slowly. I have 3 kids and 2 dogs, I work 2 jobs, I take care of my elderly Aunt Bertha, I coach my daughter’s softball team, I have a house to run and a spouse who’s always on the road…” Well, you get the idea. Dr. McMillan has just told you to do something that’s very simple and yet impossibly difficult, you think Dr. McMillan needs to wake up and smell the coffee, and a door in your mind slams shut. Actually, Dr. McMillan is already awake, has had a cup of coffee, has tended to all 10 of her dogs and all 3 of her cats, is about to leave for the fitness studio, and when she returns she will deal with a home renovation project while running her home-based publishing business off the kitchen table; tomorrow the fun will start all over again, including a 5-1/2 hour shift at her retail job and a trip to the supermarket. She’ll get someone to come look at the leaking French doors, do the laundry, pick another batch off ticks off the new dog, and cook several meals. Dr. McMillan’s friend Nina calls her the “Tennessee Tsunami”, and despite all that, Dr. M. still manages to eat slowly every time she sits down to a meal. As a pre-op, it took her maybe 5 minutes to hoover her way through a meal that would feed a farmhand, and now it takes her 5 minutes to chew her way through the first bite. But that EAT SLOWLY habit (or any other habit) didn’t become a habit for me overnight. It takes many, many repetitions to turn a new behavior into a habit (a British study found that it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days of daily repetition to make a new behavior “automatic”). I know it’s a big challenge, especially when you’re also trying to learn a few dozen other new behaviors and turn all of them into habits while somehow conquering the dozens of bad habits you already had, but I assure you, it’s worth the effort. MIND OVER MATTER? Sometimes the biggest stumbling block in changing my behavior isn’t the behavior itself – it’s me and my stubborn, willful mind. I rarely have a valid reason to refuse a new, healthier behavior, whether it’s a small thing like putting my fork down while I chew each bite, or a bigger thing like always wearing seat belts in the car. My brain stomps its feet and cries, “I don’t WANT to do it!” I have to ease into the new behavior gradually, so that I don’t become overwhelmed and end up crying, “See, I TOLD you it wouldn’t work!” So although part of me knows that this is a huge, lifetime deal, I dole out the changes in small pieces, one day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time. If I live as long as my mom did, I have another 32 years of eating ahead of me. I eat 6 times a day, 7 days a week, so if my arithmetic is correct (no guarantees there), I have another 69,888 meals to chew my way through. That is a truly mind-boggling number, so I’m tackling this task one meal at a time, and I suggest you do the same. I also suggest that you tackle one behavior at a time. Even simple things can become too complicated when you try to do them all at once. Last year, I bought a new cell phone. I hate the telephone and always have; as far as I’m concerned, cell phones are the work of the devil. I chose a phone with far more capabilities than my old one. It seemed like a dandy little gadget when the sales associate was demonstrating it, but when I’d had it a week, I had to return it because (as I told the puzzled 20 year-old who processed the return), I simply could not deal with a device that required me to hop on one foot while patting my head, rubbing my tummy, and singing the “Star Spangled Banner” in order to send an e-mail. So sitting down to each post-op meal trying to remember whether you’re supposed to hop, pat, rub, or sing is a set-up for failure. Better to pick out one new behavior as this week’s challenge. Next week, add another new behavior to your repertoire. The week after that, another one. During that time you’ll be repeating all the new behaviors as you slowly add new ones, and gradually the behaviors that were new become old…in other words, they become habit, and you won’t have to think about them much if at all. When I was a little girl, my mom had to remind me to brush my teeth every day, but eventually the tooth-brushing became an automatic part of my routine. If I were in a car accident (God forbid) and suffered a spine or brain injury that erased all my old habits (good and bad), I’d have to start it all over again. I’d probably festoon my house with reminder notes: BRUSH TEETH on the bathroom mirror; EAT SLOWLY on my placemat; FEED DOGS (well, maybe not – the dogs come complete with their own extremely reliable and audible meal reminder system). That’s a lot of work, I know, but the pay-off is enormous!

