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there are about a billion different policies - all different - some are provided by your employer, or if your employer is small enough and doesn't legally have to provide it, then you can buy your own. costs are all across the board. Deductibles are all across the board. What you have to pay once you've met the deductible is all across the board. This is what makes US health care such a nightmare. as for mine, I have a $500 deductible. Once I meet my deductible, I pay 10% of whatever the cost is. There IS an out-of-pocket limit meaning whenever you get to that point, everything is paid 100%, but I almost never get that high (I think one of the few times I did was the year I had bariatric surgery) I don't think there's a "typical" health insurance policy, though, so there's not really an "average". as far as bariatric surgery goes, some policies cover it, some don't. oh - and most people have to pay a monthly amount, even if the insurance comes with their job. I think ours is around $250 a month. We didn't have to pay anything per month originally, just the deductible, but that was YEARS ago. for example, if my surgery was $30,000, I would pay the first $500, plus 10% of whatever is over $500. I can't remember what our out-of-pocket limit is, but let's say $5,000. So once I've paid $5000 of my own money, then insurance pays 100% of anything over that.

Welcome Crystal, I'm new as well, just found the forums. We are on similar journeys. I had my surgery on 11/26/19. I didn't really have much pain, but I had a horrible open gallbladder removal surgery done in June of '19 so any pain I did have would have paled in comparison. So sorry you had so much pain. Hope you are doing well on your journey. I've lost about 66lbs to date, but I've hit a horrible stall for the last few weeks. So very frustrating, but apparently very normal. So glad I found these forums so that I don't feel like a complete and utter failure.

I am now 10 days into the full 3mg dose. The side effects, if any, have been minimal for me. I have had some general sour stomach, other than that, not much negative from it. My appetite has decreased substantially, but my late night cravings for a sweet snack have not left completely. With the medicine, I've also started the intermittent fasting, not eating anything until 10AM. Once I eat my lunch, I am ready to eat dinner at 6PM and typically the late night cookie or jello cup goes down. Overall I feel good having dropped 26 lbs in 6 weeks, but most of the loss came in the first 4 weeks with the new medicine and reduction in alcohol. I'm still having a glass of wine or two, but not the daily 2-4 drinks prior to the new year. Overall, I like the appetite suppressant....yet it's the lifestyle change that has me wanting more.

I'm a June June 2019 sleever. For some reason this week every time I eat I feel sick. Anyone else ever experience this?

I had my sleeve done in Tijuana in November 2019. I know of couple of people in my town who have also gone there and had no issues. Unfortunately, I'm having issues with GERD and it's become unbearable. I reached out to one of the Dr.'s on my surgeon's team and am not feeling very hopeful about any aftercare! She said what I'm experiencing is common and to try some stronger medication but also told me to go have an endoscopy done and send her the results - as if I can walk in anywhere and get an endoscopy. I asked her if I could travel there to have the endoscopy done and she said I could make an appt. with a gastroenterologist but said nothing of coming to their clinic. Absolutely, I want to see the surgeon or his associate who performed my surgery if I'm having issues from the surgery - that makes the most sense to me. I'm wishing I would have researched this in greater detail before having this done.

I actually had to have my surgery postponed from Feb. 3 to Feb. 10 because I had a pretty bad cold which was probably the flu. I was sooooo disappointed, but in retrospect between the fever, chills, body aches and constant runny nose/sneezing, recovery would have been miserable. The week went by pretty quickly; because I was pretty sick I had an easier time with the pre-op diet (which extended for that week, although they had me eat on 2/3 to get some calories in), and I was down a full 10 pounds by surgery day. I hope you don't have to postpone, but if you really aren't feeling well it might be the best thing.

I had my first appointment about getting the surgery in December 2019. It was just starting a medical journal for me. I was offered surgery during my second meeting in January 2019. During my first appointment with my dietitian (yesterday), I was given a date for surgery, which is April 27th. I live in Denmark, meet the state's requirements of having it done for free, so I am only on my surgeon's program, I assume. The jumping through hoops part for me was simply getting blood work done, an EKG taken, a stool sample given and some weight loss. I also still have to do my 1-on-1 patient seminar thing in March, but I've got the date regardless for surgery. I think I got my date so soon because I was pretty confident in my meeting about what I needed to do before and after surgery since I had researched a lot, had my current diet habits ready to be shared, and talked about what my support systems through out this are and would be.

