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Who has BCBS of Alabama that pays 80% for Bariatric? Wondering how much you paid out of pocket?

The pre op is hard. But this journey is supposed to be hard. Every time I’m tempted to cheat, I remind myself that the reason I’m heading into Bariatric surgery is due to a lifetime of a chest here, and there. I’m on day 6 of my 14 day pre op & Down 10lbs.

sounds like the third week stall - Read embrace the stall below. https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/351046-embrace-the-stall/#comment-3952027 Posted September 18, 2015 It seems that at least 50% of the posts on BariatriPal are bemoaning a stall. Daily, and sometimes hourly, I am reading about how someone ONLY lost x number of pounds and now the scale hasn't moved in ___ [fill in the blank] days/months, etc. Oh no, they write, I am a failure/unique/my surgery didn't work/life is not fair, ... Why am I in a stall? I know I am exaggerating but I think you get the idea. Guess what? STALLS are a NORMAL part of the PROCESS of losing weight. If you want to lose weight, you will stall. Not just once, but over and over. And, guess what? A stall is where your body actually does the hard work of becoming smaller. It takes a lot of work and energy to dismantle a structure that has been holding up, in some cases, hundreds of pounds. For those who think they have to DO something to somehow "break a stall" (in my opinion, you do not break a stall, you just ride them out), here is my response: What can you do to "break" a stall? 1) STAY OFF THE SCALE Relax and stay off the scale if it bothers you so much. Weigh no more than once a week, or even less often. Weighing only at your doctor's appointments early in the process is a good strategy if your mood and self-worth are dictated by the numbers on the scale. 2) PICK UP A TAPE MEASURE In addition to using the numbers on the scale to measure your progress, take your measurements. Inches lost are also a great way to see physical progress when the scale isn't moving. Most people see the biggest physical changes in their body when the scale seems stuck. 3) TRACK YOUR Protein AND Water AND MEET OR EXCEED YOUR PROTEIN AND WATER GOAL EVERY DAY As long as you are getting in all your protein and water and following your NUT and surgeon's instructions, you are doing what you are supposed to do. If you aren't getting in all your protein and water, then increasing your protein and water is something you can do (and should be doing anyway whether or not you are in a stall). 4) EXERCISE If you aren't exercising, then you can exercise (and should be whether or not you are in a stall). You can start slowly by walking or even moving more around the house. Exercising will help you feel better, tone your skin and build fat-burning muscle. 5) MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR NUT If you are unsure or unclear about what you are supposed to be, or should not be eating, then make an appointment with your NUT (which you should be doing whether or not you are in a stall). 6) REASSESS AND REEVALUATE About the only good result I see that comes from complaining about a stall is when you take an honest look at what you are doing and realign with the program recommended by your NUT and surgeon. Have you started eating more outside of your plan? Are you restricting calories? Are you eating enough carbs and protein for your exercise? Are you taking your Vitamins? Are you eating often enough? Are you eating slowly with protein first? Sometimes, all you need to DO is go back to basics. 7) JOURNAL One of the biggest things I have noticed from the various posts is how anxious and out-of-control some people feel when they notice a stall. Journaling can help you gain some perspective and deal with some of the emotional turmoil. -- Write about how you are feeling about the stall and your weight loss, and surgery in general. -- Write about why you had the surgery in the first place. -- Write about what life was like before surgery. -- Write about what you hope and dream about accomplishing in the future. -- Write about your fears. -- Write about your NSVs. -- Make a gratitude list. -- Make a bucket list. -- Write a letter to your old self; write a letter to your new self. Just write. 8) SEEK HELP Stalls are when too many people seem to revert to old, counterproductive dieting behaviors (restricting calories, over exercising, bingeing, etc.). If this is you, then another thing you can DO is to talk to a counselor or therapist or consider joining a bariatric support group or a twelve-step group like Overeater's Anonymous. The discomfort of being in a stall can also drive people to develop new, unhealthy coping habits or even transfer addictions. This is where you want to marshall all the resources you have available to you and use them. The last, and most important thing you can DO is: 9) EMBRACE THE STALL Stalls are a normal and natural part of the process. Our bodies are complex systems and not simple machines. Stalls go hand-in-hand with weight loss. If you had Weight Loss Surgery, then you probably want to lose a significant amount of weight. So, get ready to embrace the many stalls you will experience as your body is transformed. It will be worth it.

Mine was that easy too. I just had to get a referral to the bariatric Dept from my PCP and go through the classes that teach about the surgeries, psyc appointment, nurse appointment, and meet my goal weight. As soon as I did that I got a date. HW: 297 SW: 271.4 Goal 1: 260 Goal 2: ??? Goal 2: ???

