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It seems to me more people are getting denied. (Or they are the ones that post more about it) I can see that this little window we have here might be the last one we will have in a long time to get something like this paid for. The government and insurance companies. Whew!!! This is not a political agrument for me one way or the other just in case someone thinks it is. Just one readers opinion. I know my BC/BS dropped the six month diet. I just can't imagine that is going to last.

To you guys who have the basic BC/BS, did you lose weight during the 3 month supervised diet. I am finding it really hard to diet knowing I will be so restricted once I have the surgery................HC

Got into a discussion today with a co-worker who always mixes his shakes from powder in the office (I always have premixed at home and brought in). He said his wife told him they should be consumed within 10 minutes of mixing. I called BS on him...only to find out that the label does indeed say that. Imagine that- a man who never read the instructions For adults, add one (1) scoop to 6-8 ounces or two (2) scoops to 14-16 ounces of your favorite beverage. Consume within 10 minutes after mixing. Why??? Hell, I have lost 115 lbs in 7 months, if I mixed and consumed immediately maybe I would have lost 150?

I was just discharged from hospital today I had the bypass on 03/31. Bring Chapstick, comfy house shoes, your favorite crystal light, and your favorite hot tea ++ gas x strips. Walk ASAP.. I walked the day I had surgery even though it was excruciating....I cried and walked it takes a while for gas to pass but all the others who had surgery same day as me had to stay addtl night in hospital bc they were in so much pain and not passing gas bc they would not walk. Sent from my Z970 using the BariatricPal App

I was just banded on Tuesday the 29th. Finding this forum is soooo helpful bc the first few days were rough. I expected to be up and running, but it is Sat. and I am still with "no energy" and bloated all the time! Is this bloating and gas a permanent thing? God, I hope not! Gas-x strips help a little but not for long. I am having trouble drinking much and I think I am heading for a UTI....I had some broth and a shake today, but don't feel hungry....yet, my stomach is a constant "noise machine".... it's wonderful to see fellow people that are recently banded. I will keep up with this thread and see how we all do and how each day brings new change... Gina ---where do we set up the ticker?:thumbup:

You will eventually be able to enjoy food and be happy with the new way that you eat. It was an emotional battle for me, too, that was the hardest part. It seemed like so much work just to eat but yet I missed it sometimes bc it's all I did! As you lose more weight and your new way of life becomes normal I believe that you will be happy with eating again. I can eat anything I want now just small amounts and I am happy. Food eventually does not become the main thing on your mind. You will be living your life and be busy with things you were never able or never wanted to do before!

Hello Bama Folks.... I need help with answers to some questions! I have on more month to go with my BC/BS PPO six month doctor visits. I have my other requirements scheduled... (psych, sleep study, misc. test). I am getting excited and also nervous at the same time... I have actually started thinking that I don't need the surgery and I can do it on my on... Yes, I know- that is crazy!!! I guess it's presurgery nerves. At any rate, I hope some of you can answer the following questions for me: 1. I know I pay my insurance co-pay upfront, but... do I also pay the percent not covered by BC/BS or do they bill me? 2. If I have a terrible case of sleep apnea, will they not do my surgery? 3. I have an enlarged liver and the nurse at Dr. Scmitt's office said I needed to lose 40 pounds before the surgery. I have not.. will they not do the surgery until I lose the weight? 4. All I read about is Dr. Miles doing your banding surgeries... has anyone used Dr. Schmitt? Is there something with him I don't know about? I know I can contact the office on several of these questions, but,I wanted to ask "one of us" first. Thanks so much and I hoping for my first summer, in a very long time, of wearing shorts! Thanks so much and God Bless!

Hi: Post what you are thinking on the BCWLS group website. There are a group of individuals that are in fact fighting the BC Government to support all obesity surgery. They have (I believe) had an interview by the Health Minister but I have lost touch and not sure where they are in the negotiations.

I have Anthem BC/BS of CT. I am just on the cusp of not needing lap band. I weigh 200 and have a BMI of 34.8. I have alot of medical problems however so weight loss is a necessity to try and get rid of some of my health problems. I had to get a letter from my primary physician, see the nutritionist and a psychologist before the surgeon sent in the papers. I had my reply within 2 weeks. I really thought I would have to resubmit, so I was surprised.

