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First – I don’t want this to deter anyone from surgery. Everyone’s experience is different. You have to make the decision for yourself. My battle is in no way an indicator of how you will respond, even if you identify with my experience. Don’t let this post influence you to do it or not do it. No one is a poster child for or against bariatric surgery. Anyone who claims to be is doing a disservice to all who struggle with obesity. I was banded almost 4 years ago and I stuck to the program religiously. In 2003 I started thinking about surgery. It took me 2 years to get the courage to do it and was intent on success. Besides being obese I am also a manic depressive. It comes and goes and I have always aggressively perused treatment. I tend to fall in to periods of depression and have to climb my way back. I usually do. The Lapband worked for me. I went from 307 lbs to 230 lbs in just over a year. I was working on the last 20 lbs when my depression returned in the fall of 2007. I immediately increased my treatment so I could stay on course. Treatment wasn’t working. In December of 2007 I lost my Grandmother to a stroke. I spoke to her in the morning, she was fine. By 10PM that night I was in an E.R. She died the following day. Already in the midst of a depression her death coupled with business problems sent me in to a tailspin resulting in the worst and longest depression of my life. This fall will be 3 years and I have yet to come out of it. I changed my course of treatment in 2009 and have improved some, but still have a long way to go. As a result of all of all of my progress has been erased. I re-gained 68 lbs of the 77 lbs I lost. I am back at 300 lbs again, a number that invokes pure horror for me. I am still severely depressed but hopeful my improvement will continue. Logging in to this site is a step for me. I’ve started to consider going back to investigate getting an adjustment. I don’t know if that even is possible after so long. I know that the band doesn’t retain all of the fluid over time, but I was almost maxed at my last fill. I’m not ready to do it yet; any adjustment would be in vain right now. I need to get to a place where I can follow the program. I have also started thinking about a second surgery for a gastric bypass. Apparently this is becoming more common with people who have had not had success with banding. I haven’t made that decision and won’t really consider it until my depression improves dramatically. Bypass is much more dangerous and doing it now would be useless. Either way I am terrified that this will be an ongoing cycle. I have little control of the onset of depression or its severity. I just have to recognize it and fight, but losing a bunch of weight only to gain it back when my brain gets chemically out of whack is a horrible thought. Losing 77 lbs might have been the hardest thing I have ever done. The prospect of doing it over and over is horrifying and does little to motivate me to start again. What’s worse is the new weight came back differently. My waist is bigger than last time I was this heavy. My reflection appalls me. All of that time and effort only to be back where I started, it was so hard to get to a place where I could do it. I don’t even know where that place is now or how to get back there.

Honestly I feel like I jumped in so quickly thinking this would be a magic fix. It wasn't. I don't really understand what restriction is. I do get food stuck ever so often so wouldn't that mean I have restriction? But I am constantly hungry What kind of dr do I see? There are no bariatric surgeons anywhere within 2 hours of me and to go see the on two hours from me requires $2500 for them to start seeing you for a Lapband they didn't do I think the place where I can get a full could help though.

Well my drs office when I asked about Tespo had not heard about it. I asked about the Bariatric Vitamin patch and they want their patients to take multi in pill form for first 2 months. Sent from my SM-G900H using the BariatricPal App

Wow that's great!! To not have enough fat left you must be a lean mean bariatric machine ;0) How was the pain of the surgery compared with the weight loss version and are you happy with the look hon? Ps.. How much did you lose if you don't mind me asking?

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I am new to this site and my surgery os to be on September 8, 2008. I am so excited! I am also nervous and looking for a buddy. I live in Buffalo, New York. I am having it done by Dr. Viilianco at Synergy Bariatrics. Thanks.

