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Because they don't sound as smart when they do. If you have to stop and think about what they mean, they feel extra special. ;o) Five year studies are coming out. Doc's already have access to them, the study is the largest study available so far. It is supposed to show that sleeves do not stretch like a banded pouch does, weight loss is better, it is faster (no bandster hell, no waiting for restriction), etc. This info is being given to bariatric docs first at various seminars throughout the country. Banding: 1-2 pounds per week, 50-70% EWL Sleeves: 2-3 pounds per week, 70-80% EWL I don't put a lot of stock into the EWL, I think that is all very individual and I don't think it is tracked well over the patient's long term weight loss journey. But sleeves do afford better and faster weight loss with fewer complications. It's a matter of what works for each person.

You can do this! It takes time to figure everything out and straighten out the details but I have faith in you! I had this problem, too. I called my insurance and asked what I need to do for the lap band (what testing I needed for the insurance etc) They said that they could not release the information. My doctor called my insurance and I started contacting bariatric surgery centers on my own. My surgery center is called Bridges. They had all the info that I needed for my surgery. Maybe you can call around your area for bariatric surgery centers? They were the biggest help for me. You would of course have to ask if they take your insurace. =) Good Luck

Hey everyone, I am scheduled for Wed morning and have a few questions. I have been reading about anesthesia for bariatric surgery and see that suggestions are made to intubate the patient while they are awake, or wait to remove the breathing tube until after the patient is awake. For those that have had the sleeve, do you remember having the tube placed or removed? Especially for those folks with sleep apnea- what was your going to sleep/waking up experience like? Also, did they give you anything to calm nerves before they rolled you into the surgery room? Needless to say, I am getting hit with the nerves now. Thanks!

I think my insurance will cover the surgery, but it has a history of not covering stuff 100%. For my mom's knee replacement surgery, for example, it only covered around 80%, and she had to have the surgery or be put in a wheelchair. Of course, I don't know if that was their usual practice for every surgery, or if it was just because the doctor wasn't a participator in their insurance program (don't know if he was or not). I have found several bariatric surgeons that do participate in my insurance program, so I am hoping to get it covered 100%. I am just hoping they consider my health conditions that are caused by my weight to be severe enough to cover it.

*Dr. Daniel Huacuz* also messed up on my friend`s band. She had her surgery on December 2007 and since then was having extremelly strong pains. Since I have the band as well I kept on telling her that sometimes we do have pain but she needed to check with her doctor. Before surgery Dr. Huacuz called her many times and answered each and every question she had, however this picture changed after surgery, she could not get a hold of him often and every time she talked to him he was very rude to her. Once I called him and while he talked to me I could hear a beeping sound on the background, sounded like he was in the surgery center at the same time - hopefully not performing a surgery.! Last week, my friend passed out and was taken to the ER with her nails and lips turning purple... when the bariatric surgeon got inside he found an inamed band that was place in the wrong portion of her stomach and on top of that it was an old type of band, one that is not even produced by inamed any longer. My friend said that the day before surgery, Dr. Huacuz showed her small, new band and said that was the style she was getting.... All I know is that my friend is now doing well after the nightmare... she is glad to have that band removed and to be receiving the care of a new doctor.

I went to Tijuana and used Dr Jesus Martin Lopez Dominguez through Bariatric Pal. I rate my experience a 15 out of a possible 10. Yes he does suture over the staples. My total cost was just over $4,000 including airfare. Now I will say that I booked mine while they were having a special, so it may be s little more right now. The doctor is very talented and attentive. He made house calls while I was in Mexico and was eager and thorough to answer all of my questions. His staff was amazing also and the Bariatric Pal staff was so professional and pleasant. I highly recommend all of them

Try bariatric forums on Facebook. My surgeon has a support group page which is good because the majority of his patients are local to me. Oh, and I'm in Perth, Western Australia

Seems like it is common. I was going to Banner Gateway. I got everything done but egd. They called ins for authorization and it was a no go. Apparently banner is a center of excellence but not a center of blue distinction. Insurance is anthem bcbs. They told me st luke or scottsdale bariatric. When i called them they didnt know they were a center of blue distinction. I have googled centers of blue distinction and their name came up. You would think they would know. You would have thought when banner first called to find out my benefits someone could have told them. So now I'm having all records transferred. Hurry up and wait!

