Search the Community

Hello! Just wondering I got my consultation for august 31st in Canada and I’m wondering how quickly did some of you Canadians get approved after their consultation and also what did they have to do in order to get approved in BC Canada or in Canada :) thanks so much everyone!! I’m so excited I can’t wait to finally get this done :)

I have recently received alarming reports from patients who have sent deposits or paid in full for surgeries in Tijuana to a patient coordinator named Bill Yanez. He is now working once again as a coordinator for Dr. Jalil Illan in Tijuana. Please exercise extreme caution when dealing with Dr. Jalil Illan at BC Hospital and coordinators Bill Yanez. They have a history of financial misconduct, having embezzled significant sums of money from me during their tenure as coordinators at BariatricPal Hospital/BC Hospital. Furthermore, I have personally experienced severe surgical complications under the care of Dr. Illan, who botched my surgery not once but twice. There are many reputable and trustworthy options for bariatric surgery in Mexico. Please do not risk your health and finances by entrusting them to a surgeon and coordinators with a track record of dishonesty and malpractice. If these individuals have victimized you, I urge you to report them to your local authorities and the FBI. Their actions are unethical and illegal, and they will face the consequences of their actions in due course. Stay safe, everyone. Let's look out for each other and ensure we all have access to safe, reliable, and ethical medical care.

Hi all, I had a question. I got approved for my surgery with my temp Cigna Insurance but had to undergo a 6 month waiting period. The six months also ended at the time of my open enrollment to get my permanent insurance for BCBS for federal employees. My procedure will be covered but my doctors office says they might require an additional letter from another doctor at least one year prior to the date of surgery for the insurance to cover it. I just wanted to see if this was correct or if anyone who has BCBS Fed knows of any waiting period? Thanks for any info! It’s been 7 months waiting already and I seriously am just ready to get this done and get healthy.

No restriction , always hungry and haven’t lost any weight for 2 weeks. 13 weeks post op and I’m so fed up. I can eat upto 1200 calories in a day aswell at just over 3 months post op. what is going on? im not eating anything I shouldn’t always have protein first etc any advice ? I’m more depressed now than I was before surgery. My mum eats less than me and she’s not even had surgery

So tired of this and fed up. I’m back at the ER with chest pain, nausea, etc and severe headache. My blood pressure is sky high again...169/118. I’m on multiple hyper tensives and keep having these hypertensive crisis. I know it’s my body screaming for help. I just hope I haven’t delayed or put off working toward WLS for too long. I’ve considered it for over a year and in that year I’ve gained nearly 50 pounds. It’s time for change and it’s time for change now...I’m so scared of dying early like my mom.

Hello everyone, I am currently writing this as I have been waiting for almost 5 HOURS for my surgery. Those of you who had the sleeve done in Mexico, how long did you have to wait for your procedure? I was instructed to arrive at San Diego airport at 7am so I can get my testing done. I finished my tests around 9am. It is currently 1:20pm!! I am livid because I have been awake since 3am in order to catch my flight. So far, the nurse came in once. We had to ask for Water for my fiancé, it was never offered. It has been over 12 hours since I had any liquids. Pretty funny when they preach staying hydrated. Is this normal? I feel like this place is pushing me out to only tell me the procedure will be done tomorrow. I don’t recommend this place as of now because I was never informed of the schedule or the rotation of patients. I would also like to add that all rooms next to mine are constantly being checked on. So why am I the only room being ignored or left out? COVID protocol pretty much doesn’t exist, just to wear a mask. Every other review of this place really hyped everything up. It’s too late to back out because they were quick to collect my check.

Does BCBS FED approve GSleeve?

