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Completely normal! I even questioned it AFTER the surgery for a while. Like everyone else said though, it is the best decision I ever made. You just have to get through the first few weeks and then you will see. If you aren't seeing a therapist already, consider doing so - at least once before surgery (though I recommend seeing them continually after surgery). They can help you work through these feelings. PS Make sure it is someone that works with bariatric patients. The last thing you need is talking to someone who isn't a fan of WLS confusing you!

June 24th 2007 I checked into the Mexico? Well My insurance would not pay for the VSG, called it experimental and after considering the RNY I was just not comfortable with the procedure, especially the various complications associated with it. I was convinced the VSG was for me and was even willing to pay the 17K the LAPSF doctors were asking for. Problem was I would have to wait, I began to investigate Tijuana was drivable from my home (about 6 hours) and I liked all of the recovery time in his clinic, time to figure out that everything was ok. It all made sense to me. I have the procedure, goes fine. The night before I am to leave (about my 5th day there) Dr. H gives me all my meds to take home...he runs to the pharmacy that evening to pick them up. liquid Pain meds, check...Liquid Antibiotic, check....Liquid Gas meds...negative, he hands me a capsule and tells me to dissolve it all in my mouth...what? Ok so I make my great attempt to let it dissolve, swallow down some extra Water and then experience the most excruciating pain of my life. Doctor gets the morphine (which they do not use in sleep a few days before the promised test. I had been praying, reading my bible faithfully and trying to hear from the Lord. I finally heard Him loud and clear..."If Dr. H does not give you the test he promised, you need to leave and go to San Diego." The day arrives and I am told by him that we need to wait. He is afraid to do the X Ray in case it opens up the leak. That was it, I told him I was leaving. He was upset, he tried to convince me to stay (as if going to San Diego was the worst medical decision I could have made). He even sends in his office girls to try to convince me to stay and let him take care of me. His once gracious and beautiful wife glares at me when she sees me. He even calls my husband and tries to have him talk me out of leaving! His driver takes me to San Diego, Scripps Mercy Hillcrest. On the way out of Fluid in my abdomen. I am told the surgeon on call is the best in the hospital (he also was the Chief of Surgery and a Bariatric surgeon_ Dr. George Zorn became my LIFESAVER). They give me Morphine I am knocked out and do not even wake up before surgery. The Results: I am septic....this is an infection combined with lowered blood pressure...this will kill you. They open me up (I have a 7 inch scar down my abdomen), and remove TWO LITERS of puss out of my abdomen. The surgeon said once he opened me up I had a 50/50 chance of living. It is like removing spaghetti sauce from noodles. I am in the ICU for three and a half weeks fighting for my life. I am kept in a coma like state, sedated to keep me from removing all the tubes and given amnesiacs so I will not remember the Hell I went through. My family and friends live 6 hours away, they come down over those weeks to see me, hold my hand, pray for me. I remember none of it. My husband runs his business during the day, church members watch our kids and at night he plays mom and dad. Weekends come he comes down to be by my side. I am in the woods for about two weeks till my temperature finally begins to lower and the five anti-biotics continually pumped into me begin to fight the infection effectively. I was intubated for two weeks, and then they put a trach in me, otherwise I would damage my vocal cords. They begin to wake me up and I find out what has happened to me. I am one blessed woman to have made it through. The nurses and doctors continually tell me they are amazed that I made it, I must have a strong will to live, No I have a God who decided it was not time for my children to be without a mother, and I have people praying for me all over the country and the world. I spend the next week and a half trying to get my strength up to be able to go home. It feels like five trucks have run over me. Everything is difficult and the leak is still there. They said it was an inch and a half long and would not close with sutures. It was at the top of my stomach. The pill did not cause the leak, but probably irritated it thus causing all the pain that led us to finding out that I had the leak. The surgeon assured me the leak could have happened anywhere, it was how they handled that was wrong. They should have not done endoscopy, that puts air in the stomach and probably made that tiny hole much larger, and they should have NEVER REMOVED THE DRAIN. The drain is what keeps the infection from becoming so bad (draining out the puss and stomach fluids). They sent me home with a feeding tube, a drain in my side and the abdominal incision still healing from the inside out. Nothing to eat or drink. Basically I was on a three month fast! At home I could be with my children, but even that was difficult. I was exhausted. Showering made me tired. My niece came to take care of me and my children, I needed the help. It was a tough time but I made it through. The drainage tube then lodged itself into my stomach...a mixed blessing because that meant it need to be removed and I could begin eating, even with the leak not completely healed. Dr. Zorn said it would close up eventually and the tube from the drain created a tunnel that the fluid from my stomach would travel out of until it eventually closed. September 12, 2007 or so I went back to SD, he took out the tube and the site did not completely heal till about the beginning of December. Five months for the whole thing to heal. It is now the beginning of January 2008 and I feel just about normal...they told me It would take a full six months to get back to normal. I was also told that IF I HAD STAYED ONE MORE DAY IN Mexico, I WOULD HAVE DIED. I don't think they were exaggerating. I never received one phone call from Dr. Huacuz to see how I was doing. We called him recently to tell him all about it, he minimized everything we shared with him. If you are considering him for surgery please reconsider. He does his surgeries in the evenings after working at another hospital all day long. This defies conventional wisdom. Wouldn't you rather your surgeon be fresh from a good nights sleep? I saw him go into surgery about six at night and then perform five lap bands. Another guy went into surgery at about nine at night and had a lap band removed, the VSG done and several hernias repaired. He was in surgery for about six or seven hours! It was two in the morning before they came out, all these people had worked the entire day before. Is this safe medicine? You be the judge. June 2, 2009 - It has been almost two years since this has happened. Upon posting this story on my Obesity Help profile page I received a TON of response. Mostly supportive. I also received a lot of backlash from former patients, specifically patient coordinators of Dr. Huacuz. This man is extremely dangerous. He has further ruined the lives of several other patients, including the most recent death of a loved husband and father. This man has no business performing ANY medical procedures on people. If you count up the number of complications that I alone know about that have taken place in a matter of two years, practicing part-time in his own clinic, I am sure his complication rate far exceeds the common 1-2% of most surgeons. It probably looks more like 20-30%. If you are considering Dr. Huacuz or know someone who is please I BEG YOU ...DO NOT ALLOW THIS BUTCHER TO PERFORM SURGERY ON YOU. It is not worth the chance you are taking, there are plenty of other good surgeons in Mexico, don't risk your health or your life with this man. I am warning you, he is a VERY charming man and he has blinded many with his good looks and warm nature, he is a snake in the grass...be cautious PLEASE! Please feel free to contact me with any questions...for the record I am doing fine now but I do deal with terrible scar tissue from the major Laparatomy that I had to save my life. This is painful and I deal with pain on a daily basis. I am getting ready to have a Hysterectomy and my doctor and I will have a chance to see what kind of mess there is in my abdomen with adhesions probably attatched to my bowel. Manwhile I am happy and have enjoyed my second lease on life...you never know what may happen, only one life to live WOW HOW SAD

