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Hey there, I got sleeved for the same reason. My surgery was just Monday but my surgeon agreed WLS was the best option to cure my insulin resistance that came with my PCOS. My surgeon did recommend waiting 2 years to start trying however I changed to a GYNO that is on the bariatric board and she is very familiar with what I'm going through. She told me a year and I will have definitely be able to have a healthy normal pregnancy. The biggest reason to wait has to do with the shock your body goes through after the major weight loss. I recommend finding a GYNO that has had other patients with PCOS that have had WLS. It helped me drastically! Good luck to you!!

I'm so sorry you are going through this, my hope is you can come out the other end better, and I feel you will. Do not take medication, and steer clear of people who tell you to, also doctors who tell you to. They don't help in the long run, and actually cause much, much more harm to your brain's chemical balance. I've a degree in brain health, and one thing that is very clear is that when you take meds, or any antidepressant, the natural serotonin level brain produces lowers itself to compensate for the fake serotonin that come in the form of medications. This is why psychiatrists will caution against going off them all at once. If a person quits their antidepressants suddenly, the brain cannot compensate and depression becomes worse, leading to suicide in many cases. And sometimes, some people can never go off them, even when they try to slowly ween themselves from the drugs. Some doctors will suggest a patient stay on them for this reason. An even worse doctor will suggest them at all. Medications should only be used for the most severely mentally disordered patients. What you are better off doing is finding a psychotherapist you connect with. Not all therapists will connect with their patients, so be aware it sometimes takes a few to finally find one you mesh with. Once you do, you can begin to unravel and reveal what is in your thought process. In the meantime, there are many things you can do to relax your mind and take the edge off. Meditation, yoga, listening to positive music, reading books about mental health and whatever you feel your troubled issues are, a healthy diet full of omegas (fish) and veggies, I suggest the Mediterranean Diet. Exercise and also hand writing in a journal. Try meet-ups and meet knew people to spend time with, go slow. If you do it just once, at least you gave it a shot and tried. Comfort yourself with things that make you feel good: baths, scenic walks, anything that you personally find joyful. You can also search out a bariatric support group and feel if they tackle any of these issues, but do those in person. Stay offline as much as you can, or use social media less - sometimes it can worsen depression as the connections are not very deep most times. Whatever you do, be gentle on you and don't berate yourself. It's natural to go through changes about ourselves and our lives, whether it's related to bariatric surgery or not. I'm hoping all the best for you.

Congratulations the surgery is over!! Most of my patients report that they feel a real change when they turn"the corner". The pain is remarkably better and there is a sense of healing in the abdomen as the edema of surgical insult starts to go down. I have facilitated a support group for Banders for over a year and I just think they are the bravest folks. They have made a commitment to changing their eating and must make good choices every day. Every 6 weeks they must re-assess their eating to see if they need an adjustment.They must watch their weight all of which is harder than it sounds. I am so in awe of their determination. You have joined an impressive "club" I wish you the very best-write back if you have any technical questions. I am a RN in Minneapolis that works at a Bariatric Center.

HI there...I'm 10 months post-op... Vitamins and other supplements Bariatric Advantage chewables (don't give up after the first few tries - you get used to the taste), essential fatty acids, Vitamin D Protein shakes unjury vanilla and chocolate Splendor (try sugar free Torani syrups to mix in - they have tons of different flavors) Skin products for sagging Nivea Skin Firming Body Lotion (honestly, I don't know if it helped, but it made me feel like I was doing something productive and my skin is much softer) hair products for hair loss Biotin and Folic Acid (approved by doc), Nioxin shampoo & conditioner, Toppik (to cover the hair loss - works just like their on-line videos) My doc says there's nothing you can do to stop the loss, but you can help it come back.

