PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

Hey all, So I got my insurance approval and have surgery this Thursday, August 13 and my doctor is not requiring me to do the liquid diet. I had one last get together, plus my time of the month, somehow gained like 10 pounds from my original weight. I’m so upset about it. But my pre-op appointment is at the hospital this Tuesday and worried about my weight gain. I’m doing the liquid diet on my own starting tomorrow. When I called my doctors office they said it should be fine. But I’m still nervous, has anyone day of surgery denied? Thank you!

Has anyone gained weight during 6 mo medical weight management? My consult weight was 331 and I'm up to 347. They told me I need to get back to my 331 weight by my pre-op appointment. I have my last medical management appt on June 1st trying to lose 13 pounds by then as I'm down to 343. Has anyone got denied due to weight gain?

Hey everyone my RNY is on the 19th went to my pre screen appointment today. Started my optifast 2 days ago. I’m just feeling really sad and down and a bit depressed. Anyone else feel like this before surgery?

Hey guys, just a little something to keep you encouraged. For me, the pre-op phase was the hardest part of my journey. I am currently 9 mos. P.o. from gastric bypass. I love my tool and wish I had went forward 3 years Ago when I first started this journey. I had lots of questions, but I wanted to know what life was like after the procedure. I wanted to hear from people who were experiencing it. So, this is my info..sw 264 lbs. , cw 186 lbs. Medical issues before surgery...hypertension, diabetes, pcos, infertility, lupus, heart murmur. I currently only take a low dose hypertension pill ,but they will evaluate that at my next post-op appointment. Life is good and I have had…

Hey guys! I’ve completed 4/6 nutrition appointments needed. I was delayed do to Coronavirus, but I’m so ready for the final one! Just waiting out these last 2 months seems like forever!!! Decided with the sleeve & hoping CA stays open for elective surgeries. I don’t have an estimated surgery date yet but I can feel that I’m close!

I'm so disappointed in myself. I am 6 days into the liver reducing diet (following a milk diet), but I've had fast food every day. That's even more than I usually do. It's as though my brain has started craving all the things that I know I won't be having again. I feel like this is just classic me being self-destructive. Amazingly I haven't gained any weight because I've not been eating anything else, just fast food for dinner. I'm hoping I can put this past week behind me and start afresh, my surgery is on the 10th - is that enough time to turn it around?

Hello! I had a question about my insurance (MHS HIP Plus) and hopefully there are some people here who have the same plan as me!! I saw a post here from 2015 of people from Indiana with HIP discussing how hard it was to get the surgery. I've already started the process, met with my surgeon and now am scheduled to start with his nurse practioner at the end of August for the 3 month diet plan. I am wondering if it's gotten easier to get this since 2015 and if anyone knows if the weight loss team have any power in speeding up the process for my insurance. Also anyone with experiences and how long it took them to get approved, I'd love to know your stories!! I'm getting all m…

Hi there. I have a significant hiatal hernia, it causes a lot of pain and discomfort any time that I eat. I had an endoscopy to rule out infection or strangulation of the stomach. Anyway, the findings were that it’s likely that I have nerve damage in my hiatal hernia area and diaphragm. I have a telemedicine appointment with my bariatric surgeon on Monday, it’s my first consultation. My insurance “requires” 6 months of nutrition education before they will sign off on the surgery. I’m not asking to do it in 2 weeks, or even a month. I’m just curious if anyone out there has been able to petition their insurance with the help of a physician to shorten that time fr…

As part of my pre-op requirements for my surgery (I’m having the Sleeve in August 27th) my nutritionist requires that I purchase bariatric vitamins (have my vitamins) at least two weeks prior to surgery. I did that and opted for Bariatric Fusion. I just realized that the dosage is one vitamin 4 times a day. Woah. That seems like a lot! I’m going to do my best to remember to take all 4 every day but does anyone know of a chewable that’s only once or twice a day? Thanks!

