PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

Hi Everyone! I'm New on here! I have struggled with my weight for years. I had my first baby in May of 2020. I lost 20lbs before having him and gained it all back and then some after giving up Breastfeeding. I am at my highest weight I've ever been at, I've been on WW for 3 years now and it hasn't helped.. I am considering weight loss surgery. I've been through some of the threads and so many people say they don't regret anything, It's nice to see for sure, i want to be healthy for my son, being able to do my hobbies again and overall be healthier. but I am concerned about the excess skin.. Right now I weigh 240lbs my goal weight is 130ish. I am 26 yrs old. Has …

The 10th going to the pre op tomorrow very excited [emoji16] wish me luck [emoji120]

Hi everyone, I'm looking to talk to someone with epilepsy who has had the surgery? What their experience has been? I'm a little nervous. Thanks J

My surgery date is coming quick. Feb 8th. Is there any advice for surgery day?

I’ve been looking into wls for years. I’ve tried everything else and feel like it’s the only option left for me to lose weight. I’ve finally been approved and have my gastric bypass scheduled for the end of May, but I’m scared. I was so sure I wanted this before and now that it’s happening it’s kinda scary. I know that if I don’t do it I’ll eventually get diabetes, heart problems, joint problems, high bp, etc., and that my weight will eventually kill me. But Wls changes the way you eat and the way your body processes food forever. I know that’s the point, it just feels a bit daunting. Plus, I’ve heard that the recovery is horrible and I’m a single parent so I won’t be abl…

Hi everyone. I have to do a liquid diet for a week, as I have a fatty liver and the liquid diet will put me in ketosis. My surgeon told me to drink five protein shakes a day but I am worried that is too much. This is my first day and I’m thinking about just drinking chicken broth, eating sugar free jello, and drinking Gatorade zero. I have to stay under 1000 calories. Will those foods still put me in ketosis?

Going through Kaiser preop right now. Mine is a ten week program. One more week and then I get to see the surgeon. All my preop they requested so far is done. Fingers crossed there isn’t a long wait due to COVID.

I was just referred to a bariatric surgeon by my PCP last week. I reached out to my insurance company to see if the visit would be covered, which luckily I was told it would be. But I was wondering if anyone else has United Health Care and has been able to get approval for them to cover part/all your surgery? What was the process like? I'm hoping to get approved for surgery as soon as possible.

I am having so much trouble on this liquid diet and I just do not know what to do . I’m gaining weight since I have started protein and tonight I had some cravings so I chewed and spit I was thinking of just taking 2 things of protein and the rest broth and water then if I need to because I have a craving chew and spit my surgery day is feb 4th and I was told I need to lose weight .

I've been working with a bariatric clinic since mid 2020 and completed my 6 month supervised diet with them, however, I've decided to move to a more robust and supportive program somewhere else. I have my first visit with the new place on 1/28 and am hopeful that everything will transfer over and they will simply need to resubmit the authorization to my insurance. (I had already received my authorization letter for the initial clinic) The person I spoke with at the new program made the comment that it would "help a lot if I could lose some weight and weigh less than my last appointment with the old program". This is not a requirement of my insurance, so, I'm thinking this…

So I am currently on my preop diet (surgery date: Jan 22nd) and my surgeon office requires low carb high protein diets. I just finished my first week and for the second I would like to do strictly liquids so that i can shed a few extra pounds and make sure my liver actually in shrinking. My question for those on a liquid diet, what should I be drinking or having that is good for liver shrinking? Protein drinks or meal replacement drinks? sugar free jello? or pudding? I just need a few ideas so I can plan accordingly and I was given the green light by my surgeons office so any tips or product recommendations would be much appreciated.

Guys I'm so scared and nervous, I know this will be the start of a fantastic journey but surgery terrifies me. Only part I'm worried about is how ill feel when I wake up. Any encouraging thoughts or words would be much appreciated. Wish me luck!!

I've completed my 6 of 6 pcp appointments as well as the psych and nutritionist appointments. My paperwork was submitted to Blue Cross Blue Shield Highmark yesterday. Does anyone know how long it takes to find out if I'm approved?

