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Hi All, Being nearly 40 and fed up of being a fat bloke I’ve decided to get myself some WLS. Thinking sleeve as don’t like the re-plumbing idea! My GP has referred me to the NHS bariatric service but I can’t face the wait so am looking at private options. Curently thinking of traveling to Belgium using either Prof Dillemans or Chris De Bruyne. Does anyone have any experiences of these guys and of getting aftercare back home in the UK?

I don't have a Ga plan, but I have Blue Choice from BC/BS in Maryland. They took 4 weeks from submission of paperwork to approval. I had to do a 6 month supervised diet prior to submission, so you could say they took 7 months, but I had very little out of pocket expense, though they don't pay for fills once you are out of the 90 day post surgery period. All in all, after reading some of the nightmares posted here, my approval process wasn't bad at all. I even used an out of network dietician and psych evaluator (paid them myself), since they were on the team that was doing my surgery. I feel for those getting an insurance runaround.

Here are some of my comments. Nothing here shows anything about your individual insurance company. I explained how SOME insurance co's work and repeatedly suggested you read your own policy and verify for yourself. >>Then perhaps a six month medically supervised diet. Some have to try to lose weight, others MUST lose a certain amount of weight such as 5% of your excess weight.<< >>Not every insurance company covers banding, some will only pay for bypass (for example). Some will only pay for banding up to a certain BMI and then if you are larger than their stated BMI they won't pay for anything other than bypass.<< >>If your policy requires a six month medically supervised diet ...<< >>Some insurance co's are amazingly stupid and anything over a BMI of 50 they will only pay for bypass ...<< >>... but that's what they do often times ...<< Nope, nothing in there about blaming BC/BS of CA for anything. Just how SOME ins co's do things.

You got this!!! We all need redirected at times bc this I think as much psychological behavior as much as other...we all are having to be more on top of habits changing...it doesn't happen over night...so ur not alone sweetie! I luv this site...soo helpful...chk in when you feel those bumps coming... hang in there!

I had surgery on 4/13/2016. I had to stay 2 days in hospital bc of my nausea. I am in pain [which was expected] but not as bad as yesterday. We are about to leave hospital hopefully in the next 30 mins. I have gotten my nausea under control and hopefully it will stay under control with this 2-3 hour drive back home. I can't wait to start seeing progress! Sent from my SM-G928V using the BariatricPal App

not was not the case at all. In my opinion, I had a great surgeon in puerto vallarta with a nutritionist who gave me all the info I needed for post op. The post was written bc I had made some mess ups and I needed support from you guys to put me back on track so I wouldn't sink. My apologies for any misunderstandings.

It didn't hurt my feelings at all. It came from a place of love and, ultimately sadness bc to her, not being able to run and jump and play games is probably one of the saddest things she can think of. I will have this surgery and I will lose this weight and I will run and jump and play games with my children again very soon.

Ive recently had reflux probs and I too gurgle...I called my doc bc my reflux was waking me up at night...when it getst that bad you're way too tight I am going monday for a slight unfil...I am going to suggest that we try just .25 bc last fill he only put .5 in...so maybe I just need half...but def dont ignore reflux call your doc!!

LOL Irene! My claim to fame... :thanks: <BR><BR>SFO, my DH is snipped (hence me not being on any type of BC at all) so maybe that has something to do with it. I too, hear that women are more fertile post-op, :preggers: losing weight, etc. so I'm glad we have been done for years.

Know what you mean Argon. Until the BC WLS group and the TLBC helped me find Dr. W. Dr. W. is doing it as a favor to Dr. Yau. I was at a loss wondering how doctors can refuse aid because a fill is a medical proceedure NOT a visit to the doctor. I know that doctors can limit their patient list to as many as they like but that is for general care not for a procedure. So why are they getting away with it. Probably becuase no one has complained to their Medical Association. I don't know but so help me, even if I had to go back to Toronto for every fill and defill, I would gladly do it as I am feeling so well. Now off my third BP pill and 4th diabetic pill.

you're not overreacting...insurance companies suck....my friend and I were scheduled to have surgery two days apart...she got insurance approval...I had BC/BS and got nothing but delays...I finally called my state board of insurance...and got nowhere there either.....finally got denied by BC/BS because "lap band is not proven to lower your BMI"...huh ??....went NUTS...screamed and cursed like a truck driver at one of the myriad of morons they call supervisors...used the "F" word a dozen times or more and other words I dont want to admit to....an hour later I was approved...go figure....I had surgry two days ago and while sore I know it was all worth it....you will too...dont give up....you'll get through it too..

