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Less than $40 for a 3 month supply of Bariatric vitamins at Procare Health that’s shipping too!! 1 pill a day and then I take my calcium

I'm throwing this here cause it's more of a rant than a question. Just wanna complain to some people who may get it. To get it out of the way, I am not mad at the psychologist, or the clinic or anything like that. I understand why I need more therapy prior to getting surgery and I fully agree that addressing problematic behaviors is important for long term success. The support of bariatric psychologists and support groups is why I decided to go with a hospital close to me that offers that stuff as part of the program instead of going to Mexico where it'd be much much cheaper as a self pay patient. All that being said, I can't help but feel a bit down trodden and frustrated. I go to therapy frequently, and have for years. The past few years I've felt like I was doing really well. I hadn't had any major bouts of depression or anxiety that lasted for notable periods of time. There had been a few hiccups but they were promptly addressed and such. I thought I was gonna pass this thing with flying colors. Alas, nope. My psychologist that was evaluating me asked if any of the doctors or surgeons I had visited over the years had asked about my relationship with food cause she was seeing some concerning things, and honestly they haven't. That isn't to say I haven't talked with my therapist about my weight, it's just that eating patterns and behaviors themselves weren't ever really discussed. It was more just acknowledgement that depression and anxiety had contributed to weight gain. The bariatric psychologist also stated she doesn't think my current medications are working as well as I think, and that based on what I described as "normal" eating for myself, I am self-medicating with food in addition to the medications, and she'd like to make sure that I won't spiral once that food aspect is no longer a possibility. So I am now scheduled to see a therapist who specializes in bariatric surgery and disordered eating (she doesn't think I have Binge Eating Disorder, but she does think that my eating is disordered), and we'll check in 90 days later. The psychologist did repeatedly thank me for being honest though, so there's that 😕 I had a bit of a cry session yesterday when I found out. I am continuing to remind myself that the behavior and mental support part is why I chose to go with the hospital I did over other places. This is essentially what I wanted. I don't want to fail at this. I know it'll pass and a few months (hell even a year or two) is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of my life. It just doesn't seem that way in the moment and I'm just super bummed out.

