Search the Community

We have Anthem/BCBS of Indiana and like others I had to have nutritional counseling, meet with behavior therapist, release from my family physician, records of previous attempts at losing weight as well as medical records from various records shared with the bariatric surgeon. My original request was denied 16 days after submitting the "packet", but once resubmitted it was pproved within 24 hours.

I've cried at more than one of my psych appointments. But then, I continued seeing my therapist even after the mandated visit. Crying and being emotional is certainly permitted. They're trying to evaluate your mental state and fitness for surgery to make sure you'll be a successful candidate. Some psychs just rubber-stamp it (for lack of a better term), some are genuinely involved in the process and want you to be successful. Part of my approval stemmed from being willing to continue to work through the process with my psychologist (and I do know I'm very lucky to have insurance that covers these visits) because I do credit at least part of my success to having someone who is very familiar with the process (most of her patients are bariatrics patients) and understands what I'm going through at the various stages. It depends on your psych though. Was your psych a recommendation from your surgeon/bariatrics team?

My Endo prescribes calcium To me since I had thyroid cancer nearly a year after RNY. You could try the Bariatric chews.

If you want there is a Facebook group with lots of Bariatric recipes that might help you make better choices. It's called Rock's Kitchen find it and ask to be included and I have found lots of very good recipe choices. Best of luck. Brian

Hi everyone, I'm pre-op and yesterday I had an EKG and an echocardiogram. I was diagnosed with Left Ventral Hypertrophy, which I've never heard of, so, of course I googled it. It looks like it is fairly common in bariatric patients, but still sounds scary. Has anyone had any experience with this?

I'm lucky too. I love my surgeon, his two PAs, his bariatric nurses and even the receptionists. They're knowledgeable and helpful and patient. Not a single complaint here. They also have never: * Given me monthly / quarterly weight loss targets * Given me anything other than positive feedback * Treated me like an idiot * Failed to listen attentively to me * Failed to return my calls I'm not the world's fastest loser, although I haven't had any stalls either. My first three months post-op weight losses have been 10 lbs, 12 lbs, 9 lbs. I think / hope my fourth month loss (coming up in a few days) will total 10 lbs. I know that's going to slow down soon. And I would never expect anyone at my surgeon's office to give me grief. They are all about positive reinforcement there. BTW, the bariatric PA urged me last week to start moving my calories up from 800 to 1,000 as it's comfortable to do so. I'm really sorry to hear that some of your surgeons and their staffs aren't empathetic, knowledgeable and rooting hard for your long-term success. Seems like that's what their job is.

Agreed - That's my point in all of this. Don't avoid your doctor or bariatric team. Make them work for you. When they tell you they want you at a specific goal, make sure they also show you how to get there.

Guess I would have made a very bad bariatric program patient! I don't own a scale, I have no idea how many calories I consume and I certainly don't remember what I ate last week. ????. Not to mention the words I would have used if anyone told me I wasn't losing fast enough.

Even though we aren't supposed to snack I found these awesome crunchy krinkles. If you are like me and like to have something that crunches you should try these. They are found on bariatric kitchen.com. I also bought pancake batter. High Protein and ok on the carbs. The krinkles have 13g per serving size (can't tell u serving size since I cut it off...oops). They are really yummy.

I read a lot of research on this kind of surgery before even selecting the sleeve, and the epidural is recommended in the research literature, especially for bariatric patients. It enables the anesthesiologist to use less general anesthesia, so there are less complications. Obese persons tend to sequester general anesthesia in our fat, so it takes longer for us to excrete it and wake up. So the epidural reduces that problem. My epidural line was left in for almost the entire time I was there, and I received pain medication through it. It was so easy and very effective. I assure you, I walked around most of the time throughout the days, and never had any numbness. It is not a "spinal", it is in a different "compartment than a spinal". I would do it again. Trust Dr Aceves. He knows what he is doing. You will be so happy that you chose his program.

Do I get a bariatric wrist bracelet or necklace?