I like to read the longer, more detailed stories so I know EXACTLY what's going to happen, and so that's what I think I will write now. So... I got to the hospital at 5:15 am for my check in. They took me to a room, gave me the sexy hospital gown, took my vitals, asked me a ton of questions such as, "are you pregnant?"... Then came the shot. I told her that I heard it hurts, and she said "no way, look at the needle! it's tiny!". I admitted that yes, it WAS in fact little and thin and how could that hurt? She gave it to me in the stomach and then said, "see that wasn't bad!". I agreed! She turned to walk out and by the time she got to the door I was doubled over in pain. :biggrin: It wasn't the NEEDLE, it was the actual medicine (heprin, to prevent blood clotting) that hurts! But good news, it didn't hurt for too long. Maybe about 5-10 minutes. After a little bit they came and got me and took me down to the pre-op room, where I met the anesthegiologist. She said I have terrible veins (thanks Mom) and she had to use a baby needle to get an IV going. She said "don't worry, when you wake up you will have a second one, this is just to put you to sleep... I'll give you a better one for the meds but it would hurt too much to do it awake". (hmm, don't worry, eh) The surgeon came in and said hello, gave me some post-op instructions and then they both left to get ready. My OR nurse Jill came over and introduced herself and then complimented my little stuffed frog that I had with me. My daughter told me to take it for good luck, and it's her prized loved worn out little frog. I told Jill that, and she said, "tell you what - I'll let you take him into the OR with you then since he's so special". Awww! So, Little Froggy went to surgery with me. :crying: A few minutes later they took me down to the OR, and then that's when everything got cold and busy. There were 80 million people walking around in the freezing OR, doing 39 million things. Someone was putting a "seat belt" (what he called it) over me, someone was putting my arm on a board to tie it down or something, they were talking about getting some feet boards to tilt the bed where I'd be leaning up during surgery (!)... Someone said "I just gave you something to make you sleepy" and that's THE last thing I remember. Suddenly I was in the recovery room and WOW, the big incision (port) HURT. I felt like I couldn't even talk though... there was so much going on in that room, several other people that were coming out of surgery too, and my nurse was helping this lady who had eye surgery and it was her 69th birthday. She came over after a minute and asked me some questions, what my pain was (I think I said 8), gave me some morphine, the surgeon came over and said some stuff to me... I remember the one thing I was really flipping out over was the things on my legs that prevent blood clotting. WOW. I was hot and sweating all over, and these things on my legs that they put on during surgery were pressing all over the place and they kept tightening and loosening and they felt plastic. The very first thing I said was, "I dont want to do this any more" and someone laughed and said "too late, you are done!" and then I asked for my boyfriend and they said he couldn't come in until I was out of recovery... THEN I said "what is this on my legs?? It's so hot in here" and they took them off and said "oh wow, they are soaking wet - you're sweating!". Someone got a big box fan and turned it right on me and yay, I was so happy! Fan + morphine = YES! She gave me another shot of morphine, and I chilled there for a bit. I started to feel more human and become more aware of things, such as the old lady they were yelling at to stop bending her knees. LOL! I guess she had surgery on her knees but they said "we're going to take you back to the OR if you don't quit!" and she was yelling about how it hurt, etc. MAN that got annoying. Luckily I faded in and out, and finally it was time to go back to my room. I kept trying to make myself wake up some and feel better because I knew they'd let me leave there if I tried. Sure enough! Radiology was not ready for me yet, because they didn't think I'd recover that quickly (it wasn't even fast... my surgery was over at about 8:20ish and this was at 10am) and so I had to go back to my room I was in first thing in the morning. I was never so happy to be back in there with my mom and boyfriend! (As a side note, I remember as I was waking up in recovery someone saying, "what is this frog" and someone else said "that's her daughters, he was in the OR with her" - that made me happy) So we chilled for a bit, then they came at 10:30 to go down to radiology. I had to swallow this gross chalk stuff while they did x-rays. I asked to see, and they showed me my band, my "new stomach", the port, etc. It was cool! The only super uncool thing was having to move back and forth from the bed to the xray bed and back. THAT sucked but they said take your time, so I did just that. My stomach was so sore that it was hard to move. I also had to turn on my left and then right side for another xray, which sucked too. After a few minutes the doctor looked at the xrays and cleared me and they took me back up to my room. Then I got juice! I was soooo thirsty that I couldn't have been more excited about the juice. But then came the bad news. It made me feel SO sick. I had them get water, and that was way better. I think the juice was just too sweet. The nurse said in order to leave and go home I had to drink a certain amount and keep it down, I had to go to the bathroom a certain amount, and the bariatric coordinator for the hospital had to come in and talk to me. That was motiviation!! I could only drink a medicine cup of water every 5 minutes, which was so weird - but they said my stomach is the size of a golf ball! That kind of freaked me out. I started feeling pretty sick when I stood up to go to the bathroom and I thought I was going to throw up - I started dry-heaving, and the nurse went and got me something for that. It helped some but it was a slow fix. I just kind of chilled out for a couple of hours, drinking water, going to the bathroom, sitting in the chair... dozing off some. Then the coordinator came in and started going through this HUGE packet of information. I mean seriously?? I was EXHAUSTED and feeling sick and she was talking all about eating and chocolate flavored calcium pills and oh man, it was just way too much. They should have her come before the surgery. At one point she said, "don't get bored, I am just telling you this stuff because you need to know it all". I wasn't bored, I was tired! That kind of annoyed me, but finally she was done and she left. Whew! They said the last thing I had to do was walk with that coordinator down the hall and back to make sure I was okay and then they'd let me go. We did that, and she asked how I felt. I said still a little sick, very sore, and very tired. She said the gas is what makes you sick and the best way to get it out is to walk. I didn't know this, but when you walk around the gas gets absorbed in your body. Otherwise it just sits there until you can "pass" it. So we got done with our walk, she cleared me, and I go to go home! My surgery was at 7:15am and I left at 2:30. I felt pretty dang bad when I got home. I kept thinking, WHAT did I do this for? I took some stuff for my stomach, and that helped some. I was so sore that I couldn't walk much, and I am sure the gas was just building up inside me. I was almost regretful of what I had done but I got reassurance from another MAYO BANDITO, Bethany. She reminded me that some think the gas is the worst part of it all, and some do regret doing it for that reason. Just to know that the feelings I was feeling were normal helped me so much. So, thanks again Bethany! I guess that's it! That's my story. I want to always remember how it went and how I felt so that I can motivate myself to make this work! I will be a happy person if I never have to go into an OR again. :cool2:

I agree, I have been contacting them daily. I am a cash patient. I feel that they are just pushing me thru. Just really nervous. My insurance has a bariatric exclusion. I know if I went through insurance every thing would be checked.

I just want to scream right now! I'm done everything I need to do... have been finished for nearly two weeks... and when I met with my surgeon last Wednesday, he told me that my packet would be with the insurance coordinator by Thursday and off to the insurance the same day... so why is it Tuesday and not only has nothing been sent off... no one answers their phone or returns calls?!?! I did actually talk to the insurance coordinator yesterday who proceed to tell me that she wasn't sure what to do since I had double coverage and this is being covered by my secondary since it's an exclusion from my primary (I called and informed her of that on her voice mail on THURSDAY morning when I asked her to call me so we could discuss this and how to submit it)... She told me yesterday that she'd given it to the bariatric surgery coordinator and that I needed to speak with him - I left him a message yesterday morning and have called several times since - no return call. Finally today, fed up I called and requested to speak with the office manager only to get her voice mail as well... all set to leave a message but her voice mail is full! You'd think I'm talking about some small mom and pop operation but NO - I'm dealing with MedStar which is one of the biggest medical operations in the MD/DC/VA area! I even started to give them benefit of the doubt - maybe they went ahead and submitted to my primary insurance company without calling me back... so I called my primary to find out - NOPE! They can't submit without a surgery date and I know we haven't scheduled it because they're still passing my file back and forth and no one's calling me back! I'm seriously one more unreturned call from finding a new surgeon! I'm so pi$$ed because this whole fiasco has potentially set me back weeks and my whole thing was that I wanted this to be done by the end of September so that I could be 100% myself by Thanksgiving which is when we start decorating for Christmas in my house (Christmas is a HUGE deal to my family).

