Attention ! Australian Sleevers

[kelliv 659]

Don't stress. It will happen I was so worried about it too... How many coloxyl did you take? You can take up to 4 tablets. Go easy though cause next thing you will have diarrhea.

I had one bm on day 5' date=' one on day 11 and again on day 15.

As long as your not in pain? just let nature run its course

[/quote']

Hi Michelle, at least i know it's not unusual. I took 2 Coloxyl at midday ad another 2 when iwent to bed. I am due to talk to dietician today, so he ay ave another suggestion, but maybe i should stop stressing about itad just let it take it's course. I expected it, but not for this long.

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[unknown54678997 50]

Easier said than done though. I was really worried about it but then it just happened. I found the coloxyl took at least 24 hours to work.

Then when I did go. It was like....is that all? Haha

Hi Michelle, at least i know it's not unusual. I took 2 Coloxyl at midday ad another 2 when iwent to bed. I am due to talk to dietician today, so he ay ave another suggestion, but maybe i should stop stressing about itad just let it take it's course. I expected it, but not for this long.

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[aussie kelloff 79]

SERIOUS Constipation problem!!! Tried prune juice' date=' Benefibre, Coloxyl Senna, lots of Water and even fulll cream milk in my tea which usually goes straight through me and all of that was yesterday. STILL NOTHING!! Any other suggestions???

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I know we are not suppose to drink coffee, but coffee always worked for me.

[kelliv 659]

I know we are not suppose to drink coffee' date=' but coffee always worked for me.[/quote']

Tried that too!!

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[aussie kelloff 79]

Tried that too!!

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It will come I think I was hitting day 4 out of hospital than not until day 10. Now it's regular as on solids.

[Cookeeeeez 269]

Tried an enema? Not as bad as they sound... You can get a kit off eBay if your local chemist doesn't stick them. Warm tap Water is fine for occasional use and they really work.. Tmi?

[Cookeeeeez 269]

Or go for a professional colonic but professionals sometimes recommend them too often than is good for you and are more $$$$

[*Shell* 162]

Did anyone get a rebate from Medicare with the surgeons gap. I heard a few people on previous sites say they did but I have been told by the office girls of my surgeons that I will not. I received my receipt for $4500 from surgeon yesterday and was going to take it to medicare to see if I am entitled to anything but under item number it just says 'Known'.

Has anyone here been successful in getting a refund from their surgeons account?

From my anesthetist costs of a $2000 account and I did get about $500 back and I know my initial consultation with my surgeon which cost me $150, I got about $70 back from medicare.

Interested to hear your thoughts

[Cookeeeeez 269]

From my surgeons website:

For patients with Private Health Insurance who undergo weight loss surgery, the hospital costs associated with weight loss surgery are usually covered by most private health funds. Some of the more basic levels of cover such as extras-only may not cover weight loss surgery. A 12 month waiting period usually applies if you have recently joined a health fund. You should contact your health fund to see if you are covered.

Health Fund Contact Details

Health Fund email Phone

AHSA -Alliance Funds

(Teachers, Defence, Police, etc) http://www.ahsa.com.au (02) 9411 9100

HCF http://www.hcf.com.au 131334

MBF http://www.mbf.com.au 131137

Medibank Private http://medibank.com.au 132331

NIB http://nib.com.au 131463

When you contact your health fund, quote the following Medicare item numbers to see if you are covered.

Gastric Banding: 30511

Sleeve Gastrectomy: 30518

Gastric Bypass: 30512

For patients with Private Health Insurance who undergo weight loss surgery, there are usually 4 different fees they will incur.

1. There are the Hospital Access fees which most Private Health Funds will charge when you are admitted to a private hospital for a procedure.

This will vary depending on your level of cover and your Health Insurance Provider. It may range from 0-$500.

2. There are the Surgeon's fees. When you have a weight loss procedure performed by Dr. Michael Hatzifotis you will be charged one single fee. For privately insured patients this fee will cover;

-Surgeon’s fee for performing the procedure

-All follow up appointments (every month for gastric bands, every 3 months for sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass) until you reach your goal weight, then annually for life

-All band adjustments (including needles and consumables) for life

-Additional consultations with Dr. Hatzifotis at any time if problems arise,

Provided you are covered by private health insurance, the cost of the Gastric Band procedure is $3300, the Sleeve Gastrectomy procedure is $3500 and the Gastric Bypass procedure is $5000. This fee is expected to be paid prior to the surgery. If any further surgery is ever required in the future following your weight loss procedure, you will not be charged for this by Dr Michael Hatzifotis.

3. There are the Anaesthetist's fees. Which may vary depending on the Anaesthetist and the procedure, between $695 - $1050. Your anaesthetist will contact you prior to your procedure to confirm these fees. The fee for uninsured patients varies depending on the type of procedure performed, the duration of the procedure, and the co-morbidities of the patient.

4. The Assistant's fee. Which may vary from zero to $350 depending on whether the private hospital can provide an assistant for the procedure.

Once you have paid for your procedure you will be given a receipt. Once the procedure has been performed you will be mailed an invoice for this amount together with the Medicare item number and a description of the procedure performed by Dr. Hatzifotis. You will need to take your receipt and invoice to Medicare so that you can be paid a rebate for the procedure

You will receive a Medicare rebate of 75% of the Scheduled fee for your particular procedure.

