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I'm going to print this and bring it to my pre-op appointment next week. I've already ordered from Bariatric Advantage and found the Wild Cherry Calcium Citrate Chewables w/ Vit D are terrible. Unfortunately, I bought a 90 day supply...I'm just waiting until they are gone. The other things I ordered from there aren't so bad. Thanks for the info!

I need some advice on bariatric vitamins. I am currently taking the Bariatric Advantage Mixed Berry flvor and I HATE THEM! They are so yucky and almost seem to fizz in my mouth...GROSS! I will take them until they are gone, but I want something different. Any suggestions? Also, what are you taking on top of your bariatric vitamins? B12? Biotin? What is your vitamin regimen?

I had mine yesterday. If you didn't already complete a patient history and questionnaire then that's the first step. You will need to answer some questions regarding your eating habits (mostly related to emotional eating), alcohol and substance use, and a depression/anxiety screening. The Psychiatrist will review all of your paperwork and then ask questions regarding eating habits, emotional state, any history of abuse or trauma, diet attempts in the past, history of weight problems, support you have, what knowledge you have of the surgery (before, during and after), etc. I googled Psych Eval for Bariatric Surgery and found some helpful info. Just be honest - they're there to help and make sure you are ready for such a drastic change in your life. Good luck! After mine, there were no concerns but I asked about help with emotional eating and she recommended I see the Psychologist in the WLS Practice for behavior modification counseling. I want to have as many tools to help me after surgery. Good luck!

reree6898 - Thank you so much for answering the questions too. 1. I will definitely stock up on those Vitamins. I heard about the Biotin but i wasn't sure how well it actually worked. Is there a certain brand that you found worked better? Did you order the vitamins from a GNC or through like Bariatric Advantage? I am prepared for the saggy skin cause I know it will take time to bounce back. I am planning on putting coconut oil on my skin after showers and wearing compression garments (once everything is healed of course). 2. Aww. That's so great that your daughter has been so supportive. My children are still young (10,7, &3)... My oldest is really excited. I think that is something that is driving my mind set as well. Knowing that my children are looking forward to playing with their mom, especially since they are both really big into baseball. 3. You have had AMAZING success with your surgery. Thank you so much for sharing your starting weight and current weights. It gives me more hope than I have already. 4. My husband is really on board with the surgery and changes because he (and I) are afraid if we don't get it under control now, it will be too late or worse will come from waiting. All the men in my family have had massive heart attacks at young ages (my grandfather died at the age of 49) and some of the women suffer from cancer or pre-cancerous cells. 5. Yeah. I agree that I won't keep pizza out forever, BUT I will keep it out of my food logs until I know that I have everything under control and can control myself with it. 6. I will always ask my surgeon and nutritionist before anyone. I don't expect my journey to be the same, nor close to anybody else's journey, but hearing some advice and asking questions about other's experiences definitely helps me wrap my head around the worst that could happen and possible solutions I could try if certain situations arise after surgery. I am so very happy for all your success and wish you the best of luck as you continue your journey.

