SleeveToBypass2023

I also have PCOS. I had my son naturally but then had 10 losses before I was diagnosed with PCOS (even though I have all the classic signs and symptoms, not a lot of doctors knew about it). This was back in 2005. I went on birth control for a few months, then had to take Metformin and Clomid to get pregnant with my daughter. I had her in 2006 (my kids are 8 1/2 years apart because of the PCOS) and after I had her, I was never able to get pregnant again. My hormones are all over the place and I CANNOT lose weight and keep it off no matter what I do (I always have initial success but it never lasts). I was told that bariatric surgery is huge in helping PCOS patients get pregnant because weight loss is the #1 thing that helps. It *can* help with hormones, but not always. The weight loss is really the biggest factor for PCOS patients. But that can also make birth control pills (which regulate periods, add estrogen to low estrogen hormones) more effective, as well as fertility meds (Metformin and Clomid, Femara, etc) more effective. Also makes your body healthier for pregnancy (almost no diabetes or high blood pressure issues). So the surgery is definitely huge for helping PCOS patients have a baby. Good luck!!!

My thoughts are that you need a new surgeon. If you have reflux, DO NOT get the sleeve. It will likely make it a lot worse. I was able to choose between bypass and sleeve because my A1c was less than 7 and because I don't have any form of reflux, so I chose the sleeve. My husband has GERD and a higher A1c and was advised that bypass is really his only option. Sometimes those that never had reflux get it with the sleeve and have to revise to a bypass to resolve it. And while the sleeve has less risk, the bypass does give about an extra 10% of weight loss. So definitely find a new surgeon.

I asked my surgeon and he said straws are fine as long as I sip but never again on carbonation. I'm one that gets my caffeine from diet soda so it's gonna stink, but it'll be worth it, so I'll deal with it.

Thinking about after I eventually hit my final weight loss weight and am stable. I was going back and forth about a panniculectomy once I'm able (mostly because my insurance will cover it) and while I know it won't tighten any muscles, I'm hoping it will be flatter and my clothes will fit better (I'll be having my surgery on May 3rd at age 43 and looking to hopefully have my surgery about a year and a half later). I've already had 2 kids, I'm a grandma of 1, and I'm not going to be wearing any bikinis or crop tops lol So I don't care so much about tummy tucks but I do want my excess skin removed and my stomach flatter. I hope it'll happen with the panniculectomy. HOWEVER, I've been seeing posts about people not having belly buttons and not being evenly shaped, and that had me concerned. So then I started thinking about having the panniculectomy (paid for by insurance) and then paying the difference for a tummy tuck and lipo as needed (or maybe just lipo to even everything out???). I'm confused about the best way to go that also won't cost a fortune. I know a panniculectomy is more expensive than a tummy tuck, so I'm thinking if I just maybe add lipo to it or even the tummy tuck and lipo, the cost shouldn't be too high, right? UGH. I know it's a ways out, but I need time to save (I'm the sole breadwinner in my family, so I'll need every bit of time to figure out what I'm doing and save for it). Thanks in advance for any help and input!!!

I would love to, but I don't have that kind of money to package plastics. That's why I'm thinking the panniculectomy because my insurance will cover it and then the little extra to add in the tummy tuck and light lipo.

I almost died from Alpha, didn't get Delta, didn't even notice Omicron, haven't gotten the new strain. I only knew I had Alpha strain because it was the first strain that came out back in 2020 and there wasn't anything else yet. Once Delta came out and they started naming them, then I knew. Omicron cam along and they have tests to determine what strain you have and that's how I found out.

Thanks so much!!! I just found this online: "A panniculectomy is more expensive than a tummy tuck, but it's often covered by medical insurance. The cost can range from $8,000 to $15,000, plus anesthesia and other extras. A tummy tuck is less expensive but is not covered by insurance. This elective procedure costs on average around $6,200." So if I can get insurance to cover the panniculectomy, I would think (hope) that it wouldn't cost all that much more to add in the tummy tuck with light lipo. I want to try and get that all situated first (since majority of it will be covered by my insurance) before I start worrying about the other stuff that I'll have to pay completely out of pocket.