Crazy plant lady- I am going thru the exact same thing. I am nearly 4 weeks out and I went to work after 2 weeks. Simultaneously I received a HUGE promotion at work that requires me to work long hours, on my feet (I'm in Law Enforcement). After working in my new position for only a week, I cried every day on my way to work, every day on my way home, cried myself to sleep. My husband finally said enough is enough- this past Monday I went to see my family Physician and she told me I went back to work way too early. She gave me some anxiety meds, which make me really tired, and told me to take another 3 weeks off at the least. I then went and saw my bariatric physiologist today and she said the same. She explained that I am recovering from major surgery at the same time learning an entire new life change and to add a huge promo on top of that, put me over the edge. She too suggested to take at least 3 more weeks off to take it day by day, meal by meal ( I didn't eat the entire week I went back to work and got really run down and emotional). She made so much sense now I have to really concentrate on me and apply it.. Please keep me in your thoughts, this is going to be SO HARD FOR ME.

A recent study found that women who had lost weight via bariatric surgery did not seem to suffer undue negative effects during pregnancy — and nor did their infants. Refer to: http://acsh.org/2015/02/bariatric-surgery-associated-improved-pregnancy-outcomes/

Laurend's right, Zully. "Exclusions" are usually the province of the employer, not the insurance carrier. If your employer excludes bariatric surgery on one of its policies, it's likely an across-the-board thing.

I first read about this 5 Day Pouch Test here on Bariatric Pal. So glad I saw this. I ordered the book & downloaded it on my Kindle. I have been in a stall for almost 2 months & it has driven me crazy. One of the things this Test will do is break the carb issue. Carbs are a huge issue for me. I've read over half the book & I am starting the Test tomorrow. I saw my surgeon a couple of weeks ago & she suggested I drink nothing but Protein shakes 1 day a week to help with my stall & to break bad habits. It was after that doctor visit that I saw this information about the Test. I wish anyone trying this Test good luck. I hope everyone doing this will post their results. BTW, I got the book off Amazon. Worth every penny. It was written by a woman that had a gastric bypass a few years ago & has struggled with the same issues as the rest of us. This is a lifetime change in eating habits & we all need all of the help we can get.

I take the Bariatric Advantage Ultra Multi Vitamin with Iron. It's a capsule, so it slides down very easily and there is no taste. Their caramel calcium citrate chewable are delicious. Might be worth a try.

Ok so tonight I sat down to watch The Biggest Loser, whilst I sipped on my yummy chicken stock soup. There was a bit where the trainer got a bit heated with 2 contestants because they were under eating; having 825 calories instead of 1400. He went on to say they were destroying their bodies by dropping their calories so low and the body will only hold on to their fat, they won't lose it but they will lose muscle and they will go into starvation mode etc.... Basically he was saying they won't lose weight, they will lose muscle and destroy their bodies... Now I've managed about 600 calories on liquids today and even that was a bit of a mission! I'm wondering how our bodies react with the little calories we take in and whether it's different with us because we do have smaller stomachs and that may send different signals to our bodies. However, I've never (on a diet) had less than 1200 calories so this is a bit to get used to. Any thoughts on this topic? I do trust the bariatric team around me and know they wouldn't let us under eat. However, that trainer scared me a little!

According to the internet: Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery, and they are typically associated with inappropriate diet and noncompliance with a gastroplasty diet (ie, eat undisturbed, chew meticulously, never drink with meals, and wait 2 hours before drinking after solid food is consumed). If these symptoms are associated with epigastric pain, significant dehydration, or not explained by dietary indiscretions, an alternative diagnosis must be explored. One of the most common complications causing nausea and vomiting in gastric bypass patients is anastomotic ulcers, with and without stomal stenosis. Ulceration or stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy of the gastric bypass has a reported incidence of 3% to 20%. Although no unifying explanation for the etiology of anastomotic ulcers exists, most experts agree that the pathogenesis is likely multifactorial. These ulcers are thought to be due to a combination of preserved acid secretion in the pouch, tension from the Roux limb, ischemia from the operation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and perhaps Helicobacter pylori infection. Evidence suggests that little acid is secreted in the gastric bypass pouch; however, staple line dehiscence may lead to excessive acid bathing of the anastomosis. Treatment for both marginal ulcers and stomal ulcers should include (1) avoidance of NSAIDs, (2) antisecretory therapy with proton-pump inhibitors, and/or sucralfate. In addition,(3) H pylori infection should be identified and treated, if present. The other area that you should explore is the fact that you might have a stricture.

