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I use my fitness pal to track what I eat and usually drink, but I also have timer on my phone and a bariatric timer.

I have not had my bariatric surgery yet, but have had almost 20 other surgeries of various sorts including open heart surgery in 2020. The running joke in the family is that I collect surgeries. I've had at least one surgery a year since 2014. One thing I'd say is critical is to keep up with your pain meds. keeping the pain under control is a lot easier if you are constantly taking something, vs. waiting till the pain is really bad. You should be able to take Tylenol in addition to the oxy (check with your surgeon first though!) Tylenol won't make the pain go away, but it may take the edge off enough to make it less intense. I'm going to take the opposite approach on movement than the previous poster. I know it hurts, but moving increases blood flow, which means you'll heal faster. I can almost guarantee your surgeon told you to walk a certain amount and you need to do that religiously. One of the main reasons is to prevent blood clots, which can be fatal. Don't mess around and skip the walking just because it hurts. I'm also not sold on duct tape. I'd be worried it would pull on the staples? My preference would be a nice cushioned, non-adherent pad over the staple line. These can be taped (and the tape is away from the staples), or if you don't want to use tape, look into something called "cohesive wrap". It sticks to itself and in this case you would wrap it around your whole body. The slight compression from the wrap might also help with healing. If nothing's helping, talk to your surgeon! They may have other options for you. Good luck!

For those who haven't been following my story............... I was diagnosed with an eroded band in November of 2011 and had it removed in March of 2012. I had to wait for six months before revising to the gastric sleeve as my surgeon wanted to wait for me to heal completely and do medical tests before confirming that I would be a good candidate for the sleeve. I have complete those tests and he was satisfied that I could have the sleeve. We also found that I had developed another hiatal hernia (the first one was repaired when I had my lap band surgery). My predetermination request for the sleeve surgery was denied. They stated that I needed to complete a six month weight loss program in order for them to consider my request. I asked my surgeon's insurance coordinator to appeal based on the reasoning that this was a repeat surgery for a lap band that had medically failed me and that I shouldn't have to complete the six month medically supervised weight loss program. She filed an appeal but no where in the letter did it address the six month weight loss program so of course they denied me again stating that we still hadn't submitted the records they had requested. Frustrated beyond belief, I took the initiative to write my own appeal letter. I used language from the BCBS-AL bariatric policy regarding repeat surgeries and their rationale for requiring the six month weight loss program and explained how I had met that rationale just by having a lap band for four years and that my waiting for six months before revising to another surgery was not conducive to improving my health. I just got off the phone with BCBS-AL and they have approved my surgery!!!!!! I am actually shocked that I succeeded in my appeal. I fully expected them to deny me and had already started the medically supervised six month weight loss program in preparation for that denial (and have lost 10 lbs over a six week period which is nice). I'm excited, relieved and nervous! I've been through this before so I don't know why but I am. I was very successful with my lap band (losing 94 lbs). I remember how wonderful it felt to be thin and feel good about myself and how I looked and not to be in pain anymore from carrying around all this extra weight (yes I packed the pounds back on after my band was removed). I can't wait to be there again! Yeah me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You'll have to contact your insurance company to answer your specific plan coverage. They vary widely. Otherwise, all the advice above is correct. Most bariatric programs will have a qualified dietician to help you with your supervised weight loss plan. Good luck!!

I knew my husband was having a hard time with my choice for WLS, in the past when we discussed my having wls he'd be less than enthusiastic and downplay it, basically saying I was all talk and wouldn't do it. But he seemed to come around and was supportive, we had some heated conversations, mostly since he thought I'd leave him once I lost my.weight, which I have no desire to, before I love him, yes he is a big guy but I've always been attracted to men like that. I told him, I love him and only him and would never leave him, he seemed to come around and be ok and we'd be ok again. Towards the end of my requirements and pending approval of my surgery it was harder on him I could tell but he was still supportive, we talked about vacations we'd take, more family pictures, renewing our vows and having a baby of our own Adobe muy weight and PCOS made it hard to conceive, and all the things I was afraid to do because of my weight, I was happy and excited about our new life together But I didn't talk about my Surgery or fears, because I knew his fears were bad too. So my Surgery was August 19, and in the hospital and home he has been pretty good about getting with the kids, but I handle myself and do most things for myself, but getting out of our new bed which is lower to the ground is challenging at times. But the last few days he's been distant, and suddenly last night before bed, he just says he is leaving, because he doesn't want to be left and that he knows I'll leave once I've lost my weight. He then got out of bed and went outside to smoke. I was shocked and devastated, I love him, been in love with him for 8 years, we were just about to file the paperwork for him to formally adopt my children from a previous marriage, and now he says he is leaving since he can't handle being left. My children are involved, they love him deeply and that's their dad and that's my husband, I can't believe I'm not even 2 weeks out and get this dropped on me. He had been asleep all day so I haven't been able to talk to him, I want to go to therapy to try and reassure him and work.through this, I don't want to lose my marriage because he has fears of something I'll never do, or because he's heard other people did that to their spouses once they lost their weight. That's them, not me. I think his so called friends have been telling him this bs and to expect the worst. It's crazy how can people try to destroy a family and put more fear and doubt in a man at a time like this. My husband does have a history of depression, PTSD and bi polor disorder but it's been managed, but I do think he stopped his meds because he wouldn't do this to me otherwise. If I can't get him to see reason or go to therapy there isn't anything I can do. I'm lost and hurt.

