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okay, so here's my issue. I have bcbs of al. Most of their policies will cover the lap-band. However, b/c my husband's company is so small they have an exclusion for all weight loss associated surgeries, treatment et. al. We are not really in a place to finance the surgery ourselves. i mean if it comes down to it, we can. But we'd rather not. So I have started looking for a new job that has insurance (my current does not) that i can take out on myself that will cover the lap-band. But in case that doesn't work... I was thinking of just buying my own policy privately. Has anyone took out their own insurance policy and done it that way. I started thinking about this and wanted to know if this has worked out for anyone.

Hi, i've been researching WLS for quite sometime. I attended a seminar on july 15. Initial consult was yesterday August 03; Psych. evaluation scheduled for tuesday August 10. Started Weight watchers on my own on July 17. Appointment with Nutritionist on Friday August 6. Anybody out there going through these stages? I need some friends for mutual support. My Insurance, Care first Blue Choice requires 6 months of medical weight management. Can my Insurance deny coverage if I loose too much weight during the six months? My Doctor said no but I just want a second opinion. I enjoy reading and talking to folks on this forum. I've learned a lot and found tons of inspiration here. Anyone interested in sharing the ups and downs of this journey? I know I won't be banded for another 5 to 6 months.:tongue2: I'm sooo impatient and afraid I could get discouraged along the way. Congatulations on your decision to live a healthier and happier life.

I have heard of it being done before, but here is a easier option,, did you have your weight documented anywhere before the weight loss?

Hey everyone, Hope you're all doing well! So, I kind of just need to vent for a bit. I know everyone's experience is different and only my Doctor and Surgeon can give medical insight, but I'm hoping someone may have been in a similar situation as I am. So, before I could schedule a surgery date I had to do all the tests. The last step (which I now wish was the first step), was my blood panel. All results came back good, except the blood panel. The results returned showing that my Vitamin D, B12 and folic acid are all low. Easy enough to fix with a supplement. It also showed the my cholesterol was low, so my Doctor said to make sure I am eating healthy fats (avocados, nuts, fish, etc). *Possible TMI --> She also wants me to get an intravaginal ultrasound as she found heightened testosterone levels and yeast in my urine. Ultimately, she wants to rule out PCOS (which was ruled out in my teens, but that was roughly 20 years ago) But then she went on to explain that my A1C test (blood sugar test that shows my average over 3 months) was at a 10, while normal is 5.6 or less. With this number, it constitutes as Type 2 Diabetes. Because I have never had issues with this before, she is requesting that I wear a glucose monitoring device (in arm) for 2 weeks and begin a weekly injection called Trulicity. Apparently Trulicity will help lower my blood sugar levels, but also could bring on weight loss as it decreases overall appetite. She is hoping to see improvements in the next 3 months, but until then will not issue the clearance. I understand it is important for me to be healthy as my body will need all it can to heal post-surgery, but I am truly discouraged. 1. I'm angry at myself that I let things get this bad. 2. I'm worried that all my other tests will become null and void, since I'm fairly certain they are only valid for 6 months. Most were done in March and with having to wait at least 3 months - it's really cutting it close. 3. Has anyone been in a similar situation? If my numbers don't come down, does that mean surgery is out of the question? I appreciate the listening ears and any input or advice! Thank you and hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend.

Sorry about the same 3 pics. I had my surgery Nov 16, 2015. My high weight was 300. I currently weigh 209. The entire staff was extremely accomodating, I felt like a queen. I never second guessed my decision to go with dr. Jesus Lopez. He is an amazing surgeon and he is still here for me AFTER surgery. Have any questions? Ask away!!

I've been reading so many success stories with the lap band and I notice some lost a little weight and some lost a lot of weight for the first 3 months. Does that depend on your size or your diet after the procedure?

