SummerShadow

Unless one is very young this is actually quite common with weight loss. Most people lose weight from their face easily and quickly, so the more you lose the thinner your face, and not being in our 20's or 30's.... gets a bit harder as we age to hold that skin plumpness like when we were young. BUT... skin care can help and we get to have a longer, healthier life. I think that's an okay trade off.

I'm here! But I'm at the beginning of my journey with my first surgeon appointment April 18, 2017. I'm post-menopause at age 56 as well, so this should be interesting.

Guess I'll be starting from scratch. :/ BC/BS of AL requires 7 months. I'm not going to be using my PCP or Endo if I have any say about it. I suppose I'll ask for a bariatric nutritionist from the get-go. Going to be a looooooooooooonnnng 7 months.

lol Now THAT'S the spirit! I'm going to go toe to toe with my insurance company too, I'm betting.

Wow. I hate that. I'm waiting, and will over the weekend, JUST to get an appointment with my old PCP since the new one has staff that never answers the phone (just rings and rings). Always one the weekend, right? And like the waiting isn't long enough as it is. Keep the faith... and please let us know how things go!!!

A friend of mine just had RNY bypass and she has Hashimoto's. Is your doctor helping you sort this out? I hope?

Aaahhh... good point. Reflux is one thing, thyroid another. Wouldn't that be awesome, though, to be able to do it without surgery!?

I'm really new to this so not sure, but I think that the basic criteria is the same (BMI etc). I like the idea of the sleeve better as well, but since I do have reflux I'm sure they'd deny me for sleeve.

You may have seen my last reply by now, but it's likely due to the sleeve procedure having a very high risk in causing GERD/reflux in people who don't have it, and also making it much, much worse if you do have it, even when mild. Seems there's a corrective surgery that may have to be done if one develops reflux/GERD after the surgery, or if it becomes worse. Maybe bypass would be approved for you since you have mild reflux. I'm having to change my focus on that as well since I also have reflux.

Okay, just did a bit more research. Bypass actually HELPS, and in some cases CURES reflux/GERD but that gastric sleeve, lap band... etc.. could make it worse or even cause it if you don't have it to begin with. So, guess I'll be changing my option to the only one I have left, which is bypass. I hope you can get some resolution with your situation. Has to be so frustrating.

So sorry to hear that. How frustrating! May I ask which surgery you're trying to have? The reason I ask is that I've read on many medical sites that one of the 'co-morbities' that may be accepted AS a co-morbity was reflux. Also, when reading about the different types of surgeries it stated that lap band wasn't advised if someone has reflux and gastric bypass and sleeve actually HELP with reflux. This is all so confusing, really, isn't it?

Thank you. Insurance companies are so fickle and vastly different from one kind and state to the next. But, I guess once I have that first appointment I'll get some pointers, hopefully, on what to do on my end next. I was hoping the diet that my Endo put me on would count as I just got a weigh in a couple of weeks ago. Maybe with it being that close, who knows? Or, I may have to start from scratch and wait 7 months.