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I haven't been on Ebay for clothes in a while. You have renewed my interest.

Oh it will, but we all want what we. want and we want t9 see results Right Now. Its just Bariatric Human Nature to feel like that.

I've been banded since Dec2010. This has happened to me more than once & I discussed with Bariatrics Nurse & she advised me to increase my protein. It worked for me. Sometimes you starve your body thinking its the right thing, but that's not always right. Talk to someone in the Provider's office that did the procedure. Also stay off the scale. Inches matter. I weigh myself once per week. Don't get stuck on numbers. Good luck

I have been working with dr. Garber's office of NY bariatrics. I am wondering if anyone else has had their surgery completed by his office and was self pay? If so can you share the cost including endoscopy? Thanks, Laura

Bariatric Advantage has good chewables too. I was taking the Flintstones and the nurse in my office said that ONE of the Bariatric Advantage multi's equals SIX Centrums. So, since I was taking Flinstones, I'm sure that number is a bit higher. So, I've switched, I take the Bariatric Advantage Multi's, Calcium and Chewable Iron, which I had feared would taste real bad, but it doesn't at all.

Over the last two weeks I've started to develop rapid onset hypoglycaemic episodes. These are very different from dumping and seem to happen about 20minutes into a meal and I become drowsy and confused. Fortunately the situation resolves with a piece of chocolate or glucose tablet but means I'm having to eat more chocolate than I'd like and that's screwing up my weight loss which had finally got back on track. I've read up on it and it's a rare complication - http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/print/endocrine-today/%7B1dc23215-49dc-4ad7-90da-346ba16663d6%7D/post-gastric-bypass-hypoglycemia-a-serious-complication-of-bariatric-surgery It seems it's a known late complication of RNY and I'm getting it investigated to rule out insulinoma but wondered if anyone else had experience of it and had any tips on managing it?

@@bellabloom Thank you for telling us all of this. I have just started the WLS process and have taken advantage of counseling pre-surgery. I don't feel as though I have an eating disorder but I sure can benefit from therapy regarding emotional or mindless eating (I think most could). I wish all Bariatric Programs required pre-surgery counseling. I hope you are soon in a good "place" physically and emotionally. Stay strong!

What Protein shakes have you tried? In those first few weeks I hated Protein Shakes, I could not find any that I liked. I ended up not getting enough protein in and in the long term that is a huge problem. You should get a minimum of 1 gram of protein for every inch you are tall as a minimum. I ended up trying Premier Protein ready made shakes. The chocolate flavor is the best. There are 30 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar and 160 calories. It is an excellent choice for a supplement. You can buy at Sam's or costco. Recently I had surgery on my neck where they went through my throat. It has caused me real issues and basically put me back on soft foods. From what my doctor said, this could go on for months. I went to my Bariatric team for help. They gave me a whole bag of Protein shake samples to try. Syntax nectar - fuzzy naval is excellent, I also loved the Caribbean cooler and vanilla bean torte. They don't have that horrid protein taste. I use Water for the fuzzy navel and milk for the other two. I ended up order a box of each of these flavors in the grab and go packets I purchased these on line via Amazon.. I have been eating a lot of cottage cheese which has great protein, pudding - I eat the real thing not sf, yogurt, cream of wheat, homemade Soups, cooked vegetables cooked very soft, I am struggling with most meats because of the swallow issue right now but most fish will work. I am surprised your doctor has you focus on calories vs. protein. I am able to get between 900 and 1100 calories a day and easily hitting my protein goals. If you cannot get your protein through food, which I still cannot you have to supplement or you will get sick. I wish you the best of luck!

Yes, I like all the fruity flavors, but especially the cherry and the crystal sky ( kind of like a fruit punch). I been have sampling these through my period and they are great if you don't want a thick heavy shake. Try the website "my bariatric pantry", they seem to always have the Nectar sampler pack available.

I love my doc. His name is Dr. Minkin, here is hi web-site. Home | St. Louis Lap-Band Specialists, LLC| Bariatric Gastric Banding Weight Loss Surgery | Dr. Darin Minkin | Missouri Obesity Health Diet Clinic Good Luck!!!!