I had my surgery in Towson, Maryland at GBMC with Dr. Babak Moeinolmolki. He is wonderful. You can google GBMC bariatrics and their website will come up.

I finally made the doctors apointment to talk about my weight loss goals! He sent in a referral to the bariatric surgery department with 3 clicks on the computer! i have my first class on october 18th still a long way to go but i thought if i was going to tell my story i should start at the very beginning! thank god for this website now i know its not so simple and there Are hoops i need to jump through. i want to have the sleeve or Gastic bypass but with the recovery time being so short with lap band im thinking about that too.. i have two young children both under 2 and the faster healing the better.. i have kaiser so cal. Im looking for people to share their stories with me i want to know what to expect before i get waist deep ... :thumbup1:

i am currently 23yrs old, 5ft1inches tall and 188 pounds, i suffer from severe depression mostly concerning my weight. i am constantly ridiculed over it from from my family and boyfriends, for an example, a couple days ago my boyfriend went out and got me a little boys costume that was incredibly small on me and made me go out in public like that showing most all of my butt and stomach while his friend laughed at me, my family used to make me run laps around the house and put me on all kinds of different diets telling me i would be beautiful if i losed the weight. i get social security and have been going to counseling since i was very young because of it all. in my life ive tried every diet possible and used to run 4 to 5 times a week. i stopped taking my meds because it kept all my weight on, and ive tried diet pills for the last couple years and my back pain is seeming to get worse all the time. its been nearly impossible to lose weight and ive been running out of options. i was wondering if it would even be worth talking to my doctor about getting some sort of bariatric surgery done to see if that would help. this extra weight is more of a burden than i can deal with.. i also have medicare part a and b and medicaid.

if you want to go to Mexico, Dr Francisco Sauceda in Monterrey and Dr. Laura Carmina Cardenas in Tijuana are very well-known in bariatric circles. They've worked on A LOT of bariatric patients and specialize in massive weight loss patients. Dr. Joseph Capella in New Jersey has also operated on a lot of us (and specializes in massive weight loss patients, too), and his prices seem reasonable compared to a lot of other US surgeons (haven't seen anything recent on him, though) several people here have gone to Miami for plastic surgery because supposedly it's one of the cheapest areas in the country for that - I don't know any names, but a few people on here have gone there and can probably give you some recommendations. The prices they've gotten don't seem much more than the prices in Mexico oh - Dr. Joseph Michaels in Rockville, MD has also been used by a lot of bariatric patients I personally would look for someone who specializes in body contouring for massive weight loss patients or at least has done a BOATLOAD of them, because it supposedly is a complicated sub-specialty.

Those forms were so crazy! Mine was like 12 pages long. There is no right or wrong answer - but the answers might help them guide you with which surgery is best for you and will certainly help YOU after surgery to stay successful. For example, I am a binge eater and I tended to binge on carbs/sweets. So my surgeon felt that the RnY would be a better option for me. And, post surgery, even though I have the tools to help avoid the binge eating and sweets I am still very mindful of those behaviors. My bariatric program can also use that information to provide me with therapy and support for my specific situation.

I had my first meeting with my Bariatric Doctor, Pamela Foster, today. We meet for well over an hour and it was very informative. I haven't decided to go ahead with a band yet, but I'm almost there. Dr. Foster was very encouraging and laid out everything very clearly. She's been doing bands since 2001 and does over a hundred bands a year so I think she's well qualified. She said that if I wanted, I could be banded by January. Next steps: get a psych exam, some blood work and check in again next month. Stay tuned...

