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I trusted my surgeon, who has since stopped doing bariatrics, to the end of night. She did my band (twice) and, two months later, I returned to have her pluck out my gall bladder rather than going to a surgeon at a fine hospital closer to home. (The band surgeon is only about seven miles away, but, if you know life here, it feels almost like going to Philadelphia.) That said, I did not follow silently and sheep-like. As an adult, I wanted to understand what was being done and why. I asked, she answered. Deep trust and expecting to know are not mutually exclusive. If I were a surgeon, I'd turn away anyone who didn't want to know: "Hello, hello. Are you in there?" Makes me shudder. As to food choices and habits, I worked with the RD. She gave me info in advance for the first month post-op and, when it was time, info on eating immediately following adjustments, after the occasional 'stuck' episode and the rest. I took a few detours which I'd carefully considered and had no problems.

Hunnybun, Who is your insurance carrier and in which city and state are you located? Go out to www.yahoo.com and in the search box input the words bariatric your city your state (e.g., bariatric san antonio texas). This should get you started on finding any other bariatric surgeons in your area. Also, have you checked with your insurance company to find out how you can view a list of their in-network providers online? You'll probably find there is someone with more experience available, although you may have to drive a little bit further out of your way. The surgeons may not be listed under the "Bariatric Surgery" umbrella with your insurance company, but rather "General Surgery."

Thanks for your reply. Gastric Sleeve isn't malabsorbtion but it is very permanent. I found somewhere that will dit for 7,000 but it's in Peru. It's one of those vacation/surgery things. San Antonio Bariatric Surgery - New Dimensions Weight Loss Surgery - Sleeve Gastrectomy The only reason I am a little hesitant on the band still is because what if my body rejects the foreign object (band) inside me? I'm scared of slippage and erosion too.

I don't know Dr. Madan personally, but he does have a good reputation out in the field. The Marina Del Rey hospital is a small hospital whose staff are exceptional. They are well trained and know bariatric patients and their needs. I chose the LA Bariatric center there and am pleased with my team and the results as well as the care that I recieved from the hospital. It was very appearent that the center and hospital had a close and respectful working relationship. I performed my due diligence and chose the team that I did and the place where I was to have surgery very carefully and I have not regretted one single decision or point of care from them. I am not making any excuses for what happened, but there is a mortality associated with any surgery WLS or any other type of surgery. IT may be low, but it is there. The question is what happened? Was it due to unforeseen and uncontrolable circumstances? Was it due to an oversight on the pre-op end of things, ie. labs, or any of the other tests? Was the patient(s) ready for surgery? Many, many questions that I don't have access to the information. People do die from surgeries every day, people who are not expected to die.... My heart and prayers go out to these families....

My sleeve date is May 23rd with Dr. Rodriguez in Juarez. My PCP is unfamiliar with the procedure and told me he would follow me if I would get him info about what to monitor. I'm nervous that he won't know the symptoms of a leak, etc. And he's two hours from me. Would I be smarter to find a PCP closer to home? Would a local Bariatric doctor follow me if I had the procedure in Mexico? I don't have a NUT - do I need to find one? Thanks for your suggestions! So happy I found this group!

Thank you everyone for your helpful responses. I didnt even ask if any post op surgical, fills etc would be included and they didnt say they were.. i am calling a hospital tomorrow that has their own bariatric center to see about a consultation. ill keep all you posted.. i really dont want to wait too long to get this done and start this new chapter in my life.

I also went through San Diego Options. My classes were in San Marcos. I had my surgery with Dr. Tanaka on 07/29/15. Who is your surgeon? It was a great experience working with Pacific Bariatric and Scripps.

Positive Things at 4 AM I am warm I am safe and loved I have the freedom to be what I can want to be, even when it seems difficult Although I am having gastrointestinal difficulties, until they resolve I can receive my nourishment through my PICC line and TPN I haven't thrown up since yesterday so today can be a better day So no matter how this Saturday in. December finds me, I am still alive and grateful to Ohio State University, Bradley J Needleman MD and Bariatric Medicine for a future. And I am grateful to my RnY surgery, even with its flaws , it has been my third best tool, behind commitment & Belief in ME for success out of sorrow! SO I AM TRULY A VERY BLESSED 73 YEAR PERSON WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE!😛❤🍀

Some pain med - I requested Tramadol over Percocet. Only needed it a couple of days and then used liquid tylenol. Some Zofran for nausea - never needed it. Omeprazole. Then of course you need your bariatric multi vitamins with iron. Also calcium citrate, vitamin D, vitamin B-12. All the vitamins are OTC - the best deal you can find for multivits is here on the BariatricPal site.

