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I am a 45 y/o female. I am a conglomeration medical problems. They all culminated in a trip to the ER in an ambulance for a strained back due to coughing caused by congestive heart failure. I knew that day that I had to do something about my weight. I slept 1-2 hours a night due to sleep apnea. I heard of this surgery that could help 80 percent of the problems wrong with me. I could not be cured because nothing cures bone growth or arthritis, but it could slow the progression of my disease. I had a consultation with Dr Awad in Palm Springs, and found my BMI to be 53 and weighed 270. He thought it would be simple to get my insurance to pay for my procedure. They fought it. Finally, after running and jumping through all the fiery hoops they threw at me, I was able to set a date for my surgery 6 months after I first spoke to the surgeon. I had my surgery done 08/26/15 and I am sleeping now. I did not have any problems for my first 3 weeks, but now that I have reached the 4th week I have problems. I have difficulty getting fluids and Proteins in on the same days, and I am having difficulty eating enough times in a day to keep my hypoglycemia under control. I wake up sick, nauseous, and vomiting from not eating for more than 6-7 hours just from sleeping. Sleep was supposed to be a good thing. The bariatric team is great. I can not complain about how they have supported me through the last 40 pounds. I still have 90 more to go.

Your surgeon's insurance coordinator is going to be the most important person who can help you with this process. He or she should be familiar with all the major local insurance carriers, know their requirements, and know exactly how to tailor your insurance submission for the best chances of acceptance. That is the person who will put everything together and actually make the submission. As far as I know, things like personal letters only come into play if you have been denied and are appealing the denial. I never even saw my insurance submission, so I can't send you anything helpful there. I had a sit-down meeting with my insurance coordinator at my intake visit and we went over all my requirements in detail and set up a time-table for getting everything in. When it was all in, she submitted everything and I was approved in under 24 hours. So when you do have your appointment with your bariatric team, make sure you ask lots of questions about how they manage the approval process and what you need to do in order to have a successful submission package. Meet with the insurance coordinator if possible. I guess that's my best advice. Good luck to you!

Hi everyone , I just had my 18 month post-op labs done and my B1 shot up from 157 to 203 in 6 months. Is hat normal? I read it can be caused by bariatric surgery. But normally people are deficient in both the sleeve and the bypass. Not sure if I need to worry or wait to hear from my surgeon. Any thoughts? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I agree it is usually tight at breakfast and then looser at dinner. Your body must just react differently to the band. Try to have the good protein shakes you like availabe when it gets real tight to at least have that to sip on for your meal. I really like the Pure Protein drinks that come in a can like soda because they are easy to grab to take with me. They are 35 grams of protein. Try to count your calories threw the day to make sure you not going way under what you should be eating. I know that sounds weird because diet was usually starvation but when we don't eat our body metabilism shuts down and your body goes in starvation mode. You will feel tired and fatiged but not loose weight. I have done it a few times and I think to myself I am practically starving why am I not dropping wieght. Your body will think it is in starvation mode and just shut down and any little bit you do put in it will just hold onto. Our bodies are amazing and you will really start looking at everything as a science with protein and vitamins for fuel not just eat it to fill your belly. Just be careful with the soups because they are super salty and when your tight it is hard to get the water you need and by having lots of salt your going to have cotton mouth and feel FAMISHED for liquids. It is a balance that everyone's body is difference and some need more iron some need more B-12. I love the Bariatric Advantage multi vitamins you can get online because they are easy to chew and taste good. Then you know at least your multi vita are covered for the day. Check them out if you need suppliments or vita that are made for Weight loss patients. Good luck.

There are several bariatric surgeons in the Omaha and Lincoln area that may be able to accomodate you. Otherwise you might have to go to Kansas City to get your fills. Hope this helps. Mona

Hi Cyndy, I used Dr Hadar Spivak, but my closest friend used Dr Wilson and LOVES him! She says he's super nice and the staff is great too. She goes every 6 weeks for fill/adjustment, I think perhaps it's played a large role in her success (she's lost 90 lbs since Nov 2005)... that and working out at Curves M-F. I'm attending the support group meeting tomorrow night at Memorial Hermann too! I think the seminar starts at 6:00, the "Bariatric Buddies" support group begins at 6:30 PM and it's for anyone interested who's had or considering bariatric surgery... there's always a mixture of band and bypass patients. I enjoy connecting with others and not feeling so alone. Last month a few people from the seminar same to sit in for a while. And, some of the people who've already had the surgery will go out to chat with seminar visitors. All the best, Karla

