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Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and I started this topic basically for support. I am at the very beginning of my lap band journey. I am soon going to schedule an appointment with a bariatric doctor to start going over "if surgery is right for me etc." I KNOW i want and need the surgery. Im 5'4 and about 240 pounds, that is not good for a young female. I called my insurance today (federal blue cross blue shield) and they said that they will cover baratric surgery. YEY She gave me a huge list of requirements which includes having a bmi of at least 40, be over the age of 18, proof of a at least 1 year of failed attempts at dieting, 3 months of medically supervised diet through a nutritionist and physiatrist or something like that. There is more but it's pretty basic stuff. Since I have a bmi over 40 i dont have to have any weight related problems (i asked to be sure). But i am just terrified that they will deny my claim and I will be at a brick wall. My question is what happens if i do get denied? will they tell me exactly why the denied it (so I have a chance to fix it?) can someone please share their story of how they were able to get insurance to cover their surgery after it was denied. I am just so nervous, i have a feeling they wont let me get it PS. PLEASE TELL ME HOW LONG IT TOOK TO FIND OUT IF YOUR INSURANCE WILL PAY FOR IT. Thank you so much everyone

Hi , So my surgery date is 30.August . Tomorrow I'm starting with my two week pre op diet - and hopefully it won't be too much of a struggle I'm from Sarajevo , Bosnia and Herzegovina Here it is not usual or common to do bariatric surgeries and I have no support system or community - hopefully I'll find support here [emoji4] I have been in this process for two years and it finally get to the end of it . Sent from my SM-J500FN using BariatricPal mobile app

First I want to thank you for your honesty. As the same time some of what you are going through is very real and very common. The thing that stands out the most to me from your post is that you mentioned you were sexually abused. Did you know that children that sexually abused have a higher chance of being obese. So guess what? There are going to many women BP that have had that experience. Most bariatric patients had or currently emotionally eat. Or as you phrased it have cravings. Again many of the things you are going through are more common than you think. The feeling you are having of loneliness could you share more about that? Is just that you have no support from family? Do you live in an area in which it is hard to connect with others? You have more agency over your life than you realize. I would like to imagine that you made the decision to have the surgery, so that you can be a better you. Some are not going to understand that or even attempt to care, but you did not make the decision for them-- you made it for you.

Hearts of bariatrics Mz Shay

I'll bet it's your hernia. When I was researching Bandwagon, a few bariatric surgeons said that the band can, but is not guaranteed, to prevent reflux, and also that hiatal hernias are associated with band slips and other complications or side effects. I have an acquaintance whose reflux was cured by her band surgery,but since she also had a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time, it's hard to say whether her band or the hernia repair is responsible for that cure. Is the Nexium helping?

https://www.buzzfeed.com/carolynkylstra/mason-jar-salads?utm_term=.iu9MzP7pQO#.fjMqE6XOap Bariatric patients look at these and think....would be nice, but WAY too much bulk there to eat.. And it's true...it's a lot of food for a bariatric patient. But if you're eating six small meals a day, it can be nice to have leftovers handy for the next little meal:) Also...you can make these geared a little more to the bariatric diet. Consider the following layers: Hummus Turkey bacon Tuna salad Tofu Shrimp Chicken breast Black beans Chick peas Lowfat hard cheeses Cottage cheese Fetta cheese Olives Banana peppers Avacado chunks Sweet potato chunks Hard boiled eggs Yogurt Pickles Reduced fat reduced sodium salami (great in greek salad!) Protein Pasta (made of chick peas, lentils, and whole wheat) Think of all of your favorites. Include some fruits. A few raspberries, peach slices, fresh apple chunks, pineapple, blueberries Some nice finely diced veggies like peppers, cukes, tomatoes, mushrooms, brocolli bits, onion, fresh herbs Make homemade dressings with low sugar and fat Oh! and if the idea of carrying glass jars around scares you....consider stopping at Gordon's food service and picking up tall plastic deli containers. You can get 50 containers and lids for under ten bucks. The more variety you're including in your diet....the more diverse your gut microbiota will be. Diverse gut bugs are correlated with better weight loss during diet attempts. Switch it up. Get lots of fiber in addition to meeting your protein goals. Get you some wonderful phytonutrients:) And enjoy flavor!

