Search the Community

Hi there! I am waiting to hear from Aetna on my sleeve to bypass revision. I called today and they said it's in review as of the 26th. Said it could take 7-10 days. Just curious...were you approved? How long did it take to hear back for a final decision? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

Anyone ever heard of this? I searched the forums and had 0 results. My surgeon's office offers this procedure called ThermiSmooth Body. Here's their description of it and a link https://www.newyoubariatriccenter.com/your-weight-loss-journey/life-as-the-new-you/post-weight-loss-skin-tightening/ I've never ever heard of this before. Has anyone tried this post-op for skin tightening? There are before/after pics at the link. "Do you have loose skin in your arms, legs or stomach? Are you interested in a non-surgical option for your New You? ThermiSmooth Body uses radiofrequency technology to gently and safely remodel collagen. By targeting the areas under the skin, we are able to tighten and firm loose skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite. This non-invasive procedure feels much like a hot stone massage. Treatments last 10 minutes per area and are performed over six sessions for best results."

Donna, you are doing great. The exercise is just about ruining my lapband experience. I just don't seem to be motivated. I go to the gym and I only do 10 minutes of cardio. I am going to try going to the beginning (all level) classes starting Wednesdsay. My first is Pilates. I need to make a goal poster. Right now I can't see beyond 269 lbs. Its hard but I need some serious visuals. Now!

I had the shots about 10 years ago and can't recommend them enough! It was a 3-year process, but before the first year was finished, I was able to get a pet cat - something that would have been IMPOSSIBLE prior to the immunotherapy injections.

Emjay, There is an oral allergy associated with a Ragweed pollen allergy. If you're allergic to ragweed pollen, eating certain foods will cause some swelling in your mouth and lips. This lasts around 10 to 15 minutes and goes away with no long-term issues. Normally, this is all. It doesn't effect your stomach enough to notice. With the LAP Band, these foods can cause swelling of the area around your band, tightening the opening. I was having trouble eating pretty often and food wasn't getting stuck but it was getting very uncomfortable and caused me to stop eating until the feeling went away. I knew I had a ragweed allergy because I'd experienced the swelling in my mouth and lips but eventually realized that it was probably effecting my stomach as well. I tested this theory several times to see if the foods I'm allergic to were causing an issue. Avocado is one of the foods on the list. I tried a sandwich with guacamole and had problems almost immediately. I drank a little bit of Water, waited an hour then tried another sandwich without guac and had no issues. I've tried several times and had the same result. Here's the list of foods known to cause an allergic reaction in people with ragweed allergies: Cantaloupe Watermelon Honeydew (All melons are an issue. This is just a short list of common melons.) Avocados Cucumbers Bananas Zucchini Sunflower Seeds/oil Chamomile Echinacea Green pepper Paprika Artichoke Hibiscus If you've eaten any of these and had an issue with your band immediately after or within a few hours after, its probably the food itself causing the problem, not the ragweed allergy in general. Some people have worse reactions to certain foods than others. I can't eat cantaloupe AT ALL but I'm usually ok with zucchini. Cooking the foods also reduces the likelihood of reactions. Sunflower oil and paprika are sometimes hard to know about ahead of time but have caused issues with my band before. Try avoiding these foods and see if your issues go away. Good luck and hope this helps!

Okay lets start with I had my surgery on 01/21/2013, I am at 6cc in a 10cc band, I have lost a total of 35 lbs... I have not lost any weight since the beginning of June. I am feeling really discouraged, I am having a hard time with portion control and I am getting into bad eating habits again (cake at birthdays, candy at movies, bread with all meals, etc.). It is really funny because I was one of those people in the beginning saying why would people mess up after having such a procedure and now here I am having those same problems. I think a lot of it has to do with my boyfriend, in the beginning of this he was right there with me eating all the good stuff and exercising 4-5 times a week and now he has kind of fell off the healthy wagon so to say and I feel I am following (he lost 38 lbs.). I know my portions are much larger than they should be and I am only exercising 3 days a week. AHHHHH. My question is what do other people do to get back on track, I really need help I feel like I am getting to a point where I am going to revert right back to where I was 6 months ago and I want to just cry. Side note: I am getting very angry inside and I am going through a mini depression. I have no one to blame but myself.