I started my journey in April of 2019. I had to do 6 months of supervised weight loss and then had to get a million different clearances from hematology, cardiology, pulmonology, etc. I finally have my date set for March 20th.

Mine was 6 months of appointments and all the other tests I had to do, so I started in May 2019 and finally got my date in Jan for a March 3rd date. I was a smoker and had to be 3 months without cigarettes in order to schedule my surgery . The one I can tell you the time went by very fast so, read read read and ask questions and before you know it your surgery will be scheduled, wish you the best of luck!!

That's what he said at my 6 week appt. I would LOVE to sit in a hot bath though! I'll ask him again this afternoon. I want some sort of butt attention too! Fat transfer was out of the question pretty much. My doc said he usually needs about 10 lbs of fat to harvest which he said may prove difficult on me. Which left just a plain butt lift cuz I didn't want implants. Now that I am spooked on the idea of further surgery, I did a bit of research and read about Sculptra which is an injectable that is used in the butt. Results up to 5 years, but total cost is comparable to an actual butt lift. Have you done any reading on this? Thoughts?

My insurance required 3 months of supervised weight management. Nutrition appointments, labs, meeting with the support group. My first appointment was October 31st, 2019 - my surgery date is February 25th. But there is no exact time frame. Its completely up to the insurance company and your surgeon's office. Good luck 👍

Yesterday Tuesday, Feb 18 Maintenance : 5'2" / 1.25 yr PO Sleeve / 116.9 lbs ---------------------------------------- Attempting to go lower carb this week...funny how if I cut the desserts/chocolate/cookies/ice cream there isn't much left that I eat (actually that's probably not so much funny as it is obvious). Granted, my fridge is pretty bare...need to go grocery shopping today to replenish it with some good stuff. ---------------------------------------- 9:00am - black coffee w/ stevia + 1 oz cheddar cheese + 1 slice hot Genoa salami 3:00pm - Shrimp Ball Noodle Soup (1 cup dashi broth, carrots, 1 cup Chinese broccoli, 1/2 package shiratake noodles, carrots, 4 shrimp balls) + 3 oz pan fried brussel sprouts in bacon fat 6:00pm - skinny tea latte + 1/4 cup geek yogurt + 1 oz blueberries + 1/2 fl oz pumpkin seeds 8:30pm - 4 shrimp balls + 1/4 cup Chinese broccoli 10:00pm - Protein shake (2 scoops Isopure Dutch Chocolate Powder + 2 cups cashew milk + 2 tsp instant decaf coffee) --------------------------------------- Totals: 787 cals - 78g Protein 25g NET carbs - 30g fat

Ok ...sooo interesting! Re-silver swabs ... how I found my surgeon was very prolific participant here on BP, and elsewhere who had multiple surgeries w my surgeon (and eventually soured, but it seems to be a complicated story). But she had wound healing issues in her armpit after an arm lift. He sent her silver swabs, but it seemed to exacerbate the problem. Which I think explains when I told my surgeon I was using silver gauze his initial reaction was negative. Yeah, my surgeon is completely fine with open wounds. Totally f'd with my mind as well! But I googled it, and it seems like even the nastiest wounds heal very well without much intervention, as long as their is no infection. My surgeon says I will mostly likely need some scar revision in a year, but can do that in office under local anesthesia. I'm working on trusting that 😂 Are you sure you can't go in the water? One of the thing my surgeon prescribd is hydro therapy, i.e sitting in my hot tub. I have used my hot tub more in the past month then I have all year. Re: Ambien ... It is amazing! I also usually wake up everyday on my own. For me usually between 5:30 to 7. I also don't set an alarm unless there is something I need to do, like get on a conference call, or catch a flight. I don't take it every night since my insomnia is different. I only take it if I wake up between 1-3 am and can't go back to sleep within a 1/2 hr or so. No hard time waking up at all. What really impressed me about it is one morning I woke up about 3, couldn't go back to sleep, and took an Ambien. I kept emailing while waiting to get sleepy, and east coast peeps started responding, called me, I started earnestly working etc. I was able to work through the sleepiness. I could have slept if things were calm, but I was able to push it aside as needed. It felt so different then narcotics, that give you that grogginess you can't shake. I have a face lift, and potential arm lift planned on 10 yrs or so. But I am seriously considering a butt implant for next December. As hard as this recovery has been at times, I feel like I need the butt implant to complete the hourglass figure I aspire to