Thank you everyone. I have spoken with a Surgeon here in NYC $14,000 for a Tummy Tuck. For Bariatric Hospital MX, they are asking for $11,000 for Tummy Tuck, lipo and fixing my back. All and all it is a lot of money, either way, I look at it. I thought it would be a lot cheaper at least almost $8,000 but I am still in the double digits here. I have decided to do what my friends have been saying. Give my body another year or hardcore working out and weight training. They feel like it will help alleviate a lot of the fat and help tighten some of the loose skin.

I think many of us that made the decision to have surgery have lost weight only to regain and have issues maintaining the loss. As a nurse coordinator for a bariatric program I am sure the lady that made that comment sees a lot of patients that do struggle pre op to lose weight....whether it is through too many “food funerals”, medical issues, or plain just not taking the pre op diet seriously in the beginning. She was maybe surprised to see someone lose that much because it is rare, but a good rare. Just playing devils advocate here. At any rate keep up the good work. Any professional in bariatrics is glad to see you succeed before or after surgery I hope!

I haven't been to the Mansfield one yet. Tonight is my first. But the Arlington one has very nice people. I'm going to try to go to a couple of meetings a month to keep me on the straight and narrow Last month, the speaker was the therapist that I had met with pre-surgery, discussing support systems and emotional eating. This month I think they're doing sample healthy foods and recipes. It's not separated by the type of surgery. Just any bariatric procedure.

Hopefully if my husband’s passport renewal comes back in time! Going through WLS4BetterLife with Jaime Ponce as my surgeon @ INT Hospital in Tijuana Mexico.

Hey all. I've been overweight/obese since my Dad passed away when I was 18. Finally this past year I decided enough was enough, I could hardly walk, I would lie awake at night fearing a sudden death, and on and on. On February 1st I weighed in @ 537lbs. My surgeon wanted me to lose 40-50lbs before he would approve surgery. That day changed my life, I committed to eating healthy and exercising. By March 2nd I had lost 40lbs and was approved for surgery....but first a 4!! week 600-800 calorie pre op. It was a struggle but I stuck too it and on my surgery date April 2nd I weighed in at 471lbs. The day of surgery my hemoglobin reading was 11.8, my surgeon said it was fine, I had enough to compensate for any loss. The surgery itself was a success. Here's where it got scary. Immediately after surgery, still had the anesthesia and fentanyl in my system. I was on IV dilaudid and ativan. Anyways, once I got to the bariatric floor I was in misery...I was thrashing from the pain, so I asked a nurse if I could get something for my nerves (remember what I'm already on) and sure enough in she came with iv filled with valium. I remember her injecting it, and then BOOM....lights out, I woke up to a team of people over me, a tube in my throat and general confusion. Apparently the combo of meds sent me down....scary! During my thrashing one of my incisions opened and started bleeding, because i was covered with a blanket it took a nurse 8 hours to see it, she put a band on it. The next morning my surgeon came in and was AGHAST at how much blood I'd lost, he was visibly angry. My lab work came back and confirmed his suspicions...my hemoglobin was 6.4!!!! For the next day plus I was on the verge of a transfusion, my pulse was out of control and more. It slowly got better. Ok, fast forward to today as I'm probably boring ya'll. I am...drumroll...416 POUNDS!!! I've lost 55 pounds since surgery!! and 121 total!! My bloodwork came back today and my hemoglobin is back to 10! I feel AMAZING!!!!!!!! Even though the first few days were scary as hell, I wouldn't trade it. I've gone from a 60 pant size to 54 7xl shirt to 4/5x. I'll post pics later! Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

I kept taking phentermine on and off, knowing that it didn’t work for me anymore, I had chest pains when I took it, and suffered debilitating anxiety when I was on it, that sometimes took weeks to go away once I stopped. I can’t begin to tell you how bad I felt on that stuff, but when I hit 241 pounds, that was it. I needed to end the cycle so I went to a bariatric surgeon. The first thing my mom and sister said was it was a terrible idea and that I should get back on phentermine. Nope! Never again. Age: 37 Height: 5’6 BMI: 37 VSG: 4/16/18 GW: 160 MFP: Fit4LifeAR

