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From your most recent post it sounds like you now have the information needed, but I'll copy and paste below what Tijuana Bariatrics sent me last year (it could have since been updated) in case anyone else is seeking it: Pre-Op Instructions Gastric Sleeve, Plication and Lap Band Use any prepared canned or powdered Protein drink. You may purchase these in any health food store or many grocery stores. Please be sure it contains at least 15 grams of protein per serving. 1 Protein Drink at Breakfast 1 protein drink at lunch Dinner: salad with Protein (chicken, fish, egg, etc), small amount of low fat dressing, or fat free dressing or olive oil and vinegar. 1 protein drink in the evening if needed You may also take 1 Metamucil capsule per day if needed for hunger. Start this phase the day before surgery: Do a light breakfast the day prior to surgery and take only Clear liquids after that. This consists of broth, Jell-o, sugar-free juice, any clear liquid You may have nothing to eat or drink after the midnight preceding surgery or 8 hours prior to it. If you are a Same Day Surgery arrive with an empty stomach and wear compression stockings during your trip. You may take needed medications (such as heart or blood pressure medications) with sips of Water the morning of surgery as directed by our Doctors. Do not take any aspirin, Advil, Nuprin, Aleve or any other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication for 7 days prior to surgery. These medications cause unnecessary bleeding after surgery. This includes baby aspirin and most arthritis medications. If you are not sure, please check with our Doctors.. For headache or minor pains you may use Tylenol. You may restart these medications the next day after surgery. Do not take any herbal medications for 7 days prior to surgery. Bring comfortable shoes and slippers to Mexico, you will be asked to walk several times per day. Please bring your medications in properly labeled pharmaceutical bottles for documentation of dosages. You will be on a liquid and soft food diet for two weeks after surgery. Stock up on sugar-free liquids: Crystal Light, sugar free fruit juices, apple sauce, yogurt, sugar-free pudding, sugar-free jell-o, thin Soups and caffeine-free teas. If you do not like the flavor of chicken broth, make chicken noodle Soup and strain out the solids. Avoid all carbonated beverages (fills the stomach with gas). Avoid sugar (extra calories that fight against weight loss). Caffeine makes you urinate more and can lead to dehydration. You will need to drink plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration after surgery. Sport drink bottles with measurements on the side will help ensure you are drinking enough liquid. You will need to drink at least two quarts (2,000cc) per day to prevent dehydration. You will not be able to gulp liquids so you will want to drink small amounts throughout the day. RNY/Bypass, Mini Bypass and DS Start this phase 2 days before surgery: Take a laxative (any laxative that you usually use). Take only clear liquids after that. This consists of broth, Jell-o, sugar-free juice, Gatorade and any clear liquid. You may have nothing to drink after the midnight preceding surgery or 8 hours prior to your surgery. If you are a Same Day Surgery arrive on an empty stomach and wear compression stockings. *Please follow the pre-op diet as instructed below 1. BMI’s 30 to 31 no diet-only clears liquids the day prior to surgery 2.-BMI's 32 to 39 - 7 days 3.-BMI's 40 to 49- 10 days 4.- BMI's 50 to 59- 14 days 5.- BMI's 60 to 69- 21 days 6.-BMI's 70 and over- 1 month

Sleeve over Bypass? Just curious as to what everyone's reason was?

Rene, I just found your thread here. I wanted to tell you that Medicare paid for my Lap-Band. No qurestion asked and It went through the first time. It paid for Dr., pre op testing, phyc eval., surgeon, Lap-band and hospital. I only had to pay my co pay and of course the 20% they don't cover. The total cost of everything from begining to end was $24,000 and I had to pay $1,500. And not all at once. I paid a little here and a little there and then on some I am still paying on. I know this thread was back in June so I don't know if you got any answers since then. If you have any questions just let me know. My surgery was back in November 04. Good luck,

Hang in there 2boys---there are some serious Disney Addicts on this forum---they can answer your question!!! I know a couple of friends from here, that go with regularity, and are both getting close to goal, and have had no adverse reactions from going. As for your port pier, I would discourage direct bouncing on it, let it be sure it is healed good and strong in there. But also as you lose weight, and it is closer to the surface, your kiddos will be growing up, and less likely to be bouncing on you----sad as it is! As for your direct question about rides--if you don't get much response--try reposting it with "rides" or "disneyland" in the title. A lot of people will see silly question and think someone is wondering about PB's again!!!! And while they need to know, some bypass those questions! Have fun in Disney, and enjoy those little ones while they are little!!! They grow fast! Kat