It took me a long time to get where I am. A long backstory, I’ll try to make it brief. All my life it was implied that in order to lose weight, you must hate yourself for motivation. “I hate my thighs,” “if only I were thinner boys/girls would like me better.” And it didn’t help hearing phrases like “You have such a pretty face, but...” I grew up in an abusive home with a narcisisitic mother, this isn’t a huge part of it, but it explains a lot about why I hated myself in my childhood, teen years, and even my early 20s (I’m 38 now). I always struggled to fit in with anyone because I was always the fat girl. The few people I could relate to, I’ve stuck with throughout…

Im scheduled for vsg on July 21st, I am currently on my 10 liquid liver shrinking diet. My sciatic nerve pain is horribly painful & costing me sleep. Would I be allowed to get a cortisone shot this close to my surgery date? My situation is a little different, I am a veteran & my wls will be performed by a VA surgeon about 350 miles away. Separate from the VA, I also have private insurance & would be using a local provider that has given me a cortisone shot about 9 months ago. I just want to make sure it's safe & wouldn't hinder my wls date.

Hi there! I ran into an interesting issue today. I have the UHC Choice plan through T-Mobile. They use BRS through Optum, which I'm already registered for. I messaged both my Optum Nurse and UHC to get the guidelines for Bariatric Surgery in order to qualify. I should add in here that I work in Prior Authorizations for an insurance company, so I'm really familiar with the whole process and want to make sure things go smoothly because I know how one missing thing, mischecked box etc can mess things up. While attending the seminar for the office I will be having surgery with, the Director mentioned that a lot of companies were moving away from the six month diet requir…

Hi All! I’m having a revision on August 10th. I originally had gastric bypass September 2013 and was successful at losing 150lbs. Over the last 2 years I started gaining. I found out it was due to the opening from my stomach to my intestines fully opening and nothing staying in my pouch. My pouch is still it’s original size. I’ve gained 80lbs though I’ve tried my darnedest to do everything I could. And now I feel just disgusted with myself. I’ve been on a liquid diet and I haven’t lost even a pound in water. Now I’m worried a revision will not help. Does anyone have any experience with this? (I’ve put a call into my Dr but didn’t hear back from him) I would love to hea…

What happens if you test positive for covid 19, will that cause you to not get surgery? has anyone had this happen to them ( I am not currently positive) I just wanted to know given the current situation

Did anyone find themselves start to go back and forth between procedures before getting a surgery date? I find myself flip flopping between roux en y and gastric sleeve. At first I picked the sleeve but then I thought since it's the same prep I should go for the bypass since it gives better weight loss results. Now I'm thinking I don't want to be having malabsorption and the sleeve is fast to recover. Arggggg!

I have an appointment with a bariatric surgeon next week. Does anyone have any experience with getting approved with Blue Cross of Illinois ? My BMI is 38 and I have recently torn my meniscus . My A1C is 6.2 so I’m not sure if they will approve me or not ? Thanks

I know things are just starting to get back going again, but whats the wait time looking like for people like me that just completed all my pre-op. Will all the things that I completed still be good if the wait is really long ( ekg, labs, etc)

I attended a party today and I had very strong impulses to eat some of the food being served. I did not cheat but I cried when the desert was served from such an intense feeling of frustration. I had brought a cooler with my shakes and sugar free jello so I had something to fall back on. Once I said goodbye and got in the car I felt much better. I could have opted not to attend but I feel like I needed this challenge to prepare me for the road ahead. I felt a little embarrassed to cry over chocolate but I’ve been giving into every single impulse so long that the act of restraint caused me to cry. I have five more days to go until I have surgery. The next five should be a …

I started seeing my primary doctor to track weight loss (for insurance) in September and met with my surgeon for the first time on Wednesday (1/29) we discussed my options and he told me that he would have some tests ran but that it was my choice on which surgery I chose to have unless my test results suggested otherwise....he scheduled my tests for Friday (1/31) And during my gallbladder ultrasound the ultrasound tech asked me if I was in any pain and when I said no she said “that’s weird because your gallbladder is pretty nasty” I asked what she meant and she said that I had some stones and lots of polyps but not to worry bc the surgeon would just remove it during surge…

I just wanted to share my pre-op check list given to me by AAMC in annapolis so anyone new can have an idea of what they require Weight loss and Metabolic Surgery Program Patient Checklist Tel: 443-924-2900 Fax: 443-481-6713 Pre-Op Surgical & Insurance Requirements TESTING COMPLETE N/A DATE PHONE/FACILITY/PROVIDER  Cardiac Evaluation & Clearance □ □  Stress Test  Echo cardiogram  EGD (Upper Endoscopy) & Biopsy Reports  Sleep Study  Mental Health Evaluation/Clearance  Radiology/Imaging  Abdominal Ultrasound  Upper GI  Labs  Letter of Medical Necessity  Additional Tes…

