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Hi All, I have been on a weight loss journey for a while and finally decided that I want to go the bariatric surgery route. Right now I’m thinking more about the vertical sleeve as the pros and cons are better than the gastric bypass. I’ve been told by my Doctor he doesn’t do the gastric banding as the cons far outweigh anything else and it has a bigger chance of failing or just not working properly. He will do it if I push for it but has said the number around the world is very small due to the complications I have been told to consider the Bypass or the sleeve. For those that have done either one do you regret not doing the other? I have had all my tests done - cardiologist, gastrointestinal, ultrasounds, dietitian and psychologist with another appointment with my surgeon and the psychologist and dietitian in 10days again before the paperwork gets sent to my insurance company for approval. I want to go into the surgeon with an open mind but a decision on which surgery I want to do. I’m planning on doing the surgery in July when school is out (I’ve just got a temporary job for 2months) Those that have done surgery is there anything you recommend I should do before surgery? Is there anything you wished you had done before surgery? is recovery really difficult? I’ve not told 99% of my friends or family, my husband and a close friend then a friend I know that has been through bariatric surgery. I just feel that some people can be judgemental or just mean so I’m choosing to say nothing. thank you all for your help and support K

I just googled "BCBS of TN bariatric surgery" and found this. This is pretty typical - most companies require some kind of medical complication from the first surgery before they'll cover the second one. But I'd check with them regardless. Procedures That MIGHT BE Covered The following procedures MIGHT BE covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield Tennessee: Revision Surgery (either Lap-Band Revision or Gastric Bypass Revision) is possible with EITHER of the following conditions met: Physician documented medical complication Physician documented surgical complication

Thank you for the encouragement! I am getting all of my hospital requirements done - just need the psych eval and Bariatric class and I will be good to go for the revision.

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I'm 48 hours out from surgery today, with tomorrow a travel day. As everyone has noted, I'm excited and a wee bit nervous, though not much. I'm just ready. I've done some serious work this past few weeks, both with the pre-op diet and with getting my mind ready. I've been journaling and reading The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery which was recommended by a friend. It's pretty common sense, and covers a lot, mental, emotional and physical. I'm also listening to the guided visualizations and affirmations Kaiser Permanente has on their website for people undergoing surgery. https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health-wellness/podcasts/conditions-diseases/surgery I'm grateful for all your stories and messages as they remind me I am not alone on this journey and while we all have individual experiences, we're fortunate that these procedures are much safer and more effective than they've ever been. To to those just starting on the pre-op diet, it is SO worth it to follow the plan. Keep busy, and if you are hungry, drink an extra protein shake or some broth. You don't need to starve yourself. Drink as much water as you possible can so you go into surgery well hydrated. Cheers to your health!

Hi All! I've used MyFitnessPal since 2012 and I really like it but I've noticed a lot of people who have bariatric surgery like Baritastic. Can someone tell me a little about Baritastic and what it might be better for, why I might want to consider it? Pros/cons? Or, if you've tried it and use MyFitnessPal instead, why you don't use Baritastic? Thanks!

No matter what, you must take your vitamins daily and for the rest of your life. Whether its a daily patch, pill, chewable...You are putting your health at great risk by skipping out. Organs will stop functioning properly or even cease functioning period. Permanent irreversible damage even Death can occur. It's important to have all of your levels checked regularly. And to take bariatric approved vitamins and not Flintstones or childrens gummies or lower dosage than recommended. I use Celebrate brand bariatric Vitamins. They are excellent and they even have an assistance program that's income based for those that need it....and will send them their vitamins every 3 months at no charge. My team requires their RNY patients to take 2 Multivitamins, 2 calcium citrate, D3, iron, folate, B12, B1 (thiamine) and Biotin. I take everything except Biotin they took me off of it. My labs have all been great with the exception of recently when I ran out of B1 and picked up a bottle of B complex for women. While in the hospital for ongoing abdominal pain my thiamine level came back low. Even though I was taking something that seemed to be adequate, it was not. I was given i.v. thiamine and when i was discharged I ordered my B1 and went back to my regular brand. So please take everything recommended by your team unless they tell you differently. You owe it to yourself to be the best possible and healthiest version of you. Get one of those XL pill weekly dividers. They have them for vitamins. And you can dose out your vitamins weekly. If you work outside the home, get a single use one to carry in your bag for your midday vitamin time. You have to take certain vitamins apart from one another and hours apart. Set up the Baritastic app reminders to remind you when to take your supplements or even the alarm on your phone.

