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Surgery was on 12/15. It went smoothly. I came home the next day in a lot of pain. I ran out of meds. I have a large bruise on my stomach with a knot on it. It concerned me enough to go see my surgeon. He assured me it was normal and re-uped my pain meds. He's apparently proud of my progress in meeting my Fluid and Protein goals. I also got a little card that lets me eat off the children's menu. I'm a card carrying bariatric now! So, overall, I'm good. But it's a little bumpy.

I did not use this forum to decide which WL procedure to have. I attended a WL seminar and had a consult with the surgeon. That being said, have you done either of these two things? My only suggestion for you would be for you to have a bariatric consultation where your medical history and weight loss goals can be addressed. The WL seminar will give you the details of each surgery. The seminar I attended had a question and answer portion, and the surgeons patiently answered tons of questions from the attendees. Best.

you might end up losing more. It's supposedly due to the anesthesia plus the trauma of surgery on the body (and it supposedly can be a side effect of ANY surgery, but I'm guessing it's more commonly seen after bariatric surgery because we're taking in so few calories those first few months). I don't know think anything is too effective at stopping it - although getting your protein in and keeping on top of your vitamins will probably keep it from getting any worse. Luckily, I didn't lose much - or not enough to be noticed by others. Anyway, I never used the shots - so hopefully someone will chime in about those.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is usually what Bariatric teams suggest. Call your email/team & ask. Also dehydration causes wicked headaches so try make sure you are properly hydrated (water and electrolyte drinks) as this *may* solve the problem Get Well Soon 💜

Be sure you know exactly what is required first and make sure Dr is documenting what needs to be at each visit. My visits were with my Bariatric Team (Nutritionist).

Keilsnikof besides my husband, my 5 silblings all live in different states 2 years ago on Thanksgiving we all got to together i told each one seperately my news noing my weight "issues" over the past many years, - they all were very happy for me after WLS and people were seeing "less and less" of me - they started asking how i lost the weight the first time my neighbor asked me, i replied i was eating better, healthier excersizing et al by the time i fininshed the sentence i found myself telling her - "oh, i also has bariatric surgery" she responded in the positive she then proceeded to ask me about the surgery from then on, i immediately told people i had bariatric surgery it was a load of my shoulders that i was being open I was lucky that i never heard any negative responses kathy

Here's a link to a pretty good website for Bariatric Eating. Theres lots of recipes and suggestions on it. This particular page talks about the transition phase...Hope it helps. http://www.bariatric...s-to-real-food/

Barimelts, bariatric melts they have a full line of vitamins and Celebrate Vitamins have a variety of forms, drink mix, soft chews chewable, quick dissolve capsule all designed for wls

Quick question.... I've just started my process and have only seen my PCP and the bariatric dr. that I will be doing my procedure(I've only been to see him once) my insurance requires a 9 month pre-op and I'm now receiving bills from my PCP which I've never had a problem with caresource covering. I'm wondering if my doc saying anything about bariatric anything in the submissions to insurance is causing them to deny those visits. Should I count on paying for those visits or should I contact my insurance and see why they are denying?? So confused!! TIA.

For the first couple weeks, I wondered if I was nuts for doing this to myself. But now my clothes are hanging on me. I have never had much success keeping weight off. I feel this is chance for a new life. Are you getting any exercise? I am briskly walking 2-3 miles a day. I feel this is critical in my case to having energy. I hope you have a change of heart. Twenty lbs is a great start. Check out "the World according to Eggface". She has many Bariatric recipes that will give you ideas on meals that might encourage you to eat. Good luck.

I have taken the Source of Life tropical fruit liquid since November and I love the taste. I bought Bariatric Advantage chewables an the chalky taste was awful! I have a pharmacy friend who recommended Source of Life. Our 4 month lab work was perfect and now I am staying with Source of Life Liquid Gold. I compared the ingredients in the two Vitamins and the Source of Life was overwhelmingly the best! The only Vitamin our large surgery center recommended we NOT take was Centrum Silver. I do not know why. Best wishes!