No worries, this won't be a full recap of my life. I just feel that my story is one that should be shared because of how the band changed my life and then unfortunately had to be removed 4 years later. Before I jump into the story I will say that if you are feeling ANY unusual pain - not necessarily in your port area or stomach - see your surgeon. We have a foreign object in our bodies and it's not unusual for our bodies to try and reject it... Before the band: I've been overweight my entire life. Like many others I couldn't latch onto the right tools to lose that unwanted weight. My level of discipline is something that I continuously struggle to build up - especially when it comes to food. I was an anxious kid who turned to food in times when I needed comfort or was under stress. Although I was always active - playing multiple sports throughout life - I couldn't seem to maintain a healthy weight. My junior year of college was spent abroad in Italy. It was there that I gained a new confidence in myself and my abilities. I've always been an outgoing and confident person but it took experiencing another culture to make me feel like I had the control to make a change in myself. When I got home I went to the initial lap band seminar to get an overview. From there on it was a whirlwind of appointments and all that pre-op stuff we all had to go through. Four months after that seminar I was in for surgery - November 2009. At the time I was one of the youngest to get the band - only 21 years old. Life with the band: It felt like the weight was melting off of my body. I barely worked out the first year with the band and had lost the first 40 pounds with almost no physical effort. I changed the way I was eating, that's for sure. The band did its job - it restricted how much I could eat, how quickly I was eating and just made me more conscious of the choices I made. I noticed that every time I was getting a fill, I could barely eat for the following days. Looking back, I don't think that's the right way to do it but in my mind I was thinking, "great, here's an easy 3-4 pounds gone." I became a better me. As the weight fell off, I became even more confident in all areas of my life. I had my first serious relationship, I was fiercely going after my career goals and just felt happier and healthier of course. It became harder to lose weight as I got closer to my goal weight (which by the way, I'm still not quite there). I added in exercise and it helped me shed more pounds. As of summer 2010 (year and a half post-surgery), I wasn't able to get anymore fills. I had a fill where almost immediately after the solution was injected I started to feel back pain. They sent me home anyway and told me to come back if it worsened. Oh boy did it ever... it turned into radiating pain throughout my entire body. My jaw, neck, legs, everything. I couldn't even drink water. So, they took the last fill out and I returned to normal state. They couldn't really explain why the pain was occurring other than maybe my band was at its max capacity at 10cc's. So needless to say after that experience, I stayed away for a year. I didn't want to go through that pain and felt that my band was telling me that it has done its job and now its my turn. After a year of unsuccessful weight loss, I went back for another fill but had the same experience. The doctor took even more solution out this time just to see how my body would react. It was around summer of 2012 when this back pain really began. It was the same pain I was feeling when I had the fills that needed to be removed. It's pain that starts in the mid to upper back and then radiates throughout my lower back and through my sides...almost always coinciding with nausea and after I ate something. In the back of my mind, I knew it had to be from my band. I was only 24 years old and shouldn't be feeling that kind of pain. But of course, like many of us do, I dealt with the pain for months hoping it would go away. I altered my desk and computer at work thinking it was my posture. I tried changing how I was sleeping. And by this point, I was on a serious workout regiment - a lot of weight lifting and hard cardio so I thought it could be from that. The turning point: During Fall and winter of 2012 I had back pain every single day. Some days it was so debilitating that I'd have to leave work. The only remedies were laying down on my back and wait for the pain to subside or occasionally ib profeun. The pain and frustration brought me to tears. It was affecting my life at work and my social life (not fun having an episode while you're out to dinner with friends). So in April 2013 I decided it was time to just make a call to my primary care doctor. I needed to start somewhere. I was in the middle of an "attack" at work and walked outside to call my doctor because I was so fed up. They couldn't see me that day so they sent me to the night clinic the next day. I explained my situation and also happened to mention that many of the women in my family have had their gallbladders removed. While he didn't seem to think it was my gallbladder (because of my young age) he decided to "rule it out" by scheduling an ultrasound for me the following day. I had the ultrasound. The tech was awfully quiet and wouldn't share my results with me. They had me wait as the results were sent to the referring physician. Then, they told me the doctor was on the phone and needed to speak with me. "You have huge stones!" he said. "And we need to remove your gallbladder immediately." I couldn't believe it. At that moment, I was relieved that I knew something was wrong and that I followed through to find the solution but I was scared too. So I thought that the gallstones were the cause of all my pain. But then, I scheduled a pre-op consult with my bariatric surgeon so he could perform the gallbladder surgery. He wanted to remove my gallbladder the next day. "No problem, see ya then" type of conversation. But before he walked out of the room he happened to ask how my band was doing and I said, "eh." I told him my suspicions for the cause of back pain were initially due to the band. Because of that he insisted that while I was there they should just see how much fluid is in the band. Thank goodness he did! What went wrong: The doctor pulled out brown fluid from my band. "Hmmm..." he said. He tried again just to be sure he made it into the port and didn't collect fluid from stomach cavity instead. I've never seen him lost for words or for explanation. He sat down and stared at the brown fluid and said he had never seen anything like it. The brown fluid suggested that there may be an infection somewhere but that would mean that somehow there was a puncture in the band itself and therefore stomach fluid was leaking inside the band creating a bacteria. He sent the fluid for culture testing immediately and shipped me down to radiology for a CT scan so he could see a full picture of the band. Hours later, he came in the room and said that the band looked unharmed. Therefore, he had no idea what was causing the bad fluid. We discussed taking the band out. And since I felt like it wasn't working for me anymore anyway, he was most comfortable with taking the whole thing out. Back in the OR: So 10 days from my first call to my primary care, I was back in the OR. And not only was my gallbladder being removed, we were also taking out my band in the same surgery. I was scared of course but also praying for pain relief. And it was unnerving that the doctor wasn't even sure what he was going to find when he got in there. When I came to, I was in the exact same recovery room that I was in just 4 years ago! Itching like crazy again because apparently I'm allergic to morphine and a little more uncomfortable than when I got my band in. The doctor came to explain what he found and how he removed the band. Gallbladder was no issue, he removed it and moved onto the band. He found that the band part that is wrapped around the stomach (the part that restricts your intake), had eroded into my stomach lining. The CT scan didn't show him this part of my body so he was surprised to find this. In his thousands of patients, I was the first he had seen this happen to. There was no research to back up his findings. We're still not sure how this happened or why. Even better, the way he took the band out... he cut it into pieces and then removed it through my mouth. Yuck! Needless to say, the recovery process was more difficult because of the two surgeries and complications with removing the band. They had me there for almost 2 full days because of all the follow-up tests they needed to provide to be sure my esophagus and stomach weren't leaking. Another CT scan, a barium swallow a JP drain and 2 days of itching from pain meds later...they let me go home. Life after the band: I can't believe it's no longer part of me. For so long I felt like it was my safety blanket. I'm disappointed that it didn't get me further and that it caused me so much pain. The gallstones were just a coincidental find that led to finding the real issue with my band. I'm almost 4 months out from surgery and have adjusted fine to life without a band. It's what I learned while I had the band that is making me maintain weight. My discipline is stronger than it's ever been but needs to be even stronger when it comes to nutrition. The back pain has subsided and I no longer anticipate feeling like that on a daily basis. I'm still working toward my goal weight and almost there! Moral of the story: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! I waited too long to see my doctor about the pain. I suffered for months and months because part of me didn't want to know the truth. I was scared that it was the band's fault because the band had given me so much and I didn't want to believe it. So if you're feeling any unusual pain, anywhere, just talk to your doctor. And tell them everything. If I hadn't mentioned family history of gallstones then I might never have had the ultrasound and therefore never have gone back to bariatric surgeon when I did.