Just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing. HW 264 SW 235 CW 195 GW 130 Height 5’5” BMI 32.6 I was sleeved 2/24/21 and am down 40 lbs since surgery and 69 lbs overall. I recently made it to Onederland and am down 3 sizes- gave all my pre-surgery clothes to a friend! Finding this is very doable and sticking with program. Using Baritastic app to track macros/ meet protein and fluid goals. I am attending support group hosted by my surgeon’s practice and belong to a couple other online bariatric social groups/ recipe groups. I am so happy I did this and looking forward to meeting my goal weight sometime. I eat between 650-900 calories per day ( not per surgeon- just the info from my tracking app) and exercise daily. I worry I am too high in calories but I feel good and the weight continues to come off- 5 lbs this week. Looking to start weight lifting to add muscle and help with sagging skin. I would love to hear how you are all doing.

Had my nutritionist appointment Wednesday. I feel prepared in that I know what I can and can’t eat...am getting my file looked at by a nurse and hopefully submitted to my insurance next week. My case manager seems confident I’ll have a surgery date within July. but I’m starting to mourn the life I live now. I know I want to lose the weight and keep it off... but I’m going to miss a nice glass of champagne or cocktail with carbonation. A warm bowl of pasta. Full fat milk. The sense of freedom to eat when and what I want (which I suppose can also be a prison...) anyway I’m getting emotional, knowing my life will never be the same. There’s good with it, but definitely a sense of loss and mourning is coming across as well. I spoke with the psychiatrist in my bariatric clinic and she cleared me for surgery, but I feel like I may need to go see her again once or twice before surgery for my own peace of mind and a listening ear. I don’t know if I just need advice or a listening ear or insight from experience or what. whatever you offer I’ll gladly take.

I have found that using flavored syrups in protein shakes, oatmeal, yogurt etc helps with cravings. I add unflavored protein and maple bourbon pecan skinny syrup. my daughter likes the peanut butter cup flavor. Idealfit has many flavor offerings for protein powder and I also looked into bariatric foodie's protein shake cookbook, available on amazon as it has recipes for ice cream, shakes and desserts. Good luck!

Hi! Long time lurker, first time poster (I think, LOL!)! October 2021 will make seven years since I've had VSG. At my highest I weighed 314, on my day of surgery I weight 290, and at my lowest I weighed 157. I've had a significant amount of regain to say the least (I won't go into the whole sob story). I ballooned up to 242, and decided back in December to get my ass back into gear. I'm now 223. My short term goal is to get back to onederland, as per my username. I would like to be 175-180 by my surgiversary, and mu ultimate goal weight is to be able to maintain within a range of 150-160. I think one of my biggest mistakes along my journey was not really plugging into the WLS community, and meeting other people going through what I'm going through. So, I really want to create a support group full of other bariatric patients. I'm looking for online buddies and pen pals and hopefully we can connect and encourage and uplift one another, and keep each other accountable. Let me know if you are interested!

There are so many myths and old wive’s tales with Bariatrics, I’ve never seen anything like it. The majority of successful weight loss patients eat artificial sweeteners. Unless you have a sensitivity to one (and there are plenty of other options), enjoy in moderation . Prior to my surgery, I spent years going back and forth between diets recommended to me by medical professionals or people in the fitness industry. I spent 3-6 months at a time not eating any artificial sweeteners because they’re “toxic” and cause “weight gain” according to my chiro, Dr at the time, and a trainer friend. I lost 5lbs on average in those times with high activity levels. Completely not worth it.

I'm 5 days before surgery and have been on the pre-op for 10 days now. I know I'm getting plenty of protein, I drink a ton of water, and I feel tired all the time, with a low-grade headache. It wasn't like this initially; in fact I was kind of buzzed at first. Now I just don't seem to have any energy. I started taking the bariatric iron and multi I bought for after surgery, thinking it may be a lack of micro-nutrients, but sheesh I'd sure love to feel well rested, especially going into a month or more of super low calorie, liquid intake after surgery. Anyone else feeling like this?

Hello I am in my pre-operative stages going for Gastric Sleeve and hope to complete all my requirements by end of this month. I started my quest in March 2021. I just met with the Surgeon Dr. Sirinivasan and she seems to be very knowledgeable and thorough. Just want to know if anyone else had her as their surgeon and what was your experience with her.

Hello I am in my pre-operative stages going for Gastric Sleeve and hope to complete all my requirements by end of this month. I started my quest in March 2021. I just met with the Surgeon Dr. Sirinivasan and she seems to be very knowledgeable and thorough. Just want to know if anyone else had her as their surgeon and what was your experience with her.

