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Co-morbidities may be broad but some insurance companies are picky about the ones they count. UHC, in particular, has a specific list of the sort they consider. It has to be things like Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension and/or high cholesterol you are taking medicine for or something like that. Joint pain, urinary stress incontenence and things like that aren't considered by them. They have their bariatric surgery policy on their web site. You can check it out and see exactly what they say about their requirements. OTOH, I thought they had 30 days to tell you why you were denied. It's been longer than that so you may be able to get them on a technicality!

Hello all, I'm 7 months out (almost) and I am having surgery on my urethra on the 13th...am I supposed to call my bariatric surgeon and let him know???? Thanks! rain

I've been stalking bariatric surgery forums and YouTube channels for about a year and a half. I finally decided this was right for me and have started the process. I've gotten my referral, gone to the seminar, and have my appt with the surgeon on the 16th. After about 4 different calls to Tricare, speaking with my pcm, her calling the medical directer, and what my surgeon's office is saying I decided to start a medically supervised weight loss attempt (again). They can't seem to agree on if I need to have a medically supervised weight loss attempt, the length it needs to be or the time that has passed since I've tried. So I give. I'm just going to cover my bases. Anyhoo... Awesome info on this forum and you all are extremely supportive! I love that!

Make Sure There’s Something for You to Eat The worst-case scenario is sitting down to eat, looking around the table, and not seeing one semi-healthy food that’s on your WLS diet amidst the mounds of candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, dinner rolls and butter, green bean casserole, and sausage stuffing. Don’t let this happen to you! Whether you’re hosting or you’re a guest, you can always make sure there’s at least something for you to eat. Just make a big enough batch to share with the table. You can never have too many salads, sides, and desserts at Thanksgiving, so consider one or more of the following. Acorn or butternut squash roasted with garlic, rosemary, and chicken broth for seasoning. Roasted Brussels sprouts or green beans with Dijon mustard. Spinach salad with cranberries, chestnut pieces, and cubes of cooked sweet potato. Cabbage and roasted beet salad. Fresh fruit salad. Baked apples with cinnamon and sprinkled with chopped walnuts or pecans. These dishes can save your diet and dignity, and they’re pretty simple! You don’t need to aim for fancy dishes and give yourself any extra headaches in the kitchen at Thanksgiving. Protein and Veggies…You Know the Drill You know how to eat right after WLS. Thanksgiving dinner is no different. Protein comes first, then come veggies. A serving of starch can fit in, and watch out for the condiments. That sounds easy enough, and it’s what you do every other day. Ready to put it in place on Thanksgiving? Your lean protein is probably skinless turkey breast, unless you’re vegetarian or having a non-traditional Thanksgiving. Whether you have tofu, crab, chicken, ham, or venison, you can make a small serving of lean protein the center of your meal. Take mustard and only a dollop of cranberry sauce, which is high-sugar. Veggies come next. Load up on green salads, sautéed broccoli or kale, and anything roasted, such as carrots, green beans, and onions. Watch out for creamy corn and green bean casseroles and buttery vegetables. Finally, garnish your meal with a little bit of starch. Sweet potatoes are healthiest, but you can also opt for a small serving of mashed potatoes, half a dinner roll, or even a spoonful of stuffing. Pick One Special Treat You don’t need to deprive yourself completely on Thanksgiving. If you don’t let yourself have any treats, you might eventually break down and eat way too much later. Better to enjoy a few bites of pumpkin pie now and feel good about it than to cave in to the entire pie later and feel sick and guilty. Give yourself permission to choose a special treat that you love and look forward to every year. Whether it’s your mom’s sausage and apple stuffing or your brother-in-law’s homemade biscuits, let yourself have a few bites of that special treat. Savor every bite. Think about its flavors and texture, and what it means to you, and how proud you are that you can enjoy it and be satisfied with that portion. Practice Eating Slowly Eating slowly is essential on the bariatric surgery diet. Thanksgiving is actually the ideal time to practice your skills. When else do you get the pleasure of good company sitting around the table for hours? Take advantage! Engage in the conversation, and focus on the people, not the food. If you stick to the rule of not talking with your mouth full, and you put your fork down and make eye contact when you’re listening to someone else talk, Thanksgiving dinner will fly by, and you may find you enjoyed it more than ever while eating less than ever. Good deal! Don’t Let Leftovers Weigh You Down The dinner’s over, everyone’s left the table, and the house is quiet again. It’s not yet time to let your guard down, though! The leftovers can be even more dangerous than Thanksgiving dinner itself. Pack them up and get rid of the ones that are trouble – like chocolate cream pie. There are plenty of healthy ways you can use leftover turkey. One is to simply freeze it in small portions and defrost them when you need them. You can also try any of these ideas. Turkey wraps with shredded turkey, mustard, and leftover roasted veggies wrapped in lettuce leaves. Turkey soup with a base of chicken broth, onions, carrots, and celery, plus any veggies you want. Turkey curry with cauliflower, eggplant, peas, and Indian spices. Turkey salad with cooked cubed turkey, halved cherry or grape tomatoes, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, diced pickles, and black pepper. Green salad with turkey, avocado, and black beans. There are so many healthy ways to use turkey, you may not even be sick of it after you finish the entire turkey! With these hacks and a little discipline and creativity, you can get through Thanksgiving dinner and beyond feeling healthy and confident, not stuffed and weighed down. That confidence is worth a lot, and it can carry you through the holiday season as you keep working towards your goals.