Hi everyone! Quick introduction... my name is Matt. And I've been winding my way through the process to go through bariatric surgery through my local provider. The surgeon determined that because of other medical issues, that the Sleeve Gastrectomy would be the right procedure for me. It wasn't my first choice, but his explanation made sense and seems sound. I'll be up front and say that one of the requirements of the program is that we have to talk to ten people who've had bariatric surgery already and find out about their experiences. I've heard from a lot of people from the referral list that the doctor gave me to try contacting and it's actually been really helpful. So even if at first it was something I had to check the box on, I've gotten a huge amount of insight out of it. But I've come up a little short, and I'm hoping some of you guys can help me out. If a couple of you could just tell me what the surgery was actually like for you compared to your expectations, and how you adapted over the next few months and beyond that would be a huge help! Then I should just be able to print off this forum thread and include it in my surgical packet. But like I said, it goes way beyond that. I know I'm taking a huge step in a few months, and the closer it gets the more real this decision is beginning to feel. I really appreciate any help you all can provide! Thank you so much!

Well that is a tough one, Thing is my Dr is the one that will do my fills and this was included with the cost of the surgery, However in a conversation with my Dr, someone local had the lap band surgery from someone that was not local, this person ended up with a problem that My dr had to fix in the ER and he did not get compensated at all for it. Things happen. I had to make a 2 year committment to my Dr to stay in this area so that he can keep up with my progress and do my fills etc. I will see him every 3 months after the next couple of visits and then when 2 years is up I will only have to go 1 time a year. Not a big deal, If I do leave the area I am in now he said that most of the bigger cities have Bariatric Dr's that can take care of emergencies etc. Of course if you research DRs before you have it done then that Dr may wonder why you are going elsewhere for the surgery. Just some thoughts. Sorry I can't help with the main questions. Keep digging for info, Call the clinics that are closer to you and ask them the questions you have listed here, they may be able to help you.

my bariatric center gives you a binder with all the required info, doctors names, labs and such and we are required to take it to every appointment. Found it very nice and convenient.

I have my first appointment on April 29th, just wondering what to expect at appt? With my insurance I have to have everything completed before I can even go to Hurley. I already had my psychiatric eval and passed. Just wondering what is left before surgery?

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery 31 months ago and I would recommend GB or sleeve over LB. I have encountered too many patients who had LB and later had to have a revision because of problems with LB. You might also start attending bariatric surgery support group meetings. Generally these are held once per month and are free. That will allow you to meet and talk with people who either are undergoing this process or have recently had surgery.

Do you have a surgeon already? I didn't have to do as many things as you list but the bariatric coordinator at the surgery center had people for all my insurances requirements.

Today my surgery date was set. September 18, 2012 will be the first day of the rest of my life as they say. I am very thankful for this forum! I am amazed at the mountains of information I have found just i the last two hours. I am a diabetic. ( oral meds) I have sleep apnea. I also have Barretts esophagus. For those who do not know what this is it is a pre cancerous state of the esophagus from prolonged acid reflux. My triglycerides are 563. I have about 65 to 80lbs to lose. My endo doc and my gastro doctor have told me its imparative that I lose weight. Its been very very frustrating. I have tried many diets to no avail. I have a concern I am going to throw out here to all of you. I am VERY afraid that I may sabatage my own success. Not sure if this makes sense to anyone out there but I have always cared and done for everyone else in my life.. ie my husband parents and children and friends. I have always put others before myself. It's very difficult for me to ask for help or to be center stage so to speak. Tonight my husband and I talked and I was so very suprised at how supportive he was and intends to be. Our insurance has a Bariatric exclusion so we are paying cash for this procedure. I told him I feel guilty that I have not been able to lose this weight on my own in the last two years. I cried and he told me he loved me and he wants me around for another 25 or more years and Im worth any amount of money that it takes to help keep me here. He made me feel so much better but I asked him not to tell everyone because I really can not handle people negative opinions. Is that the wrong type of attitude to go into this with? Should I be standing up and telling everyone? Anyway this newbie thanks those of you that have shared their experiances. I will be watching and learning! Thanks for taking the time to read my some what neurotic post!