Hi there & welcome! I had RNY bypass nearly 16 months ago. I chose to do it because I was diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease. I was already dealing with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, very severe Gerd, psoriatic arthritis and severe osteoarthritis of the spine. My decision was initially about getting healthy. I chose bypass because it was the best solution for someone who has Gerd. The sleeve can make that worse and in many cases create it. Lap and was not even in my decision tree for the very same reason. I have lost 136lbs. I am about 8lbs from goal and am no longer overweight. For the first time since I was 19 I have a normal BMI. My diabetes, Gerd, high blood pressure, high cholesterol all gone with a month or two of surgery. My only regret is not doing this sooner, before I did so much damage to my spine and joints. I am 52 years young and have had 6 back surgeries and looking right in the face of 1 more. Don't wait, run as fast as you can to the nearest Bariatric center of excellence. Call your insurance company, they can tell which clinics are centers of excellence that are covered. They will also share with you the requirements. Be prepared for a period of supervised diets, most insurance companies require them. These surgeries cost a lot and you really only get one shot at it. They want to make sure you really are prepared to make changes in your life. Use whatever time your insurance company requires to start making changes now. It will help you be more successful down the road. Having this surgery is the best thing I ever did for myself. Don't wait!

I've had a similar series of events happen to me...initially I was hospitalized, and later diagnosed with pancreatitis...the very scary part was that my bariatric surgeon tried to pass off the symptoms I was having as a pulled muscle. When my PCP got the hospital to fax him my lab results, he immediately asked me if my surgeon had mentioned my elevated lipase levels, which he had not. My mild pancreatitis was caused by my gall bladder, and additional testing did not show any traces of gallstones, but that my gall bladder was not working at all. My PCP said that the gall bladder issue is likely related to my recent weight loss. Who knew?? I'm trying to delay surgery to remove it; 3 abdominal surgeries within a year is just too much to cope with. I continue to experience intermittent waves of nausea, and sporadic series of sharp pain in my upper right side. The general surgeon was ok with me waiting, as we have no idea when my gallbladder quit working, and my hope is that the symptoms will subside over time. A concern I have is that not everyone who has their gall bladder removed has their symptoms resolve post op.

Sorry, I just saw this. I had to see the bariatric doctor and weigh once a month....I had to have 7 visits in 6 months before my paperwork could be submitted for approval. I started January 2nd and my last appt was July 2nd. I also had two visits with a NUT...not sure if this was my insurance requirement or the clinic requirements. I had to have all the other testing too, such as sleep study, EKG, etc.

I got lucky - I belong to Kaiser, Richmond Ca. Their bariatrics department is number 4 in the nation! We all were given a 1200 calorie diet to follow - most of the girls have lost 20 to 30 pounds on it pre op! some of us have a hard time with it due to the high carb count. Once we lose the 10% required body fat, they schedule the surgery. If you are interested in a copy of it, let me know and i'll get it to you. Good luck!

Congrats on your surgery and your smooth recovery. It seems like you are doing well. This website has menus/food/recipes in the Food and Nutrition section of the forums. Also, these websites are helpful with menus/recipes labeled by the stage of food that you're eating: https://www.bariatriccookery.com/ https://www.bariatriceating.com/bariatric-recipes.html And an important tip: Not only do you not have to live on grilled chicken and broccoli forever, but grilled chicken will probably be one of the last proteins that you can comfortably eat! For many of us, it was many, many months before we could handle grilled chicken! Hope this helps and good luck on your journey!

OK, now that I've whined and moaned, I pulled out the info from the bariatric program and found the following: I can have a 1 cup salad in addition, and I can make my own dressing for it--woo! So I got up and went to the store, and got a brainstorm while I was there--I can season my meat any way I want--so why not with pico de gallo (chopped raw garlic, onion, tomato, cilantro)? I'm getting excited about dinner. I picked up some asparagus that I'm going to dress with a ginger vinagrette. I just need to get over myself lol, and get creative with it!

I'm allowed 3/4 cup of food three times a day with 2 Snacks. I usually never eat that much. I try between 600-800 calories daily. I see a therapist that specializes in working with bariatric patients. He's wonderful because he understands everything I'm going through. This is a life changing event and having someone to talk to really helps!!

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They have a fabulous bariatric program. I hv Aetna and they cover it all. All my surgery cost was my copay of $125. Dr Hallowell is awesome and so is his whole staff. I asked him bout plicaton n he said he does it with every band because the band company recommends it for better results.

