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Did you get this straightened out? I can tell you that your PCP sends the form in. Then you set up 12 Dietician Visits, 6 weight, and BP checks with your PCP or nurse, a sleep study if you are not already using a CPAP, if you are not using a CPAP and they say you have sleep apnea, you are going to have to get set up with at and be compliant with it. When you get closer to finishing your Dietician appointments, you will schedule a psychosocial appointment. Once all of that is completed and you met the goal weight Molina has set for you then you will be referred to the Bariatric clinic. You will meet the surgeon and then do any assessments they have (this will vary from person to person). Then you will get your surgery date. The nice thing about Molina is you will get your own case manager, who will explain everything to you. You can call them anytime. They will let you know every step and piece of paperwork and who handles what and when. They will also periodically call you to check in on you. This case manager is so helpful, because PCP and dieticians do not seem to totally understand the process, and it's because Bariatric is not their specialty, not until you get to the clinic. So stage one, your PCP fills out the form and submits it to your insurance stage two you do all of the appointments and hit the goal weight Molina gives you (Your case manager will call and introduce themselves, plus you will get a letter in the mail. Your case manager is also a nurse and they will ask your weight so make sure the DR puts down an accurate weight, if not petition to have Molina change it) stage three you move on to the clinic and get surgery.

I can't imagine. I'm still six weeks from my surgery date. How about playing some of your favorite music? Or journal about your thoughts and how you feel currently? Or go for a walk as LindsayT suggests? You are now hours away from your surgery. We'll look forward to hearing from you when you're able to share. I wish you the best, Big red man! You'll do great!

I've been having daily headaches. I meet my protein and fluid goals every day. Could it be that I need more calories? I average about 430 calories a day. I'm in week 5/soft foods.

LOL I was definitely doughy in the head week one. I would say one week off at the very minimum. If city transportation involves driving the public, I would consider longer for possible safety and liability's sake.

Did you get this straightened out? I can tell you that your PCP sends the form in. Then you set up 12 Dietician Visits, 6 weight, and BP checks with your PCP or nurse, a sleep study if you are not already using a CPAP, if you are not using a CPAP and they say you have sleep apnea, you are going to have to get set up with at and be compliant with it. When you get closer to finishing your Dietician appointments, you will schedule a psychosocial appointment. Once all of that is completed and you met the goal weight Molina has set for you then you will be referred to the Bariatric clinic. You will meet the surgeon and then do any assessments they have (this will vary from person to person). Then you will get your surgery date. The nice thing about Molina is you will get your own case manager, who will explain everything to you. You can call them anytime. They will let you know every step and piece of paperwork and who handles what and when. They will also periodically call you to check in on you. This case manager is so helpful, because PCP and dieticians do not seem to totally understand the process, and it's because Bariatric is not their specialty, not until you get to the clinic. So stage one, your PCP fills out the form and submits it to your insurance stage two you do all of the appointments and hit the goal weight Molina gives you (Your case manager will call and introduce themselves, plus you will get a letter in the mail. Your case manager is also a nurse and they will ask your weight so make sure the DR puts down an accurate weight, if not petition to have Molina change it) stage three you move on to the clinic and get surgery.

I don't think anyone here can give a definite yes or no. For me it's not that I'm hungry as I've said before. I just miss the social eating and snacking while watching tv. 5 days in on liquid. Fam had takeout today. I had 1ounce cups of Powerade and chicken broth. The only thing keeping me sane right now is researching and planning for my pureed food next week.

Thank you so much! You are absolutely correct! I went in for consult yesterday and my surgeon told me it doesn’t necessarily matter if I gain or lose during my program. I am just wondering why it’s different for everyone, even if they have the same or similar insurance. But it relieved my fears. He said I have to quit vaping about 6 weeks prior if I remember correctly. Thank you for the kind and encouraging words 😊

not sure what exactly you're asking. I do occasionally take pills after eating - a swallow of water (enough to get a pill down) isn't going to violate the "wait (x number) of minutes after eating before drinking anything" rule. I take vitamins twice a day - first thing in the morning and late afternoon, usually. About three or four pills at a time. So yes - you can take multiple pills at one sitting.

