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Of course I plan on having no serious complications, but I think it might be safer to travel the 1 1/2 hours vs. 4 hrs. Having kids and making arrangement for fills/unfills might be a pain at the greater distance. The main thing is emergencies and can I get to my surgeon. In my town we have no surgeons that do bariatric surgery. I'd hate to put my body in the hand of the unexperienced! Hmm.

To Imalene, To answer your question (Sorry I forgot in my earlier post!), I am going through Dr. Jesse Lopez at the Midwest Institute of Bariatric Surgery in Lenexa, Kansas. I have talked to a couple of girls on this site (under the Missouri thread) that have used him and were happy with him. Of course, I also checked him out before my first appointment. Since I first went to their seminar in the first part of August, I have been to their office once, for my first appointment, have never had another appointment. And as I said, I did the scheduling of evaluations on my own as well. They do seem busy but are always polite, I'm just tired of waiting!! I'm ready to get on w/ my life!! lol! Hugs, Sherry

~~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~ Well, today was the last day I was going to attempt to call to schedule my surgery. I called another clinic to schedule a new patient appointment, destined to go through the entire approval process again. I gave my dr. office till noon to return my call. At 11:30 I called them again to see if they were going to talk to me and low and behold I got to speak to the man himself who handles the scheduling. I FINALLY got some answers to this entire saga...... Seems that Dr. Jesse Lopez has 'left'. They have no idea where he's gone or what happened to him. One day he was there, the next he was not and was not answering his phone or pager nor seeing his patients or keeping appointments. They didn't take our calls because they didn't know what to tell us. Apparently they have been working w/ their lawyers and have found another Bariatric Surgeon who is going to take the position for their clinic. I cried horribly and explained to this person that a phone call several weeks ago would have greatly improved my disposition and that I felt I had a right to be kept up to date on MY care! I even let my DH have a turn to listen to all his explainations. It being 'not his fault' (which I guess it isn't) he is trying to encourage me to stick it out w/ the clinic and is going to try to get me a date w/ the new surgeon before the end of the year. I DID ask and check out about their after-care. It seems their staff and PA's have been taking care of all post-op patients for appointments and fills, it was just us who are in 'limbo' that have fell through the cracks. Weighing my options still! The only other doc that I have found in the KC area that is willing to try to transfer my insurance approval w/out making me wait for the entire process to exhaust itself, I'm not sure is the best choice in a doctor. I've not heard the best of compliments about them and really don't want to go through all this drama again. Just wanted to let you all know that I did get an answer even if it wasn't the one I wanted. After a good long cry I feel a little better and realize that it wasn't personal and they weren't just trying to avoid me, they didn't know what they were supposed to say. While still not what I would have done, I have to try to understand. I also wanted to thank everyone who has added to this thread or left me pm's with advise and encouragement. I'm going to step back and see what happens between now and the first of the year before I start the entire process over again. I KNOW this lap-band is for me and I know I'll get there. Patience has never been my strong suit! Hugs to all! And a very Merry Christmas!

Basic Cheesecake 1 8-ounce container fat-free cream cheese ½ pound soft tofu ½ cup egg substitute 6 packets artificial sweetener ½ teaspoon vanilla ¼ teaspoon almond extract 6 tablespoons egg white substitute ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar butter flavored cooking spray 1) Preheat oven to 350 F 2) In large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, tofu, egg substitute, sweetener, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth and creamy 3) In a small bowl, using an electric mixer, whip egg white substitute with cream of tartar until it forms stiff peaks 4) Gently fold whipped egg whites into cream cheese mixture 5) Coat an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray and pour in batter. Place cake pan into a baking pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes 6) Let cool for at least 4 hours. Calories: 59.13 Protein: 7.98 g Fat: 0.84 g Carbohydrates: 3.91 g Cholesterol: 5 mg Fiber: .34 g Sodium: 185.46 g I got this recipe out of a cook book for bariatric surgery patients (Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray). This cookbook has some great recipes and breaks each one down into the amount of calories, fat, etc. You can buy it at any Barnes and Noble or online.

Actually, I postponed it. There has been so much drama involving the Midwest Institute of Bariatric Surgery that I have been going through that I have chosen to seek my surgery elsewhere. Nothing like waiting till the 11th hour huh? lol! I have reasons to believe that they falsified some documentation that they submitted to my insurance company for the approval and don't want to take my chances of it not getting paid for post surgery! So we're looking at the entire approval process again. Hope to have surgery by February/March. Thanks again to everyone for your support!