I don't think at 8months your tool has stopped working. Unfortunately, I think maybe you've lost faith in your tool and in the process. And I'm sorry for that. It's pretty common for all of us to lose that lovin' feeling when the new wears off and monotony droans on and on. It's part of why I think @jenn1 says maintenance is the hardest part. You honestly have to be at the point where you are disgusted with how your post surgery outcome is at present. And you have to have the get-up-and-go that you first had when surgery began. I really believe this is a common thing that will hit all of us sooner or later and we do have to stare the beast in the eye and take control of our future. It's time to fish or cut bait. Are you gonna be the boss or the little bi*ch to your addicted fat brain? Only you know the answer! If it were me (and it will be--so please remind me of this post!) I would do the following: 1. Call the surgeon and make an appointment to discuss what is going on in your head and body. See if he/she can give you a plan for getting back on track. The doc will. They have a vested interest in making sure you statistically are one of their great outcomes. Go ahead and ask for your vitamin, thyroid, and chemistry panels to be drawn. 2. Go see your RD for a tune-up on diet and a plan for future visits for accountability. 2.5. Ask for a referral to begin seeing a bariatric psychologist or therapist. Start dealing with your depression and food addictions. 3. Join a real life support group in your area--your doc prolly has one. 3.5 Drink 100oz of water per day and make sure you are taking all your supplements!!!! 4. Go back to basics of surgery: no drinking with meals 30-30; protein first (3oz per meal); low glycemic veg 2nd; healthy fats; and for now--no fruits or nuts/seeds/carbs etc.; weigh/measure/log EVERYTHING that goes down your piehole; limit portions to 1 cup of food per eating event; limit eating events to 3 meals + 1 small snack per day. 5. Start walking every day. Aim for goal of 1 hour per day. EVERY day. Look at joining a gym to do strengthening exercises. 6. Get out in the sunshine. Make yourself engage with people, your children, your husband. Watch funny shows and movies when you can. Look to laugh as much as possible (it produces endorphins as powerful as anti-depressants). 7. Hang in there. Take it one day at a time. Remember to breathe, be loving yet firm with your addicted self. Come here often and engage with us online!!! We are here to support you!!!

Sprinkles, I agree with CreekImp, we have an OP on Bariatric Pal, I think her name is Danielle, she was having,bad abdominal pain, getting wirse, running a fever. Nobody medical would pay attention, pushed her callscetc to one side, she turned out to have a very bad absess, story for her still isn't over. Gosh I feel so for the poor kid, they've drained it, packed it and it's still not over. Yours may turn out to be very minor, pray 🙏it is, but keep on being the squeaky wheel, they are the ones who get greased and also there is only 1 you, stick up for yourself. That's a lesson all the longtime posters will tell you I still have trouble with, bought into the " you don't really matter" bunch of crap everyone around told me. Now I'm old and creaky and cranky but, I am standing up and doing it, and it feels D***Good!😝👊

My name is Robin and I am a weight loss surgery patient. I have struggled with weight my whole life. I blame it on my paternal grandmother's genes, haha! Honestly, I remember my mom always having snacks after school but she limited them to one serving. I CRAVED more! I would sneak and get toast and put sugar on it.....skip the cinnamon and go straight to the white sugar.....and now I know why it's considered as bad as cocaine! I controlled my weight by being active. BUT, when I got married right out of high school my weight started climbing. About 2 years later when my first son came I think I gave up on ME. I totally gave my family every ounce that I had. My husband would play ball with our son after work and I sat on the couch....I was exhausted. I was always tired and exhausted. Fast forward to 11 years later, we decided to have our 2nd son....after that amazing child was born, my weight skyrocketed! I have tried every diet known to man. Sitting in weight watchers was humiliating; sitting at the ball field while the boys played and being so miserable and exhausted was humiliating; going on vacation and wearing shorts instead of a bathing suit was humiliating....I can go on and on...you all know the drill....covering it all up with a smile and lots of clothes.....and a tan! After my 2nd son was born I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Before that I always joked that I was the healthiest fat person ever. I always thought of arthritis as being an old person's way of complaining about being old. Boy did karma hit me in the face. I was 30ish and after researching RA, I realized that this is a very dangerous disease. The inflammation in my body could actually kill me! Then comes steroids, disease modifying meds....then high blood pressure, restless leg syndrome, anemia, horrible menstrual cycles and I FELT LIKE A FAILURE! In 2012 I was introduced to a program that my husband's employer had in Costa Rica and I could have weight loss surgery FOR FREE! 2012 I had gastric sleeve and immediately started losing. I started walking afterwards, then running, then biking, then triathlons, then half marathons, then long bikes and I started gaining weight! WTF, gaining weight while doing all this crap.....I hit a LOW! More research......I found that I had to learn how to be successful......Just having the sleeve doesn't solve all the pre-surgery issues we have with food....see, all that crap I was eating still went down really easy.....So here I am again re-learning 6 years post op. I did not reach goal weight (YET). I am, however, losing again after 6 years and getting stronger than EVER! Best thing is.....I no longer have high blood pressure, restless leg, anemia, and my RA is under control. I am down to 1 medication for that and only steroids when a flare comes! I AM TAKING BACK CONTROL OF MY LIFE...even at 52 years old! If anyone here needs support, I have a private facebook group where we are starting a back on track challenge (free). Please look me up on Facebook.... Robin Englehardt Benson and send me a friend request with a message to be added.