That is awesome that you are getting such great support. It makes me happy to see more and more US doctors willing to provide aftercare to patients who choose to have bariatric surgery in Mexico. I have a couple of patients who will be going in within a day or so of when you are, I will see if I can get them to contact you here. I know I am still in close contact with my "sleeve sister" that I met when I had my surgery done, it is amazing the bond you form with someone going through the same thing at the same time as you, and wonderful how after several years, we still remain close.

Well I called and I meet the requirements. I can make my appt with a bariatric surgeon. I have to be on a 3 month supervised diet, get a psych eval and I'm ready to go. I can't wait. Looking for a doctor to make me an appt for consultation. There's one thing...my deductible is $5K.. Whoa!!! But I don't care. I broke down and mentioned the surgery to my friend she was kind of discouraging saying every one she knows gained weight back. If his is a tool for me. I have read so many encouraging stories on here.

Good articles Hawk, especially the last one. It mentions about a 5% increase over time. I'd say that's still "not like it used to be". I like the books suggested in one of the links. I didn't know there was a Bariatrics for Dummies. Some of those are really well written.

Hi all, I was banded on 9/15/08. I am 52 years old, married with grown children. Moved to MA from MI about 2-1/2 years ago. I had my surgery at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI even though I live in MA. Going into Boston for dr appts and fills just wasn't going to be easy when I was working (at the time) in Providence, so I went through the bariatric program in RI. I need to loose about 130 lbs total. I've lost 30 lbs so far. 17 pre-op and 13 post-op (actually in the 2 wks following surgery). Since 10/1 I have been bouncing back and forth, up and down between the same 3 lbs. Typical, I know... but frustrating none the less. I would like to connect with a buddy who has been successful in losing 100+ lbs. I know the statistcs state that we will only lose 40-60% EWL over 3 years, but I would like to become an exception to that statistic, and lose 80-100%. I know it can be done, with hard work and support. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I'd love to hear from you! Vicky