I am not having any problems with my port and intimacy. I dont feel any pain or anything. I am not at my goal weight and am not sure if this will show. My doctor says after losing weight with lap band sex rocks and roll. LOL

Hi everyone! I'm currently entering my 6th week post-op and have a question. My upper back has been very sore and tender the past 2 weeks. Some days are better than others. It doesn't keep me from any activities but it can be very aggravating at times. I went to my chiropractor a few times and today he told me that because I've lost some weight that my posture has probably improved and that my back muscles that were used to compensating for bad posture have to re-adjust because they do not have to work as hard and that they may be sore until they get used to working "normally". Do you think he might be right and has anyone else experienced this? Thanks, Chris

I found a study from the American Journal of Surgery, Sugerman et al., Jan. 1995 pp. 91-97 that looked at gallstone formation after gastric bypass (sleeve wasn't done much for weight loss then). Patients who received no actigall developed post-op gallstones 36% of the time while patients who received 600 mg of actigall only developed gallstones 2% of the time. This study was done for 6 months after surgery -- patients received the actigall (or no actigall) for six months post op then were evaluated for gallstones by sonography. Some of the patients of course had their gallbladders removed due to stones during those 6 months and they were counted in the "gallstones formation" percentages. This study was done using the generic medication Ursodiol but that is the same thing as the brand name Actigall.

I'm not looking to give excuses as I know, in the end, it all comes down to me. My HW was May. I hit 291. (I'm 5'5.5") Now, it was with some Fluid retention after being at theme parks for a few days, but it was still an eye opening moment as I had never been that close to 300. I lost down to 272 this summer. I decided to go the route of RNY as I was pretty stuck and was sick of being fat. Before my first appt, I was able to ditch another 5lbs so my official SW was 267. The surgeon wants me to lose 25lbs for surgery. I've lost another 5ish. I've been stuck here since, 262. I I keep doing ok with eating for a couple of days. Then I completely make wrong decisions for a day or two. Even though it's just a couple of days, it will set me back to 262. My preop diet will be 2 full weeks of no food, only BA shakes. I'm getting frustrated with myself and am beginning to wonder if I'll lose that last 20lbs for surgery. 242 is where he wants me. I haven't been that low since 3 kids ago! I've started crossfit and have been doing that for about 3wks now. I swear, I think I've lost an inch on my gut but no poundage. The office swears it's not to test devotion. They say it's purely to shrink the liver. The dietician told me not to stress it cause I'll lose it in the preop diet. Another counselor, though, told me to lose another 10lbs BEFORE the preop. I want to shout at them "If I could just drop weight like that, I wouldn't be here!" lol

Congrats to all on your losses! I think that we are all doing great. Everyone is different and loses weight at different rates, it is important to remember that as long as the scale is moving down, we should celebrate. I for one got burned out and had to take a break for a couple months, I actually didnt diet or work out and still lost 1 pound per week, now I am back on track and expect to see a big loss. I got a fill yesterday and am now at 10cc's in a 14cc band. Still on liquids until tomorrow but I am not hungry at all.

Didn't ask. And it isn't really about the gas money. I'm used to sacrificing. I just feel like I'm being used and used, and used some more. And it's my own fault! I've allowed it. I really don't want to go. I gained 4 pounds today overeating...stress is killing me.

A lot of insurance companies will pay, it was my employer that has an exclusionary clause against any weight loss surgery. My surgeon also had a lot more experience than any of the surgeons in this area. I got a lot more personalized treatment there as well.

I went today to have my free initial consultation with 1 of 2 groups I intend to go to their seminars before deciding on a surgeon. (Baptist & Vanderbilt if any of you are from Nashville) The initial consult just basically gives you info before the seminar and what you must do to get approved. I have Aetna insurance that requires either a 6 month weight loss program or a 90 day prep for surgery program. After reading some of the literature, I have some questions that I need to resolve and hoping this group can help guide me. I have been over 40 BMI for at least 5 years. 19 months ago I had a baby. I don't go to a PCP regularly as I don't get sick often. I do go for my annual gyno visits. (and they check weight, tell me to lose weight etc. ) If I am sick I typically go to the minute clinic. Amazingly for a 45.3 BMI, I am healthy but my concern is in the long run, I know I am at high risk for diabetes, heart disease, etc. as it is in my family and during my pregnancy I developed gestational diabetes and hypertension. (Luckily the diabetes went away postpartum) My biggest question, do I need to go get a PCP just to have them refer to me a surgeon and give their blessing for this surgery? Or do most centers have staff who will follow you for the 90 day surgery prep? Do you think there will be a problem with my weight history if two of the last years included a time when I was pregnant? Thanks in advance for your help. I intend to call and ask more questions tomorrow so I can decide what next... jenn

