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this is what our SPD says on the subject and this is from an email directly from our DIRECTOR of CORPORATE BENEFITS (i.e. the head hauncho at Corp) Notice Wausau was our OLD insurance and BCBS SC is the new He sent me an excel spread sheet that was titled bariatric surgery.... Now to me this is pretty vauge.... although it DOES look easier under BCBS.... especially because I'm in the >40 range BCBSSC BMI must >40kg/m-2 BMI must >35kg/m-2 with associated complications (diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea) The first treatment must be dietary and lifestyle changes. When this fails, surgery may be considered. Wausau BMI must >= 40kg/m-2Review conditions that are exasperated by the obesity.There must have been structured diet attempts that are physician monitered prior to surgery.Must be considered morbidly obese for at least three years

I am getting very frustrated and for a fat girl that eats when she is upset, that is not good I went to my seminar on the 8th. Contacted my insurance and found out they do cover lap band with a 6 month supervised program first. Went to my primary care physician, told him I wanted to have surgery. He said my medical group requires a 6 month diet (no problem, have to do it for insurance anyway.) Said he would refer me to the doc for diet. Last night I went to orientation for supervised diet. Told them I wanted lap band surgery, but have to do medically supervised diet first. Was told I need to see my primary care again to have a physical, EKG, and bloodwork done. Made appointment this morning, will be going in on Friday. Got a phone call from a nurse from the supervised diet people (after I made dr appointment) and she informed me that my medical group does not do lap band surgery. They only do bypass...don't want bypass!!!! She recommended that I get an appointment with the doc for a bariatric consultation and see what he has to say. I thought that my primary care had already faxed a referral for me to see him and found out they have not received anything from him. They would contact his office and find out what is going on. Well, it is going to take 7-10 business days for the referral to be approved and then I can make the appointment. I thought this had already been stared so I have lost another 5 days to incompetence. I am hoping someone out there has had the insurance/medical group issue and can give me some light on the subject. I do not know if my insurance will cover the surgery out of my medical group. Please help!!!:rolleyes2:

Hi again Latido I had my surgery done in Rochester, NY. Every doctor has their own post-op diet plan but to give you an idea, here are the diets for my bariatric center: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/highland/departments-centers/bariatrics/bariatric-diets.asp Please do exactly and everything your own doctor tells you. I used Protein shakes for at least 6 weeks - 10 days of nothing but liquids (soup and shakes) and then a month of using them as "snacks" to ensure I was getting enough protein. I like the MetRx chocolate (Trader Joe's) and the unjury vanilla (online & at Bariatric Center pharmacies). An unflavored one is very useful for adding to mashed potatoes, cream of chicken soup etc. Good luck!

Congrats! I just looked at my drivers license. I now weigh 30 pounds less than my lie weight (which was almost 70 pounds less than my heaviest), but I don't need to renew for another 3 years. Oh well.

I close my diary and ignore the message. MFP is not designed for bariatric diets. I like using it to track my food and just pretend I don't see that message. It's just not a big deal.

I had my procedure done at the Peachtree Surgical and Bariatrics/Surgery center of Atlanta my surgeon was Dr. Tuggle

