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Happy Sunday all! Hope you’re all doing well on your journeys, regardless of where you are 😊 I was just wondering what some of your favorite apps are for weight loss and tracking your progress throughout the wls process. I have a Fitbit so I use that app and MyFitnessPal is good for tracking what I eat. But are there any other apps you like in particular (Bariatric-related apps or non-bariatric related)? I have a tentative surgery date for 12/12, and want to get all my ducks in a row beforehand!

Hey guys, I’m only 2 days post-op and let me just say the last 2 days have been hell for me. Uncontrollable nausea is the absolute worst for me. The night after my surgery I could not stop vomiting blood. It was a 5 hour ordeal and it made my abdomen all the more sore. I can deal with the gas and the soreness, but the nausea is making this process so much more difficult. I can’t even get my vitamins down without feeling the need to throw up. As a matter of fact, the only thing I ate today was a popsicle (and that took 1 hour to eat). I can’t take the smallest sips of water without feeling like I need to vomit. I have been getting my 30 minutes of walking in, but that’s the only thing I’ve been able to successfully do. I know it’s early and that I need to be patient with myself, but right now it seems like there is no end in sight. When did you start feeling better? What did you do to get rid of the nausea? How long was your abdomen distended for? (Mine is quite large. I gained 8 pounds since my surgery). I really need to get my water and protein in, but it seems impossible right now. Any advice or comments are welcome.

Anyone else dealing with a major stall? I had surgery on the 12th and I haven’t lost a single pound in 8 days! It’s so frustrating!!

Thank you all for your responses! I am now 4 days post-op and am feeling SOOOOO much better! I still have difficulty with vitamins but right now fluids and protein are my priority. I can't stand protein shakes but protein water is my savior! I have very little gas pain and I am able to sit up on my own without grabbing onto anything for support. I also no longer need pain meds! The soreness in my abdomen is still there but it isn't anything to cry about. I found that things that are too cold upset my stomach and give me very painful hiccups, so I've been drinking broth, room temperature water, protein water, etc. However, I don't mind my daily popsicle. I tried introducing some applesauce today but I could only take a few bites -- who cares though, it's progression! I'm so glad I am feeling like a human being again. I haven't vomited or felt lightheaded since I was discharged. The key is patience! Every day gets a little bit better!

By exercise I meant walking! I should have been a bit more clear on that. Blame it on the meds lol!

I had my sleeve done on the 12th, and the procedure went by very quickly from what I was told. I stayed in the hospital for one night. Thank God for that because I was so, so sick - nauseous, vomiting blood, in major pain. The meds were not working for me (except for the pain meds). Zofran made me even sicker. It was not fun. I cried the entire night. I’m still trying to figure out how to drink/eat. It hurts to even take medicine and vitamins right now. I’m pushing through the exercise. If I feel lightheaded I just sit down for a bit and then get back to it. I’m desperately hoping for a quick turnaround with this nausea so that I can get my fluids in. I’m trying to be kind and patient with myself but this recovery process is harder than expected. Wishing everyone the best on this journey.

Wishing you the best of luck! My surgery is today at 1! Can’t tell if I’m nervous or excited right now! ☺️

Hi guys — I wouldn’t normally rant about this kind of thing here, but I am heated about this and maybe some of you have gone through something similar and have words of advice for me. So I had my last check in the Tuesday before Thanksgiving which gave the doctor’s office ample time to send everything they needed to my insurance. Well today, I received a letter in the mail from my insurance stating that they have not received 2 things: a letter of medical necessity and office notes. “Okay, big deal,” you’re probably thinking... My surgery is scheduled for WEDNESDAY morning. Today is MONDAY. Actually, it is Monday night. So the doctor’s office is closed and I didn’t get anyone to pick up from my insurance company. So now I’m sitting here panicking because my mom who is taking me to the hospital has already taken off for the two days that I will be in the hospital. At my consent signing two weeks ago, I was assured that everything had been sent and I was ready to go. I am just so beside myself and, in all honesty, mad at myself for trusting and relying on the doctor’s office to handle this. I should have made absolutely sure everything was done. I really don’t know what to do other than panic for the next 36 hours...

Good news guys! I was approved and the only consequence was my surgery was pushed back a couple hours. I’m so, so excited! Thanks for your advice ☺️

Hi! I went in for my 6th and final appointment on Tuesday and my doctor gave me the thumbs up to set a tentative surgery date also for 12/12! Just waiting for that insurance approval! I’m so excited!! Good luck to everyone! 😁

Thank you all for your replies! I am so encouraged by all of your individual stories. Success is subjective when it comes to weight loss. But reading that many of you adjusted your goals throughout the process is really encouraging. I may just have lofty goals because I haven’t had my surgery yet (tentative date is 12/12), but I can only hope that I am as positive and determined as you after surgery! I am so happy for all of you and wish you the best on your journeys 😊

Hi all, I am going in for my final pre-op appointment on Tuesday! YAY! It's been a long 6 months, but so worth it!!! I've been thinking a lot about the weight loss process after surgery, and I always hear "Oh, you'll lose about 40-60% of your excess body weight..." from different people (medical professionals, past sleevers, etc). But my goal weight goes beyond the percentage I have been told.. If I were to follow those guidelines, and achieved losing 60% of my excess body weight, I'd still be borderline obese. And I understand that any weight loss will provide me with numerous benefits, but I refuse to accept that I will never reach my ultimate goal weight. So for any of you that have reached your ultimate goal weight, or you went above and beyond the 60%, please share your stories, tips/advice, input, exercise/diet regimens! I want to fully prepare for this mentally before diving in physically. I don't want to feel discouraged before even having my surgery! Sending love and congratulations to all of you! Also, Happy Thanksgiving