I read a few of these when I was considering surgery and I promised myself that I would do the same thing once I was post-op so that maybe I could help anyone who may need to know the details (like me), or anyone sitting on the fence at the time (like me), or just looking for signs that this was the right thing to do (me again). I discussed the sleeve surgery with my doctor over 2 years ago after countless weight losses and re-gains. That's basically been the story of my life forever. I was a chubby kid, I've never been thin. I probably starting yo-yo dieting when I was 15 and I had my 1st boyfriend. I've done all the diets. Starvation, jenny craig, weight watchers, nutri-system, herbalife, keto, low carb, optivia, ideal protein, bars and shakes, etc... the list could go on and on. I'd lose the weight (sometimes), I even got down to a size 6 when I was about 38. But eventually, overeating called my name and I'd be back to where I started plus 10. Relatable huh? It's not even that I eat poorly, to be honest. Yes I love bad and delicious food, fast food, desserts, etc... but 80% of the time, I am eating a home-cooked meal with veggies and protein (and likely a starch), I just eat too much. My appetite is monstrous. I'm 4'11 and I can eat the same size plate as my husband who works out every day. I come from the 'clean plate club' and always finish my meal. In discussing the sleeve with my doctor he agreed it was going to be the solution I was looking for. Then I told him I wanted to go to Mexico and he agreed that travel tourism can be wonderful (he sends patients to Brazil for plastics) and that he wanted to be part of the decision making process for the doctor. So I took my list of 25 candidates that Facebook told me were awesome, and I narrowed them down to 3 choices: Dr Alvarez, Dr Elias Ortiz and Dr Illan. I presented them each to my primary care physician in the states with their resumes and credentials, we got on a zoom call to discuss the 3 of them and he told me that Dr Illan was his 1st choice, hands down. He chose Dr Illan because he is a board certified master surgeon, his anesthesiologist is also board certified specifically for bariatric surgery, his hospital is private and has an ICU, his hospital has been given awards of excellence, and he only performs 3 surgeries per day. So I called, paid my $500 deposit to get my date, and promptly pooped my pants from nerves. The 10-day pre-op came quickly and was not that bad. I was too excited to be annoyed by it. I got headaches and was hungry, but all in all it wasn't terrible. Before I knew it, my flight from Florida to San Diego was the next morning - I couldn't believe it! My bestie and I arrived in San Diego the day before my surgery (arrived Friday, surgery was Saturday) and we were met at the airport by Carlos; along with one of my surgery sisters that I had already met on Facebook. Get you a surgery sister (or brother) - find out who's having surgery the same day as you and you will become friends! We hung out a lot post-op and I've made friends for life. The drive to the border was quick and easy, before I knew it we were at the hospital dropping off the other person b/c her surgery was bright and early the next day. Carlos whisked us off to Hotel Real Inn, only about 10-15 minutes from the hospital. Mexico treats covid more seriously than we do in the US; so feet wiping, temp taking and hand sanitizing is a requirement literally every single place you go. Carlos pointed out that to the right of our hotel was a open-air shopping plaza and to the left was a grocery store. So after we got settled in, we went to explore and had such a great afternoon in Tijuana! I bought a size small goal outfit for $7 at one of the little boutiques and little knick nacks to bring home to my family. I love that my friend and I had that time to settle in and do some safe exploring. I didn't feel unsafe even for a second, its a very populated area with lots of folks shopping and walking around. That night I ordered my bariatric meal (best popsicle ever!) and my friend ordered authentic mexican street tacos from Uber for like $7. The next morning, we were picked up at 9am to head over to the hospital and get ready for surgery <insert panic>. When you get there, more sanitizing and temp checking and then you head off to get your blood drawn after filling out paperwork. Next comes, chest x-ray, EKG and just a general check up from a doctor to clear you for surgery. So I'll tell you that this part is likely the part that doesn't leave me with the best feeling. The doctor that looked at my EKG seemed to glance at it for about 2 seconds. The cardiologist is probably an awesome cardiologist, but lacked that bedside manner that we see in doctors in the states too. He cleared me for surgery and I said "so my heart looks good?" and he replied "yeah its ok" and then left the room. My bestie reminded me that that not all doctors gush all over you and that he was probably just one of those. Suddenly, Dr Illan and the anesthesiologist were in my room and it was almost go time. Dr. Illan explained the procedure and had a lovely chat with us, I didn't feel rushed or like I was asking too many questions. He explained the OR and that the surgical team in the OR were all also bariatric surgeons (not general surgeons). He told me that I was important and my safety was his #1 priority. He was so wonderful. Them standing there suddenly made me very nervous and I started to cry because I was scared. Dr Illan came to the side of my bed and rested his hand on my leg to comfort me and promised it was going to be ok, told me not to cry. It seemed to upset him to see me upset! In the meantime the anesthesiologist called for some anti-anxiety meds in my IV and I was calm again. Before I knew it, I was in the OR being asked to scoot onto the table and the nurse was signaling to me that it was time to go to sleep. I think some of the nurses in the OR don't speak English, but I speak Spanish so I told her I was ready and before I knew it - I was awake and in