Hi: Here is what your requested http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BC-WLS/files/BC-WLS%20Mod%20Squad%20Files/%22Getting%20Started%22%20Files/

"Will you write a love note to your scale when it does tell you what you want to hear? lol" Funny! I will have to think about that. I dont want it to get too full of itself. Maybe its upset bc I wasnt kind enough to it during my pre-op diet when it was behaving sooo well! OR, maybe I should be thanking it for reminding me to get up and move my bootie more (which I have been doing). But...that wouldnt be as funny.:hurray:

Our company did the exact same thing!! We had our own version of The biggest loser over a 10 week time frame (WAY too long BTW) and our team won!! I was completely irked that I lost out of 1st place overall by less than one pound!! Keeping in mind our last weigh in was 2 days after we got back from a 2 week trip to WDW, and I STILL lost, but I digress! We didn't win anything, but our company matched $100 for every pound lost and donated it to our local food bank. We were lucky enough to walk the check to them (for $5800) and they were BEYOND excited! So we did win, and the fat we lost was turned into food and fed thousands!! CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WIN!!!

BC/BS is different in every state. And just because one BC/BS covers you, doesn't mean if you switch insurance that the other will. For example, Empire Blue approved me at 100% for surger and a year's worth of follow up. If I switch to BC/BS of MI through my husband's insurance it's not necessarily covered.

My weakness is eating late at night. A habit I got into while working full time and finishing my BS and later my MBA. My weight just ballooned and the pattern for late night eating was established. What help me is to do my exercising early in the morning. So by 8:30 and 9:30 I am ready for bed. If I do not exercise then I will stay up later and I will eat even though I do not eat anywhere near the amount I used to.

i go on sat. for my free consult... the only people that know im getting this done is my sister and my bf... plus all you guys... i dont want my family to know bc they will judge & talk sh*t if they dont see a drastic change... so i will keep it to myself(+2).... I WANT TO GET THIS SO BAD... $$$ is an issue bc i have to pay for it out of pocket & its an expense that i dont need right now but i really want it.... the other issue im having is i have a hiatal hernia & most people have problems with it... so idk lets see what happens sat... thanks for all the comments i really appreciate it

Crappy knees? Check. Hurt to bend? Check. Knee replacements in the fairly near future? Check Ongoing need to exercise to help with weight loss and overall health? Check, check, freakin' check !!! I'm in the same boat. Sometimes it feels like the boat is taking on Water and the sails are shot full of holes. I have zero medical training other annual first aid, CPR and the like. So take anything I ever say with a grain of salt.......and extreme skepticism, lol. I'm just a fat guy trying to get less fat, more healthy and stay active up through the nursing home years and beyond. When I was pre-op I was told, "Great news, fella, you have a high enough BMI that there's no risk of you falling below the minimums for insurance to cover the surgery......so....we need to see you lose some serious weight prior". Lucky me, right ? The fact that I never used insurance due to their bs delay tactics and shenanigans is an entirely different story. I did engage in the pre-op challenge of losing weight and dropped 55 lbs prior to surgery. Due to a back injury (the final catalyst that helped me make the decision to have wls) I was sorta hemmed up and not really able to do much in the arena of exercise. My only real hope at weight loss was to work on the other side of the equation.....reducing caloric intake. I began with their recommended low calorie diet, but soon moved into more of a low carb approach and did so with an eye on total calories, too. The scale began to move along nicely, even though my own movement was minimal. Once post op the weight loss continued at a better clip and exercise was easier to do. The more progress I made.....the more progress I could make....and so forth. Knees suck, though, and I didn't heed my doctor's warning. Gym work was too fun and I continued to pound the treadmill and elliptical like a beast. Enthusiastic newbie overkill occurred. Now.....ten months later I'm having significant daily issues with the knees....both are beyond the timeframe the ortho docs said would be my" replacement age". I wish I could go back to the month after surgery and approach it differently.....I would have joined a different gym....one with a swimming pool and used it for frequent lap swimming. As it is, I've been sidelined from cardio for over a month and it sucks. The stationary bike is about it for the time being. I may still do the swimming pool, however, that spot is miles out of my way and has a prohibitive lap swim schedule. My work hours over the next few months are amped up as well. Careful weight training and stationary bike as well as much walking on the job are the ticket for me know. Please.....please.....carefully consider the recommendations for aqua fitness. The water is where it's at in terms of safety.

hello i was banded in dec 2006 in belgium i have had very very slow weight loss and im fed up with the band, as ive had problems with it going tight by its self i have been in hospital twice becoz of this not being able to drink anything, ive had xrays unfills and all any tips on how i can have faster weight loss ive lost about 2st in 2 years very slow i was 17st when i had the OP im 15st 4pounds pls help, when i went in to hospital the Dr said my band was placed too high up do you think this is why i have slow weight loss and problems with it thanks mine __________________

I have Aetna fed plan and my process was so easy...did three month multi disciplinary, was submitted march 7th and was approved on Tuesday and scheduled for next Wednesday. Tell me more about how to get the baratric nurse??? Never heard of such

I had my surgery there in August, I only had ID and BC.. it was no problem at all.. I figured what's the worst that could happen?? Are they gonna deport me back to the USA..

