Search the Community

Hope it went great!! I remember waking up from my wL surgery saying screw getting a tummy tuck bc I was in pain hahaha I'll prob change my mind but wish you the best of luck!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yeah I can see why they want you to Waite bc the cells-muscles are still growing back. Lol I need to not rush Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Whine and complain lol... I took DayQuil, sf coughs drops, hot therapy pack, tea, eat healthy which is limited, it feels bc my taste buds are almost gone. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I dont think moving would be worth it at all. These insurance companies really dont want to approve people. My state requires it, I meet all the criteria, yet Ive been denied several times. Imagine if you moved, went through a bunch of BS and still got denied. Tons of people turn to Mexico after their insurance denies them or simply because the deductible through insurance will be the same as going to mexico. Im in the process of booking with Dr Garcia now after extensive research. Could keep going round and round with insurance begging for them to pay but Ive been doing that for 9 months now. I wish I went to mexico in december when I started this journey, id be down 80 to 100 lbs by now. Ive only found 1 "horror story" and that was a death. If you read the fine print from your surgeon, it says that happens in every 200 to 500 people. Just saying, you may want to research a bit. I think Im into the thousands now on success stories ive read Sent from my SM-G900P using the BariatricPal App

Definitely don't count calories. DSers do not. We count Protein grams. At barely 2 months out it may be hard to eat enough protein. If you feel you need 3 shakes a day then do it. How many sugar grams are in each shake? Is it under 10? I had 1 shake for the first 2 years (each day) bc I couldn't get enough protein in. I didn't get to 50 gr. protein till 6 mos. out. Are you getting in 80 gr. of Water comfortably? That is a lot. If it's too hard you can drop it back. I only weighed when I went to my surgeons' office. That meant 1 mo. out, 3 mos. out, etc. That way I never saw ups, downs, stalls. I did take pics every 3 mos. My first mo. I lost 19 lbs. as I recall. Why the low fat? As a DSer, I eat pretty much all the fat I want. Full fat mayo, yogurt, etc. That's one of the beauties of the DS.

@@marchmellow Yes and no. While I haven't had any new abscesses in a while I have had complications with one that is leading to me having yet another surgery sometime in the next two months. I think it is a combo of the weight loss and not having a cycle due to my bc that is leading to it. The thing under my arm from before surgery still hasn't healed. It has been growing granulation tissue. The doctor uses silver nitrate but it keeps coming back. It's gone from the size of a pencil eraser to a good 3/4 inch wide. She wants to do surgery on there to "scoop" the whole area out. They won't prescribe me anything for it. I love KP but they can be so cheap with medications sometimes (seriously, I have a Platinum plan and they only cover one type of basal and fast-acting insulin pens).

I am the same way!! I can see my body change a little but the scale says nothing different!! Maybe bc I have a cold?? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Moral of the story - listen to your body. I felt worse by the hour. Belly got more tender and rigid. Couldn't eat or drink. My friend who came to check on me tried to reach bariatric office or surgeon. No dice. So to the ER we went. A catscan later I was back in OR to fix a hernia. I feel much better again. I'm glad bc I was regretting this choice if that's how I was going to feel! Glad it's not. Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

Me personally I told everyone bc I'm starting a Vlog and sharing every step of the way Sent from my iPhone

Fat burning mode bc the carbs are depleted. Usually get there with an Atkins type low carb diet. You'll notice darker urine. Ketones are released in the urine. A byproduct of the metabolic processes. Hence the name. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am sorry to hear you have having so many problems. And not showing much success for all your struggles. Have you thought about going to therapy? The reason I was fat to begin with is that I learned I had a horrible relationship to food. I learned that it was my only comfort, no matter what I was doing in my life. Even with a loving husband and a great job, I wanted to eat, especially sugar. I love sugar. I needed my sleeve to help control getting hunger as I worked on my addiction. My therapist told me that sugar addiction is worse than cocaine addiction. I worked (and am still working) on how to give myself comfort in ways other than food, and WHY I wanted this comfort. (my childhood affected a lot of this) and learning self love. I still struggle to try to lose all the weight, and have days where I just want to eat a whole box of oreo Cookies, but I can look at it and ask myself why, what is triggering it, etc. The sleeve helps me from not eating the whole box of oreos while I work out why I want to. It sounds like a lot of your problems maybe from not eating right as well. With the sleeve, I have found you can eat slider food and gain weight and have no ill effects from it. I can still eat a whole bag of chips if I wanted to, but can't eat more than 3 ounces of Protein. You may want to sit down and look at what you are eating, and make sure it is pure protein. Remember, its not calories, its content. btw, if you have Netflix, you have to watch Fed Up. It talks a lot about sugar addiction. It is sad what is happening in this country! Good luck to you. I think you need to start looking at the inside before you can help the outside. When you do, I am sure you will do better! Hugs to you!

