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My doctor's office sent all my paperwork to the insurance company on April 25 and said it shoud take about 10 dyas to hear anything... So I *patiently* waited the 10 days, then called BCBS to find out what the status was on the authorization. The lady I talked to said that they hadn't received it until May 8th!! And it would be 7 to 10 days before I heard anything. So I'm a little bit frustrated.... But at least I know they are looking at it now.

Ok, so I have a question.....or more so a scenario that I am going to encounter in a few weeks and wondering how to handle it.... I have an all day business meeting, during which the higher ups will be evaluating me for my next promotion. They Always serve a huge lunch spread during these meetings as they tend to last 7-9 hours. I am going to be on Day 3 of my pre-op Clear liquids. Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone have any ideas for how to skirt the questions of why am I not eating anything? Keep in mind they are truly judging your every move. Do I say I'm having a surgerical procedure and need to be on clear liquids? Or do I just suck it up, serve myself some salad (I can at least be good if I'm going to eat) and then right back on the clear liquids? Dr. Alvarez wants me to do a 14 clear liquid diet prior to my 10/8 surgery....technically my BMI calls for 7 or 14 days...(I'm a 41.4, so 41 calls for 7 day, 42 calls for 14)....should I just start it the day after the meeting, so I don't run the risk of being low on energy and hunger crazy when I am trying my hardest to impress these people for my promotion? That would still give me 10 days on clear liquids pre-op. Truly appreciate any/all suggestions.....

Anyone of you Newbies want to partner up to lose 10 lbs in 30 days? Let me no I'm starting Thursday.Philadelphia girl hoping to be sleeved early September or end of August. 2 more test next week one more Nutritionists visit and the support meeting the 20th.

Note to Admins -- I took a look at the food & Nutrition section and did not see a thread like the one i am writing here. This section has more views & replies, so I am hoping to keep this thread here despite .. Hi Folks, Coming into VSG surgery, my doctor told me that my relationship with food will change. Via the pre-op psycho analysis visit to his colleague psychiatristpizza place that has pizza by the slice, and we used to get a slice of cheese pizza each and sit down and eat them before driving back home .. nowadays, even if I cut the slice in 1/2 or 1/3 -- the taste isn't there anymore. I can't describe why .. I simply do not enjoy eating this food, though my memory of enjoying this food is still there. You can apply that to EVERY single kind of food and dishes that I used to eat -- the TASTE relationship is not the same. And I've come to the conclusion that what I need to do, is to expand the horizon on foods and get into eating different dishes, ones that I don't used to eat, very often, or never tried before .. Now, to be fair -- I'll go first to offer up a recipe I discovered on the internet that is a "new" dish for me, in the fact that at least -- I never used to eat it as a meal at home. This recipe came about about the first week of going from a semi-liquid diet into solid foods, and all the foods I was eating was very boring or didn't taste good . On this day -- I felt like eating salmon, but not raw as Japanese food but cooked. I knew I needed a nice and tasty sauce, so I found this recipe: *** Pan fried salmon with cream dill sauce *** - Fresh raw salmon fillet (180 grams or less, if too large -- VSG'ers can't finish this) - 1 small lemon/lime - Fresh dill - 1/2 cup cream - 1 table spoon Philadelphia Chive & Chive Cream Cheese - 2 table spoon virgin olive oil - 1/2 table spoon salt - Ground black pepper Pan fry salmon fillet with olive oil for 5~10 minutes pending your fire and temperature until cooked. Separate sauce pan, pour in cream and mix in the cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese has melted and blended into the sauce body. Chop the dill and add it to the sauce, let the dill cook a bit to get the flavor into the cream sauce. When the sauce is done, pour it over the cooked salmon fillet in a serving plate. Slice a piece of lemon or lime and put it on top of the salmon. Done .. quick and dirty. I ate this dish for a while, until I burnt out on it .. now, I'm looking for more recipes to re-vitalize my daily meal agenda .. anybody have any good recipes which you are currently enjoying, which you have tested out yourself and know that it will work for VSG'ers ?? Feel free to jump in and make your contribution. I'm waiting to try out some new dishes.

My claims have just come in for my surgery here in Milwaukee, WI. $48,458 was the total paid by my insurance. I would be responsible for 10% of that, but I have an out of pocket maximum of $1800. Some of that has already been filled by me so my portion will end somewhere around 2% of that total. It is outrageous how much these hospitals charge the insurance companies. My surgeon and anesthesiologist each charged $4,500. I had a few specialists reading test results that were each about $500. The hospital charged $35,000. That being said, I will say that I was treated like royalty there and I did have heart complications during my stay. I was still only there 2 nights though!