recovery. Coming out of being under is funny, as I'm sure many of you know. You're there, but you can't quite open your eyes. I was listening for alarm beeps of monitors or conversations on Spanish that something was wrong, but I was ok. I also had no gas pain. Everyone warns you about that gas pain and I had zero. I was in the recovery room for maybe an hour? My BP was a little high so they gave me something sublingually to lower it, but I don't remember much else. Wheeled back to my room, I spent the rest of the day hearing movies played in the background by my friend and dozing in and out of sleep. I don't actually think I slept much though. I was so groggy I could hardly stand. The nurses came to check on me often, they were giving me lots of drugs in the IV (antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, etc) and a chewable gas pill. Here's something no one told me - you do not get to drink anything until the day AFTER your surgery and you've had your leak test. All you can have is an ice cube to put in your mouth and you have to spit it back out. That's it. I had a sore throat from being intubated and I badly wanted a drink of water - but I didn't get one until the next morning. I really only got up to pee once and felt woozy. I didn't do all the walking they said you're supposed to, I definitely physically couldn't have! I was groggy to the extreme. Getting up to pee was hard enough. I didn't have any gas pain though, thank god for small miracles. My hospital stay was uneventful medically. I had low pulse ox, so had some oxygen for awhile (over 24 hours) and my BP went up a little sometimes but was controlled by the meds they gave me. The 2nd day I had my leak test in the AM and was cleared to have some fluid and had the best tasting water of my life! I sipped slowly and that 1st liquid to hit my new belly felt weird. Our instinct is to chug and you definitely can't do that. I did have some internal soreness and they gave me toradol for that and I felt fine afterwards. Sunday morning I was out in the loser's bench area with my surgery sisters hanging out. That day, we had a valet named Julio. He was AMAZING. It was my bestie's birthday and he helped me order a delicious cake to be delivered from Uber and even went to find a sign for it. We gathered our new friends and Julio gathered some staff and we all surprised her by singing happy birthday and another yummy mexican meal. It was awesome! We hung out with my surgery sisters (we met a 3rd) and their companions in the hallway and all got to know each other, it was great. Monday morning came quickly and then we met Bill and Stacy. Dr Illan came back to my room to check on me and we had another lovely chat. He told me that my stomach was big! lol I knew it was. He got a picture of it for me, which of course blew my mind. He had us take a picture together and he wished me all the luck and told me he couldn't wait to hear about my success story. We left the hospital, hit up a pharmacy, and then Miguel drove us back to the Hotel Real Inn around 10am and then we had a whole other day in Tijuana! I felt perfect so we ventured out again, hit a few shops, and went to the grocery store to bring home Mexican goodies for my family. (I had to go and buy a duffel bag for all the fun stuff I got). I ordered my bariatric meal again and took a nice shower and went to bed, ready to travel back to Florida on Tuesday. Julian picked us up at 7:45 for our 12:15pm flight (you never know what can delay you at the border) and we had an awesome drive with him. Some roads were blocked, so we were delayed but still had gobs of time. Julian lived in NYC for a long time, so he's pretty American - we loved him. We laughed and joked around the entire ride and he told us about life living in Mexico. We got on a jet plane and we came home! I've been home 3 days now and I continue to feel awesome. I'm sore and my belly is bruised (where they took my huge stomach out), but I work from home - so rest is all it I need. I haven't been nauseous once or vomited. Day 5 post op and I'm down 13.6 lbs already - since pre-op. So this sounds like a dream huh? Because it was. It was like going on vacation where I also happened to have an organ removed lol. I will tell you that I would give one piece of feedback for the ultimate experience, the only thing I thought was lacking or could've been done differently. I wish I could've met Dr Illan before I got to Mexico. It's pretty standard to have a conversation with a doctor prior to surgery and you don't get that until you're there. I wish he had emailed me personally, or had a phone call or a video chat. He could've even made me a personal 1-minute video and emailed it to me - just so I knew that he knew I existed and was going to be a patient. That would've calmed me even before I got there. I realize that a lot of people consider surgery and probably don't go through with it, so it could be a waste of time - but that's the cost of doing business. I am a business owner and have consultations with people that never hire me either. It's built into my business model and daily schedule. Not meeting Dr Illan ahead of time obviously didn't stop me from choosing him, but it almost did. The other doctors I considered contacted me directly (one with a personal video and one with a whatsapp video call). If you are thinking about doing this surgery, let my testimony help you decide that it is going to be ok. That chances are, it will go amazingly, There is this new life waiting for us that maybe we don't believe is real or we don't believe we deserve. But it is real and we do deserve it! Give yourself the gift of this weightloss to take your life back. I'm so glad I did and I can't wait to see this weight melt off me and stay off me. Having my surgery with Dr Illan was the best medical experience of my life. I felt cared for, safe, attended to, and healthy the whole time I was there. The hospital is like a resort, very modern and very clean. The nurses and valets were insanely attentive. Now go leave your stomach in Mexico!