I think it's good you are questioning if you are ready for surgery. I say that, because I think some people go into this unprepared. I see it all the time here, head hunger. I can safely assure you even though many don't admit it, if we're to the point of having surgery. We have food addiction issues. I took a year, before surgery and got into intensive therapy. Because I am a food addict. That's how I got to 345lbs. I weighed more than that in my life too. I am just like any other addict. (I am disabled, so I don't drive, and rely on others to take me shopping) I hid my consumption from others, even the food I was buying in my cart. I lied to people about what I was eating. Or that I was making food for others, and it was really all for me. Whole batches of cupcakes and pans of Enchiladas or enough donuts, chips and Snacks to kill an elephant loaded in my cart, was explained away as food for an upcoming party. I started panicking when I was getting low on my favorite foods. I, an out of control diabetic, was eating extremely carb heavy meals, topped off with 3 cupcakes and big glass of milk, and would sit on the sofa....and start nodding out like a heroin addict. I'd sleep for hours, wake, repeat. That was my life. Trust me, I am so aware I could fall off that wagon at any time. Emotional upsets tend to set me off...but, with the help of my therapist who I still see, twice a month, helped me find other things to replace that good feeling I got from nodding out on the sofa. Now, that I am 50 lbs away from my goal...I am so determined, and have said goodbye to not only 145lbs, but all those huge clothes that used to hang in my closet. Along with all those bad eating habits I had. Gone, but not forgotten. I kept the outfit I wore the day of my surgery, as a remembrance of where I came from. My surgeon told me, I shouldn't experience physical hunger, and for the past 10 months he's been right. I have not had physical hunger since my surgery. He did his job. I did my job too, because I have not had head hunger either. That was because I worked through the what's and why's. What happened in my life that made me want to eat my emotions? What was missing in me that made me want to fill it up with food? Why couldn't I stop on my own? I had a LOT to face. More than most of these bariatric programs ever even attempt to cover with their psych evaluations. Sorry, 1 test, and an hour with a Psychologist is NOT enough. So, yes, ask yourself if you are ready, because the head hunger, that's probably not going to go away. In my opinion, you really need to get that in check. I'm not being mean or harsh, just real with you. I wish you luck with everything. If you really want this....it's yours.

Hi. We are not affiliated with either Dr. Ortiz or Dr. Ramos-Kelly. But we do have a team of 7 board certified surgeons that work with Bariatric Pal and have your health and well-being as their #1 priority. What helps BP stand apart from the rest is the personalized service that is offered to each individual patient both by the doctors and the on-site BP staff. i am available to talk or chat at any time. robert@bariatricpal.com or (619)726-4450

In regards to the other post discussing what people should and shouldn't be saying in forums, as I originally said, call your doctor, but the information I provided is based upon being a licensed medical professional, so I didn't just pull it out of my butt. Sometimes people on forums actually know more about specifics of certain diseases than do doctors who are specialized. As an example, my surgeon didn't realize that the depo shot was not contraindicated in the same way that the pill is. Given the few people who take depo compared to oral contraceptives and the fact that he is a bariatric surgeon and not an OB/GYN really doesn't make it a big deal that his patient knew more about a drug than he did. Asking questions in online forums can give you a huge variety of answers that let you better research the issue and discuss it in an educated capacity with your physician. Should you rely 100% on something posted here? Of course not, but this is still a valuable source of information especially given that plenty of people on here are actually people who work in healthcare.

Hi Casey I guess I could consider myself a "third generation bariatric". Grandma, Aunt, Mom, and Dad all had surgery before my wife and I did. My Grandma and Aunt had it back in the 90s (Aunt in her 20s, Grandma in her 50s). Mom had it in early-mid 2000s (40ish age), and Dad had surgery in 2010 (he had just turned 50). With Grandma, Mom, and Dad, they were so heavy for so long that between getting older and having been too heavy for too long and some damage being done, they still had issues with their joints or health. Grandma and Mom have both had knee replacements, despite remaining relatively healthy since their surgeries. Dad had triple bypass heart surgery last year. My Aunt has been relatively healthy. None of my relatives regret the surgery, but I can bet if I asked my parents or Grandma, they'd all probably wish they had their WLSs sooner. I had surgery in 2017, three days before my 29th birthday. Doctors have told me that, despite my lifelong being obese (probably been "the fat kid" since 2nd grade), I haven't done any significant damage. Pre-op I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and a vitamin D deficiency (I live in upstate NY, everyone has a vitamin D deficiency!). And since my surgery, I've trained and completed two full marathons, and have more to come. I was training for a marathon this spring, but COVID-19 canceled that one, as well as another long distance race has been canceled. I feel like I have the rest of my life to do things I've never even dreamed of doing! When I wife and I were dating, she asked me if I had considered it (I was a 380 pound 22 year old) I took what I call a "typical man" position and told her "I'm young enough that I can lose the weight myself", which was true, but I couldn't maintain it, and I never got as light as I am now (230-240 neighborhood, with approx. 20% body fat). Sorry for the long backstory, but I fully support having surgery in your 20s. Probably 95% of the people I've spoken to about surgery say their biggest regret is not having it sooner. Good luck to you!