It sounds like you are getting pretty anxious! I had to see my nutritionist for six monthly visits leading up to surgery and we didn't discuss grams of Protein, calories, fats, etc! The things we worked on together before surgery were how to start changing my habits on preparation for using my new pouch for example, I had to slow down my eating and take 20-25 minutes to eat each meal. I also had to make sure i was eating three meals a day with no snacking. We talked about what to buy before surgery, what Vitamins I'd need and why, what I could eat during the initial stages post op, etc. The calories and carbs and Proteins will come later. Just slow down. We ALL think we know a few things about eating right because we've done every diet under the sun, read every article, measured our food. We've lost tons of weight! But we gained it back. None of us would be seeing bariatric surgeons if we didn't need the extra help. You need to put your trust in the professionals. It's such a foreign concept to actually practice what they are teaching, believe me I know, but I'm so glad I had those visits. It really gave me good preparation and I think using my pouch is coming to me more naturally than if I hadn't had those sessions. BTW my surgery was just on July 1 and I'm down from 270 to 247!! I strongly recommend finding a surgeon and facility that are a bariatric center of excellence. This means they are held to higher standards. They have to provide comprehensive care and support for long term success. They typically have their own nutritionist with bariatric experience and host support group meetings. I attend one meeting before surgery which was really helpful to me (and my husband). I hope I've helped!

Yep...you're in band pergatory... that awkward time between surgery and adjustments. There are SOME lucky people who have profound satiety and just simply do not feel hungry. I wasn't one of them! I got HUNGRY! And the professionals at my bariatric program thought that was over stating my case. I was very early in the banding program. They only had experience with RNY folks who really don't get hungry for at least the first 6 mos. Now, I try really hard to talk about hunger during support group. It's real, and the only thing that will fix it is the appropriate amount of adjustment! Hugs,

I never used Protein supplements/drinks. I am not saying this is the way to do it, but I really didn't have any other choice. I tried over 20 different brands and flavors, and they either tasted horrific or they made me vomit. So, I got all my protein from food sources once I hit the mushy/soft solid stage. I eat a completely normal diet and have for months. There is absolutely nothing in my plan that is bariatric substitutes. I do choose to use some ingredients in my recipes to increase protein count, cut carbs, and fat when I can. I'm cooking for not only myself, but my family as well. So, it has to be conducive to all our liking.

Well I called my coordinator today to find out what was going on and of course it went straight to voicemail so I called cigna to find out and they said I was denied so I asked why and she said I was denied because services has to be done at a contracted bariatric center of excellence and i asked was there any other reasons and the lady said no it was denied right away and my file wasn't looked into any further???? so I was like WHAT!!! and I said yes they are...Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center has been designated as a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), which means we have met the independent and rigorous requirements established by the ASMBS. The ASMBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable patient outcomes in bariatric surgery(paste this section from there web site) so i told her to look it up and that my doctor is Chief of Elective General Surgery for the medical school Department of Surgery. He is also the Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery for the Memorial Hermann Hospital-TMC. she said she couldn't do anything else and to contact by dr. office so i did and my coordinator voicemail said to leave a message and she will get back within 24 hours. It has me just mad..you spend all that time to meet their requirments spend all that money for the out of pocket expenses and they tell you no right away and then you can't get any answers from the dr. office because the only person who has the answers doesn't call you back. I mean she didnt send a paper with a leader head stating they are a center of excellence or stamped it or whatever they use to identify that they are So for those of you who do have cigna were you denied the first time and if so how many time's did you have to resubmit to get that approval...I need to call cigna to see if there is a limit on how many times you can resubmit before they say denied for a final time. sorry so long

Would like some advice. I have made the appointment for the seminar in New Jersey I currently have Medicaid United healthcare community plan my current weight is 350 Lbs bmi of about 57. Suffer from anxiety. I'm nervous that once I start the process it will happen soon. My doctor is 100 percent behind the whole bariatric surgery. I'm just nervous what if some thing goes wrong. Also if any one in nj got accepted can u tell me how long did it take for u ? Fro. The day u saw ur surgeon to the day you jad surgery.

Andrea, I understand you may have to travel, but I'd consider finding another surgeon. If your surgeon needs proctor, it MIGHT be that he hasn't placed the new AP band and he needs a proctor to go over placement with him (it's a little different), but it most likely is because he isn't certified by Allergan/Inamed yet, period. And that's okay, he's not necessarily incompetent, he's may just be brand new to banding. He may have done tons of various laparascopic procedures and maybe has done hundreds of bypasses, but he likely hasn't done many bands. But that's a consideration. Given the history of his pushing and pushing you to have bypass done, I'm leaning toward him not having done many bands. Do you want to be someone's first or second band ever? I *might* if I was comfortable and confident with the surgeon when I interviewed him. Based on what you've told us of your conversations with him, I would NOT be comfortable with his confidence in his own abilities or his own willingness to learn and try the latest advancements. Seriously, GO FIND ANOTHER SURGEON. I know you have kids, many of us do. I understand you may work, many of us do, I know it must be hard to arrange, but Andrea, this is your body and your new life you are dealing with here. Find a day or two that you can set aside to travel to an appt. Really think about this, please. From what I understand being Allergan/Inamed (Allergan is the newer name) certified to place the band is not state by state. It's one time. You can call Allergan and ask them if your surgeon is certified. The website is lapband.com and you should be able to find a link to look him up. What is his name, BTW? You can look him up on obesityhelp.com and on tha American Society of Bariatric Surgeons (asbs.org) to see if he's a member. Please do these things, or PM me the name or post it here and we'll see what we can find out about him to see how much experience he has.