Well, this gives me some hope. I am barely over 40 BMI, and will be on Aetna Choice POS II starting in November. I don't have much in the way of medical history.... I had my first physical in years about a year ago, and I was about 38 BMI then. The only other records I have are the birth certificates for my two children, which show my weights at time of delivery (278 and 254, respectively - I'm about 254 now). I did not have regular medical workups with either pregnancy - both were delivered by midwives outside of the hospital setting. I'm hoping that whatever doctor I choose can help walk me through the process, but I think I will definitely be putting together a photo portfolio or something like described in this post. My best girlfriend of 15 years is also looking to get banded, but she's already been through the approval process with her insurance. I would love to be able to walk this path with her as my 'band buddy', but I don't know if I'm going to be able to wrangle the approval with my insurance being brand-new (to me) and the lack of medical history. eep!!

I went to the info session last night at the U of PA to learn about my options for weight loss surgery. I was suprised to hear the surgeon poo-poo banding in general. He said they are doing less of them now due to instances of re-surgery, complications, weight gain of patients and the wearing out of the band. I was shocked! I went in there having almost made my up mind that the band was for me. He was very much for gastric bypass. Have others experienced this? Is there merit to what he is saying, or do the surgeons have a motive for wanting to do gastric over banding? Appreciate any thoughts!

Thank-you for your thoughts and no...not offended at all! I went to two different places for the lipo..the first was a dermatology office and the second was the doctor who was already doing my lift and augmentation. He has had excellent results, I have read his scholarly published articles, and his reviews online are excellent. He capped my surgery at 6 hours...so fortunately I will not be in there as long as you! I have looked at the before and after pictures and it does seem to be what I'm looking for. I wanted to be within 10 pounds of goal before the surgery, which since I have 2 months leaves me plenty of time to drop my last 20. Also, late August is really the one time of year where I can schedule the procedure around work and I wanted to be fully healed before my birthday in November. I am relieved to know that you did not have a lot of pain, although I'm sure the lipo will increase mine quite a bit. My doctor has also never had any major complications with surgery, but like you, I do recognize the gravity of such a long procedure. I just want all of the misery to be at once instead of dragging it out for months at a time. I'm very active and not being able to do much of anything for at least a month makes me nervous- forget not being able to do anything for longer than that. Thank-you for your thoughts- I appreciate it!

I think some doctors are overly cautious because of fears that the extended release meds will release too quickly after the sleeve is done. I could see that as an issue with a bypass, but it seems a bit off when talking about surgery that did not monkey with the actual digestive process, just the size of the stomach.

I'm now just a few days over 3 weeks post op gastric bypass and so far eating somewhat normally again, err, well for my "new normal." I thought these tips might be useful to others... Things that go down fine (and are pleasurable to eat) oatmeal (I buy the quick packets of organic oatmeal, no sugar added), lowfat 1% milk just cover them in a bowl and microwave a minute to a minute and 1/2. Add a handful of fresh strawberries and blueberries with a sprinkle of splenda a spash more milk. Yummy and fills you up with no issues (at least for me) Salads - I've really had no problems enjoying a small salad. No sugar added popsicles (about 25 to 35 calories each) - very soothing and tasty Black bean Soup and almost any cream Soups in the cartons (roasted red pepper etc.) Chili - in small quantities most canned soups like Progresso heart healthy laughing cow cheese - actually, I'm not a big fan but these are fine Light and Fit greek yogurt - 80 calories - these are good Stouffers mac and cheese cups - these are high in fat but only 240 calories or so since you're eating a small amount and a tasty treat once and a while Vitarain from costco - about $10 a case eggs so long as they're cooked soft Low Fat 1 or 2% cottage cheese Almonds - just a few once and a while Flank steak - flank steak is tender, slice it thin, saute with some peppers and just remember small amounts Popcorn air popped - just a small bowl with a tiny drizzle of butter and a little salt Artificial crab - fine in small amounts. Jello Things that hurt to avoid or eat very, very slowly Pasta/Noodles - even small quantities are pretty tough to keep down chicken, especially white meat - doesn't digest well Crackers - almost any kind - a few rice crackers maybe but all others don't feel good to me ground meat - a bit easier then chicken but still, very small amounts bread or bagels - don't feel good anything fried in oil The key is always listen to your body. Chew well, wait for it to go down, see how it feels, if it feels bad stop or slow way down. Hopefully this makes sense to some folks. I'm hoping things get easier but I'm adapting well to my "new normal."

