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So glad you are doing so well! I know this post feels like a downer to most yet I think it’s a vital discussion so that all info is on the table to make a truly informed decision. I’m not saying all my conditions are caused by my bypass, but I’m saying all these seemingly unrelated type of complexities especially when following all regiment guidelines is a very vital discussion to have for those considering surgery and those who have had it. Information is power. I hope this thread balances information to provide a very clear picture of all incredible benefits and very scary possible or likely consequences even while following guidelines. It’s vital for informed consent knowing ahead of time. I know it would not have changed my decision (like you) to have the hope of my life back, yet if I had this info I would have been pushing much harder for bariatric specialists to be involved. Our governance g need to provide this coverage for a specialist (as they would any specialists for complicated surgery patients in Ontario!). This surgery radically changes everything for good and sometimes has complex complications only a bariatric dr. Would be privy to connecting some of the possible and connected health effects that lead all the way back to surgery snd weeding out causes that have zero to do with the surgery. I believe that access and info is vital for self empowerment and advocacy.

I'm curious about something.... If you have made the decision to not move forward with any type of bariatric surgery, and you plan on losing the weight and keeping it off in your own chosen method, why did you feel it was necessary to come here and let the world know of your decision? Although there are some people on this website that are still in the decision making phase of their journey, you've made your decision if I'm correct. Did you post hoping that someone was going to try and talk you out of the decision you've made? And if that wasn't your intention, what made you think that anyone here really cared that you decided not to have surgery, not to mention you've continued to defend and fight against other members comments. If you've decided you're not having surgery, then just leave the forum and go on with your life however you chose to live it. Why continue with any conversation at all?

How is everyone doing? I went to my granddaughters' (twins) 9th bday party today and went walking. Forgot my pedometer, went home grabbed it, met my sister back at the park and walked a couple more miles! I love the energy Im finally feeling ahain!! Oh. And I attended my first bariatric support group meeting today. Missed the first one just after surgery (wasnt able to drive yet). Hit 5wks 1 day today. Down 23lbs. Slow and steady. Lol

I am going to loyolas bariatric clinic in Chicago. I finally got a call today to schedule my appointments. I have to see the bariatrican, dietitian and psychologist in that order. Unfortunately the first appointment with the bariatrican is march 8th! And then the other 2 appointments are on march 16. I am thankfully on the waiting list to see if someone cancels sooner. I sure hope so, considering it's 2 months away. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

There is a Bariatric Center of Excellence in Columbia SC. That is what you should be looking for. I had mine done 4 months ago and have had absolutely no problems.

Only a hug, a pat on the back, a reminder that Bariatric surgery can stop or at least slow down the Diabetes Monster. Every blood lab I have drawn I worry mine will come back like yours. My PCP shakes his head " By all that is holy, you should be diabetic by now!" darn dude sounds disappointed, does he really want all the extra work it would ensue? Peeved him my BP is better, cholesterol lower, pulse Ox higher and better than his, I have COPD, don't smoke and I'm maybe 35 years older, and then I have the audacity to not turn diabetic, I'm losing weight like a house afire. All his Doom and Gloom was for naught, and looks like I might even outlive him! He is starting to develop a mid-age paunch, should I get in his face and read him the Riot Act.? if he doesn't know,it by now, KARMA IS A FEMALE DOG! (snicker-snicker!)

In order to have the best chance of success, I tried to ensure that my symptoms of depression and anxiety were well managed before surgery. I also continued to work with my psychologists and psychiatrists. I think it's helpful to remember that WLS or losing weight won't magically solve all your problems. It's quite common to go through relationship issues (divorce rates are statistically higher according to most bariatric studies) and even transference to other addition issues (you can go from food to alcohol or even opiates). I think it's also quite easy to slip into orthorexia (an eating disorder that involves an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating). On the other hand, losing weight can be great for your mental health. You can find self esteem and confidence that you have been missing your whole life. I definitely put myself "out there" more. I think everyone's journey is different. Best of luck!