Hi Gang! I'm Meow. I was scheduled for a 100cm Bypass on June 29th and they just moved me UP to June 9th! AHHHHHHH! I'm usually pretty grounded with life's hurdles but all the sudden my mind went blank and I thought "I'M NOT READY!" Any other May, June, July Bypassers want to join up and share and support? I'm not sure how to put my stats in my profile but I am 5' 5" female. Late 40s. 220# at the Doc yesterday. Goal weight is 150. Having BYPASS instead of Sleeve due to life-long reflux. Told I only need to do 3 days liquid liver shrink beforehand since my BMI is only 36. Feel both overloaded with info and under-prepared to say goodbye to the contrasting albatr…

Does anyone have AR Benefits health advantage with the state of Arkansas? If so how long did it take to get approved after your 6 month supervised diet? My surgeon office gives a surgery date after approval, and I am trying to get my surgery while I'm out of school for summer vacation.

What is one thing you can tell me, that you wished you'd have known going into this?

So I completed my initial webinar tonight to move forward with gastric sleeve. My mom had it years ago but with her multitude of health problems, it didn’t work for her. My next step is to get my referral and insurance coverage verified. What should I expect on my first visit? What specific questions should I ask? I know the procedures, the diet and risks. I just feel like I’m missing something.

Hello, everyone! I'm new here, but have almost had gastric bypass a little over a year ago. I had pretty much finished the checklist my doc gave me: nutrition classes, sleep study, upper gi, 6 months weight tracking. All I had left was a blood panel, the h pylori test, and a psychological evaluation. I suffer from anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia, so the psychological doc put a temporary hold on the surgery. Unfortunately, COVID hit before I could get re-evaluated. Non essential and non emergency surgeries were put on hold for in my network. Sadly, because it been about a year now, my insurance and doc is making me go through the whole process all over again san…

Looking for others that had the procedure done in December how are you feeling?

Hello I have my first appointment Jan 11th with the dietitian to start my 6 month requirement. I'm right at a 40 BMI with no major comorbidities. I want to loose some weight during this process, but I'm not sure if I will become disqualified if I go under the 40 BMI or if the go off the first weigh in.

I'm nervous. Can anyone help me? Need suggestions.... [emoji22] Me, I decided a month ago. My insurance gv me 3 mnths b4 my sx. Uuugh! I hv changed my eating habits for the better. I just can't seem to get my cravings to stop in the middle of the night. What I hv done, is drink a 8oz smoothie to soothe my hunger pains.... Is that good? I can't seem to eat 6 small meal in 1 day. Forget the snacks. I can only stomach 2, maybe 3 meals & 2 small smoothies (ingredients I got from another app "LOSE IT") which includes cottage 2Tblsps cottage cheese, vanilla whey protein powder & 1/2 banana. That seems to b my go to snack. Most my meals r on a child's plate. Meat, bean…

HI everyone, I have been pondering weight loss surgery for a couple years now . I am currently enrolled in a program at my local Kaiser and am about to finish the nutrition classes which are required to qualify for surgery. I am 5'6 and weigh 242 lbs. I've always been the chunky girl not too big but definitely not skinny. I guess I am just scared that I won't be able to keep up with the requirements of the surgery such as living the healthy lifestyle or committing to exercise 5 times a week. Also I am scared of the excess skin. I don't know if surgery is the way to go but at the same time I don't want to keep gaining weight. I am pre-diabetic and have a fatty l…

After what seems like a million years I finally got my approval!!! I am ecstatic and overjoyed! Now that it is really happening I can’t lie I am kind of nervous because I never had a surgery besides a c-section almost 20 years ago lol I am waiting to speak with the nurse so I can pick a date but I know it will be sometime in February omg!!!! Any helpful tips and tricks will be highly appreciated!

I am having surgery December 2 anyone else around that time too, would like to have support from other people as we go thru this journey around the same time. Wishing luck to everyone else we GOT this!

Hello I just wanted to know how much weight was lost within the first 1-3 months for you? Do you see a big difference?

Does anyone recommend a doctor in Tucson?

Hi everyone! I have BCBS FEP insurance and have finished all of my requirements except, today, they told me I need a years worth of weights/BMI's. I was just wondering if anyone knows exactly what that entails. I've only been to the doctor MAYBE 3 times in the last year, will this be a problem? I've called my doctor's office to request it but had to leave a voicemail... just waiting for a call back and thought maybe someone here might have experience with this. Thanks ahead of time for any insight!