....was TODAY! I arrived at the surgery center at 6:30 am. They had me changed, did the last minute testing, started my IV, and got me all hooked up. After a blood thinner shot and some Pepcid in the IV, I was almost ready to go. They put these things on my legs, too, that fill with air and release to keep the risk of blood clots down. About 8:20, they gave me some medicine to relax me (loved it) then wheeled me into the OR. As they were hooking me up, they put an oxygen mask on and told me to take deep breaths. After about 5, I was OUT. Next thing I remember is the nurse pulling something out of my throat and thinking I must have thrown up...lol. but, the nurse just said, "You are just waking up...it is all done with." They gave me some pain meds and let me relax. I must say, the next two hours, I was miserable. Not because I was hurting, but because I was hooked up to everything and couldn't get comfortable..plus, trying to wake up. Once that passed, i was fine. And, it really wasn't bad. The woman in the room next to me I could hear was having a hard time, saying she couldn't breathe over and over. yikes! what a feeling! My dad said he had the same feeling after being put under for his heart surgery so I'm guessing it's a side effect from being put under. But, even now, as I sit here typing, I am only a bit sore, not sleepy, and just going about my 'relaxation schedule', as the kids are with parents! It's actually a mini vaca....lol When I did my barium swallow at 11:30, it was soooo cool to see it go down the tube! I'm a geek :-) Even cooler was the Gatorade G2 they gave me after. I was soooooo thirsty! By noon, I was given my breathing apparatus and discharged. The husband stopped, filled my anti nausea and Lortab meds, picked me up some Gatorade G2 (the ONLY thing I failed to get at the store pre surgery), and stayed with me. All afternoon, I have been taking my meds, drinking (albeit slowly) lots of Gatorade and water. My surgeon said I am good to have water, protein shakes, Crystal Light, Gatorade, Water, Juice, Popsicles, Soup (any kind without "chunks"), Jello, etc. While not real hungry at all, I did take in some yummy tomato soup. Looking at the soup that has sat in my pantry forever looked far more appealing than my protein shakes...lol. However, tomorrow, I will force some protein shakes down so I can get some real nourishment. On Monday, I can move up to pureed food, pudding, etc until I meet with the doc again on Friday. I can not say enough about Dr. Malley (KC area), New Hope Bariatrics, and the WONDERFUL nurses and staff. They are greater than I ever thought possible. I received the best treatment from there than I have ever had anywhere. I do have one question for you bansters, though, if you are somehow still reading this novel.....when does gas pain start?

I can tell you from my own experience that the hospital process was incredibly smooth. It was kind of like hanging out. Got a beeper when I checked in. Beeper went off, went to the pre-op room, met with one nurse to go over medical history again. Told her I am a tough person to get an IV going and she called a different IV nurse into the room. Changed into the hospital garb, and then talked to the bariatric coordinator (who had been sleeved herself), until the anesthesiologist came in and put me in happyland. Woke up 3 hours later and it was over. The first week was not a lot of fun...the first full day home was the worst as I now had to get my own fluids in. Only pain I had was at the large incision point, no nausea at all. After a week, pain virtually gone. Averaging about 5 lbs lost per week. You will do fine. Complications are extremely rare in this surgery. My surgeon has done thousands of these operations and has never had a leak. Worst case if you have a leak is they do a bypass...not the end of the world.

Yes I have insurance, but does not cover Bariatric Surgery for my low BMI. It's not the fact that I had a hernia repair that I am upset about, It's the fact that they charged a complete surgery in the amount of $9,500 just for the Hernia in addition to the $15,000 lapband surgery.

