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I guess I will start researching Mexico! I will still wait until I get details on my employer's 2016 benefits to see if it gets added. I was planning on waiting and doing 6 months dr observed weight loss, so it won't be prolonging the process. So many Mexico questions now- are post-op complications covered by regular insurance either leaks or dehydration etc? do you meet the surgeon before your travel? thanks all

You have to do what works for you. I'm nervous but God will have us covered. I myself is too young to be on 7 different medications. So I chose to do the surgery but I only told my husband, kids, and sister. That's my main support because I didn't want to hear just what you are hearing. But like I said do what works for you, any surgery can have complications. Pray much success for you.

the stomach isn't floating around - it's still there. They just put a line of staples across your stomach to divide it between pouch and the remnant stomach. RNY IS reversible - but it's a complicated surgery and they'll only do it if the patient has some serious medical issues. (btw - VSG is NOT reversible, since they remove 80% of your stomach and throw it away) those intestinal problems you mentioned can happen, but they are pretty rare.

Here's a list of questions (with recent updates) that I posted quite some time ago. Since you're coming up on your last appointment you'll likely have answers to some of these already but hopefully you'll find others that will prove useful. What are the risks? How often do patients have complications following surgery? What side effects are the most common? What are the benefits? What should I expect after surgery? Realistically, what weight loss should I expect following surgery and over what period of time? What are "stalls" or "plateaus"? How long do they last and if I do experience them, what can I do to shorten their duration? Will any new technology be used e.g. robotics? Is the hospital and surgeons office accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)? This is a combination of the programs formerly offered by two highly respected surgical societies - The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Beginning in 2012, this accreditation replaced the former Bariatric Centers of Excellence. Are you board certified in bariatric surgery? How many roux-en-y gastric bypass surgeries have you performed? Have you experienced any surgery related mortalities? Do you have patients that are willing to share their weight loss surgery experiences, positive and negative? What types of support groups and counseling will be available post-op? What information can you give me to help family and friends better understand the surgery? How often do you see your patients following surgery? What is the significance of Protein following surgery? Does your practice offer support services for psychological needs? What assistance is available for helping me secure insurance approval? Who should I speak with regarding insurance related questions? What pre-op testing will be done? What post-op testing will be done? Will I need Vitamins after my surgery and if so, what types? When can I start exercising after my surgery? How likely is it that I will regain weight after surgery? Think of the meeting with your surgeon as an interview. You're looking for an answer to "Why are you and your team the most qualified for the job?" You're gonna love the new you!!

One thing to consider with a band and no insurance is after-care. With a band, you have to have fills or the band does you no good. Many surgeons offer fills for a period of time in their fees, but after that, you are on your own. Fills can cost a few hundred dollars per. My surgeon wants me to have an Upper GI each year. That would be another cost. Bands are not a set-it and forget-it procedure like bypass is. Should you have a complication down the road and need the band removed, such as erosion, it is another full surgery. If your band should slip, treatment starts conservatively, but can end up back in the operating room. If all goes well, banding is cheaper than bypass. I've seen amounts around 10K in the states for a band, I don't know what after is included in that price. Bypass would be substantially more as the procedure takes quite a bit more time to complete. There are many self-pay people here who are extremely happy with their choice. But be sure you can afford the aftercare. If you cannot have fills, then it isn't worth it. And empty band is like an empty gas tank...it just sits there going nowhere fast.

Thank you for this! While I am very committed to this massive life change, I'm also in the pre-surgery jitters stage. 5 more days! So, my anxious litte brain is fixating on any and all of the worries and complications associated with bariatric surgery. Nice to read some positive stats while in this frame of mind. Obviously, I have all the evidence I need that this is a great choice for me and lots of others (hello message boards). But, whew! I underestimated this anxiety in the home stretch. I think it's less about the actual surgery than is it about the fact that I absolutely hate being touched by strangers and especially in a medical setting. I'm also horrible about speaking up for myself because I'm trying to be the perfect patient. Therapy topic for this week perhaps?

OMG I totally love you for sharing all that Xavier! I was really happy when I read the link that David posted until I realized after reading it a few more times how much it scared me. I felt so discouraged today after spending all day yesterday doing research and talking with people. If you ever come across one of the things I posted today, it says.... "Feeling discouraged...What's the point?" My only thought all day was... all this hell for nothing (had a bad surgery experience, as well as post op complications)? Whats the point?... I WANTED it to be tight and restrict my food intake....like you said "if I could ever follow a diet and/or exercise regimen long term why would I need a lap band!" I'm thinking now that I really need a more care free attitude about this and to stop all this worry...