Well, I was very active on this forum and doing VERY well post-operatively until COVID hit and I got really busy trying to help my district reopen our schools safely... then all hell broke loose in my life! LMAO So... this is another long self-accountability post. Post Op: I got down to 124 long before my 1 year anniversary and stayed there for quite a while. I survived the initial COVID lockdown and while others were really struggling with diet and staying on track, I was doing mostly very well. Sure, I had my challenges, but I kept them in check. Overall the lockdown was actually great for me and my family. The bad: I had managed to get my husband to stop hoarding cans of food and other food stockpiles before I had surgery. But with the lockdown and the ongoing threat of having to quarantine for 2 or more weeks if anyone in the household got sick... we ended up with more "disaster/survival" food than ever before. I hate having this much crap in the house. The good.... during lockdown I was doing great cooking healthy meals and sticking to my diet. And walking. A LOT. I got to the point where I was walking 6 miles every day... minimum. I felt GREAT. I didn't get my normal summer vacation though. I worked the entire summer. Even when I took time to drive to visit family... it took 2 days to drive there, I spent 4 days there. Drove back in 2 days. And the entire time I was on zoom meetings and my bosses were calling me for this and for that. So, no recovery time from the school year. And then school resumed. Life was more chaotic than every before. Even when we had kids in full remote. But once students returned to campus? OMG... I have never been so exhausted in my life. See... I am the sole person responsible for keeping my staff/students COVID free and that means a LOT of COVID tracing. I had help..... but I was the expert and the brunt fell on my shoulders. I went from walking 6 miles a day and eating very healthy to being so exhausted that I went home from work and collapsed into my bed... from the moment I went home to the moment I had to get ready for work. And food? I started eating what I can and when I could. I am NOT a breakfast person so I would go to work... get so busy that I didn't have time to eat my healthy snacks throughout the day... and then it would be suddenly 1-3 pm and I am finally eating breakfast (I start my day at 6).... I would scramble to find something to eat and end up with something I shouldn't.... and then in the evening while collapsed in my bed I would graze while watching TV or playing on my computer. Too tired to do anything else. And yes... sometimes that included the horrible canned food that I was so sure I needed out of my house before surgery. That went on for a few months. Still... I survived that. Christmas break should have been "recovery" time... but my son brought a girlfriend home for Christmas. Which meant more stress when I needed a break the most. January came and we returned to work without kids for a couple weeks. Best decision ever. It gave us time to clear the COVID peak. Then we slowly retuned kids back to hybrid (which we had been doing since September). This time? Not so bad. Do we still have COVID cases? Of course. But I am not doing constant contact tracing as I had been for so many months prior. But by now the damage to my new post-op lifestyle diet and activity level has already been done. I am still struggling to get back into a walking/exercise routine. And more importantly I am struggling to eat what I am supposed to, in smaller portions and at correct times. The evening grazing is my biggest problem now. So where do I stand? I was 124 when this started... lowest weight ever (well, since early 20s lol). Then by January I realized my weight had creeped up to 131. Not so bad, right? I mean... it is normal to regain that 10 pounds from your lowest, right? *sigh*. But then yesterday I realized I was 138. Now to be fair... I was boated and today I am back to 134.5.... but I don't EVER want to be more than 135 again if I can help it. I figure yesterday's weight was the warning to get my diet back under control. NOW. What have I done well despite everything? Well... I don't drink my calories. Still doing really well with that. I do struggle with drinking straight water all the time... but I now enjoy vitamin water zero, Gatorade zero, and propel. I do this well. I try to always have a water bottle in my hand or nearby. Its funny because I know my stomach has stretched out a little, but I can still only drink up to 6 sips of water at a time. What's with that? LOL I mean... I can eat more food, but I can't drink more water??? Shouldn't it be the other way around??? LMAO And most of the time I do get my full 64 ounces in. I still get dehydrated easily though... so I really have to be careful to have that water bottle in hand when moving around. I won't even go to the office next to mine without it in hand if I can help it. Work food: Well... that was a huge problem for a while. But when I returned from winter break, I also changed office locations. Where I am now I was able to bring in a mini fridge. That is helping a ton. Before if I brought a lunch bag in and put it in the shared fridge I risked having my food supply thrown out. I have had people actually open my lunch box and throw up perfectly good unopened healthy snacks. So... it was pointless even trying to keep healthy stuff there. Now, I can now buy foods that I am allowed to eat and keep them handy. I also have a small tub with a lid for healthy snacks that do not need to be refrigerated. And it helps that things have calmed down enough that I am at my desk m ore throughout the day. This helps me because I am able to eat the right foods, in the right portions, and at the right intervals. I am also making more of an effort to use the stand portion of my sit stand desk. Before COVID I was standing all the time. After COVID I was too tired to stand and didn't do it much. I am starting to do better with that again. I also found a lunchtime walking buddy. We do get very busy so we don't always get to do it... but we are walking at lunch as much as we can. I now have a pair of sneakers under my desk to make sure I can get out when I can. Still struggling with the evening/weekend hikes. Dealing with my daughter is still making it hard to get back in my routine.... but I am getting there. The big challenge now? The evening and weekend eating! I am on Spring Break right now and I am DETERMINED to get that back on track. So... where am I starting? I have decided I need to do a pouch reset diet first. I know I have stretched my stomach a little more than I should have and I think if I can, I really need to let it shrink back down a little. The longer I wait, the harder it will be to accomplish. I went out of my weight to have the surgery, I should let it do it's thing. So, yesterday morning I finished off the small (normal bariatric portion size) piece of Italian Sausage that i had leftover from the night before... but after that I did clear liquids and I have been on clear liquids for about 24 hours. Since yesterday wasn't truly a full clear liquid day... I am going to repeat clear liquids again today. I have my supply of zero calorie drinks, broth, and sugar free jello on hand. Then I will slowly advanced through the "post op diet" stages. And with that... I know I need to resume measuring portion sizes and recording my meals. ALL of my meals. Honestly... I don't think my portion sizes are what is getting me... it is the frequency of which I was eating in the evenings (especially later at night). That... and I know I am eating more carbs than I should. THAT is what I really need to tackle again. BTW, while I was resorting to occasional canned food during the height of the stress... I cut it back out a while ago because I knew it was harming me. But I still hate seeing all the stuff I shouldn't eat in my house. I seriously worked SO HARD to get my husband to agree to stop hoarding "emergency food". And I really don't think I will be able to get him to stop again. Oh... and my biggest vice before surgery was Pepsi. I LOVE my regular Pepsi. I haven't drank ANY since about 6 weeks before surgery... and that is good. But my daughter still buys it and drinks it around me. Most of the time it isn't a big deal... but when I am stressed it takes all my willpower not to give in. And I swear I will never give in... but it is hard sometimes! I will say... I am VERY proud that I didn't give in between September and December when my stress level was through the roof... I did eat cake though lol... but that was a safer option because I don't crave cake like I did Pepsi. With sweats... I go through periods where I crave them but then can go weeks or months without eating any. Anyhow... don't need anyone to criticize me for doing a pouch reset diet... I have made up my mind and have decided this is how I want to start getting back on track. It will help me lose a couple quick pounds and then my goal is to maintain somewhere around 130. again, I am 134.5 today... so not really doing this for a crash diet. I just want to give my pouch a chance to shrink back just a little. And I know going forward from this... it is essential that I follow a bariatric diet for life. I just got derailed and need to get back on track. By the way... I actually saw my bariatric nurse practitioner two weeks ago... despite everything, she is thrilled with how I am doing. She was happy with where my weight was. She was happy with all my labs. My bilirubin was high... but it has been (I have a benign liver disease). My cholesterol was 101... 100 is the normal high... so I do need to keep an eye on this. I have been off my cholesterol meds for 6 months so I need to make sure to keep it in check. Other than that... everything else was VERY good. She was impressed that even my Vitamin D was really good (lots of people are deficient even without surgery). Anyhow... determined to complete a 10-14 day pouch reset diet then resume a normal bariatric lifestyle diet!