I think I'm going to put a cup in my purse. Bc i can only eye ball so much b4 i question if its about a cup. Although it takea me an hour to eat a cup of certain things at least i know that I'm eating my cup! Does anyone else do this?

What's a DL and a BC? And passports... I thought they were a must? Have I heard wrong? Please tell me as I'm about to apply for the passport this week. Thank you and glad you're feeling better!

Well yesterday I had my Pre-Op seminar, that is where you go and be briefed on pre and post surgery diet. It was good, but did'nt hear anything that I had not already heard here on LBT. That made me feel good. I am doing real good so far on the first part of the pre op diet. I am in week two of the four weeks. They weighed us at the meeting lastnight and I have already lost 5 pounds:clap2: . That is wonderful. Makes me more determined to keep faithful to this. Received a call from the Bariatic Center (BC), she told me all of my paper work looked ready to be sent to the insurance for approval. YEA! Do the Happy Dance!! Then she calls me back and tell me because she had not ever worked with my insurance before (UNICARE) she thought it was best to call them, one more time, just to make sure she was sending in all they needed. And they told her that she would need to check out their web site to get all the requirements for bariatic surgery. She did and it said I need to go to a dietition. :omg: When she call them the first time they did not tell her that. So I call them, after staying on hold for twenty min. and talking to 3 diffrent people, I was told they could not advise me on this until I had a file set up, and they could not set up a file for me until the doc sent the stuff in. I told them that the doc was trying to find out what all to sent in and that is why we were calling. Was their any way they could tell me, and give it to me in writing JUST WAHT DID THEY NEED and she told me I would need to talk to their nurse. I said OKAY let me talk to your nurse. And she said sorry, the nurse was in training and would have to call me back. So I left a message for her and she has yet to call me back.:angry So I told the doc office to go ahead and send in what they had, I would call the insurace company every day until I got some answers. My worry is, they have given me a tentitive surgery date of May 2nd, and the insurance is moving like a snail. Well if worse come to worse, the date will be changed :think .

My stomach hurts. I cant tell if it is because I waited too long to eat, or if I am just scared sh*%tless...LOL We are staying up late bc my surgery is not until 1:00pm tomorrow and I cannot eat in the morning. I would rather just sleep until that last minute possible. GOod luck to those of us being banded tomorrow. Oh and I think my stomach hurts bc I am scared bc it started hurting a few minutes ago right after I spoke with the anesthesiologist...LOL IT"S ALL MENTAL!!!

Wow!! That is awesome that you beat the insurance company. I had a time with mine, but as soon as I was approved they wanted to schedule me for the surgery within 5 days. Wasnt ready for that and luckily I needed to have time off approved from work so I scheduled it out a bit. I wish I would have been brave enough to do it in 5 days bc I was going crazy in the interim before banding...LOL Good luck!

hmm... abdominoplasty is the same as a tummy tuck. I wonder if they cover it there. (AB) I just spoke to a lady in BC who had her panniculectomy (or however you spell it!) covered, no muscle repair, and now has no belly button.. belly buttons are cosmetic. :faint: Isn't the reason that guys can have HUGE bellies, but the rest be skinny, because they store their fat behind their stomach muscles? (maybe I'm full of sh!t, I dunno!?) If that IS true, I'd think a guy who's been overweight for a good amount of time would have just as bad stomach muscles as any of us gals. I'm 25-ish, never had kids, but been fat forever, and I think I'd have MUCH better results with an actual tummy tuck. Maybe I'm wrong. I wonder if a plastic surgeon can TELL whether you would need it, or if they'd just guess... :phanvan

