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It wound up being a pretty major ordeal for me. With less than 2 weeks before my surgery, I was still getting prices that were all over the map, some of which were unbelievable because I knew that i had both a $5000 bariatric co-pay and then a $2000 additional out of pocket max. This meant that I knew that I would owe at least $7000, plus any amount above the $13000 maximum that my insurance would pay. Finally, I just went to the hospital and asked to speak directly to the patient account director. Once I had there information, I knew that my out of pocket would actually be $18,000. As a result, I had to switch surgeons and hospitals and do some shopping around. I'm now scheduled for November 10th.

I also started mine as soon as I got home. I have the Bariatric Advantage (god what a long name) Innovations Advanced Multie EA. *whew* And I let it sort of dissolve in my mouth, it takes like one of those old fashioned candy bracelets to me, so I love them. I got a B injection last week. But I want my own B (Complex-Lipotropic) vial at home *angry face* I am not afraid to inject myself, when we used to use injectable B Complex Lipotropics, we lost weight more easily than when we did not use them. And we felt a tad more energetic.

First thing in the morning: sublingual Vitamin B-12 - 1x per day (1 total) calcium citrate plus Magnesium - 2x per day (4 total) > I take the second dose before bed. Vitamin D3, 5,000 IU - 1x per day (1 total) Potassium, 3% RDA - 1x per day (1 total) With Breakfast: Multi Vitamin plus Minerals - 1x per day (1 total) Ferrous Sulfate (Iron) - 1x per day (1-2 total) One hour before dinner: Calcium Citrate Lozenge from Bariatric Advantage (I forget half the time!) Omega 3-6-9 (4x per week or when I remember) Before Bed: Last dose of Calcium Citrate, 2 Pills Biotin, 2,500 mcg That is a lot, but it has kept me healthy with all of the rapid weight loss and my hefty workouts. There are a lot of vitamins/minerals in all Protein shakes too! In time I plan to reduce the amount I'm taking, especially one dose of calcium and the biotin as well since my hair loss has stopped, finally.

Here is a pretty good article on what the Bariatric Center of Excellence means ... http://www.obesityaction.org/magazine/oacnews17/bscoe.php

When I Called the office earlier this week I specifically asked the RN about time off between the Sleeve and the Bariatric - she said 4 weeks no matter which surgery... So I'm not sure???? It's done Lapriscopically and I have a desk job...

I was also sleeved 3/31 and have been having this exact issue. It's funny because I had never experienced constipation before and now I'm more familiar with it than I ever care to be. I think I was over doing it on the iron, so I cut back on that, then I tried milk of magnesia, as recommended by my bariatric program, but that didn't work, until I did several doses, so I added a daily stool softener and I'm trying to add more fiber and more exercise. I see my pcp for the first time since surgery in a week. I guess if I'm still having issues, I will see what he thinks. Might have to go back to coffee...

HELLO I RECEIVED A FOWARD TO TODAY FROM A FREIND THAT A STUDY WAS BEING DONE IN GA AREA FOR GASTRIC SLEEVE PLICATION @ REDUCED RATE. MAY BE USEFULL FOR THE SELF PAY PATEINTS LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE SURGERY IN THE UNITED STATES. We are currently starting to recruit candidates. Due to the collection needed for thr study, we are limiting the geographical area of patients to the Southest tennessee/Northwest Georgia areas. This is not a paid study, the cost of the procedure will be approximately $9,600 plus the cost of surgical testing including labs and x-rays. This amount will be due in full one week prior to surgery. You must meet the NIH criteria for Bariatric surgery having a BMI of 35-40 with two or more co-morbidities or a BMI of 40 or more, history of obesity for 5 years, and unable to acheive long term sucess with conventional diets. You must be willing to participate in the data collection and be followed at regular intervals for 5 years. Thank you, Brooke Lindsey, RN, CBN

She said Bariatric Advantage, Bariatric Fusion, Unjury, and Nectar (at 80%).