Did you ever decide what you were going to do? Did you have the surgery? I'm thinking of having a panniculectomy once I'm able (mostly because my insurance will cover it) and while I know it won't tighten any muscles, I'm hoping it will be flatter and my clothes will fit better (I'll be having my surgery on May 3rd at age 43 and looking to hopefully have my surgery about a year and a half later). I've already had 2 kids, I'm a grandma of 1, and I'm not going to be wearing any bikinis or crop tops lol So I don't care so much about tummy tucks but I do want my excess skin removed and my stomach flatter. I hope it'll happen with the panniculectomy.

Did you ever decide what you're going to do? I'm thinking of having a panniculectomy once I'm able (mostly because my insurance will cover it) and while I know it won't tighten any muscles, I'm hoping it will be flatter and my clothes will fit better (I'll be having my surgery on May 3rd at age 43 and looking to hopefully have my surgery about a year and a half later). I've already had 2 kids, I'm a grandma of 1, and I'm not going to be wearing any bikinis or crop tops lol So I don't care so much about tummy tucks but I do want my excess skin removed and my stomach flatter. I hope it'll happen with the panniculectomy.

I haver BCBS of Illinois (not sure if they work the same, but my surgeon's office said they take all the BCBS and they all are basically the same depending on the plan the patient chose) and i reached out to my insurance about this and they said they do not cover anything that would fall under cosmetic procedures (no tummy tuck, no lipo, no tightening of the muscle walls, no body lifts, no nose jobs, nothing) but they WILL cover a panniculectomy but only if it's been deemed medically necessary and if weight has been stable for a minimum of 6-8 months. A panniculectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the pannus — excess skin and tissue from the lower abdomen. This excess skin is sometimes referred to as an “apron.” Unlike a tummy tuck, the panniculectomy does NOT tighten the abdominal muscles for a more cosmetic appearance, disqualifying it as a cosmetic procedure. However, removing the excess fat can make your abdominal area flatter, but not tighter (a tummy tuck would be needed for that).

Oh wow!! We've had a total of 4 different strains of covid here in the US. Alpha strain (I had that one), Delta, Omicron (I had that one) and the new one (I forgot the name of it). Alpha was BAD BAD BAD. Because I had that, I was immune to Delta (that's what i was told and I never got it, so...) and then I had Omicron (I honestly never even noticed it until I tested positive for it) and I was told having Omicron makes me immune to the new variant (so apparently Delta is an offshoot of Alpha and the new variant is an offshoot of Omicron, which is why the immunity is working that way). I also have my antibodies tested every month to make sure my titer levels are still in the immune range. As long as they are, I'm not getting the vaccine. If/when they drop very low or below immune, I will get double vaxxed and boosted. I think if you've had covid AND you're vaxxed, you'll be completely fine. If you get covid after all that, I doubt you would see much of anything with it.

I was actually wondering about their vitamins and supplements. Are they good? Are they reasonable? They seem expensive, but they say they are specifically for bariatric patients, so does that inflate the price? Or can I just take regular supplements I can get from Walmart for like 1/3 of the price?

I have the store bought broth (I bought vegetable, chicken, and beef) and I bought this to mix with it for heavier flavor: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SQMM4GL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I tried it last night and tonight, and with the extra flavoring, they are really good!!!!

Have you looked into Caremark? If you can get approved, they can help with some/most/all of the cost of the surgery. If they only cover some, getting a smaller loan would be better than a larger loan for all of it. If I were you, I would look into the sleeve. Very, very low risks (less than the other surgeries, which is why I chose it), no malabsorption issues, no issues with taking pills/vitamins, no real "dumping" to speak of. Maybe see if you can find a different doctor (since bariatric surgeons usually require a clearance letter from primary docs and if yours won't give it, the surgery might not happen no matter how you pay for it) and definitely look into a bariatric surgeon for an initial consultation (you may have to travel a bit to find a good one, but I PROMISE it's so so worth it!!)