My surgeon was Jacqueline Osuna, the wife of Dr. alejandro lopez. Both only practice bariatric surgery. I would recommend Dr. Osuna to anyone and everyone!!!

7.31.12-txjina1 8.1.12-slenderella-Dr. Scott Stowers icle1234-Dr barker dallas tx MsDallasSleever Dr Wade Barker ugot2laff Dr Myur Srikanth WA EcuaTrucho dr richard Nguyen BarbH Dr. Medvetz Middletown PA Nina88-Dr Casillas west LA 8.2.12-allnewme-Dr Alvarez MX mamamelly dr matthew Bettendorf MN carlab51 dr mccarty dallas tx 8.3.12-Made2beme- Dr Garcia MX 8.4.12-Icandothis Dr Alveraz mx 8.6.12-Aug62012-Dr Brengman Richmond VA Arukind-Dr. Ross Seattle WA Stormwarning-Dr Alvarez Mx Pdog Dr. Halmi in Fairfax,Va. Tabbymonroe sleevealicious dr nain woodbridge va bug-indiana dreamnslim2012 Dr david Kim tx thickiest2thick dr david suh ReeTee Dr S. Killeen TX aznurse4u Dr Monash Tucson AZ 8.7.12-cegull dr david kim Dallas tx zack515 dr aceves in mexicali 8.8.12-Futureskinnypants - Dr morris washington Sc sv2- Dr suh murrieta ca Forensikchic (*1 YEAR SURGIVERSARY!!!!) 8.9.12 shaniceh01 Sabrena Noria New orleans louisiana 8.10.12-thetruedream- Dr Almanza MX findingme2012dr kelly Tijuana Jaoleen Dr verboonen MX charmichelle NC bethL dr richardson New orleans. 8.11.12- lolo11 dr kelly mx 8.13.12-harleymb-Dr Spaw Sabstar22-Dr. Almanza Mx Southern Oregon-Dr Ortiz Mickey- Dr Arnold- Dallas TX txjina1- dr kim-Tx july 31st melissa kirk- dr mcmahon seattle wa mom_24 dr alvarez mx peacelove&tash dr douglas olsen TN half~of~bri dr roc bauman 8.14.12- strawberrysoul-Dr. Almanza MX laurenss-Dr Gregory walton jorsea- dr degara canada bound4bway mczoo33 dr alverez atelux17 Dr Kim TX 8.16.12- MichT Kaiser West LA 8.17.12- Beanieandrosiesmom- Dr. Rodriquez MX Lisa1977 8.18.12- dooter55 dr alvarez piedro negres mx 8.20.12- Audrey523- Dr. Yatco NYC Shoe_vixen- Dr rosen Chicago Skye-Dr. Joyce lifesaver-dr george merriman-LA 8.21.12-lucysmama215 Sleeveme81Tx nurse05 Dr Garcia MX 8.22.12-minniemouse dr wayne weiss 8.23.12 MGM-Dr. Kelly MX beanzilla Dr Garcia MX mschina415- dr arron hoffman NY msleo64- (*1 year surgiversary!!!) irishgirl78 dr liao (23rd or 30th) Onlyone Dr Garcia MX 8.24.12 Weight_no_longer tammy ansley topeka kansas 8.27.12 washffpm dr mcmahon KRBullardRN Dr. Babineau, Tyler TX leprechaunmomma Dr lopez/Dr. Osuana TJ MX krbullardrn dr babineau tyler tx bluelemons, Dr Alvarez MX 8.28.12 vixkey dr krahn cali JLOR Dr David Kim, Dallas TX Red597 Dr Eric Mallico 8.29.12 cantw8t2bme dr esteban varela Dolly 8.30.12 Runner nawlinzlady gigimamma dr kelly mx kimmyiet Dr R marvin houston TX Irishgirl78 8.31.12 ATLSara dr kelly mx Holy Moly , we now have 84 surgeries scheduled for august (and i think i counted txjina1 too, shes july!) What a successful thread if i do say so myself!! QOTD-How/When did you decide you wanted to have bariatric surgery? Why did you choose the sleeve? I was driving my mom to the airport one day in february and I was complaining that I was starting to gain back some of the weight I had lost on weight watchers. She said, Why don't you start looking into the lapband, you've struggled with your weight for so long, its time to just take care of it once and for all. SO, I did....but as i was researching the lapband I found the sleeve. I decided that the lapband wasn't for me. What if i had lost my insurance? Would I have to keep that thing in me forever? If i take it out would I gain back all the weight I had lost???? I need something that doesnt require maintence like that. So, Here I am! I found the sleeve and after doing my research I really love the idea of the sleeve!

