Anks

Hi pals, After much research, I have shortlisted Bariatrix Florida as one of the potential clinics for my sleeve surgery. I wanted to reach out to see if anyone here has an experience of getting surgery through them. It would be great to hear your experience and will certainly put my mind at ease. This is a huge step for me and I want to make sure I do my due deligence before I finalize a provider. Thanks, Ankur

Hi pals, I am a 31 yr old male, 340lbs as of today and have diabetes, high blood pressure, and severe sleep apnea. My physician brought up the topic of getting bariatric surgery and how it could be helpful for someone like me. I started doing research on various surgeries, their benefits, complications, and side effects and after much research, I have made up my mind to get a gastric bypass done. While I understand that it is the most expensive of all the other types, I also know it is the Gols Standard when it comes to weight loss surgeries super obese person. I checked with my insurance today and learned that the surgery will not be covered under my plan, which sucks due to the high costs involved but I think the costs and risks outweigh the benefits over time. Could you pals help me get started on my journey here? I am looking to get it done sooner than later and since I will be paying out of my pocket, I am looking for some economical options stateside. Please share your experience with me, especially if you have had one done recently and the cost was a consideration in your case too. Thank you very much! Your pal

Hi pals, I have my first pre-op consultation set up with my doctor tomorrow. Even though I have not finalized him yet, I am very close to doing so. I would like to know what kind of questions should I be asking him during that consultation? What are the things I should know to ask specially for gastric sleeve surgery from the doctor? It will be great to hear from someone who has been through the experience already and can look back and share their thoughts on what they think they should have known or asked their doctors? Thank you!

You are a champ and such a good human being. Thank you for explaining everything in such detail. Learning others experince definitely soothes your nerves as you start anticipating your own journey through their experiences.

Hi, I am planning to get sleeved sometime soon, but the issue with my situation is that my family doesn’t live in U.S. I have a few friends who are scattered throughtout states and are busy with their own families. I wanted to understand how important is it to have a companion with you on the day of the surgery and for a few days afterwards? Why and for what chores do we need a companion? Have you gone through a surgery without a companion? Regards, Ankur

Hi @GassyGurl I had a conversation with Dr. Tagger and was impressed with how he explained me most of the things. I had a ton of questions which he answered patiently. When asked about the hospital/ facility that I would be operated in, he mentioned Browaed Health in coral springs. Is that the same hospital you went to for your surgery? I would like to know your experience with the hospital, staff and anything else I should know before getting there.

Thank you. I am a foodaholic as well but not that I know, I will keep this in mind before I put anything solid in my mouth soon after surgery.

hahaha, love your answer. Now I am all EXCITED to get this done as soon as I can.

Thank you very much everyone. So this is thelist of questions I have compiled so far, that I believe are important for me to know one way or the other before I take this huge leap of faith. 1. Based on my age and my profile, what kind of surgery would you recommend? (Even though I have almost decided to go with gastric sleeve, I would still like to hear his opinion) 2. How long have you been doing these surgeries and how many patients have you operated on so far? 3. What kind of complications based on my medical profile I should be aware of for this surgery? 4. What are the chances of any complications, what has been your success ratio? 5. How should I prep for the surgery? Diet? Lifestyle? 6. What hospital will I be getting this surgery at? Is that a center of excellence? 7. What does typical day or 2 days before surgery look like for a patient? What kind of pre-op diet should I have? 8. What happens on the day of surgery? How long is the surgery? What happens if I develop any complications? How long is the surgery? How long will I be under? 9. How will I feel immediately post-surgery? 10. How long after will the anesthesia wane off? How long after will I start feeling ‘OK’ again? 11. How long after the surgery will I be discharged from the hospital? 12. What would be my post-op diet plan? How will my diet and lifestyle change in weeks and months after surgery? 13. How long after my surgery will I need to be seen again? 14. What will be my follow up appointments plan/schedule? 15. How much time should I take off from work based on my work profile? 16. How long would you expect an out of state patient to stay local (for post-op follow ups) after the surgery? 17. What percentage of my excess body weight will/ can I loose in first 1st month/3months/6months/1year and 18months? What do you guys think about these questions? What would you recommend I add or edit? Some of these questions may sound stupid and redundant, some others have easy answers which many have shared in their posts, but my intentions behind asking all of these from my doctor would be to hear from him first hand and clarify any doubts.