I'm so sorry for your struggles. It makes it so much harder to deal with the question. As an ex ER nurse, I can unfortunately attest to the sheer numbers of women who can't tell you when their last period is, or if they did or didn't use bc with their sexual encounters. Women months pregnant with no clue. So unfortunately, women like you who know without a doubt still have to pee in a cup before surgery or any radiology testing. I'm glad some places are being more progressive with the waivers, but the medical personnel have to protect the lowest denominator. I have an iud, my husband has a vasectomy. We laughed at the pre op preg test, because it would be a true miracle for it to be positive. For me it's easier to just give the pee. My 19 year old daughter with the implant and no sex for months had to pee before they'd run her CT scan the other day. She didn't think it should be necessary so I told her ER stories. It's a pain but they haven't found a better way yet. sent from mobile device

I don't know how long the effect will last, but here's my experience shopping last night at just over 2 weeks post-op: Walked in the produce section and was drawn to the smell of the nectarines. Mind you, I have SERIOUS food issues (Dad physically force fed me veggies when I was very young) and in the past would have serious anxiety about eating anything outside my comfort zone. I can't tell you if I've ever even tried a nectarine. But damn they smelled awesome. So hubby said he likes nectarines, and we grabbed a couple. (Tried them at home, they're good but not really by themselves, needs to be in a cobbler or Cereal or something.) Walked by the Little Debbie display - one of my old binge foods. Part of my brain went "oooohhhhh, Little Debbies, that would count as soft food". (Don't worry, I didn't get them.) But then the part of my brain that was imagining eating them, went "eh." Walked through the Breakfast section - PopTarts are another one of my old binge foods. Used to be I only loved the chocolate fudge ones. Those had no appeal. The cherry ones had more appeal, but there's better ways to get cherry tastes like fruit in yogurt. Walked on by, no cravings no nothing. Even if this effect doesn't last forever, if it lasts long enough for me to establish some healthier eating patterns, it'll be good enough. And, I'm 30 lbs down from my highest weight. Jeans I haven't been able to wear since last fall are comfortable on the verge of being loose, and my wedding band which I haven't been able to wear for months is finally back on my hand. Just getting the boost of that 30 lbs gone is exhilarating and making me very excited about the future.

Hi I'm currently in process of supervised diet and they been playing games with saying it is up to my surgeon how long it would be then the diet supervised girl is like you have 12 months of this when I just got done doing a year of calorie counting by myself, I pay 300 a month for this insurance just for the wls and I called bcbs and they act clueless to it all even talking to the bariatic people of bcbs I told the girl at the Kane a Center in Hoffman estates that it was bs when I just got off from a over a year of trying myself to just be told oh well do it again for another year.. I pay 300 a month for this bs and I can't even get anything I need done.. If anyone has any advice or insite all is welcomed

I'm having surgery on 9-14 as well but I start my diet next wed.....I think you are just nervous and that is TOTALLY normal....I had the band in 09 and I felt the exact same way you do.....band was removed in Dec due to complications and I'm totally terrified I'm not going to lose weight at all! Now I know that is just me being nervous of another WLS but we will make it! Just keep thinking of yourself when all the excess weight is gone and you FEEL fantastic bc you will! Good luck to you! Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App I feel exactly like you. Had the band in 2011 and removed last Aug. surgery is 9/19 terrified I won't lose weight or self sabotage. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I jumped 8 lbs after the first visit, bc I did not know it counted as the first visit. I was actually told it was not counted toward my 3 month program... Lost 12 the next month. Did not hinder approval at all.

GREATER NEW YORK BARIATRIC SURGERY and NON-SURGICAL WEIGHT LOSS CLOTHING EXCHANGE [The free event since 2010 for men and women who have had or are scheduled for WLS or participate in the practice’s non-surgical program.] **************** Join us in MIDTOWN MANHATTAN Tuesday * Sept. 27, 2016 * 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Location: BOTTOMLESS CLOSET 16 East 52 Street, 15th Fl., New York, NY 10022 (bet. Fifth and Madison Aves.) **************** Everything should be clean, intact and wearable. Intimates (e.g., workout clothes, leggings, underwear, swimwear, sleepwear, socks, hosiery) must be new/unused/unworn. Accessories are great (belts, jewelry, scarves, neckties, purses, shoes, etc.). Dressing rooms are available. Need nothing now? Feel free to bring items you're no longer using and stay for the conversation. Bottomless Closet, our host, helps disadvantaged NYC women enter and succeed in the workforce and improve the quality of their lives. All items not adopted during our event are donated to BC. Documents will be available for tax purposes. If you have any questions about the exchange, ask away. If you'd like to help set up, come at 5:00. If you're able to stay a tad past 7:30 to straighten up, great.