I was sleeved on Monday September 12th so of course I'm on a strict liquid diet this week. It is almost impossible to get my Protein in because the only thing I can have that contains protein are the Bariatric Advantage shakes mixed with Water or New whey Liquid Protein shots. Both make me physically sick when I try to drink them. I'm wondering how badly it'll effect me to not get all my protein until Tuesday? Because that's when I can start full liquids and can drink the normal Protein Shakes again! I'm nervous I'm going to mess everything up. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello everyone, I am back again and going to start again. I have not been banded yet, I went to see my surgeon in February and he was an absolute JERK! I couldnt believe it. I cried all the way home from San Francisco. I had lost 28 lbs and I was so proud and when I left...I was deflated :crying: And I hate to say it...but I gave up and ended up gaining most of my weight back :thumbup: I know that was my own fault and I am getting back on track. I got a email from Bariatrics Department stating that they are very sorry about what had happend and I could start back where I left off...but I have to lose about 23lbs....IT CAN BE DONE! I've decided that I REALLY want to be here when my children grow up and have families of their own. It's just not worth it. So any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated right now! I absolutely LOVE to read all your blogs. :smile:

You don't say whether you are in an HMO (which requires a referral for the surgery), but that's what it sounds like. I would hit him with a two-pronged approach. The first would be scientific: Go to the website for the American Society for Bariatric Surgeons and go to the section called "The rationale for surgery." It does deal mostly with bypass, but the rationale holds for ALL bariatric surgery. The NIH, The American Heart Association, The National Heart Lung Institue of Health (part of NIH) have all endorsed bariatric surgery for patients with a BMI of 40 and above. I think the Heart Association has too, but I don't remember for sure. Look up their position papers. I know I saw all of these position papers in an appendix of a book on weight-loss surgery (it was about bypass), but I don't remember the name. Then I would get him all of the information on LapBand (maybe Inamed could help you there). But I would also take Alexandra's approach and pour your heart out to him. Document all the diets you have been on, all the weight you've lost, all the weight you've regained. And tell him what being obese has done to you as a person - how you feel. You could do this in a letter if you want, but I would hand him the letter in person. It will be harder to ignore that way. You might also see if ObesityLaw.com has any advice. I think they deal mostly with insurance companies, but they may have some useful info. Good luck. Nancy nancy

I had a Midband implanted by Dr. Dineros at St. Luke's hospital in Manila, Philipines. I found the entire experience to be fantastic. I was in a famous U.S. hospital last year and did not get the treatment I got in Manila. My U.S. insurance company paid for everything but the plane fair and $600.00 US. My room had a TV, VCR, FAX, Refridgerator, Microwave, Computer with highspeed internet, cable, living room, it was great. The doctor is U.S and French trained. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and member of the American Bariatric Society. He has a full team including nutritionist, endochronologist, pulunary, psych,, and specialy trained aethesiologist. The whole thing was just top notch. I would highly recomend this option to anyone considering possibly going off shore or prefers the Midband. He also visits the U.S. every month or so.

Will you ever upgrade to the,point you can change and upgradebinfo on a Android or even IOS phone? I am sick of that erroneous date on my profile following me around. First and may we pray, last Bariatric Surgery was September 5 2018 not 2014 or whatever else. In 2014 I was obeses, without hope, sitting in my wide-seated armchair waiting for the Death Angel to come claim me or struggling along at Wally World, trying to convince my supervisors I could work circles around the younger employees. And did they care? Not so you notice!