@ShoppGirl seriously, thank you for posting this. I've been experiencing the same thing. My psychiatrist referred me to a specific program that works with bariatric patients and disordered eating. I haven't gone yet because I am waiting for school to be done for the year that way I have more time to go to appointments. I am really anxious to get started with this because my head has been telling me to eat when I'm not hungry, kind of like before the surgery. With that being said, I'd like to hear where your journey takes you and maybe we can stay in touch. Best of luck!

Did your surgeon clear your for strength training yet? I haven't had surgery yet, but I've seen online that heavy exercise isn't recommended too soon after surgery until you are eating more calories. Having said that, 10 lbs a month is a LOT. Unless you are the size of the people on My 600 LB life you will not lose a ton of weight each month. Someone in a FB group posted a Bariatric Surgery Averages and for people in your weight category, the average lost in the first six week is 15-25 lbs, so if you've lost 20 lbs since surgery, you're smack dab in the middle of that!

If you are concerned about eating habits and behaviors it might benefit you to be evaluated. An eating disorder diagnosis is best made by a mental health professional. Your Primary can provide you with a referral to a licensed psychologist (PhD / PsyD) who specializes in eating disorders, or a bariatric psychologist. Can a therapist help with what you described? Yes. Be honest about what is going on and find someone you feel like you can connect with. This is so crucial because if you can't be open about what's going on they may be less able to help you. I was in therapy for a long time with a therapist who specialized in eating disorders. The main focus was dealing with the stressors that led me to overeat. Whenever stress increased, so did my eating. I was the peacekeeping type who struggled to say when my feelings were hurt or when I felt bulldozed. I was walking on eggshells in my relationships to keep the peace. The process can be emotionally draining. It forces you to deeply evaluate your behavior and there can be some uncomfortable truths. There were times I would dread going because I knew it would be a lot of work. At the time I thought, "This is hard but I'm trying to get myself better." With hindsight, I can see why my therapist pushed me, asked the tough questions, and made me accountable to my goals. I'm so much better now and I don't regret going. These are some of the things we worked on: Improving mood Self-care Cognitive restructuring/ CBT--changes the way you cope and react to stress Mindful eating- eating at the dinner table, 30-45 minutes, smell food first, one small bite at a time, eat slowly, identify flavors and textures Identified vulnerabilities Identified triggers--that negatively impact mental health Negative self-talk--challenge the truth behind the talk Identified emotions Behavior patterns Full/ not full/ beyond full Beliefs surrounding weightloss Urge control--resist the urge to eat by distracting yourself for 1, 5, 10 mins I kept a food and mood log. For a few weeks, I wrote down everything I ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would rate my stress and hunger level from 1-10 and emotions/feelings--happy, stressed, sad, tired at each mealtime. If important, I would document a bit about my day like had a fun time with friends or had a fight with my husband. Like I said, every time I had a rough day, I skipped meals or overate. Not only did therapy give me clarity about what I was doing, but it also gave me tools to deal with it and improve. I'm not cured, but the pull to eat, eat, eat is quieter and the behavior/thoughts are less constant. Another benefit is my therapist had my back even when friends and family didn't. She could point out some of their crazy-making behavior and confirm it wasn't always me which made me feel better. Good luck, I hope you get some peace. ❤️

It takes a lot of real persistent effort over time to stretch your tummy. Fluids pass through your tummy pretty quickly & won’t cause damage only discomfort if you drink too much too quickly for your body to digest it. Stay away from the ibuprofen. Bariatric patients aren’t able to take Nsaids after surgery because they damage the lining of your tiny tummy. Your medical team should have told you this. You shouldn’t really be experiencing pain this far out if surgery. Most of us are basically or mostly pain free by about day 4 or 5. While it could be the bruise causing the pain I would encourage you to contact your medical team. If you experience pain or symptoms that are unusual for you always call your team.

I am 1 week post op today and I can say im down almost 10 pounds. I am drinking the different protein premium drinks, sugar free Gatorade and water. Trust me when I say its a struggle at times getting 64 oz in if I dont start drinking by 6am. But what I hate so far is this nauseous feeling. Also I hate these muxed berry chewable vitamins by bariatric advantage. They are nasty as hell and makes me want to puke. The wild cherry chewable calcium citrate vitamins not too bad. I call myself getting bariatric specific so i want have to take alot of pills. Im thinking now I probably have should went with the flintstone vitamins.