Just curious, have any of you done a thru-hike or pilgrimage after bariatric surgery? In particular, has anyone done the Camino de Santiago after bariatric surgery? How was it? How did you handle eating? Did you gain/lose/maintain weight? Insights you can share? I had surgery Sept 4th. I am losing weight at a nice pace. I have just reached a BMI under 30. I am walking 6 miles a day now (still easy walking, but at a brisk pace). I am just beginning to do Yoga/Pilates again (when I can get my daughter to dance in time for me to get to class). And I have just booked a flight to Paris/back from Barcelona... but in between I am planning on doing the Camino de Santiago (French Way) from St Jean Pied de Port! I am super excited. I am planning to up my fitness routine steadily until I leave. I am already buying any gear I don't have and trying to figure out how to keep weight down in my backpack. Buying smaller clothes will sure help that! Hopefully I am a Medium by then if not smaller. Anyhow, any tips on what you did to get you through a thru-hike? This is my first thru-hike. I have always wanted to do one, but I am using this as more motivation to keep going on my weight loss and getting fit. I selected this one because I don't have to carry my tent and all my food for many days at a time, and I SHOULD have an actual bed to sleep in every night. Anyhow, excitied, nervous, and really not sure how I will be handling food by then. I am doing better with hydrating now. I am eating small meals without problems. I have never gotten sick from anything I ate or overeating.

I would think that your surgeon's office should have papers for the psych. My appt. was about an hour and my surgeon refers people to 2 psychologists that work within the bariatric program. The psych I saw asked mostly about my life, support system, past weight loss experience, etc. Everything was related in some way to weight or surgery and she didn't ask any of those off the wall questions like "do you like tall women?", lol. And yes, I actually had that question in a psych eval for a job!

Hi all! I am new to the forum as well. I started my journey in July 2015. I had my sleep study done and signed up for a weight management class which is required by my insurance which is Kaiser. I had to wait until November to start because the classes fill up fast. It was an 8 week class. After that I attended the orientation on January 27th. Then I had to have a hour appointment with the nutritionist and social worker for the program. I had that appointment on 4/20 and had my blood work done. Now I am waiting for the bariatric team to review my chart on 5/4 and call to set a consult with the surgeon. I have lost 41lbs since starting my class in November. I am so excited to get the call for my next step! Thanks for reading this and I am so glad I found this forum! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Just wanna say hi fellow Virginians! There aren't any Bariatric surgeons close by here in southwest VA so my surgery is in TN. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thanks, i dont personal know anyone who has had bariatric surgery so its kind of hard to know who people suggest

I have had multiple complications since my RYGB on 7/18/16. I have had emergency kidney stone surgery, multiple hospitalizations for what was finally determined to be a marginal ulcer, and dysautonomia which is uncontrolled low blood pressure (60/40 or less). In addition I still have to vomit 2-3 times a month or more after a meal when I hurt for 2 hours & know whatever I ate won't go down. I am not complaining, but also I rarely (once every 3 months or so) have upper abdominal pain that is so intense that I can't breathe, let alone drive, walk, speak. It puts me down for 5-10 minutes and scares the hell out of my family, my patients, and my staff. The intense pain usually subsides after a few minutes of lying on my right side. The chief of the Bariatric Surgery dep't here thinks I'm having temporary small bowel intussusception. I know I don't have an internal hernia as my RYGB surgeon was very careful about that. Usually intussusception advances to bowel death requiring surgery, but mine resolves after a few minutes in the right position. Has anyone else experienced this?

I have been trying since last June to see a surgeon for bariatric surgery. Global health has continued to deny my request to meet the surgeon and all together denied the surgery request by my Primary Care DR. My primary care doc and his nurse were very helpful to get all paperwork sent in to Global Health with the request. I also had their requirements met with another support letter from my Endocrinologist. So now I am moving forward as a self pay patient. My appeal was even denied. I am starting to believe that Global Health states that they will pay for bariatric surgery just to get new members to sign up. Has anyone else had any luck with Global Health?? I would be very interested to know. Also, should I send a letter to the Insurance Commission?

I just need to vent for a moment. Nearly everyone I've told about this surgery thinks they have some way to relate. What is it with people? If they've dieted, they think they know the same issues, or had another surgery, or ate baby food. Has anyone else had this? I'm glad I limited who I've told. This is annoying.[emoji36]

When I was deciding between the band and the sleeve I read the study results that that article quotes... definitely changed my decision!! It just makes sense to me... you put something into your body that is not meant to be there and eventually you are going to get problems! Even though the sleeve hasn't been around for that long, and so there aren't many long-term stats, people have had gastrectomies for other reasons for years! For example people with stomach cancer... and those patients live long healthy uncomplicated lives. So even though it is new for bariatric surgery that type of procedure is not new at all. I found that that comforted me and helped me make my decision. Thanks for posting that link!