afisher, I did not have "preapproval" for the band either, which was hard for me to understand. The bariatric coordinator at my surgeon's office told me that there is really no such thing as preAPPROVAL, and what you do is gather all your materials/records and proceed with the surgery "in good faith". That scared the heck out of me! I kept worrying that after I went ahead with the surgery they would decide not to pay! I do not recall pre-approving the hospital myself (my surgeon requires a one night hosp. stay), so perhaps my surgeon's office did it. The bariatric coordinator sent in my materials for me. I never once spoke to BCBS. Things went pretty fast after I had handed in all my requirements. If you have other questions, let me know. Robin

I'm with Way2go123 ... what works for one, may not work for all. Pre-surgery I tried every shake I could get my hands on and discussed with my support group. Personally, I use unjury vanilla or chocolate powder every day in my coffee ... I am terrified of hair loss, so I am not using it as my meals, but supplementing my Protein. Also have used Bariatric Advantage, really liked the coffee flavor, their powders shake up nice and thick and even GNC has a great premade grab and go Lean Shake. I loved the pumpkin spice flavor they had that was seasonal so I grabbed up several cases. Pretty much in the same boat with the Vitamins. I really like the Opurity chewable Band specific Vitamin, but it nauseates the heck out of me. Find something that works for you BEFORE your surgery ... you want to stock up so that's one less thing you have to think about while recovering.

Call the office of the surgeon (for me, that's a "bariatric diet center" and ask them what they recommend their patients do to fulfill that 6-month requirement. They may know a physician, or tell you to go to WW and check in w/your PCP, or some such. I didn't have to fulfill a 6-month preop diet requirement but I'd think your surgeon's staff can give you some tips on what YOUR insurance company will accept.

It may not happen very often but I have read others on this site had the same problem as me...that is my PCP refusing supervise me before and after surgery. He had not ever supervised any bariatric patients (which is funny because we are the fattest state in the entire nation) and honestly did not know what the he was doing. So I found another PCP to supervise me and she did not give me any problems. There are many PCP's who do not understand WLS or they don't agree with it. I hope yours will be supportive!

In the United States a lot of people see the surgeon at the bariatric program first, then begin progressing through the motions of pre-op, and somewhere in that whole circus go to their primary care doctors and get the required referral. Insurance requires the PCP letter (not an issue in Canada obviously) and the surgeon also generally requires it for his own purpose. I highly doubt your PCP will refuse to issue a letter of referral once you are any more than knee deep with the bariatric program. I attended a weight loss information session and within two weeks of that I was able to see a surgeon in the same hospital as the one that gave the session. That is another way in.

I was allowed to swallow real Vitamins at 7 days post-op. You shouldn't be taking your multi-Vitamin and Calcium within 2 hours of one another. Iron (in the multi-vitamin) and calcium compete for absorption. For my bariatric multi-vitamin, I take Vitaleph. And for my calcium, I take Citrical Plus D3 Maximum. Make sure you are taking calcium citrate and not calcium carbonate.

He needs to have his band checked. Either make that 4 hour trip or find a new bariatric doc where you live now. In the meantime, putting a pillow under the mattress isn't enough. You'll need to put bricks under the bed supports at the head of the bed. if this night coughing IS due to reflux (and I'd bet it is) if not tended to could eventually lead to aspiration pneumonia. don't want to go there if you can avoid it. Get in to see a bariatric surgeon asap.