I def understand. I don't know what resources you have available but mental health counseling is sooo helpful. I started my bariatric surgery journey because I finally got help with my mental health. I received a diagnosis and medication which greatly allowed me to utilize counseling to my advantage. I have been seeing a psychologist for about 8 months now and we work on putting distance between my coping mechanisms and food. It allowed me to really prepare myself for this part where we feel naked with our emotions, unable to hide it under eating. I think take it day by day too. That's important but if you ever are able to, having a counselor or psychologist to help walk you through the journey is good. If you don't have access to that, I also like following binge eating therapists on Instagram. They offer sound advice about emotions and eating. Check out the_binge_eating_therapist on insta. There's also an amazing free app called Brighter Bite. You can use it to log your feelings, actions, urges and it gives you really amazing advice and coping exercises in the moment... kind of like a little eating disorder journal with helpful exercises. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for your comments and help. I just returned from a support group that my doc leads and it turns out that he is very new to the lap band and hasn't done very many surgeries. He was seriously asking the lap band patients (3 of us out of 65+ people) about our experiences and feelings because he's so new. He's trying to learn more from our experience to help his future banders. I do have a good doctor--I believe he's one of the best because he's very meticulous about his work as a bariatric and general surgeon. After talking with them regarding frustrations and everything tonight, I think they're just so new at lap band surgeries that they don't know what's normal or not normal. I also don't think there's a good line of communications between him and his office staff so lines get crossed often. He did mention one patient 6 months out again, but also mentioned that she's struggling too. I never knew until I came to this site that most people don't have restriction until they've had a fill. That was good news to me because before I read that detail, I felt like a failure because I was soooo hungry all the time. Now I know that I'm not a failure, I just need a fill!! Thanks again.......

Cripes- whaaaat a mess. Let us take it one question at a time. Research I would definitely suggest you do your research on the sleeve, and sooner rather than later. You can learn about it in obesity help, or go to www.surgicallyslim.com and look up the vertical sleeve operation. I don't know where you are located but the doctors I am using are on the surgically slim website- I am using Dr. Kini. Or put in vertical gastric sleeve on your browser and see where it takes you. One place it may take you is to an Australian forum so if you are in the US be aware of where you end up. Also there is a site called obesity help that is OK, not great, but OK. No way would I suggest you get that band back in- quite a few people go from the band to the sleeve- you can read about some of them on the lapbandtalk site, also on the Australian forum. The only insurance company that will pay for the sleeve in the metro NY region is Oxford and there are not a huge number of surgeon's familiar with the procedure. It is designed to be almost as safe as your initial band surgery and I think (after a lot of rapid research) it is a better choice for most, however it has not been around for that long which is why most insurance companies don't cover it. Seems to me that you have a really good case for your surgeon absorbing the cost of the sleeve since it looks like he made a few booboos on your band. And that you should be able to get either the bypass or the sleeve out of the insurance company as well (although I think they are more likely to go for the bypass unless it is Oxford). Meantime I would get that band out of me pronto, and get well, and tell them they owe you a working bariatric surgery. Please stay in touch and let me know how you are doing.

@@crazywomanincage - I'll try to find that post with resources and send it to you directly by a DM. In my short-lived BariatricPal experience, I feel that feeling like you trust your Bariatric Team is the gauge you should follow on where you ultimately have surgery. I too had concerns about just coming to Mexico for surgery. However, my doctors have been very involved in my pre-op stage through the post-op transition through Skype, phone calls, emails, and not just because I'm related to half of my BT, but I have the sense the right team care this deeply about their patients regardless of blood ties! Keep in touch and good luck!

Yes I'm from Queens. I'm going through my bariatric surgeon hopefully they approve me with 3 months visits to him.

I had Cigna *** and it covered my surgery. I had a BMI of 42.5 when the paperwork was submitted, I got the approval on Monday August 22 and had surgery Auguest 24. The approval for the surgery was all we were waiting on because all the other requirements had been meet. Here is an a passage from the Cigna policy: CIGNA covers bariatric surgery using a covered procedure outlined below as medically necessary when ALL of the following criteria are met: • The individual is ≥ 18 years of age or has reached full expected skeletal growth AND has evidence of EITHER of the following: ???? a BMI (Body Mass Index) ≥ 40 ???? a BMI (Body Mass Index) 35–39.9 with at least one clinically significant obesity-related comorbidity, Also your surgeon must recommend the surgery and gives them the CPT Codes for the sleeve procedure. I had the codes for Morbid Obesity and Sleeve Gastrectomy in the letter of medical necessity from PCP. The only problem I had was Cigna had asked the surgeon' office for their clinical notes on me and there was some confusion on whether Cigan was going to calll or not. Cigna finally sent a fax and when the information had been provided I got approved in 2 days.