A protein shake can do the trick before or after weight loss surgery, or any other time you need a boost of protein beyond what you can get from your foods. How do you find one that has the amount of protein you need, tastes great, and is low enough in carbohydrates to be good for any weight loss diet? Stop looking, because BariatricPal Clean Whey Protein is a match! BariatricPal Clean Whey Protein delivers 25 grams of high-quality whey protein in each scoop. It is made with real Dutch-process cocoa or classic vanilla and it tastes rich and creamy, but it has only 1 gram of sugar. The total carb count is 1 carbohydrate, meaning this shake can be part of your low-carb or keto diet. BariatricPal Clean Whey Protein Highlights: 110 calories 25 grams of protein from Grass-Fed Whey 1 gram of carbohydrates 500 million CFU Bacillus Coagulans Patented Aminogen® protein-digesting enzyme 10% of the daily value for calcium Suitable for gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, gastric band, and BPD-DS patients Suitable for pre-op and post-op liquid, pureed (mushy), semi-solid, and solid foods diets Gluten-Free Lactose-Free Non-GMO Each tub of BariatricPal Clean Whey Protein contains 15 servings. BariatricPal Clean Whey Protein has other advantages. It contains patented Aminogen®, an enzymatic blend to support the digestion of protein. Plus, the shake has 500 million CFU of Bacillus coagulans, a probiotic which can promote a healthier gut environment. BariatricPal Clean Whey Protein can be used anytime. Start the day off with a low-sugar burst of protein for breakfast, or have a quick shake for a snack or small meal later. Just mix a scoop with water or your favorite beverage, such as milk for extra protein, or almond milk for creaminess. With BariatricPal Clean Whey Protein, you can get the protein you need to tide you over, without taking in excessive carbs. What exactly is Aminogen® and how is it beneficial? Aminogen® is a special patented protein-digesting enzyme blend that can help you get the most out of your whey protein while eliminating any bloating or constipation. The addition of Aminogen® to whey protein, such as is done in BariatricPal Clean Whey Protein, is scientifically proven to improve digestion and retention of protein within the body. Another benefit of Aminogen® is that it reduces some of the gas, bloating, cramping, and constipation that can occur when some people eat a higher protein diet and include whey protein products. As some people know, this protein “gassiness” is not a pleasant side effect, so Aminogen® is a sought-after addition. Overall, Aminogen® is a valuable component to whey protein products, like BariatricPal Clean Whey Protein. It can help you digest and absorb more amino acids, which will then assist you in building and repairing your precious hard-earned lean body muscle. Available online at The BariatricPal Store https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/bariatricpal-clean-whey-protein

Thanks to all for the good wishes. Got home yesterday. Today much better. BS have been great 75 to 90. All meds are on hold for now. Getting along by myself on some things. First night was tough second day better still not great. In hospital i was not able to drink. My appetite was not there and the taste of water was not appealing to me. T oday i am able to drink my protein shake and jello pudding popsicles so much better.

It depends on the day. Haha. In the early days, I ate 4-6 times per day. Now days I do a complicated rotation. It's the way I maintain my weight. This morning I was 129.4lbs--a Christmas Miracle I'm waiting to see if it sticks or not! If it does yay, if it doesn't I won't be devastated). But I'm at the bottom of a maintenance window I would not be sad to reduce by another 5 lbs to my BDG Goal = Barbie Dream Girl Goal. So it's business as usual for a Thursday for me = Meal 1: B1 - 3 protein lattes with 1oz of Premier Protein + 7 drops Vitacost Liquid Stevia + Decaff + ground cinnamon 1 cup tea (green decaff tea + Earl Grey decaff tea + 1 shot of unfiltered ACV + 1 lemon wedge + cayenne + ground cinnamon) Meal 2 (optional): B2 - I will either eat around 10-11 or I will skip if not hungry. Meal 3: L-Big Ass Salad (1 1/2-2c of salad + 2-3oz dense lean protein + 2-3tbsp Zero Cal Dressing + 1 serving healthy fat (I will eat this until full. Sometimes it's the whole thing and sometimes I finish the balance as my afternoon snack) OR Turkey Cheese Rollup with raw greens and veggies OR Green Soup OR Green Smoothie with fiber OR Can of Sardines and Raw Veggies Meal 4 (optional and regulated by hunger): AS-Either leftovers from lunch OR cup of Herb OX no sodium broth + baby greens + mushrooms OR 1 hardboiled egg OR 3-5 oz of raw veggies + 1/4c fat free Greek Yogurt Dip (Tzaziki, Ranch, Onion, Asian) Meal 5: D-3oz protein + 1-2oz veg + 1oz avo/1oz tom + 1 serving healthy fat or extra cheese Meal 6 (optional and regulated by hunger): BS-usually a decaff + 1oz Premier Protein OR 1-2oz underripe GS Apple or pear + 1tbsp nut butter OR 14g walnuts or almonds OR 1 square 90% Lindt Chocolate + 14g walnuts or almonds