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone would like to do a weight loss challenge that would run until May 25? I'm not the most organized person, so someone would have to get things together. Anyone up for the challenge? Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Oct. 2008 4cc band placed (243lbs), after 5 small fills a total of 1.5cc in my band I had very little restriction. Having 2 kids it was hard to keep going for more fills so I tried to just keep eating healthy. After losing a slow 30 pounds then gaining about 10 of it back, I found out I was pregnant with my sweet baby girl in May (now 223lbs)! I didn't have too much restriction I could eat any food with no problems (example steak was an ease) so I'm guessing that's why I was able to go through pregnancy without an unfill. I was teeny bit more restricted while pregnant but not enough to really notice, I still think it really helped. Luckily, I didn't have morning sickness. I didn't have any problems with the band whatsoever. I started thinking that I might have problems toward the end of my pregnancy once my baby was bigger and I had gained more weight. But, even at the late stages it went really smooth and able to go through my whole pregnancy without an unfill. No, problems! I gained 36 pounds while pregnant ( now 259lbs), omg, I quickly dropped back to 223lbs and stayed there for about 5 months and started gaining again after gaining about 5lbs (now 228lbs) in July of 2010 I finally went for another fill...my first fill after pregnancy which was my choice to wait .5 was added (2cc now in my 4cc band), I was starving! Didn't make it back to the doctor till Sept. of 2010 another .5 was added (2.5cc now in my 4cc band), I was still starving and not eating the healthiest gained 11 lbs. So, December 22 I weighed a total 239 pounds almost to the point of where I started! I went back to my doctor who is great, she will fill the band till she feels pressure, makes me sit up and drink Water, will add or subtract till it's just right. Another .5cc was added to the band for a total of 3cc in my 4cc band. It feels so great, I finally feel what restriction feels like! I don't really have to chew chew chew and can eat regularly I could probably still eat steak but haven't tried it yet lol but the hunger is gone..so I'm definitely at my sweet spot and loving it. I've lost 2.5 lbs and never been so happy because I know that after a little over 2 years I'm finally on my way. I'm eating right and trying to walk/jog 1 to 1.5 miles a day and feeling great. I love my band and I will eventually get to where I need to be in my own time.