Ok my due date had been revised. Which is no surprise because ALL my children measured small in the beginning. So I'm due March 10th instead of February 28th. But it will be an automatic c section because both previous babies were, that means I shave one week off of the due date. My weight gain has been 0 in 7 weeks since conception. My restriction is that of it right after surgery. I don't want to eat but force feed myself. Popsicles have been my best friends. I'm sick from morning to night (which gives me comfort knowing I have symptoms lol), breasts are slowly getting sensitive, I have food aberrations to everything but then have cravings also but I don't know what I am craving. sleep comes and goes. I take my Vitamins and Calcium. I'm on Zofran for morning sickness. I'm hoping to avoid gestational diabetes. Doctor thinks its a good possibility I can avoid it He did list me as high risk pregnancy due to my Bariatric surgery, but I'm praying to the good Lord that's just a label and I have a healthy pregnancy. So my goal is to update weight gain/losses and any issues I might come upon that way all these questions most of us have can start being answered. I how that I can help others with this. Importantly we as sleevers need to remember that we will always have this tool its about choices, control, and loving ourselves enough to do the right things Sent from my EVO using VST

My insurance would have covered 80% of bariatric surgery IF the Dr bills in network. I didn't know they paid nothing for out of network billing. so I paid $3500.00 to the surgeon. I paid $1,400 to the hospital for my percent of Billed in network charges. and I paid about $1,000 more in misc fee's to other dr's , anastelogiost,ect. My fills cost my $350.00 each for now. So having insurance for me was a great help even tho if didn't cover the surgeons fee.

Just for anyone who might be interested in how this works at Silver Cross in Joliet - interesting perhaps because it is classified as a "Center of Excellence" - from what I can gather, that is a designation from Medicare (??) and is quite significant. There are only six of those types of "Centers..." in the state of Illinois. The informational meeting lasted almost two hours and carefully explained the various types of bariatric procedures and then the process that needs to be completed before the operation (in my case, it will be banding). The surgeon led the session so ALL questions were answered and many people had many questions - there were around 50 people there. Medicare covers it - which is great because in my case I have Medicare disability - so all that I will have to wait to find out is if my supplemental insurance will pick up the other 20%. I am guessing that they will based on the information I got tonight. The one observation I have to make is about all the discussion concerning the quantity of food that is typically consumed afterwards - some people seemed shocked by the small amount. But --- any of the naturally thin people I know eat those minuscule amounts on a daily basis, so why would we be any different?

I'm going to a Bariatric Surgery Seminar tomorrow night and am excited, nervous, anxious, but ready to do this. I grew up as an overweight child and have always been an obese adult. I think my anxiety is due to the fact that I will look different, but will I really be different or is it possible to stay the same inside, just with a different shell? I know this is a question I need to address during my psych consult, but I'm wondering how many others felt this way prior to surgery. Thanks, and good luck to everyone! :wub:

I have been struggling with my weight since I gave birth to my first kid. I will never forget; I was 185 lbs when I left the hospital (19 yrs. old) and it’s been a roller coaster since. When I left the hospital they put me on the Depo Provera birth control shot and I blew up. I figured that was the best option since taking my BC pills daily was a concern. I was too busy enjoying life lol. My weight at that time increased to 260 so I went on a serious diet and was able to lose 48 lbs. I went down to 212 lbs. and that was my lowest weight in my adult years. My weight gradually increased again but I never went over 260 lbs. I was always lucky enough to maintain that weight. I would occasionally go on diets to lose weight when I had something big coming up or going on vacation, but of course nothing last. I tried Weight watchers, Curves, Phentermine 37.5 mg, Zantrex 3, and the Lemonade diet. I was able to lose the most with Phentermine but I think my body got too used to it in the end. Up until my I had my 2nd child I didn’t really worry much about my weight. I figured as long as I don’t go over 260 I’m good. Well that quickly changed when I had my son. I was 240 lbs. when I got pregnant and only gained 20 lbs. during my entire pregnancy. I was active and tried my best to limit my calorie intake. However, after I gave birth it was a wrap, my weight increased to a whopping 270, and when I got laid it increased to 313. My highest ever! I started thinking about Bariatric back in 2012 but it was going to be the lap band. After speaking to a few ppl I realized it wasn’t for me. My son is now 5 and weight is something I think about constantly. It’s hard for me to keep up w/ him and I find myself missing out because I pretty much hide in my house. He spends a lot of time w/ his father or his sister because it’s hard for me to move around. I get tired quickly, my body starts to ache, and I just don’t want to be seen. I told myself this is not a way to live life and I’m missing my son grow up so I finally make the decision to do something about it. First it was the Sleeve, but after further research and speaking with ppl that had both surgeries done I decided to change my mind to the Gastric Bypass. My surgeon’s office submitted for approval last week and I’m been impatiently waiting. I’m scared to death, but I know in the long run this is the best option for me. When I started the weight loss journey I was 306 and now I’m at 280. Once we get the approval I will start the pre-op diet and hopefully will be able to lose another 10 lbs. before surgery. My goal weight is 175 but my doctor wants me to get down to 150. Personally I think that’s a bit small but he knows best.