I'm hoping for June 2017. I'm off in the Summer, and i want to be sure I have LOTS of recovery time Sent from my SM-G930T using the BariatricPal App Are you a teacher/professor? Or working for a school district? Asking bc you said you are off all summer.. You have a bit of time ahead of you as well. Have decided on which of the procedure you want? I'm still on the fence.. one day sleeve another bypass. Smh probably decide once I meet with the surgeon.. Sent from my SM-G900T using the BariatricPal App I am apre-school teacher in a private school. I am definitely going for the sleeve. I don't want the bypass. I have read great things about the sleeve!! Sent from my SM-G930T using the BariatricPal App Awesome! !!! I Love being an RRT! Saving Lives One Breath At A Time.

Hi I'm currently in process of supervised diet and they been playing games with saying it is up to my surgeon how long it would be then the diet supervised girl is like you have 12 months of this when I just got done doing a year of calorie counting by myself, I pay 300 a month for this insurance just for the wls and I called bcbs and they act clueless to it all even talking to the bariatic people of bcbs I told the girl at the Kane a Center in Hoffman estates that it was bs when I just got off from a over a year of trying myself to just be told oh well do it again for another year.. I pay 300 a month for this bs and I can't even get anything I need done.. If anyone has any advice or insite all is welcomed

I'm having surgery on 9-14 as well but I start my diet next wed.....I think you are just nervous and that is TOTALLY normal....I had the band in 09 and I felt the exact same way you do.....band was removed in Dec due to complications and I'm totally terrified I'm not going to lose weight at all! Now I know that is just me being nervous of another WLS but we will make it! Just keep thinking of yourself when all the excess weight is gone and you FEEL fantastic bc you will! Good luck to you! Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

