keneee

I am considering having a Bariatric surgery. My insurance company only covers Gastric Bypass surgery. I was really leaning towards Gastric Sleeve operation. My thought is Sleeve is less complex so it’s safer, fewer cuts and staples. It essentially costs about the price of a used car, which I can afford. Should I pay out of pocket for Sleeve or use insurance for ByPass? ByPass seem to have greater weight loss effect. Any advice?

Thank you Matt for updating the post with a picture to bring this fantastic post up on my radar. Great details and I really appreciate graphs. I am one of those on the fence. I am 5 10, my high weight was 319. I have been around 315 for the last 7 years. I am 49 years old and pretty healthy. No comorbidities. Cholesterol, blood pressure, blood tests are all normal. I take no pills. But I am sick of wearing size 44 pants and 3x shirts. And I think once I turn 50, it is inevitable that I will start to get other health issues. I saw a surgent on July 23rd. I have a surgery date of Nov 12th. I have been eating very clean since that day and have lost 17 pounds in 2 weeks. My wife thinks the surgery is too risky and I could do it on my own. But she is very supportive either way. I have the option of having the GSV or RNY. My surgent's recommendation is GSV as A+ and RNY as A- for me. My insurance will cover both procedures. I am not afraid of the procedure. I am super worried about "the future", How much will my life change. Will I still be able to go to the shore and sit at one of the restaurants on the water and enjoy some blue crabs and a drink? Will I be able to invite friends over for BBQ? Will we be able to go out to dinner with another couple? For example, I am just about to go to Boston for sightseeing and to eat lobstah rolls and clam chowdah. Will I ever be able to do this after the operation? I guess I am mostly worried about the social interactions with friends. I am sure food at work and at home will not be an issue.

Wohooo! I just heard back from the HR department from my company. They will add GSV to insurance covered procedures list effective September 1st. My surgery date is November 12th. Now I got choices.

What is the purpose of the pre-op diet? Not the liquid diet just before the surgery, more of the general diet I hear people are asked to go into. Is it to show that you are seriously committed to sticking to lifestyle change? Or is to to show that dieting doesn't work for you?

Thank you for answering. This is exactly what I was telling my wife last night. We can afford to pay for the surgery out of pocket. But what if things don't go well and I have to be hospitalized for an extended period. That unknown financial risk is too great. I am certain I will go with whatever insurance will cover. I have spoken to my insurance company about adding Gastric Sleeve as a covered therapy. They told me to talk to my HR department from work. I submitted a nice letter to the HR department showing all of the benefits of GSV to them ( cost less, fewer nights at hospital, less invasive, etc.) They did not immediately say NO to covering GSV. They sent my letter to the Insurance Broker for consideration. I am hoping they will cover GSV. Otherwise I am likely to go with RNY.

I thought that is specifically the liquid diet.

I have a surgery date set (11/5/2021) I would like to start early with getting into habits of tracking my food, activity, weight and measurements. Maybe even add notes to log my mood. Is there an all encompassing app that will allow me to do this easily? Also is there a bathroom scale you recommend? Ideally I would like the scale to send everything to my phone.

Trying to decide between ByPass and Sleeve. I tend to overthink things. Is the lifestyle after surgery any different between Sleeve vs ByPass?