I would encourage you to continue the battle with your insurance company if they have not listed bariatric surgery as an exception. But, to answer your question, I am going to Dr. Kelly in Tijuana on Monday and I am using a passport card. A portion of the monies paid for the surgery also goes toward ground transportation from San Diego to Tijuana. It took two and a half weeks for me to get a card (I paid for it to be expedited).

Luigismama, I finally found the new list of support group dates on their website. The link is as follows: http://www.pvsurgical.com/bariatric/West_Springfield.pdf The next meeting is 2/23 at 6:30 but I would get their early for a good seat. I got their 5-10 minuets early last time and still had to wait for them to put out more chairs. I can't make the meeting in Feb. but I do plan on going in March to see if maybe it was just because it was the first time they combined them. Who knows maybe the have a plan on how to include those who have had the surgery more. We will see. :thumbup:

I was banded on 8/2010 by Dr Lusco at Sts Mary’s and Elizabeth Hospital in Louisville KY. Dr. Lusco, his office staff and the Bariatric Center at Sts. Mary’s and Elizabeth Hospital has provided me with one of the best medical experiences of my life. Their professionalism and obvious level of knowledge about all aspects of the LapBand process gave me the comfort level I needed to go forward with the LapBand operation. Somebody else in this thread stated that they are “Awesome” and that “They Rock”, I have to say that I 100% agree.

Welcome to the WLS mental battles. It’s ok to be angry. Many of us start with some buyer’s remorse. First food stages made me a bit hungry and angry. things got better with real food stage. Focus on the scale moving with your healthy choices. Keep your eyes on your short- and long-term goals. Recognize when food addiction is talking to you. Noting taste as good as weight loss:-) (make sure food suggestions are on your plan) (make sure they fit your calories and macros for the day) I like how it was said above. It’s what you can eat. bariatrics should not be torture. Food should be long term sustainable. Real food stage nutrition should be flavorful. There are healthy options for the foods I enjoy. I eat hamburgers without the bun (lettuce wrapped) I even enjoy the taste of a turkey burger patty over beef. Healthy pizza, Chicken fajitas without the tortilla, Check out bariatric friendly recipes. You will be able to go to restaurants. Make it about the conversations and quality food not crap foods. Your safe orders are protein and veggies. (replace carbs with more veggies) Kids or lite menus are also great.. You are now a cheap dinner date. Take home leftovers in a box for no cook meals later. Log them. Most restaurant menus are in MyFitnessPal food log.

Hi, I consulted with a bariatric surgeon before I even spoke to my primary about it ( you will need your primary to sign off as well so don't worry about the order, it's good to have them on board from the start, if they aren't try to convince them or switch) because I did not need a referral to consult with the bariatric program. From start to surgery just under six months. All of that time as just to complete the preop testing , there was not a required waiting period.

Every nutrition plan is different. My pureed foods list also included canned tuna and chicken, soft cheeses, etc. I also didn't have to actually puree a lot of the foods as long as I chewed thoroughly and kept things moist enough. I would ask your nutritionist if there is a recommended foods list for each stage. Here is the link to the website where my surgeon/nutritionist's office posted their food lists: http://www.mybrandnewlife.org/patient-stories-and-support/bariatric-dietitians-guide-to-successful-weight-loss/

Has any one used Alli after being sleeved? The subject of extreme constipation came up tonight with a group that gets coffee after the support meeting. The one woman is about 3 years out and she said she started taking Alli with one meal every other day for the last 6 months and that it helps hugely with the constipation. She has not been back to her bariatric but her primary said taking it at that low of a level with just 1 meal every other day would not be an issue. She had done well on her weight loss but is not underweight. She may be 20 to 25 pounds over ideal at this point. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or had asked about this. For those unfamiliar, this is the over the counter med that bonds with the fat in the meal you eat and passes it through your system instead of digesting it. She takes it with her "fattiest" meal, which isn't that fatty, but she said it's really "softening" things on the flip side of the meal. I'm really hoping I don't have this issue but it almost sounds like it's universal to WLS.