I meant to reply to you sooner about this. That totally sucks that someone would tell you that you are just in "too good a place" to date. What does he want, someone who is totally depressed and not sure of what they want???? Hang in there, the right one will come along when you least expect it. That's usually how it works for me. I'm currently corresponding with someone from eHarmony. I have no idea what he looks like and he hasn't seen my picture either, but we did discuss our relative health just recently. I went ahead and told him that I had bariatric surgery and that it was lapband. Today I went in for another fill and told him about that as well. So far he hasn't made any comments but I have no idea what is going through his mind. But he is still communicating, so that's a good sign for now. So, smile and put this guy behind you. He's not worthy of someone who's in "too good a place." pic

Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me!

WELCOME, LIZZIE!! My doctor had been urging me to have the surgery for 2 years. I wasn't emotionally ready. When my hip was getting worse, I went to the orthopedic surgeon pretty much knowing I needed hip replacement surgery. He said I needed to lose weight before he could do the surgery safely. He's the one who recommended my bariatric surgeon. Their requirements included meeting with a Dietitian, Phycologist & 6 month weight study. My doctor, since I've been seeing him for over 25 years, had the weight info. He just went back 6 months & filled in the form. I think he was so happy I was finally doing it, he would have filled out 20 years of forms! LOL! My 1st meeting with the Bariatric surgeon was 3/29/2019. My surgery was 7/22/2019. It could have been sooner (in May) but the date they had available conflicted with another event on my calendar, so I was scheduled for June. Then I failed my stress test (part of my clearance fo the surgery), so I ended up with the July date. I was lucky, I guess. My doctor is very pleased. He kept teasing me about waiting 2 years. I'm SO glad I did it & yes, I wish (now) that I had it done years ago. This site has been very helpful. While everyone's experiences are different, there's a lot of info. The Store has SO many products! Some are yummy... some not so much. I also found many YouTube videos that were inspiring and informative. There are even some of the actual surgery! WARNING: Don't watch if you're the squeamish type. This was a long way around to tell you not to let the delay deter you. My surgery was 4 weeks ago today. I have lost 40 pounds. I have been taken off 2 of my diabetes meds. My happy moment today was when I was able to move the weight on the doctor's scale from the 250 to the 200 mark. One of the girls in my church told me, "Miss Nancy, you look smaller!" Believe me, it's worth it!

I'm from northern Indiana (Fort Wayne area). My insurance denied coverage so I decided to proceed with the self-pay route. I went to several bariatric doctor seminars in the Indy and northern Indiana area but finally decided on Dr. Shina in Charlestown, Indiana. (close to Louisville, Ky) It's a 4 hour drive for me but I really liked his seminar and his experience. (number of surgeries performed) His staff was very nice and went out of their way to schedule as many as possible of the required evaluations (nutritionist, psych, pulmonologist, and cardiologist) on the same day so I only had to drive down there twice. It also helped that they offered a self-pay price of $12,500. My lap band surgery is scheduled for January, 29th. Renae

Hey all I saw 3 articles today about studies done on women who have undergone weight loss surgery and then got pregnant. Basically all of the articles say that the studies show that women should wait 12-18 months before conceiving. My doctor said in his info seminar that he reccommends 2 years. I never would have thought to ask when I went to the seminar. Partially because I'm too focused on getting out of school already! (It's taking sooo long, but it's my fauly for that sooo... ) Anyways I thought I would post here about it, Not sure if I can post links or not? But I have them if anyone is interested. Any thoughts? Have a good one all!

Did you call Cigna ? Cigna sells many differing type of policies. However weight loss is covered is covered by Cigna. What could be happening is the following 1- your employer specifically excludes it. Cigna can tell you 2- Vanderbilt could be mistaken. Cigna can tell you 3- Cigna may only cover it at a Cigna center of excellence for bariatrics. Vanderbilt may not be one. You can follow item 4 4- log onto/register at www.mycigna.com and check your own benefits. Pm me if you need more assistance. I have Cigna

I tried three : Calcet creamy bites - texture decent , taste decent but in the end the calorie count was higher than i wanted considering i need to take 2 or 3 a day. Celebrate - not bad but texture a little gritty Bariatric Advantage - I've stuck with these, less gritty than the Celebrate but same calorie, carb level as the Celebrate ones. Several flavors to choose from. I order mine off Amazon.

Just a general question... I Had my PCP appointment yesterday. I asked for a referral for bariatric surgery and he put in a referral for it, and he referred me for the health classes (I'm assuming and HOPING the Options program?) he says its a process, which I know. Anyhow, just wondering how long it took for them to call you to get everything going? He said they would be in touch with me. I'm getting my bloodwork done tomorrow as he said it would be good to have that done and over with.