Finally starting to feel human again. It was such a struggle in the beginning. My colon does not like anesthesia. So much abdominal cramping and bloating! I was so upset thinking made the wrong decision. I watched a lot of YouTubes of other gastric bypass journeys and I never found one that mentioned the soreness and abdominal discomfort. So happy now that I'm feeling so much better now. I now know I did not make a mistake. Still struggling to reach my water and protein numbers on a daily basis. But I know I'm close. So glad I found this support group as it is difficult to go through this alone.

Very frustrating. Finally made up my mind to move forward with weight loss surgery. Jumped through all of the hoops.Date set for December. Then the hospital canceled all elective surgeries through the end of the year because they need all available beds for Covid patients. The doctors office can't tell me when they will be allowed to start up again. This was devastating news. Like most, I have struggled with my weight all my life. I finally thought I was going to take back control and now it feels hopeless again. I am trying to remain positive and remember that it will happen at some point... Anyone else get postponed or have to wait a significant amount of time before y…

So my insurance company told me my doctor submitted a surgery date of 1/11 until 1/13 because I will be impatient pending I get my authorization. However when I had my last meeting with my surgeon she said my surgery would be in February. Is it possible they moved up the date? Has this happened to anyone before?

Any folks here over 65 and had gastric sleeve? I am booked for Jan 14

Hello all, Does anyone know of an approved plant based/ non dairy protein for phase 1 post op? Thank you

Hey guys just venting. I have been approved for a revision to gastric bypass from VSG due to severe GERD and just found out I have COVID. I'm super disappointed. There will be three weeks in between from when I tested positive to my surgery date and I've researched that people can continue to test positive even though they are no longer infectious. I'm sure my doctor's office will reschedule I'm just sad this happened. Not much I can do about it now. COVID sucks.

Hi I just need a little advice or something . I called my insurance company BCBSNJ to make sure they received my paperwork for authorization for wls and to see if there was an answer yet. First the guy said I had been approved for the procedure on 1/11 then at the end of the call he was like so it is still pending. I was like wait I thought you said it was approved so what procedure am I getting on 1/11? He said the wls so I was like then I should be approved pretty quickly right ? And he agreed. Now I am not sure what’s going on, am I approved or is it still pending and why would he give me a date of 1/11? I tried calling the doctor but had to leave a message. Please hel…

My time is nearly here andddddd..... I'm starting to get pretty nervous. I've never had surgery before and I'm worried about the pain, the anesthesia, how long will I be in recovery etc. Someone please talk me off the ledge here! I'm trying to stay focused on my goals: better health, being able to do more with my son, less pain from fibromyalgia (hopefully), looking hot again (post PS I'm sure) etc. but still it's SURGERY! Am I crazy? Is this too extreme? I check in @ 5:30 am on Tuesday (PST), surgery @ 7:30. Holy Crap that's 32.5 hours from now-- HOURS! This anticipation is killing me- AAAARGH!

Hello everyone! New here. I’m hoping to get some helpful advice. I personally have been struggling with my weight a lot of my adult life, but most seriously in the last 9-10 years since the birth of my youngest. Current weight is about 230 and height is 5’5. (Although I realize my primary doctor has me in the computer as 5’6). That puts my current BMI at 37-38. I am seriously considering the gastric sleeve. I narrowed my initial research down to 2 surgeons. I live in the NYC area but am looking to have the surgery near Nassau county, Long Island. My insurance is Emblem Health/HIP for employees of the City of NY. The obstacle I foresee is that I …

I was diagnosed with diverticulitis on Friday. It was awful. I'm on antibiotics and feel a lot better now. I have pre-admission testing on Tuesday and a VSG scheduled for January 22nd. I plan to call my Dr tomorrow but will this affect my pre-admission testing? or worse yet, my surgery date? Ugh. After all the steps to get to this point, it will suck off things are postponed.

So my doctor sent in my paperwork on the 22nd I believe or the 23rd and I haven’t heard back yet. I kind of figured I wouldn’t hear back until after Christmas and the weekend so I am really hoping to have an answer next week. The surgeon said if approved I would have the surgery in February. How long did it take once your paperwork was submitted to get a date? I have BCBSNJ by the way.