Yeh that's what they told me that for about a year or so, I may notice swelling without the binder. So they recommend I wear the binder throughout the year or abdomen may swell up. The binders that I use have been provided by them - the fabric velcro types. They can look a bit bulky over certain clothings. Or may be I can look into a faja post 8 months or so. Any specific type that you purchased? Amazon has many selections especially those waist trainer ones. I may ask Dr. Chivers on my 6 week f/u if corsets or shapewears can be used instead of the current binder. Let's see. Right now binder seems comfortable especially since the area is super hypersensitive! So far I think I am happy with the results. It was a painful recovery but I am glad lose skin especially the muffin top is taken care of and has flattened/tightened my tummy. I can't wait to wear shorts and jeans now. Some of the shorts and figure hugging dresses didn't look very good with my tummy area. Now they look lovely. I'll try more clothing as swelling goes down. Arms also look tonned and defined 💪🏽😂 So overall I am satisfied. Just waiting for dressing to come off and see how scars progress, the biggest challenge of this surgery!

Puréed foods have traumatized me 😣 When my doctor advanced me my first meal was mashed potatoes and they were fantastic! I went on to try some salmon but in the blender and it was the worst decision of my life. The texture was that of a milkshake and it was ABSOLUTELY disgusting. I never want to experience blended food (besides a green smoothie) ever again in life. Also, tried the ricotta bake but it was only good for a week before I was over it. So I'm technically still in puréed stage but I'm doing a mushy soft foods instead because I cant with blending food.... I guess I've advanced myself to soft solids (the #1 thing you're not suppose to do 😬) but I've been feeling good and I chew it up really well. Rotisserie chicken mashed potatoes mashed curry chickpeas mashed green beans I do know when when I'm eating too fast though: I feel the pain when the food stacks right in my chest and its passing thru my small opening little by little it's hard to breathe What I think is the "foamies" When this happens I just get up and walk around a bit until it has all trickled down into the pouch Thanks for attending my Ted Talk!

So I'm currently a freshman in college (19 years old) and in the early steps of the GB program - have a date for my first group meeting, making my consultation soon. Anyway, obviously I do not have my own insurance and will be going through my mother's plan. How did you guys introduce the topic of surgery for the first time and get approval? I'm away at school (a little over an hour) so I'm not home much. I want to finally bring it up to her this weekend. I will also discuss with my dad since he had it 10 yrs ago. I think my mom might be reluctant and judgemental, but we will see when we get there. (he was 400 lbs and 6'. I'm not there yet --- BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE. EVER!) Also, how is college life post surgery? My room is right next to the gym (where students don't really go) so I plan to use it to my advantage. I also have a full kitchen in my apartment! Very excited. I want to have the surgery the week before I move in (classes will start about 2 weeks post-op if my plans work out). How hard is the adjustment? How does it work having roommates notice your work and not have them catch on that you had surgery? Any other help regarding college? Please share experiences! ANY and ALL information and advice is truly appreciated! I am scared, nervous, and excited all at the same time.

Without knowing your pre-op weight, its difficult to know if 50lbs is typical or not for 7 weeks post op. If you were on the lighter side pre surgery, 50lbs would be way too much and given your walking you may be lacking in calories (way less than typical for post op), and are losing a lot of lean body mass (muscle). Your body could be struggling to cope?? Perhaps talk to your doctor sooner than later.