Hello, I am from CO (orig from MI) and have my first consultation appt on the 9th of April. I have already been told by the doctors office that my insurance does cover bariatric services (she said my insurance is so good, she wished she had it.... I just hope she was not wrong about that :sneaky: I am looking forward to moving on to this new stage of my life. julie

True - they dont do the bypass in Australia, probably you could get it done if the lapband failed, but its not the first choice for most bariatric surgeons. Too risky, too complicated, not good enough long term results. Longer term stats are showing that you lose more slowly with the lapband and its more dependent on personal habits (which is a good thing in my opinion) but you get greater weight maintenance at the end of the journey, compared to GBP where there's a significant proportion of people who lose fast and then begin to regain. So easy choice for me as I wouldnt have been able to find a surgeon to do a bypass but I would never have considered it given the size of my weight problem - simply not worth the risk of malnutrition and the surgical risks.

Nobody can take what you're learning ahead of time away from you but you might be a better candidate for Mexico. Now I am going to tell you something and I realize I'll get no bonus points from Alex Brecher, don't do this for that. Please pretty please consider BariatricPalMX If you do decide to go to Mexico. If I wasn't 72, didn't receive clearance because of low BMI, and the necessary money I would go there in a heartbeat! Alex Brecher,Bariatric Pal' s founder, who could afford anywhere else if he chose, chose Dr Ilian and Bariatric PalMX. for his own recent surgery I think that speaks for itself. Besides it's located in a beautiful area , not some back-alley clinic. Andvwhenthings are done update us, okay?😝

I am not in Utah, but thought you might like to have an idea of what costs are. I had my surgery at a hospital in Tulsa, OK. What I liked about the way I did my surgery was I did not go through a "bariatric clinic". I knew the surgeon I wanted to use so I went past all the other stuff and went straight to my choice (from what I understand, in the clinic setting you don't get to choose your surgeon). I still had to do all the pre-op appointments but I decided where I wanted to have the surgery. I chose a hospital where my surgeons office is right next door. The hospital has a "global" charge that includes hospital charges, surgeon and anesthesia for the cost of $17,750. I had to pay when I went in for my pre-op admissions. The normal costs of the surgery would be $27,000.

No need to worry, just pulling myself out of the fog..... My surgery was Monday, 10/3 with Dr. Aceves. Since my surgery was the 2nd of the day, I was given a sedative to relax. The rest of the day is a blur. I remember people coming in to get me....blur........I remember looking up at the ceiling as I was being wheeled to surgery......blur.........I remember someone telling me to turn on my side and bend my knees for the spinal block....blur.....and OUT. I don't remember recovery at all. The next thing I remember is being back in my room, thinking it must be over and then falling back asleep again. I was in and out of sleep for the rest of the night, knowing that nurses came in and out, taking my temp and blood pressure, but not really ever becoming fully alert. Sometime early Tuesday morning, I told one of the nurses I needed to use the bathroom. Although I stumbled a bit, I made the trip successfully and immediately fell back asleep. Later that morning, they brought me those infamous 4 little cups of blue "apple juice." They weren't good, but they were tolerable. I sipped and slept, sipped and slept, sipped and slept for hours. Several times that day, Dr. Aceves, Dr. Campos and the nurses came in and told me to try to get up and walk. I'd answer "Sure, ok." with every good intention of doing it, but I'd always fall back asleep. I really had a tough time coming out of all that med-induced sleepiness. By late afternoon Tuesday, I finally got up and walked the halls. I was completely pain-free (yes, really.....it must have been the spinal block), but I felt unsteady on my feet and climbed back into bed about 5 minutes later. Tuesday night was pretty much the same as Monday night, but I woke up Wednesday morning feeling alert and energetic. I took a shower and even put on a little make-up! Wednesday, I walked several times, visited my neighbors, sipped tea and finally got a bowl of that wonderful chicken broth everybody raves about. Yes, it IS that good. By the time I left on Thursday morning, I felt pretty good - minimal pain and absolutely no nausea. It may have been this sense of well-being that caused me to completely overdo it on Friday. BIG Mistake! I met up with a friend Friday afternoon to do a "little" shopping that turned into a 5-hour shopping spree. I thought I was listening to my body.......I sipped Isopure all day........I took sitting breaks pretty often, but by the time I got home, I felt awful. My abdomen was completely swollen with Fluid and gas. I looked 9 months pregnant and felt equally uncomfortable. That was the first time all week I broke down emotionally. I remembered reading somewhere that Day 4 after surgery was the worst..........and that was definitely true for me! So, I sobbed myself to sleep Friday night and woke up Saturday with renewed energy and renewed resolve. I really took it easy that day. I stayed in all morning, sipping Protein and napping. By 3:00 pm, I felt good enough to take my son to a birthday party. It was a huge event, and EVERY single person there must have told me to eat......twice! But I politely told them I had eaten before I came and continued to sip on my bottled Water. The party lasted about two hours and I was definitely ready to come home by then. I went to bed about 7:30 pm, slept pretty soundly, and here I am at 5:00 am on Sunday, finally getting on the Internet for the first time since surgery. To sum up, I've really had a fairly easy recovery. Considering the mess my Band had made of my stomach and liver (Dr. Aceves told me it was NOT and easy revision) I've had very little pain except for the incision sights. I've experienced none of the shoulder "gas" pain I had with the Band surgery. I've had no nausea or stomach pain......just a lot of gas and gurgling. No doubt about it, those first four days kicked my butt, however, I think I'm over the "hump" now. I have one more week of recovery before I have to go back to work and I'm sooooo glad I didn't try to rush it and go back any sooner. I hope all my fellow October sleevers are well, whether you are just home from surgery or about to have it. Take it easy and follow the rules........you'll do great!