Sorry to ask this here, but I’m scared. I don’t know what to do or have anyone else to ask. I’m what I call “irregularly regular”. Irregular in the sense that I never know when I’m going to get my period. Regular in the sense that it always lasts for 3.5 days, four at tops. Last month, I got my period and it lasted for almost two weeks. That has never happened to me before. I figure it might have to do with my recent weight gain (about 30 pounds since July) and the related hormone changes. I haven't felt "healthy" for a while now. After my period ended, I was fine for about two weeks. Then I got my period again. I’ve had it now for over a week and it’s very heavy and there’s more …”material” than before (not a ton but noticeably more). I’ve had a little bit of dizziness – my shrink says that’s a side effect of Wellbutrin, but over the weekend, I had a few dizzy spells. (Haven’t had one since, though.) I did some research on the internet and though my flow is very heavy (for me) I’m not changing my pad every 6 hours, so maybe it’s not that an extreme a case. I think the blood loss has made me a little anemic and caused a little of the fatigue and dizziness so I started taking an Iron supplement today. I had a little bit of cramping yesterday and today, but I took an Aleve and I’m fine. There’s no pain or anything otherwise weird. I just can’t seem to stop bleeding. I’ve just about convinced myself that I have cervical cancer or something. As far as I know, none of this runs in my family. I haven’t been to see a doctor, mostly because I’m chicken. I’m 31 and have never had a gyno exam. (I rationalized it by saying I’ve never been sexually active, so I didn’t need to.) I’m also in a tricky situation because my company switched to a new health insurance carrier effective Jan. 1, but Blue Cross is taking forever to do the paperwork, so I don’t have a member number, a group number, a PCP, or anything. I’m waiting for it any day now, but who knows how long it will take them? I’m really scared, but apparently not scared enough to be smart about this because the second I have my insurance info I’m going to see the PCP about a referral to bariatrics. I’m afraid to mention it to my doctor because she will be someone I’ve never met and she may want to do all kinds of history and testing on me before she’s willing to do any kind of referral. I’m all twisted up in knots. Have any of you experienced anything like this? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Here are some more that I found... http://ww2.khou.com/Global/story.asp?S=2126357 http://www.lapsurgery.com/BARIATRIC%20SURGERY/Before&AfterPics.htm http://www.inamed.com/products/obesity/us/patient/lapband/photos.html http://www.inamed.com/products/obesity/us/clinician/lapband/photos.html http://gastricband.com/html/stories.html http://www.whyweight.com click on success stories http://www.obesitydoctors.com/NY/BeforeAndAfterPictures.htm

Dr. C, Thanks for posting this. Makes me feel I've chosen the right type of bariatric surgery for me. NancyRN

You'll do better when you get your next fill....that first one usually doesn't do much for anybody. The thing that helped me at that point (and still does) is using a really good Protein drink that I like....now I would just as soon have a good Protein Delight or Matrix shake as a Dairy Queen milkshake. It satisfies the sweet craving as well as the actual hunger. But makes sure you are using one that is designed for bariatric patients (lo carb, hi protein), not the kind designed for athletes, body builders. (bariatriceating.com carries good stuff).

Met with Bariatric Coordinator, Nutritionist, Physical Therapist and Psychologist on 7/25/06. It went well. Waiting for approval from insurance company. We'll see... weightlossticker.bmp

Even though my insurance left me high and dry, I am still going along with the plan. Self-pay, $20,000. Dr. Blackstone of Scottsdale Bariatric Center in AZ is doing it. Her office is ranked in the top three in the country. It was a toss up between this and the RNY bypass. I have done all the preliminary tests, few to go before the surgery. Would like to know from others what to expect the day of the surgery, and what to expect after. Surgery October 9, 2006.

OOPS, I forgot to include the website in my PM. Dr. Frank Veninga/North Texas Bariatric & General Surgery 4333 N. Josey Lane Plaza II - Suite 207 Carrollton, Texas 75010 PH 972.939.8218 FX 972.395.1789 website http://www.bariatricsurgerydallas.com/index.html