Firstly don't worry about the fact that you haven't had many replies to your previous posts- this is such a busy forum and so many new threads each day, I couldn't keep up with all of them and most people just look at a few. I am similar to you, although I have only been banded since November and had one fill so far and pretty good restriction from it so I am one of the lucky ones. I postponed my appointment for my second fill as I am busy and I am still losing. I also don't want to experience being over restricted as the one time I got stuck it was awful and the few times I have had sliming have not been nice either. I discussed it with my bariatric team and they said that if I am still losing to wait a while for my fill. I know I can eat more than some bandsters (some seem to live on fresh air), but I like the fact that I can eat salad and veggies which some that I know can't. I don't eat ice cream and have managed to stay clear of chocolate mostly (just a few at Christmas) so I am going to wait until my weight plateaus before booking my fill. I have lost 52lbs since my pre op diet started in August and gone down 3 clothing sizes so I feel I am not doing too bad. Do let us know how you progress BSwhip, it is tough knowing what to do best and comparing yourself to other people who prefer their bands to be really tight isn't always helpful. Very best of luck, you are doing great! Sue Ps just joined a gym for the first time and going along for my induction this morning -hoping that will help boost the weight loss

I agree that it depends on you and what type of work you do. While in one of my classes at the bariatric center, a woman came in to say hi and told us she was sleeved on a Friday and went back to work on Monday. Even though I don't work, I can't imagine having to have gone back to work sooner than 2 weeks. I wasn't in pain from the surgery, but the gas pains were still there and dealing with nausea, heartburn and reflux....there's no way I could have done it.

I have been in touch with the above group and find them very helpful if a bit pushy. Has anyone any experience of them please?they seem to be only using bariatric surgeons(rather than general surgeons)which can be only good. However they are a lot more expensive that my other choice Chris de Bruyne in Belgium.Either way as I am in Ireland I am going to have to get on a plane and travel so distance isn't really an issue. All experiences welcome!!thanks

No advertisement, just a recommendation. Bariatric Mindset Success 6 month accountability workbook. This workbook I found on amazon is helping a ton. Keeps everything in one place. I’m feeling more in control and less stressed. It’s not just about food. It’s about your mental health. Also listen to the Weight Loss Surgery podcast by Reeger Cornell.. huge support Sleeve 4/26 Hw:215 Sw: 215 Cw: 191 Gw: 145

Ok so the drama begins...again. I just called the medical group this morning and they denied me for surgery. They are stating that I do not meet the obesity requirements and that I have to have one comorbidity to qualify with a BMI of 35-39.9, that I have to consult with a registered dietician and enroll in their weight management program. Almost sounds like a standard denial letter that they send out no matter what. I called the surgeon's office and am waiting for a call back from the nurse. They have all of the records from all of the plans that I have already tried. Maybe they did not send them in with the request? I have written an appeal letter. First off, I have a BMI of 40 and per the policy requirements no comorbidity is needed. Second, I have already had the consult with the dietician who agrees that I would be a good candidate for bariatric surgery. Third, I went to a medically supervised weight clinic for two years, belonged to a gym for 5 years and most recently tried the HCG diet. Along with the letter I am submitting all of these records directly to the insurance company. I did call to make an appt with their weight clinic. I will jump through as many hoops as they require. I can't give up on this and I will not go away without a fight! I am feeling so discouraged right now though. I know it's the practice of the insurance company to deny everything. But still I am hopeful that I will win. Any words of encouragement or wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Cheri

I also take a capsule for B complex and Centrum chewable multiple. Love the Bariatric Advantage lemon chewable calcium!

Dr recommended either one of the bariatric blends or Centrum chewables. I take the Centrum & Calcium chewables. I get them from CVS when they have a bogo. I chew them up at the same time and the taste of calcium cut the vitamin taste so not to bad. My Dr said no gummies.