From 256 pounds to 189 pounds you must be experiencing some change, at the very least your pant size.? I have a very large frame also, I am also 5 foot 10, my chest is 56. When I was 389 pounds, I was wearing 56 x 32 dress slacks. At my current weight of 365, I am 54 x 32 dress slacks, can probably do 52 x 32. I know from experience that when I am under 300 pounds, say 280 pounds I am at 48 x 32. At my goal weight of 225 I hope to be 40 x 32

I know 4 people I see almost daily who have had WLS within the past 3 years and I keep open communication with 3 others from my WLS support group from last year. The question of loose skin is a complex one, as someone already mentioned in a previous message there really is no consistent diagnosis, simply to many factors that are involved. So it’s nearly impossible to come up with a pre-surgery answer to the level of loose skin you may have to deal with, however you do have some options to consider when you do find yourself with that extra skin. Obviously, a man’s situation may be different then a woman’s when it comes to dealing with loose skin, also one’s financial resources will be a factor. If you think of it, you only have two options. You either deal with the loose skin and consider the weight loss a major positive over the negative of loose skin or you have it surgically removed. Here is a quick survey of the people I know and what they have done: Female - 46, lost 85 pounds, spent a boat load of money on plastic surgery. I must be honest and say it was money well spent, she looks fantastic, totally different person. Female - 62, lost over 175 pounds in 2 years, her plastic surgery to remove loose skin at the stomach level was deemed a medical necessity and was completed. However, the loose skin on her legs and arms was not and currently she is trying to save money for a future visit, she will be heading to Mexico to get it done I am told. Male – 55, lost 79 pounds year 1, gained back 45 pounds in year 2, struggling to get back on track, schedule to revise sleeve to bypass later this year, no loose skin issue currently. Male – 60, lost 103 pounds year 1, gained back only 20 in year 2, history of gaining and losing weight over the last 10 years, does not care about loose skin at the moment.

Ugh @ms.sss, you've had it rough. Where are the open wounds, TT or BL? So weird about the sutures. I have seen that quite a bit online, but didn't happen to me at all. I totally get feeling better and doing damage by behaving as if you haven't just had MAJOR surgery. I did internal damage to my muscle tightening sutures. Even 10 weeks post op I sometimes have a significant amount of pain from them. As far as stinky-ness, silver infused gauze completely cleared that up for me, hallelujah!! (My wound is still open, so frustrating!) I used this one: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WYZFK5W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I do go out for 1+ hour walks every few days, but I don't really count this as "true" exercise I. feel.attacked. 🤣 As far as swelling ... I'm happy to report I'm less swollen, more of the time. So hopefully for you it will start improving soon as well. (And I generally don't wear any binders unless it's under a form fitting dress.) I gotta think sleep + potential SAD has got to be a big part of the blahs. Ever considered light therapy? I'm a terrible insomniac as well. I'm opposite of you though, I go to sleep fine, but then wake up 2-4 hrs later and cannot go back to sleep. I always just dealt with it. But then post plastics, and dealing with discomfort keeping me from sleeping I got a prescription for Ambien. OMG, why did I never pursue that option before! I love that it makes me feel naturally sleepy (not groggy like narcotics), and I'm completely able to shake it off in the morning, no "hangover." I did though send one Ambien text that I had no recollection of, so that's a little worrisome. Good news is it was completely normal and sane 🤣

Kinda wanted to see if there are Other people who are struggling to see the weight loss because we have a larger frame. I’m 5 foot 10 and I have like a large bone structure and even though I went from 256 pounds before surgery and now I’m 189 I don’t see a change in clothes or a change much elsewhere only like my shoulder and thighs. Anyone else like this?

