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Hi I had my surgery in the end of December. My doc still has me on fluids and Protein shakes bc they want me to get my liquids in before I try food. I am getting much better at the liquids. But every night when I make dinner, I try a tiny a protion (teaspoon size) of what I made even though I'm not on solid foods. The first bite tastes great but the second bite hurts going down. I dont' want to do this yet I do. I need help. Any ideas ?

I was talking to my husband today. He brought up his mom was planning to have another surgery. She's one of those people who if the dr says surgery is a last option she will push and push until she gets the surgery even if it's really not needed. She loves the attention and sympathy. Well my husband said his dad was telling him yesterday his mom has started mentioning WLS for herself. I knew that even tho my surgery was "stupid" she would eventually get jealous enough to try to go that route herself just for the attention. I told my husband part of me really wants to throw all her rude unkind words back in her face, but I'm not stooping to her level. I just won't say anything all Bc that will eat her up even more.

Something sounds extremely off. Take this up with both the office manager at the Surgeons office, and the medical director at the facility. Don't give up or give in. Something isn't right if you made it to surgery prep in the hospital and not only do they then tell you insurance won't cover but your doctor also prayed on your moment of weakness by telling you no openings, more money, blah blah. That's some serious shady business. I'd be screaming BS from the roof tops on this one and would be making news headlines.

Again thank you all so much for your support and encouragement! Y'all are right my mil has always been a nasty person. The very first time I ever met her she told me if I married my husband I could thank her for the house we live in. I was completely blown away. My fil actually owns this house and my husband pays $400 more than what the mortgage is, we pay all utilities, any repairs or upgrades. I told my husband that night we could not stay in this house for too long Bc I didn't want his mom dangling it over our heads(she always does). Thankfully my husband is finally tenured so we are in the process of buying our own home. I deal with mil and sil as little as possible and I'm always smiling when I'm around them just Bc I know it's eating them up.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/10/feds-poised-to-withdraw-longstanding-warnings-about-dietary-cholesterol/ Yep, you wonder why we keep getting conflicting advice from our NUTs and Surgeons...Its because it's much more complicated than just calories in vs calories out. Some of us have problems with cholesterol and hardened arteries, some of us don't. I suspect they will figure out a link between those who thrive on high Protein and those who need carbs. It probably is an odd mix of hormones and genetics that some brilliant physicists who specializes in chaos theory will finally figure out...but because he's not a "doctor" it will take twenty years before they release/accept the results. Bottom line, accept we don't know everything, eat quality food and enjoy. You all are going to die eventually.

Hello. My surgery is on 01/14/16. I too have been lugging around my "get me to bariatric surgery backpack" literally 20-25 pounds of test results,food logs, seminar papers and everything possible to prove I am in need of the procedure for over 14 years. I came close 3 times however two times I had to care for my ailing parents which both passed. The third was having to have an emergency surgery. My MD suggested waiting 6 months for another surgery since the last one was hard on my body. Once ready the insurance said all pre approval appts and attempts had to be in the last 6 months. I was stuck in a catch22. I had a hard time finding a surgeon that I liked and was comfortable with. Once I found him another roadblock, he came down with a neurological problem and stopped practicing the day he found out. The other problem for me was my weight varied from a BMI of 41.0 to 39.8 when starting the program only to have my BMI go close to 38 and be told I lost "too much weight". I finally found a doctor who said that is a bunch of BS. That is the sole reason most people need the surgery. Most can lose some weight but most gain that back plus more. After calling the insurance to let them know my trials and failures and that the bariatric team wanted me to repeat the program again she was upset. She said that the insurance could have covered the surgery twice over. She called the team and within the hour I had a surgery date. I stood frozen, scared, excited and hopefull.