Walmart has a couple of portion control kits if you want to get jiggy with things. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Meal-Prep-Haven-7-Piece-Multi-Colored-Color-Coded-Portion-Control-Container-Kit/128151874 They aren't necessarily bariatric, but I was tempted to get them. @abefroman329 has great advice for portions though! I just use a measuring cup and scale. Then tare (zero out) everything between types of food. I started with 1/4c, then to 1/2c, and now to 1cup. So I also weigh and measure everything that goes down my piehole.

At my first we talked about what I ate and how I ate and my NUT gave me recommendations on how to change my bad eating habits & make better choices. i will admit though, my NUT never set a calorie goal for me and never said I had to lose a certain amount of weight although I should always be losing some if I make better choices. one thing that helped was using a food journal of some sort; whether it be hand written or an app like MyFitnessPal. It’s useful to start now even with the regular food you eat so you don’t have to sit and remember what you ate..you both can go through it & the NUT can then advise you where to make adjustments. I work with many nutritionists/dietitians and i have seen many in during my weight loss and they are huge advocates for bariatric surgery. So most are on your side. Good luck & keep us updated. Starting this process is very exciting

This. So much this. I’m scheduled for May 10 and all of my close friends, family and coworkers know. They’re all super supportive. Maybe afterwards they’ll occasionally think to themselves “should she be eating that?” Or whatever. Maybe some of them thought that I was taking the easy way out. Ha! Well now I’ve started the Optifast and they see all the work that goes into this, they’re being amazing! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not broadcasting it all over social media, but I am proud! Also, I know people are going to DEFINITELY notice I’m losing A LOT of weight. I certainly didn’t want anyone to think I was sick or had an eating disorder or anything like that. But I am an open book person. I’ve had a bunch of really rough patches in my life, and I’m upfront about all of it. Heck! My doctor even gave me a medical alert card stating that I’ve had Bariatric surgery and to please let me order from the children’s or seniors menu when I go out! Very nice of them and I’m sure I’ll use the hell out of that! HW: 311 CW: 262 SW: We’ll see on May 10!

Hi @iwanttoseemytoes Welcome to Bariatric Pal and are you by chance also from Ohio?

My nephew announced at a restaurant over the weekend that he wants to go to lunch with me all the time, because I share grown-up food with him and he doesn't have to order off the kids menu. He's 3 and I'd just given him two (out of three) of my hamburger sliders, and now he's making me read the menus to him so we can order something to share. It turns out an appetizer is exactly the right size for an adult bariatric patient and a voracious three year old, who knew? I do this too. Some foods are more dry than others, and I also like to take a sip to clear my palate. I find that bites 1-3 of any meal are delicious and bite 4 is a chore; if I take a small sip after bite 3 and wait for a bit, I taste everything better on bite 4. My water glass is still practically full by the end of the meal, and my doc and nutritionist really aren't sticklers for this rule. As long as I'm drinking less than an eighth of a cup I really don't notice anything.

Ms Hopefull Lisa- we cheer you , we applaud you, and we believe in you. Go forward with joy in your hear, peace in your mind, a spring in your step, and a smile upon your face. You are loved, treasured and important in our lives. Your Bariatric family will be waiting for an update when surgery is over, so no sorrow and sadness things will be just right. Bonne Chance, Cher Lisa!

My Dietitian looked at those compared to the bariatricAdvantage with Iron and they're pretty much the same, however with the bariatricAdvantage, you have to take 3 a day. So you get triple the amount a vitamins a day than what bariatric 45 offers. I've noticed that straight out of the bottle they taste like they smell. But when I put them in my weekly pill reminder they taste better after sitting. I only have to take one B12 a week to make sure I'm getting the extra amount. I also have to take vitamin d for 6 months. most bariatric patients are vitamin d deficient. I have to alternate 2 to 3 calcium every other day because I'm a woman still with ovaries even though I had a hysterectomy.