Here is a good plan (food plan starts on page 41) It will guide you and answer they whys of thing: http://www.muhealth.org/documents/bariatric/bariatric%20booklet%20vsg.pdf

Good morning Made! Most insurance companies seem to require a BMI of 40 or higher to qualify for RNY (or any bariatric surgery with the possible exception of the band) OR a BMI of 35 or higher with at least two "co-morbidities" such as sleep apnea, diabetes, hypertension, etc. So based on your BMI of 41, I don't think you would have a problem qualifying for RNY or the sleeve if you and your doctor decide to go that route. You must be a very special person indeed to have six children, four cats and a dog and still not have high blood pressure! LOL!! An observation if you will - you seem to be under the impression that RNY is a much more significant surgery that the sleeve. RNY is more "invasive" and takes somewhat longer to complete. But having said that, my surgery started at 7:35am and was completed shortly before 10:00am. I was out of recovery and in my room by noon and was up and walking by 2:00pm. I had virtually no pain (until the next afternoon and even then it was quite manageable) and went home on the second day. Keep in mind that we're all different and my experience is no guarantee that yours will be the same. But I encourage you to read others stories on the forum here and I think that you'll find that for most, not all but most, their story is similar. RNY has been performed for many years both in the U.S. and in other countries. There have been lots of changes and advancements over time. Based on my experience I have to say that they seem to have pretty well perfected!!

I know this may be out of your way a bit by an hour or so, but I definitely recommend Dr. Peter Leport's bariatric team located in Fountain Valley, CA. I can't say enough wonderful things about this place. They help you from "hello" to the moment you are ready to get banded. Insurance is a pain in the rear anywhere you go, but with a staff that's personal and helps you stay on track and get everything done to get approved.

The 30-day mortality rate for VSG is 0.08% according to this information: http://asmbs.org/resources/studies-weigh-in-on-safety-and-effectiveness-of-newer-bariatric-and-metabolic-surgery-procedure That's less than 1 in 1000 and remember, that 1 in 1000 likely had other health factors and risks, like heart disease, respiratory problems, etc. If you are an otherwise healthy person (aside from being obese) and are not super morbidly obese, your odds of dying are VERY VERY slim.

I don't have a recipe, but I order protein hot chocolate from bariatric choice.com all the time. It's tasty & high in protein :-)

Hello! This is my first time posting and I figured this would be the best place to ask for advice. I'm going to be getting a gastric sleeve surgery in mid 2022. I've been meeting with a nutritionist regularly, and in January will be month 6 of supervised weight loss. After that I'll meet all the requirements for insurance and can go ahead with scheduling the surgery. In July/August of this year, one of my coworkers (Emily, whom I had recently met in April), had asked if everything was okay after I came back from a doctor's appointment. I had been feeling a little overwhelmed at the time with all the information I was receiving, but I didn't want to tell her that I was considering WLS. I told her that I had a small hernia that needed to be repaired, it wasn't a big deal, but I was going to the doctor regularly to monitor it before I could get it fixed. I hated lying to her, but I was still on the fence about telling anyone about getting WLS apart from my mom and my sister. I thought that this would be a good cover as well, since we work together and I'll need to take some time off to recover, but I knew that I didn't want to tell our other coworkers the real reason for my operation. Here is the issue I'm currently facing. Since we met, Emily and I have become incredibly good friends. We moved in together in October, and the living situation has been perfect. We have a very healthy and communicative friendship, and get along perfectly as roommates and as coworkers. She is one of the best people I've ever met and will be a part of my life for as long as I live. And I've already lied to her about the surgery. I realize this might be more of a moral dilemma than anything; I want to tell her that I'm getting WLS. I know that she'll be supportive. But I also don't want to put her in an uncomfortable place with the rest of our coworkers where she knows something that they don't. I don't know if I should roll with the hernia story and tell her that I've decided to get WLS at the same time (since small hernias can be repaired at the time of bariatric surgery), which will still be true to the rest of our coworkers as far as she knows. Emily isn't my boss in any capacity; she's been there a bit longer than I have, but we're in the same position so there's no issue there. Or maybe I should come clean and tell her the truth and that there is no hernia, which will then hurt her because I've now carried out this lie for 5 months. I'm going to have to tell her something, especially since we live together and my eating habits will drastically be changing. I wish that I had never lied to her in the first place; she's very important to me and I want to be honest with her. But I also don't want to put her in an uncomfortable position with the rest of our coworkers either. And yes, I realize that I should have been honest at the beginning. I didn't know her as well then and was scared that she would judge me. But I love her and I want to be honest with her without hurting her. Any perspective or advice is appreciated, I really don't know what to do from here.