After my transformation (see video) from plastic surgery following massive weight loss, I went through an identity crisis. I looked back at my pre-bariatric surgery photos from 2003 and no longer identified with that person. I gazed at my new and improved reflection in the mirror and wondered who “she” wanted to be. So I set out to find myself, and in doing so, I found love. I gained True Love for myself and others. I learned What Love is Not. And I grew fascinated with understanding the Soul Relationships in my life. If you are on the path to find your self after weight loss, then may this series of articles be helpful guideposts along your journey. We lightly explored the spiritual and sexual aspects of soul mate and twin flame relationships in Soul Relationships part 1. In part 2 we’ll explore how to recognize soul love and the purpose of the . Attraction is a curious thing. We can meet someone who has all the right qualities we seek in a mate, and yet not be attracted to him in the least bit. Less frequently, we meet someone and are physically attracted to him and an emotional attraction develops as we get to know him. Even less frequently, we meet someone and quickly we are drawn to him physically and emotionally, even though we do not yet know him deeply. The emotional attraction even may happen before the physical attraction, and can be very powerful. There is a recognition. When you feel this strong urge to enter into a relationship with someone, that’s soul love. If you’re in a true soul connection, you and your twin will truly love each other more than you’ve ever loved before. You love each other’s soul in a pure spiritual way and that love has existed before you even met. If the twins are not spiritually awake enough to welcome these loving feelings that consume them almost daily, then they may cause fear. Fear, insecurity, and doubt can be terrifying — a love that’s so powerful you begin to fear it because you’ve no control. You fear getting hurt. But you love her and you cannot help but to draw her near. You don’t understand these feelings, its as if she’s put a spell on you. You might analyze the relationship to death and come up with all the reasons why not to follow your heart’s desire. Or you may doubt her love (it’s not her fault, it’s your insecurity). You may push her away, by cutting her out of your life. Remember, each twin always feels what the other is feeling. So she may question your love and test you to see if you truly love her. Both twins are being forced to evaluate what their love is, and what it should be. There will be a crisis, or series of crisis, and this part of the process is very painful. The commitment level of both twins on the validity of their unconditional love is being put to the test. They are flooded with an emotional hurricane and eventually one or both twins withdraw from the other. This in turn, causes one twin to chase the other, and is an equally painful experience. The purpose here is to teach the twins that the Universe is in command and it is time to put their destiny into Its hands and release control. This surrender begins a powerful healing process. The quickest way through is to release pain, fears, judgement, and control to the Universe and send your twin unconditional love if you want her to come back. If she feels your anger she will stay away. If this is you, then you join a huge group of people who have experienced the inexplicable, "What the heck is going on?" Do not worry, just have faith and trust. This relationship is under Divine protection and all will be revealed and harmonized in the end. The Universe has brought the twins together because the time is right. Once you both grow to new levels of spiritual consciousness you will be reunited in the physical. Unconditional love is key to growing through that which challenge us most. That’s our Soul’s purpose—to learn and grow. When we do, we ascend to our higher consciousness. Our soul relationships trigger our issues precisely so we grow into our highest self, we lose our egos and love unconditionally. Unconditional love is what makes the twin flame union work. All feelings are derivatives of love or fear. To grow simply means we transform experiences of fear into experiences of love. We grow by consciously committing to unconditional love, each and every day. Choosing love means we see people (including ourselves) beyond their mistakes. We focus on the good in someone rather than the bad. We see the potential in our mates even when they cannot see it within themselves. We work through our “stuff.” We are kind, compassionate, understanding, and forgiving, even when it's hard to do. Both twins must accept that what is destined will be no matter what. Don’t be under the illusion that you can somehow circumvent this process. You are not the orchestrator of the Universe. The only thing your procrastination will accomplish is to prolong the hell that accompanies the Twin Flame Process and delay bliss. Your free will is not powerful enough to override it. That’s because the twin soul union has a Divine purpose. The Twin Flame journey is immensely deep and sacred. As the twins’ egos die completely the Divine force and destined events happen. Each twin experiences an awakening and Divine light and love radiates from them. You ask, “What was I thinking to run away from him" as both twins experience flashes of insight that ignites their spirituality and unconditional love. Together the twins have extraordinary power to heal, and this is their Divine purpose. The Twin Flame connection is beyond words, beyond time and beyond the ego. It has a destiny of it’s own, and is written in the stars. You can’t control it, you can only surrender to it. The Twin Flame Reunion may not adhere to your mind’s or society’s ideas of what is ‘normal’ within relationship paradigms, but remember we are in the midst of a global shift in energy that requires a new way of thinking about how life, and love, works. Please always listen to your own intuitive knowing about your twin flame, and don’t discount what you feel. You have the power to create or destroy your future. Our beliefs and desires manifest for us and reveal the key to nurturing love and joy in your lives.

I got Cigna at the start of this year as my job switched insurance companies. My surgeons office was preparing me with steps toward surgery when I got a call today saying that bariactic surgery isn't covered under my plan. I feel so disappointed. Now what? How can I get coverage? Anyone experienced this? Sent from my SM-N970U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Congratulations for getting to this stage! I know for me, this period is the hardest to stay patient. lol. I echo what others have said - every program/hospital seems to be different. My last clearance appointment was on June 6. The bariatric coordinator called me a couple weeks later to schedule the surgery. It's been scheduled for July 21,

I bought comprehensive Bariatric multivitamins from Health Foods Unlimited, they taste ok and met the nutritional guidelines the nutritionist gave me.