I can't commiserate with you on the severity of the acid symptoms you're experiencing, mine were much less severe. However, I can offer a suggestion on the change of insurance issue. I moved to a different state after I was sleeved. Therefore my bariatric practice was no longer available to me and most bariatric practices don't want to pick up bariatric care after someone else did the surgery. I was having some GERD issues and was concerned about the long-term use of PPIs, so I went to a gastroenterologist. He is good and understands the issues surrounding VGS. So, if your insurance prohibits you from going to your bariatric surgeon, go to someone who specializes in stomach issues (gastroenterologist).

I had band to sleeve revision 9 months ago with Go Light Bariatric. Love them and I’m down from 212 to 137.

Due to Covid 19, I was told from a Bariatric nurse at the hospital I’m scheduled to have my surgery from the rules are my husband can’t be with me overnight while I have my surgery . We are newlyweds...got married 4 months ago and you mean to tell me my significant other cannot even be with me . Are you freakin kidding me?He could only stay with me during visitation hours of 12-8pm. I find that absolutely ridiculous. She says oh no you will never be alone , there will always be nurses doing their rounds , but I want my husband by my side in case something is wrong . He knows how to calm me down and not worry so much . I hope the CDC removes this rule so my husband could be with me. I’m already a bunch of nerves as it is. Is this relatable to anyone else , if so how are you coping with these covid rules ?

I was considering sleeve, but am getting gastric bypass a week from tomorrow, During the process I had an endoscopy and they found a hiatal hernia that was causing heartburn. Therefore bypass was better. Also, if I’m doing this, I want the weight loss to be worth it. My BMI is right under 38 today (198.5 lbs). I got two opinions from bariatric surgeons at different practices and both recommended bypass.

This would be a terrific conversation to have with a bariatric therapist, IMO. Wondering what mine would say?