I guess I told the wrong person, or someone over heard me talking about it, so now it is buzzing around the office that I am having a gastric bypass. Now I have to do some damage control. I am NOT having a gastric bypass. I thought I was careful, but I guess not careful enough. Now the whole office will know... That terrifies me... This is my secret, and I should be able to tell only those I want to tell. On the upside. At least if everyone knows, maybe I will have to answer less que3stions about where i was and why I am losing so much weight! Is it bad that everyone knows?:omg:

So I have posted several times about my difficulty in taking my bariatric Vitamins. I take the Celebrate brand chewables: Multivitamin, the Calcium, and twice a week, the sub-lingual B-12. The multivitamin is the one that makes me the most queasy. I try to take it with a bit of food, but it is so unpleasant to my stomach that I have to lay down afterwards, sometimes with a bucket, "just in case" (although "in case" hasn't actually happened). Today, I was upset and couldn't eat, so I didn't eat anything and took my multivitamin with just some of my daily coffee/Muscle Milk drink. Within 30 minutes, I had crushing chest pain. My husband was at the airport, leaving the country for work, so I packed a bag and tried to get myself to the ER. I just couldn't get the courage to drive there! But I was afraid to call for an ambulance or bother my neighbor or friends because I was sure it would subside and maybe it was just gas or something stupid. Or, maybe stuck food (although I hadn't eaten - go figure). I wanted to get to the hospital where I had my surgery, so that they would know my situation, and where my surgeon practices - but that is maybe 15 miles. I couldn't drive there in my condition in case I caused an accident and hurt someone. So I drove part way through my neighborhood, changed my mind, pulled over and considered calling 911, and then most of the pain subsided. This is the same reaction I have to codeine, which is an allergy of mine. I don't have many allergies, just codeine and guinea pigs, and bleach. Codeine does this exact same thing to me, or at least it did the last time I took it, maybe 25 years ago. I did go on to the hospital. They took me back immediately in a wheelchair, so I bypassed the full waiting room and all the forms. I had an EKG, blood tests, and chest x-ray. The EKG had some slight irregularity, supposedly not heart attack related, but everything else was normal. My alarm for low breaths per minute (or whatever) kept going off. They wanted me to stay over for monitoring but I desperately wanted to go home, especially with my husband out of the country. I agreed to get a stress test from their cardiologist tomorrow and I agreed to no physical activity until then. Bummer because I wanted to start Water aerobics tomorrow. I am a healthy woman, 47, no comorbidities, pretty active. I am 99% sure it is an allergy, but will do what I was told and update. The first nurse I encountered today was kind of a know-it-all and told me it wasn't an allergy because I didn't have hives. Hello, I never had hives with codeine either. Also, she cut off my circulation (to the point of immediate pins and needles) with the blood pressure cuff, which has never happened before, and when I mentioned that, she acted like that happens when blood pressure is taken.

Well I have done everything that the doctor says I have to do. The six month diet, the psych eval, the stress test, the nutrionist appointments, and of course the consultation. This is the third time I have started this journey. the first time was for gastric bypass, but for me it felt like drastic bypass, so i passed that one by. then last year i started over. i went to consultations and seminars at two different places. I chose Dr. Singh in Catonsville, MD. its a longer drive, but he's the one the trained the other doctor I considered. I would have done the surgery last year, but some family stuff came up, i had to move, and i started school. not a good time to be thinking about life altering surgery. Anyway, I went to see Dr. Singh, this past summer. He's so calm and funny. I told him I'm ready. I like his practice - he works with Dr. Averbach (anybody else here using that practice?) He also doesn't charge and arm and a leg for extra stuff that i cannot use - like a gym membership. the other place did. it was more than 45 minutes away - who travels that far to go workout? i pass by like 15 workout places just getting there. for that he wants $2500 extra dollars that the insurance does not cover. of course it includes two visits with the personal trainer and two visits with the nutrionist - its the same person - the surgeon's wife. Dr. Sing's nutiritionist offers unlimited help for either 6 months or a year post surgery - at no extra charge. there are support group meetings - at no extra charge. and there is no extra charge for fills - yeah some doctors try that - at least the other doctor i saw does. anyway... i am now waiting for a call from the Dr. S's office saying i have been approved and my surgery date is - hmmm soon. how about they call me because someone cancelled and ask if i can come in between Christmas and the new year!!!! Yeah - that would be the ticket I wish for. Of course I'll take whatever date they give me - JUST GIVE ME a DATE - plllleeeeaaaassseee!!!! ok - i gotta go. nite all.