I wanted to go the route of least invasive and least down time. I also thought that if there's a problem 5, 10, or 15 years down the line, they may have come out with another equally less invasive procedure to perform. I would really like to keep all of my anatomy. I also am young and plan on having a family someday, so it's important that I could still lose weight now, but have the possibility when pregnant to remove part of the saline to allow for adequate nutrition. I also considered the actual weight loss aspect. Although gastric usually loses more weight at a faster pace initially, there is a chance of regaining after 18 mths-2 years (when the body learns how to reabsorb) if you did not learn to eat properly. The band causes you to change your eating from the start and also requires less nutritional supplements.

Thank you all so much for the replies!! I've just never been one to handle change very well and on a scale from 1-10 this will register a 9.5!!!! Really want be slim and healthy!!!!

I was sleeved on 10/10 and am still in the soft food stage. I think you are skipping ahead. Go back to puréed or soft foods. My surgeon said I can stay in phases for as long as I feel comfortable and then keep trying slowly to move on to the next. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am scheduled for my Gastric Plication Surgery with Dr.Jose Rodriguez in TJ on Feb. 10, 2011! I haven't decided how I will chronical this journey, but I know I want to. I am starting now getting essential items like Vitamins, pain meds, and other recommended items. I know this has been asked dozens of times, but if you have any recommendations for what to get- please let me know. What could you not live without? What are the Dos and Don'ts? The Must-Haves? Got it and Love 'ems? I am thinking about putting this information in ONE spot on my blog. Let me know what you guys thinks.

Had a revision surgery done on 10-16-10. Wasn't sure my band could be left in or not. But with great luck I was able to keep it. They did a endoscopy to make sure my stomach tissue was still ok. So now its starting all over again. No fluid in band now, will see maybe in 2 weeks they will put some in. Although can't eat a whole lot now anyway. Question for all banders out there, did any of you suddenly start your monthly cycle after surgery. I am mid cycle and am having a period now. Also anyone having trouble taking oxycodone pain meds? It makes me not able to focus my eyes.

I slept in my recliner the first 10 days, I could not lay down without pain during that time.

I lost almost 40 on my own pre-op diet from April 5 to surgery day, July 17. About 10 of that was on the required 3-day pre-op diet.

OMG- I just read your post and I have been feeling quite blue, I had surgery 01/07/08 and have lost 10lbs only to find it all back again, I eat around the band. I initially exercised then gave up and wanted the band to do all the work. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I feel awful and my clothes fit terrible, it is almost as if I have not even had surgery at all. my girlfriend has invited me on an early morning hike tomorrow and I am going NO MATTER WHAT. thank you for your post as it has given me the inspiration that I need. i copied your quote at the bottom, it is great and really hit home with me.

Wow girl! You are an exercise fool. I thought I was until reading this. It sounds like you are very determined to get the weight off. Good for you. I go to the gym 4 days per week and ride my bicycle most nights after work and on my days off of work. I ride anywhere from 10-30 miles, just depends on how much time I have. You go girl:thumbup:

oh darn it I wished I had seen this before I ordered. I could have saved 10 instead of the 5% I did. Oh well maybe next year as I just ordered for the next 2 months. So glad you opened the store and I know I will be a steady customer. Thanks for the tips on Halloween as I have a party to go to in about 2 1/2 hours and will use some of these to stay away from the foods.