While you are waiting and hanging out here for support, you can initiate the following steps that most of our plans have us do for our pre-op preparations. Drink no calories. Drink Water until your eyeballs float - 64 - 80+ ounces per day. Don't eat anything made in a factory. You can do this by shopping the perimeter of the supermarket and avoid the aisle unless you need a spice or paper towels...that kind of stuff. Eat at least 60 ounces of Protein per day, and at any meal, eat your protein first - then veg - then fruit. Dessert should be something like an apple, not apple pie with two scoops of ice cream. Avoid sugar, grease, and salt as much as possible. Eating clean will help you discover the real taste of natural food. If it weren't for sugar, grease and salt, McDonald's would have no business. When I gave up candy bars and started eating dark chocolate, I realized that it wasn't the chocolate I missed - it was the sugar. Try to wean yourself off of soda and diet soda. Most bariatric plans discourage soda pop and anything with bubble post-op. Reduce starchy carbs like bread, flour, sugar, rice, noodle, biscuits, white potatoes, macaroni, spaghetti etc. So what is left to eat? meat, eggs, cheese, Beans, Peanut Butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, and fresh fruits and non-starchy veggies. You can adjust your current recipes to reduce carbs. The World According to Eggface is a good place to start. We have a forum here for recipes. Also, Sparkpeople.com and Myfitnesspal.com. Many of us use Myfitnesspal.com for logging our food every day. It is really an eye-opener if you are honest with yourself about what you eat. Weigh and measure your food to acurately acknowledge your actual portion size. There is a scientific principle that says, "You cannot control that which you do not measure." Exercise where you can. Move your body every day. Don't become part of the sofa. I have 35 exercise DVDs of all kinds and variety from bedfast exercises to chair exercises, to Zumba, Hip-Hop Abs, Pussycat Dolls, Bollywood, Salsa, Strength Training and Toning, etc..... and ridiculously enough, my favorite is still Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies. If you can't afford videos, crank up some loud music and dance like nobody is watching, or take wal There are also a TON of Youtube videos with exercises you can follow. Now is a good time to make regular visits to a physician so that your weight can be monitored. Many plans require several months of medical diet supervision as a pre-requisite for approval. My plan was two years. You may also have to provide a list of all the different diets that have failed you. I wish you best and hope that you can have your surgery with an uncomplicated recovery. Good luck, and visit us often. And just so you know, opinions and tact will vary here.

If you started out with a not-so-good bariatric surgeon who somehow deceived you into choosing the band (I'd like to hear more about how he did that), there's no guarantee that you'd have better success with the bypass. It's great that you've found a better surgeon. I hope the rest of your WLS journey goes more smoohly now.

So I'm thinking about giving up on my insurance fight and just switching to self-pay. I had a slipped band over a year ago. It took 6 months to get the insurance company (Fed BCBS) to finally agree to remove the band but they denied a revision to VSG stating it wasn't medically necessary because my BMI was under 35. I submitted an appeal to the Federal Office of Personnel Management in October for what was supposed to be a 60 day appeal. They "lost" my case and had to start over. Then they closed it because they didn't understand I was asking for a revision and not some sort of random partial gastrectomy. They finally sent it out for review but it sounds like they didn't select a bariatric surgeon because the answer last week came back that it isn't medically necessary because my weight isn't over a 40 BMI. The told my attorney to wait for the report and then call and talk to the nurse but I haven't heard back yet. At this point it's been almost 7 months since I submitted the appeal. This has been going on for so long I'm almost back to my original weight. If I had it to do over again I'd have done a self-pay revision with Dr. Aceves right from the start. Heck, I'd be at my goal weight by now. I just don't have it in me to keep this up. I went ahead and requested a surgery date with Dr. Aceves and put first-class airline tickets on hold on my miles. I can't think what hoops the insurance company would have next. They just don't get that the standard of care for a revision doesn't require you to regain all your weight first. I could go forward with the surgery and then sue them after the fact but I'm not sure it's worth the mental energy after all this. I had some old Microsoft stock lying around and it's almost enough for the surgery. I'm thinking that I'll never miss the money and can just get on with my life. I don't want to self-pay up here because it's really expensive and they don't cover complications like Dr. Aceves does. I could be down there next weekend having this done and just moving on. Thoughts? I could use some additional input... Thanks! Britt

Medical issues related to what? I mean, I have psoriasis, but even a dermatologist would be hard-pressed to blame that on bariatric surgery. So, do you mean medical issues as a result of having a gastric band? Or medical issues (co-morbidities) that would help one qualify for bariatric surgery? Or what?

I was a bit anti-surgery before my family and I attended the information seminar. I thought that the mortality rate for bariatric patients was sky high, but I was incorrect - actually, my surgeon went over the statistics and numbers - and as it turns out if I sat in the chair and did nothing at the BMI I was at, my mortality chance was a whole lot higher than if I had surgery. He also discussed the statistics regarding weight loss and keeping it off - which as we all know with traditional diet and exercise programs the percentage of successful losses of all of ones excess body weight are very small - like 1% of the population, whereas with bariatrics it has exponentially higher success rates. I have done everything and have not had the success I have always sought so I am looking forward to having the tool of a sleeve to increase my own odds of success