Hi Everyone, I would like to be the Nebraska Bariatric Pal support group leader. I am a lap band patient who has lost and has kept it off. I am very passionate about helping people get to their weightloss goals. It doesn't matter what surgery you chose. What matters is that you are doing what it takes to get healthy. I live in Western Nebraska and would be willing to cover this area. I also oversee several support groups in this area. I wish everyone the best of luck in their journey. Mona

I, too. am waiting for insurance approval. I requested a copy of my insurance company's policy on weight loss surgery. I reviewed it, and my primary care physician and endocrinologist agreed with me that I met all of their criteria. Letters of medical necessity from my doctors were mailed out last week. I enclosed all information I gathered about the Bariatric Program at Portstmouth Regional Hospital, New Hampshire. So now I am playing the waiting game. Next week I am meeting with the Bariatric Coordinator, Nutritionist, Physical Therapist, and Psychologist - all on the same day, as I live 2 hours away. I will be staying the night before, as I plan to attend the Support Group that evening. I am determined, and I feel I have done my homework, so to speak. I found on the website that there are sample letters of appeal you can send to your insurance company. Be strong, be determined and don't give up. Best of luck to you sweetie. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Rachel

I also bought some banana Bariatric protein powder.. I mix the premier chocolate shake with that and peanut better.. It's an awesome peanut butter, chocolate banana shake.. I Also throw my iron Vitamin in with the blender.. Can't even taste it.... Get created with the blender. . Peanut butter is a life saver.. U can get like 60 grams in one 16 oz drink. I don't like to drink protein all day so I try to get most grams for less ounces as possible . Good luck.. Hope this helps

I'm almost 6 mths out and I've lost 95 but about two months ago I started losing a lot slower, like maybe 5 lbs a month. I started taking Zija Moringa and am losing like 4-5 a week again, I'm no longer losing my hair which is why I started taking it, I no longer am on any of my meds, and I don't have to give myself b12 injections or take vitamins, they are in moringa. I think I needed more nutrician and once I got that it put my body back on track. I was really disappointed that I wouldn't reach that 100 lb mark by 6 mths b,ut I know I'll get there. Google moringa oleifera, it's amazing! I was spending $165 on all my vitamins, supplements, etc. and now I'm spending $90 plus I've saving over $300 on the prescriptions I no longer have to take for my other health problems. If you email ninetynutrients@gmail.com or facebook.com/ninetynutrients and mention that your a bariatric patient, you can get it at wholesale

Yea, Center of Excellence. Have it at a hospital not a surgery center. Ultimately, I'd just make sure you feel comfortable with your surgeon. It's a fairly simple procedure.. You want bariatric surgery to be their main practice. So they know what to expect, how to do fills properly, they know about nutriton etc...

Months before bariatric surgery, I started making diet & lifestyle changes, such as NO sugar, artificial sweeteners, desserts, processed food, carbonated/caffeinated/alcoholic beverages, smaller portion sizes, no drinking during meals, and minimal bread or rice. This allowed me to lose 30 lbs pre-op. I did not tell my family, colleagues, or friends (except for 1) about my gastric bypass surgery. No one noticed anything different after surgery as I had already been losing weight and was eating less in their presence. This allowed me to focus on myself and not have to deal with negative comments, energy, or misinformation. It worked well for me. YMMV

Anthem Bcbs won't cover bariatric in my plan . Considering private pay w Evenson in Carmel vs Mexico. Any thoughts ?