The Medicare rebate for Gastric Banding is $613.05

The Medicare rebate for Sleeve Gastrectomy is $712.50

The Medicare rebate for Gastric Bypass is $754.35

You can then claim a further 25% of the Medicare Schedule fee from your private health fund.

You may be eligible to claim a further rebate of $600 when you lodge your tax return as the procedure qualifies for the medical expenses safety net. See below under Tax Rebate Scheme.

Costs not covered

Your initial consultation with Dr Hatzifotis is $150 (you will be able to get a Medicare rebate of $67 provided you have a GP referral). Prior to your weight loss procedure you will be required to commence a low calorie Meal Replacement diet (Optifast). You will need to pay for these Meal Replacements. Depending on your health fund, you may be required to pay an excess for your hospital admission. You should check with your health fund regarding this. Pharmacy expenses (medications, vitamins), blood tests, and other investigations (such as X-rays), may incur an additional cost depending on your health fund. If you need to see any other specialists prior to your surgery, such as cardiologists, respiratory physicians, or endocrinologists, you may be charged for these visits.

Not Privately Insured?

Patients who are not privately insured may still have a weight loss procedure performed at a private hospital. The out of pocket expense will depend on the individual private hospital, the type of procedure performed, the equipment used, the cost of the device if having a gastric band, the theatre fees, Surgeon’s fee, Assistant surgeon’s fee, Anaesthetist’s fee, Intensive care fees if this is required, and the number of days spent in hospital. For a Gastric Banding procedure this will be approximately $13500. Although uncommon, prolonged hospital stay may be required, and this will inflate the costs associated with the procedure.

It is strongly recommended that you have private health insurance before proceeding with weight loss surgery.

Other Payment Options

Early Release of Super

You may apply to APRA (Australian Prudential Regulation Authority) for early release of their superannuation funds to help pay for part of or all of the cost of their weight loss surgery. Details of this may be found on the APRA website. You should check with your financial advisor to see if this applies to you. Please follow the link below.

Early Release of Superannuation Benefits

Super Annuation Money

If you decide to use your superannuation to pay for your weight loss surgery, three documents need to be lodged;

Completed application form

A letter of support from your General Practitioner

A letter of support from Dr Hatzifotis

It usually takes approximately 6 weeks for APRA to process your application.

Tax Rebate Scheme

You may also claim a rebate form the ATO (Australian Taxation Office) when you submit your end of year tax return. When your medical expenses for the financial year exceed $2000, you can claim a tax offset of 20% of your net medical expenses over $2000. This is not means or assets tested and there is no limit on the amount you can claim.

For example:

$4500 out of pocket expense: tax rebate = ($4500-$2000) x20% = $500

Check with your accountant or financial advisor if this may apply to you.

For further details see the Australian Taxation Office website by clicking here.

[unknown54678997 50]

Hi Shell. I work for Medicare. There is no refund on in hospital gap payments. Your gap payments are your out of pocket expense and cannot be refunded/subsidised from PH or Medicare. You can however claim 20% back. of all out of pocket expenses over 2,000 when you do your tax return

Did anyone get a rebate from Medicare with the surgeons gap. I heard a few people on previous sites say they did but I have been told by the office girls of my surgeons that I will not. I received my receipt for $4500 from surgeon yesterday and was going to take it to medicare to see if I am entitled to anything but under item number it just says 'Known'.

Has anyone here been successful in getting a refund from their surgeons account?

From my anesthetist costs of a $2000 account and I did get about $500 back and I know my initial consultation with my surgeon which cost me $150, I got about $70 back from medicare.

Interested to hear your thoughts

[unknown54678997 50]

Your surgeon would of charged say 5,300 the procedure. He would of claimed his rebate back from Medicare electronically and then charged you the co payment/ gap.... Hope this helps

[*Shell* 162]

Thanks for this Cookeeeeez. I went onto my surgeons website and found the following which peeves me a little. You would think being an Investigator for Qld Govt, I would have checked this out first as usually I am very efficient in my research. Oh well - cant complain as I'm very happy with the outcome, just would have been nice to get something, even a little back

The program fee must be paid in full before your surgery. Please note that you cannot claim a further rebate from your health fund or Medicare as these discounts have already been taken into account in our program fee. However, you may be eligible to claim a further rebate when you lodge your tax return as our program qualifies for the Medicare Safety Net.

[*Shell* 162]

and Michelle - thanks for your help.

[Cookeeeeez 269]

Aww sorry shellz

I'm sure he was a good surgeon and it seems reduced confusion by just accepting gap payment himself and charging lower fee up front...

I knew a dentist who did that once...

Anyway, glad your happy with surgery overall and recovering well

[puppyphat 397]

Tried that too!!

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I haven't been since last Sunday. Surgery 8 days ago. Taking benefibre but nothing else yet. I'm not uncomfortable or feel like I have to go, just increasing the fresh fruit and vege juice. My nut says 1/2 cup fruit and 1 cup vege juice per day. I'm hoping that will help. Certainly not worried about dumping syndrome over here!!!