I am one week post-op, and feeling well today. I went out with my Mom, sister, and some friends, and did quite a bit of walking, and even some shopping! Took the train home, and when DH picked me up at the station, I was a bit tired and sore, but really not bad at all. The worst is behind me! Weight-wise, well, I'm copying from a post I just made: Holy canoli, what a difference a week makes! Even though I was only just banded last Tuesday, check this out!!! The first pic is from last Monday (1 day pre-op), the second set are from today. This gives me renewed energy to keep on with the liquid diet!!!

Www.WLSvitamins.com has vitamins made special for bariatric patients.

So I'm sitting with the bariatric coordinator now and she is scheduling my surgery July 7th!! Finally a date set in stone!!!! So ecstatic! just thought is share with you all!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 Look for the Smilemarkers A sliver of moon was showing in the sky the other day while I was playing outside with my grandson, David (4yrs). As usual he wanted to know why. I told him the moon wanted to play with him. Later he was drinking chocolate milk on the front porch and said, "The moon is drinking chocolate milk. He has a chocolate milk mustache." I love it when a four year old can use his imagination and make a joke. I love it when a four year old accidentally amuses me. David was riding in the van with his dad when he announced, "I want my crocs (sandals)." His dad stopped the car and asked him what he was wearing on his feet. David replied in all seriousness, "Dad, I'm wearing my toes." Children and laughter go hand in hand. I love being a grandmother and not having to do much of anything when I babysit but enjoy the kids. My two year old granddaughter loves to play hide and seek in her house. She always hides in her closet and she always tells me she's going to hide in her closet. When I try to go home she frequently tells me I'm hungry and I need to eat in order to keep me there. LOL. She already knows my weakness. There's a lot of evidence that laughter is good medicine. The Reader's Digest knew that before there were studies proving it. I use a lot of silly humor when I teach. To teach the ang sound I have a picture-card of a vampire with fangs showing. I'll put on my best Transylvanian accent, make my hands into claws, and say," I vant to bite your neck; I vish to suck your blood." The kids all shriek and laugh and are more likely to remember that ang makes the sound you hear in fang. I have a game that involves tossing a soft ball back and forth between me and a group of kids while saying math facts. I love to watch for the kid who stops paying attention and I'll look at another child while throwing the ball at the daydreamer who frequently gets hit by the ball which cracks everyone up and serves notice to pay attention. Today I was on Lapbandtalk, which has become my on-line support group and one of the women told a hysterically funny dream she'd had about another member of the group. Can't repeat it here because it involved partial nudity and showing off a well-shaped body part. Jokes were still flying hours later when I checked back in. Some of the best and funniest speakers I ever heard were recovering alcoholics telling their stories at open AA meetings. Some of the things they did and the situations they got themselves into were, in retrospect, hysterically funny. Without the humor, they'd have been too painful to tell. The funniest stories I tell on myself involve my ADHD and some of the things I've done as a result. Humor makes pain palatable. I'm not talking about sarcasm or angry ranting expletive deleted humor. Frankly, I don't consider that humor because it tends to be at other's expense. I'm talking about self-deprecating humor. Humor that gently pokes fun at the human condition but doesn't denigrate others. One of the funniest stories my deceased mother-in-law told involved driving off to work with her teeth on top of the car. One of the funniest stories my son tells is what happened when he tied our 6 month old 75 lb. Chesapeake Bay Retriever to a lightweight charcoal grill in my parent's driveway. Thank God for the passing motorist who chased down the dog and stopped him before the grill chasing the dog down the street caused the dog to drop dead of a heart attack. These stories and jokes we tell each other can only happen in community. We weren't created to live in isolation. And I firmly believe that God laughs with us. We're created in his image and he loves us with all our foibles so he must have quite a sense of humor. Humor is his gift to us, a gracelet that allows us to be refreshed, renewed, re-created and ready for the next thing life throws at us. So, even though food addiction is a serious disease, I try not to take myself too seriously. Life is a journey. Look for the smilemarkers along the way.

