devotion

I am scheduled for gastric bypass on October 11th. So excited but nervous! Anyone else having surgery in October? Sent from my SM-G981U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello everyone. I have had a lap band for about 15 years or so and it hasn't been filled in years because of all of the problems I was having. I have recently decided to have a gastric bypass. Saw the surgeon for an initial consult, but he refuses to remove the band and do the bypass in one surgery. He says I have to first have the band removed, then wait however long and then have the bypass. The reason, he says, is that there is a higher risk of complications if the lap band is removed at the time of the bypass. Is he right? I'm wondering if I should get a second opinion. However, I'm self pay for bypass so I don't want to pay for a surgery that could be aborted due to complications, which makes me want to follow his advice (and the lap band removal is covered by insurance). On the other hand, I really want to have the bypass as soon as possible. I know this is a marathon and not a race, but I'm anxious to start my new journey. Does anyone have any experiences, thoughts, etc. they can share regarding these issues? It would be greatly appreciated!

Hello, I had a lap band in 2008 and it was essentially a failure. I've spent years going up and down with my weight and have finally come to a decision to have gastric bypass. I am really nervous but excited that I'm about to start on this journey. I have my first consultation with a bariatric surgeon this week (July 22). I am self pay because my health insurance has a specific exclusion for bariatric surgery. Given that I don't have to go through any insurance loopholes, I'm wondering how quickly it will be before I can schedule the surgery. For self pay patients, what is the average time from consultation to surgery?

Hello all, I am 12 days post-op and everything went well with my surgery. I had a gastric bypass (lapband to gastric bypass revision to be precise). I am now on full liquids, but am not experiencing ANY feeling of constriction. I am so worried. Is this normal during the food stage I'm in? Now, I haven't tried chugging water or anything like that, but when drinking broth or smoothies, etc., I feel no constriction. On another note, I am experiencing what I think is "head hunger". I see advertisements for food and think that I want the food. However, I am pretty sure I do not feel any real hunger. How can I tell the difference? Thanks in advance for any advice!

thank you, @catwoman7!

Thank you @Kriss77! I hope I am able to distinguish between head hunger and real hunger as time goes on. Good luck to you as well! Are there any gastric bypass patients out there who can talk about when I should start to feel restriction?

This thoughtful and honest post was so helpful to me! I just had surgery on 10/11/21 and am writing down these points and keeping them on my fridge. Thank you for posting this 😀

Hi all! I am so thrilled to see so many replies to this topic! I got so busy pre-op that I haven't been able to post until now. I hope everyone who has already had their surgery is doing great and wish everyone good luck who will have the surgery soon! I had my surgery on October 11th. Everything went very well. I stayed in the hospital overnight. My only complaint was on the first night when I was experiencing pain where the incisions were (now the incisions are just unbearably itchy because they are healing). I wasn't hungry AT ALL for the first week or so and had a hard time getting all my water and protein in. This last week, however, I have been a bit hungrier and have been making some protein smoothies which have been really good for me I think. I just posted this in a separate thread, but I am terribly worried because I am feeling no constriction at all during this liquid phase. I start soft/pureed foods on 10/25 so I'm hoping I'll feel the constriction. Also experiencing what I think is head hunger rather than real hunger. Again, wish everyone the best!

So nice to meet you! I'm sure you will achieve great success with this surgery! The lap band was horrible for me. Can't wait to have it out. I'm sorry you had complications. Sent from my SM-G981U using BariatricPal mobile app

So excited for you guys! I would love to hear more about you and your journey. I am 49, live in Austin and have struggled with weight my whole life. My surgery is actually a revision from the lap band to gastric bypass. I've spent the last three months researching like crazy and feel really great about this life changing decision! Sent from my SM-G981U using BariatricPal mobile app