Everyone here is such great support and knowing all of us are going through a version of this this month, I find encouraging. All bariatric surgeries are major surgeries, and remembering that everyone responds differently to it is helpful. My VSG is scheduled for May 12th. I'll pop on here as soon after that I can. I hope to see a post from you sharing your success after your surgery.

I had my gastric sleeve surgery 5 days ago on May 1st & I have to admit, it's been pretty challenging for me. I'm struggling with consuming just an ounce of liquid at a time because instinctively, I want to consume more but I can't without it hurting my stomach. Also, I'm feeling weak & can't exert much energy before I feel completely wiped out! Look, I know I'm in a really weird transition phase right now; basically, I'm trying to learn how to consume liquid & food all over again, after 49 years of doing it a very different way and that causes me to feel overwhelmed (to say the least). I'm sure most post op patients feel like this after having bariatric surgery... and that's why I'm writing this post. I'm hoping, those of us here, can find ways to relate to one another and to encourage each other through all the new transitions we'll be faced with, along the way. So here I am, a few days into my "new norm" and hoping I'll feel better & better, as each new day passes. Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for your post. I can relate. According to the nutrition plan I received, I get one ounce (mass, not weight) of protein and 1-2 tablespoons of vegetables 3x a day. The surgeon said I can up it to 5x a day. That was fine initially, but 6 weeks out, I’m having more like 1.5-2 ounces of protein (maybe more). A one ounce medicine cup of chicken seems like almost nothing. I also had two turkey sausage links for a meal. Is that more than one ounce? in order to get in my protein and carb goals I have to have a protein shake(s) and I’m supposed to have Gatorade or coconut water for the carbs. I would rather eat than drink my protein/carbs/calories. This week I didn’t get my carb goals. I asked if I could have a few whole grain pretzel goldfish rather than Gatorade or coconut water, but I got a big no, I thought it may be ok since it is very similar in calories and carbs to the drinks. What does everyone else do for carbs? Is anyone else allowed fruit or grains six weeks out? What is your suggested quantity of food? I know my bariatric practice is stricter than most. I considered another plan that was different, but I preferred this surgeon. Meeting with a bariatric dietician from another practice tomorrow to get her advice. I don’t want to stretch my pouch, like you said, but I don’t know that this is sustainable for the long term. Other bariatric plans allow small quantities of fruit/grains after protein and vegetables and the patients are successful, Also, I’m usually ok without liquids when I eat, but when it’s super hot out and I’m walking or at my son’s soccer game, I sometimes find myself counting the minutes until I can rehydrate. Sorry for the long email. Appreciate everyone’s thoughts on this.

Today is day 14 of my pre-op liver shrink diet. Tomorrow is full liquids and Friday is the big day. I’m a ball of nerves. I was allowed 3 protein shakes per day, unlimited no calorie clear liquids, and 4 oz of lean protein and 2 cups of raw or 1 cup of raw veggies per day. I did not cheat. Not one time. I am so proud of myself for making it. It was not easy. Lots of ups and downs emotionally but I survived. I know I can do this now! I’m down 12 pounds since I began the liver shrink diet. That makes my total loss pre surgery at 50 (!) pounds. I am shocked and honestly didn’t think I would lose much during the last 6 months. About 10 years ago I went through the entire bariatric program and backed out at the last minute. The reason was beyond my control but I’m so glad it happened. I am certain I would have not been successful because my heart wasn’t in it back then. My heart is fully engaged in changing my life to a permanent healthy lifestyle. I proved that to myself over these past two weeks. I hope those reading this don’t think I am sharing to brag or to make anyone feel bad about themselves. That is not my intent. I’ve been a lurker for the last 8 months and I found comfort in stories of those who worked really had and had success. While I’m not there yet, I think I’m on the right path. HW 280 ish CW 227 5’8”

I think there are a lot of “old wives tales” when it comes to Bariatric surgery and the recommendations. I’ve taken some sips through an a straw after surgery and it actually felt like I was swallowing less air than sipping through a cup! I also see the majority of successful bari patients I follow elsewhere using straws and they have all lost 100 plus lbs. I don’t use a straw 99% of the time just because my surgeon scared me enough to not warrant using it and I’m used to sipping now. Another thing I see being misinformed is pumping patients full of iron when they don’t need it. Not everyone is anemic and there is a much more complex cycle to iron levels than just taking oral meds with iron formulations. You can actually do more harm than good this. Research is a powerful thing, there are quite a few “firm” stances I’ve seen on programs that I’ve taken the time to look into and they seem to be something from 20 plus years ago that is not up to date medically.