I had my bariatric lap banding done in 2011. I did really well with it but have had other complicationsthat have kind of stalled my weight loss. I had a Bilateral Double Mastectomy in September of 2012. My original reconctruction did not work. I have the option now to have a DIEP Flap, which is using the fat and tissue from my stomach to reconstruct the breasts. Basically a tummy tuck. I am wondering if there is anyone on this forum that has had this surgery? I would really like to chat with you. Thanks

Give a call to your insurance carrier and ask to speak with someone about their process for bariatric surgery. They will likely put you through to a nurse manager who will explain their process. Every carrier has a different process. best of luck.

Congratulations! Dr. Rodriguez was my bariatric surgeon too (April 30th at Star Medica). You've made a wise choice.

I was just wondering if anyone was at goal weight when they had their revisions from band to sleeve? What was the process like for you? Were you treated as if you were a new patient? I was banded 3 years ago. I have lost 100+ lbs and have gained a love for fitness. I am 5’3 and 130lbs. I feel that I have been very successful with the band. In December I got a lower body lift and tummy tuck. I got sick coming out of surgery and vomited several times. My band has slipped. I was on full liquids for a month and my band did not correct itself. The Bariatric clinic will not do surgery to fix the band they will revisions to a sleeve and I am okay with that. I don’t like that I have to do the whole process over again as if I am a new patient. My band has to be deflated for 3 months, I have to attend group and see the nutritionist for three months.

It's funny but the coordinator of the bariatric program where I had my surgery called just yesterday to ask me how I was doing. Two of the questions she asked was "how much can you eat" & "are you feeling full?" I was banded on June 8th and have been on full liquids this whole time. I have not had a fill. So basically she was saying the opposite of what you all are saying. The issue here is that I was the second person they banded, the first person they did an hour before me. I figured it was ok to be done on their first day because a rep from the company that makes the band would be in the Operating Room. Now I am slowly but surely finding out that there are many reasons that you shouldn't be first.