if there is one single piece of advice i could dile out to the newly wls-ed, it would be not to sweat what u can or can't do first couple weeks. you just had major surgery and recovering from it, try to to expect to go running straight out of the gate, it'll come eventually. i didn't meet my water goals for the first two weeks. i didn't make my protein goals until well after a month or two post op. in fact, i couldn't even reach my DAILY protein goal amount in an entire WEEK of eating the first 2-3 weeks. like u, i also had serious food aversion and just didn't want to eat anything. at all. it was really bad the first couple months but still persisted on and off throughout weight loss phase. even now, at over 4.5 years post op, i still turn up my nose to eating every now and then. not as often as before, but still. despite all that, all my labs came back just fine (and still do) and i lost all the weight i wanted, and did NOT end up underweight nor mal-nourished. as for when i started eating "normal" food, it was probably after maintenance...and not because i couldn't, it was a conscious choice cuz i was prioritizing weight loss. speaking of "normal"...others would probably see how i eat and think its NOT normal (volume and amount-wise), but its a (new) normal for me. so yeah, many of us went through what u are going through now and turned out just fine. hang in there and know this is not forever, and u'll be alright ❤️

milk and yogurt both contain lactose, which is a sugar - but it's not ADDED sugar (unless you're eating sugar-sweetened yogurt). I never worry about lactose. It's not a "bad" sugar, and the amount of protein in milk and yogurt offsets any negative. yellow stools (or any weird color, for that matter) aren't usual the first month or two after surgery. The digestive system has changed and it takes a couple of months for everything to settle down. I think mine looked normal again after 4-6 weeks (it's been a few years so I don't remember exactly) weight loss is usually slower with revisions. And if you're still on liquids or purees, no, you're not going to feel restriction. Those go through you pretty quickly (or in the case of fluids, they go right through you). Plus you've likely had nerves cut that'll take a few weeks to regenerate. You should start feeling restriction about the time you move to solid food.

Hi!  Sometime during the 10 weeks of options classes you’ll get a consultation appointment with a surgeon. I’ve heard that SoCal Kaiser is 2-3 months out with scheduling surgeries (if your surgeon doesn’t have any other requirements for you). I’ve also heard that Kaiser will give you up to one year to schedule your procedure before they’ll make you go thru the 10 weeks of Options classes again.

KNOW YOUR WHY & why you are doing this. You will have buyers remorse at some point, but it will be temporary. I've had days where I've literally thought, what have I done? I miss abusing food, ect. But it's short lived & then you remember, you're losing weight, taking care of this body you hold up a permanent residence in & after awhile, you don't really care about food like you used to. I use to live to eat! I could eat sooooo much until I was sick. I had binge eating in a bad way, now I can't believe how much I could eat in a single sitting! Would last me a week now haha! I am 5wk PO down 31 lbs since surgery. My starting weight was 248 lbs I am currently 217 lbs I want to be around 135 lbs is when I felt optimal but I felt good at 150-160 lbs in the past too. I am 5'6 See where my body puts me & how far I'm willing to go. I am not going to cheat on my diet until maintenance stage, it's just not worth it. The honeymoon stage you keep hearing about it real & you only get ONE so I'm taking full advantage of it. If you have any questions or anything you can message me anytime on here or my toktok @kno_ur_why.

I have some not so nice words for the 3 week stall. It needs to go on. No one has time for its bs! 😂😂😂

I had surgery eight years ago at age 55. No diabetes, though - just obesity. SUPER obesity. Also, borderline sleep apnea that I didn't know about until I did a sleep test for surgery. I lost 235 lbs and gained back about 20 lbs in year 3 post op (a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain after you hit your lowest weight is very common). Maintained ever since, but it's work. On the other hand, before I had surgery, the most I could lose was about 50-60 lbs, and every ounce of it would come back. Happened dozens of times. So yes - weight loss is sustainable after bariatric surgery as long as you monitor yourself. I had strictures at two months out and four months out. Very easy fix. The PA at our bariatric clinic told me it was the most common complication, and that they happen to 5% of gastric bypass patients (and if they're going to happen, it'll be during the first three months post-surgery - they're very rare after that). I personally wouldn't call something that happens to 5% of people "common", but that does give you an idea of how common complications are. Basically - they're not very common. about 30% of bypass patients have dumping syndrome. I've never had it and most of the people I know haven't had it, but some of us do. It's caused by eating too much sugar at one sitting (or for some, too much fat at one sitting seems to set it off). It's because food passes through to your small intestine much more quickly once you've had bypass, and your intestines go into overdrive trying to deal with the sugar (or...fat). It can be prevented by limiting the amount of sugar you eat at one sitting (which we should be doing regardless, even us non-dumpers). good luck in your decision. Honestly, I should have done it years ago. My only regret is that I waited that long to have it done. My life has changed dramatically for the good. I'd go back and have the surgery done every year if I had to - it's been terrific!

