Hi I was wondering if there is anyone in here? I moved from USA back to UK and I miss all the plethora of products I could get!!! Any tips on where you've found bariatric-friendly vitamins and foods??

Hi Everyone!

I'm in need of some redirection and was hoping that someone out here would be able to help me out. I'm an active duty military spouse and was banded at our last duty station in 2008. My weight loss was slow but I was happy with that. I didn't want to loose too much too fast. I went to see my doctor on a monthly basis and was able to loose 70 pounds out of the 116.5 I had set as my goal over the course of 3 years. I wanted slow, I never intended for it to be THAT slow but again, the weight was gone and I was happy. 

Fast forward a few years later and we got orders to England. I was super excited about this but worried about how my band care would be. So here we are visiting family as we make our way across America and over to England. While we were in Florida, I started feeling a little sick. I felt food not going down so well and a few times I either foamed and would spit or just felt the pain of food being stuck, sometimes even over night. My husband was worried that my condition would get worse as we flew across the pond so we called Tricare, found a local band surgeon and went to pay him a visit. Turns out, he was the top surgeon in that area and after checking my band under x-ray and determining that everything was ok, he decided it was best to deflate my band. My heart sank because I had been at my sweet spot, and loosing consistantly, for months. He advised that I'd need to find someone to pick up my care once we got settled into our new home. 

So I'll admit, I took advantage of being able to eat whatever I wanted when we first got here. I mean, there was fresh baked bread everywhere! And tons and tons of cakes and pastries to try! By the time I was settled and able to see my PCM, I had gained 20 pounds. I wasn't proud of that but I felt I had gotten all the "trying new foods" bit out of my system. I made my appointment and met with my new doctor. First off, he gave me a really hard time about having been banded. He made me feel like I took the easy way out when in fact, the decision did not come easy for me. He gave me the referral I needed and I was off to see my new band doctor in London. The doctor there is great, I like him and his assistant even though they are really hard to get a hold of. He gave me a very tiny fill the first time I saw him because he wanted to do it under scope- made sense since he was not the one who placed my band. By the time I was able to see my doctor again in London, my referral from my insurance had expired (here they are good for 90 days where as in America my referrals were good for 12 months!) so I had to go back to my PCM. Again he gave me a hard time this time saying I was taking advantage of my insurance. Why? I don't know, the insurance company (Tricare) doesn't sign his checks (he's active duty as well) so it really shouldn't have mattered. Anyhow, I get the referral and back to London I went. The doctor there is aggressive with fills and filled me to capacity. I left knowing I'd be too tight and days later, when I wasn't able to even drink water, I went back. He took everything out and suggested I come back in a few weeks. Again, I had to get a new referral and again it was the same cycle: doc here on base was a jerk, London doc overfilled me (my sweet spot was 6.7-6.9 CCs in a 10 CC band and I swear I've told him this at every visit) and again I had to get liquid taken out. I've been doing this for the past 2 and a half years now. I have gained nearly all my weight back- I think I'm 5-6 pounds lighter today then the day I was banded. I'm frustrated. I'm disappointed. I need help. I need direction. 

The very last time I saw my doctor in London it was the same thing- he gave me a very big fill, I spent 4-5 days puking EVERYTHING up and by the time I made it back to his office, I had lost about 16 pounds. He unfilled me again and suggested I think of a different surgery. He said that with all the fills and unfills I was stretching out my actual band and that eventually it'd loose it's elasticity. He suggested I go for gastric bypass but honestly, the thought of that scares me. Don't know why, but it does. I told him, if I could do it again, I'd go for the gastric sleeve. He said it's HIS preferred surgery and the preferred surgery of the insurance companies out here in England. My thought? I'd check to see if my insurance covered it- which apparently Tricare does not. My next thought? I'd apply for this insurance and have them revise my surgery. The problem? I'd start from square one and have to jump all the hurdles again. His assistant told me from start to fini****'d take me over 2 years and there was no guarantee the insurance would pay for it. She suggested I self pay but there's no way I can afford it. 

So I guess my question for the board is, are there any spouses overseas that have had their band taken out and another procedure done? If so, which one? Why? And any advice on what I should do would be greatly appreciated. I just hit my 5 year band-aversary and have been feeling like such a failure. I don't think the band was the right choice for me as someone who will be moving with her spouse every few years. I don't want to knock the band because at one point I thought it was the right choice for me. If I could do it again, I'd push for the sleeve because I wouldn't have to worry about finding a band doctor to do my fills at every base. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my rant and for any advice/suggestions you may have. 

Blessings! 

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