Hi Everyone, I decided that I would make a list of things for new people who are thinking about having WLS that might be helpful to them. This is long so please PRINT THIS OUT TO READ if you don’t want to read it all at one time. This is my point of view after having surgery with Dr. Aceves , in Mexicali, Mexico. First thing is to start asking people on the board you are on all kinds of questions—make of list of things you want to ask and keep coming back and ask more questions as time goes on. The more questions that ask the more you educate yourself about WLS and the process and what doctor they liked. Don’t rely on just one source of information. It is really normal to have all kind of feeling and emotions when trying to decide if you want to have Weight Loss Surgery. I must have talked myself in and out of doing this at least 50 times during my 6 months of research. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. This is a big step. But if diet and exercise worked for us then we still wouldn’t be fat and would have lost the weight a long time ago and never regained it. It takes a lot of courage to have Weight Loss Surgery. I am very proud of you for looking into this. Don’t give any more days of your life being overweight, and your body hurting along with being unhealthy. WLS really is your answer. How do you select your surgeon? First of all this is NOT a time to price shop for the cheapest doctor to do your WLS—that is just the wrong way to go at this. There are a lot of doctors who advertise on the Internet doing sleeve surgery for a lot less than some other doctors. I found one posting from a person who had the following concerns after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. (a) They put NO name band on her to be able to ID her when giving medications or anything else. ( NO one asked if she had any allergies to foods or medications—thank goodness this person didn’t have any. ( The lab did NOT label tubes of blood with the person’s name on it—very dangerous. © Day after surgery they gave this person ice chips, tea and apple juice. The next day (day 2) they gave this person NOTHING so this person asked why and the nurse said this person wasn’t allowed to eat anything. Well, this person then said I had Clear liquids the day before and they wanted to know WHO gave it to this person?? (d) This person was told that they would get a copy of the operative report on their discharge to take home with them—This person has not received it yet and that was about 2 weeks ago. So make sure have positive feedback about the Surgeon and Staff and Hospital that you choose. There are some good doctors out there and there are so NOT so good doctors out there. My choice after 6 months of research was Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico. What I can tell you in my opinion is that he is the very best you will ever find to do your surgery. I can only speak about my experience and my research that I did before I made him my choice for a surgeon. I am sure there are other people out there that feel the very same way about their doctor too. Pack lightly for your WLS. So many of us have gone to Mexico, so you want a small suitcase with wheels, a laptop & a cell phone. The clothing that you wear to Mexico are the same ones you can wear home—slip on shoes work great too. Make sure that the clothing is loose fitting. Something just comfortable for your ride home. While in Mexico—that is if you go to Mexico for WLS make sure you take GAS-X. They have nothing in Mexico that they give your for gas, and the use gas in your abdominal area during surgery. It is painful after the surgery, so GAS-X STRIPS are easy to use by just placing them on your tongue. Take a couple of boxes with you—you will be glad you did. If you are going to use a credit card make sure you tell your credit card company and your Bank if you use your debit card or credit card. Sometimes if you DO NOT let these companies know you are outside of the US they block your charges. Use a credit card or debit card vs cash it is much easier to use. Take small amounts of cash for tips—I took $45.00 in 1’s for tip money for various things. If you go to any hospital anywhere leave ALL jewelry at home –just a watch and no rings or other jewelry. I never had any problems at all leaving my purse and computer& cell phone in my room while I was in surgery, but they recommend that you leave all jewelry at home. If you are a lady please remove all nail polish—they need it removed to see your nail beds during surgery. The first month you do after surgery is the HARDEST month you will ever have to do. You do 10 days of nothing but clear liquids to start with—that means you have to be able to see through the liquid. Do not panic if you can not get the Protein they want you to have the 1st 10 days—I couldn’t find anything I liked that was clear during the 1st 10 days. They want you to try to drink 64 oz each day, and I don’t think I could ever get that much Water drank—just do the best you can. Your new stomach has just had major surgery and it is swollen and will only hold something about the size of your thumb. The next 10 days gets much better—you are now on creamy liquids for these 10 days. You can now have some creamy Soups, yogurt, and pudding—sugar free and find a Protein Drink that you like. For me it is Premier Protein Drink and I get mine at costco. When looking for a protein drink, make sure they are low in calories, high in Protein—Premier has 30 grams of protein in each drink box and make sure you have low carbs too. I know there are a lot of other Protein drinks out there that people like. When it comes to carbs I tried to keep mine at no more than 20 carbs per day. Ask others what kind of Protein drinks they liked and where they get them. The last 10 days are mushy foods. So this is a bit of a challenge. How many foods can I