Why are you crying everyday? You're feeling bad from your pre-op diet? Do you have a therapist associated with your bariatric practice? You should NOT be this distraught heading into your surgery. You really need to talk with someone who can help you put your fears and concerns into perspective. A week before my surgery I was nervous, but it was that good, "I can't wait!" kind of nervous, like before your wedding or when you do a pregnancy test and you WANT to be pregnant...you shouldn't be crying and dreading it. It may be that the time isn't right in your life for something of this magnitude. I'm 5 weeks post op and have had the worst post op care. My NUT has actually stopped emailing me when I have questions and I don't actually have a follow up with my surgeon until next week. I've had no Vitamins as my paper stated I shouldn't take them until week 6. I use this forum a lot to help me through but I'm not getting the medical support I need. Sorry, I thought you were pre-op for some reason. I agree with OzRoo, you need to let your surgeon know about the NUT. It's surprising that you're not on vitamins, six weeks is a long time to go without them when you're eating minimal nutrition. I'm glad the forum has been helpful, but it can't take the place of good medical supervision...I'm sorry yours isn't better.

Brigham and Womens Bariatric Weight Loss Center in Weymouth is a good place to start. They have information sessions twice per month. I don't know what part of the Cape you are on, but that might be a good place to start.

This program does things differently than others I have looked at. You go through the classes and tests - once you get through everything then you pick your surgeon and schedule to meet with them - so they can review everything with you. So I won’t pick my surgeon until after my final class (this week) and I was told all the surgeons have varied schedules (some do more than just bariatrics if they specialize in other digestive diseases) so the schedules vary. She did recommend that when they schedule with me I ask about which surgeons have availability in our targeted timeline (if any) - so I suppose that is what I will do. They did great with getting my tests scheduled and completed - I just wish they were able to schedule to meet with the surgeon once the tests were scheduled - rather than wait until the last class … then contact you at some point after. Leaves the timeline to open and uncertain.

I wish it was a range of responses. The questions per my bariatric program are all short answer. It may even take 2 sessions to get through them all

I ordered Calcium chews online and they really curb my sweet tooth. Bariatric Advantage is the maker and they are sold on amazon. I really like the caramel but they also come in lemon, chocolate, and raspberry. Good luck!! Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

You should be candid with your doctor and ask. Different doctors and insurance companies have different preop requirements. If you need to have a certain amount of time concentrating on weight loss to qualify I'm guessing the time before your pregnancy may not count. Also, if you have to have a c section (you never know, it could happen even last minute) the bariatric surgeon may have a required amount of time for healing before he'd consider operating. Mine was very happy i was a year out from my emergency c section before starting the process. I dont know what the minimum time would be. Also, I'm 17 days post op and this is not easy. I have 2 kids (4 and 20 months) and the post op changes, diet, emotions, lack of energy, appointments are not things I would want to go through with a post partum body and a newborn. Also, if you plan to breastfeed I don't know if that would be ok. The tiny amount of nutrition I can tolerate would not be enough to nourish both me and a baby at this point. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but these are all things I would ask about and consider.

I want to have this surgery but I'm running into a lot of issues I think. The company I work for opted out of bariatrics. By bmi is 37 but I don't have any current health issues, so from the research I've done I want qualify. Can someone please give me some advice. I have struggled with my weight my whole life and have tried diets and exercise. Every time I loose I gain it all plus more more back. Please help

I meet with my surgeon next week YEA!! I feel like those brides that send out "save the date" cards! I chose my hospital/surgeon due to proximity to my home and the fact that 4 close friends highly recommended them. Did nursing clinicals there. Have friends that work there. Met the bariatric staff, LOVED them! I feel that my care leading up to surgery has been excellent. Expect aftercare to be just as good. I will be having lap RNY. Now...I have a jealous co-worker who constantly makes snarky comments about my choice in hospital. Jealous she just started with company and must wait 2 years to get surgery. I did a full year of research prior to making a choice so her "know it all" attitude grates on me! So other day she started in on me that her ONE friend told her that patients with my surgeon lose slower. She said my surgeon is more conservative with his pouch size. Honestly? I really wouldn't care since losing is losing. I have 90# to lose vs her 200+# so I'm sure we look at it differently. I just cannot imagine a SIGNIFICANT (they can't be exactly the same) amount of difference among surgeons, but I do believe MY surgeon will tailor MY surgery to fit my needs. They can only go so small on your pouch! I told her that no matter what the surgeon does, ultimately the weight loss results will be up to me. Opinions?