Wow!!! I can't picture myself as a size 6!!!!! Right now I am a 20 and I am a hippy lady so I would be happy in a 10-12. I think that losing this weight is the primary goal and talking to you ladies have made me feel better. I don't know anyone else having this surgery but I am tired of getting all of this "advice" it's nice to talk to people who understand.

This may have been discussed before but for anyone covered by CIGNA or one of its affiliated companies, they have abandoned their prior formal requirement of a specific duration (e.g. 3 months) in favor of this language: • A statement from a physician/physician’s assistant/nurse practitioner/registered dietician (i.e., other than the requesting surgeon) that the individual has failed previous attempts to achieve and maintain weight loss by medical management. This is the old language: • Medical management including evidence of active participation within the last 12 months in a weight-management program that is supervised either by a physician/physician’s assistant/nurse practitioner or a registered dietician for a minimum of three consecutive months ((i.e., ≥ 89 days). The weight-management program must include monthly documentation of ALL of the following components:  weight  current dietary program  physical activity (e.g., exercise program) Programs such as Weight Watchers®, Jenny Craig® and Optifast® are acceptable alternatives if done in conjunction with the supervision of a physician/physician’s assistant/nurse practitioner or registered dietician and detailed documentation of participation is available for review. However, physician-supervised programs consisting exclusively of pharmacological management are not sufficient to meet this requirement. Anyone covered by CIGNA now and going through a mandatory weight loss program under the old medical policy should request their surgeon/bariatric program to submit their request for approval NOW and not wait to finish the supervised diet. You might get some push-back from crusty bariatric practices or surgeons, but hopefully they will help you. The new policy is more favorable to patients, and because it is the medical policy in effect for anyone having surgery after October 9th, we take the position this is the operative medical policy - NOT the policy at a patient's "starting point". Call us at 1-877-992-7732 if you have questions about this or are in need of any information about what you need to do if you have been denied by your insurer - whether it is CIGNA or any other payer. Good luck to all! CIGNA medical policy effective October 9 2018.pdf

I too have horrible arthritis in my knees. The only think that can be used is a topical ointment. I have to think on the name. i think it is called voltaren. Do yourself a favor and try some turmeric! It must contain at least 10 mg of bioperine and 95% curcuminoids. You will be amazed at how well a simple spice works for inflammation. I literally went from not being able to walk without severe pain to no pain at all. My sister had surgery for torn miniscus and it works well for her too.

The Bariatric Resources is kind of like an answering service for the UHC people that run the program. Be prepared to wait a while before they call you back. I waited about 2 weeks and then I was not home when they called. Then they called again about a week later. I got an appointment with a Bariatric Nurse to call me back on 3/10 and she will be able to answer questions, and will be my caseworker, so to speak. Be patient. It will be worth it in the long run.

I was sleeved 1/13 and am only down 20 lbs. I lost 10 in the first week after surgery and another 10 over the first 3 weeks. I have lost nothing in the last 4 weeks. I am beyond depressed. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I feel like I eat nothing and the scale won't budge

So glad I am not alone! Lost 10 Within 1st week and now nothing! No movement what so ever! SD7/18

its so crazy the different responses. I told my surgeon I have a work trip to China the last week in February and it was important I know how long after surgery I can fly/travel. He said 10 days. That answer kind of shocked me, I'd like at least a month, although I think the liquid diet would be far easier to deal with in China than blended or soft. Last time I was there, they served a lot of fish (not a big fish eater) but they could never tell me what type of fish, other than "river fish".