Hi @deltagirl93, I am sorry to hear that. How did fast forwarding on your food stages led you back to the hospital? I apologize in advance if it sounds too personal but I would be interested to know so I do not to go down a similar path.

Thank you @GassyGurl, I am choosing Bariatrix based on your recommendation and your good experience with them. Thank yoh again for your help and quick responses.

Hi pals, I have my first pre-op consultation set up with my doctor tomorrow. Even though I have not finalized him yet, I am very close to doing so. I would like to know what kind of questions should I be asking him during that consultation? What are the things I should know to ask specially for gastric sleeve surgery from the doctor? It will be great to hear from someone who has been through the experience already and can look back and share their thoughts on what they think they should have known or asked their doctors? Thank you!

Hello, I live in Boston Metro area and am planning to go under the knife to get a gastric sleeve done in near future. I am looking for someone to share their experience of getting the surgery done in Boston Metro area. Here are a few things I would like to know- 1. The hospital/provider, their experience with them 2. Overall cost (pre-op, surgery, post-op) 3. Cash/Insurance coverage 4. How long did they have to wait to get the dates for surgery? 5. Post-op support provided by the provider

Thank you @Losebig this is very helpful. I will give them a call soon.

Hi pals, I am a 31 yr old male, 340lbs as of today and have diabetes, high blood pressure, and severe sleep apnea. My physician brought up the topic of getting bariatric surgery and how it could be helpful for someone like me. I started doing research on various surgeries, their benefits, complications, and side effects and after much research, I have made up my mind to get a gastric sleeve done. I checked with my insurance today and learned that the surgery will not be covered under my plan, which sucks due to the high costs involved but I think the costs and risks outweigh the benefits over time. Could you pals help me get started on my journey here? I am looking to get it done sooner than later and since I will be paying out of my pocket, I am looking for some economical options stateside. Please share your experience with me, especially if you have had one done recently and the cost was a consideration in your case too. Thank you very much! Your pal

Thank you very much @GassyGurl for sharing such details of your experience. Every single detail helps me a lot towards my research. I wish you luck in your journey.

Thank you for your response to my post and for sharing your experience. I wish you luck with your weight loss.

Thank you very much. I am in MA and after doing much research have finally decided to pay out of my own pocket. Did you get yours done in MA too? I live in Boston metro area, so it will be very convenient for me to find someone locally to get this done.

Totaly understand your point, but I do not have an option to pay $20000 out of my pocket at this time and due to my health reasons I have to get it soon. So looking for more economical options.

Thanks, but not an option. i have made up my mind to pay out of my pocket.

Thank you very much! Few more questions based on your experience, I apologize if they sound personal and I will completely understand if you do not feel like answering some but please know it will greatly help me formulate my decision. 1. How long was the surgery and how long did you stay in the hospital? 2. How soon were you able to return to a normal schedule? 3. How soon did you start losing the weight after the surgery? 4. Has the weight loss been consistent or at least continuous since you got the surgery done? Thank you again.

Thank you for these suggestions. I will check them out.

That is a very good advice, I may reach out to my insurance again and even talk to a case manager. Congrats on your great progress and keep it up.

Thanks for your response. Yes, my insurance is through my employer, changing jobs is not an option (just a personal thing). I live in Mass but have no problems getting the surgery done in any state within the U.S, as long as it is most economical. What else info can/should I provide? I apologize, I just started today so still learning about this website which so far seems awesome by the way.