No worries, this won't be a full recap of my life. I just feel that my story is one that should be shared because of how the band changed my life and then unfortunately had to be removed 4 years later. Before I jump into the story I will say that if you are feeling ANY unusual pain - not necessarily in your port area or stomach - see your surgeon. We have a foreign object in our bodies and it's not unusual for our bodies to try and reject it... Before the band: I've been overweight my entire life. Like many others I couldn't latch onto the right tools to lose that unwanted weight. My level of discipline is something that I continuously struggle to build up - especially when it comes to food. I was an anxious kid who turned to food in times when I needed comfort or was under stress. Although I was always active - playing multiple sports throughout life - I couldn't seem to maintain a healthy weight. My junior year of college was spent abroad in Italy. It was there that I gained a new confidence in myself and my abilities. I've always been an outgoing and confident person but it took experiencing another culture to make me feel like I had the control to make a change in myself. When I got home I went to the initial lap band seminar to get an overview. From there on it was a whirlwind of appointments and all that pre-op stuff we all had to go through. Four months after that seminar I was in for surgery - November 2009. At the time I was one of the youngest to get the band - only 21 years old. Life with the band: It felt like the weight was melting off of my body. I barely worked out the first year with the band and had lost the first 40 pounds with almost no physical effort. I changed the way I was eating, that's for sure. The band did its job - it restricted how much I could eat, how quickly I was eating and just made me more conscious of the choices I made. I noticed that every time I was getting a fill, I could barely eat for the following days. Looking back, I don't think that's the right way to do it but in my mind I was thinking, "great, here's an easy 3-4 pounds gone." I became a better me. As the weight fell off, I became even more confident in all areas of my life. I had my first serious relationship, I was fiercely going after my career goals and just felt happier and healthier of course. It became harder to lose weight as I got closer to my goal weight (which by the way, I'm still not quite there). I added in exercise and it helped me shed more pounds. As of summer 2010 (year and a half post-surgery), I wasn't able to get anymore fills. I had a fill where almost immediately after the solution was injected I started to feel back pain. They sent me home anyway and told me to come back if it worsened. Oh boy did it ever... it turned into radiating pain throughout my entire body. My jaw, neck, legs, everything. I couldn't even drink water. So, they took the last fill out and I returned to normal state. They couldn't really explain why the pain was occurring other than maybe my band was at its max capacity at 10cc's. So needless to say after that experience, I stayed away for a year. I didn't want to go through that pain and felt that my band was telling me that it has done its job and now its my turn. After a year of unsuccessful weight loss, I went back for another fill but had the same experience. The doctor took even more solution out this time just to see how my body would react. It was around summer of 2012 when this back pain really began. It was the same pain I was feeling when I had the fills that needed to be removed. It's pain that starts in the mid to upper back and then radiates throughout my lower back and through my sides...almost always coinciding with nausea and after I ate something. In the back of my mind, I knew it had to be from my band. I was only 24 years old and shouldn't be feeling that kind of pain. But of course, like many of us do, I dealt with the pain for months hoping it would go away. I altered my desk and computer at work thinking it was my posture. I tried changing how I was sleeping. And by this point, I was on a serious workout regiment - a lot of weight lifting and hard cardio so I thought it could be from that. The turning point: During Fall and winter of 2012 I had back pain every single day. Some days it was so debilitating that I'd have to leave work. The only remedies were laying down on my back and wait for the pain to subside or occasionally ib profeun. The pain and frustration brought me to tears. It was affecting my life at work and my social life (not fun having an episode while you're out to dinner with friends). So in April 2013 I decided it was time to just make a call to my primary care doctor. I needed to start somewhere. I was in the middle of an "attack" at work and walked outside to call my doctor because I was so fed up. They couldn't see me that day so they sent me to the night clinic the next day. I explained my situation and also happened to mention that many of the women in my family have had their gallbladders removed. While he didn't seem to think it was my gallbladder (because of my young age) he decided to "rule it out" by scheduling an ultrasound for me the following day. I had the ultrasound. The tech was awfully quiet and wouldn't share my results with me. They had me wait as the results were sent to the referring physician. Then, they told