Hi my name is Sunshine 926. I was banded on 10/2/08. I have lost 20 lbs. I have a lot of questions and it is nice to have a site where other people have questions too. Look forward to to chating with others.:eek:

Hi and thanks so much for asking about the surgery. It went ok, considering. My band was an old model from 2006, with the buckle in it. My surgeon said most of my stomach has prolapsed up through the band, and formed a lot of scar tissue. The surgery took 2.5 hours to repair the scar tissue damage and replace the band with a newer, updated model. Im not sure exactly which one yet. Post-op wasn't too bad, but I did stay in the hospital 2 days because of the extensive scar repair. Right now Im feeling pretty good. Up walking around, driving, and doing small stuff. No lifting for 10 days. I have surgical staples still in place till the 21st. All in all. an ordeal but Im glad its over and happy I got right again. Ben some nausea this time around, but not too bad. Will be on stage 1 for 4 weeks. My surgeon is ultra-conservative and extremely cautious; couldn't ask for a better person to be in this with. When I got home, I was horrified to have gained 6 pounds in the first 4 days, without so much as a morsel of food consumed. My brain knew it was swelling, fluids, post-opjunk, but to any heavy person who hasn't eaten in 4 days, a 6 pound gain is mentally devastating! Glad to say that today, 5 days post-op, I am back to my starting weight. Although this has been tough, Im happy I was able to be rebanded. I did so well with it for so long. I intend to recommit myself to keeping with the program, going to support meetings, and working the band to my best advantage. I feel very grateful for this second chance!

K well I've always had problems with constipation but it's gotten worse since lapband...well it gets painful at times and I don't go for quite awhile...well I'm going on a hiking/camping trip for 10 days and won't be near a bathroom and I don't want to get in pain like I usually do...so I was planning to "clear" myself out before my trip. Usually stool softners or laxatives either don't work or will take 3 days to work(like right in the middle of class or work) so I was going to try to take a lil magnesium citrate like we did Pre-op. Obviously a smaller dose than what we had to take...however when I did it the first time it made me throw up and don't want that to happen with the band. SO I'm just wondering if anyone has gotten sick drinking it with the band...? And btw I don't do this often nor do I condone doing it for weight loss or anything, Only doing this because otherwise I will be in severe pain about 200 miles from a working toliet lol

I had a hysteretomy in my 30's. I was in a car accident in 1998, broken leg. My weight gain was gradual since the hysterctomy. I love to eat, and I work for cardiologists, so I am aware of good food choices, and made them some of the time. I had periods of regular exercise, and was going to Curves fairly regularly. My PCP had been after me to lose weight, and in my head I understood it. But put a pizza or sub or chips and dip in front of me and I was a goner. I have high blood pressure,high cholesterol, GERD, knee arthritis, sleep apnea (or as my surgeon put it, metabolic syndrome all but the diabetes). When my liver enzymes were elevated on my cholesterol test, my PCP started again about weight loss. My sister had gastric bypass about 2 years ago, but I wasn't sure I wanted to go that route. I checked my insurance (they cover bypass and lapband) and went to a seminar about weight loss surgery. Then I started going to the support group to learn more. I found this site and obesityhelp.com and did a lot of reading, ultimately deciding the band was what I wanted. I had to do a 6 month documented diet for insurance(lost 10 lbs), consult with surgeon, psych eval, and was finally approved in February of this year. Prior to surgery I had to do a pre-op liquid diet for 2 weeks (ended up 3 weeks because I caught a cold and surgery was postponed for a week). I lost 25 lbs on the pre-op diet, so by 3/25/08 I had lost 35 pounds. 2 weeks post op liquids, 2 weeks mushies, then regular food, just a lot less than before. Some foods have a tendency to get stuck, like bread/rice/pasta, so you will be altering your eating habits. I read labels like a maniac, looking for the lowest fat/carb/sugar content. My eyes are still bigger than my pouch, and if I eat too much I feel uncomfortable, but that is getting better. I am also learning to chew more. I used to inhale my food. Sorry to be lengthy, but I think you can benefit from the band. It doesn't affect what you put in your mouth, just how much. And when you start losing, you will tend to make better choices in what you eat. I also bumped up my exercise with walking. I found a lovely park with a 2 mile path. I started walking weekends in January and when daylight savings arrived, I now go almost every day and do 2-4miles. When I lose daylight in the fall, there is a county rec center gym with treadmills near my home, and I still belong to Curves. There is also an aquatic center 5 minutes away with Water aerobics. So it is a package deal. The band is a tool to help with portion control. Since surgery I lost another 35 pounds, so I would say go for it!