So I called the surgeon's office on April 1st to find out what the hell was going on. It was then I was informed that I was basically denied, though no one was exactly sure why. I requested the bariatric coordinator connect me with the financial person involved with CMS (my insurance) to try to figure out why the hell I was denied. That was a Wednesday, and it was after 5pm before she got back to me to tell me the insurance people had already left for the day. Thursday, I contacted her again and she tried to contact the insurance company all day without any success. :smile2: Friday, April 3rd, I got a call around 11am. It was the bariatric coordinator. She literally said, "I have a question for you. Do you want to have your surgery Monday?" (April 6th). I was screaming yes, yes, yes! Then I remembered the cruise was scheduled for April 8th and I couldn't cancel that close to the date. So I had to decline the April 6th date. But I am approved! :thumbup: And my surgery date is June 15th. The coordinator told me she is going to try to get my surgeon to do some Tuesday surgeries, and that if she can she will be moving my surgery date up - or if there are any cancellations. But, cancellations and Tuesday surgeries aside, I have 61 days until my surgery. 61 days and an unknown amount of pounds to lose prior to surgery. I am just going to do what I was doing - going to the gym and trying to watch what I eat - and hope the pounds have come off. My mom's (and dad's) birthday is June 4th, and my godmother and best friend's birthdays are June 10th. So June is an active month for me. Not to mention the two kids I watch are out of school as of June 6th, so it will be their second full week without school when I have my surgery. Someone else will need to be watching those kids! And the unemployment rate in Florida is officially at 9.4%, according to Fox News. Just incase anyone wanted to know, haha! Okay, off to walk the dog then make my way to her house to take a brief siesta before waking up the kids and driving them to school. Ciao. :tongue2:

Can you say yum??? Ordered Bari wise hot chocolate from bariatric choice and it is delish, about 80cal no fat less than 5gm carbs and 15grams protein!! I miss my coffee and hot chocolate this time of year and this really hits the spot!! I purchased a few of the variety packs (about $11) for 7 and love the mint and raspberry chocolate trying the amaretto and its yummy too!

Finally after months of tests, medical appointments, paperwork and hours of explaining to my good friends why I have finally come to this place in my life, my surgery is tomorrow. Check in for 5.30am and surgery at 7.30am. After fighting cancer 14 years ago, complications of the surgery, chemo and radiation caused significant side effects and damage that left me with health effects and took away ability to exercise and my love of trail running. My weight increased significantly. Failed diets made my weight yo-yo upwards. I started to withdraw, didn't want to go out socially. I've struggled to keep up a professional career, fit in plane seats, turned down job opportunities and put up with derogatory comments from business colleagues. I have everything planned, Protein drinks, non caffeine tea (this will he hard), vitamins/calcium supplements and chicken broth..... I have lists of the to-do's and not-to do's from the folks in my Bariatric support group..... Today this has been the first time I have nerves and second thoughts. I so want this to be successful, I am tired of being overweight for so many years, of it ruining my life and my health. I want to throw my BiPAP in the trashcan! My journey starts now - I am scared but oddly excited. Have others felt the same way?