It isn't the Health Plan that's your problem, it's the Medical Group or IPA that you're in. I'm confused when you talk about "my clinic" and "the doctor". which is which? Your medical group/IPA handles your day to day authorizations, Health Net just pays some of the claims and writes the policies. I changed surgeons because the first one had an office staff that was chronically disorganized. You can do the same. I don't know which surgeons are in-network for you unless I know which medical group you're with. HN B & G has contracts with the Mercy hospitals in Sacramento. Here is a link to their bariatric surgery info: http://www.dignityhealth.org/sacramento/services/surgical-services/bariatric-surgery/bariatric-surgeons Dr's Eslami, Shadle, Gatschet, and Machado all have privileges at both hospitals and are part of their program. I think they all have their own offices and staff. There are two different ways for you to see a surgeon: ask your PCP for a referral, or your PCP requesting an authorization. An authorization shouldn't be required for referral to an in-network surgeon, but in the case of bariatric surgeons, it often is. You need to go through your PCP to get the ball rolling, that's just the way it works. I know Dr. Eslami wants all his patients to have completed all health plan requirements before he sees patients for an initial consult. Your health plan isn't making the decision about your surgery, but your medical group/IPA have to use the health plan criteria in making their decision. Dr. Eslami expects PCP's to order necessary preop testing ahead of time so all that is done before he sees patients initially. His office communicates directly with the PCP's to get this done. I used to work with clients out in the Central Valley, many of who surgeries done by Dr. Eslami, so I'm most familiar with his practice. I hope this helps!

I hear you Jasmine. I went nuts after my band was removed. It's amazing how quickly the weight comes back. Now I'm miserable and feel the way I did pre-band which is why I don't want to have to wait another six months. The company I work for is in the process of being bought out so there is a very real possibility that I may not be covered in six months. I have started the six month diet (earlier this month) but that puts me into June at the earliest to have my surgery. By then it will have been fifteen months that I will have been without some sort of Bariatric assistance. It just doesn't make sense why the insurance companies would make us do this after already having a band. Why are you revising to the sleeve?

I love Tricare South. They are easy to work with. My Bariatric Coordinator has the easiest time with them out of all insurances. After being done with children, I plan on submitting for skin reconstruction, as well.

Sure. Here's my diet progression: Stage 1: Bariatric Full Liquid Diet (Weeks 1-2) #1 Sugar-Free Fluids This is the number one priority after surgery—drink a minimum of 64 ounces/day. Examples: Water, herbal tea (no caffeine), Crystal Light, PowerAde Zero, etc. Liquids should be non-carbonated, non-caffeinated, and under 15 calories/8 ounces #2 Protein Shakes Goal of 60g-80g protein/day. Mix with water or unsweetened nut milk. Stage 2: Soft Protein Foods (Weeks 3-4) #1 Sugar-Free Fluids Still the number one priority after surgery #2 Food 3 meals/day of soft protein foods (aim for 60g of protein as able—compensate with protein shakes if unable to hit 60g through food). There is no set portion size—you must listen to your body. Examples of soft foods: eggs, whole beans, canned meat, shaved/thinly sliced deli meats, fish, tofu, Greek yogurt, cheese, refried beans, etc. #3 Protein Shakes You may need to drink 1 protein shake/day to meet the 60g of protein if you can't meet this goal from foods. Stage 3: Bariatric Regular Foods (Week 5+) #1 Sugar-Free Fluids Still the number one priority after surgery #2 Food 3 meals/day focusing on protein. Small bites and stop at the first indication of fullness. There is no set portion size. Try new foods one at a time and in small amounts. Focus on solid protein for best portion and hunger control. Put fork down and pause between bites.

Tshine01 I'm just curious where you are at now. Has a date been set yet for your surgery? Are you still going strong with your pre surgery plan? Talk to us lady! I hope and pray all is well with you. Don't you dare lose your resolve during this long wait! My conspiracy theorist part of me can't help but wonder if insurance companies torture bariatric patients with this long wait hoping they'll give up the dream of normal weight. Don'tcha dare do it!