However, my shopping excursion did not end there with the cocktail dress. I couldn't help but be inspired by some other wonderful day dreaming things for our some of our thread participants as follows: 1. Killer plaid jacket for greentealael 2. Feminine dresses for Kay's mommy 3. Cool Jeans, slinky top and exquisite heels for ms.sss 4. Stunning high heels for bayougirlmrs.s 5. Way cool outfit for fluffychix (love the new style with one shirt tail out) 6. The Milou shop definitely made for angiebear! 7. Fabulous blue tunic, white jeans and satchel for sheribear 8. Sexy heels for none other than sillykitty 9. A classic casual outfit - I think many of us would favor especially the khaki jacket 10. Gorgeous nubby top with white slacks for orchids&dragon 11. Really unique adjustable necklace for some of Arabesque's stylishly smashing black outfits. Had lot's of FUN! It's a designer thing... ;]

Good luck! I don't know if there are people who go into surgery without being nervous, but I've never met any. I am 8 days out, and I feel really good! I think you are going to be surprised at how quickly you start to feel better. And between what I lost during the pre-op diet (lengthened by the flu) and since the surgery (about 15 pounds, nearly 10 of which were pre-op) I already have less knee pain, and an easier time going up and to a lesser extent down the stairs. You will be able to enjoy your kids so much more. I can't wait to hear how you are doing!!!

Hey everyone, 1st of all, the surgery has changed my life! Being 204 lbs at 6’0 tall is life changing! I haven’t been this weight since college in 1992. I have a football players body so broad shoulders big build. Everyone has commented how great I look. I had my surgery on 10/6/19 Heres the problem: For the last 6 weeks I’ve stopped losing weight. I’m stuck at 204. my stomach isn’t happy with pure protein. Right around Thanksgiving, I started noticing that when I ate protein of anytype my stomach would growl and seriously cramp and be upset until I could mix carbs in with the protein -then my stomach would be satisfied. Then I started eating a lot of rice. Sushi 4-5 pieces is satisfying with salmon and yellow tail with rice under it and I’m satisfied. Then I went into my unhealthy eating habits. I eat a lot of candy everyday....realizing I have a disease, I threw out all of the candy today. I threw out all of my trigger foods. I threw out all of the chips I was eating. All of the junk food is gone from my house. Please understand, I have a mental disorder called an eating disorder. My stomach hasn’t stretched. I still throw up eating too much, I have a small pouch, I’m still in the honeymoon phase, and even eating lots of junk each day lots of candy each day 4 months after surgery I haven’t gained any weight but I stopped losing the last 6 weeks since New Year’s Day. Im going back to pure protein light veggies then a little carbs. I will muscle my way roll my sleeves up and start losing the weight. I want to lose 20 lbs and have a BMI of 25 but my wife, co workers, friends, family all say stop losing weight! You look like a cancer victim. At basically 200 lbs and big broad shouldered football looking dude with a shaved head everyone says enough, but I’m worried with my bad habits that I arrested and threw away today, that eventually I will start gaining weight. Ps my Dr. Said that since my body type needs 2500 calories a day to maintain that I would get to my target weight quickly, which I’m close to. I also know when I get my veggies and fruits in, my candy & chip cravings disappear. Any advice? Is it time for therapy? FYI, Kaiser my provider has horrible non existent opportunities for therapy, the wait list is 4-8 months to get in to see one. Maybe a weekly support group would help? Mark -worried

The "swelling" is from lymphedema. The PS interrupted your lymphatic drainage system And it takes a while for the body to "reconnect." And what you're experiencing with the compression gear is absolutely true! If you don't have the proper garment in place, it will cause worse swelling below the area due to the inability for that lymph fluid to drain. I wear my sleeve every day. If I don't, then my arm gets huge and if I don't wear my glove with it, then my hand turns into a balloon. I do feel better with it than without it. It gives a comfort/secure/structure feeling. LOL. So glad you are feeling better girlie!!! Oh also, you know me...biased low carber, but $10 bet says that if you ditched the high carb crap and went back to low carb, you would notice the end of your belly bloat starting in as little as 3-4 days and maybe a complete resolution of it in 2-3weeks. hehe. Sorry couldn't resist. You know me...always biased. TY for sharing your journey girlie!! You are so brave and have been a true warrior during this time!!