I never gained weight either post op, there have been fluctuations by a few pounds day to day but it was mainly Fluid. Once I was on solids I stuck to the rules with my food choices and no more than one cup if food per meal. Some days it was extremely hard as I'd be hungry all day but I would sip my fluids and keep myself active and busy. Sure there were some days where I ate between meals but I would snack on cucumber slices or carrot sticks. It's really hard when you're constantly hungry till you start getting the fills but I know I had my lapband put in because I was so so over being so overweight and and I was going to give it 110% then some to stick to my new rules and healthy eating, it's amazing how much willpower you can muster up when you really really want the weight off and you have this tool to help and a Bariatric team behind you you don't want to disappoint either with all the work they put in to seeing you succeed. I started this journey at 366 pounds and this morning my scales read 301.6 pounds, I've come such a long way these past four or five months and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the band. This journey is a new healthy journey and we need to make changes every day, mentally too, and if we can do that from the first day of being banded each week gets easier, speaking from personal experience.

January 25th, 2010. Nervous, but I know this is what I have to do. I am going with Dr. Stephen Myers with Fresh Start Bariatrics in Columbus, Ohio. Can't wait!

I wrote to my health plan to ask what the specific requirements were for bariatric surgery. This is the response I got. Hello Thank you for your email inquiry. Coverage for Bariatric Surgery for members age 18 and older is provided when authorized in advance by the Tufts Health Plan Pre-Certification Department. Coverage is for medically necessary surgery to treat morbid obesity when the member meets the Medical Necessity Guidelines submitted by the member's primary care physician or bariatric surgeon. Coverage is subject to the in-network deductible and any applicable co-insurance. I am PUMPED!!!! I know that I meet the medical necessity guidelines. I know the surgery must be at a "Center of Excellence" and my hospital is on their Center of Excellence list. I feel so much better knowing this now.

To those lurking this thread, bariatric surgeons regularly and strongly advise WLS women patients and their partners to use not just one, but two forms of birth control for 12-18 months post-op. Apparently, the rapid weight loss makes women who are still menstruating more fertile. I don't know why. But it does.

I logged your food in MyfitnessPAL (free food log app) Download food log here I hope you choose to log. It is the best tool ever. Logging helps to see if you are fueling your body correctly. It's also a motivator. At the end of the day it will tell you....If every day was like today you will weigh X amount in 5 weeks. this is an estimate i don't have your exact amounts of food, what you ate for supper or food brands. 1 breakfast sausage link winco 95 calories .5g carbs 1 large egg fried 120 calories .4g carbs 1 oz cheddar cheese 110 calories 0. carbs 1 pop tart toaster pastry 200 calories 37g carbs 1/2 white bread . 70 calories 14.g carbs 1 tablespoon olive oil mayo kraft 35 calories 2g carb3 4 oz winco deli turkey 90 calories 1.5 carbs 10 potato chips 150 calories 14 carbs SUPPER GUESSTIMATE: 2 0z grilled chicken breast 120 calories 0 carbs 2 oz french green beans 13 calories 2 g carbs 1 dinner roll 176 calories 29.5 carbs 1 jello sugar free pudding cup 60 calories 10g carb total of 795 calories 61g protein 58g carbohydrates 34 fats 21 sugars I'm saying this because I care and I want to see you successful long term. (If you don't change over to healthy foods you are going to feel regret when you don't see the results you want) I'm not sure what your bariatric diet instructions are. You might want to check with your dietician. This is what I see that is making you hungry: Carbohydrates and sugar will slow or stop your weight loss. Once you eat carbs and sugar you crave them more. Time to detox off them. My dieticians instructions that may help with your hunger and to fuel your body for weight loss. Exercise, water, protein 60 to 100 grams. Plant based carbs. Keep carbs low (no potato bread, baked goods, crackers, chips, fries ) 3 meals with 2 snacks for the day. Spreading your food out 6 meals a day will help with hunger. 4 oz Lean meats, (protein shakes, bars, quest chips) sugar substitute (no sugar) Vegetables are your carb source eat as much as you want with your protein. the fiber will help you feel full longer.cheese and sugar free yogurt. fruit in small amounts (avoid apples and bananas for now they are high in carbs) Getting your water in will help with weight loss. Drink 30 mins after your meal. This will help with hunger. After you lose 75% of your weight you will add healthy low glycemic carbs to slow /stop weight loss for maintaining your weight. healthy low glycemic carbs: two tablespoons brown rice, sweet potato, whole wheat pasta and bread If I have left out anything I hope others will add more suggestions.