this is a long article, so here is an excerpt: "If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered," Fowler says. _____________________________________________ Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight? Overweight Risk Soars 41% With Each Daily Can of Diet Soft Drink By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Charlotte Grayson Mathis, MD June 13, 2005 -- People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. In fact, they gain weight, a new study shows. The findings come from eight years of data collected by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Fowler reported the data at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego. "What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher." In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas. "There was a 41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says. More Diet Drinks, More Weight Gain Fowler's team looked at seven to eight years of data on 1,550 Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white Americans aged 25 to 64. Of the 622 study participants who were of normal weight at the beginning of the study, about a third became overweight or obese. For regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was: 26% for up to 1/2 can each day 30.4% for 1/2 to one can each day 32.8% for 1 to 2 cans each day 47.2% for more than 2 cans each day. For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was: 36.5% for up to 1/2 can each day 37.5% for 1/2 to one can each day 54.5% for 1 to 2 cans each day 57.1% for more than 2 cans each day. For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person's risk of obesity went up 41%. Diet Soda No Smoking Gun Fowler is quick to note that a study of this kind does not prove that diet soda causes obesity. More likely, she says, it shows that something linked to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity. "One possible part of the explanation is that people who see they are beginning to gain weight may be more likely to switch from regular to diet soda," Fowler suggests. "But despite their switching, their weight may continue to grow for other reasons. So diet soft-drink use is a marker for overweight and obesity." Why? Nutrition expert Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, puts it in a nutshell. "You have to look at what's on your plate, not just what's in your glass," Bonci tells WebMD. People often mistake diet drinks for diets, says Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and nutrition consultant to college and professional sports teams and to the Pittsburgh Ballet. "A lot of people say, 'I am drinking a diet soft drink because that is better for me. But soft drinks by themselves are not the root of America's obesity problem," she says. "You can't go into a fast-food restaurant and say, 'Oh, it's OK because I had diet soda.' If you don't do anything else but switch to a diet soft drink, you are not going to lose weight." The Mad Hatter Theory "Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly. "I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more." "You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "It's very easy to take more than nothing." Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland There is actually a way that diet drinks could contribute to weight gain, Fowler suggests. She remembers being struck by the scene in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in which Alice is offended because she is offered tea but is given none -- even though she hadn't asked for tea in the first place. So she helps herself to tea and bread and butter. That may be just what happens when we offer our bodies the sweet taste of diet drinks, but give them no calories. Fowler points to a recent study in which feeding artificial sweeteners to rat pups made them crave more calories than animals fed real sugar. "If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered," Fowler says. Perhaps, Bonci says, our bodies are smarter than we think. "People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled," she says. "If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite." SOURCES: Fowler, S.P. 65th Annual Scientific Sessions, American Diabetes Association, San Diego, June 10-14, 2005; Abstract 1058-P. Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, University of Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine, San Antonio. Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, director, sports nutrition, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. WebMD News: "Artificial Sweeteners May Damage Diet Efforts.""Artificial Sweeteners May Damage Diet Efforts." Davidson, T.L. International Journal of Obesity, July 2004; vol 28: pp 933-955.

I had two, one September 21 and another November 19 to rule out barretts esophagus. They are a piece of cake. Procedure is literally maybe 10 minutes unless they find polyps or something that need removal. But after Iv and being wheeled down I remember talking to the Dr, nurse etc. He asked if I had any questions, I told him I was nervous bc i had never been knocked out b4. He assured me all would be fine they were giving me propofol (sp?) to knock me out. I must have given him a weird look cause he then said "don't worry Michael Jackson used this", I said well mj died using that so that's not very comforting . It was funny. But I said I was ready, everything faded and I woke up in recovery. Had to stay for an hour in recovery and then went home. Had a bit of a sore throat but nothing terrible. Was more like it was dry. As far as a standard practice, my understanding is if you have reflux or Gerd prior to surgery they do an egd to check the lining of the stomach. Bc some people get reflux/Gerd post op and if you have existing damage some doctors won't do the sleeve then.

I only had an hour flight home. But they will give you compression stockings to wear and will tell you to get up and walk some during the flight. I asked them bc I was nervous about 1 hour- they said I didn't have to walk on that a short of a flight, but that they tell their patients with longer flights to walk. I would recommend that you try to get a bulkhead seat or emergency row - extra leg room which I found helpful. Good luck, I loved my experience there! Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

My hubby looked at me one day and said wow! you can really tell in your face how much weight you have lost! That was my first nsv! Then my coworkers were making fun of me bc my clothes are too big on me now! But I told them that I was gonna wear them until they fell off!! LOL Melissa

Your 18 you should be fine I lost 100 at age 15/16 and did fine,no did however have breast implants at age 22 bc I was always ashamed of them, bc of my teen weight lose they where not as full as all my friends. That's one of the best choices (other then my sleeve at age 28 ) i ever made for myself

In her November O magazine she wrote an article about her thyroid problem and how she put on 20lbs bc of it. With all that she has had going on this year, it's amazing it's only 20lbs. Her dog died by choking on a plastic toy, her school scandals and her thyroid problem. Like most, I have followed her weight over the years. Just like mine, up and down....

I'll be the first to admit, it started out as candy-coated BS. I was trying to convince myself. Somewhere along the way I actually started believing it myself and I'm not sure when. Anyways, the end justifies the means. If I have to con myself and others in order to gain a positive outlook on life, then I'll do it all over again. Thanks!!

I get my fills at SCOR. But i have only had 1 fill...the 2nd time didn't work. And yes, they poke around blindly. ouch. I don't know any better bc the 1st fill was great, she found the port right away and that was it. The 2nd time the lady didn't know what she was doing and I ended up crying bc they freaked me out. The last time I was thinking to myself, would I have had this surgery if it was going to be like this??