I was sleeved there on Monday! They really have a great system there. Sandy, the bariatric coordinator, was very helpful. Hope you're doing well. I met my liquid goal yesterday and I'm 15gms away from hitting protein. Yay!

aleach, I'm glad you found a therapist that you like who is also a good bariatric support person! I don't like the one who leads our support group, but I can tolerate her for the length of the monthly meeting. I found someone else who is a better fit for me, which is what we all should do, IMO. Find the person who makes you comfortable.

I agree and think you should write some letters. That's wrong. My initial doc, prior to band surgery, I thought would NEVER be on board but I needed HIM to refer me to the Bariatric Dept! I asked him and he approved the request, sent the referral that day. I was shocked! As I was finishing the program, he left and I got a new doc. I needed his signature on the FINAL reports for the go ahead. My first meeting with him was for this! He was happy to do it! Now I've got a PCP whose a knucklehead! He's very young and the type who works out a lot, played football all thru HS and College, still play pick up games w/his friends, etc. He think you can do ANY thing if you only stop eating and exercise! UGH! If I had to go thru him to get my revision, it wouldn't be happening. He is against WLS, says it doesn't work (just look at you), etc. Same ol' song and dance that most of us hear at some point over the years. I can't change docs unless I want to drive an hour to see someone even when Im sick. As soon as one of the other docs open up, I'm switching. Tho I do have to say, in his defense, that there have been a couple of times where I really needed him and he came thru for me.

Hi All, My apologies... I really don't know how to post to this site. I was trying to post a response to this thread and ended up creating yet ANOTHER thread on Sacramento. I recently posted a message about other pre-banders and banders in the Sacramento area... unfortunately I didn't see this posting before I created mine! -- Sorry I tried to check out the Yahoo group: Sacramento Bandsters @ Yahoogroups.com... But I couldn't locate it. Is it still active? If you still have monthly meetings, how can I find out more? I recently attended an informational seminar for Sacramento Bariatric Medical Association and Dr. Bruce Wolf is now working there and still doing Obesity research at UC Davis. He was not very positive about the Lap-Band. When I asked him how many Lap-Band procedures he has done, he said about 50 and then went on to say how he doesn't really feel that it is very effective and it works for some, but not for others, blah, blah, blah. I kind of tuned him out because he wasn't present for the beginning of the session and the other doctor (Machado) who is the director at this facility was very positive when she presented Lap-Band as one of the options. I met with my primary care doctor today and he is putting in the referral to have me seen by Sac Bariatric... said it might take 3-4 weeks. I have Cigna HMO and am a bit scared that they will not cover the surgery. I have a current BMI of 41.3, but no real co-morbidities except some joint pain and back pain. We will see... I am determined to get the Lap-Band and will go to Mexico if I have to. Thanks, Anne

That is very interesting.... I just got my band in July and she was already Sacramento Bariatrics... but I did not get a fee? Maybe its something even newer. My insurance covered most of the surgery i had to pay a percentage. Her conservativness with the fills does bother me. Everyone in the office has explained why they do it though and it does make sense. They want you to slowley re learn how to eat so you dont PB or throw up a lot. BUT i think a week or 2 would be enough... 6 is a long time! LoL But, everything else im really happy with. The surgery went really well, my inscisions were very small i had only a little gas pain in my shoulder on the 2nd or 3rd day after the surgery. OHHHH this was one other thing that turned me off to the NP in the office. I had my 1 week post op apt and wasnt taking my pain meds regularly anymore but only had about 1 more dose left. So I asked for a refill knowing i was going back to work and would probably be sore when i got home, and she gave me a really REALLY hard time about it. I'm sorry but I come from a medical family and a medical provider takes a vow to help and believe the patient no matter what. This is also why i think they should give fills more agressivley. Ok enough of my ranting. Dr. M is a very down to earth type of person she doesnt really sugarcoat things... If you have any more questions let me know!