I did the Master Cleanse for the first time last October. Over the course of the 10 days, I had dropped 14 pounds. FYI - I'm not banded yet. I started on a Saturday and would recommend the same. Day 1 was a breeze. Day 2 was more difficult and probably the worst day for me of the 10. Yes, the SWF goes *right* through you. I went to the gym a few times and felt almost euphoric at times. While I had excellent energy, it didn't last as long as usual but I felt good. I felt powerful. I felt strong. I felt motivated. After the cleanse is over they recommend you drink freshly squeezed OJ or grapefruit juice. I"m not sure I've ever tasted anything so delicious in my life! Good luck with it! I happened to have my physical scheduled during that time and I even told my doctor about it. He said he doesn't recommend them for weight loss but if it's only 10 days, then he said I was OK.

You are doing fine. One thing I learned is weight loss is 95% food intake. It toook me 5 months to get my energy back. I am now at 10 months 130 lbs down and started training for a 1/2 marathon in April. Last week I ran a 15 K. Give your self time. As my mentor says do most of the stuff , most of the time and you will lose most of the weight. You wont regret this ride.

It was suggested by my personal doctor to have bariatric surgery. I had never really thought about it. But I have several issues that are directly related to obisity. H/P, back and knee pain, Shortness of breath, extreme fatique. So I started the journey. Good thing I did, in pre-testing they found a cancerous tumor on my kidney. It would have never been caught until too late if it was not for bariatric pretesting. Thank you God! I will like being thinner but honestly it is not the reason I decided to have the sleeve. skip to 10 days post op: Back pain is much less, SOB is almost gone and they already dropped one of my H/P medications. Life is good

I am only about 1 month post op. I am on soft foods. On the list is tuna with mayo, no celery. I don't like mayo so I had it plain thinking that was ok. I had bad chest pain and burped. This pain lasted 10 mins. I thought it was from eating too fast, even though I didn't feel like I was eating too fast. A few days later, same thing. This time I blamed it on too big of bites, even though tuna crumbles apart and I did chew, chew,c hew. Today I tried it again. (I did not make the tuna connection until today as I thought I ws eating too fast first time and too big of bites the third time). This time I said to myself tuna must not agree with me, and then I remembered the chart says mayo and maybe it's too dry without anything like dressing or mayo. I dry heaved and slimed. Then my stomach muscles felt crampy. At dinner, I was eating a sweet potato and the pain was so bad. Maybe I didn't heal from this afternoon. I slimed in the sink for what felt like forever, Now my stomach muscles hurt like they do after throwing up. Why am I getting stuck with no fill? Did I hurt my stomach, my band or my plication? I go to the dr tmmrw and now I don't think I will get the ok for solid foods. Please help me with my misconceptions. Is tuna without anything bad? Can you get stuck without a fill? Could I be physically hurt around my band? I will tell the doctor tomorrow but please help me too!

@Sanstan My husband has actually lost 10 lbs LOL! We tend to cook a lot of fish and chicken for dinner now, with a green or non-starch veggie. He is and always has been pretty fit, but I guess the healthier eating is good for him too! He still gets some of my leftovers too though, in fact he got my 3rd shrimp : )

Vegas I'm post opp n am on that same strict liquid only diet had my surgery 10/23 n I'm not only going CRAZY but I'm also STARVING!!!! u should b very proud of yourself:)

09/27/2010 Well, I am now officially in the "waiting stage" to see I insurance will really approve me. It seems SO SLOW!!! I called Melissa at my surgeon's office and she said she would get all the paperwork in, but that was 2 weeks ago. I know these things take time, but in the meantime, I am still "pretending" that I already got the lapband and am still writing food down in my diary, eating off smaller plates with baby utensils, and have lost well over 10 pounds in the process. However, I would really like to just get approved and get on with it. The other blogger's stories of their waits, etc. have really been helpful for me. Trying to stay pro-active!:smile:

It does take a while for you to feel it. I had my surgery 9/10 and I have now lost 130 lbs. I wear a size 12 pants and medium top. Even fitting into smaller clothing it didn't register. And just recently I feel like I have lost weight. When I look in the mirror and do say to myself I am skinny. I have been so used to not looking at myself in the mirror. Everyone else has been saying it for a long time. My mother and husband say I look frail. So good luck and keep up the good work. Our mind plays such games with us. Take a lot of pictures and you will also notice it.