I had my lap band put in on June 12 th. It was a long process. I finally decided to pursue it after being rejected by a fertility clinic due to my weight which at the time was around 150 and because I was 40. I started going through the process of getting the surgery authorized when I decided to get a second opinion from another fertility clinic. They were willing to work with us. I am using my younger sister's eggs. Thank you sister! Any way because I was fearful of failure of either procedure failing I went through the process of both without informing one of the other until I knew for sure. I had to go through several appeals and hoops to get the lap band approved and as luck would have it they both were coming to fruition in June. So it was time for disclosure and Decisions. I went first to the lapband team at park nicollet in mn. I had had a very brief conversation with a nutritionist ptior to my second opinion and eas somewhat hopeful. The response from the surgeon once ascertaining my reasonings for waiting was that life is complicated, that the main concerns with bariatric and pregnancy is directed at nutrition. My surgeon noted minimal nutritional issues with the band, that the females bodies put needed nutrition to the baby first, and that people in poverty have healthy births. also noted was the majority of healthy births to women with lap bands. It was also pointed out that with the band that less weight gain during pregnancy the healthier. The fertility doc didn't care as long as the surgeon stayed away from my pelvic area. So. Surgery was completed and I am feeling geat and in about 7 days I will ( hopefully) have my Ivf implantation. I wanted to share my story to give a different experience or prompt new conversations with your treatment team. I wish you the best. Sorry for the length of this. I just ran across this site and was so excited.

Has anyone been banded by or heard anything about Dr. David Rohrer, Dr. Amy Elizabeth Martin, or Dr. Dale Mortenson from Benifis Bariatric Institute in Great Falls Montanna? I'm from Alberta and waiting to get in to a Dr. here, but concidering self paying if the wait is too long. How long did it take to get in and how much $ if you did. thanks, Marie

I'll make this short and if any questions just ask.... If your having the pain under your left ribs, side, back and shoulder, strongly ask your doctor to examine you by laparoscopy. It's the ONLY way the reason for my pain would have ever been found. I had my band placed Jan,11.2010 and prolapsed May, 2010 and removed July 20,2010. I started having severe left upper back pain and pain underneath left ribs before prolaps.The pain continued to get worse after prolaps especially when walking and on a full stomach. It was a stabbing pain through the left ribs and directly through the back and shoulder. I would also describe it as though I had been kicked in the left kidney type of sensation in my left side. After having CTscan's,and an UGI along with second opinions, they were convinced it was coming from bulging disc in my back. I refused to accept that and in the meantime the pain continued to get worse but would get better if I laid down for awhile. The pain ended up getting worse just by sitting for a few hours, driving a few hours(sitting) or walking for a short time and was getting unbearable. To make it short, I went to the Cleveland Clinic and was seen by bariatric surgeon Dr. Stacy Brethauer(HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)! He did and endoscopy the day before Thanksgiving to find my stomach was twisted. He then did surgery 2 days later to untwist stomach and look for any other problems. During laparoscopy to untwist the stomach he found that I had a dense lesion attached from my stomach to my liver tethering my liver and causing it to tear over time. The liver is why I had the severe pain which gave me the unusual sensation as though I had been kicked hard in the kidney on the left side. Also, the pain was worse on a full stomach due to the lesion pulling on my liver due to being attached to the stomach. PS. The stomach twist was from the band placement but is supposed to be put back in proper anatomical position by the surgeon when removing the band.

Hey everyone, In the final 2 weeks of this research now so for anyone that missed it & would like to share their bariatric experience, here it is again. All input is welcome, you just have to be post-op! Thanks again to all who have contributed thus far! Looking forward to seeing the results! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eDZE0cIK8ChVCeWrsX1s-QMAshk5oLErL7c7q5Sk2Kw/viewform?usp=send_form

There is no comparason if you check the long term studies from Europe. In the U.S. the lap band is the new kid on the block and has gottan some bad press because so many of the U.S. Doctors are not qualified to do the surgeries, or haven't done very many of them. This procedure was only approved by the FDA in the last couple of years is my understanding. When I went to two specialist in bariatric surgery and requested banding they were both condesending about why I would choose this over bypass surgery. There was a suggestion that I was not as serious about weight loss if I chose banding. The new book on banding by Dr Ortiz "Lap Band For Life" should show banding in a more positive light. This book will answer alot of questions other Dr's have as well as the layman and seeker of help for life changes through weight loss surgery. Hopeful Brenda Banded September 24, 2004