Ah, its been two months to the day since my plastics trifecta, and I have to tell you the past month or so has been a little rough. On Wound Healing: My healing progress took several steps backwards primarily due to my over-eagerness to get back into my exercise routine. I pushed myself a little too soon, a little too much and ended up opening up a few incisions. TWICE. Add to this that my body for the past few weeks has decided to expell my sutures instead of absorbing them, resulting in more broken skin and open wounds. At it's worst, I had 9 concurrent open wounds that were painful, oozing and stinky. On Exercise: Not including the two ill-advised attempts of full-on running and strength training, along with the equally ill-advised crunches I was doing in bed, I have had almost zero exercise. Now, I do go out for 1+ hour walks every few days, but I don't really count this as "true" exercise as I don't get that exercise "high" afterwards. I consider walking more of mental health remedy, I guess. On the Blahs: Due to my slow healing and recurring wounds + the lack of exercise + the fact that I have been basically holed up at home for 2 months + the crappy T.O. winter weather + my self-imposed week-long lack of sleep to watch every marquee Australian Open match, and difficulty sleeping even after it was done + my noticeably increased carb (read: sugar) intake + my obsession with the swelling in my lower abdomen, was feeling pretty sh*tty for a while. I was in full-on pity party mode and was being a total B to the fam, and picking totally unnecessary fights with them (Sorry Fam! They deserve trophies for putting up with me). I went through a week or so of drinking my blahs away, which I put a stop to once I realized what I was doing. I even shared an ENTIRE pack of cigarettes with BFF one night cuz I was just so annoyed and looking back, probably wanted to give an EFF YOU to the universe. Of all the things, I am most regretful of this. Mostly because I admitted it to Mr. & the Kid and while they didn't admonish me, I could see that they were disappointed. Jeez. On Possibly Turning a Corner: Last week, I did a much needed reality check (of which I need to thank @sillykitty for for prompting, along with the break in the winter weather that day, and the first good night's sleep I had in a while the night before). I upped my protein (thanks @FluffyChix for the reminder), and made sure to get more sleep (thanks me!, LOL). As of this morning, I am down to only 4 open wounds. The ooze factor of these have decreased ALOT, and they no longer stink. YAY! Though I'm going to temper my expectations because I have healed and UN-healed TWICE before and it was a definite hit to the mood. Current PS/body results: Swell hell continues in my lower abdomen & upper thighs. Some days are better than others. The one thing I have noticed is that if I wear my abdominal binder too high, the swelling in these areas get worse. I have been trying to make sure that the binder sits low enough, which results in lots of tugging throughout the day. I may have to invest in a full body one. My arm compression garment is no longer compressing me, despite being tailored by my mom earlier, but I wear it anyway as it helps keep my silicone tape from coming off. That and I have developed a weird security-fondness for it. I stopped wearing my sports bra (or any bra at all, for that matter) weeks ago because of the wounds on my under-boob and side boob. The arm compression garment is doing a little lifting in that area instead. Some Comparison Numbers: Pre-PS Weight: 115 lbs 2m-Po Weight: 117.1 lbs Pre-PS Bust - Waist - Hips measurements: 32.5" - 25.5" - 33" 2m-Po Bust - Waist - Hips measurements: 33.5" - 25.0" - 34" Pre-PS Left UpperArm Circumference: 10.5" 2m-Po Left UpperArm Circumference: 10.0" Pre-PS Right Thigh Circumference: 17.0" 2m-Po Right Thigh Circumference: 19.0" * I didn't think to measure my lower abdomen before, but I did this morning, so I can start keeping track: 2m-Po Lower Abdomen (measuring widest part): 33.0" Next Steps: I have my 2 month post op appointment with my surgeon tomorrow. He had given me homework to stretch/massage my arms at my 6 week appt, as he felt I should a fuller range of motion that I did at the time. He wanted to see me be able to raise my arms completely straight up with no resistance. Well....I CAN do it, BUT i can feel the areas between the armpit and upper tricep stretching to its limit. It doesn't hurt, but I can definitely feel the pull. I'm not sure if this is where he wanted me to be at, and I guess we'll see what he says tomorrow. I promised myself I would not go back to my normal level of exercise until ALL my wounds have closed. This may be overkill, but I really DO NOT want a repeat of last month. Hopefully this will be in the next couple weeks. I am going back to "work" in a couple weeks as well, so this should help with the boredom. Pictures: My surgeon will be taking pics of me at my appointment tomorrow, will see if I will post those, or take some myself...will decide later. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edited to add update from 2 month follow up appt with Doc: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soooo....went to my 2 month follow up yesterday and Doc scheduled me for some steroid shots next month...I guess he is not happy with my my scar healing (I was fine with it, but I guess he knows better ) He also asked me again to not wear my tape as much as I have been. I wear them basically 23 hours a day and he wants me to halve that, if not more (he asked me to do this last time, but I didn't listen...but since he asked AGAIN, I guess I should pay attention). I have been tape-less since about 6pm yesterday, and it feels odd. Almost as if the incisions are getting sore again? Only on my arms though...my boobs and tum feel the same. *shrugs* I do notice this morning that a lot of dried skin was flaking off the (healed) incision lines...not sure what the impact of this is *shrugs again*. I slathered some bio oil on them (he did tell me to moisturize). Wound update: I was down to 3 open wounds yesterday! BUT...this morning a new one opened on my left underboob due to another suture expelling, so my number stays at 4. Le sigh. Btw, Doc says that part of the reason why I'm expelling so many sutures is because I am "so skinny". Something about no where for the sutures to be absorbed into. On another note: Speaking of being "so skinny", when I asked Doc about what we can do about my saggy butt, he said that I am not a good candidate for a BBL in my current state, unless I want to gain at least 10 lbs OF FAT. Um, no thanks. He also does not support nor perform implants, which left his option recommendations to: Traditional butt lift Some machine treatment (I forget the name), which is basically a device that simulates 100's of mini squats per session (think Dr. Ho's) Actual Squats I'm gonna go with the Actual Squats 