Hello. My surgery is on 01/14/16. I too have been lugging around my "get me to bariatric surgery backpack" literally 20-25 pounds of test results,food logs, seminar papers and everything possible to prove I am in need of the procedure for over 14 years. I came close 3 times however two times I had to care for my ailing parents which both passed. The third was having to have an emergency surgery. My MD suggested waiting 6 months for another surgery since the last one was hard on my body. Once ready the insurance said all pre approval appts and attempts had to be in the last 6 months. I was stuck in a catch22. I had a hard time finding a surgeon that I liked and was comfortable with. Once I found him another roadblock, he came down with a neurological problem and stopped practicing the day he found out. The other problem for me was my weight varied from a BMI of 41.0 to 39.8 when starting the program only to have my BMI go close to 38 and be told I lost "too much weight". I finally found a doctor who said that is a bunch of BS. That is the sole reason most people need the surgery. Most can lose some weight but most gain that back plus more. After calling the insurance to let them know my trials and failures and that the bariatric team wanted me to repeat the program again she was upset. She said that the insurance could have covered the surgery twice over. She called the team and within the hour I had a surgery date. I stood frozen, scared, excited and hopefully. I am on Facebook and have found a person who agreed to privately converse since I too have not announced that I am having this procedure done. I have only told a handful of people, the ones that truly care about me and support my decisions. There were a few I told that I knew were against it and didn't understand but how I approached it was saying "even though I value your opinion, there is something I want to tell you but all I need from you is for you not to judge or criticize me but support me." There was silence after I uttered those words but thankfully everyone I chose to tell but their tongues very well. Those that have gone thru my struggle for years 10+years are excited for me and my new life.

I felt like I was dying in the hospital .. Between the gas pains and the nausea it was terrible. I stayed 2 days bc I couldn't keep anything down, but by the time I got home my pain was very mininal and was off all pain meds a week after the surgery

Thanks goldengirl. Ok, I do have a copy of the policy. I actually started this process a couple months ago and have since then gone to the Seminar, had my first Supervised diet visit ( a month ago) and started all the blood work and getting ready to schedule the U/S and Upper GI etc. I also met with the surgeon for the first time today as well as had my psych eval and passed. The Surgeon wants me to loose 10lbs before surgery...and gave me the diet that I am to follow from now until the liquid pre-op. I am only stuck at this point where the Bariatric surgery center says that If I have B/S CA, then I have to do the diet for 6 months....I told him BS recently changed that and they said they have not received any paperwork stating that change so they are still going by 6 months unless I can provide them with that notice of change. I will send them a copy of the first few pages of the policy and see what comes of it... Thanks so much for that info! I know i sound like a bunch of whining but 6 months is alot compared to 3...not to mention I prefer to have surgery in mid-late Spring, rather than summer.... BTW- I just printed the auth form directly from the providers site and it IS different from what the rep sent me. It does not list the 6 months!!!! matter fact it just says History of weightloss attempts etc....but does not specify how long except minimum of 3 months which is fine by me

and that's exactly what I keep hearing and reading from posters etc however I just got off of the phone with BS of CA and they sent me the actual Prior Authorization request form that my Dr would have to complete and send to them and it does state that you have to have 6 consecutive months of weight, dietary and physical regimen documented. :'(

Does Blue Shield CA still require 6 month pre-op diet? Ive read in different places on here that they no longer require this. I met with my surgeon on today and the staff there are not aware of this change. I will be calling BS on today, but just wondering what you experience is/was. I sure do hope I don't have to wait 6 months!

Aw, husbands rock! Mine has been great. Some things I've found to be really helpful/supportive are: -"I'm proud of you" -"what can I do for you?" - taking on family meal plans/making sure he and the kid are fed - especially during preop when I was starving and not up to cooking for them and post op liquid/purée times. - stepping up by taking days off to handle things I normally do. My sick days have been used up with surgery and appointments. He has been handling pediatrician appts, cable guy, etc -complimenting, but not to the cloying/overboard level, which would make me feel like he didn't love me as much before. Just the right level ???? - being willing to overhaul the eating of our household - getting the crap out of the house! You'll be amazing, I'm sure. Best of luck to your wife!!

I had my surgery 12/1, and have lost 19lbs and couldn't be happier! I weighed 238.6 then, so we pretty much started at the same weight. We can't be compared to someone who weighs 100-200lbs more than us. If you want to compare, which you shouldn't, you could calculate the % lost. Anyhow plus I don't want to lose too fast bc I want a chance to gain muscle which will counteract the loose skin. The faster u lose the more loose skin ur likely to have. Of course it depends on ur skin elasticity but for me that is true. Don't rush things, and just focus on what ur doing to get the best results possible. Good luck!