I’m curious! What is your goal weight? How tall are you? How much weight do you have to lose? What is your proudest NSV? For those of you who have met your goal weight: How many pounds have you lost? How long did it take to reach your goal? I’m 5’2”, starting at 240ish pounds, with an ultimate goal weight of 130

hahahahaha! Thank you for the laugh! It's nice knowing there are people on here that understand what I'm going through

I got a devastating phone call today. I had my first consult scheduled for 4/30 and a nurse was reviewing my file. She saw that I had United Healthcare Oxford, and I was told that the hospital doesn’t accept my insurance. My heart immediately sank. I called my insurance 2 weeks ago to be sure that everything was in check, and they verified that they did cover bariatric surgeries as long as it was done in a Bariatric Center of Excellence, and this hospital is. So I’m a little confused and heartbroken that this is happening. I really don’t know where to go from here. I have heard so many stories about how insurance has denied surgery, but never a hospital denying insurance. It’s bad enough that I have **** insurance to begin with. I’m just truly devastated...

Hey all! Thanks for all of your support. After I had a little meltdown (haha) I got back to researching. I cancelled my appointment that was set for 4/30 and registered for another information session at another hospital in NJ who I know (for sure this time) accepts my specific insurance. And my insurance accepts them. The info session is on Thursday 5/3. The info will probably be redundant but at least I'll get a feel for what this hospital offers. Let's hope this one works out lol

I really hope they did. I’m from the Poconos in PA. I think the main problem is that my insurance is based out of NJ, so many doctor’s won’t take Oxford. But they do accept UHC most of the time. My understanding is as long as a doctor accepts UHC, I’m covered; it’s still considered in-network. But I think a lot of the time the offices get hung up on the Oxford part of my insurance plan, since it’s a NJ/NY/CT based insurance company. There’s another BCoE near me but I work at that hospital and I don’t feel comfortable with my coworkers knowing I’m there as a patient.

Thank you. I’m beyond frustrated. I really loved this hospital but now I’m starting to wonder why they wouldn’t accept my insurance. Insurance is insurance. It’s very odd to me. I may have to travel out of state

Thank you... I’m very disappointed. And confused. I’m going to call them back tomorrow and ask why this is. I was so excited to start my journey

I went to a seminar there two weeks ago! Loved how organized they are! Unfortunately I got some devastating news yesterday that LVHN doesn’t accept my insurance.... I have UHC Oxford. I knew insurance could deny surgery but I didn’t know hospitals could turn down insurance. Good luck to you all though

Sitting in the hospital parking lot getting ready to go in for an information seminar. I am so, so nervous for some reason... I already scheduled my first consult for April 30th, so any advice or anyone new to the process that wants to share this journey is welcome!

Hey all! I'm new to this too! I went to my information seminar yesterday and got loads of good information on insurance and what's required for surgery. My initial consult is on 4/30! Can't wait

It went really well! I was surprised at how many people were actually there. I think I was the youngest person in the room. One of the surgeons went through each procedure and explained them very well. I'm in nursing school now so I actually already knew a lot of the information. After his presentation, a nurse came in to talk in depth about the entire process from scheduling the first visit to post-op visits. We were given instructions for calling our insurance companies (CPT codes/questions to ask/etc.) and a whole packet of information. They had 3 people in the back of the room that scheduled appointments after the seminar, for everyone interested in going on to the next step. It was very well organized, and I feel very confident in them performing surgery. What I found was most interesting was that there are 2 sets of standard for WLS: one is the insurance's requirements and the other is the hospital's requirements. My insurance company requires a psych evaluation and a 6 month physician-supervised nutritional program in addition to having a BMI >40 (or >35 with co-morbidities). The hospital requires some additional appointments. For example, they require monthly visits (depending on insurance, 3 or 6 months; even if no insurance, they still require check ups for a minimum of 3 months), 2 nutrition visits - one visit being a group session, the other being an individual meeting, and if need be, additional visits. If there are any additional concerns that require further testing, they said they will go over that during our initial consultation. I left the hospital crying yesterday because for the first time in my life I feel like there is hope for me to achieve a healthier and better me. I can't wait for my first consultation/physical on the 30th!

Hey all! I've been thinking a lot about how to tell my parents about wanting to get weight loss surgery. I'm not too sure why I feel so nervous, but I think a lot of it has to do with being afraid of judgement. I've been obese for my entire life. My parents are pretty healthy for the most part - my mom is a gym and health nut and my dad loses weight in the snap of a finger when he needs to. My aunts, uncles, and grandparents are all on varying levels of obesity on my dad's side, and unfortunately I believe I inherited those genes. It also doesn't help that I am still on their insurance plan since I'm still in college -- our out-of-pocket max is pretty high unfortunately. I feel like they will see this as a huge financial burden, even though I plan on paying for everything myself. Does anyone have any advice on how to communicate the want for weight loss surgery to parents or family members who don't necessarily understand it? This is something I've wanted to do for nearly two years now and I want to take the steps toward a healthier and better me, while not feeling discouraged by family. Any tips or stories about how you went about telling your family is greatly appreciated

Hey all! I'm still in the process of making my first appointment with the weight loss surgery office. I just called my insurance provider for information on surgery and she told me that I only need a doctor's authorization for reason of medical necessity and that I need to stay in network. When I asked her if there were any specific requirements for surgery, she said that that was all I needed. This seems unusual to me since I have often seen that insurance requires 6 month doctor-supervised nutrition/diet visits. Anyone have anything happen to them similar to this? Is this unusual? Are the pre-surgery programs actually an individual doctor related requirement rather than an insurance requirement? I'm a little confused... I have the Oxford Health Plan Liberty Network based out of NJ, if that helps.