Yes I hadn't sleeve on Tuesday October 27th It went well although the pain post op on day one was more than I expected but improved allot on day two and with a switch on pain meds One thing, I was not assigned a private room for bariatric patients I was on the small side of a shared room with a non bariatric patient with no recliner and just s normal bed although I found it pretty comfortable My room was in the med-surf unit but I know they do have private rooms with a recliner and larger beds Maybe I just wasn't big enough but my wife wanted to stay with me but couldn't because there was no chair to sleep in Just some questions you may want to ask about care in post op

I would go into the E.R. where you had your Bariatric Surgery. They should have someone there or on call. Or locate another Hospital that does Bariatric Surgery, and go in the E. R with the same complaint, and get a second opinion. Make sure you get the DR.'s name or Tech's name and title. (P.A) or whatever. Time you went in, and anything else that you can think of to prove your case. Includeing signing a release for your Xrays, and Report. (GET THAT FROM THE OTHER PLACE TO.) If it is so show it to your surgeon, and demand that it be fixed... If there is no pouch, and he has done this out of neglect, contact a Attorney. You have a legitimate complaint. Your not a failure,, this is a misfortune. I hope they gave you something for the Medical Condition like Omeprazole. Shirley.

Cards similar to this given out by various bariatric clinics for post-op patients to use at restaurants.

Please Read page 6 of the Cigna Bariatric Surgery cover document. On that page it explains in detail why the office is making us go through a six month nutritional evaluation by a physician or registered dietitian. I know it is frustrating but we must follow the rules, so Cigna can pay for our surgeries.

I had my surgical consultation today for revision, but on the off chance that it is not deemed medically necessary for revision, I do qualify for bariatric surgery in general, repeating all of the requirements as if it were a new procedure. My question is regarding Cigna coverage. Most plans require a monitored 3, 6 or 12 month diet/nutrition/weight loss management through PCP or somewhere similar. Cigna's policy says NOTHING about this, only that "a statement from a physician other than the surgeon, that the individual has failed previous attempts to achieve and maintain weight loss by medical management" - it gives no other requirements or indicators. I called Cigna today to inquire and they couldn't tell me anything more about this. So, for those of you that have been approved in the past few months (Cigna's policy requirements look to be effective 10/9/18 through 7/15/19), what did you provide for this? I have to have a letter from my primary anyway that recommends bariatric surgery. Would this be the same letter or separate? And what did you submit/have your PCP write to say that you had failed previous attempts? Thanks in advance for your help!

This! This is what I found when I was trying to 'check off' that I met all the requirements and yet at my appt with my bariatric surgeon yesterday they said CIGNA REQUIRED SIX MONTHS OF BACK TO BACK VISITS WITH A NUTRITIONIST and they MUST be sequential back to back visits or you start over!!!???? I have a year of supervised medical weight loss with my primary dr, a BMI of over 50, pysch eval clearance letter, even letters from other dr's like ortho's who said my knees must be replaced but I need to be at a BMI of 40....and yet I was told that Cigna didn't care about the supervised weight loss. They want me to meet with a nutritionist for SIX MONTHS to do WHAT? I AGREE I need to see a nutritionist although nutrition was always the topic of discussion with primary dr.....but for SIX MONTHS? That's a more rigid requirement than the weight loss and I worked on the weight loss for a year as I wanted to be very sure of things. Why do we get so many different answers..I have Cigna 90/10 plan (I pay extra for higher coverage as I usually am in hospital for 2 weeks every other year...why keep paying a 50K to 100K hospitalization bill for me when we can treat SOME of the underlying reasons and keep me OUT of the hospital?). I'm afraid to even call them. My bariatric surgeon is experienced...not sure about his staff as I just met them and he is building out a new office so they are co-sharing office space with an OB-GYN (like that wasn't uncomfortable)...should I call CIGNA myself or let dr handle? I really am now feeling leery of his staff