Myth One: I’m going to FINALLY be a NORMAL weight! A few people get there, but most don’t. In general, the success of weight-loss surgery is sometimes defined as achieving a 50 percent or more loss of excess body weight and maintaining that level for at least five years. So…let’s say you’re a 5’5” woman whose normal weight should be around 150….and you weigh 250 pounds. If you have bariatric surgery and get down to 200 pounds and maintain that for five years…you’re a success. According to a University of Michigan study of bariatric patients over seven years: Normal weight (BMI less than 25) was achieved by 2.3–6.8% of patients. 47% of patients achieved a BMI less than 30. And this of course, means about half of people who do bariatric surgery never make it to a BMI under 30. And I know this sounds REALLY FATALISTIC…but in all honesty, ANY weight you lose is so good for your health. Even 10% weight reduction is associated with tremendous health benefits. The surgery IS an invaluable tool. I don't mean to diminish that. I'm just saying... Bariatric patients get sold on this idea that weight loss surgery is salvation, that everyone gets skinny and healthy and that you never have a bad relationship with food again. There is this false idea that everyone is transformed and lives happily ever after, that food will never again be a challenge and that you can't end up right back where you started....which, very realistically, you can. And many people do:( There is this unspoken idea that you'd have to be a serious screw-up to gain weight after bariatric surgery. Guess who gains weight eventually after surgery? Almost everyone. You still have to pay attention. You still have to log your food and watch the scale and keep track of your triggers and not escape into denial. You still have to work on your mental problems with food. Fixing your stomach doesn't fix your head. The first year, you're all honeymoon dreamy and nothing is a temptation. The second year, the third year, the fifth year....things get a little tougher. Am I trying to talk folks out of it? Absolutely not. This surgery is an amazing tool. But that's all it is. The whole equation of solving the problem is a lot bigger and more compex. For what it's worth...my two cents... Work hard, be consistent, be patient. The best outcomes are achieved by folks who keep at it, who are unphased by losing slowly, who create livable realistic changes in their eating habits that are permanent. Avoid extremes. Extremes don't last. Extreme low calories, extreme exercise, extreme food choice limits, extreme structure...backfires. Life demands moderation and flexability. Don't punish yourself. Gently modify your life with workable new goals that you can stick with. Make livable changes that endure. And when you screw up (everyone will) pick yourself, dust yourself off, and get back to work. Don't waste energy on guilt or anger at self. Just get back to work. Modify. Adjust. Livable permanent change is your goal.

Uh no, you shouldn't get over yourself, you should set some boundaries! As a WLS patient, you have particular requirements for your food. It's unkind and unfair to eat all your food knowing that you will then be left with nothing to eat. If he absolutely loves your bariatric foods, that's great - he should contribute to the cost and then you guys can buy enough for the two of you. Problem solved!

At the risk of sounding awful, I'm just going to say, I've ALWAYS hated sharing food! In fact I generally will buy extra snacks so that no one asks me for mine. And when they do anyway, I scream nasty things to them in my head but smile and share anyway. The thing is, I've always been a pretty slow eater. People think that means I don't want my food but I do! For example, I can make popcorn last the entire movie because I eat them one at a time. My boyfriend eats popcorn by the handful and is done by the opening credits. When we share, I've had 10 bites and he has eaten the entire bag! Thus, I get my own popcorn or pretzel bites but then I come off looking selfish or greedy when I don't want to share mine. It's annoying. Or when we go out to eat, I purposely save half my meal until later but most of them time he will ask me if it's OK for him to have it later that night. Anyway, all of this I to say, I see it being way worse now! Lol. I find myself always telling my boyfriend to stop eating my food. I'm going to eat the rest later (maybe! But I should at least have the option). All of these high protein snack are soooo expensive. I brought those bariatric protein reeses cup (yum) but can only eat one at a time. He will eat my second one and have his own set. The box came with 10. They are now done and I only had 3 cups. I'm not supposed to have popcorn yet but I ordered this gourmet bag for charity before my surgery that finally came last Thursday. My nutritionist said I can have them at week 6 and I WAS going to patiently wait for then but my boyfriend asked me to open them to try it out (They were heaven!) He then proceeded to have one serving at a time over the last 2 days and now they're done. I ate more then I should have because I felt like I should atleast have some before they were gone. I feel like arguing about food is sooo petty but it's starting to annoy me. It doesn't help that he did not have the surgery but seems to be losing more weight than me eating/drinking all of my protein! Lol. Im really not mad he is losing weight too but I just feel like he can maybe contribute to purchasing all of these expensive items. It makes it a little harder for me to stay on track when all the things I buy are finished so fast. I'm sipping on plain water as a type this because I didn't realize all the crystal lite was finished! I should just get over myself right? I was the person who generally brought the groceries before surgery. I still buy normal groceries but now also include specific things for me. What do you guys think?