make mushy? I even considered using some baby foods. Start thinking about what will work as mushy foods for you. Starting the 2nd month is quite an adventure. You can eat regular food. Here is where the relearning process takes place. You now will take tiny BABY BITES of food and chew each bit about 30 times or until it is like a liquid. From here on out you will need to take small bites of food and chew and chew and chew. I found out that chicken and fish were a lot easier to chew up. I don’t eat much red meat—your tastes will change and things you didn’t like a lot might taste good and something that you used to love don’t taste that great anymore. Keep track of what you are eating and keep your calories at about 800 calories per day and no more than 20 carbs per day—whole grain carbs are the best to have—NO white or refined carbs. I highly suggest that you keep track by writing them down or using some of the Internet sites that offers you this. I suggest this site it works great there are other sites to use this is just a suggestion. hair 3 or 4 months after having WLS. I would find a lot of hair in the shower after washing my hair. That is pretty normal for a lot of us—this does not happen to everyone. There is no magical cure for hair loss—some people use different shampoo’s or take Biotin. It happens and you live with it. YES, it will grow back. For me I had pencil straight hair and mine grew back natural curly and I love it now. I already had thin hair so for me, I got some cute wigs and wore them for about 9 months until my hair looked a lot better. It was worth the hair loss to lose 105 pounds. Because we eat a lot of protein we suffer from constipation. You need to have at least 70 grams of protein EACH day. So I mix my protein drink each morning with MIRALAX. It is NOT habit forming and is tasteless and it is just a good way to start off the day. I put the protein and a cap full of Miralax in the blender with about 5 small ice cubes and that is my Breakfast. 3 years later I still have this for breakfast and nothing else, it just works for me. You may have periods where you have what we call STALLS. You may be doing everything right and eating and exercising and you have NO weight loss for a week or more. This is normal—mine lasted 9 days. Don’t panic the weight loss will start up again, just keep doing what you are doing. Our heads play games with us sometimes it is ugly what our brain tried to convince us of—We call these “Head Games” and they really are tough times to work though, but you can do it. Your head is still thinking with your old brain and way of thinking that you have been doing for most of your life. You now are eating VERY small amount of food, but your head is used to you eating LARGE amounts of food and that is what your brain wants—so it tries to tell you the you should be eating more—NOT true at all. So you need to have a talk with yourself. Do I just WAN T to eat or do I really NEED to eat? You are not on a diet, but you are making a LIFESTYLE change and that is good because you can do this for the rest of your life. You will NEVER be able to eat like you used to. That is good because that is how we got fat. You will morn the loss of food—you will look around and see others inhaling all this food and you think to yourself—I used to eat like that. You will notice how fast people eat and inhale their food and talk and hardly chew what they are eating. That is pretty normal feeling to have—because you are now eating such small amounts of food and chewing and chewing. You will never be able to guzzle a bottle of water again—that is OK too. These are all good things. In time you will look at all the food people are eating and thinking to yourself oh my gosh I could never eat that much again—it is way too much food. When you have issues or problems come back to the board and ask others who have already done this. We are here to help and support you. Give or exchange all your fat clothes away. You will never need them again after they become too big for you. This weight loss is something you will be able to maintain for the rest of your life. You have earned the right to have new clothes. Make sure you have the VERY best doctor that has had a lot of experience with sleeve surgery and check his success rates out. Check the doctor for HIGH patient reviews from the people who have gone to him or her. I can NOT STRESSS this enough. Make sure that your surgery is being done in a hospital NOT a Clinic. One clue that it is a clinic is if they send you to a hotel room to recover—that is why they cost less, this is also dangerous too. YOU are worth the extra money that it cost to have this WLS in a Hospital and by the best Doctor you can have. You want to have a happy and GREAT life and having the RIGHT Doctor and Hospital are the key to this. Sorry if this is long, but it is intended to have as a reference and answer a lot of your questions that you might have. For some of you, you are very lucky because your health insurance is now starting to pay for Weight Loss Surgery. For many of us, we did not have your luck, so we are self pay patients. There are companies that loan money for this surgery—be aware that their interest rate is high. Once you pick your doctor ask them about these companies that give loans for surgery if you are a self pay patient. You know we never think twice about making car payments. If you have to borrow the money for this surgery just look at this as “body payment.” It will be the best money you have ever borrowed. Please PRINT this out to read later. If you have any questions for me please feel free to contact me. I had surgery almost 4 years ago, so I do have quite a bit of experience. I really am here to help you along your journey. It took me 14 months to lose this weight and I was 63 when I had the surgery, so it is NEVER too late in life to do this.