@@VDB The point of my post wasn't intended to be about anxiety... what I was really driving at is the theme that everyone shared - that self care is SO important. I think you feel that this situation triggers stress eating for you, and maybe getting to the bottom of THAT issue is what my help you on your own personal health improvement journey. Speaking for myself, I can find reasons to overeat pretty regularly - ha - but part of my own personal transformation is to understand that an find (hopefully) healthier ways to cope. My example with my anxiety is to point out that I didn't even know I suffered from it until the masks were slowly peeled away....I have had to face this because I was mislabeling my own experience for quite some time... I also think that there are reasonable ways to be treated - and unreasonable ways. I completely agree and admire your committment to your son; keeping things together for his sake has alot of value. Even so, there must be some "limit" to the BS you should have to endure. I know it is really complicated, but it is like when my son when through an angry period growing up, it was "okay to express it, but not okay to do XXX" sort of thing. Maybe that isn't possible with a person with such bad emotional /mental state but those were my thoughts. I don't always use the right words, no intention to be offensive or disrespectful to your wife.... I just know that i have to set limits of how people treat me or else I go back to those old BAD coping mecanisms.... they are pretty deeply ingrained. (I had a very abusive father and anxiety ridden mother and learned my numbing techniques as a child. I picked overeating and obesity to help me cope but didn't even know I had done that!)

coffee for breakfast Fish,Crab,Shrimp. Baked or sauteed. 3x a day sometimes 4 to get my Protein depending on what my Snacks are. I still use Protein drinks on occasion to get my protein up or if I am going out on a date. I have Quest bars or protein brownies every now and then. I eat zucchini and cucumbers and rutabagas. Boar's Head Tavern Ham Sometimes I make a burger. and eat it with no bun. Grass Fed Beef. I don't eat turkey or chicken, they are too hard to process for me

Welcome all!! So happy you all replied! Sounds like we all have a lot in common being Nov Sleevers! I'm going through a lot of what you all are. Don't get a lot of solid foods down. Basically only about 3 oz of animal protein 3x a day, little veg/fruits, thank goodness for protein shakes bc I would never get 60g of protein in! I'm getting enough fluids but I have literally drink all day. Started taking a daily antacid this am bc everything gives me indigestion. Can't eat anything even remotely spicy which I really miss but what can you do? I'm continually looking for creative ways to get protein in so if anyone has suggestions or tricks, let me know please! I've lost 46 lbs as of today. Started back to the gym last week and loving it. No dumping for me but I eat really clean so that helps. I did cheat today with more carbs than usual but it's the only day so far. I'm thinking about starting a private page on FB for us... Would anyone be interested? I think it would be easier. Let me know! So glad to have you all here. I'm gonna share my before and current pics. Feel free to share yours!

Pink girl, How are you doing now? I am new here, had my band since 2007, reading your post was like you were reading my mind. I am currently in the process fulfilling my requirements before surgeon's office can submit to insurance for my revision. All these years I was so scared to go this route but was finally fed up after gaining a lot of weight back I decided I have to face my fear and go through it. At that time I had no idea that there have been so many revisions lately, I was glad to learn I was not alone and wasn't the only one that failed! How is your hunger ? My main problem is that I am always so hungry (not head hungry), I am hoping RNY will help me with this. How long did it take for you to recover? I can't really take few weeks off from work so trying to figure things out, I know each person is different though... Thanks! Natalie

I've talked to two of them. One was the 6-hour required class, and the other was the NUT in my Dr.'s office. Both of these cost $$ out of pocket, and were mostly disappointing. I came prepared with some simple questions for the staff NUT, which didn't seem to register. I was surprised. For example, I wanted/needed their input on what they recommended for me pre-op (I have to "diet" for several months, journal and report to them each month before I qualify for surgery with my insurance). I asked her what she recommended as my daily ratio for Proteins / fats / carbs. She just looked baffled like I was speaking a foreign language. They seem to be stuck in the 80s or 90s? Like, "just eat 1,000 calories". However, I'm going to keep on asking questions and seeking their advice. I'm bringing in my new grass-fed non-GMO whey Protein for them to look at. I'll report back on this thread after my next appointment this Thursday.