Hi Breanna, I hope you won't mind me sharing some answers even though I'm much earlier in the process than you (pre-op research phase). 1. what is your biggest fear with the surgery and why? Besides surgical complications (i.e., stricture, adhesions, internal scarring, having to redo the surgery for some reason), my biggest fear is not correctly handling my vitamin/nutrient needs at any time post-surgery. I've watched YouTube videos of people many years out from surgery who either lapsed in taking their Vitamins and suffered ill effects or one who "overdosed" on B6 (found in Protein, B complex vitamins, energy drinks) and got sick as B6 is not a routine lab test even for bariatric patients. Of course I plan to be complicit with the Vitamin recommendations of my NUT, but in the past I've put my medical needs second or third to work and mental health issues, so I'm weighing the possibility of that happening again if I get WLS and thinking of how to make sure I prioritize my physical health. 2. Who has been your biggest supporter for your surgery so far? And how has that impacted your decision? My mom, whether she realizes it or not. She's not 100% in favor of the surgery, but she knows I'm an adult, has my best interests at heart, and listens to me. 3. What is your goal weight and why? I'll probably take my doctor's lead on this one, as a major motivating factor for my surgery is comorbidities. I think the remission of my sleep apnea will be the deciding factor. Honestly, I've never been in 100s as an adult (I'm 5'5") so I don't have a weight I'm able to envision. It'd be nice to be in straight sizes for clothes, but I make do at my current size and am sure I'd do fine as a 16, 14, or 12, as well. 4. What was the one thing that made you be for sure about the surgery? Being diagnosed/experiencing four to five major comorbidities (including diabetes type 2 and most recently sleep apnea) has made me realize I am scared to go on the way I am. I'm not 100% for sure on the WLS yet, but am seriously considering it. 5. What is one thing you are giving up that you will truly miss having? As I understand it, unless something causes severe dumping there's no need to avoid it totally (with the exception of carbonated beverages, alcohol, depending on your body). I guess the hardest thing will be cutting back on sedentary activities I enjoy (computer, reading) in order to move more. 6. If you have had the surgery or are getting ready for it... what is one piece of advice you have for those that are just starting their journey? Listen to a VARIETY of voices from people who have been there. YouTube is a great place to hear from others, both positive and negative. People here and on YouTube recommended The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery, 2nd Ed. by Cynthia Alexander which I'm halfway through and feel good about recommending to others, too. Hope this helps, Breanna. Best wishes as you continue to move forward.

hi theekimmy my bmi was too low for anyone i contacted in the u.s. to do surgery on me. I found dr arturo rodriguez in monterrey, Mexico who did band surgery on me 9/24. about a week afterwards i went to nyu's bariatric center and had dr. george fielding check arturo's work. fielding said Rodriquez did an excellent job. rodriguez' fee wasd $7900, a third of what i would have had to pay at nyu. dr. fielding also said that he would band patients whose bmi's are too low (according to most docs) but who have good cause to get the band. (i had the band put in mostly as a prophylactic measure because of side effects from drugs i will have to take for the rest of my life from newly diagnosed lupus). here is the contact info for both docs: dr. arturo rodriguez: md@thebariatric.com dr. george fielding: (212)263-3166 good luck anya

I had WLS in Massachusetts & about a year later moved to California. The hospital I worked with in MA is a bariatric center of excellence. However, once I moved, they weren't helpful at all. They wouldn't suggest any names to contact for followups. Instead, they told me to go online & find support. They said it in a nice way, but almost useless is almost useless. I hope your experience is better. Good luck!

Yeah, my PCP is running some labs for me now because I can't make it up to Chicago for my 6 month follow up. But I made a copy of the ones from 3 months, she ordered the exact same things. If I did have to relocate, I'd def establish with a bariatric physician to do my annuals.