Gina, I am not offended at all, I love sharing my story to anyone who would like to know. I know that hearing others ups and downs is what got me ont he "Bandwagon" in the beginning and really helped me to get through all my fears. Let me start off by saying sorry for the book... Well let me see where to start. In May 2005 I had back surgery for a herniated disc that I had between my L4 and L5 vertebrates, and I had a 3 months bed rest recovery period where I was out of work. When I had the surgery I weighed in at 338 lbs and by the time I was 3 months out I was down to 330 lbs. I made a promise to my Neurosurgeon that I would lose the weight to make it easier on my back after surgery. Even though I had surgery I knew I was going to continue to have back issues because they discovered that I also had "Degenerative Arthristis" in the same area of my lower spine. Well for the first 9 months after surgery I did pretty good, I maintained my weight pretty well, didn't have much back pain, (nothing that some prescription strenght Motrin would handle) then between being a full-time single mom, full-time student (17 units) and Working full-time; not to mention the ending of a relationship with a man I cared deeply for it kinda put me into this depressive type state, and I guess over the next year I put on approx. 86 lbs. By November 2006 I had my orientation and I found out that I had hit 416lbs.(WOW, I was shocked and appauled) During that class is when I heard someone say they heard that SSF Kaiser was going to start doing the LapBand and I had never heard of it prior to that day. So I went home and started doing some research about it. Well I found out that Kaiser was going to start doing trial LapBands in Feb 2007. So when I saw the head of SSF Kaiser Bariatrics in January 2007 I asked her and she told me that it would be a decision that would have to be made between my surgeon and I . The first time I met Dr.Alami was in March 2007 and he agreed after some light discouragement that he would do the LapBand on me if I lost about 40 lbs first. At first I really didn't take my pre-surgery weight loss serious enough but in June 2007 decided to start eating smaller portions and losing weight. By the time I saw Dr. Alami again in September 2007 I had lost about 30 lbs so he decided to get me in on the surgery schedule. They called me in October 2007 to schedule me for November 7, 2007 which I of course accepted. By the time I went in for my pre-surgery follow-up on November 1, 2007 I was 383 lbs. Dr.Alami actually tried to make sure that this was the surgery I wanted at this appointment, He really thought the RNY GB might be better for me but I assured him (even though I still had some doubts) that I would rather lose the weight slowly than to lose 60-100 lbs in 4 months. I really wanted to give my skin a fighting chance to recooperate and not be as sagging as it would be if I had chosen the RNY GB. This last 9.5 months has been very trying and I have have my ups and downs, but I have to say I would NOT change it for the world. Since the surgery on November 7, 2007 I have lost approx 51 lbs. (That plus my pre-surgery loss of 33 totals the 84 lbs lost) Part of the reason of not losing as fast as some of the other Bandsters is part my error because I do not always eat the best, especially when I am in need of a fill and I can eat just about anything I tend to eat the worg types of food. But a big portion of it had to do with an issue I had with a different surgeon in May 2008. My surgeon could not see me that month and had scheduled me to see Dr. David Le, who I had only met briefly one time before in November 2007 at the orientation class. Well I am not trying to bash anyone but he definitly has TERRIBLE bedside manner. My surgeon of course over the last 2 years has definitly developed a good repore, he always talks to me to see how I have been doing for the last month or so, never tries to rush me out of the office, always finds out how my eating is going, tries to get my input as to whether or not I think I need a fill, and is very supportive. Well Dr. Le was not to say the least! He came in didn't even ask how the month went just started to fill up the needle with the amount of saline that he wanted to put in without even finding out how my eating was going. Well he decided to tell me after he put it in that he put in 1 cc, well I knew (from my experience the prior month ) that would be too much. Let me back up a little the prior month Dr. Alami had put in .5 cc and it was a little too tight, I couldn't get much fluid down at all so I had to make a second trip out there in April and had .6 cc's removed (he did that to allow for any swelling). So when Iwas seeing Dr. Le I knew I wouldn't need anything more than maybe .5 cc, well when he had me drink the water and left the room I called his MA in the room and told