Even though this thread is so old, I am so glad I found it and hope that we can renew it again. I had that thought all day today, " I don't think I can do this anymore" I am not even a month post-op and I feel like I am already a failure and back to my old ways of eating. Why can't this be easier? It was the first three weeks and all of a sudden the last few days, I feel so out of control and I am eating to the point that my lower stomach is stretched and hurts so much! I feel miserable! I am not doing the right things-taking my time ,taking small bites, chewing enough and it is just slipping right through the band, making me so full and horrible like I always used to. I feel like I gained back the 30 lbs I lost. I know this isn't true but my mind is so confused and I DON"T KNOW HOW TO LISTEN TO MY BODY!!!! I never did before, so why did I think this would be the magic to cure a behavior I have carried with me for 30 years? The difference is now I am in so much pain from overeating and I risk complications of all sorts because now I have to worry about hurting the band, too!!!! I feel helpless. I know I will probably wake up with my period tomorrow and that has to do with it but right now I can't take this feeling!!!!! I feel like I am suffocating. Can anyone relate? Give me some advise? I know tomorrow is another day, the minute I get this in writing, I can think of it as a cleansing and the next minute is a new one! I know I can pull myself together, but why does it have to be so F****ing Hard!:thumbup::wub::w00t::thumbs_down::w00t::thumbs_down::thumbs_down::thumbs_down:Thanks for letting me vent here.

I once again wrote a frickin' book and can't find it now. I don't know where on this website it goes but Robert came in so I showed him what blogging was like and now I can't find the blog I was writing in the first place, it is probably a good thing because I just went on and on about how much I love him and how much we are in love and crap like that. I also told you about how I gained the 2 lbs that I had lost putting me back at 228 instead of 226 where I need to be before tomorrow's weigh in and fill. Not good but that is the way it is. I'll do my exercising today and watch what I eat. I have northern style ribs from PF Changs for lunch and will have my protein shake for breakfast. Depending on how that lasts me I'll have a protein bar for break. The shake sometimes lasts me and then other times I am so hungry I can't stand it. I should have an easy day today at work and then I'm off tomorrow. I want to go look at a Nissan Altima...that is the car of my dreams, I'm not sorry I bought a new Subaru but the Altima is what I wanted and should have gotten but I thought it was too expensive for me. I am throwing around the idea that maybe I just need to get a grip on having a slow car and putting tint on the windows and I already have the Sirius system in it and everything I could ask for like power windows and A/C. This is the first brand new car I have ever had. The ones I have had in the past are either hand me downs or given to me by a boyfriend. I guess getting a Porsche and Corvette weren't too bad of gifts. But I gave them back when we broke up so I miss the Porsche, the Corvette had too long of nose for me and I didn't like driving it too much. But it got me alot of attention and was fun. Now I have a Subaru Impreza, it was something that was practical and had what I needed and I have since put in a $700 Sirius system and want an amplifier now. So that should cost me another $500 with the new speakers and getting it installed but it will be so worth it when it is done. I want to get the windows tinted on it next so I think after we get back from vacation and I renew my plates I will have that done. My husband keeps every business card that has been handed to him and a tinting company that he used is one of them so that is who I will call. I also want to get my credit card paid off. I went on a shopping binge and spent $600 on Mac make up. An easy thing to do but since then I have expanded my collection to include Urban Decay, Sephora, and Lancome. All that I love just wish I could change make up 2-3 times a day depending on what mood I was in. I think every woman needs to have a big collection of make up to help make her feel pretty. Some women are just beautiful without the use of make up, I on the other hand am not one of these women. I have to have at least eye make up and lipstick to feel complete in the morning. That is how I end getting ready for my day is by putting on my make up before I do my hair. It really gives me the extra boost in self-esteem that I need. My husband turned our loft area into my make up station. I have a big desk, with lighted mirror, and computer chair to roll around in while doing my daily ritual. It's like being a little girl playing dress up. My husband had a hard time sleeping the night before and that keeps me awake because if I wake up and he is not in bed I can't sleep so it was good that I was off yesterday. Made for a long day getting up at 3:30 a.m. and getting him to come back to bed. I did make it to the gym and swam until someone asked if they could swim in my lane once I was done...that made me feel like I had to hurry. Well it is 8:00 a.m. and that means time to getting for my day at work. I will be back tomorrow morning to tell you about how my day was and what else is on my mind. Happy losing