Nope,i'm kinda part of her group here. She's scheduled February 20th for a RnY & she's been posting about her journey on the Out with the Old In with the New thread on Bariatric Pal. I'd be the first to tell you she can be a hoot but she also has all her basic facts straight, one of my favorite people. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

The best advice I can give you is to call Tricare directly. Anytime I have had to change a specialist for one reason or another, they have always been helpful. Just ask for a list of bariatric surgeons in the area, research them, decide who you want for your surgeon, call and ask if they are accepting new patients, and then tell your PCM to give you a referral to that doctor.

Bariatric Eating has an unflavored Protein (it's called PURE) that is outstanding. Add it to broth---but stick to liquids if that is what you were told to do. My doctor has his patients start on pureed protein on Day Three--but there's no way of knowing if my doctor's surgical technique differs from yours. Your surgeon gave you instructions based on what he did to your body--and you need to follow them. Find a way to stick to it. (The bullets are made of protein that is not as bioavailable--readily used by the body---as whey protein isolate. It's better to find a low-volume whey protein option; bariatriceating.com's Inspire and PURE lines require just 4 oz. of liquid--and are very good. I happen to like them with more liquid--but that's just me. I drink the Dutch chocolate protein warmed and it's something I look forward to rather than dread--and I never wanted to see a protein shake again, either. These changed my mind.)

hey don't feel bad it is very hard to go cold turkey after years of enjoying something that was so comforting to us and that's why I put call the Bariatric police because some people are so fuckin judgemental like has anybody honestly been 100% perfect in their journey please tell me who have no shame in my game to hell with the rest of them ✌ I could not agree more. This journey is one all of us chose to do as adults. And I am really happy someone had the courage to be honest about some of the things they have had the desire to do and did. And to say "you will not get support when you need it" is crazy to me. We're human beings and should never look down on one another. I will be having my surgery Tuesday and posts like these let me see another side to it and make me understand how real this is and how we need to cope. Not everything is easy. If taking a bite and being happy and being able to maintain helped then that is a small victory. I read from others that after 2 yrs post op they still take a bite chew it up and then spit it out. At the end of the day we should be free of judgement on this site and if you don't agree then feel free to show that in a non attacking manner. Were all adults and thank you @@Cars for this post.

I have been in the position of responsibility for infrastructure and upgrades and I was a paid full-time employee. I never had to endure the amount of abuse and bitching that has happened here in the last few days. If I had, I would have gone straight to my boss and HR. The amount of abuse that has been heaped upon Alex and his colleagues due to this upgrade has been downright ugly at times. I just hope people realize that he could decide to just close the site completely and do something else with his free time, and that we should all be grateful to him for the time and money he has thrown into this site, just to educate people about bariatric surgery. This is not a government-sponsored website and it is certainly not our right to have access to it. It is our privilege. SydneySusan, fair enough, keep giving feedback. But can't we all be a bit nicer about it?

Yes - and I am preparing myself for the worst, but hoping for the best. I do hope that because it's a Bariatric Center vs. a normal hospital, they are willing to help me. I realize that insurance qualifications are what they are, but keeping my fingers crossed! It's always best to have hope and a good coordinator on your side. I agree that a bariatric center is much better in terms of insurance approval because many times if your in a good place the coordinators are specially trained to obtain approvals because they want your money:). Also if your insurance has centers of excellence definitely go to them. It makes a difference! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm the wife of an AF retiree, and we have Tricare Prime. (Triwest). I've seen my PCM for a referal to the surgeon, been to the info seminar and submitted all my pre-authorization paperwork. The bariatric dept isn't expecting any problems with Triwest. Now all I have to worry about is that I don't have any co-morbidities (not that I want any!) and I've lost nearly 15lbs recently (Oh sure - now my body decided to have a total mystery weight loss - I haven't changed a thing). I just want to be sure I'm still over the 200% thing so there's no problem with the approval. I may go to the surgeon's office with my pockets full of quarters or diving weights and drink about a couple of liters of Water before I get on the scale! Always Hunzi

I agree with KCgirl. Your employer has chosen not to include Bariatric surgery as part of what they purchade insurance coverage for. Definitely reach out to HR. An appeal won't work. Sorry. Hope you eventually get it covered and get your surgery ! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app