1. How many times do you have to get a fill? FOR ME IT WAS ABOUT 5 2. Does anyone get side effects like Nausea etc? FOR ME NO 3. How long does the approval take? DEPENDS ON YOUR INSURANCE. I WAS SELF PAY 4. How long is the procedure itself? I WENT IN ABOUT 10 AND I WAS GOING HOME BY 2. SURGERY TAKES ABOUT 40 MIN 5. Is this outpatient procedure? Or in patient? MOSTLY OUT PATIENT 6. Do you have to prove you have sleep disorder? IF YOU HAVE ONE YOUR DOC HAS IT IN THE FILES 7. Do most insurances approve the operation? MOST? SOME YES e operation is done - do you have follow a strict diet? Like shakes? if so what kind? YOU HAVE TO EAT SLOW, CHEW YOUR food. STOP ALL SODA. GET RID OF BREAD AND ALL WHITE FLOUR ITEMS. SAY BYE BYE TO YOUR Cookies, CAKES, PIES. JUNK JUNK JUNK... YOU H AVE TO DRINK ABOUT 6-8 GLASSES A DAY. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF Protein PER DAY..I WATCH MY CARBS. YOU DO NOT DRINK WHEN U EAT. THE RECOMEND THAT YOU EXERCISE AND WALK. I DO 2 SHAKES A DAY. DOES YOUR INSURANCE OFFER BARIATRIC COVERAGE?

Hello, I am from Saginaw Mi. Getting my sleeve done May 29th at Hurley Bariatric in Flint Mi. I have Dr. Farhan. Getting nervous and excited too. I am on my 2nd week of the liquid diet (UGGH)I cant wait to find a different protien shake to use. The ones they have us taking are horrible. Any suggestions? Just thought I would introduce myself. Lori

Look at this page...it explains all the types of bariatric surgery, with pictures: Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared

I don't know if you have this information, its the bariatric policy for Wellcare https://www.wellcare.com/WCAssets/corporate/assets/ccg/hs_ccg_bariatric_eng_10_2014.pdf Hopefully it will help answer some of your questions. Best of Luck

@@Truthella Hello and welcome! Don't be afraid to ask any questions you might need to. I have pasted a link you might like. The Bariatric Surgery Do's and Don'ts. My best bit of advice would be is don't procrastinate getting everything prepared for your sugery. That day will get here before you know it! http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/194624-bariatric-surgery-dos-and-donts/#entry2183268

The denial letter is a bit confusing but if I'm reading it right it was on grounds of depression and having acid reflux disease. Both thing I made clear in the beginning to the whole bariatric team that I have been seeing. I have had depression for years but it's under control with medicine. My dr did not see a reason why it would be denied.

I can relate to feeling mentally and physically drained. Before I was banded in February, my knees and back always hurts. I had 3 surgeries to fix heel spurs caused by weight bain and I couldn't walk up my stairs without being out of breath and my relationship with my husband was going down hill fast. Plus, I was not as heavy as most that get banded, but the extra weight I had been carrying around for years took it's toll on my over all health and at 43, I felt much older inside and out. Now that I have the band, in almost 2 months I have lost 30#, most of that in the first month. If thats not motivation I don't know what is. It also helps that I have a terrific Bariatric group that I go in weekly for weigh-ins, which helps hold me accountable for my actions each week, especially right now that I am kinda new to this new phase of my life. But I think the key to your sucess depends alot on you. I really wanted this more than anything. I wasn't always big and I loved my life and who I was before the extra weight. That all changed when I put on weight. I love to travel, hike and swim as well as shop for new clothes, which I haven't been able or willing to do in years, because it was depressing trying things on that would not fit right. Last week, I was finally able to get out of plus size, what an amazing feeling. I also, while on vacation, bought some shirts that were too small right now, but motivates me to get into them by summer. I still have a ways to go, but each new success, no matter how small is something to be proud of. I just got back from San Diego on vacation, I really hadn't excercised much up till then, but was amazed that with the weight I had lost, I was able to climb some of the cliffs on their trails. I walked all week and with very little problem, something before surgery I could not have done. So you ask if this can change your life for the better. It has for me. Plus my husband and I have grown close again. Honestly it's the best decission I have made in a long time, now if you had asked me a week or two after I had it done, well lets just say, I was in pain and had a few issues, but I worked through them and with the help of my doctor and this forum it has made it so much easier to move through this process much smoother. Good Luck to you

As I recall, SlimFast Hi Protein is not really very high protein! It's only about 15 grams. The good quality protein drinks made for bariatric patients have anywhere between 25-40 grms for about the same price. Since we need 80-100 grams a day, and it's hard to get much with just food in a tiny little pouch, I think the bariatric drinks are much healthier and you don't have to use as many. And if you use the powders, much cheaper. Canned RTD's average about 2 dollars/can whereas powders average about 50 cents a serving. I keep RTD's on hand for traveling or a quick drink, but use the powders for daily life. Also, the powders can be 'doctored up' with SF syrups and fruit and give you much more variety than just drinking the same thing every day.