Too true, too true, but we will do with what tools we have. I just felt bad you weren't given credit for all you have done already. Rather like " If you still think I'm too large, you should have seen where I came from!" GSVguy, I look at my pre surgery pictures,I cry because I didn't realize the size of me I was presenting to the world🌎! And I thought I was looking good, really I did. But out of that train wreck I built and am still building a NEW ME! I am still legally obese at 31.1, almost ready to drop into Overweight, but I started at 52, that is Abundantly Morbid Obesity, probably within death in a couple years if a ❤attack , stroke or cancer didn't carry me off first! That is a very Scary Larry circumstance, Bariatric Surgery was my best hope and almost my last hope, so even on my discouraged days , I might bad-mouth myself but not my surgery! It gave me back hope, I just got to stay the course until I can take a VICTORY Lap. If you have read my past postings you'll notice I haven't always had sunshine , flowers and bluebird singing in the trees. But I will still prevail, I HAVE COME TOO FAR TO JUST COME THIS FAR! I am not a quitter, I am Red-headed, stubborn, and I'm gonna hang around till the finish. If I die in process, so be it, but I WILL HAVE TRIED. And the Gold Ring may still be mine!

Your bariatric surgery team. Mine has follow up, for years, and if I need to talk to a dietician or psych about stress eating or whatever, I can.

For a little background info, I was diagnosed with Crohns in 2011, have been asymptomatic since 2012 and stopped my crohns medication in 2013 due to loss of insurance. I started my WLS journey 9 months ago in July. At my first appointment my surgeon thought I may have been misdiagnosed and recommended I have a colonoscopy as WLS is contraindicated for people with Crohns. He seemed pretty sure I did not have Crohn’s since I had very mild symptoms before being diagnosed. I wasn’t able to get a colonoscopy until the end of October, and it came back still indicating I do indeed have Crohn’s. My GI doctor wasn’t sure why I wasn’t having symptoms, but did see inflammation which was contained to my colon. She put me on mesalamine and wanted to do calprotectin labs to check inflammation in February. I returned to my surgeon and was informed that he did not feel comfortable performing WLS with this condition. I was pretty devastated but wasn’t going to let it get me down. I had lost 20 pounds (10 pounds more than the goal he had set for me) and accepted the fact that I will have to do this on my own. A month later I was called back into the bariatric clinic and my surgeon had went to a bariatric surgery conference in DC and proposed my case and spoke with other surgeons and all of a sudden he was able to offer me the sleeve. He advised against RNY due to if I ever became symptomatic I might require addition surgery as it could spread. I was looking to do full RNY due to the possibility of having dumping but I would take the sleeve over nothing. The catch was we have to wait until the inflammation in my colon goes down. 3 months was basically wasted on the mesalamine. Nothing changed. My GI doctor started me on a 2 month prednisone taper. Prednisone is the freaking devil. I gained 23 pounds but had the labs re-done and my inflammation went down from 374 to 81 and normal was Now my VSG is scheduled for 5/31! Does anyone else have Crohn’s? Have you had problems?