I've been recovering from trauma for a long time and have been seeing a therapist weekly for years. I thought that this would work in my favor, as despite my personal challenges, I have worked through an enormous amount of emotional material, and I am more sane than almost everybody I've ever met. Despite all this, it was held against me that I had a need for long-term therapy, and that I did not openly discuss all of my most painful personal problems with the Bariatrics therapist who I met once for one hour. Her communication was violent and aggressive, but she had a smile on her face the entire time. It was coercive, violating, and triggering. Before approving my application for bariatric surgery, she insisted on getting A written statement from my psychotherapist, and speaking to him on the phone. He was supportive of my decision, and ultimately she submitted my application for approval, but in my opinion a person like her has no business working with people that have been hurt. I felt like I was trapped in a room with a sociopath. My sister also have the surgery done, and she lives in another state. Her experience was completely different. The therapist that she had to see was kind and supportive and did not probe deeply into her past. I guess it's the luck of the draw. My advice, is to stay in your personal power. People who have the guts to confront their personal anguish in therapy or in any other form of self healing are stronger, not weaker. There are few legitimate causes that should prevent somebody from getting surgery, unless their emotional issues produce very extreme and completely out of control behaviors, like a compulsion to eat an entire pizza that can't be stopped by the threat of their stomach ripping open. Anything much less than that, and weight-loss surgery can only help. People with depression, grief, people who are having difficulty engaging with life, can benefit dramatically from the surgery. It empowers us to take a residence in our homes, our bodies. It increases confidence, And gives us a chance to embrace a life that we could not have due to excessive weight holding us back. Our mental health improves with a better nutritional diet, and our body image improves as we release the weight.

On another thread someone said they got a veggie spiralizer and made zucchini noodles. I just got mine form amazon today and haven't tried it yet. I did go on Pinterest and put in spiralizer recipes and found tons that look really good. I would suggest that. Apparently you can spiralizer all kinds of veggies and make awesome low carb paleo meals that fit into the bariatric guidelines. I don't know about rice. I have completely avoided it so far until I can talk with my Dietitian about it. Mich W Hw 223, SW 217 CW 200 GW 135

It was an interesting article, but the statistics are unclear. 8% of their eating disordered patients had had bariatric surgery. What they left out, and I think this is the significant point, is what % of the 8% had an eating disorder to begin with and what % developed it after surgery. Right now, from the article, they are only showing correlation, not causation.

Of course we're all ignoring it for months/yrs now, I just wondered if there was a setting within the app to make it stop. I think they could have a bariatric or other health status setting that ignores kcals or other nutrients and such. I've changed my macronutrient percentages to reflect my protein goals. I'm not crying over here, believe me. I just wanted to know if ppl had thoughts or ideas.....the calorie bump could work for publishing, but you don't get that "if you continued at this rate, you'd be blank pounds in blank amount of time" ....I know that's thrown out the water with surgery because there is no way for it to capture those metrics on the 'average bariatric patient' I just thought it was cute and quite the motivator during the pre-op phase....lol :-) Again, not crying. Not taking it seriously.....

Hello, I had lap band surgery in 2005. I have lost 30 lbs. I need to lose 90 more. I had a lot of problems with reflux and had to be unfilled. I also was with a practice that kind of let me down because they have never called me or followed up with me since my unfill 9 years ago. I'm establishing now with a new group in Central Maine. I am seeing the dietitian and getting a fill on Thursday. I am very hopeful that with proper follow up and better compliance on my part, I'll be successful this time around. Can anyone tell me how to like a post on here? Thanx

@@Djmohr Jess9395 said it best. He said the skin is already pulled, you can see the stretch marks. He said that sometimes things may have to be done in steps and I would get another opinion, but he's redoing it for free (since I'm getting liposuction in thighs). He's an extremely well known surgeon in bariatric patients in our area, so I don't feel like he's a bad surgeon or anything. I would love to see your pictures.