I'm truly happy for all successful banders, but even though some of us have issues not caused by slippage or erosion, does not mean we have "behavioral" issues with our bands. We are all different and there is NO "one size fits all" bariatric procedure!

Finally had my surgery on 5/25, back home and doing good so far. Had one nice chuckle while I was being poked and prodded during my 3 day hospital stay. Had my surgery at OSU (Go BUCKS!). Due to heart problems and a couple of the meds I was on, my stay was in the heart step down unit, instead of the bariatric wing. My surgeon came to see me each day, along with a cardiology team, and nutritionists. This is where it gave me a chuckle... After seeing a few different "straw topics" get posted in the past few weeks, I had asked my surgeon about it during my pre op. He said that he has no problem with his patients using a straw, and that excess air would not stretch out the sleeve. As I was taking my meds on Fri (using a straw to sip water), my surgeon and the cardiologist came in. A couple of minutes latter the nutritionist and bariatric counselor came in. She saw me sipping Water to take my meds and immediately told me I could not be using a straw. From there it was a rehash of every post I had read on here, between the 4 of them. FYI, my surgeon and cardiologist won out.

So i am in Florida. My insurance (any insurance from the Affordable care act) wont cover bariatric surgery here in Florida. So i ended up paying about $18-19,000 for my surgery at the Baptist Bariatric Center in Jacksonville, FL. Surgery went great. So far no issues. I thought about going to Mexico but i just wanted to be near home. If i would have done it in mexico i would have done it at Endohospital that is literally within walking distance from the border (but they pick you up and take you back) The Surgeon there is American trained at universities here. and this place only does sleeves. Beautiful location. here is a link to his youtube channel and a video of the facility. I think their rate is just around $10K.

@@dtiller1147 and all.. Great to hear from you. Glad all is going well. We are at a month now and it seems we're all doing quite well. So glad about that. At one month I'm 57 down and 18 since surg. Feeling great. Finally back up to my usual and customary exercises. My and my poor pups walked 13 miles yesterday...lol. 6.5 in the morning and 6.5 in the evening. Are you guys attending bariatric support groups? I go sometimes twice a week. I've really grown to appreciate the group. I've also taken on a couple of newbies to mentor....one of which is having surgery today. Just wanted to check in and which everyone a happy one month birthday. My best to all of you. @@LosingInAlaska, hope all is well. You've continued to be silent.

17 days post op & 17lbs down. Had my 2wk post op appt today....got my staples out and got advanced to phase 3 meal plan......YaY sorta solid foods....fish, ground meats....well done veggies never sounded so good. Finally got enough energy to kick my exercise up a notch. Sitting in my Bariatric Support Group now. Working the program & living the life. Feeling pretty great today.

Neither is my surgeon. He left the worst scars on me. Considering he does bariatric surgery, you would think he would know you can't tape together a fat woman's stomach incisions and expect it to heal well. Each incision spread apart much wider than they would have if he would have used something else. I think I would have rather had sutures and the marks they leave than the scars I have.

Hello everyone! I am new to this forum as well. I started my journey back in July 2015. I had my sleep study completed and then I had to register for a weight management class which is required by my insurance which is Kaiser. I had to wait until November to take the class because they fill up fast. The class lasted eight weeks and after the class I attended the orientation on January 27. My next step was to have an hour-long appointment with the nutritionist and social worker. I completed that on April 20 and also had my blood drawn the same day. Now I'm just waiting for the bariatric team to review my chart on May 4 and then call me to schedule a consultation with the surgeon. The process is so long but it is definitely well worth it. I'm so excited to get the call for my next step. I am so glad that I found this forum and glad that I have all of you for support. I would love to hear how your journeys are going and any advice that you have. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

No, I didn't say that to her. I didn't talk about it actually. She asked how much I weighed and when I told her 147 she said it was too low. Go figure. She never approved of my having the surgery, but in her defense, she doesn't have much experience with bariatric patients. She's supportive, just concerned. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi I'm wondering where was this taken from your groups policy or from the bariatric medical policy if do can you tell me which page? Thanks!

I really hate clothes shopping. I went from 270 starting the bariatric program, 226 pre op and today I weigh 212. My size 26 jeans slides off so easily! Yuk. I have a very old size 24 jeans, it fits up to my belly and it won't close. So now I am not comfortable buying clothes if that is going to happen. However, the clothes look ridiculous on me now, they are all big and baggy. So I need to go to Walmart and buy maybe 2 pants since I am not working yet. I am looking for a job. Funny thing is that my big mama size undies are getting big on me now (remember I had them for a ery long time). My daughter said to me the other day, oh mom, when you get real skinny, you need to wear thongs. Heck, there is NO WAY I am wearing butt floss. I can't think about getting rid of my big momma undies yet. My bras look funny, should I add tissues? Losing weight is an adenture for me. LOL