Happy Halloween from BariatricPal!#subject#> body,div,dl,dt,dd,ul,ol,li,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,pre,form,fieldset,input,textarea,p,blockquote,th,td { margin:0; padding:0; } table { border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0; } fieldset,img { border:0; } address,caption,cite,code,dfn,th,var { font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; } caption,th { text-align:left; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { font-size:100%; font-weight:normal; } q:before,q:after { content:''; } abbr,acronym { border:0; } address{ display: inline; } html, body { background-color: #d8dde8; color: #5a5a5a; } body { font: normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; } h3, strong { font-weight: bold; } em { font-style: italic; } img, .input_check, .input_radio { vertical-align: middle; } legend { display: none; } table { width: 100%; } td { padding: 3px; } a { color: #225985; text-decoration: none; } a:hover { color: #328586; } div.outer { margin: 0 auto; padding: 14px; } table.wrap { max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; } td.logo { background-color: #0f3854; padding: 8px; } td.content { background-color: #fff; font-size: 14px !important; color: black !important; line-height: 150% !important; padding: 8px; } ul { margin-left: 25px; } Hey BariatricPal Members! Happy Halloween! It’s a fun time and the beginning of the holiday season. We’re celebrating a lot here at BariatricPal, and we’re super excited to share it with you! Here’s what’s in this newsletter. The BariatricPal Store: Grand Opening! Your Ready for the Holidays? Thanks for your support and for making it possible for BariatricPal continue to grow. There’s no way we could do it without you. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Grand Opening of The BariatricPal Store! We are so excited to announce the grand opening of The BariatricPal Store! We know, The BariatricPal Store doesn’t fit into a Halloween newsletter because it’s anything but spooky, but we just can’t stop talking about it! That’s why we’re offering 10% off all orders with coupon code SPOOKY10 just for you! Your Source for Bariatric Protein, Meals, Snacks, and supplements Weight loss surgery changes everything, especially your diet. You need to get enough protein without too many calories; eat a nutritious diet while keeping portions in check; and get your Vitamins and minerals without fail. It can be overwhelming and time-consuming…unless you have help. The BariatricPal Store can give you the help you need. We have the protein supplements, meals, snacks, and vitamins to help you lose weight and get healthy. Protein bars, shakes, and powders. Low-calorie, high-protein snacks, Entrees and breakfasts. Bariatric vitamins and Fiber supplements. Make Weight Loss Shopping Easy We know you need the top products, and they need to be healthy, nutritionist-approved, and convenient. We have all that! We also have: Tons of BariatricPal brand products. Product packages so you can pick up a bundle at once for a discounted price. meal plans for the pre-op and post-op diets, plus maintenance and back-on-track diets, so you can easily pick up the foods you need to stay on track. Sampler packs of different items so you can try different varieties to see which you like best. Other Reasons to Shop The BariatricPal Store We truly believe we’re number one. Here are just a few more reasons why. Subscribe and Save options on every product so you can get automatic re-delivery, 5% discounts, and free shipping on each order. Lowest prices – guaranteed. Free shipping on orders over $69. Save money with sales and discounts plus our Refer-A-Friend program. For help, you can look at the FAQs, give us a call at 855 WLS-BPAL (855 957-725), or use our live chat with a customer service specialist during business hours. Visit store.bariatricpal.com often to see current specials, and check out our blog for updates on promotions and new products. We can’t wait to take this next step in helping you reach your weight loss and health goals! Your Healthy Halloween Plan Halloween is about costumes, haunted houses, and scares. Unfortunately, some of the “scares” are the ones that show up on the scale if you eat too many Halloween treats, or the “scares” that come from feeling sick from too much sugar. You don’t have to experience the bad scares this Halloween, though. The trick? Plan ahead! Here are a few things to think about as Halloween approaches. Trick-Or-Treating Almost everyone is affected by trick-or-treating. If you have kids, you’ll probably find one or several big bags of Halloween candy showing up at your home when they come back from trick-or-treating. Your best defense here is to have a healthy dinner before taking them out. Then, focus on anything other than candy – you might fix your children’s costumes, be the flashlight holder, or designate yourself as the neighborhood crossing guard to keep kids safe. If you don’t have children, you may be the one handing out candy to the neighborhood children, which probably means buying a bunch of candy to give out. If that’s the case, you’re best off choosing candy that you don’t like that much, so you’re less tempted to eat it. Again, have a healthy dinner, and focus on other things besides candy for the evening. You might work on answering the door in a scary way, or taking photos of the cute costumes you see to share with the kids’ parents tomorrow. The Aftermath No matter what happens on your weight loss surgery journey, there’s always tomorrow. After Halloween, “tomorrow” is November 1. Take inventory. See what’s in your home that shouldn’t be there. Get rid of the extra candy. If you must keep some candy in your house because of your kids, make sure it’s not tempting you. You can always ask them to hide it away in their rooms. You can also make a game out of it: have them label each piece so they and you will both know if you “steal” some. Go for a walk. There’s nothing like a walk to clear your head and get you ready to go back to healthy eating patterns. Halloween’s scary, but it shouldn’t be scary because of the weight gain. It should be scary because of the fun things you get to do. With a little planning, that’s exactly how your Halloween can be. Healthy Halloween Tips Did you know there are tons of fun things you can do to get into the Halloween spirit without touching a piece of candy? Here are a few ideas! Go for a Walk It’s true…walking is really quite a good answer to most questions. How to burn off a few extra calories before Halloween? Go for a walk. How to enjoy the Halloween decorations in your neighborhood? Go for a walk. How to let your kids show off their Halloween costumes to all the neighbors? Go for a walk. Get the point? Get moving! Volunteer That’s right. You may think that volunteering is just asking for trouble, since you may be faced with a lot of candy. In truth, it’s a chance to be surrounded by the Halloween spirit while being so busy you don’t have time to grab a treat. Volunteering at a local school, homeless shelter, or retirement home can be the perfect way to immerse yourself in Halloween. Help decorate for a party, serve treats, clean up afterwards, or help make costumes. You’ll be appreciated, and you’ll get to be a part of the holiday in a way that’s healthy for your body and soul. Make Healthy Treats It’s true…treats make Halloween so much better. But you can do better than chocolate, candy corn, and decorated Cookies and cupcakes. Here are a few ideas. Greek yogurt popsicles: Use a little sweetener and keep them white for ghosts, or add some pumpkin and cinnamon and shape them into pumpkin shapes. Then you can decorate them like jack-o-lanterns! Jack-o-lantern orange protein cups: hollow out oranges to leave the peel mostly intact. You can “carve” a face in the peel shell to make it look like a jack-o-lantern, and fill it with cottage cheese or fruit. Greek yogurt “eyes:” freeze circular spoonfuls of Greek yogurt with blueberries for eyes. A happy, safe, and healthy Halloween however you choose to Celebrate it. Don’t forget to come talk about yours on the boards at BariatricPal! See you there!