You are in SUCH an excellent place mentally BECAUSE you are soul searching! I have fought getting any type of bariatric surgery because I've always known it wasn't the size of my stomach that was the problem - but the things going on inside my head! I've been working on healing those things for the last few years - and have come to the conclusion that to actually lose the weight (which has been one of biggest walls - a comfort zone against - well - my "stuff") that now - I am mentally ready to ALLOW myself to become thinner... You are looking at your food in a new light now - and that is FANTASTIC! Not easy - but fantastic! Pehaps you could explore exactly what feelings you were stuffing down - when did those feelings begin? There is so much work to do in the heart, the mind, the soul - and sometimes, oftentimes, it's our bodies that pay the price. I'm so proud of you for searching - that's a huge step - maybe even bigger than actually getting the surgery - keep travelling down that searching path - and remember to tell yourself POSITIVE messages to dispel the negative tapes you may have heard or told yourself in the past! YOU CAN DO THIS!!! You are WORTH this temporary pain for a long term gain - BELIEVE IT! Looking forward to joining you in this journey to health!

Just wanted to clarify my question, besides the fact that I have a BMI of almost 40, I also began recently working for a Bariatrics company here in Charlotte and would be interested in talking to folks who have had a band and may be interested in the possibility of working in a call center talking to others who may be interested in the procedure. Wanted to follow up just in the interest of full disclosure. Thanks for all your kind comments. Joe

So today I got an e-mail back from my doctor saying to call the Bariatric nurse and set up an appt with the surgeon. It's currently scheduled for August 12. This is a little disappointing but I'm glad to have it scheduled. I'm just praying that in the next month I'll be able to go under the knife and have this pre-surgery battle done with. I'm ready for the post-surgery battle to begin. I ate some candy today because I was down, it was before I talked to the dept but I told myself I would do double at the gym tomorrow as pennance. Anyway a lot else happened today and I am very exhausted so I'm just going to pass out here and now.:thumbup:

I take the following: 1 ProCare Health Bariatric Multivitamin per day 1 2,500mcg B12 per day 1 10,000mcg Biotin per day 1 500mg Bariatric Advantage Chewable Calcium Citrate per day 1 250mg Bariatric Advantage Chewalbe Calcium Citrate per day 3 65mg Iron pills per day (taken at different times) 3 250mg Vitamin C per day (I take one with each iron pill) 1 50,000iu Vitamin D per week

yes and that's one reason why I decided to take all of my multi vitamin at once. Those Bariatric Advantage are no joke. The first time I took them, it was on an empty stomach and I'll never make that mistake again. I eat lunch and then finish with a sip of water and 3 capsules. Then, I set a 2 hour timer for my calcium. My other doses of calcium are when I wake up and when I go to bed.

I guess I was an emotional eater, or something similar. All I know was I could not stop eating, 24/7..... The lap band cured me of that...pure and simple!!! granted, it wasn't easy, and I read here all the time where people back down from accepting change. (only to complain later they are failing, falling off the wagon, etc) I never understood when people say they had to loose weight prior to surgery to prove they can do it...the fact that I could not do it was exactly the reason surgery was my last resort.... I had to do a 6 month medically supervised diet program, mandated by my insurance...I asked the staff at the bariatric center why....I was told I had to prove to the insurance co. that I did sincerely attempt loosing weight the traditional way, and FAILED! I told them all about every diet program I have ever been on, and failed at every one of them. I was told simply saying so was only my word. They wanted something official, with charts, graphs, weekly visits and counseling, all documented and signed off by a MD....and put into my file. So I did, and just like every other diet, I started out good, positive results, then about month 4 I started to cheat, and then by month 6 it was all a bust......but that was exactly what the insurance co.wanted to see......without directly saying so. But yet I read here all the time that people have to "Loose" weight in order to qualify.....I guess the thinking is that a Dr. will not tell you to do it and not take it seriously, they want you to give it your best effort and let thee truth stand out.... Bottom line, you do have to follow your dr's directions....

If you are thinking of having a particular clinic or hospital do your surgery, just call them up and ask them how much it is. I did that with the Scottsdale Bariatric Clinic, and when they told me $19000 (this was last year) I decided I was going to Mexico.

Bariatric surgeons have resources--from band manufacturers--that we do not. These resources indicate, to them, the upper limits of fills for each band. These limits are well ABOVE the labeled amount for each band. I don't know what the limits are, but I do know that an 11 cc band, for example, can safely hold significantly more than 11 cc. It is rarely necessary to fill more---but it sometimes is, and in and of itself is NOT cause to question the doctor. While it is not a myth that pouches can stretch, it does not happen nearly as often as we are led to believe on sites like this. The stomach is a VERY elastic organ. It rebounds when stretched. (It snaps right back into place.) A pouch can be dilated by routinely stretching it well beyond its capacity---but I don't know anyone for whom that has occurred. More common is slippage, but the OP did not describe symptoms that even begin to approximate those experienced during slippage. I think we like to attribute problems to things like stretched pouches when, in fact, it's our MINDS that have "stretched." We become accustomed to eating more--and want to eat more--and it's difficult to eat less. That doesn't mean that anything anatomical is actually going on, though. It may well mean that we've let bad habits get a grip again. Unless you've been told by your doctor that your pouch is stretched, I'd dispense with the notion and just get back to basics, in terms of eating. (You don't have to go as spartan as a 5-day pouch test; just start following the rules you've been given.) Don't borrow trouble when there is none to be had. What are you eating on a day to day basis? Can you post a typical day or two?