Hi Mare, I have heard of a band being placed after a failed RNY; however, the sleeve wouldn't be an option. I wondered though, have you checked out a procedure called the ROSE procedure? I will copy and paste what I found below: ROSE Procedure, Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal, obesity surgery, gastric bypass, Albany, Macon, Columbus, Dotham Restorative "Incisionless" Obesity Surgery Even the most successful gastric bypass patients occasionally regain weight [/url]New surgical technology now allows surgeons to treat one of the potential sources of this weight regain. The ROSE procedure (Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal) provides an incisionless surgical option to restore gastric bypass patients' anatomy to closely match original post-surgery sizes Dr. Bagnato performs the scar-free ROSE Procedure (Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal) entirely through the mouth without making any external incisions into the body. Eliminating incisions means less risk than traditional open or laparoscopic surgery, minimal post operative pain, fast recovery time and no scarring. Patients generally report minimal or no pain after the procedure and many of them return to work and normal activities the next day. Who is eligible? Patients who originally lost significant weight following gastric bypass but who now find themselves regaining weight may be ideal candidates for this procedure. After an initial screening, you will undergo a series of evaluations including nutritional and dietary counseling, a full medical exam, and endoscopy to determine if you are a good candidate. What does the ROSE procedure entail? The ROSE procedure is performed with the patient under anesthesia using a four-channel tube and special Incisionless Surgery tools. The bariatric surgeon advances the flexible tube and a small endoscope through the patient's mouth, into the stomach pouch. The surgeon will then insert the surgical tools through the channels of the tube. Tissue anchors are used to create multiple tissue folds around the stoma to reduce the diameter. The surgeon will then use the same technique to place anchors in the stomach pouch to reduce its volume. Are there other treatment options available? To perform the initial gastric bypass, the bariatric surgeon creates smaller stomach "pouch" and then bypasses the top portion of the small intestine. The procedure leaves a significant amount of scar tissue behind. This scar tissue makes traditional or "open" revision (performed through an abdominal incision) surgery far riskier than the original surgery. The most feared complication of gastric bypass - a leak, an incomplete tissue connection that allows the stomach contents to spill into the body - is four times more common in revision procedures than in the original bypass. Most surgeons don't perform open revisions today because of the risks. In recent years, many medical device companies have developed new tools that allow surgeons to operate through the mouth. We've chosen a set of tools known as the EndoSurgical Operating SystemTM (EOS) because the system's sutures and tissue anchors distribute holding force across tissue, leading us to believe that they will hold longer than other tissue fasteners. The EOS is also unique because it allows us to reduce the size of both the pouch and the stoma. How long will you need to stay in the hospital? Hospital stay is determined on a case-by-case basis. You may be discharged the same day if the procedure was done early in the morning or Dr. Bagnato may want you to stay overnight. Your surgeon will make the determination following your procedure. What are the benefits of an Incisionless procedure? By eliminating skin incisions, the new procedure may provide important advantages to patients, including reduced risk of infection and associated complications, less post-operative pain, faster recovery time and no abdominal scars. What type of side effects can I expect? It is anticipated that patients will feel little or no discomfort from the procedure. To date, the only noted side effects have been short-term sore throat, swelling of the tongue or lip discomfort from the insertion of the instruments into the mouth. These issues usually go away in one or two days. Is it safe? As with any surgery there is risk involved. This less invasive approach should reduce the likelihood of many of the complications associated with the other open or laparoscopic revision procedures. ROSE is a new procedure, however, and long term outcomes are unknown. What is the success rate? As with any weight loss procedure, results vary with each patient. The ROSE procedure has been well tolerated and most patients immediately lose weight as they eat less - with the return of the early feeling of "fullness" due to the restriction of the new, smaller pouch. The ROSE procedure is new and long-term data are not yet available. What is the recovery process? Typically, patients return to normal activity within a few days of their procedure. Dr. Bagnato will give you specific instructions. In addition, you will be required to follow a post-procedure diet and exercise plan, similar to the regimen prescribed following your initial bypass surgery. This generally means that patients will need to consume only liquids for a day or two after the surgery, and then slowly add soft, pureed foods for about two weeks before resuming a regular diet. To help you on your journey, follow-up appointments with Dr. Bagnato and regular visits with our bariatric support staff will be required. Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery LAP-BAND System REALIZE Band Advantages of LAP-BAND LAP BAND Adjustments StomaphyX procedure ROSE Procedure Weight Loss Procedure Videos Weight Loss Surgery| Meet Our Team| LAP-BAND System| REALIZE Band| StomaphyX proced