Hey all I'm new to this forum. Found out on Christmas Eve that my surgery is scheduled for January 8th. (MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME). I am trying to prepare as much as possible, mentally and physically. I've done my homework but people say you are never fully prepared for the changes. Due to timing, I'm not going to be able to take off as much time from work as I'd hoped. Having already been rescheduled due to Covid spikes here in CO, I didn't want to turn down the date.. I am looking for feedback from others on how long until you were able to move around somewhat normally, and how long you had to take pain meds for. I work a desk job, and part time from home, so I'm not con…

Yay! After being postponed due to Covid I finally got my date! January 8th. Having the sleeve done. Anyone have any extra tips or tricks to prepare myself?

Abnormal EKG, septal infarct Im currently in my last stages of pre-op workups and have had two abnormal EKGs come back this month. They both have said septal infarct. I am seeing a cardiologist hoping to get cleared for surgery on the 7th...and I know what google says, but has anyone else had this come up and still get surgery as planned? I was looking at an end of Jan first week of Feb surgery date.

So, I have basically been quarantined d since March. I have been fortunate and worked from home the entire time. I think what I am Most nervous about is catching covid when in the hospital, as I will be in there a day. Also, I won’t have a mask on during surgery. I have to take a test soon for covid and am hoping my doctor will too. Does anyone else have the same concerns? What did you do to calm yourself?

Holy cats, has anyone measured themselves in inches instead of pounds? I am using the app Baritastic to log my food and for fun I took my measurements at right before surgery and then at the two week post op and now today. If anyone gets caught up in the scale I would highly suggest keeping track of measurements. The scale has slowed down a tad this last week, its still trending down ward but not as swiftly as the last few weeks but the I have lost 18 inches in two weeks! I thought that must be an error so I tried on some clothes because clothes don't lie right?? I mean the last two weeks have been stretch pants, sweat pants and PJs most of the time and you real…

My 2 week pre op diet has been going along pretty well. My doc has me doing 2 protein shakes and 1 small meal for dinner which has 3-6 oz lean protein, small amount of starch, which I don’t always have. And vegetables. I have been having protein and a nice salad. The first week was great, lost 5 pounds in 6 days. And this week is a lot different. Not only have I not lost any weight, now I am constipated and my surgery is tomorrow. Religiously drinking 64-80 oz of water every day. Taking Miralax every day or every other this week. I broke down and took a stool softener last night. Still nothing. Started using a heating pad about an hour ago. Today I am only li…

Hello I had a short meeting with my surgeon today basically I had to go in for a weigh in and just making sire I still wanted the surgery. She said they will submit my paperwork to BCBS and it can take anywhere from 2 days to up until 3 weeks for authorization. She is wanting to do the surgery in February so I am hoping I hear something by the end of next week. How long did it take for you guys and gals to get a date?

Hi all. I just discovered this app and want to say hello. I'm going in on Wednesday morning for VSG. I am not on any specific pre-op diet, but instructed not to gain/overindulge. I'm going to Dr. Atkinson in Las Vegas. I'm a little in shock this is happening in less than 48 hours, but feel as ready as I will ever be. I started the process at the end of May, was supposed to go September/October but was ultimately scheduled for 11/23 because of delays at my PCP. My daughter tested positive for Covid on 11/12, which sent me into quarantine until 11/27. After my negative test and some updated labwork I am back on for 12/23. So it's been a process to say the least. I…

What were your next steps? My insurance required 3 diet visits, psychological exam, and medical clearance. Today was my last visit i completed all my insurance requirements, but have yet to speak with my advocate. My doctor said she will call me to schedule consents. What are consents? How did your process go after your last diet visit?

Hi when I initially started this journey I was set up for a sleeve. After undergoing two endoscopies it was found that I have a small benign tumor in the lining of my stomach which will have to be removed during surgery but now I have to have a bypass. I am still going through with it but I am a little more nervous because bypass is more invasive or maybe it isn’t, any ideas about this ?

Hello guys how do you guys feel with just liquid diet 2 week before surgery as for me im only allowed protein shakes, I am feeling light headed and nauseous is this normal the first days im on day 2?

Hi everybody! First post on these forums, but I have been reading them for weeks in preparation for gastric sleeve surgery. I have just finished all of the pre-op requirements for my surgery team and had my last appointment with them. They are sending in my information to my insurance today for approval! Reading through these forums has been super helpful the last few weeks to make me feel more confident in this decision and has given me information I didn't even think to ask about, but I have a few questions with my surgery date potentially about to be set (the team is confident if/when insurance approves, we can get my surgery in early-mid January! ?) : 1) For…