Below are the supplements I take. The Bariatric 45 is pretty complete so you don’t need to take a bunch of others. Bariatric 45 online Chewable calcium online B12 dissolves under tongue Costco

Most of the premoistened mouth swabs are lemon-tasting at least in my part of the world. If you loathe lemon, you might get a supply of little pink foam tipped swabs, the local independent,pharmacy stocks them. If your hospital is playing Hard***. they usually do provide a mothwash, use it with your little pink swabs, if nothing else use plain water.I used to sweat everything stinky I had ate the week before was in my dried out mouth. Yucky poo poo!😟Bring slippers or scuff type shoes, those floors are hard (easier to keep clean) and those six they issue you, they might be fine for short trips to the porcelain throne,but if you walk very far, and we all know they encourage "walkies" those nor skid bumps hurt to walk on. One frequent poster on BP bought a cheapish set of bedroom slippers, threw them in the trash when she left so she didn't bring home evil hospital germs. SO comfy loosish clothes because you want something easy to get on, you don't want your bare bum shining under the hospital gowns and your tummy with its multiple little slits is going to be tender. phone, charger and maybe a 3 foot extension cord in case plugs right close to you are in use Chap stick, your lips are going to be dry, try to crack and also, if you get a tinted slightly one, you look prettier. All the other suggestions above are good. I am a die-hard writer so I'll. probably take my journal so I can write all about it,I only plan one of these bariatric funfests. Anyway please report back to us how everything went. Right about now you may be wishing someone could take your place,tell them to call me, I have been waiting FOREVER! Alex and Ken have my E Mail,address, I'll answer all texts! Your Impatient future-patient Bud. ,,Frust8😝

Jules and Taoz you Aussie girls are such neat buddies in this Weight War. Love your postings. Was laying on my bed, 9AM and I confess I'm listening to one of Australia's nicer products, Men at Work. We have a saying in the American West, if we really fancy a chap we say " he can put his boots anytime under my bed" well Russell Hitchcock for me sure could. Sure he's older, chubby and white-haired, ah that voice melts me into a puddle of warm chocolate. Yes I am allergic now to real chocolate now but if he sang "Making Love out of Nothing at All" to me I'd walk blindly into a shark-infested ocean. Absolutely no problem whatsoever! Ah enough of my misplaced lust. Now up to eat my oatmeal porridge with 1% milk and face the day. Taoz your cauliflower cheddar soup sounds absolutely luscious, but then I do like cheese. Fluffy Chix keeps preaching,about it being fat-laden maybe it is, doesn't keep me away. I love Gouda, I love Havarti, I love Cheddar especially. I even like limberger. Viley stinky stuff, few people admit to eating it, let alone relish it, well I do. Started eating it when I was a tinier person. Slather it on rye or pumpernickel bread with sliced onions. If you eat one of my sandwiches I promise to eat Vegemite without flinching. Yes I have tasted it, one year at our Ohio State Fair New South Wales had a booth, probably to stimulate tourism "Down Under". Well they had brought jars of the stuff, the bloke behind the counter said "Try it, Aussies eat it like you do Peanut Butter!" nobody could accuse me of not being game, especially when it comes to food. Usually tried to convince people I come from a long line of winter hibernators until somebody pointed out I'm not a bear, I don't require this layer of fat. So I opened my little mouth and swallowed a heaping spoonful down. Hmmn, maybe if I'd eaten it frequently as a child? He laughed so hard I thought he was in danger of wetting himself. Said,most Yanks try to spit it out, do I have the figure to have abstained from food? I probably don't need water wings, I'm buoyant enough already. I might even eat witcthy grubs. know that is not correct spelling but for once this phone didn't correct me. I have maintained all along English is not this phone's first language so I am sure Australian English really mystified it . I've started recording my diet in My Fitness Pal, guess the bariatric staff wants to check what I'm eating. Yesterday I took in less calories than I burned, can I do equal today? Well to,paraphrase an old song "The is young and I'm so beautiful" guess we'll see how it all goes. May skip a regular meal today and implement a protein shake. Better find tastes I like before I end up relying on them. Ta Ta I'm off to the kitchen, trying to avoid the fridge and pantry. Keep Posting, I get a thrill hearing about your preps -!makes me feel a part,of it all and I yearn to soon join you both.🙆😜

Congrats on the weight loss! Also you seem to be smaller than some bariatric patients right now, I think it's a bit harder to get more weight off the smaller you are, or at least that is what I heard, call it a rumor or whatever I don't know the validity of it.

I make my own (or should say made and froze ) my own cream soups and they were like heaven compared to canned. There's a bariatric app that I like that has some recipes and one was for broccoli soup. But yes, I hate everything too. I like the more fun flavors of light Greek yogurt like cheesecake and I mix in a little of my cabot whey power for more protein but it's still sweet. My problem is that I AM still hungry after surgery. I think it may be going away but I have hunger pangs when I shouldn't. I can have eggs and blended stuff like tomorrow but I have snuck eggs and blended chicken. Ok, 1 egg.