her it was a little too tight. When he finally came back in after seeing another patient he said "Oh, you will be fine. Just go home and drink fluids for the next couple of days" After some hessitation and insisting it was too much, I went home (the 2 hour drive) This happened on a Tuesday and by Thursday morning I was on the phone with Dr.Alami's office asking to be seen because I had not even been able to get down 1 oz of fluid in 3 days. He couldn't get me in that day but they scheduled me for the next morning (Friday) and told me if my symptoms get any worse to come down right away. Well it did get worse and by 3 pm I had a severe migraine, dehydration and pain in my stoma. So I called the doctors office since they were still open and told them that with traffic and me having to get soemone to come in to replace me at work I could not get down there for at 3-4 hours. So I headed out shortly after and when I got there they were closed so I had to go to the ER in SSF. They called the on-call Bariatric surgeon and guess who it is...none other than Dr. Le!!! Well he was none too happy about me calling him in from home. When I asked him "How much fluid are you taking out, because the last month when I was a little too tight Dr. Alami only took out a little extra" he said to me, " I am not here to bargain with you Ms. Jackson, you should've came into the clinic during normal hours. So I will take out what I need to take out!" so it turns out he removed all but 1 cc of fluid!!! I was so upset, he took out over 5 cc's of fluid that I had just spent the last 6 months driving back and forth to SSF and spending all that gas money. I had 3 cc's in my band on the day of surgery, there was NO reason for him to have to take out that much at that time except out of spite! I called Dr. Alami the next morning and was extremely upset and crying so he scheduled me for the next week to come in and start my fills up again. He filled me back up to 5 cc's total and that is when my uphill battle started again. It was from May, June and July that I started putting on weight. In total I gained about 6 lbs, I know I would have better weight loss numbers now if it wasn't for that horrible experience but I know I am back on track on doing things the right way again. By the way I am finally at my "Sweet Spot" as of my last fill last week and I am eating the right amounts of food, now if I could just excercise more regularly I would be better off. But that that is honestly up to my back.I am 3.5 years out from my back surgery and have taking Morphine and Percocet for the last 2 years just to get through each day and the pain. I am hopeful that by the time I get closer to my goal I will be able to wean myself off of at least half of the meds, I know all my doctors have told me that I will probably still have some amount of pain even after the weight loss due to other back issues not associated with the weight, but I will be happy when my Neurosugeon will be able to a better MRI picture of my back to see what is going on now that the pain has come back with a vengence. So after that super long story let me just say this it is completely your decision but know that no matter which one you choose you will have support. Also know that for most of us we didn't know 100% that this was the right surgery for us until either we had the surgery or we lost the weight. I still had some doubts even on surgery day, I just knew that I didn't have any other issues other than bein Mobidly Obese and my Back problems so I knew my body could handle a slower weight loss. I figured I would rather deal with the back for another 2 years or so while I lost the 246 lbs I needed to lose than to lose it so fast, take the chance of the complications that come along with the RNY GB, the nutrition/vitamin deficiencies, malnutrition that can happen, internal bleeding, and so on that I have seen happen. Besides I know that one day I would like to have more children when I get married again and I felt that the LapBand offered that best possible pregnancy perks between that and RNY GB, I don't care what anyone else says, I don't think it is safe to be preganant after RNY GB when you already have vitamin deficiencies. Normal women take extra vitamins during the pregnancy for a reason. With the Lap Band I can have all the fluid removed during a pregnancy and eat everything just as normal as any other woman. Then after the baby is born I can get it filled up again to start losing any gained weight right away. All the doctors will say it is just as safe either way but I obviosly have my own opinion about that! Anyways enough rambling on, feel free to ask me any other questions you wish, I am an open book. To anyone else that is bothered by how much and what I said I apologize for offending, but I am just stating my opions and experience. Take care and keep your head up!