Hey all. I am in the process of getting the lap band surgery. I starting everything on 12/10/09 with the seminar, saw the surgeon 12/17/09. I have to do an upper GI scan and an x-ray on 1/4. I do the psych eval and the nutrition counseling on 1/6. Aetna won't cover it unless I do a 3 month program, so I am hoping it will be approved in March to do the surgery in April. I am 28 years old and have been obese/overweight my whole life. Thank you genes. lol. I have teetered back and forth about doing the surgery and am finally doing it. I have gained a significant amount of weight in the last 2 years, now being 255. I am definitely not happy with myself about that. It's time for a change. I am glad I found this site. It seems to have a lot of great information. :biggrin:

I think its realistic. You have 5 weeks. Just stay focused. I would like to lose 40 bye christmas, but I know this is probably wishful thinking. Good Luck to you!! Consultation: May 19, 2008 Banded 8/27/08 1 st fill: 10/4/08 2 nd fill: 11/3/08

I was terrified but it is all a blur now... 10 weeks already... hard to believe. That'll be you soon. Good luck guys.

I was wondering if any of the cash pay patients have regretted paying the money. My husband and I are taking a loan of $12500 to cover the operation and I am in favor of him having the surgery, but our insurance flat out will not pay for it. I guess I am just a little nervous. Thanks. On a side note, we have the appt for all the pre-op stuff on April 10 and see the surgeon on April 16 and our very excited for this. I guess I needed a place to just put it all out there. Thanks. Leslie

I had my first follow up appointment today at my 10 day mark and lost 20 pounds since my surgery! I didn't really do much pre-op so I know its a lot of water weight, but seeing that number was awesome! So shocked. I was actually debating on wether or not to look at the scale for my weigh in but I am so glad I did.

I have gotten that from a few folks too. I know I carry a lot of my weight in my lower body, but evidently it hides pretty well in clothes. LOL Though I'm thrilled with a size 12, I know I still have at least 30# to go. Seems like a lot to someone who thinks needing to lose 5# is a chore. I think clothing size isn't a true indicator of success. I will never get below a 10 (and that is pushing it) I'm just not proportioned for it. I usually avoid specific "pounds to go" answers for most people. Its no one's business, but people get nosey. I take it that they care about me, and their "careful" comments are meant to assure me I'm good where I'm at. I assure anyone that is overly concerned that my doctor and I are in sync. But thanks for the unsolicited input. :-)

Hanging out in Northwest Ohio, had my surgery on 3/22/10. I'm down 36lbs, I've had one fill. Loving summer and the new me so far.

Kind of a dumb question... How does this work?? I've had it under my tongue for 10 minutes and it is still there. At what point do I swallow it? Hubby think once it's mushy, I feel like it needs to dissolve and be liquidy? Instructions aren't helpful LOL!