Considering moving my aftercare to another bariatric practice - if they'll have me. Could use some feedback - as in am I crazy to consider doing this? Here's the deal: I had gastric banding in early March and lost 27lbs in prep for the procedure. In the two weeks following the surgery I lost 12lbs. Since then, I've had four fills giving me 4.8cc in an 11cc band. My weight has not changed give or take 2lbs - so I'm 238-240 - regardless of activity level and apparently, what I consume. I'm hungry within 2 hours of eating and can eat pretty much anything, but since my surgeon's practice states "No in-between meal snacks" I really try to hold the line which means there are quite a few meetings in which my loud, literally howling stomach is the source of discomfort for me and an amusing distraction for others. Couple this with the fact that I'm a Type II Diabetic who controls her blood glucose with a small amount of medication, diet and exercise. By the time I do breakdown and eat the forbidden "snack" rather than waiting for the next meal, I'm often sweating, hands shaking due to my blood sugar having dropped too low. Thus there's a chance I'll eat too quickly - we know what happens then or I eat the wrong, but safe items like ice cream or candy that melts quickly, and raises my glucose so I feel normal. Beyond the obvious problem of not making progress with my band is that I'm not getting through to my Bariatric Practice. 1) I haven't seen my surgeon since the operation - he doesn't "have time" as he's busy with new patients. 2) I see a PA for my fills. She's almost always overbooked and frazzled. When she complimented me on losing 25 lbs between fill #1 & #2 without even looking at me and I said, "Excuse me? I haven't but a pound or two!" She had to check the chart - "Oops! My bad - I read it wrong!" 3) I keep telling her (see above) and the reaction is basically, "Uh-huh...well, let's get this fill in". After fill #3 she told me I had 5.5cc in the band; last week she advises me it's only at 4.8cc?! 4) No labs have been ordered, the saline hasn't been removed to check the band is holding what it should, no fluoroscopy - and no concern that I'm getting nowhere - just "see you in four weeks!" Last week's trip in for my big 0.6cc fill was the same experience as fills 1-3. I arrive on time and wait for over an hour and a half - and it's an hour drive each way, so I've had to take at least a half-day off from work. While I wait in the over-crowded waiting room, wishing I'd brought something, anything to eat, I watch the single PA juggle fills and consults for pre-surgical patients, have a melt-down because the surgeon has asked her to squeeze in another post-op having problems. Meanwhile the bariatric nurse is ranting at another pre-op patient about his "failure to lose weight" on Medifast, when in trots a pizza delivery guy with two large pies for the staff...right through the waiting room of starving bariatric patients. When it's all said and done, I leave with a raging headache, a long drive and the need to find a convience store for OJ - not a "clear liquid" but better than having a hypoglycemic incident on that hour drive home. Thoughts? Comments?