I'm also pre-op and am looking at mid-June for surgery. One question I asked myself in deciding if this surgery was for me or not was, could I lose 80-90 pounds in my own and permanently keep the weight off? I answered no because I've been trying to do just that for about 20 years and have failed. The other issue for me was BMI and life expectancy. People with a BMI of over 40 can expect to live 10 years less...that scares the hell out me a whole lot more than whatever short term complications or pain I may experience from having this surgery. I'd like to be around for my grand kids some day. I think it would be beneficial for you to sit down and write out a pros/cons list for having the surgery and I'm almost positive the pros list will win out. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

There's been some patients that had part of the hospital bills from complications covered by insurance, but others have had complete exclusion of any complication bills being paid by insurance that do not cover the initial procedure. It seems it's all in how the hospital bills the charges, and how the doctor handles the complications. It's a tough situation to be in as I would not want bypass, and I would have self-paid for my revision if insurance would not have come through for me.

Where & from whom do you purchase complication insurance? How expensive is it?

40 pounds is a lot!! I am proud of you!! Imagine how much harder back surgery recovery would be with 40 extra pounds to haul around! I want you to think about this, if you lost a ton of weight at once, your skin is not equipped with the elasticity to bounce back and shrink up at that same fast pace. Then you are stuck with wings under your arms and a saggy pouch hanging farther down your abdomen than you belly actually was. You would end up having to have surgery to remove the skin and I hear it is rather painful and full of complications. Take pride in your accomplishments so far and remember that this is a life long journey, just be healthy!!

Hi amencorner I am post-op 4 weeks. Had my sleeve on Feb.13 and had the same feelings as you. I had moments when I regretted having it. I also had some complications like dehydration and bp meds. Once they were under control, I felt back to normal. I also was hungry on the liquid diet and am now on soft foods. It does get better so hang in there. Good Luck to you

Hi everyone, I have what may be an unusual situation in that I am not "settled" in my life. Because of illness and disability I am temporarily living in a small town (less than 200 people) in the middle of nowhere. Once I lose weight and get some orthopedic surgery, I am going to move. Here's my dilemma. I have started a program (two nutritionist visits) in one clinic that is 60 miles west. Very good reputation. There is also a clinic about 50 miles east, also with a good reputation. In my imagined (hoped for) future, I will be living in the town that is 50 miles east, which places me 110 miles away from my doctors if there is a complication in the coming years. I am wondering if I should switch over to the program that is in the town where I will be living; it seems to make more sense to me that in case of emergency the hospital has my records and the surgeon and staff are right there. I'm getting a bit nervous because as I research RNY I keep seeing a lot of folks going back to get gallbladder surgery, or other emergency surgery for problems related to their RNY even years down the line. It just seems like it would nice to be in the same city as your doc. So--Is it better to have your surgeon nearby or does it really matter, as long as you have good medical care available? Thanks for any advice you can give me, I am questioning everything right now.

I would base it more on the overall program than the surgeon/surgeons office if there are any differences. My program offers nutritionists and free NUT appointments for life following surgery. They also have exercise classes, in person support groups, cooking classes and all sorts of other things. I haven't had any complications (knock on wood!) but I have absolutely taken advantage of all of those other things since I live very close. I know there are others who used the same surgeon as me but live much farther away so they can't utilize all of the other services...and they struggle. I also know some individuals who have moved away from our surgeon and have really had a hard time finding a new doctor who will take them on board which is another thing to consider. If you really love the surgeon/program 60 miles west that you've started with you could go ahead and ask the group 50 miles east if they would be willing to take you on post-op and just plan on switching to them at a point in time after surgery.

Hi. I had a lap band and then revised to sleeve. Lost over 100 lbs with band and then 40 something more with sleeve. I have to have a revision due to gerd and other complications from my sleeve. Luckily, I did not lose any of my hair on either procedures listed above... And I know losing weight is much slower after each revision so maybe I'll be lucky again this time around. I was wondering if any of you lost your hair after revising from sleeve to bypass. Thank you in advance.

I have been considering wls for while. My husband is self employed and we have not had insurance for a while. We have finally caught up on everything and so I went through the very long process to apply for insurance through BCBS of TX for us and our 4 kids. I knew they would not cover the wls and planned to self pay but wanted to have the insurance in case of complications. Once everything was submitted to underwriting I started the process for gastric sleeve, met with the Dr and set a date for July 31st. Then the next week was notified by insurance that I was denied coverage because of the meds I take for water retention. It does not make sense to me why they denied me but my agent said I can appeal the decision and re-apply. I have decided to just wait until after surgery and trust God and move forward my plans for surgery without insurance. Does anyone know how long I will need to wait after surgery until it would be good for me to re-apply for insurance?