I had mine done in San Francisco but it was through Kaiser in South San Francisco. They covered it 100%. I only had to pay my normal co-pay's ($15; that I pay anytime I see a doctor) when I saw my surgeon, psychiatrist, nutritionist, and head of bariatrics, but all the classes were co-pay free and so was the surgery.

I just wanted to say thanks for starting this thread as well. I'm new to the site, and this, in fact is my first post. Nice to be among brothers and sisters in Christ! With regard to the question about the band and faith, I am reminded of a joke...A man was caught in a massive flood and was perched atop his house, praying fervently for rescue. Along came a man in a small aluminum boat. When the man offered a ride to safety, the man on the roof declined saying he had faith thet God would save him. Anbother boat came by a while later, and he responded the same way. The water was rising, and as he felt his feet in the current, a helicopter came along and offered a line, but agaion the man refused. Shortly thereafter, he drowned. Upon entering the gates of heaven, he asked the Lord what happened???I trusted you, and I had faith in you?? Where were you when I needed you? And the Lord responded, "I sent ya 2 boats and a helicopter...." Seriously, I think we have to remember that our weight problem really isn't so much the issue,. it's the idolatry of the food, and the ongoing battle for the mind. It's our choices. Even after banding, we have to choose to follow the correct diet. The battle is in the mind. We should "take every thought obedient to Christ" and "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind" because that's where the battle exists. The band is a tool, not the answer. It's a help. We'll still need all the faith and obedience we can muster in order to achieve our goals. But, thanks to the support of folks like you all, it doesn't seem so daunting....

Ask your bariatric surgeon. Mine came with the lap band "packet" of materials that I would need before the surgery. You know, the hoops you have to jump through. What they required was your yearly weight for the past five years.

LipoLite is similar to smartlipo, from a different company, and using more advanced technology (my experience is that is is better than smartlipo). You are partly correct about how I feel about smart lipo (or any of the laser lipo technologies). It is a good procedure in very select individuals. I do not think it is good in the post weight loss population because the improvement will be limited and most people will be disappointed (especially given that it can be more expensive than traditional lipo). This is why it was not mentioned in my bariatric newsletter. Body contouring after weight loss is so specialized - many of the techniques and procedures that I do in my regular cosmetic patients do not always apply. This is why I have 2 separate newsletters and each features different information. The LipoLite was featured in the cosmetic newsletter, but not in the post bariatric newsletter.

Almost every patient benefits from having the port repositioned. The "pulling" of the skin may interfere with the function of the port if it is not moved. Also, even if the port will still work, usually the "pulling" makes the port shift to a location that is not good cosmetically. Many PS who do a lot of this are comfortable repostioning the port themselves. I routinely do this myself during the surgery. Because I operate ina hospital with many great bariatric surgeons, I know that if a particular port is difficult to move, or if there are any "issues", I can simply call someone and they will be in the operating room to help in just a few minutes. This is a huge advantage in operating at a major hospital. I also think that exchanging to a low profile port is of great benefit - now that the weight is gone, there is no ned to have a "lump" where the port is. It is nice to be able to do all of this at the same time, but exchanging the port to a low profile can be done by many bariatric surgeons in the office under local anesthesia. They can do this several months after the plastic surgery.

It concerns me that you are having so much pain 3 weeks after surgery. Most people still have soreness, but it is rare to need any strong pain medicine at this point. Also, the nausea/vomiting that you describe may be a sign of something wrong with you band (slippage?) Some people do get nausea fromt he narcotic pain medicine, but this sounds like something different. I would obviously call your PS for evaluation. I would not take more pain medicines until you have verified that there is nothing else going on. Pain can be a sign of a problem, and you don't want to "mask" the pain and possibly delay diagnosis of something. You should call your bariatric surgeon also, to have your band checked. Please keep us informed about what happens.

First, let me say that it is never "too early" - this is why I discuss plastic surgery with pre-op bariatric support groups! That being said, you should begin consults when you are getting close to goal. You should be at goal for at least a few months before having a TT, but it takes several months to get an OR date, do necessary paperwork, get medical clearance, save money, etc. So....if you are 6 months away from the surgery date in your head, I would recommend starting consults soon, so that you can yourself prepared mentally and physically. Plastic Surgeons usually have a few months wait for surgery anyway.

Dr. Schulman: I had a TT back in 2003 along with a totl abd hysterectomy. I have gained alot wt since then, I am in the process of getting my ins approval for th band. Have u marketed your services to the surrounding bariatric clinics/surgeons? Does ins cover PS for WLS? I have Highmark BCBS PA they mentioned to me that reconstructive surgery is covered, the policy they sent me was just on the WLS