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I just got a call from my surgeons office. They told me that they had been in touch with my insurance and that I had coverage for lap band. They also told them what my out of pocket would be after my deductible. The only requirement they had was 5 years of my weight records. I have 4 years, but not 5. The fifth year, I only went to my obgyn and he has since passed away and I don't know where the records are. The surgeon said he would probably be able to get past the insurance because of not knowing where the records are. Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? Did you have luck with insurance, or was it a tug of war? I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed. I am so ready for a change in my life. Thanks......

Shel, I had anxiety and anger when I lost 100 lbs. I would get unsolicited attention from men and would be so angry I would cry. I felt invaded and powerless - all cause someone whistled at me. It did go away, but it is a process!! I think you are right on with getting the mental/emotional support. Dirich, your feelings are not only normal but valid. You should be anxious, you should worry you might fail! It helps you set the right habits from day 1. This is not a guaranteed success. This isn't a magic wand, you are responsible for your weight loss. But the fun part is, there is no diet that (for me) was as easy or as successful as my band living. You will start to see food differently as time goes on. This isn't like other diets you've done because the food addiction hasn't ever been addressed. The band helps you become uninterested in food which is a whole world away from "eating less calories." Everyone can eat less calories and lose weight, but for us, we need something to help us stop focusing on food. The band does that through crushing hunger and preventing overeating (or slowing it down with pain and throw up). Like a previous poster said, this is a great solution because of the number of people who keep it off long term. None of the other diet options out there (food only) have this kind of success rate! Good luck and keep the faith.

Hi there. I only know that every ins is different. Ask the ins referral people where you are having surgery. They are the most familiar and can find that out. Many here, I've read, had to do a weight loss program with the doctor monitoring them like weight watchers but having the doctor do the weigh ins... ??? Best of luck to you as I'm not even sure what hurdles I need to jump through yet! :-/

Hey, I was wondering if anybody would like to tell how the sleeve changed their life with PCOS. I am having my surgery somewhere between October and November and am struggling with trying to get a grip on what will happen after surgery. Is it easier or harder after surgery to lose weight with PCOS? I appreciate everything and thank you ahead of time!

I am a Band to Bypass revision. My Surgeon advised against Band to Sleeve due to the increased potential for staple line issues due to the scaring caused by the band. There were others surgeons in her office that would do it, but she won't do them. I trusted her inputs and went with the bypass. And yes, logically you will lose weight at a slower pace, simply because you are already used to the restriction. Now, that's not to say it's not going to be amazing or "slow" by any means. But you have the potential to not lose as quickly. Going from no restriction and no malabsorption to both is clearly going to be more of an impact than going from some restriction and just adding malabsorption. But, either way, it's still worth it. My band was not causing issues, but it took them WAY longer to get it out than it should have because it was totally encapsulated in scar tissue. Now, revision to sleeve, you are not going to get any of the malabsorption, just a different type of restriction. From what I read when I was researching Band to Sleeve, it can be rather slow. Whatever you chose, Good Luck!

Here's some steps of things I did and I was using Insurance to pay: 1. Schedule and attend free doctor/hospital bariatric program orientation session to learn about their programs, doctors, etc. 2. Usually they give you a packet of information to fill out and mail in to them to see if you are a good candidate for surgery. 3. Check with Insurance company and find out specifically if they Exclude Bariatric Surgery including Adjustable Gastric Lap Banding and/or Gastric Bypass/RNY, etc. and what the qualifications are to get insurance coverage approved. What BMI and what co-morbidities do you have to have to qualify - i.e. sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. being co-morbidity examples. 4. Many of the Insurances will require: Surgeon consultation visit to see if you are a candidate, 5. Cardiac clearance - most of us are overweight enough they want to make sure you are okay. 6. Sleep study/clearance - if you haven't been cleared for sleep apnea 7. Psychological study/clearance - its pretty basic but they want to be sure you are mentally and emotionally ready for this life change. 8. Diet and nutrition counseling - at least 1 pre-op session with the doctor/hospital 9. Primary Care Doctor supervised weight loss effort - as noted in other posts - sometimes 6 months consecutive evidence in the doctors' progress notes - not just that they weighed you but that you discussed weight loss issues. Some get by with 3 months - varies by insurance. 10. Any other 'hoops' to jump through the particular doctor gives you or their bariatric program for that hospital.

Tomorrow is my last weigh in for my 6 month supervised diet. In the beginning of my diet I gained about 10lbs and then lost the weight I put on. So 6 months later I think I'm only about 2lbs less than my 6 month diet starting weight. I did however lose 60lbs on my own before I was being medically supervised, and that is reflected in my 5 year medical history. My question is will the insurance company deny my surgery because I didnt lose 10% of my 6 month starting weight? Should I do another month of dieting to try to lose more weight before submitting my paperwork to my insurance? I have BCBC of Texas...I'm really nervous about this.

Does your insurance compay require you to lose 10% of your weight during the 6-month diet? I have never heard that before. I was told I would need to lose 10% of my weight during the pre-op diet, then that was switched to 10% of your excess weight. I was not given a set number of pounds to lose during the 6-month diet. I was told not gain weight during this time and not to go below a 40 BMI.