Welcome, and congrats on getting your surgery! 20 pounds in two weeks is awesome. The first few weeks are the hardest because you are very limited in what you can eat but you're not seeing all the rewards from the weight loss yet. The good news is that it gets easier! At two weeks out, you're probably either on purees or soft foods, right? It won't be too long before you can start eating real food (it may feel like an eternity, though). I've discovered some great new bariatric-friendly recipes on Pinterest that I really like. There are times when I miss being able to eat like I did before surgery, but at 6 months out, I'm getting used to my new eating habits and I'm loving my results. I, too, have had to work on slowing down my eating. I bought a set of tiny forks and spoons (they are listed as cocktail forks/spoons if you want metal rather than plastic baby forks/spoons), which helps for taking smaller bites. I set a timer to go off every 30 seconds, and I try to chew for the first 30 seconds and then wait another 30 seconds to take the next bite (so 1 minute between bites).

I can relate to how not knowing why a when Dr Ben Meir left St Vincents. I just could not swallow it very well but I felt if I did find out where and when he opened up a new center I would be changing. I do not know how his replacement Dr Hassan would have been and I could not swallow having him instead of Ben Meir. I researched Ben Meir thoroughly and was very happy with choosing him to do my sleeve. Even though I had to settle for the replacing Dr Hassan I found little about him. So when I heard he opened up new office in Willoughby Hills I got on the phone and got it restarted. Changed up to my original choice. Plus the PCP (Dr Jurcevic) Dr Ben Meir chose for my 6 mth Med Super Diet was 80% better than St Vincents Dr Salomon. I could not be happier. Brook is great, Claudia is too> They have a new receptionist Cindy who is sweet as well. I am tickled pink it all worked out great! Personally I feel the Dr's are great a CC but the hospital care stinks. That just my experience. Never been to West Medical Center or to TriPoint Medical Center but it will be one of those Hospitals for the surgery. He has begun renovating a wing for Bariatric Surgery at TriPoint Medical Center but in my case it may not be ready by my surgery date and if not I will be having it done West Medical Center. Both hospital are from Lake Health.

I think you would be great going with either CC or St Vincent's. Dr. Ben-Meir did my VSG on Feb. 5 and he and his staff (and the hospital staff) have been wonderful! This may seem like a silly consideration, but it is so much easier to get in and out of the St. Vincent office. So if you need to take time off from work for pre-op and post-op appt's, it's just easier to park at SV and not have to take a whole half day off of work, etc. Dr. Phil Schauer at CC also is very well-known for laparoscopic bariatric surgery and he does a lot of research in this area that has been published in well-known journals. I'm not sure if CC is doing as many VSGs as Dr. Ben-Meir--I would ask. They are doing a clinical trial for gastric plication, which is stitching the stomach up instead of removing it. I asked Dr. Ben-Meir about it and that's not a surgery of choice for him--if you are curious, ask him. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. I was happy with my choice to go to Dr. Ben-Meir.

I have mercy insurance and it covers bariatric surgeries but only from Mercy doctors. Dr Elizabeth Ann Hooper is the only surgeon I found that does bariatric procedures but I cannot find any reviews on her. I know all the facts on her (when she graduated, where she did her residency) but no personal reviews. Any help?

I signed the consent forms for removal of gallbladder and biopsy of Liver if necessary. Came out of surgery and with my gallbladder and no liver biopsy. I will definitely ask on my post op appointment why he felt it wasn't necessary to remove my gallbladder....We had this talk prior to surgery and told him to just take it out so that I wouldn't have to in the future.. Got some splainin to do lucy! HW 250/1st Lapband 198/2nd Lapband 232/Pre conversion 2/6/13 to bypass 232. Currently 206 Bariatric GW 134, Realistic GW 150