Understandably, you'd feel defeated. It sounds like you've had one frustration after another. I'm sorry for that. I like LoveSimcha's idea of finding a student health plan that covers the surgery. If you can make it work, that's a great option. Even if your insurer won't pay for surgery, they may pay for preop assessments if the provider is in-network. Getting a sleep study, labs, psychotherapy, dietitian visits, and a medically supervised weight loss program covered, your physician just needs to prove medical necessity for those services. Do you have a Health Saving Account or a Flex Spending Account? If you do, you could use this. I know it wouldn't cover it all but it could soften the blow. Medicaid covers weight loss surgery if the facility has the Bariatric Center of Excellence designation and the recipient has a BMI of 35 or higher with one comorbidity and a previous medical weight loss attempt. Do you or your partner's employer offer benefits to part-timers? If not, you could request to temporally reduce your hours and apply for Medicaid the day after your coverage expires. Medicaid coverage begins the day you apply. Income limits depend on if you are single or married. You'd need to determine yours and reduce your income enough to meet eligibility. Lastly, you could check your state's marketplace for a private insurer or pull from your 401(k). I know it's not ideal, and you could take a financial hit, but it could be an option. I hope this helps. I know this situation is disappointing. Please don't give up, you can make this happen. 😊

I am sorry this is going on with you. I don't know much about your state's health insurance but I know a person here in NJ that did not have coverage for anything bariatric and decided to go to college (he took one class) in order to buy health insurance through the college - the health insurance from the college offered bariatric coverage. Apparently a lot of people do this in order to get some covered items like fertility treatments, weight loss surgery or even eye corrective surgery. Might be something to look into.

For anyone who hates when someone is feeling down on themselves, then leave this post now lol. I don't have anyone who I can discuss this with in my everyday life, so I'm talking about it here. But I'm just feeling so defeated. I went ahead and made an appointment with my original surgeon to talk to him about revision from band to sleeve. My band has some sort of leak or disconnection in it and will no longer hold fluid. It's useless. Now, him doing the surgery is not the problem, I'm sure he'll do it. The problem is money. I work for the state of SC but they don't cover anything bariatric (BCBS Peba). I've applied to 4 or 5 different loan companies to see what rates they'd give me for loans and the first two said they'd give me a loan, but they won't give me the amount I need to cover the procedure. Then Care Credit and Prosper gave me a flat-out "no". I'm now in the headspace where I feel like calling up my doctor's office and saying forget it and I shouldn't even bother taking the trip to see him if I can't even finance the surgery. This just sucks. I feel like I've hit a wall and it's so disheartening because up until now I have been feeling so positive about taking the steps to get revised and now it seems like even though I want this so badly that it's not going to happen. If anyone else has had issues with finding financing but found a solution, please let me know.

I had the sleeve and very little pain so far as well and I am 4 days post op. I mean I felt it getting up and lying down but other than that I was just weak and I skipped the morphine and had just Tylenol. Now that I am home I have had to remind myself not to overdo it so yes this does happen but based on reactions from the doctors and nurses it is anything but the norm so I wouldn’t expect it. I am not hungry either. I have to force myself to eat and to drink and I have been keeping a log the last two days to measure fluids and protein and set alarm to check progress a few times a day cause it is easy to forget. I have been drinking the clear protein juice because it’s fluid and protein and not quite as sweet as the shake which I normally don’t mind but it bothers me when it takes several hours to drink it. My doctor who is head of the bariatric program at my local hospital says the typical patient has the decreased grehlin for a year or two but for some it lasts longer. This matters because we can’t rely entirely on eating smaller portions. We must change WHAT we eat or we will gain it back when the hunger hormones come back.