Anyone had a donut hole mastapexy vs keyhole. Got a consultation done today. Anyone who has had either I’d like to hear how they came out.

Hi everyone, this is my very first EVER post on ANY forum. I am planning VSG for this June and am in the process of researching options in Mexico. I like what I’m finding on Dr. Illan but I’m confused about which hospital he works out of. Oasis of Hope, Bariatric Pal Team MX, or Hospital BC?? Also, I read that he doesn’t include hernia repair in the package price. I believe other doctors do include it. Anyone know how much that costs in addition to the $5000 vsg package?

Anyone here with Texas BC/BS? I've scheduled my first consult for December and know they require 6 months with a nutrition program before surgery. I'm in school and want to get the surgery done over the summer ASAP so I won't be at risk of missing any of the fall semester. How has the timing been for everyone else on this insurance? Has anyone had any problems getting approved for the surgery right at the 6 month mark? Thanks!!!

Hey guys! I’m scheduled for sleeve surgery this Thursday, the 25th. However.....we are STILL waiting on my insurance approval!!! Nothing like cutting it close. Just wondering if anyone has Fed BCBS insurance and if you got denied, what was the reason? Or if you got approved, how long did it take? My insurance coordinator submitted everything last Monday but I have a bad feeling I’m going to be denied....

I have meet all requirements for the bypass surgery however BC requires a diagnosis code of Morbidly obese even though I dont fall under that based on my BMI. I fall in the Obese with a co morbidity. Anyone else have this problem and what diagnosis code did you use. So frustrated. Its been a year. Ive done all the preliminary work I just need the approval for the surgery. So ready to move forward.

Okay, so I've been having this unexplained pain on my lower stomach for a few moths and it comes and goes but sometimes it gets so severe I end up at the ER. And usually they start out super nice, treat the pain then do CT scan but can never see anything. Then they just do a 180 with their attitude with me and act as if I'm faking the pain and just sent me home. A couple of times I've been admitted and they found a hiatal hernia but the doctor said "everyone has those, it wouldn't cause that pain" and again, sent me home feeling humiliated for being treated like a drug seeker. I'm convinced it says that on my chart now. So I go see my bariatric surgeon's NP yesterday to go over my regain and I tell her about the pain and she's like omg that's awful! Your surgeon is actually at the hospital you had your surgery at, go straight to the ER, I will page him and make sure when you get there you tell them you're there to see him. By now the pain has gotten so bad it's not just on my lower right abdomen, it loops to my lower and middle back. I tell them I haven't been able to have a bowel movement or pass gas. The ER doctor saw me first, very nice she said don't worry we're gonna get you comfortable while we page Dr. De La Cruz. They gave me 4 mg of morphine and guys, IT DID NOTHING. I was sobbing! The nurse was like, I got you, I'll ask for something stronger I'll be right be right back. While waiting, finally my surgeon sent his "chief attending" cuz I guess he was in surgery and she examined me, asked questions, poked me around a lot and saw how I howled in pain n the areas she touched that hurt the most. And she goes "Well, you had a CT scan like a week ago so I'm not doing that again, we'll just do an xray but I'm sure you're just constipated and you don't need pain medication, it'll just make it worse." So the nurse comes back and she's like, I can;t give you anything until after the x-ray." I hold out crying for the x-ray. The guy and lady who did it manhandled the heck out of me then I had to wait an hour for the results, still almost yelling I was sobbing so loudly and no one would come to even check on me. Finally the ER doc comes in and was like "well, we couldn't see any impacted stool or anything but the resident from your surgeon's team chose against scanning youand to follow up w your surgeon in a week so I'm gonna send you home. Just drink lots of water and you can take ibuprofen and I'm like 1) I'm allergic and 2) bariatric patients can't take NSAIDS. She's just like "I'm not giving you narcotics" and I'm like "I'm not asking for narcotics! I just need someone to find out what's wrong with me and fix it, please" I didn't even finish my sentence when she just turned around an walked out of the room. WHO DOES THAT! The nurse came by to take off my IV and help me get dressed and she was like "I'm sorry but they made a bad call. You call your surgeon tomorrow and complain because anyone can see you're not faking" She was the one person that was nice to me. I'm sorry for the wrong rant but I'm so discouraged. I thought my surgeon would at least see me himself or admit me so they can really take a look at what could be wrong. I've left 4 messages at his office today and no call backs yet. I know it sounds crazy but maybe it's because I'm one of his failure patients cuz I gained weight so he doesn't want to really deal with me. My pain is so bad, the only way I can deal at work is if I take one of my husband's muscle relaxants. It doesn't make the pain go away but it makes it bearable. I'm barely eating but I look 6 months pregnant and I feel awful. I hope I can get to see him again and make sure it's HIM soon. I don't know what else to do. I hate being treated like a junkie when I'm legitimately in pain.

