Dave_NW

The term "vertical gastroplasty" was where I was misinformed by my insurance carrier. The agent I spoke with misinterpreted it to be the same as "vertical gastrectomy." So for months I was working toward getting my sleeve surgery, only to learn at the last minute that there was an error, and the insurance carrier will not pay for the sleeve. My surgeon says nobody does the gastroplasty anymore, because it doesn't work. Sort of figures that my lame insurance would pay for that one, but not for the sleeve, which is what I want. :w00t: Dave

Thanks, everyone. Your confidence in your choice tells me it is a "real" option after all. I think this is going to be okay. I just need time to adjust my perspective. I had a long talk today with a coworker who is banded. He's down 60 pounds in 9 months. Those are valid numbers I can relate to. He's my age and was my size. If I can be 60 pounds lighter in 9 months, I would be a very happy camper. So the journey continues. :thumbup: Dave

Angela, thank you SO MUCH! I appreciated your entire post, but the statement you made that I've quoted above hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized it's not about speed, it's about longevity. How does the old adage go? "Slow and steady wins the race." Thank you! :thumbup: Dave

I can see I have some more phone calls to make. :thumbup: Dave

Hmm. Very interesting. I'm Tricare Prime. Are you or spouse Active Duty? I'm a retiree. Tricare told me they don't do anything at Madigan, that it's a Military Treatment Facility, so is handled by the military, not them. Sounds like I need to call Madigan again. Confusing... Dave

Thanks, Ladies. Your support is great. I've been doing a bit more research: I called the Insurance Coordinator at the Surgeon's office, and had a long talk with her. She was pretty frank with me, and said she works closely with all insurance companies, so she's pretty much on top of things. (The surgeon calls her his "Pit Bull.") She said Tricare is very strict on what they will or won't cover. She said they follow a Governmental list of procedures they will and won't pay for, and if it's not on the list, Tricare won't pay. She gave me the CPT code for the sleeve, and said I should call Tricare and ask them specifically about it. So I did. And Tricare said the CPT code, (it's 43775, if you ever need to know it), is named on the "Government Not Authorized" list. I asked about appeals on basis of medical necessity, and the woman said, "If it's not on the authorized list, they won't pay. Sorry." I asked about appeals, and she said, "Not gonna happen. The list is the list." So I asked her about what Tiffy said, about having surgery at a Military Treatment Facility. Since I'm retired Navy, I have benefits there, too, that are separate from Tricare insurance. The Tricare woman said, "You can call them and ask; they may do it. It's separate from what Tricare does." So I checked out the two military hospitals in my state. One doesn't do anything regarding weight loss surgeries. They were quite specific about that. The other one, Madigan Army Hospital, (a HUGE place), does do weight loss surgeries, but only bypass surgeries. No sleeves. Dang. Mexico is looking more appealing all the time... Stay tuned, Dave

Actually, I bought one yesterday at costco. (I figure I need to do SOMETHING to get ready for this trip I'm about to take. The wait is making me nuts!! :biggrin0:) I haven't opened it yet, and if I don't need it, I'll return it. But the packaging does make it look very convenient. My Bosch has a lot of attachments, but seems like it'd be harder to clean. We'll see. Dave

I agree - tell the Trainer what's up, and if you can't agree on a plan, find a new trainer. I'm sure the Trainer is only doing what they think is right, but your WLS situation changes that scenario. If they can't adapt, they need to be gone. Dave

I'm seeing my surgeon in three days for what I hope will result in me being given a surgery date. My fingers are very, very crossed. (Which makes it hard to type!) So being the kind of guy who likes to plan ahead, I'm trying to get the facts together about how I'll eat day to day before and after surgery. Since I don't know what my surgeon will require of me, in terms of liquid diet, soft foods, and then regular foods, I'm trying to get a handle on what happens after the fact. For all the threads here, is there a one-stop location to read about which diet is which, where and how to get or make the best food for each phase, and similar things? For example, if I wanted to learn everything about a pre-op or post-op liquid diet, where would I find it? Same for soft foods? And ultimately for regular food? How will I learn about how many grams of Protein is optimum, and what foods to avoid? If sleevers are discouraged from only drinking Protein shakes, how are you supposed to get in all those grams if you can't eat very much? Etc. Etc. Help? Dave

Thanks, ladies. I'm an I.T. computer tech guy, so I think in a linear fashion. I see this weight loss as a basic math equation - the right kind and method of food volume in, plus exercise and common sense, equals the right weight lost. Your experience is very helpful in teaching me what to expect. I'm getting more excited than ever. Dave

I read this term here a lot, but don't know what it means. Anyone? Dave

Thanks again. There is so much great information here. I can see I need to start taking notes. Dave

You're very welcome. I'm glad to offer anything I can to help others along on their journey, and I hope my suggestions give them good things to think about. This Forum has been invaluable to me, and I'm only getting started. So far it's all about anticipation. I'm looking forward to having my own "real" issues to ask about! LOL! Dave

Thanks for the helpful info! You guys are amazing. I agree about ordering the samples. I'll check that out. That was why I got these at costco. I can return them, even if they're open and partially used. I wanted to try one, and didn't want to wait. Anyone know anything about Muscle Milk brand Protein drinks? Other people (non WLS people) are telling me to check them out. Are they worth it? Dave

Good advice. Thanks! I dropped by my local costco after work today, and bought a few things, trying to get ready for what I hope is coming soon. (Two more days till the big meeting with the surgeon and his team. ) One of the items I bought was a case (12 bottles) of "whey Protein Shot" by ABB Performance. It is an 8.5 oz bottle, claiming it has 30g of "premium" protein, .5g fat, and 1g carbs. The packaging looks right, it reads like it's a good product. But then I got home and read this thread more closely, and compared the label on the bottle. On the list of ingredients it has Whey Protein Isolates, followed by Hydrolyzed Gelatin. From the posts above, I'm gathering the Hydrolyzed Gelatin isn't a good thing. But since the Whey Protein Isolates is supposed to be a higher quality protein, (higher than even whey protein concentrate), I'm thinking it's okay to use these? I tried it at room temperature, and it was pretty awful. Refrigerated, it was much better. Ice cold it might almost be tolerable. What do you folks think?