Can anyone recommend a protein water? Looking on Amazon, I feel 90 calories is a little stiff for water (premier protein). Gatorade Zero has a 50 calorie option but I'm not a huge Gatorade fan. Looked at Nectar in the Bariatric Pal Store but it's pricey and I'm not sure about the taste. Would love to know if anyone has a favorite. Sent from my SM-N981U using BariatricPal mobile app

SORRY....BUT For me I have had ZERO HUNGER...NONE! I am not sure how long this will lst if it is a few weeks, months or years. My surgeon who has been doing Bariatric surgery for over 30 years told me I may not experience any hunger for up to 4 years. I trust him.I also had zero pain and had a lap band removed the same day, thats just me but I can't be alone. He has much more experience with this than anyone on here other than some bariatric doctors. I am going to stick with what he told me for now until something changes. I hd Sleeve surgery not bypass. Thanks

I decided to try/buy the turkey chili from the bariatric store. It tastes pretty good, and has a great texture. I thought everything was good until the massive cramps, and pooping started. OMG!! I was doubled over in pain for over an hour today. It was awful! I still don't feel well, and wasn't able to each much of my dinner. I will never buy that again! Another waste of $$.

I'm kinda with Greater Fool on this, in that almost anything will work at this point, and even for the next few months. 20-30 years ago, it was not uncommon for bariatric programs to tell their patients to "just eat like you always have, just less..." and they lost weight just fine eating the same way that got them fat in the first place. At least they did for the first few months to year and then they started gaining again because they never learned how to eat sustainably. It is not unusual to see people come into these forums after having failed at (insert favorite fad diet here - Keto, Paleo, IF, Atkins, Zone...) and they continue eating that way and gee, all of a sudden that's the only diet that will work with your WLS. I did much the same thing, too, adopting a basically balanced nutrition oriented diet that I could do forever - worked on evolving that for several years before surgery, then tailored that for the lower post op intake and continued with that as the intake naturally increased over time; still doing that ten years later. IF works like most of those diets - by forcing a reduction in caloric intake. Some cut out fats, some carbohydrates, IF cuts out time, but they all are a mechanism for reducing caloric intake, which you really don't need at this point as you can't eat much to begin with. As noted, stalls will come and go, and there are as many personal experiences and hypotheses as to how to "break a stall" as there are people. I really have no input on how to break a stall as I never really had much of one, even at the dreaded three week point. Chalk it up to better diet, stronger underlying metabolism, not worrying about them - who knows. As to your experience, consider that you have a data set of one - and it's real hard to establish a trend with a single data point. Just go with the flow! Good luck

Hello All, I am in Maine and I am surprised to be having my consult with the bariatric surgeon on Monday March 15. A couple questions; Is there anyone else here that has had the surgery in Maine? Which will help with the following question... how soon can you expect surgery after your initial consult? I am a little excited and nervous at the same time. I put off exploring bariatric surgery for years and finally decided enough was enough... any feedback you can provide will be greatly appreciated. thank you in advance!

Hi! I am in your same boat. My original bypass was 11 years ago, and I am having a revision on Tuesday. It is a much more risky surgery because less is known about modifying a previous bypass. My doc is making a smaller stomach pouch and POSSIBLY distallizing (moving the anastamosis between stomach and intestine) further down the line. He tells me that after this process I will likely lose 10-20% of the excess weight. We shall see! Surgery 11am Tuesday. I should add that I see a bariatric team and they are very particular about candidates for revision; I'm not sure I would trust a surgeon who is not specifically doing WLS to make a revision recommendation. The science/data is just not out there yet. So! Good luck! See a doc who knows what they're doing! Let me know if you have questions - I'm happy to update along the way.

That is fantastic!!! I hope I lose 7 pounds. Like you I’m starting at a “lower” weight. It’s day 4 of 14 days and I’m down to 200 pounds. I was 226 pounds in December when I started my bariatric journey. Keep up the good work! When is your surgery? Mine is March 22. Wondering what my final post op weight will be. Great job!