Unbelievable. Cigna cannot determine whether weight loss surgery is covered or not under my insurance policy. On the phone, I have been told yes, it is covered only be told later that there is a a specific exclusion in my policy for weight loss surgery. I was ready to self pay. I saw the surgeon this week for an initial consult and tentatively scheduled surgery for the first week in November. BUT the bariatric coordinator just called - Cigna called her and said they thought WLS is covered under my policy. The bariatric coordinator let them know that Cigna said it is not covered when she verified my benefits. So the Cigna rep is "double checking" and will get back to her. I can't believe this! How difficult is it to determine whether I'm covered or not. Has anyone experienced this type of thing before? Also, if a miracle happens and I am covered, what kind of hoops will I have to jump through with Cigna? Any experiences with Cigna in this regard would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I can't believe it. I just found out I am approved! It is on Cigna's website. I'll feel better once I speak to my surgeon's office, but this is amazing news. Sent from my SM-G981U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am in the process of preparing for gastric bypass surgery. I have my first appointment with the dietician today. In advance of the appointment, he sent me the pre-op liver shrinking diet instructions. Upon reading it, I'm very skeptical in terms of how it can possibly shrink my liver. There is nothing about protein shakes, broths or other liquids (other than drinking 8 cups of sugar free liquids per day). Rather, the instructions have me eating 3 small meals a day. There are meals with meat and eggs and veggies. Some of the ingredients seem totally contradictory to shrinking the liver but I'm no doctor. Here are some that raised my eyebrows: Shredded cheese PB2 peanut butter Eggs Sour cream Ricotta cheese Cottage cheese Whole wheat pasta Granted, the diet does not call for a large amount of the above ingredients. But I am wondering if I should follow another pre-op diet - one that calls for at least 2 protein shakes a day and broth, etc. Any opinions on this? Thanks in advance!

Best of luck to you! I'm sure it was hard staying in the hospital for so long, but glad to hear you are on the mend. I am having a revision surgery (though it is band to bypass). I've also had gallbladder surgery, so wondering just how much scar tissue there will be because of that and the band. I'm sure you will do great. Again, good luck!

Thank you! Honestly, I am not going to rely on the insurance company's verbal statements. I'll believe that I have coverage when I see that they have approved the surgery. In the meantime, I'm just going to plan to self pay. That way, I will be pleasantly surprised if I am covered. Thanks all for the responses!

Thank you @vikingbeast!

Unfortunately I can only see a summary of benefits, but not the actual policy. I will request it.

Thank you so much. What's weird is that Cigna has said my policy covers WLS and then has said that WLS is excluded under my policy. And now they are telling the coordinator at my surgeon's office that my policy DOES cover WLS. It's very disconcerting. I just want to know one way or the other.

Wow, you are all amazing. These are SUCH great questions. I feel like I will be very prepared. Thank you.

Hello everyone, I'm having a consult with a bariatric surgeon on August 24th for a gastric bypass (and lap band removal). I have already had one consult with another surgeon and did not prepare questions ahead of time. The visit did not go well and I didn't like the surgeon but that's another story. For this new consult, I'd really like to go in with some questions prepared in advance. To those of you who are going through this process or have been through it, what are some questions that you recommend I ask? Anything you can think of that you wish you had asked before surgery? Thank you!

Thank you! Great questions.

Great questions, thank you so much!

Hi all. I had my consult last week with a surgeon. He is willing to do a bypass, but wants to remove my lap band first - by doing a separate surgery. For those who had a separate lap band removal prior to WLS, I would love to hear from you so that I can know what to expect. My questions are: Was your removal done in an outpatient facility or in a hospital? Was a hospital stay required? How long did the surgery take? What was your experience after the surgery? Lots of pain? How long did it take you to recover? Was your removal covered by insurance even if WLS is not? Thank you in advance for your comments, thoughts, etc.

I just had my first consult with Dr. Christopher Bailey. He is associated with Austin Regional Clinic (ARC). He was highly recommended. He is extremely knowledgeable and has great credentials. Hope you found someone!

Thank you so much everyone for your responses! I guess I am leaning toward keeping the surgeon and just doing two surgeries...