I totally agree, i think what you’re saying goes both ways... no one can say how prevalent it is or it isn’t... all we can do is state our experience like everyone else. I was just merely addressing the comment that if it’s common they’d here about it, not necessarily. I’m finding evidence all over the internet in scrientific studies in medical journals like JAMA that correspond to a more broader issue with these surgeries (including less than 10 years post op) and there is a lot of complications still present even with ‘modern’ advancements. im not saying it equates common, but it’s equating enough stir in medical communities like neurological journals that warrant studies that have been done. If it’s very uncommon and rare... these journals would not have enough data to publish in the medical journals I’m reading. I think it’s fair to say that if there’s enough complications to warrant different medical specialities (for ex. The neurology paper) to see enough repeated visits by post bariatric surgery patients to warrant investigations and studies than maybe it’s ok to breach the scary topic and ask more questions, seek more clarity and transparency for everyone’s sake. Medicine is a business. Even in a free healthcare state like Canada. And business is business. Like cobalt in hips and then that poisoning those eith these hip replacements, so the companies then coat the cobalt, yet it hasn’t solved all the issues even knowing there’s still issues. im not ok with not knowing everything I can previous to any surgery and because I fall within whatever numbers are declared as a minority percentage, not getting full disclosures, just because my life doesn’t matter as long as the majority is somewhat ok.... still not saying bariatric surgery is bad at all... I’m saying full disclosure is paramount, and it should not have to be sought after by the patient post surgery, it should be a streamlined process of knowledge snd medical care continuity. I find it interesting how people are really riled up at just the questions I put out there. Why does it cause so much intense feelings. Why are quite a few respondents so quickly defending a surgery when I’m not attacking individual choice but just stating my experience and seeking my own health solutions. are people scared? I’m not judging at all... I’m being curious yet people seem very defensive and fearful of my struggles.... instead of being curious, most people who have responded are defending something I’m not accusing but I am definately curious as I said about a possible relationship between my complex medical issues that did not exist prior to bariatric surgery and are now mounting. just a mom, a post bariatric surgery patient, seeking with curiosity any possible connections here, as I’ve sought in other areas, reasons that could explain this... it’s interesting that this forum seems to be the only one very upset with my curiosity about others who possibly might have had or are having similar complex medical issues. im just a mom seeking solutions to a complex medical mess to I can live my life well and live a long healthy life with my kids. I am not attacking bariatric surgery as it seems others having feelings that I am... I’m simply seeking others who may be able to shed some light on my own individual personal experience with complex health issues post surgery, that’s all.... just seeking answers so I can get better in every place I can think of, there’s no one else to help me do it... so here I am... but seems as though everyone doesn’t even want me to ask such questions... it creates too much fear... I get that... I’m afraid too... I’m in the middle of this.... alone and trying to put a complex puzzle together. I’m not attacking or saying it’s wrong yet people are responding as if that’s what I’m saying or insinuating. I’m here because all of my issues are post bariatric surgery snd I’m just asking a simple question; are there others on this forum experiencing complications like me, do they think or have they found out that it’s from their surgery or it’s complications or that is caused by something else, and how was it resolved, how did they become healthy again... maybe no one knows, maybe the question then becomes to others; why is my curiosity so threatening to even ask these questions here? Why is my curiosity not met with curiosity but with obvious fear in the act of defending a medical practice that I haven’t accused as the cause... just being curious if it might be.

Here's my suggestion to you: Read all you can about Lap Banding, everything. This tool requires a very large amount of discipline. I am just being totally honest with you. Call your Bariatric Center when you feel you are mentally ready to begin the process again.

I had mine today and was a little freaked out too. I really enjoyed it. I took basic question tests and then we talked for about an hour about my habits, support system, have i thought this through that type stuff. I felt really great when I left having one more person confirm I was doing the right thing for me. In fact she told me a couple of times she was very excited for me and hoped I would keep in touch with my progress since she specializes in bariatrics.

Yes there are nutritionists who specialize in bariatrics. Your doctors office would be a great place to ask for recommendations.

Kaiser Fremont Bariatrics recommends the following labs at 6 mo., 1 year and then annually: Chem 10, ALT, AST, PT, Albumin, Prealbumin, Ferritin, Iron/TIBC, CBC, Serum B12, RBC folate, B1, 25 OH Vit D, PTH, Alk phos(metabolic bone disease) Vit A, glucose, lipids, HbA1c. Use “PNL BAR” in Order Entry in HC, Consider copper deficiency if unresolved hypochromic anemia. They also recommend annual bone density screening.

My wife has been in Dr. Davis's program since the first part of this year. We have Aetna and they required the 3 month program along with medical records from the last five years, a letter from her primary doctor, etc. Unfortunately, Dr. Davis's office has not been much help in this process. His office staff seems overwhelmed. Basically, my wife gathered all of the info they needed and gave it to them. They have botched the internal process every step of the way. Dr. Davis has changed office managers and other key employees at least once this year. The change didn't seem to help. They consistently assure my wife that things are being taken care of (like submitting the paperwork to Aetna for final approval) only to find out a couple of weeks later that they have done nothing. It's very disappointing that Aetna has chosen Dr. Davis as the only bariatric doctor in the Houston area. I am sure they wouldn't be happy with his performance if they knew. His whole program is very impersonal. The patients get treated like a number from day one. It seems that the entire goal of Dr. Davis's office is to process patients through the system (mental health visits, nutritionist visits, & all the other things required by insurance) in order to get them approved rather than really creating a program that educates the patient on what they need to know pre & post surgery. If you use Doctor Davis I believe he probably does a good job on the actual surgery but everything else about his practice is greatly lacking. You'll need to do your own research to equip yourself properly for the aftercare program. If my wife had a choice she would take her business elsewhere. Repeated calls to Dr. Davis's office to resolve these issues fall on deaf ears. It seems he doesn't really care if he has a disgruntled patient or loses one here & there. After all, he's got a line of 'em out the door waiting to get in. Its kind of like Wal-Mart losing a customer....so what, who cares? There's more where they came from.