Hey hon! I also have PCOS. I had my son naturally but then had 10 losses before I was diagnosed with PCOS (even though I have all the classic signs and symptoms, not a lot of doctors knew about it). This was back in 2005. I went on birth control for a few months, then had to take Metformin and Clomid to get pregnant with my daughter. I had her in 2006 (my kids are 8 1/2 years apart because of the PCOS) and after I had her, I was never able to get pregnant again. My hormones are all over the place and I CANNOT lose weight and keep it off no matter what I do (I always have initial success but it never lasts). I was told that bariatric surgery is huge in helping PCOS patients get pregnant because weight loss is the #1 thing that helps. It *can* help with hormones, but not always. The weight loss is really the biggest factor for PCOS patients. But that can also make birth control pills (which regulate periods, add estrogen to low estrogen hormones) more effective, as well as fertility meds (Metformin and Clomid, Femara, etc) more effective. Also makes your body healthier for pregnancy (almost no diabetes or high blood pressure issues). So the surgery is definitely huge for helping PCOS patients have a baby. Good luck!!!

I'm sorry Is there any way you can tell your job what happened and work the original days you had off and then take off the new days you'll need for the new surgery date? Is your area a hotbed for covid again? Where I'm from, we're in "green" and all mask mandates have been lifted except in doctor's offices and hospitals.

So upset. I thought I had allergies (well I do, but I thought that's all I have) but now it's turned into a full blown head/sinus cold. And I'm supposed to go for my pre-op blood work tomorrow and have surgery in 2 weeks!!!! I can almost guarantee my surgery is going to be rescheduled, and I'm so upset about it!!!! I was trying so hard not to get sick, and I had a bad feeling this would happen, and here we are!!!

No, I did one when I got sick, just to be sure. I don't do it for the surgery until the day before (I'm assuming, nobody has even mentioned it to me at all, tbh).

I already had a covid test. Negative. I had alpha strain and omicron, so I knew it would be negative, and it was. It all started from allergies. My blood work was good, and my surgeon's office said they see people with allergies all the time and it's fine. They listened to my lungs, looked at my eyes and nose and throat and said it looks and sounds like bad allergies (3 of the office staff there are really going through it with allergies right now). So that made me feel A LOT better. i have 13 days to get this cleared up, so I'm just gonna believe it'll be good to go by then.

I'm not taking anything before the blood test, but I'm picking some up on the way home from it lol This all started with allergies. I have such bad allergies that they almost always make me really sick. About 7 years ago, I got pneumonia from bad allergies (they turned into bronchitis which became the worst pneumonia I've ever had). I hate allergies. And living in Colorado, you never know what weather you'll get. Wake up and it's spring, it's summer by lunch and winter by dinner. So dumb.

Thank you!!! This is what I needed to hear. The timing of this weather change and allergies is so stupid. It's always my luck lol

I'm in Denver, too!! I'm going through a different surgeon and office, but I've been in Saint Joseph before, and they're pretty good!! I've heard a lot of good things, as well. I'm sorry I can't help you with the surgeon or his office, but the hospital is good.

Thanks. I'm sure it'll be cleared up before surgery (I'm buying ALL the medicine tomorrow) but I just need my blood work to come out ok. Ugh. So annoyed that this is even a thing...

But I have to do blood work tomorrow. Won't me being sick show up in the blood work (CBC - thinking elevated wbc might make them call it off)

So nervous and upset. I thought I had allergies (well I do, but I thought that's all I have) but now it's turned into a full blown head/sinus cold. And I'm supposed to go for my pre-op blood work tomorrow and have surgery in 2 weeks!!!! I can almost guarantee my surgery is going to be rescheduled, and I'm so upset about it!!!!