I started with a BMI over 60, and nobody even brought up DS as an option for me. To be honest, I thought DS was an outdated surgery that's not really being done anymore because of all the risks. I didn't realize it's still popular for high-BMI patients. The surgeon who did my RNY doesn't do DS. He recommended RNY to me rather than sleeve because of my high BMI, since RNY patients statistically lose a bit more than sleeve patients. My understanding is that the sleeve is basically the first step in DS, and that's how the procedure was developed -- surgeons would do the DS in two separate surgeries for high-risk patients, and a lot of them didn't even need the second surgery because they lost enough weight with the sleeve alone. So, that is one option: get the sleeve first and have it revised to DS if necessary. You could also have a sleeve revised to RNY. I remember seeing a bariatric surgeon on YouTube say that he recommends the sleeve to all patients because you can always get it revised, but to me, that's crazy because I don't want to have more than one surgery!

Someone suggested that I post my list of questions that I brought to my consultation. Some are redundant, sorry about that. I hope this helps and please add your questions too. ABOUT THE DOCTOR: How many gastric banding procedures have you done? Is he a board certified surgeon? What types of complications has this doctor personally encountered during lap band surgery and recovery and life with band? Is there a difference among the two different adjustable gastric bands? Do you have other Lap-Band® patients that I can talk to? Do you have a video or presentation that I can watch that shows the surgery? Do you specialize in the Lap-Band® or do you perform other procedures as well? Do you perform other gastric band procedures? What is the Realize band, pros/cons of each? What are the short term issues? What are the long term issues? What is the doctor's policy when a complication occurs during a procedure? (ie: does he discuss options with family or immediately convert to bypass or other WLS). What qualifications does this doctor have regarding the specific brand of band that will be used? (Lap-Band System, by Allergan or Realize Band by Ethicon/Johnson&Johnson) ABOUT THE PROCEDURE: Lap Band vs Realize? What is the “scarless surgery?” Do you perform the procedure on an outpatient basis or will it require an overnight stay in the hospital? What kind of anesthesia will I be getting? Will an anesthesiologist be present during the entire procedure Is the surgery being done at a surgery center or at a hospital? How will you protect me from infection/staff infection during the procedure? What types of complications has this doctor personally encountered during lap band surgery? PREPARING FOR SURGERY: What tests do I have to have prior to surgery? Will I need to have a special diet before surgery? Will you notify my primary care doctor about the procedure? Do you need any of my medical records prior to surgery? AFTER SURGERY CARE AND FOLLOW UP When can I resume taking medications? How soon after surgery do you want to see me for a follow up visit? How do does the doctor determine whether or not my band will need to be adjusted? Is there a direct line in case of Emergencies? When should I have my first adjustment/ fill? What will I need to have prepared when I get home in way of food items? When can I resume exercise? How will I manage my pain after surgery? How will I have to change my eating habits after surgery? How much weight should I expect to lose in the first month? FRIENDS AND FAMILY What help can you give me to help educate my family and friends so that they can also support me? LIFE AFTER BAND: How do adjustments work and how often will I need adjustments during the first year? Ongoing? How often will I have to see the doctor over the next year and at what cost? How is it better than other forms of bariatric surgeries like Gastric c Bypass and Gastric Sleeve? What is the expected weight loss? How much time will be required for losing weight? Is there possibly a better weight surgery for me?

At least if there are serious complications, the procedure can be reversed; lap band removed & you're on your way. Can't say that once 75% of your stomach is removed, or your digestive system has been rewired. My surgeon is not a huge fan of the band, either. I don't know that many bariatric surgeons are. But even with all of its potential ongoing problems, it's STILL less risky than the other options. I remain hopeful.....

ok...so I started at Nordstrom yesterday. And they have Aetna PPO insurance. The HR manager is checking to see if they allow bariatric surgery. If they do...I am a shoe in. way over BMI of 40. Way over the 100 pounds over weight. A few comorbidities. No problem. Dh's insurance is United Healthcare. Great right? No. All of their new policies they are sneaking in an exclusionary clause for no bariatric or nutrition coverage. So we are not covered. So we have chosen to get my surgery with Dr. Sanchez in monterrey Mx. But now there is the possiblity that it will be covered. Dr. Sanchez is an amazing doctor. He has done a lot of lap bands. (over 5k) And the hospital is a great american owned hospital in one of the most beauiful cities in Mexico. What do I do? If I go with the insurance I can't even start the process until july 1st. There is a waiting period before the insurance kicks in. Do I go for the insurance covered surgery, wait the extra time? Is there anything I should do until then to help make the process go quickly after the insurance kicks in? Or do I go with the years of exp and the many many lap bands under his belt, and the amazing hospital in the amazing city in mx? To some this may be a no brainer on either side, but I am really stuck trying to figure this out. Thanks in advance.