No caffeine!!! Geaux, seriously no Caffeine, I about died when I heard that roflmao! One thing with Myfitnesspal.com since you know how it works. If I followed their suggestion for Protein, Carbs, sodium and calories I would end up gaining weight! Almost all doctors recommend the same thing with gastric sleeve and that's 80 grams of protein, 45-75 of carbohydrates and try to stay at 800-1200 calories a day (if you exercise and it tells you to add more calories and it says your aren't eating enough) ignore it. I quit doing Desserts like yogurt etc. and I started incorporating Peanut Butter on a teaspoon. I always ate my meat first, chew like 20 times and then go for your vegetables second, then and only then eat your carbs. Also, you have to learn not to drink with your dinner. I was a "choker" especially when I went out to eat. Something about eating in public, I always end up choking on my food and I am used to drinking Water with my meal. I learned that about an hour before dinner if I drank something hot like hot peppermint decaff tea I would be less hungry. I learned once I took away my drink with dinner, I chewed slower and chewed more thoroughly. I learned to wait at least 1/2 hour after I eat to then drink my water. These are all suggestions that were given to me in my packet and I spent 6 months practicing them. Not all doctors are that thorough, but it's worked for me when other things haven't. The reason for no caffeine is that it promotes stomach ulcers and more importantly, it causes dehydration. After surgery it's a struggle to get all your Fluid intake in and your liquid Protein in. Dehydration is a real problem. It's easier to quit caffeine before surgery than right after surgery because most people have withdrawals and headaches. I waited until I got approved to quit, so I had time to get used to it before I started on pre-op shake. Surgery is a week from tomorrow. A bit tired of drinking protein shakes and I decided not to have a big Memorial Bash because truthfully it would be hard having a huge party while on protein shakes, but my parents are going to swing by tomorrow to do some wii bowling. Good luck to you and can't wait to hear how your plan is going to go. All bariatric centers are different, mine seems to be one of the strictest compared to most. After surgery 2 weeks of Clear liquids, then 4-6 of full liquids then pureed, then soft, then regular. With pre-op diet, that's 10 weeks of no real solids.

The nurse at my Bariatric Clinic suggested that you take a Probiotic for this. I get mine at my vitamin shop in the refrigerated section. Your pharmacy may have them but may have to ask as they may be refrigerated. It was explained that what happens after surgery and even when stressed that the bad gut bacteria takes over. The probiotic gives back the good bacteria. I tried this and seen releift the next day.

Go here to see the entire article: food. Adjusting to a New Normal Since 1999, tens of thousands of people have used the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program and/or read Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, to resolve their difficult eating issues. There are often people in our workshops who have had also bariatric surgery. They explain that surgery did not fix their real problem and/or that they need additional skills to cope with their "new normal." Bariatric Surgery and Mindful Eating Mindfulness is beneficial because it teaches us to focus our attention and awareness on what is happening right now, which in turn, helps us disengage from habitual, unsatisfying, and unskillful habits and behaviors. Specifically, mindful eating skills help resolve the mindless habits and emotional eating issues that lead to problems after bariatric surgery: Eating too quickly Taking large bites Not chewing thoroughly Eating while distracted leading to overconsumption Not savoring food and therefore having difficulty feeling satisfied with small volumes of food Eating too much leading to vomiting and/or distention of the pouch Grazing throughout the day Eating "slider" foods and high-calorie soft foods and liquids, often in response to emotional triggers Not consuming enough Protein or nutrient-rich foods Feeling deprived or left-out in social situations Struggling to establish consistent physical activity Transfer addictions And many other issues... Further, most people who make the difficult decision to have bariatric surgery want to improve their health and energy so they can live the vibrant life they crave. Yet without the additional tool of mindful eating, bariatric surgery can feel like a permanent diet that continues to consume your life. One of the most meaningful changes that happens when you learn to eat mindfully (whether you've had surgery or not!) is that it allows you to think about eating when you need to and free up your energy and attention to focus on living in between. Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery For all these reasons we felt that it was time to create a mindful eating program especially for people who have had (or who are considering) bariatric surgery. We have a brand new Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery Workbook and Awareness Journal and supplemental Faciltiator Training. Michelle May, M.D. is the author Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat and the founder of www.AmIHungry.com.