You take all of those suppliments everyday? I thought one of the advantages of being sleeved over a tradional bypass was that you wouldn't need as many supliments because they don't reroute the intestines. Thank you for your expertise!

I found out this morning that I need to have my band removed. I have too much acid reflux. Most of the time it gets better with weight loss but the band was just making it worse. I'm going to have gastric bypass and doc said I wouldn't have any more acid reflux. Little nervous but ready to not have such stomach pain.

I have read that article before lol. That was actually the article that made my mind up to have the surgery in the first place. It seemed to say that the sleeve and bypass were more effective than the lap band, but to me it looked like both the sleeve and bypass were effective with the sleeve having less complications. That was why I choose the sleeve. But I am still second guessing myself like the OP. Sorry if I hijacked this thread OP. It is hard to find people who understand PCOS and weight loss and insulin resistance and I get really excited when I do because I really want to make the right choice.

I seem to be having a simular problem, I have gone to the doctor to start the guided diet and started pulling my records from the doctor's office and I have documentation of starting the diet in May 05 and again documented in September 05 and now again in November 05. I am not sure though if it has to be documented month by month, in September my doc said to come back in two months. And i can't seem to get a straight answer from my insurance.

I haven't had my surgery and you guys are scaring me to death about a leak...lol I want this surgery so badly and I just wish we could be sure that after so long we wouldn't have to worry about leaks. I was reading a post on someone who had a leak 4 months after surgery but not sure who it was. I hate the thought of being on a feeding tube.... ugghhhhhhh! I keep going back and forth about having the surgery. I think... well... maybe I can do this without it... when in reality I know I can't! I went on another site and read about gastric bypass and I KNOW I don't want to do that. How big is your stomach after the surgery? I read where they can make it 2 oz or 6oz. Seems if they make it a little larger, leaks may not happen so easily.

Thank you everyone. I don't know what to do with myself. I'm strong for him during the day but when he sleeps, I cry. The worse thing is looking into his eyes knowing nothing can be done. I asked his PCP TWO YEARS AGO to do a CT because he has two brothers and his Dad that died from cancer. He is the baby of the family at 48. He just had a birthday in October. Every doctor we see says it is too far gone. My husband hasn't ever been a complainer. Never been sick. Then he just got really sick two months ago. I did ask the Dr to do a ct two years ago, a year ago, then in August, November and then he got so sick in Dec. HE just didn't see the need eventhough Bear's family had cancer. I think something could have been done if HE had just listened to me and done the scan. We could have caught it early. Now they say any treatment may shorten his life. GOD... I'm so lost. My husband is the best man I know. Yes, I'm still having esophageal spasms and GERD issues. I pray everyday for strength. I need to be here for my husband. He is a shell of his former self. So sad. My heart is shattered. I'm thankful I have my faith and Jesus by me. This isn't about me though, it is about him. I put my pride on the floor when I put up the fundraiser. I hated doing it but sometimes you just have to. Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. I love all of you. If you look at the pictures on the fundraiser page.. you can see he has aged 20 years. I don't know what I will do without him.

I find all of the research and statistics to be interesting; however, I still believe that it comes down to an individual's commitment and perseverance to changing his/her relationship with food and finding a way of eating that is sustainable and that supports maintaining and healthy weight more so that which procedure he/she chooses. I weighed 400 pounds when I started my journey. I never wanted the bypass and insisted on the sleeve from the very beginning. While the NP did talk statistics, she and the surgeon were very supportive. I have lost over 100% of my excess weight (I am below goal), and have maintained for several months beautifully. There is no reason to think will regain because I have no intention of not following a keto way of eating, and I always keep my calories below 2000. In my experience the people that don't lose their excess weight and/or regain do (or don't) do so because of the choices they make around food and drink. I realize that there are exceptions to this, but that has been the case so many times on BP and is definitely the case with most of the people I know that have had one procedure or the other. Still, I do find the research interesting...

I had RNY gastric bypass in august 2020. It’s true what they say, that wls is just a tool and you’re still going to have to work hard to get to your goals! But I’m super surprised that my hunger levels don’t seem to have changed very much. I feel hungry every couple hours, when I was hoping to be one of those people who didn’t think about food very often. My weight loss has slowed because of this, so I’m wondering if anyone else experienced this and has any tips. Thanks!