Good morning I just wanted to give a little advise, I used an online nutritionist recommended by my Surgeon and group called New-Tri it was awesome and very informative, BUTTT be careful I had to pay for this out of pocket and now my team tells me that my insurance company may not accept it, so I may also have to take some additional nutrition classes. It is very frustrating. just FYI Hopefully this wont push me back to far and I can get an approval and my Surgery date

Does anyone have any recipes for meals that they recommend two weeks before surgery I'm having gastric bypass

I'm new to the group and finding my nerves getting the better of me as I get closer to my surgery. I was originally scheduled for April but it got pushed back due to COVID. I'm back on the schedule for 8/14. My surgeon gave me a list of vitamins but they all seem really pricey. I saw some in the shop here that were way more reasonably priced but any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

Hi I’m having the sleeve on 7/28 in Ohio. Looking for pen pal maybe eventually plastic surgery partner.

I'm very new in this process but I'm trying to dive right in. The more research I've been doing, the more I feel like this is the right thing for me to do. However, one part I have a lot of anxiety over is if my PCP will be accepting of this and give the referral or if I'll try to have to do some convincing. My previous PCP left his practice so I am going to a new doctor now at a whole different hospital. Was it easy for you to convince your PCP or were they just naturally accepting from the start? ? How do I bring this up to a doctor I'm new to?

Hi! I just had a successful meeting with my Doctor and was given a referral to the Bariatric program in my area. Even though I have a PPO insurance, I still needed this step. I am going to do 6 months of nutrition appointments required by my insurance and I call tomorrow to set it up. I also started blood pressure medication today. My BMI is right at 40 so I am nervous about being disqualified but hoping the BP meds help my case. Wishing everyone a successful day on their journey and wanted to share. Got the ball rolling and feeling good!

One week til surgery.... I'm getting so nervous yet excited!!

Hello, I started my 2 week pre-op diet on Monday.. Weighed myself Sunday night, and was 283. By Tuesday I was down to 278. Yesterday I was 276 and today I'm back to 278.. how the heck did that happen? I'm on two bariatric shakes plus one healthy meal a day. Usually 3oz chicken or steak with brocolli or green beans. I drink a crazy amount of water and I'm using Metamucil like the doctor asked.. What am I doing wrong?

Please help me with some ideas. I just started my prep liquid diet today and can only have shakes and sugar free liquids, prob is I suffer from nausea already and when I have anything sugar free it makes me so sick, so I'm on day one of this dang thing and I can't move because of the nausea is so bad. I asked doc but didn't give me any ideas besides zofran which is fine but the constipation can be really bad taking Zofran. Any help needed please!! I could liquids just fine if it weren't for the nausea!! ???

Hi all! So I'm in the middle of doing my prep work for surgery - initially my insurance wanted 6 months with a nutritionist but recently swapped it to 3. I'm doing it at the Cleveland Clinic and they also have you meet with a psychologist to walk through best start guide of all the things I can work on ahead of time. Some of those have been: Vitamins - I'm currently on the Procare Now barbaric multivitamin, calcium chew and biotin everyday (I think the last is me hoping it helps the tiniest bit) Water - 64 oz a day (bought a water bottle to help with this) Daily food diary (where I track what I eat, how I feel when eating, what my thoughts ar…

Hello everyone - I just signed up today to this platform -- so glad it is here! My surgery was on July 24th and since then, I have not been able to quench my thirst. It is driving me crazy. I have tried water, crystal light, decaf tea, ice chip, and nothing seems to work. Any suggestions? thank you-

I was wondering how soon before surgery did everyone start their liquid diets? Did you cheat? What did you do when your blood sugar would drop too low? surgery is July 22nd I am drinking clear liquids. Broth, Jello, sugar free popsicles and protein shakes just wondering what’s everyone else’s take on the liquid diet.

Good afternoon, I wanted to see if anyone's heartburn got BETTER after Modified Duodenal Switch. Please and thank you. My physician seems to think it will help me as the food will not be in the stomach for very long.

I am just getting started on this journey. I am wondering if anyone has gotten approval with Health Alliance *** and how difficult was it? I tried calling and the rep made it sound like all they need is a letter of necessity but thats not what the benefit book says. I am going to my primary care Monday to see about getting a referral to the surgeon and was wondering if there is anything I should know/do to make this a little less painful on getting approved. I am 5' 5.5" and around 290lbs. I have high blood pressure and if I do not do something soon will end up type 2 diabetic from what my primary has told me in the past.