i am happy with my results also . But this is sure tough . I dare anyone to say bariatric surgery is "the easy way out ".... Are you exercising? I am walking but not as much as I should. Im just tired when I get ho from work. I did swim today for 15 minutes . I feel like I should be all up into some kind of big workout ! Feeling guilty about NOT

oh!! I won't! I'm here to ask lots of questions! I think I have a bunch of stuff already done, for that "passport checklist" thingy required for the insurance co.. "hoping and praying" that the 4 month 3x a week cardiac rehab classes & weigh-ins with exercise routine, monitored by both my cardiologist & the nurses, (also was paid for by BC/BS since end of Nov.-March) included nutritional counseling, exercise physiologist, mediterranean diet (my cardiologists' fav, lol!) and aggressive meds..yikes, I'm even seeing a bariatric weight loss dr TOO, with appetite suppressants and even THOSE don't help, for heaven's sakes!! and I've continued the program at phase III level, paying "out of pocket" on my own, while being weighed monthly since April/May and still being weighed at the cardiologist's (saw him April 18th).. I just started seeing the dietician prescribed by the endocrinologist, since starting the metformin 2 months ago, so I'm due for bloodwork again which I will be doing tomorrow, since I'm seeing her on the 26th. My last visit with her, was when she told me I had a BMI of 35, so when I called the insurance co and they said the 35 BMI was accepted with the ONE complication, I figured since I had even MORE than the one, it wouldn't be an issue. The deal is, I have to pass the cardiac stress test again. BOO. no fun. then, the endoscopy, which I've never had any of those things done before. ewwww.. those things are entrances and exits, you know??LOL! just kidding! Guess I better get used to it! It's easy when it's "other people" when you are an RN, but when it's YOURSELF? omg.

Ok☺ I'm from Louisiana. I just checked out the deals here on Bariatrics pal website. If they find a hernia they'll repair it for free! That's a plus! I wonder how much they would charge to remove the gallbladder @@belindadcns?

I went to NJ Bariatrics not knowing what type of bariatric surgery was right for me. I was banded in May 2008 and according to my scale have lost 80 lbs. I thank Dr. Chau for his excellent care and confidence in me and know that this surgery saved my life. Thank you Dr. Chau and the staff at NJ Bariatrics - Center for Excellence. Flora

Have you looked on Pinterest? There are lots of boards there with post-bariatric surgery puree recipes. Good luck!

She's probably not bulimic, but her band may be a bit too tight and food cannot get through. When this happens there's no place for the food to go but up. Also, the foods you mentioned are "slider" foods that go thru even a too tight band easily. She needs to see her bariatric surgeon.

@@jennfred, good for you for insisting on going to the hotel! Really, the Bariatric Pal guys are just fine, and you won't have any problems. @@maggie409 stayed at the recovery house in June, and she liked it. As I mentioned, it might not have been so bad if it hadn't been so darned hot! But the hotel is more what we are accustomed to. Lots of space, all with central air, wonderful staff, and nurses to help if there are medical needs or questions. Plus, my husband went with me, and the Grand is close to all kinds of restaurants, fast food places, grocery stores, etc. so he could go for a walk and pick up some juice, or something to eat for himself without getting out of sight of the hotel. And once I got feeling better, I walked with him over to the Fast & Final grocery store to find some peach juice cuz I was tired of the apple. Just the walk was a challenge, but was so good for me to get outside in the sun and walk on streets and sidewalks and not just in circles around my room. Walk as much as you can. From the minute you wake up from surgery even, if you feel well enough for that. Up and down the hallway in the hospital. Or just back and forth in your hospital room if you need the a/c. INT hospital is not air conditioned in the hallways, just in each room. If it hurts, walk. Seems counter-intuitive, but the walking is what will help the gas to go away (they inflate the stomach area with CO2 so they can see what they are doing during the operation). Trust that you will be fine. Good luck!

I thought the same thing. I never heard of a bariatric pal house. It sounds pretty interesting.