@@erinkath you are certainly not alone in your dislike of the pre-op diet. I think that Kinda was spot on in his reply, too. I used pre-mixed shakes on work days.....just easier to handle and mixed my own using powder and Water on my days off. I had 3-4 a day. I did use unjury chicken Soup flavor powder some, too. When mixed with warm-hot water it was a nice savory change over the other shakes. Water....water....water. It was my friend. I did not go caffeine free on my plan....surgeon was okay with that. I was not allowed salad, milk or anything like that. I'm glad....as I'd have been chomping on stuff and surely add in items that I shouldn't have. One thought keep resonating around in my skull during the pre-op liquid diet......one main thought. It was a tremendous fear. It was the visions of watching the surgical videos from our seminars. Seeing the part of the surgery where the liver is lifted out of the way was scary. Both times I went through this seminar (two different bariatric programs prior to my surgery....as I switched surgeons....switched bariatric centers)....both times....the surgeons stopped the presentation with this image on the screen......they drove home the point about easily damaged the liver can be from raising it up and holding it there throughout the process. They emphasized how critical it is that we remain vigilant during our pre-op liquid diet in order to shrink the liver as much as possible. They each recounted having patients that they had to abort the surgery up getting to this point due to their assessment of the patient's liver at this time. I did not want to be that guy.....the one who wakes up in recovery to find that his surgery was aborted. Now....the above scenario was a worst case scenario that the surgeons portrayed.......but it hit me like a hammer. It was a singular reason to adhere to the liquid diet. It was enough. My pre-op liquid diet was 14 days. I lost 10 pounds during that time. This followed losing 45 pounds in the four months prior after starting my bariatric program. That is a big change in rate of loss and was a very pleasant byproduct of adhering to the diet. It had me rolling into my surgery with confidence and momentum. Please.....consider this your way to take action.....to own your safety.....to do your part to ensure a safe surgery. You will find the same liquid diet is a piece of cake to adhere to after surgery. So easy, in fact, that I stayed with it for 4 weeks vs the normal 2-3. I had no desire to do the puree phase as I was completely satisfied with the liquid and the rate of loss. I didn't then......nor do I now....have any type of hunger. None. If I get the urge...it is in my head and not real. I wish you the best and know for certain that you can do this.

Hi Lovingdavid! Yes!!! I too had my sleeve on July 30, 2014! At first, it took some great adjustments (getting use to quantity of foods, etc). Doing really well now. Exercise in gym 2 to 3 times a week. I am a slow loser (weight), but I lost over 70 lbs! I will visit my bariatric team later this month for my one year anniversary! Hope you are doing well!

Thanks for your insight! I tried my gummy vitamins that I took prior to my sleeve and didn’t have any nausea. I guess I just can’t take the Bariatric ones at this stage. I’m sticking to the gummies for now!

Some family doctors are not supportive of bariatrics. If that is the case you can always find another one who is. Congrats on getting the process started!

Well I officially handed in my bariatric paperwork and medical records today! Woohoo! That was a lot of information to gather. Now starts the wait for the office to call and schedule my appointment with the nurse, NUT, and psyche appt. I think the waiting will be even harder than gathering all that information! Anyone else just getting started?

:mad: I just wanted to let everyone know i started my journey on June 6th which was my 1st consultation with Dr Boe. I had atena and bariatric surgery was excluded from my policy so i took matters into my own hands and switched companies. My new company Personal Choice became effective July 1st and i was suprised to get approved so quick...My surgery is scheduled for September i could of went as early as August but i have to quit smoking 6 weeks before surgery...so i just wanted to let everyone know the new me will be here soon!!!:biggrin:

I have wondered about the "limit" thing. I have a friend that currently has lapband. She was trying for revision through her new insurance. She found out that they have a "1 per lifetime" limit on bariatric surgery even though THEY didn't have anything to do with the original surgery. It would seem to me that it would be cheaper on the insurance company to go ahead and cover the surgery rather than paying for the multitude of specialists that she would have to see to deal with the affects of obesity on her body. As for recovery, it is VERY similar to getting the band. I am on lifting restrictions for 4 weeks. I work at a pretty physical job so I am actually off work on short term disability for the entire time. I have heard of people going back to work soon after surgery (like less than a week). The hardest part, to me, is getting my fluids in. It is very easy to get dehydrated post op. I struggle to get in 5 cups of Water a day. I working on it, but it can be tough. I'm in contact with a few revisioners. They still VERY happy with their decision to revise. They inspire me daily. I will admit that it was their sucess that made me finally talk to my doctor about revising.

If you're caught engaging in the following practices, you'll be disqualified: Binging Purging Excessive fasting Hydration or dehydration for the sole purpose of manipulating your weight Undergoing any kind of bariatric surgery, liposuction, or other weight-loss procedures

Congratulations on your excellent success so far. You are an inspiration! I don't have enough experience to comment on your long-term meds, per se. However, I've been around prescription meds long enough to offer this advice: Do NOT let your meds run out, especially if the insurance will cover them. Renew the prescription, and then experiment with eliminating/reducing them one at a time while you have a good supply in case it doesn't work out. You don't want to take the last ones you have, thinking that you don't need them anymore and then realize that you REALLY do need them and have to wait to refill a 3-mo prescription by mail. Been there, done that, it's rough. Good luck to you and your monster-taming! Blessings!