JAN. 6, 2011- THURSDAY - WELL I GOT UP THIS AM NOT WANTING TO DRINK MY CHOCOLATE BARIATRIC ADVANTAGE PROTEIN SHAKE. YUK - I EVEN ADDED A WHOLE SMALL BANANA AND SOME ICE AND PUT IT IN THE BLENDER. STILL YUK! BUT I GOT IT DOWN. OH MAN - I HAVE TO DO 3 OF THESE A DAY PLUS 2 OF THE PROTEIN BARS WHICH ARE JUST AS BAD. I WANT MY LEAN CUISINE 200 CAL DINNERS BACK. THEY WERE SO TASTY AND MUCH MORE SATISFYING. BUT NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE THEM. NEED TO SHRINK THE LIVER FOR THE BAND OPERATION ON 1/17. SO I HAVE TO SUCK IT UP! LOL TOOK 1 WALK TODAY WITH MY HUSBAND OUTSIDE - WALKED 2 BLOCKS AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. GONNA GO TAKE ANOTHER WALK I THINK THIS EVENING BY MYSELF. IT WILL GET MY MIND OFF OF THE CRAPPY SHAKES I HAVE TO DRINK! CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS ALL TO BE OVER AND BE ABLE TO EAT REAL FOOD AGAIN ONLY BETTER CHOICES OF COURSE. LOW CALORIES HIGH PROTEIN LOW FAT MEALS. I LEARNED MY LESSON HOPEFULLY!!! IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE - IF IT TASTE GOOD - IT'S NO GOOD FOR YOU! LOL

Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that my "skinny" jeans are 1x with an elastic/drawstring waist. At my heaviest, I would only admit to a size 2x, but honestly, even those were getting snug. When I lost my first 20 pounds, I tried on these 1x jeans and they were still uncomfortably tight in the thighs and caboose area. So, I've been reluctant to try on anything smaller in the past month. Even though I only lost 2 pounds in December, I've added pilates to my walking routine. When I tried on the "skinny" jeans today, not only did they slide easily over my hips, but I actually had to tighten the drawstring to keep them up! I guess my body has become smaller even though the scale hasn't reflected a dramatic loss. I was beginning to lose some of my enthusiasm recently, but this small NSV has given me renewed hope. Happy New Year Everybody!

I am back at work after a very interesting weekend. I'm now 6 days post-op and feeling a lot better than I thought I would. I know the following post is going to sound like a plug for the Ready 4A Change people, but I can assure you I am writing this on my own free will and am very satisfied with my surgery so far. I just wish I could have found more information about the Ready 4A Change group before I traveled down there so hopefully this post will help others with the same decision. Feel free to send me an email with any questions you have! alma - patient coordinator: She talked with me on the phone and through emails several times pre-op. She was amazing, and took care of everything. The only issue I had on the trip was not having a hotel reservation set up on the final night of my stay, and a quick phone call to Alma fixed my problem in less than 5 minutes. Thank you for everything Alma! Eduardo Ahumada-Garza M.D. - Anesthesiologist: Funny guy! He talked with me quite a bit before putting me under telling me about the process and what to expect post-op. I had a short, but great, experience with him and definitely felt secure in his hands. Dr. Miguel Zapata – Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgeon: Great surgeon, he told me what to expect as well as taking time to check up with me post-op. I had researched the surgery a bunch beforehand but he was sure to ask me if I had any questions. Dietitian (who's name escapes me right now): She visited me the day after the surgery and gave me a load of information about my new stomach. She was very helpful and answered all of my questions. Thank you! CIMA (the hospital): WOW - immaculate! It looks like this place is cleaned 24/7 because it was very beautiful. My room felt more like a hospital suite than a hospital room that I'm used to in the USA. It had 2 TVs, a futon (for my support person), and an extremely large bathroom. Definitely the best hospital I've ever had care in! About half of the nurses spoke English and they were all great at helping me and checking up on me.

Talk to your obstetrician about a bariatric doctor in your area. S/he might be able to contact one and get you an appointment. Your doctor calling might be more effective. I am assuming you are under the care of an obstetrician. Have you been able to swallow the prenatal Vitamins? I know they are big. I think whoever is handling your prenatal care should be able to help you manage all of this. Good luck.

I heard Dr Balder resigned from Southeast Bariatrics yesterday to start up his own Lap Band Institute in Charlotte yesterday...Thank GOD, that office was the biggest disaster that one could ever imagine!!! Trying to get in for an initial consult was ridiculous, too many rules, too much hassel!! Dr Balder gave me his cell phone number after surgery which I have not abused, but offered comfort as I can get ahold of him if needed and not have to go through all that red tape to get in to that crazy dysfunctional office! I can't wait to see him at his new and improved office...I knew from the get go that the Southeast Bariatrics office did not fit his personality. They were all about money, and themselves... Dr Balder, you'll take over Charlotte soon! Maddy