Hi All, I'm pre-op, but this question is for everybody. Is anyone here practicing a way of eating, like Paleo or Wheat Belly, that eliminates grains, gluten & sugars, and focuses on high-quality Proteins (no hormones, no antibiotics, no steroids, grass fed and free range) + organic veggies and fruits? I'd love to get to know people who want to eat this way. I have a lot of inflammatory and gastric issues that I want to heal from (all of which help me qualify for the surgery). Health is my #1 concern and my main reason for wanting to lose the weight. I know from experience that grains (even whole grains), sugar, and junk make all my conditions worse, especially the arthritis, inflammation, gastro issues. I'm already feeling better. I believe that for my best health for life, I'm going to want to stick with Paleo style eating, even after my surgery. I've already spent a lifetime failing at dieting. I believe that everything I put into my body has an impact, good or bad. I'm done with just counting calories. Most diet foods are full of junk, too. Bariatric Protein drinks & products: I see a lot of ingredients that I don't want, including sugar alcohols, other artificial ingredients, and whey. Do bariatric patients have to use these pre-packaged Protein Drinks that the doctor's office is promoting? Does anyone know of healthier options? The issue for me with WHEY as the primary ingredient in a Protein Drink is that whey is dairy from milk -- and the dairy industry is pumping their cows full of hormones, antibiotics, steroids, and feeding them with genetically modified grains. However, it seems that most NUTs say that whey protein is better than plant-based protein for bariatric patients. I've found and have started using an organic whey Protein Powder that's made from the milk of grass-fed cows (organic pasture) and given no steroids/antibiotics/hormones. This product contains just the organic whey protein and nothing else (no added sugars, etc). It's got 100 cals, 1g sugar, 2g carb, and 21g protien. It's the best organic brand I've found. I've been using it in green smoothies. It has no taste at all, so I can add it to anything. The stuff my NUT recommends, Premier Protein, not only has protein but a lot of other Vitamins. Is this what we are required to drink especially during the fasting pre-op and post-op? Or, can we take pure organic protein like the one that I like, and just take supplements for the other vitamins? I'm going to ask all these questions at my next appointment in a few days, but I'd love to get info and thoughts from you. thank you!

Kat, I am in the exact same boat. I'm about to hit the underweight category and it's really strange. Part of why I will hit that category is because I have about 10 lbs of excess skin. So my 135 lb frame is really a 125 lb frame which is why people think we look frail but the scale seems normal. I know I am supposed to eat more times a day but I am finding that tremendously difficult and not due to a mental fear of being fat but a side effect of surgery is just not being very hungry. Like you, I don't like myself naked in the mirror but I see skin and fat because I have a lot of it for my little body. I am not building muscle through fitness and can't afford skin repair surgery. Know that you are not alone. This does not make me anorexic or have body dysmorphic disorder. It is reality. The goal is to add strength training and to eat more which is tough bc I just opened a business. One thing that does help me which is free is guided meditation. It may sound woo woo but here is what I'm learning: to lean into struggle, to be kind to yourself, to let go of expectations, to feel gratitude, to live in the present. 10% Happier and Headspace are great apps to try.

I'm 12 days Post op and I have the same feeling.. I don't really have that "full" feeling. But I think it's just bc I'm not "eating" anything. Although,The shakes sometimes take me a couple hours to finish..

My surgery is on Monday. Need to report to the hospital at 5:30 am. I know my sister loves me because she offered to drive me. She is not a morning person. This liquid diet stinks and I have been sleeping a lot since I am exhausted. Lots of sf jello, sf Popsicles and hot tea. I had some broth but it was not sitting well. All I can think of is food and when I fed the dog this evening even the dog food smelled good. Don't worry I did not eat any. Just grabbed a bottle of water and cleaned my bedroom instead. Any one have any pointers for the liquid diet stage? I have been dreaming about cheeseburgers...I don't even like cheeseburgers. Wish me luck! Nancy

Week 6 had my appendix out. They say it was a fluke. More painful than sleeve. Lost 40 pounds since Nov 18. Now swollen and in pain bc of surgery. Sleeve swollen from new surgery they incubated me taking anti nausea pills hoping it helps. Had no issues after sleeve but appendix kicking my ass after the fact.

Hey everyone. I'm 2 weeks post op. Doing my best to get my protein in just started my purée stage yesterday. My question is , how did you have nausea for post op? My nausea was horrible in the beginning and some days I'm good w no nausea and then there are days I have to go back to my zofran bc my nausea is so bad. I haven't vomited but the nausea is just getting annoying. Appreciate any insight

In a month u guys will be golden!!! It just keeps getting easier!!! I'm about 6weeks post op! I can't eat a lot of meats bc they make me feel sick, I eat beans, soups, and I can eat chips ok which I shouldn't! I haven't had any dumping syndrome and I have ate some sugar over Christmas. I'm so happy for that!! I just find it hard to eat healthy with the things I can eat easily....I want a big salad and it will be awhile!