Hi all, went to my 2 week post op meeting today and am now allowed to have some foods....limited list, but I am not complaining! The nutritionist recommended we use a crock pot to cook meats, and specifically said no pressure cooker bc a pressure cooker tends to make meat stringy and tough....but I thought I have heard that meat was tender when cooked in a pressure cooker? What's been your experience? I was all set to order my InstantPot, but would like to hear if you all find the meat juicy and tender enough in a pressure cooker? Maybe my NUT doesn't use one herself? Thanks! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Hi, Together we are "Bartina" (Bart and Katina), the celebrity name my wife came up with when we met 10.5 years ago. We have had our ups and downs like everyone, but we've never experienced anything like the last year...which we term "the year from hell". I have been VERY hesitant to share our personal woes online. However, I've had a good number of kind souls reach out to me and try to talk us into starting a GoFundMe campaign. To be honest, I'm quite prideful and hate, Hate, HATE asking people for help. Right now I am in tears writing this. It's just not my forte asking others for help with my/our problems. It makes me feel terrible and inadequate... like I didn't do a good enough job taking care of us... but I know that these circumstances are beyond our control and we could definitely use a bit of sunshine in our lives. With that said, I wanted to share what's been going on the last year (with a few other key dates). It's been overwhelming dealing with everything, but together we have endured...though not gracefully. November 2004 - I became permanently disabled and unable to work. Yet somehow, I was still blessed beyond belief to find a woman that loved me unconditionally and accepted me wholeheartedly. We were married in 2006. May 2014 - My wife was severely injured in a serious auto accident. She had to have surgery and almost a year of physical therapy. It also took a major emotional toll on her as she developed PTSD, Major Depression, Anxiety, Fibromyalgia as well as a fear of driving, being in a wreck, etc. The surgery, physical therapy, counseling, etc. costs us thousands of dollars. November 2015 - I had to have surgery due to a serious medical condition. During the 2nd night of recovery in the hospital I had a very serious seizure (having never had a seizure before in my life) caused by an allergic reaction to pain medication. The surgery cost several thousand dollars after insurance. December 2015 - My wife had to have surgery due to a serious medical condition, but her insurance wouldn't pay for it so we had to have the surgery in another country. It still cost us thousands of dollars, but cheaper than the US. December 2015 - During my wife's recovery from surgery, I started having severe abdominal pains. They put me through a barrage of tests and admitted me into the international hospital alongside my wife. It turned out to be a kidney stone attack, but their pain medicines did not work on me so I had to be rushed back across the border into the US to find relief. Both the International Hospital and the US hospital cost us several thousand dollars. March 2016 - My wife had an emotional breakdown at work for various reasons which I'm unable to speak about. I had to take her to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. March 2016 - She was placed into a daily Intensive Outpatient Therapy program to help her deal with her PTSD, depression, and anxiety that stems from her serious auto accident in May 2014 and was worsened by her work environment. She was in the program for 5 days a week for 1 month. She received no income while she was off work and the Outpatient Therapy program was not covered by her insurance and cost almost $8,000. March 2016 - The day after my wife left work due to an emotion breakdown and while she was at her first day of Intensive Outpatient Therapy, I had the most severe pain I've ever had in my life. I also couldn't stop vomiting for over an hour. Once I was able I called for an ambulance and they took me to the Emergency Room where my wife met me. They determined that I had an 8-9mm kidney stone (which is HUGE) and rushed me into surgery. During the surgery the laser accidentally punctured my ureter and I was forced to stay a few nights in the hospital for observation. A Ureteral Stent was also placed into my ureter so that the kidney stone fragments and urine could pass more easily due to swelling and so that healing could take place. The stent was to remain in place for 4-6 weeks. The surgery cost several thousand dollars after insurance. March 2016 - Once I was released from the hospital with the stent in place, I noticed I was rapidly gaining weight. I gained 30 pounds in only 5 days!!!! My doctors were quite concerned so they brought me in for numerous tests including an EKG, ECG, MRI, CT Scan, Ultrasound, etc. It was determined that I had Acute Kidney Failure and they removed the ureteral stent. I was then prescribed numerous medications that were quite expensive and not covered by my insurance. The tests also cost us several thousand dollars after insurance. April 2016 - My wife remained in therapy and was unable to return to work. She remained on FMLA and received no income from her work during this time. May 2016 - My wife remained in therapy and was unable to return to work. She remained on FMLA and received no income from her work during this time. June 2016 - I passed out and it was believed that I had a heat stroke while helping my dad work in his garden. I had slurred speech, confusion, nausea, head ache, etc for several hours. Due to having thousands in medical debt (and being stubborn) I refused to go to the hospital. June 2016 - I was bitten 3 times by a spider which led to very large and red blisters. Due to having thousands in medical debt (and being stubborn) I refused to go to the hospital. Thankfully they weren't more severe. June 2016 - I became very ill and ended up in the Emergency Room. They determined I had a serious intestinal/colon infection and prescribed me several medications. The trip cost us several thousand dollars after insurance. June 2016 - I had an allergic reaction to the medications I was prescribed by the ER. The medications caused my throat and tongue to swell up so much that my airway started to close off....and hence another trip to the ER...and more medical debt. June 2016 - My wife remained in therapy and was unable to return to work. She exhausted all of her 12 weeks of FMLA, but was granted an additional 30 days of personal leave by her work. She received no income from her work during this time. July 2016 - I was still very ill from the intestinal/colon infection, so I made a visit to my Gastroenterologist. They determined that it was a potentially life threatening intestinal/colon infection and prescribed the proper medication that I had to take 4x daily for 2 weeks. It had to be specially made...and cost a fortune. The good news is that within 2-3 weeks I was feeling much better. July 2016 - My wife remained in therapy and was unable to return to work. She exhausted her additional 30 days of personal leave granted by her work and they were unwilling to grant her any more personal leave so they fired her and she therefore lost her health insurance benefits. She received no income from her work during this time. July 2016 - Our cat of 10 years, Rocky, suddenly got sick and stopped eating. We had to take him to the Animal Hospital where he stayed for several days. They determined he had developed liver issues and would have to be force fed his food and medicines. So, we force fed him for several weeks, but he never got any better and kept losing weight. He lost a total of 12 pounds in just a few short weeks. The Animal Hospital cost several hundred dollars. August 4, 2016 - My Uncle Sonny (on my mom's side) died. However, we were unable to attend the funeral because we didn't receive enough notice and because he lives in Texas (about 12 hours away) and we didn't have the finances to make the trip. August 9, 2016 - Our cat, Rocky, died. He was my best friend aside from my wife. When we went to the animal shelter to pick him out, I remember saying that I didn't want a black and white cat (because I had an outdoor black cat growing up) and that I didn't want a cat with claws (because my old farm cats liked to scratch). We came across a black and white cat with claws, so he was an immediate and easy no in my eyes. But shortly after seeing him, I felt the playful paws with claws (from the black and white cat above) trying to get my attention by "boxing" at my shirt as to say "please don't leave me here". It was that day that "Rocky" (named after Rocky Balboa) chose us and we became the very best of friends. He followed me around the house and always kept my feet warm by laying on them when I was sitting at this computer. He is sorely missed. August 26, 2016 - Gastroenterologist called and said I had an abnormal CT Scan showing colon/intestinal wall thickening and need to have a Colonoscopy to check it out. Add it to the list. Sigh. August 28, 2016 - I have been hurting the past several days and just passed 2 large 5mm kidney stones!!! Thank goodness they didn't hurt bad enough for another ER hospital visit! That's definitely a blessing! August 2016 - My wife remains in therapy and unable to work. She has received no income during this time. ------------------------------------------------------------------- So, due to all of these health and financial issues we have been forced to sell one of our vehicles and are left with an 18-year-old truck on it's last leg. We have also had to put our house up for sale...a house we built ourselves and have put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into over the years making it our HOME. The inside of our house is now currently bare bones with everything either in storage or previously sold at the Flea Market. We now have only the basic needs such as a bed, fridge, computer, tv, couch, etc. as well as some staging items to make the house show better. We don't necessarily want to move, but we have to move to make ends meet. We have also been forced to sell many of our personal belongings (including some of our prized collections). It has been a very, VERY difficult year and we have spent many days and nights in tears asking God "WHY US?" We still don't know why we've had to go through all that we have, but we keep the faith that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As long as we have God in our lives and each other then we will find a way to make it. During this difficult time several people have reached out and I wanted to say THANK YOU. Your kind words, compassion, and prayers have helped us carry on. And again, I HATE asking for help, but I hope you all know that your support (i.e. thoughts, prayers, encouragement, and donations) help us get through these dark and trying times. I also want to say that even if you can't help with a donation...that's perfectly ok. We understand. Maybe you can help in other ways. We don't use social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.), so if you could PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD that would be absolutely wonderful. And, of course, your thoughts and prayers go a long, LONG way as well!! UPDATE: We actually had to join Facebook in order to have our Gofundme Campaign show up in publish search results, but PLEASE SHARE and spread the word. You can visit our Campaign at: http://gofundme.com/29hfhfns Any money donated will be used to pay medical debt, monthly utility bills, current mortgage, or any other unforeseen expenses, etc. We also just hit 50% of our GOAL!!! Thanks for listening and please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue this journey we call life.