GOOD AFTERNOON, From what I was advised when asking that very same question VSG would be the optimal choice as far as surgery for weight loss. I know that they do laparoscopic (which reduces the risk of adhesions). I have a friend that had 14 abdominal surgeries(with adhesions and scar tissue) prior to having VSG and that was the ONLY surgery recommended. 2yrs later and she has not complained of complications. I would seek a surgical consult with a bariatric surgeon ...best wishes

It totally will depend on how your surgeon explains the need for the revision during the insurance submission and if your insurance requires the waiting period matter what. Call your insurance a d ask where you can find the information on Bariatric revision surgery. If possible ask for it in writing. Also find out if that particular revision procedure is covered. Good Luck ❤️

Also, I'm not sure about docs in the Terre Haute area, but I would suggest a bariatric center of excellence just because they know more about the before and afters of surgery better and are more likely to offer support! I am going to St. Vincent's in Carmel but I live in Muncie so it's not terribly far for me. (About 45 minute drive)

Of course her opinion is bothering you....she's your friend! Avoiding her is OK, but if truly value her friendship, at some point you may want to ask her how she feels and if there's something you can do (besides sabotaging your own weight loss) to help her and to renew the friendship.

I am reading that a lot of the Bariatric Advantage Multivitamins are soft chews. What is the difference between soft chew and a gummy? Thanks

UGH! we both are having such good luck with our preop stuff-NOT! i've been telling my bariatric center since last november that i would love my surgery during spring break (april 2nd) and here it is march 6th with no date yet! hopefully we can both laugh about this later!!! hang in there-i see a light at the end of this long darned tunnel!!!!! ~courtney

Okay, thanks. My insurance company told me that there is a $5000 co pay for All bariatric surgeries that would have to be paid first, then they would cover everything after that 100%. I have a co worker who had the lap band and she only paid around $1300 out of pocket and that included money given to the surgeon, anesthesiologist and hospital stay. So I'm curious to know if the amount paid out of pocket varies depending on what doctor performs the surgery.

My pre-op consult with the bariatric surgeon I was referred to, suggested RNY for diabetics and GERD sufferers over the GSV. I would bring this up with the surgeon you selected. Ask for a surgeon who has experience with both the RNY and GSV, and also consider a second opinion.

Hi everyone! So I am just in the begining stages of my journey towards a healthier me but I have a few questions. Now I understand that even though others may have BCBS of MI, plans and requirements along with coverage can differ. With that being said I am just checking to see if any of you fellow BCBS of MI members have ever went through a similar situation. I am 24 years old with a BMI of 52 along with hypothyroidism, pre diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and PCOS. I have already spoke with the insurance company and verified my coverage, and the sleeve along with RNY and lap band are covered if deemed medically necessary. Which with my comorbities I meet that. Also, I was sent a paper from BCBS stating that a 6mo. medically monitored weight loss is required UNLESS your BMI is documented to be over 50. So there we go, I meet that requirement. I have my inital appointment with the bariatric program on the 29th of august along with my psych eval......just wondering if any of you have been through anything similar and if so how long did you have to wait after your inital appointment to have surgery.....I understand that after the 29th they will review my medical information along with the psych eval and determine if there are any further tests I need done prior to submitting to insurance. then after approved I will go for a preop appointment.......I have no problem doing a special eating program for awhile if my suregon requires it but I have tried 8 different diets in the last 10 years..... all of which I have lost weight and been unable to keep it off......sooooo ready to get this tool to assist me in my weight loss journey! I know it will be hard work and a lifetime of change but I am definitely ready for a healthier happier me!

Hi susunorm, welcome to this forum and welcome to Bariatric Pal. We are here to help, we hope you'll like us and want to stay with us a while. If you have any questions, just ask, if I can I'll be happy to answer, if not someone else may have an insight on that subject. We are all individuals but,we each bring a perspective to the travel along the Bariatric Highway, we are co-journeyers to health, fitness and a lower weight. Aren't any of us perfect but we do give it our best shot and doggone if we don't hit the dang- blasted target most of the time. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app