I did three treatments of MorpheusX and 4 treatments of Evolve. Very little change. Waste of money. Don't do it.

I had19 teeth extracted 2 bone graphs and a bone removed from my pallet. last year (2022) on April 25th and was fitted dentures. The bottom plate has never allowed me to eat with them, and it took 9 months for my gums to heal before I could eat (chew- or gum) again .I lived for 9 months on Ramen noodles, rice and multi vitamins. So when it came time for my pre-Bariatric surgery "diet" it wasn't a big deal. Because I had just lived through a 9 month what I called "Denture Diet" My peak weight was 245, In Nov 2021 I was referred for Bariatric surgery. Due to the fact that I suffered from Insufficient veins in my calves, causing edema in my legs and feet. Spondylosis in my L 3-4-5, Osteoarthritis in my SI joint where the sacrum and sacroiliac meet at the pelvis and the anterior cart edge in my left knew was gone. I was fit for compression socks, heavy duty knee brace and at times I had to use a cane to get up and down and to catch myself if my knee buckled.( I fell getting out of bed, 3x in 6months) I developed hyperlipidemia, and was Pre-Diabetic. I couldn't stand for more than 10 mins , squat, bend, lift, ( making the bed, sweeping or vacuuming was torture.) or walk more than a block or shop for more than 30 mins. Because of Covid everything was severely backed up, once all of my pre-surgery testing and procedures were completed, it was Feb of this year( 2023 ) . I was cleared as a perfect candidate, but again -back log. At the time they said it may be June to sometime in August before the surgeon would available , and maybe longer to find a clear OR. It took so long to get scheduled there were a couple of procedures and test I had to repeat. On April 20 (23) they called me, there a was last minute cancellation for May 22, 2023, was that doable ? Oh heck yeah ! So on the 25th they had me starting my Pre-diet, All liquids except for Cottage cheese, At almost 3 weeks in, they were concerned my weight wasn't dropping as it should be ,and asked if was following the liquid diet, I was like what ?. NO .I wasn't told to. She said yeah on the 25th. Ok well this may mean we have to re-schedule. I was so upset. She said she was going to get ahold of my Case nurse to see what to do. A couple of hours later, I was like wait a minute. I called her and said I think there was a mis-communication. I have a copy of the diet, it didn't say Liquid . Just that I was suppose to start this diet on the 25th, and on the 20th right after she called I went and stocked up on EVERYTHING, and had the receipt to prove it. I asked when you said liquid did it include Cottage cheese. She said yes, Thank goodness. Yes I HAVE been on that diet since the 25th. I am very fortunate, I am a crazy fast healer,. I had all of this trepidation about healing right, and being able to get around ASAP. I am almost 60 and everything had been falling apart. My roommate is a very empathetic, compassionate , and a generous person, but what she is not, is a caregiver. So I was concerned about that. So I had my surgery on May 22, at 9 am. Woke up later in a hospital room, I had a horrible pain in my shoulder and it felt like someone kicked me in the gut. Tuesday morning I woke, still a little sore in the tummy ( like a pulled muscle) but other than that I was fine. At 3pm she came into discharge me, and told me to call my ride ( roommate) I ended up having to walk down to the nurse's station, because she said she would be right back to get my IV out ,but she didn't return, so I hunted her down. After I got it removed , she said she was going to go get a wheelchair. So I got out of bed, got dressed, gathered my things and sat on the bed and waited, and waited, my roommate called , I am here what's going on. I said she had to get a wheel chair. So I waited some more ,after like 30-45 minutes . Once again I walked down to the Nurse's Station hunting for her and pulled a "Karen", some guy showed up with my wheelchair, quickly. My roommate had been waiting in the Patient Pick-up zone for almost an hour and a half, she was fuming. I get home, go to bed, my roommate goes and picks up my pain meds it was liquid Tylenol and Liquid Gabapentin and Celebrex. When I took the liquids I almost threw up...WTH ? Out of curiosity, I looked up the ingredients. Freaking FAKE sweetener. I cannot tell you how many times I informed them I could NOT use any fake sweeter, because it gave me severe cramping stomach aches, vomiting, or IBS. Just two days before the surgery they tried to give me three Ensure to drink ,which I already knew had the fake sweetener, and said no can do, Keep them. And now my pain killers had them. I was like do you feel actual pain? Not really, just some tenderness. So I threw them out. The rest of the day I was up and around, doing things. And the next day it was like I never had the surgery. I live at a Studio Apartment complex with 16 units. My roommate is the on-site manager. So as I went back to my normal on the 4th day, ( with the weight lift, carry, push-pull restrictions), and the tenants were all like " I thought you were having surgery this week ?" I said " I did. On Monday." None of them could believe it. So that is my story. I am disappointed with my weight loss so far, ( it's been a month) as I have only lose 17lbs since the surgery. But I also considered, due to my 9 month "Denture Diet"( I lost 25 lbs,but once I was able to eat again I got back up, so, it may have changed the immediate weight loss factor. I have lost 45 lbs. So maybe that is why. So below is my pre-food, my favorite a plate FULL of (Foie de Veau Lyonnaise) Calf liver in onions. and my new diet. 4oz ( with a total of 2oz of food) containers with liver, mashed potatoes and broccoli.