The pain reliever they gave me took care of my pain almost 100%. Maybe you should ask for something stronger. In the hospital I was on dilaudid and they sent me home with Percocet. They should have sent you with a script for a stool softener as well bc all narcotic pain meds cause terrible and painful constipation. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Im also going through HF. I have dr. GANAW. how was the consult with Dr. Carlin? Mine is 8/31. Im excited bet nervous. Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App It was great! I really liked him. Very easy to talk to. The 31st was my original appointment with Dr. Carlin but there was a cancellation and since I was done with the pre req stuff they asked if I wanted it. My friend and coworker had Dr. Genaw years ago. She said he was awesome! Funny and so down to earth. Did you write your letter of intent? How about your food journal? I have an appointment with the GI Dr. on the 30th. I hope I can get the EGD done soon. I feel like that's what's slowing me down. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Glad to hear About Dr. Ganaw. Thanks for that info. I have been tracking, somewhat. I was just on vacation, and did not track. Will that be a problem? Doing the letter of intent today. This is just basically why you wa t the surgery correct? I'll post more after the consult. I w I uld love to hear more about your journey. Lets chat more ok? Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App For the food journal, i think it will be ok? I was asked about how often I exercise, how much Protein I have in a day, calories, and Water. Have your journal ready just in case. My letter wasn't that long. Only a page. I gave reasons why I wanted the surgery, that I understand the risks, who my support system was, how I plan on using the tool to achieve my goals, etc. Today I had my appointment with the GI doctor. My Upper GI is scheduled for 9/23. More waiting. Yay! Lol. Good luck tomorrow! I look forward to hearing about it! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Saturn, thanks for the info. I called,about the letter. I did not have anything in my binder on it, but all is good. Im nervous, probaly bc I did not keep perfect food journals. Ill let u know how it goes tomorrow. My appt. Is 9:50. Wish me luck???? Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

Hi everyone, I am new here so I hope I am posting in the right place. I am 5 days post op. Whenever I ingest something whether it be broth or a Popsicle, I get this tight feeling in what I think is my esophagus and it makes the most ungodly noises and then it spasms then finally goes down. Has this happened to someone? When did it stop? It stops me from being able to eat bc it's painful. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App