Today I spent hours going through the binder of information given to me by the bariatric team. I am one of those super organized, Type A personalities, so it was necessary for my peace of mind to have dividers and tabs and plastic sheaths for the important papers. Kinda crazy, I suppose, but that's me! Next I went through all my diabetic magazines and clipped the yummiest sounding recipes. :-) So far on this journey toward surgery-- 1. I established the insurance requirements (a complicated story I may share at another time) and got the preliminary clearance. That was a relief! 2. I discussed my desire with my personal physician, a fabulous doctor and man I respect greatly who has been my GP since moving to KY 3 years ago. His approval and support was not a deal breaker, necessarily, as I was 80-90% sure surgery was my best course, but it was important to me for him to be on board. It was a relief when he not only didn't disagree but also confirmed the positive reports I had read about the local surgeon and bariatric program. 3. I (and my husband) attended the informational seminar offered by the Bariatric Weight Loss Program here in my home town. The surgeon was at the meeting, as well as others on the team, and the info was very thorough. So far nothing to give me pause! I filled out the request form, then waited.... 4. The wait wasn't too long. Gayle, the program coordinator, called me about a week later to set up my first appointment with the surgeon Dr. Farrell. 5. August 4 was my appointment with Dr. Farrell. Before meeting him I also had brief meetings with the dietician and again with Gayle. A binder containing detailed information about the pre-approval process and appointments, the surgery itself and surgery prep, diet pre- and post-op, possible complications, exercise, recipes, and much more. VERY thorough! I even got a few samples of protein powder and shakes. 6. August 11 was my appointment with a cardiologist for "surgical clearance." I had seen this doctor just over a year ago, before my diagnosis of sleep apnea, to rule out any cardiac issues. Nothing had shown up at that time, and as a prior patient I was able to get in to see him quickly. Unfortunately, I have been very sick with bronchiolitis and possible pneumonia, on strong cough medicine and steroids. The latter (I'm convinced) is why my heart rate was high, and of course my chest wasn't as clear as it should have been. For this reason the doctor recommended a follow up ECHO and treadmill test to be sure all was well before surgery. As an RN, I could not argue the logic even if it adds more to the process. Better safe than sorry! 7. Gayle called the next day to give me dates for all the various appointments: Psych Eval, Support Group meetings, endoscopy, Nutritional Eval, Exercise Eval, and a Healthy Lifestyle Class. These, along with the cardio followup, are scheduled over the next month, beginning tomorrow. No set surgery date as yet. The initial estimate was early November, but it seems to me mid to late October makes more sense. My birthday is on October 26, and while it doesn't sound like too much fun to spend one's birthday in the hospital, in pain, and unable to eat at least a small piece of cake, I am willing to make the sacrifice if it means getting the rest of my better-health-and-skinnier-life started! I'm ready!

Hi: I'm just in the beginning of my journey for what I hope will someday be a vertical sleeve. I've attended my first informational meeting with a local surgeon, and have gotten the referral to the bariatric clinic by my primary physician. I'm 5'6" and 236 pounds. I don't know if my insurance company will pay for a sleeve , but, I've been doing lots of research on it on the internet, especially on this site. I think that it's so wonderful for all of the support and advice that you all give to one another. I wish you all success on where ever you are on your journey.

Hi everyone! Have any of you scheduled your surgery with the Tijuana Bariatric Group in Mexico? I went through "BeLite" and am having trouble getting them to respond to my calls, even though I am scheduled for Sept. 20th. I'm uneasy.:help:

Autumn, I do not have lupus but my ex did. Tough disease. Please let me know (pm?) if you get some good info about lupus and VSG. My ex wanted bariatric surgery and I'd like to be able to give her some more info. What's the problem with bypass and lupus? Many people with lupus already have to do B12 shots because of the lupus attacking the intrinsic factor in their gut, so it seems that bypass wouldn't make it any worse. But then again, I don't hsve lupus and don't know the full scale of all the problems it can cause.

:001_smile:Hi, Lisa: Thank you for your encouragement. I saw my primary MD on Friday. He is referring me to the surgeon who held the information meeting on the sleeve and also to the bariatric clinic. Let the hoop hopping begin!!! I know that you must be excited with a December date!

Looking for details and experiences. I plan to have my procedure at this facility in February. Thanks! Sent from my SM-T813 using BariatricPal mobile app