me the doctor was on the phone and needed to speak with me. "You have huge stones!" he said. "And we need to remove your gallbladder immediately." I couldn't believe it. At that moment, I was relieved that I knew something was wrong and that I followed through to find the solution but I was scared too. So I thought that the gallstones were the cause of all my pain. But then, I scheduled a pre-op consult with my bariatric surgeon so he could perform the gallbladder surgery. He wanted to remove my gallbladder the next day. "No problem, see ya then" type of conversation. But before he walked out of the room he happened to ask how my band was doing and I said, "eh." I told him my suspicions for the cause of back pain were initially due to the band. Because of that he insisted that while I was there they should just see how much fluid is in the band. Thank goodness he did! What went wrong: The doctor pulled out brown fluid from my band. "Hmmm..." he said. He tried again just to be sure he made it into the port and didn't collect fluid from stomach cavity instead. I've never seen him lost for words or for explanation. He sat down and stared at the brown fluid and said he had never seen anything like it. The brown fluid suggested that there may be an infection somewhere but that would mean that somehow there was a puncture in the band itself and therefore stomach fluid was leaking inside the band creating a bacteria. He sent the fluid for culture testing immediately and shipped me down to radiology for a CT scan so he could see a full picture of the band. Hours later, he came in the room and said that the band looked unharmed. Therefore, he had no idea what was causing the bad fluid. We discussed taking the band out. And since I felt like it wasn't working for me anymore anyway, he was most comfortable with taking the whole thing out. Back in the OR: So 10 days from my first call to my primary care, I was back in the OR. And not only was my gallbladder being removed, we were also taking out my band in the same surgery. I was scared of course but also praying for pain relief. And it was unnerving that the doctor wasn't even sure what he was going to find when he got in there. When I came to, I was in the exact same recovery room that I was in just 4 years ago! Itching like crazy again because apparently I'm allergic to morphine and a little more uncomfortable than when I got my band in. The doctor came to explain what he found and how he removed the band. Gallbladder was no issue, he removed it and moved onto the band. He found that the band part that is wrapped around the stomach (the part that restricts your intake), had eroded into my stomach lining. The CT scan didn't show him this part of my body so he was surprised to find this. In his thousands of patients, I was the first he had seen this happen to. There was no research to back up his findings. We're still not sure how this happened or why. Even better, the way he took the band out... he cut it into pieces and then removed it through my mouth. Yuck! Needless to say, the recovery process was more difficult because of the two surgeries and complications with removing the band. They had me there for almost 2 full days because of all the follow-up tests they needed to provide to be sure my esophagus and stomach weren't leaking. Another CT scan, a barium swallow a JP drain and 2 days of itching from pain meds later...they let me go home. Life after the band: I can't believe it's no longer part of me. For so long I felt like it was my safety blanket. I'm disappointed that it didn't get me further and that it caused me so much pain. The gallstones were just a coincidental find that led to finding the real issue with my band. I'm almost 4 months out from surgery and have adjusted fine to life without a band. It's what I learned while I had the band that is making me maintain weight. My discipline is stronger than it's ever been but needs to be even stronger when it comes to nutrition. The back pain has subsided and I no longer anticipate feeling like that on a daily basis. I'm still working toward my goal weight and almost there! Moral of the story: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! I waited too long to see my doctor about the pain. I suffered for months and months because part of me didn't want to know the truth. I was scared that it was the band's fault because the band had given me so much and I didn't want to believe it. So if you're feeling any unusual pain, anywhere, just talk to your doctor. And tell them everything. If I hadn't mentioned family history of gallstones then I might never have had the ultrasound and therefore never have gone back to bariatric surgeon when I did.

i would suggest stop eating sugar/ carbs..... the sugar/carbs make your blood sugar rise and fall fast, if you eat high protein and a good source of carb like veggies, oats/or grains, you BS won't rise as much or fall as fast and the protein will hold the bs for longer, my bs is between 80-100 most of the time

Well, now that I totally understand. But for the people who live in BC, who went to Toronto. I guess I am just curious. I chuckled at the beautiful digs comment, comparitively, Dr Leung has some of the UGLIEST digs I have ever seen. Lol! BUt he is an awesome surgeon, and that what mattered most to me. But as for your mom, there is another option in Dr Leung