*waves to Bariatric Pal Folks* I'm in the final stretch of the pre op six month trial period! Just had my pre surgery appointments (breast exam, GI exam, Psyche etc.) scheduled this June and I'm very excited! I liked having the time before hand as I've gotten to know the weight loss staff very well from January of this year to now. I've been focusing on getting as fit as I can before surgery so the healing will be that much better. I've gone from a 49 inch waist in January 2016 to now a 43 inch waist! Gained lean mussel mass and trimmed up all over. One thing i look forward to is not feeling so tired after workouts. Lord you should see my sweaty mug after walking out yawing. :-/ I mean I feel better, but yea I won't miss the post workout ZZzz. I've been in the 200's for almost 12 years now and almost got to 199 but shot back up due to medications. Been preparing for surgery for ten months now and I'm very excited. Here is my workout regimen I currently am on: I typically will spend 12 minutes on the stair stepper and 15 speed walking at 3.5 mph or on an elliptical stair stepper for 30 minutes or 30 on the treadmill speed-walking. I try to mix up the cardio as much as I can, same for the weights. The machines I'm on are hammer strength MAS incline press 1 set of 15 with at 30 pounds and I rest for 120 seconds (yes I count) The the ISO Lateral Low Row 2 sets of 8 reps with 25 pounds on both ends again I rest for 120 seconds The ISO Lateral Front Military Press (I love this machine ) 2 sets of 8 with 25 pounds on both ends rest for 120 seconds Lateral Bench Press again 25 on each end and 2 sets of 8 reps sometimes 25 reps depending again 120 second rest between each set Squat Machine 8 reps at 80 pounds and sometimes another 4 reps. I take this machine slow and controlled to avoid injury and because my coordination is not that great. On the other days I use the leg press machine in place of the squat machine 3 sets of 8 reps rest of 60 seconds between each. I use the abductor machine (looks weird but works) 3 sets of 8 at 60 pounds. (I switch up the days for this machine too.) And every time I go to the gym I finish off the weights with the pull up/dip machine I am in lust with this thing! My goal is to be able to do a pull up one day without any counterweights! Then it's ab work for about 10 minutes to finish up with stretching for 15 minutes. I get to the gym about 3 to 4 times a week, but this is usually what I do while there.

Curious if you all feel a need to use bariatric plates, utensils etc. Getti g ready for surgery. Any suggestions appreciated.

:nervous Good Morning! This is my first post. I went to my first appt at the Norton Bariatric Center this past Thursday. I watched a video, had my vital stats and weight checked, saw the nutritionist, and saw psychologist. I guess I passed that one (whew! :mad: )because now I am waiting to be scheduled to meet with the surgeon. He then will dictate a letter to my insurance company (UHC)and I'll wait to see if I'm approved for the surgery. I'm not anticipating that they will turn me down, but I know that they can hold it for 30 days before giving a decision. It has been such a slow process, and I'm ready NOW!! I guess I had better learn to be patient. I'm almost 43 years old, been heavy since I was 9, and I also know the weight won't come off over night. Well that's my story in a nutshell. I looking forward to having some folks to help me along on my journey, and maybe help some others along the way. Thanks for taking the time to read this long winded post.:clap2:

It's a common thread I see running around this forum.. people asking why they didn't do this years ago. I'm even young and I'm finding myself asking the same thing. Though I'm only 25.. I wish I would have done it at 18 or 20.. admittedly, maybe I wasn't ready then.. maybe I still needed time.. especially because part of my story is finding out at 24 that I had bipolar II without the usual "standard" symptoms of women docs normally see in their 20's so I was very hard to diagnose and went through a period of about three years where I alienated everyone but my very closest friends because I was so hard to be around -- with a low of winding up needing to be admitted to a psych ward to get it all figured out. I definitely learned who my friends were (and who, surprisingly, weren't...) I am also social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and depression.. so I spent the last year and a half in counseling trying to get my mental self to match the well-put together self I present to the world thanks to years of being on stage growing up. I learned to show myself as put together - graduating magna cum laude and being responsible even if I was falling apart inside. So I needed to deal with all of that first before I felt ready to confront my weight. But finally I was ready. It started about 1 year ago. I had been feeling bad about my weight for a while. I was overweight during my childhood. My grandmothers both grew up during the Great Depression.. so for them.. giving me food was the same as giving me love.. especially high calorie foods. For them eating wasn't about hunger.. it was about enjoyment and thankfulness to have food to eat. (One was thin, one was overweight). But from them I learned to love all the wrong types of food and to love them in gigantic portions.. My stomach was already way stretched by the time I was 7 or 8. I remember weighing 85 pounds in 2nd grade because we did a math thing where we all weighed in front of the class. There was only one student, a boy, who weighed more.. during school I dealt with a lot, I mean a LOT of bullying because I was mature and just different - I'd rather read a book or write a story than go out for recess and I was reading Romeo and Juliet while they were reading Junie B Jones (For the Record I like her too even though she's a huge spoiled brat). Basically I had a generation gap with my peers since my parents were born in the late forties and early fifties and their parents were much younger.. so I was already -extremely- bullied. I didn't make my first non-internet friends until college.. and those were some of the people I found out weren't true blue friends when I went through my emotional break down a couple of years ago... So yeah.. and it didn't help that I was overweight.. that was just something else to give them to make fun of me about. As it turned out.. even though I wasn't doing even as good as I am now in therapy one year ago.. I was doing better than I had been in years and that gave me time and energy to turn my thoughts to the weight I'd been unhappy to be carrying around for years. Before college it bothered me.. but I didn't think about it a lot.. it was in early college when I hit 200 and started having trouble finding clothes that would fit me in your typical stores both like Macy's but also stores that people my age like - Aeropostale, Am. Eagle etc.. that I started to have a personal crisis about my weight and be super unhappy with it. Shopping became my least favorite thing because it was an exercise in taking whatever would fit rather than whatever I liked. And by a year ago I had started to notice I couldn't do or keep up with the same types of activities most people my age do. I love showing my dog Riff in conformation and was learning that I couldn't keep up with her jogging on our down and back (jogging beside the dog so the judge can see his or her movement properly) and that getting on my knees to present her not only hurt but was nearly impossible. I started to be even more unhappy because I couldn't do the hobbies I loved that people my age are doing. And in the meantime for the past 5-10 years I'd been trying every diet known to man.. I didn't feel like any of them were sustainable for a life time because I was unhappy with them. And rather than yo-yoing I just didn't lose. Didn't matter how well I stuck to a diet, I'd find myself losing maybe 5 pounds in 7 or 8 months of hard work.. and finally I gave up.. I was near the point of accepting I was just going to be overweight forever and that was how it was going to be. I knew my issues - I don't eat for emotional reasons, I don't eat when I'm not hungry.. but my stomach was super stretched from years of eating too much and I like big portions and the wrong kinds of things. I could go and polish off a huge plate of food enough for three meals and feel "Just about right" and I didn't have the self control to starve while I waited on my stomach to shrink naturally.. I just couldn't do it. I had heard things about gastric bypass that made me say no way never.. things like "You'll never be able to have any sugar again." or "You'll never be able to have fried foods again." While I'm happy to make lifestyle changes, things like "Never again" aren't something I'm capable of. So I ruled out surgery for a long while. Finally, a year ago I looked into it again and read about gastric sleeve for the first time.. and it was a fit.. not as serious as gastric bypass.. less prone to things like dumping syndrome.. and all about moderation rather than "never agains" more healthy choices.. less bad ones.. but I didn't have to promise I was never eating Pasta or never having a fried chicken leg again - which was something I knew I couldn't agree to. There was less risk of serious complications and it was a plan I thought I could actually live with and be happy and it went right to the root of my issue - shrink my stomach so I can get used to a normal portion size again without having to starve. Something I haven't had since I was 6-7 years old. Within two days of researching I was ready to commit. But of course getting my medicaid to pay for the surgery wasn't as easy as deciding I wanted it - even though I looked over the qualifications and knew I met them - I still had a lot of hoops to jump through. In October I started my 6 month phys supervised diet which only convinced my doctor and I that I needed the surgery even more. I ate 1500 calories a day and walked my dog most days for 30+ minutes (which was a significant step down from what I had been eating and step up from my sedentary lifestyle) and lost only 11 pounds in all that time. And part of it came back! Getting cleared psychologically was a battle too. They wanted a psychiatrist who didn't know me to evaluate me even though my own had already sent a letter of approval.. and the psychiatrist who I did see didn't really want to clear someone who was bipolar.. it was a battle, but finally I got cleared. That by itself took over two months and delayed my surgery which should have been in March 2016. I also had to have blood work, a number of physician check ups by my program's docs and so on. But finally all the hard work paid off.. on the first submission to insurance, I was approved within a week! How excited was I! And my surgery was set for May 31st 2016. However, the roller coaster wasn't over.. I had little contact with my bariatric program from the get go... they share a department, nurses, etc with general surgery.. so calling to talk to someone there is always a nightmare.. it's a 30 minute wait to get a human on the phone, calling to talk to a nurse means a 5 hour or more wait for a call back.. and it also means a very unpersonalized approach.. they're so busy and have so many people through their program that they want everyone to be a cookie cutter mold and don't want to offer people any individualized advice because "others in the program might want the same advice." Well number one - others in the program shouldn't know what -I- discuss with my doctors so how could they want it and number two healthcare isn't supposed to be about squeezing people into a mold and making the exact same treatment work for everyone... so I began to be unhappy with my program from early on.. especially when their psychiatrist and my psychiatrist got into a fight over the phone about whether I was going to get cleared. Their psychiatrist had met me only once and knew nothing about my case history while my own psychiatrist has been working with me for about a year and half.. who do you think was more qualified to say if I was stable or not? But aparently their program couldn't understand that.. However.. I was stuck.. Medicaid wanted me in state and this program was the closest to me and already an hour and a half away.. the only other options were double or triple that commute time (Chicago). So I just kinda had to stick with it.. I've gone on to be further disappointed by them at numerous occasions - namely when my surgeon said that Water aerobics is a joke of an exercise program and only for people who can't do anything else and that I couldn't hit my weight loss goal of 130 pounds doing water exercise of any kind (there's a thread floating around about that). Clearly he's never taken a hard core water exercise class or he would know that is so not true. I took my first one Friday and I was sweating in the water! Finally I did get to have my surgery though! Before surgery I had an 800 calorie diet for two weeks focusing on Protein and lean meats and veggies and reasonable on carbs. It wasn't too hard of a diet to follow beyond getting hungry because my stomach was huge. Surgery day came but I was excited rather than nervous. especially because all of us May 31st sleevers from the forum (there was about 10 of us) made a facebook group so we could keep in touch and that really helps to have other people who are exactly where I'm at in the recovery stage. I didn't have much trouble recovering from surgery. I never had any gas pain and even though I was in pain in general the first three days they gave me lots of morphine and kept me very comfortable. While my program as a whole is somewhat disappointing - I do have to say that the nurses who took care of me in the hospital couldn't have been better. They helped me walk. They helped me get up to go to the bathroom and helped me adjust positions in bed since I needed help doing all that for the first 2-3 days. I brought my laptop to the hospital with me and spent time here on the forums and doing other stuff I like -- even played some Sims. My recovery was uncomplicated and three days later I was able to go home. My internal swelling went down fast and by a week out I was so sick of liquids that I couldn't help but try a little puree and it worked just fine to help supplement and keep me from going nuts. One thing that's been very helpful to me is Fairlife Milk. it's heightened protein milk with 13 grams of protein for a cup. I drink it straight and also add it to my Soups. It helps a lot in getting in my 64 oz of liquid and my 60 grams of protein. I've been using an app called Plant Nanny which lets you grow plants based on how much Fluid you consume then you can plant them in your garden and harvest their seeds to get more diverse plants.. it makes drinking at least slightly more fun. I also wear a fitbit flex and it's synced with My Fitness Pal. I log my calories on MFP and my exercise syncs there from my fitbit automatically and tells me if I've earned extra calories from exercise (though I rarely use those). I was never given a calorie goal to shoot for but I set a goal of 800 for myself based on the pre-opp diet and what I can eat and get in 60 grams of protein without feeling too stuffed/ too deprived. I'm on my own for a lot of it because I've only met with the NUT once for 30 minutes pre-opp about 2 months and I won't see her again until in July so... I just read and do the best I can. So yeah I'm 3 full weeks out from surgery on Tuesday and also down 20 pounds since May 18th (the start of my pre-opp liver diet). I faced the three week stall at about week 2 instead of three and I was down to a new low for the first time in a week today so I'm hoping that it's broken and I'll have a bit of smooth sailing for a while from here. So.. that's my story so far. I don't know if people post in these to update but.. every once in a while I'll post back and let you guys know how I'm doing.