PHOENIX!!! OMG we are in the same boat here! My BMI and highest weight is 312, now 300. We have tried so many years to have a baby and i decided, even though i am 39, i would rather be a bit older and healthier than risk the complications from having a pregnancy at 300 lbs. Not to mention that most fertility specialist won't do IVF or at least you are limited as to what can be done if BMI is over 40. My husband and i are going through this process together as well. The plan is to do all the nutrition, PT and group sessions together and i will be first for surgery and once i heal, he will go as well. Its so nice to see that other couples are going through this together, it really works to be on the same page with everything. Good luck to you... and heres to our future baby bumps, and looking cute in maternity clothes!

I'm on pre op diet, 2 days left, damn it feels good to say that! My pre op started pretty bad, cravings, mind telling me things would taste amazing. I kept looking back on my life. Did I really enjoy that? Did I need that? Did I NEED that? Nope. Not at all. Determination is where it's at, get your mind in the right spot. Remember everything that's hard right now, and then imagine a world you live in where things aren't so complicated. America has become such a foody type nation, everything we do revolves around food, so much that it's killing our children and loved ones. I got tired of living to eat instead of eating to live.

i too am able to eat what i want. I had the RNY and I haven't experienced any complications. I had a friend who got sleeved two weeks behind me, and she is having trouble drinking anything. She says it hurts. I feel blessed to be able to eat whatever, but it does take me choosing to change my diet for optimal success. I know people who have had the gastric bypass and eat what ever they want. They lost weight, but probably not to the extent they could have. I want a different life, so I will have to make changes, but I do take it as a blessing. I don't want to experience the pain I see my friend going through. Counting my blessings...

So I am 99.9 % self pay. My concern is what would happen if something went wrong. Like if I had to stay in the hospital as a result of a complication... Would Cigna pay for the stay even though it was related to something I didn't go through them for? Or what if 5 years from now my gallbladder is removed... Do I have to pay bc I paid for the surgery? Just wondering how that might work.

Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice from anyone who either pre or post operatively had anxiety & worry about complications to the point that they took medication. In 2013 I had a pulmonary embolism and for like a year afterwards every single minute of every day I was afraid it was going to happen again. Eventually before I went crazy I was given klonopin. I have had anxiety attacks on and off for the past 3 years if things get too stressful but over time they have decreased in intensity and frequency. I have fibromyalgia so i'm already in pain and because of my previous experience I know that after the surgery i'm going to be paranoid for like a month that I have an issue. I'm going to the doctor to pick a surgery date on Friday (4/8) and i'm going to tell him that there's no way I can go through with it unless him or my primary doc gives me something to keep me calm for a little while. Anyone have any suggestions for what works best or have any similar experience to share?

I agree with Terri! I've only just begun, but so far I love it! I keep track of my calories, and the first couple of weeks having 300-400 calories a day, I was simply amazed. Now I have no restriction till my first fill, but I get full so much quicker.. pre-band I don't know that I ever just got full. I was either hungry, or stuffed (very rare.. Thanksgiving..) So now, until I get my fill I do get hungry more often and have had my 'binge' moments, where I want a lot of food. And then when it's all said and done, my binge is only 1/10th (maybe less) of what it would have been before the band..so it's keeping me in check! It's also teaching me to slow down and think about food choices.. if I can only have so little food, I want to make it count! About beating yourself up over not being able to do it without the band.. don't feel bad, in America over 60% of people are overweight.. it's not like you're an outcast! We all can relate.. believe me, if I could have done this on my own, I definitely wouldn't have risked surgery. My number one concern (besides a cathetar) going into surgery, was that.. if I died doing an 'elective surgery' that my parents helped me pay for, they would never forgive themselves. But the risks of complications is sooo small (.5%), so once you get your surgery date, it will come and go before you know it! Good luck

My surgeon straight up told me that if you have 100+ pounds to lose he doesn't recommend the band as average weight loss is only about 50 pounds. Since I've been in this process I have seen many on here that had terrible complications with the band since it's a foreign object in your body. Do your research- it might be right for you but it definately wasn't the choice for me.

Being nervous and getting cold feet is probably the most common response once it becomes a reality and time draws closer to the surgery date. Do not worry!! You are NOT alone here. Please note, yes complications are possible. But what is also possible if you don't have the surgery and get healthy? Well, your chances of diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart disease, cancer, high cholesterol, arthritis, strokes, heart attacks... etc... you get the idea.. are far higher. All of these afflictions I've witnessed first hand and I've seen what they can do to you. They absolutely will kill you. So, on one hand you have surgery, on the other you have all those other diseases that you are very highly going to get. Put those on a weight scale and see which one I chose. You are taking the right path, do not stray! I do have a suggestion, find some people here who have experienced a leak. Ask them point blank if they regret their decision to have the sleeve. I have not seen one yet that wishes they didn't have it done. Hugs and Blessings!!! Xoxo - Change your life for the better!!

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