I started my sleeve journey on 11/06/19 at 65 . I’m now 66. My journey has slowed a bit at 4 mnths. , and am constantly looking at my daily diet and seeing what changes to make. I’m NOT an “ everything in moderation “ person. I try not to eat nothing processed or in a box ( although tuna fish is on my ok list) and try to buy organic when we can afford it. We are only 2 people so I can splurge a little on healthy foods. We try to eat as natural as possible. I work out as much as possible, usually spin, Zumba, combat, weights at least 4x a week. I made myself a commitment to this program and that meant changing my mental attitude towards food, leaving out all sugar, starches ( bread, rices, potatoes), sugar drinks, etc. I have no tolerance for the “everything in moderation” attitude, simply because I believe you’re kidding yourself with this attitude and setting yourself up for saying, “ it’s ok, I’ll just start anew tomorrow “. I make no apologies for my attitude and plan. If you want to argue another point of view, I will listen but you won’t change me. At 66, I’m doing what works for me and love my new lifestyle.

That's a lot of weight to lose in 6-7 months! I had my surgery in July 2019 too but am only down 53 lbs from surgery date (261-209). That's an average of 7.5 lbs per month, which I believe is a normal and healthy speed. Your body is probably just readjusting. Plus, at that lower weight, you don't need the calories you needed to maintain anything over 200 so check what your current calories needs are. Eat sensibly, exercise, and let your body work it out. And make sure you don't repeat the mistakes you made leading up to the weight gain! It's hard because it's so much a part of who we are but we have to fight temptations and rejoice in the healthier lifestyle!

Lol, so I weighed myself again this morning (gasp! TWO DAYS IN A ROW???) and I’m down another 0.8 pounds to 136.6, which is currently my all-time low PO. I REFUSE to panic or react to that number because I’ve come to a head space where I’m going to do my thing and trust my body to do the right thing. This kind of trust has been something that’s taken me months to come to grips with, but through group and individual therapy, I’m learning to trust that my body won’t actually let me become deathly ill/or die from malnutrition. I’m still 10-12 pounds over my adult low weight of 125-ish pounds from my college days. Wow. When I think of how “fat” I felt whenever I got >125 and then would diet and exercise like a maniac to get below that magical number, I realize how messed up our ideas of body perfection truly are. Back in the 80’s/90’s a woman weighing over 125 was considered “too fat” to be good partner material, even at a height of 5’7”. Now we wonder why so many of us in my age range struggled with MO as we dieted ourselves into that condition trying to reach this fairly unrealistic goal.