Laci: there are two directions we can walk each day....one is toward our goals and dreams....we may tire, we may falter, we may even crumple in the dust.... Our success is not measured by how many times we fall but how many times we arise and take another step toward the Light.... We can choose our path....or it will be chosen for us; we can act in our own interests....or we can remain trapped by forces that hold us prisoner; we can move ourselves by discipline or we can be imprisoned by our old habits. The energy we lose bemoaning our fate can be better used to move us yet another step in our journey. Which do you choose? Jack posted the above message to a woman who was struggling because she seems to have lost her wind. Jack is one smart mofo. Its all a personal choice, isnt it? Its all about if youre willing and able to focus and if you truly want to change who you are. I have said to my bestie ray a few times, you know dude, if I had had the gastric bypass, it would have been much quicker, and much easier. Then I remembered why I had the lapband in the first place. I didnt want easy, I wanted to OVERCOME. I needed help slaying the beast of the fatness. I have gone from eating 10000 calories a day (believe it or not) to eating 1200-1500. I have gone from eating out every single day, sometimes two or three times a day, to cooking my own food (imagine that). I have gone from sitting down all day long, and being exausted, to walking around the building I work in (circle it twice and its a mile, I try to circle it 6 times a day), plus doing a work out tape in the morning. I have gone from not giving a shit about my apperance to actually caring, to painting my nails, and doing my hair, and taking care of myself in a way that I was almost embarrassed to do when I wasnt doing anything about my weight. Look, my weight loss has been slow, and it doesnt take a genius to figure out how to eat around the band, but it takes a helluva lot of will power to stay on track. Sometimes I stumble, sometimes I falter, but my LIFE is changing. I'm proud of MYself and this is causing a huge shift in my life, in the way I carry myself, in the way I generally feel about the world. I wake up in a better mood, smile more often, I dont always 'look mad' anymore. My band is the best decision I have ever made, and its been difficult, but I would do it again a million times over. Now then, speaking of cooking, I made a sort of low carb something last night, and its really really good. Okay, so I got 3 chicken breasts, threw them on the foreman, a decent sized can of green chilie, 2 tomatos, and about a half a cup of onions. I have this new awesome little vegetable chopper, I dont have to cry when I want to use onions anymore, and it minces it up really finely. So after the chicken breast were done on the foreman, I threw the can of green chilie, some cheese, the tomatos, the onions and the chunked up chicken in a glass baking dish and put that in the oven for about an hour. That stuff is SO GOOD. HA. Angelica, master chef. -A :thumbs_up:

My wife and I are officially in Onederland and I have lost 108 lbs so far during the last year (20 before surgery and 88 during preop until today). I have never posted a picture of myself here so here are a few pictures of when I was near my peak weight and a picture from last month. After the last picture my wife and other family made me go get clothes that actually fit. The shorts I wore to surgery were over 10" too large when I bought the new ones. I had to buy a couple of pair to get the correct sizing and the same with shirts. Since I wasn't able to try things on, I had to return some that were too large. When I have a chance, I will try to post a picture of my wife and her progress as well as she is not currently on this forum. In total, my wife and I have lost 188 lbs since our peak. She only has 20 lbs more before she has over 100 lbs lost as well and is well on her way towards her goal weight. October 2018 March 2019 November 11, 2020 - Surgery Day February 27th, 2021

Welcome. Since you have GERD, RNY gastric bypass is probably a good choice, since sleeve will only make the condition worse. Many times the timing from deciding to have surgery and actually having the surgery can be long. For me it was around 9 months. Therefore it is common for the process to encompass two calendar years and thereby two deductible year for your insurance. Therefore if you can schedule the whole process and fit it within a one year timeframe, it will minimize your health insurance costs.

I’m a 48 y/o AA, single Mom. I had band over bypass on 9/14, on liquids until 11/1, and will have my first fill on that date. I started at 296 lbs (301 at my highest) and as of 2 days ago I was at 278. Im not as interested in the numbers as I am in the “look” (finally being able to wear clothes and feel sexy again) and lifestyle change.

I would also love to look at and go by your dietary guidelines. I had gastric bypass in 2002. My surgeon was new and I was like the 6th 1 he done. As he put it we would learn together...that is no longer a option and at this moment I really need help with getting back on track. I also was told this week that diet pop was a big NO...he let us have it after 6 months out. Any and all help and advice is so greatly needed and appreciated. Thank you all. I feel like a failure because I have gained some of my weight back also.