Ohhh! THAT head hunger! Got it. Thanks! So the trick then is to manage the difference between your head saying it's time to eat, and your wristwatch saying it's time to eat? If you never have hunger pangs, how do you decide when it's really time to eat? And one more thing: What does being "full" feel like post-op? I know we're supposed to eat slowly, to give your stomach time to warn you it's full. But I'm someone whose stomach (pre-op) doesn't have a full switch. I can eat until I'm miserable. How will I know I've had enough? (Can you tell I'm getting myself psyched up for my Wednesday visit with my surgeon? I'm already starting to buy diet stuff. I must have the bug. :ohmy:) Dave

My insurance recommended me to a particular surgery clinic in my area because they are the closest to where I live. This surgeon has a lot of experience with other types of bariatric surgeries, but is limited in the number of sleeves he's done. I trust him, and know he'll be conscientious, and do a good job for me, so I'm not worried. I think if your surgeon is an experienced surgeon, he's going to do a fine job with your surgery, if only because he's new at it. He's going to be super careful of what he's doing. What you may want to do is ask your insurance if they can refer you to a more experience surgery center, or to a specific surgeon who has done more than a few of your type of surgery. Dave

Thank you! This is why this Board is so helpful. Lessons learned by previous sleevers means SO much! Tiffy, you rock! I know what you mean about the carb counting thing. I did really well on South Beach Diet a few years ago, and learned a whole lot about low glycemic (good) carbs vs. bad carbs. I think it's Atkins that talks about net carbs, but the "subtract the fiber" thing always seemed like way too much work. I like your approach - a carb is a carb. And I think that since I'll be limited on the volume I can eat, I may as well make every bite count. I intend to maximize the weight loss for as long as it takes. There's a good looking skinny guy inside of me being quietly suffocated, while he struggles to get out. Now's my chance to help him out. Dave

I've been reading the threads about issues related to overeating after surgery, and of problems some folks have eating certain foods. Band people have their own set of issues, and some foods are off limits to them. So I'm wondering if there are any foods most everyone with a sleeve just cannot eat post-surgery? I don't mean during recovery phases, but after you're healed, and living your daily life. I've read some people say they can't abide sweets, some folks say the now prefer savory flavors, and others say they eat anything they want. So for you experienced sleevers, tell me this: What foods can you just NOT eat anymore? Dave

So last night a group of us went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. As we were waiting for our meals, we were eating salsa and chips. The salsa was extremely spicy - we're talking NUCLEAR hot here. We asked the waitress to bring us something less spicy, which she did. I do enjoy spicy food, but there's a point where enough is enough. So I'm the only potential sleever in the group, and I got to thinking about whether there are any sleever issues with eating spicy food. Am I going to be able to enjoy what I like (in moderation, of course) or am I facing a life without spicy food? What will the future bring for me? Dave

Thanks for posting the link. It is an interesting document, and pretty enlightening. Reading through it, and comparing the charts of the studies they cite, shows that some of the studies are several years old. The one that had a five-year history was completed in 2007. I'm by no means an expert, but it seems like sleeve operations have changed some in the last few years. I wonder if in a few years when there is more updated data whether the results will be different. One statement in the study I found to be especially interesting: "A deficiency of long-term follow-up data remains in the published surgical reports to confirm the effectiveness of SG as a stand-alone intervention at 5 years. Such longterm data might or might not ultimately confirm that the procedure should remain in the category of a staged treatment intervention." That says to me that there isn't enough time passed as yet to say how much weight sleeve patients will lose. So the 61% they mention in the study was up to that point. As the newer procedure changes the way sleeves are created, it may also affect how much weight a sleeve patient should expect to lose. After I have my surgery, ask me in a year or two how much weight I've lost. Dave

I think the people you see here or on other websites are those who are visible. They're interested and active in their weight loss journey. But there are lots more out in the general population who don't post on websites. (It takes a certain kind of person to be willing to put their personal business in the street like this.) In my experience, medical studies tend to track certain groups of people in a limited demographic or regional area, and I don't know if the statistics are truly reflective of what's happening in the practice as a whole. Case in point: Does the study you cite consider the huge number of surgeries conducted outside the US? The Mexico surgery centers are doing a bumper crop worth of sleeves and bands, so they could likely add a lot to the numbers you're seeing. The reported statistics may need to be expanded, or at least updated to reflect more modern numbers. I think also the volume of weight an individual loses is directly connected to how committed those people are, and how successful they'll be. I work with a guy who was banded last year, but he's only lost 40 pounds of the probably 150 he has to lose. His comment to me about it was that he got the band to help lower his comorbidities, not necessarily to lose weight. (And he eats junk food all the time, so that's no surprise.) When some people lose a ccertain amount of weight, they may decide that's good enough for them. They've lost some (or a lot) of their excess weight, and they may get tired of having to work so hard. The sleeve is an amazing process, but it still is only a tool, and tools don't work themselves. The person has to use the tool to get the desired results. As Tiffy says, losing with the sleeve isn't that hard - it's maintaining a given weight that's harder. So we'll see in another few years what the statistical numbers look like. Dave