I had open Gastric Bypass, mostly because I had 500+ excess pounds at the time. It does give the Docs a good view of the field, easier to get into difficult places. Even then, for me, they had some problems getting everywhere they wanted to. It does make the early recovery a bit more painful. Quite a bit more. I had about 30 staples from just below my sternum to about my waist, along with a drain. It's less fun than it sounds. While the first 3 weeks were horrible, once the staples got removed (ouch), things improved quickly. Even so, I never regretted my choice for an instant. It was the second best decision my life, my spouse being the best. Good luck, Tek

As an ex smoker, I can tell you that giving up smoking is not the cause of weight gain. Smoking takes up a lot of time in the day and you have to fill this time with a healthier habit. You have every reason to want to stay on the right path. Its going to be tough for a few weeks but it will be worth it

Yes I can drink easily too, so grateful for that. I've had 2 good days in a row now with little nausea, feeling pretty good overall. Eating 3 to 4 ounces per meal. I've hit the stall too, actually put on a pound, not letting it worry me, just part of the journey. I'm so constipated so taking stuff, hope it works asap.

I have chia in my freezer. How do you think taking it dry will affect my stomach at 8 weeks post since it expands to 10xs its weight in liquid? I used to take 2T daily. Dry. I'm thinking I should soak it first.

@LindsayT Hey! To answer your question: I am not planning on having more children. My insurance does cover the revision and the appointment went well. I will have an Upper GI Single w/contrast done to determine if there is any disruption in my pouch or fistulas formed throughout the path to the remnant stomach. I'm scheduled to go back to my bariatric surgeon in 2 wks. to review the results and go over the next steps. Btw Lindsay you are doing an AMAZING job!! 41 lbs down in 6 weeks out of surgery, that is commendable 🤩👏 You rock!!! Keep up the good work!!