I have BC/BS of IL. Their requirements don't stipulate and weight loss during the 6 month program. In fact, here are their words: · It is expected that appropriate non-surgical treatment should have been attempted prior to surgical treatment of obesity Non-surgical treatment of morbid obesity appropriateness criteria: · Medical record documentation of active participation in a clinically-supervised, non-surgical program of weight reduction for at least 6 months, occurring within the twenty-four (24) months prior to the proposed surgery and preferably unaffiliated with the bariatric surgery program. [NOTE: The initial BMI at the beginning of a weight reduction program will be the “qualifying” BMI used to meet the BMI criteria for the definition of morbid obesity used in this policy.] · A program will be considered appropriate if it includes the following components: 1. Nutritional therapy, which may include medical nutrition therapy such as a very low calorie diet such as MediFast or OptiFast OR a recognized commercial diet-based weight loss program such as WeighWatchers, Jenny Craig, etc. 2. Behavior modification or behavioral health interventions. 3. Counseling and instruction on exercise and increased physical activity. 4. Pharmacologic therapy (as appropriate). 5. Ongoing support for lifestyle changes to make and maintain appropriate choices that will reduce health risk factors and improve overall health. Good luck...Dan.

You look great!!!!!. What was your post op weight amd your current weight? i am fie to be sleeved June 3 by dr garcia.

Some of the best success stories are second-time-around success stories. This encourages me that I can always try again and get back on track with my band. Let's face it. Many of us have lost a big chunk of weight in the past, only to start gaining again and then giving up. To see folks here shake off the "can'ts" and get back to basics and succeed at it is truly inspiring. And brave. Thanks for sharing.

I would like to meet more members that had the DS or revision from RNY to DS. I am in Arizona and my doctor has been outstanding from the beginning to the end. I had my revision 12/29 ; preoperative testing on 12/17 then postoperative testing 12/30 to check for leaks . The radiologist said he did a wonderful job on my surgery especially since I had a ton of scar tissue. I want to get meal ideas and chat with more people. Also they say there was no good Duodenal switch doctors in Arizona which wasn't true there was a lady the travel outside of AZ to come here for her surgery. Good luck to your weight loss journey and your decision

If you watch your eating, you shouldn't suffer from diarrhea often. I have 4-5 movements/day. This is my norm. [some have a lot fewer.] If I eat junk; then I 'go' a lot more. Same thing can happen when I take medication. They all seem to affect my stomach. When I use the word diarrhea, it generally means 'going' a lot. Not runny stool. Doctors define it as runny stool or going many more times than normal. So I just wanted you to know which definition I was using. The malabsorption is still there. It's probably not the same as it was (the body fights hard to get back it factory-original, but it can't). I eat Protein whenever and however much I want. If I want to lose weight, I eat even more & up the fluids. I also eat some carbs and junk (but that's at my home since I know there will be more 'going' and gas).

I am so glad to hear that you are recovering much better, now. I gained 12 pounds in the hospital, and by the time I lost it, I hit the third week stall.

Okay please tell me DS is also known as loop or MGB or SIPS am I right? Why are people saying that surgery is better weight loss in very curious if people can give me the scientific reasoning or personal experience??? All I can find is information showing bad bile reflux with the DS/MGB They both sound similar RNY or DS??? I'M THINKING ABOUT RNY but maybe someone can convince me otherwise before I choose surgeon!!

Photo Egor:photo: and I just turned 51. I am asthmatic, arthritic, bi-polar, pre-diabetic, and FAT (100lb. more than when we met 34 years ago).:drama: His BMI is 45, he has to sleep with a machine for apnea, and take two insulin shots a day, in addition to medicine for clinical depression. We are both being treated for high blood pressure and cholesterol problems.:eek: We first went to AIGB-Dallas November 14th, and are working through all of the time and tests Aetna requires before banding :thumbs_up: (hopefully March for me and April for him:pray2:). We have become more aware of the lifestyle changes we have to make, including walking, portion control, chewing thoroughly, and thinking about when, what, :tea: and how much we drink. So far, we have lost about 10 pounds each :scales:, in spite of :pray2:Thanksgiving , FOUR family birthdays,:party::cake: :party: :happybday: and Christmas! :present: :)Banding seems to be a great tool for people like us, who want:pray2: :pray:to lose the weight that is making our other health problems worse. :gluck:

Hi All! I was banded by Dr. Spiegel 19 months ago and I LOVE my band! I have lost 62 pounds as of yesterday. I am not the most active person in the world, but I did go to the YMCA last summer and start water aerobics. It was great. Then I had to stop so I could help my pregnant DIL with my little 13 mo. old grandson. I have lost steadily since I started running after him! What a way to lose! Yes, we older bandsters lose more slowly, but my skin looks great. I just had an adjustment to my band after several months and the Nurse Practitioner told me that my band was really loose because I had lost so much weight!!!!!Now I have good restriction again. It is like I was first banded. I have been looking for great banded recipes on this website. I had kind of let things go before, but now I am back on the horse!!! Ladies, we are SO much better off with the band! Good luck and Happy New Year and New You to all of you! Calanne:whoo::clap2:

hI I am 57 and was banded in July. So far, I have lost 54 pounds, had 4 fills and still no restriction. Hopefully this one will do it. I had been in a very deep depression and I flunked the psychological evaluation. Not wanting to wait and have the testing redone, in fact it wasn't that I didn't want to wait. I didn't dare wait, I was that depressed. Anyway, I went to Mexico and had the surgery there and it was the best thing I ever did. Everything went smoothly....no problems....don't even know the band is there. Most important, the weight is coming off, and the dpression is gone. All I can say is GO FOR IT

Hello! I had SIPS surgery done June 8th! The worst thing about it was the drainage tube, it was very uncomfortable until it was removed the day I went home! Mouth was very dry after surgery, but that's to be expected. As soon as you are up to it, do a lot of walking in the hospital to get the gas moving. I had very minimal gas and minimal pain. I was sent home with liquid pain pain killer, nausea meds, and prilosec. None of which, I had to take! The ONLY struggle I had during the first week was "head hunger". I wanted a cheeseburger, popcorn, etc... and you may "think" you are hungry, but really, you're not.. Week 2 for me, has been a little bit easier and I don't want those things as much as I did. My weight at surgery was 276, my current weight today is 265! Good luck!!

Would love to hear your stories! I've had the sleeve done, but not much success with it (you can read my story which I posted here for a better understanding: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/360924-my-unsuccessful-sleeve/) After some long and intense research, I truly feel like the Loop DS is the tool which my body needs to get this weight loss going. I feel like the sleeve is an amazing tool but as we are all different I guess my body needed more than just the sleeve itself. Looking forward to any options/stories!!

Thank you everyone for the kind words. I went through a rough patch and couldn't bring myself to think about this. Its been over a year but it still hurts every single day. I know my friend has had a rough go at things, and I know she just had major surgery and could have been on an emotional roller coaster, I am just sad the way she took this out on me. I tried to explain to her that I wish she had talked to me about the issues she perceived in our relationship before cutting me out like this. Because I know I was going through a tough time and maybe didn't realize that I was complaining because chronic health issues tend to do that. I actually found this site because after her surgery I was researching things she could eat and sent a huge care package her way. I even told her i could visit her post-op if she didn't want to be alone. But I guess the truth is she didn't want me around, and used my health issues and depression to manipulate me into getting angry so she could make the end of our friendship my fault. In some warped area of her brain, I guess I was a "repeat offender" of something I didn't realize was a problem. And she projecting her insecurities onto me, that people get to where they are because they choose it. I feel she has also been victim to the cult of positivity, that nefarious meme generating cult that sucks up those with chronic medical conditions, surgery, etc. The truth is my friend is not the person I thought she was, and she is not a nice person. She probably has a personality disorder like her family members, and her difficult childhood and subsequent weight issues tipped the scales and shes gotta figure her life out. I am still hurting because I trusted this person. I wish I had just been given a chance. But, it is healthy for me to be away, to not have to listen to her complaints and anger and blaming others for her unhappiness. I bore the brunt of it for a decade. My advice to anyone getting surgery would not be to write off your friends and loved ones forever. Some of us want to be supportive and we just didn't know how. We don't know how we are supposed to be either when this new person emerges. I didn't know how life altering this was going to be for her, and I had no idea the extent of her pain and suffering and what she perceived to be my role in her pre-op negative lifestyle. Now its too late, she has removed me from her life, blocked me on social media, phone, etc. I thought it was my fault for a long time but through talking with people I realize this is not on me. I don't know if she will get in touch years down the road. I know I am not the first person she has done this to, many friends and family have had it happen....some deserved, some, maybe not. In the end, I guess it is her loss.

Lovely WellPoint anthem - jackpot. Ok take a look at this site. The duodenal switch is bariatric for them. That said each employer who purchass the plan can decide what is or is not going to be covered. You need to check your personal group policy to confirm no bariatric exclusion http://obesitycoverage.com/anthem-bcbs-requirements-for-weight-loss-surgery/

Oh wow! Thanks y'all, I could hug you if that wouldnt be weird and stuff! According to my group policy & the links, the DS is covered, and my company apparently encourages it, per my HR rep. Wont worry on why that is, happier not knowing when it comes to work logic. Thank you so much again. Weight off my shoulders!

understandable why you have the fear as I do as well. When I had the lapband done I had someone close with me that had had it done a year before. It was great having a coach and a friend that knew what I was going through and he kept me pretty calm. On the other hand with SIPS I dont know anyone that had it. I too was recommended the RNY , but after hearing about dumping syndrome and weight regain I was skeptical of having it. Who is your surgeon and where are you having it done?? Its great to have someone doing the same surgery and on the same day

Congrats!! I know you don't mean 40 pounds since getting the band 12 days ago. Remember, the band is not losing the weight. YOU are working hard and the band is just there to help a little. Keep it up!!