Sabrina, this is a very personal decision. For me, WLS is like marriage - if you have any doubts, just wait. You can always do it later. There is truth in that diets result in weight gain 95% of the time and the weight does not stay off. You can research that. However, you are the only one who knows your body and your ability to keep weight off. Personally, it kept coming back and the older I get the harder it is to lose it. WLS was the right decision for me. Good luck however you choose.

WLS stands for Weight Loss Surgery. You will find other texting abreviations on the forum. Another is NSV which is a NonSurgical Victory, such as being able to tie your own shoes, someone you haven't seen for a while doesn't recognize you, being able to cross your legs....happy stuff like that. You will also see the term "Onderland" which stands for 199, meaning that your weight is finally below 200 pounds. I have had to look up many text abreviations and street slang terms in an on-line urban dictionary to be able to keep, but it helps me stay current.

Talked with my GP this week and we both agreed this is the way to go. I'm with Kaiser in Santa Clara and will attend the first orientation/class this Tues (June 12). I'm excited, nervous, will I be accepted in to the program, will this finally be the answer to my weight problems? I would appreciate hearing from anyone else who has gone through the process at Kaiser Santa Clara. I'm 64 years old, retired and presently 255 pounds, 5 feet five. My husband is very supportive of the decision. I guess I just need a little input from those who have already gone through the procedure. Kate

You may want to try cutting back on carbs- 1000 (I assume the 100 was a typo lol) to 1200 cals is good I think. I would cut out the cereal and the mashers. Also the prepared meatloaf may have had significant carbs. I chose to do a very low carb diet while I was loosing, and still revert to it when the scale creeps up on me. I eat eggs or a protien shake for breakfast, lean meat (chicken breast, tuna, fish, porkloin) and veggie for lunch and dinner. I snack on 1/4cnuts and 2 low fat cheese sticks. It's very rote, but worked for me. It's not for everyone. Some people feel very sluggish when they don't eat carbs, or are just not willing to give up certain foods. I think that's fine. Everyone needs to find what works for them. Just wanted to throw it out there, it may speed up your weight loss.

Like I said, you may not understand how this works because no one HAS to drink protein shakes. They're helpful during the post op phase but only for a few days/weeks. The only protocol is once you're adjusted properly you must watch for satiety signals and obey them. That means you eat fruit, vegetables, meats and even bread if your band will tolerate it. Your husband may be right. He does know you better than anyone else? The band won't stop you from eating bad foods. If you want to lose weight with the band, you really have to make a change in the way you think. You have to think, "Am I Hungry"? And if you aren't, you don't eat. The band helps you to feel that satisfied feeling much quicker and with much less food. You can still continue to eat if you disregard the signals. Most of us can discern between hunger and cravings and we lose or maintain weight. If you go into this thinking the band will stop you from eating you're going down the wrong road. If you think it will stop you from eating oreos and chips, wrong again. It's not a quick fix, it's for people who have tried all other methods of weight loss and are willing to make a CHANGE in their lives. Did you watch the videos? tmf

After 18 months, I still weight twice a day. When I wake up and when I get home in the evening. It's just a way to keep track of how I'm progressing. I don't let it bother me if the scale creeps up a little. I just try to remember what kind of food I'd eaten in the past few days and take note of how it affected me, make the necessary adjustments and move on. When I was first sleeved, I weighed constantly... before I ate, after I ate, before a poop, after a poop... on and on. It was kind of a game. I know.... I have no life. :-(

We are all works in progress...that is how it should be Personally, I weigh daily. In the past, I would not weigh for months at a time. Goodness, could I pack on the weight when I wasn't looking...lol! For me, daily weighing works, keeps me in check. But, it doesn't stress me. You too will find a balance that works for you! Good luck!

I’m a bit bummed! I weigh myself on Sundays, and last week I was 189, This week - get ready for it! 188!!! Anybody else have the 4th week slump? I guess I should be glad I didn’t GAIN! It’s not the ultimate worst thing, just thinking of how hard it is to go through all this and find I lost so little. I know one big thing has changed from before surgery. I used to do better going to the bathroom, but since being on these vitamins with iron, things have quickly changed. So I’m in the middle of changing my multivitamin and adding magnesium which I took presurgery, so I’m hoping I will begin to lose better again. I’ve also changed to a lower protein shake, and that may be affecting it as well. I have begun to add flavorless protein to some of my food, so I hope that will help as well. Does anyone else have some words of wisdom they could share with me, and have many of you gone thru this same phenomena as well, please chime in! Misery loves company!😫🎉🤣 Still tryin! And thanks ahead of time!