Has no one taken the time to read what she said ?? She only did this because she was told it would help her with the possibility of becoming pregnant. Maybe she wasn’t severely obese. Obviously no one has shared with her that it is normal to have regrets. Maybe she does need a therapist or maybe we as a Bariatric community can be mindful of the tone that comes across in a post. I pray you come to a healthy place.

Ive had 4 out of my six monthly visits to the bariatric surgeon. Have my psych eval scheduled for this saturday sept 21st. And picking up my letter of necessity next week from my primary then my 5th appt is on oct 9th. Last one is my pre surgery labs and ekg then surgery we are pushing for surgery date no later than nov 20th. Soo excited.

I also go to the bariatric center in champaign. All of the staff there is awesome!!

Hello all! I just went on my Kaiser website and logged in and saw that there was an appointment for me scheduled there for Fremont Bariatric orientation. I kept staring at the appointment like it wasn't real because I've been waiting four months and battling the process every step. It's true you have to be very pushy and keep calling or else you get forgotton about. I'm just wondering if this means that I am definetly in for the surgery or if I still have to wait for approval. Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving dinner!!:thumbup:

Between Friday and Saturday I almost talked myself out of this but today I feel a lot better The bariatric Group that will be doing my surgery said that they are not members or providers under my insurance and well according to my insurace in black and white yes they are the letter I got from the bariatric Group said I woul;d be responsible for what the insurance will not pay but according to my insurance as long as they are in my HMO paln and they all are that I will never see a claim and I will not have to pay out anything other than my co payment for the hospital well after reading that letter i just got depressed for I don't have 3500.00 so I have to wait until tomorrow to clear this all up and all I have been doing is crying and not eating