I posted this thread in the Success Stories section by accident. :confused1: This is where I meant to post it: Hi everyone! I see a lot of questions on this site about pre-op diets. I thought I'd post mine, just as a guide for those who aren't prescribed one, but think they might need or want one. Good luck to everyone. Pre-op liquid Diet It is recommended by your surgeon and dietitian to follow a low calorie, low fat, low sugar and high Protein liquid diet for ___ days prior to undergoing bariatric surgery. The purpose of the liquid diet is to reduce the size of the liver, reduce the risk of bleeding during the surgery and to show commitment to the program. Below are the nutritional guidelines for the pre-op liquid diet. You will need to measure your intake and keep a food journal. Depending on which items you choose to consume throughout the day, your intake should be approximately 1000 calories and 60-80 grams of protein. You will be expected to lose 5 lbs per week on this plan. The nutritional guidelines are as follows: UNLIMITED SECTION: These liquids can be taken in any amount since they do not contain sugar. 1. sugar free or diet beverages such as Crystal Light (Great Value @ Walmart), Sugar Free Kool-Aid, Sugar Free Tang, Diet Snapple, FUZE, Powerade Zero, Diet V8 Splash, Propel, Fruit 2 O, coffee, Tea and Water. 2. Low Sodium broth Soups (chicken, vegetable, beef- tomato Soup is not a broth soup). It needs to be a clear liquid and can NOT contain bit and pieces of meats, tofu, noodles or vegetables. Each 8 oz serving shouldn?t be more than 140 mg of sodium. Bullion cubes are not acceptable as they are too high in sodium. 3. Sugar Free Jell-O and Sugar Free Popsicles LIMITED SECTION: Please do NOT consume more than the maximum # of servings listed in each category for each day you are on the diet: 1. Juice: Limit intake to 2 cups or 16 oz per day. Fruit Juice(apple, orange, cranberry, grape, and grapefruit),Gatorade, G2, Vitamin Water, Life Water, Snapple, Powerade, Low Sodium V-8 juice and V-8 fusion ? limit intake to 2 cups or 16 oz per day. 2. Limit to 3 servings per day: ? cup of Regular Jell-O, Popsicles or NO ADDED SUGAR Fudgesicles. 3. Limit to 3 servings per day: 1 cup (8 oz) of milk (skim, 1%, Lactaid, Almond, or Soy), 6 oz of LIGHT or Greek Yogurt (no more than 110 calories and 12 grams of sugar/serving), ? cup of SUGAR FREE Jell-O pudding, ? cup of FAT FREE or LOW FAT Cottage cheese 4. Protein Shakes: Limit to 2 servings per day: The following are approved protein shakes: Muscle Milk LIGHT (costco, Target, GNC and major grocery chains), Pure Protein shakes (Trader Joe?s), Premier Protein Shakes (Costco), NO ADDED SUGAR Carnation Instant Breakfast (Target), EAS 100% whey Protein (Walmart), Isopure (GNC or The Vitamin Shoppe), Zero Carb Isopure (GNC or The Vitamin Shoppe), Body Fortress Protein Shots (Walmart), Body Choice Liquid Protein Shots (Costco). *** DO NOT BUY SLIM FAST, ENSURE OR BOOST ? these drinks are high in calories and sugars. If you chose a brand that?s not listed above please check the nutrition label first and make sure it meets the following criteria: less than or equal to 160 calories, less than or equal to 6 grams of fat, 15+ grams of protein and less than or equal to 6 grams of sugar. ***For those that are lactose intolerant please choose the following: Isopure, Zero Carb Isopure, Body Fortress Protein Shots or Body Choice Protein Shots. ***For those patients with diabetes, we recommend that you consume 15 grams of carbohydrates every 1-2 hrs. Be sure to monitor your blood sugars and contact your doctor if necessary. If your blood sugar is >150 mg, spread out your sugar sweetened liquids over a 3 hr period.

Yep, if you have a 40,plus BMI you have met the criteria. Come,on down Daizeoh, you are the next lucky contestant in the Bariatric Bowl a thon. Step,up to the line, lose some weight,and put a pretty smile on your face. And h -e -r -e we go! Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

I will be starting the process for Weight-Loss Surgery!!!! I get my email for orientation for the classes I will be taking at Kaiser Permanente by email.

Hello and welcome. I see you already have a bariatric therapist which would have been my advice. I struggle with boredom eating and I am still trying to find a good therapist in my area to help with this. I’m losing but it’s more of a struggle than it would be without disordered eating issues (I assume). I have found bariatric pal to be a wonderful source Of support and hope you will too.

I went to therapy through my Bariatric Program to help with emotional eating! I just left being "cleared" for surgery! I can't tell you how much it's helped me - including non weight loss issues. I feel completely ready for life after surgery!

HI sooverit! I was banded 4/11 and used the fabulous Dr David Mayer in Huntington! He works from Syosset Hospital (great bariatric unit). His office is in Southdown. His office staff (kim) is soooo on top of everything. I have had a very smooth experience so far. Glowing reviews. PM me if you need his phone number, etc.