today i had my annual physical with my PCP and when she reviewed my medication list she was surprised that I was back on birth control already (i’m one month post op) because she said she’s used to waiting 3 months before starting it back up due the risk of blood clots. But i’m unsure what to do, because a) my surgeon gave me the OK to start BC again after one month and b) i’m sexually active and i would prefer to be on it. and as much as i like my pcp i feel as though i should listen to my surgeon as it’s her specialty. what would you guys do? should i ask my surgeon what she thinks or just continue with it? I won’t see my PCP again for another 3 months, if that matters

My surgery was November 2017 (VSG) and I've had issues with breakthrough bleeding on my usual pill, and still despite changing pills about 3 months ago. My provider thinks it could be an absorption issue, which I don't know if I necessarily agree with considering I had VSG and not bypass, but anyways... Has anyone gone to the Nexplanon (arm) birth control after surgery? Thoughts on it? I'm half a** looking into it (aka kind of not really) but wanted to see if anyone had personal experience on here going from pill to arm implant.

Christ on a cracker! I'm having gastric bypass surgery in 2 weeks after going through a 6 month weight loss program. Damn, I never thought I'd find myself here. I mean WTF? I am having my entire guts rearranged just to get my weight under control. Sometimes it just seems ridiculous. So, grizzled veterans, what's the run down on your coping strategies? Do not tell me that you discovered a new-found love of exercise and that you just *like* go for a run when you are stressed and tired. For real, what are you doing? I mean, we go to all these classes and dredge up all our bullshit so ALL THE THINGS are simmering just under the surface and then our coping mechanism is ripped out from under us at the same time. I feel like a battered and bruised ball of sensitivity after talking about and trying to deal with self image, denial, abuse, etc. Then, the one thing that has always been reliable, has always worked for me (temporarily!) is not the thing anymore. The glass of wine, the pint of ice cream, the latte and scone with your BFF, the lasagna at mom's, BUH-BYE! I don't want to make it sound like I'm not doing the work; this is the first time in ages I've looked forward to the upcoming year. I've worked hard at breaking some of my worst habits: Fast food, eating in front of the TV, snacking after the kids go to bed - THE WORST ONE - checkity check! I've even lost 20 lbs because I'm fk-ing serious about this. But, damn, what now? I can't help but wonder...will I ever find my healthy coping mechanisms?

Hi All: I was wondering regarding BC/BS of Mass gastric bypass approvals. I received the pre-auth form. I have a BMI of greater than 50 with 2 co-mobidities sleep apnea and diabetes. I've met all of the other testing and nutrition criteria except for the psychologist visit. Is 6 mos pre-dieting is required for approval? Is pre-surgery weight loss required for approval? I was wondering if anyone was denied for gaining weight prior to the surgery.

I was sleaved 11 days ago, and I've been having diarrhea (about 4 wattery BMs a day). My surigical team keeps everyone on clear liquids for two weeks after surgery. I called them over this weekend because I was so frustrated, and I was told to take a little benefiber with my liquids. That's doing nothing. Anyone else experience this after surgery? Sorry about the rant, but I'm just tired, annoyed, and feeling lots of other emotions.

I need to write a country song....I am so mad I could bake a whole chocolate ganache cake and eat it until I puke. I am not doing that, I am too lazy to go to all that effort....🍰🍷🍰🍷🍰🍷🍰🍷But this is now ridiculous to be sitting at this same weight for over 2 months. <rant over> WAIT. And the damn weather sucks too, snow. <now rant over>

Hey guys , I will like to try out a few grass-fed whey isolate proteins that don't contain any heavy metals . The ones I've found have aloot of carbs or alot or calories . please helllp !!!!

Just got notification from my surgeon’s office manager advising me that I had been approved for revision from Band to bypass. Request was submitted Monday, with approval received today, Wednesday. My requirements were 3 nutritionist visits, psych, and 2 years medical history. I was very surprised at the speed in which my approval was given.

Just got a call from the office coordinator that my revision from band to bypass has been approved. Scheduled for February 8 surgery. Just need to work on pre op stuff now. Surgery request submitted Monday, approval received on Wednesday. Had to do psych, 3 nutritional visits and medical 2 Year history. Surprised and pleased at the quick process. On to the next step.