I've been away from the Bariatric Pal site for a few months. Just wanted to shout out to all the friends I've made here on the site and say, I'm back! I lost my sister in early September 2015, after a long battle with asbestos-related illness, obesity, diabetes, and congestive heart failure. Despite it being a blessing that she is no longer suffering, I miss her terribly and still fight some depression from the loss of my last sister (my other sister, who was also obese, died unexpectedly at age 59). Her conditions were a main driving force in my decision to get the Gastric Sleeve to bring my weight down. While I haven't made progress in months on my weight in pounds, I have lost more inches than anything, but am happy to say I haven't gained any back either. I've gone from a size 22W-24W pants down to a 12-14 Petite in women's slacks and jeans, and I have to wear a belt to keep the 14-Petites jeans up!. I can't believe how good it feels to be able to wear jeans again! My shirt sizes have shrunk from a MEN'S 2X-3X (depending on the cut of the shirt), to a MISSES Large. My health has improved tremendously and spent part of Fall 2015 shooting basketball hoops with my oldest son, without running out of breath. During the winter, I've cut and split wood logs for our fireplace with no physical difficulties. While I still have a lot of pain in my leg and ankle (from massive injury in 2013, which required plates and screws to hold things together), it has eased up with the loss of excessive weight. I think once the cold weather turns warmer, my weight loss will pick back up as I'm able to get out and walk my dog. Oh yes, I adopted a new four-legged friend, and she will be accompanying me on my long walks this Spring and Summer. I hope all of you are doing well on your weight loss goals. Best wishes to all! Terry

Thanks so much........at this juncture....it is a struggle...the primary care doctor is trying to assist me in finding out the reason this is happening.......it is truly upsetting since the surgery went well......from the reading that I have done...Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital.......there are some people who have peripheral neuropathy after bariatric surgery.......I was given a cream to apply to my feet and I am taking medication given to people to help with the pain in the feet....such as diabetic neuropathy......? Thanks.....hope that you are doing well......all the best...

Hi everyone. I have bcbs and was approved within a week. I had my surgery done over at the u of m fairview and it was great! My surgeon dr. Buchwald is awesome and is literally world renowned for his work with bariatric surgeries. He has done many sleeves and has a good success rate.

I had surgery on Tuesday the 19th in Las Vegas and had to stay in town for 2 days after surgery just in case since my town has no bariatric Dr's. for the first 2 days after surgery everything I drank be~it Water, crystal light beef broth I threw it all up Wednesday I only threw up 5 times but yesterday I threw up about 30. went and saw my surgeon and he told me it was mostly from anxiety which make sense It is very hard for me to have people do things for me and it was horrible staying in the hotel room and ive been feeling bad. My surgeon told us to throw out everything I know and just use anything I can keep down for the moment. We are home now and I feel better havent thrown up at all. My hubby and daughter went out and bought me some SF Popsicles, SF Snapple tea, and poweraide. I have tried the popsicles and snapple and been doing ok. tonight he made me some chicken Soup and strained out the noodles and it felt awesome. Then I made a cup of warm orange constant comment tea and it felt good too. My ? for you all did you have better luck with warm things or cool things? I normally like everything cold but would love to hear from you all and hear your suggestions. Please any help would be awesome. Thank you in advance :} Katrina

I'm required to drink Bariatric Fusion shakes (powder with skim milk) and they are actually one of the better shakes I've had. What's helping me with hunger is drinking a lot of water. The head hunger is brutal though.

Here's a recent article: Body contouring after bariatric surgery helps obese patients keep weight off "Patients who have plastic surgery to reshape their bodies after bariatric procedures are able to maintain "significantly greater" weight loss than those who do not have surgery, according to a new study by Henry Ford Hospital researchers." Click here for rest of the article.

Many people think they are a "slow loser" but in fact they just have unrealistic expectations from shows like My 600 Lb Life, which features people who lose "fast" because they are much bigger than your average WLS patient. You may still be a slow loser; I can't tell how much of your 33 lb weight loss was before surgery, but I lost about 9 lbs on average per month for the first 6 months after surgery, and my surgery center said I was doing great! Try to focus on things you can control, like eating and drinking and exercising the way your surgery center recommended, and don't worry about the scale. You might also focus on how your clothes fit or other "non-scale victories". You might also consider reaching out to your surgery center to make sure you're on track, and consider seeing a bariatric therapist. Good luck!

First of all, anything is,possible...trust me. My story is very similar to yours although I really didn't have any issues with the band. My doc said that the band failed me, I did not fail the band! Lost about 100 lbs starting in 2007. It took many fills and tweeking to get me to my sweet spot. Found it and worked with it. In the summer my port started shifting so I went in for a port replacement and woke up with the entire band being removed due to erosion!!!! I was shocked, sad and feel like someone took the only thing that had ever worked for me in 30 years away just like that, snap!! I immediately began the revision proceed but with a BMI of 26, there was no way. I tried, I truly did to keep the weight off but at 50 lbs additional and 2 co mortalities I was approved for the sleeve. Had it done 1 week ago from tonight and it was the best thing ever. I have CIGNA and I had a tough time, but other people have had smooth sailing with CIGNA...I just can't figure them out. Make sure you find out if your ins will only cover 1 bariatric proceedure a lifetime. Sleeve is fantastic so far