My surgery date has been set on July 16. I also have to start my liquid diet and I wanted to know what protein drinks did you guys use and what else did you do to maintain being on the liquid diet? I'm super excited and nervous but I'm ready for a change!

looking for twins friends having surgery same day 23rd. how do you feel? done everything except covid thats in the morning friday ... its ok if bypass would like to join or band no problem just surgery on that date.

Newbie here! I am in menopause and have been for at least 5 years. I have a BMI of 42 with approximately 100 lbs to lose, which is about 78% of my excess weight. The reason why I gained this much weight is because I was in perimenopause since the age of 32 and my weight kept creeping up year after year. No diet or exercise regimen has worked and I see surgery as the only way I can lose without gaining it back and then some. I am working with a bariatric surgeon in a bariatric center of excellence in my area. She is very good at what she does, and has done 300 surgeries a year for the last 4 years, and does bariatric surgeries exclusively. After examin…

Got my surgery date for August 24th gastric bypass case#1 in Modesto with Dr. Coirin, super nervous and scared at the same time [emoji15][emoji3064][emoji46]

Surgery Date set for August 24th case 1 gastric bypass..in Modesto with doctor Coirin.. super nervous and excited at the same time.

I have finally gotten my approval and my date today for July 29th. Would absolutely love to have someone with the same date to take with but close to then would be cool too!(:

I'm scheduled for VSG in August after having two delays already this year due to covid-19. I know from extensive research on the subject that the rate of loss in the first 6 months is determined, by and large, by genetics (and after that it's all on me for the rest of my life in terms of diet and exercise). Yet as I get closer to the date, I find myself thinking about my genes - something I have no control over... and it's not like there aren't already enough post-surgery things to worry about that I do have control over. I'm having WLS to lose a lot of weight that I haven't been able to lose and keep off on my own with diet and exercise. I'm already doing everything…

I just rejoined the page yesterday. I read through many forums which are great! I wanted to add one to see if it can inspire me to be more successful in my preop and postop weight loss. As we all know the journey is hard just to decide to go through the process .for the surgery in the first place. What have you thought or started doing to help your life change to lose weight and keep it off? They say it takes 21 days to rewire the mind to break a habit. Today I am started with not eating after 8pm.

My liver shrink diet is to drink 4 protein shakes have a piece of fruit and a low carb low calorie meal I was expecting an all liquid diet. What was your liver shrink diet like ? My surgery date is 7/28

Newbie here! This is my first post, after months of lurking. I started this process in January and was jumping through all my hoops, and then COVID showed up. The stress of all the changes plus the total uncertainty about my surgery date have made it very hard for me to stay on track with developing my new eating habits. For folks who are in the COVID holding pattern, what are you doing to prepare for that unknown date in the future when we'll finally get our surgeries? I read somewhere that this is a good time to start trying out which protein powders you like, so I'll try that. What else? Thanks for any advice!

Hi I am going through the Kaiser options program in Southern California and completed all my classes and labs while I was taking the classes. The referral to the surgeon was sent on Thursday and I received a call Friday to speak the Surgeon for the first time next Friday the 26 by video call. I’m wondering what I should expect. Will my date be set? It is with Dr. Mun in South Bay-Harbor City Kaiser . Are there additional requirements that will need to be completed following this before the appointment is set ? Thank you all for your support!

Hello. I am due to get my surgery date assigned in a few days and I’m feeling really out of control with my eating. I’m not eating extremely large amounts but eating everything I think I won’t be able to have again. The things I am eating are bagels, large onion rings and chocolate covered cookies. I tell myself this is the last night and I will do better tomorrow’ but it starts again. The thing is I wasn’t eating like this before I decided to have surgery. Please tell me this panic eating will stop. Help!

Good morning, Sorry for the long post.. But I think I'm gonna need some support here, my plane takes off tomorrow and my surgery is the next day. I am so getting nervous and jittery about the surgery and the new life that is about to begin. I sat there thinking last night that maybe i should just postpone this and wait and see how i feel later on. But I know I would be chickening out which is so unlike me and just making excuses like (I'm not that heavy, I still fit into my clothes (only because I had to keep buying bigger sizes), I can control my eating (so I'll just start exercising a lot more), Everyone loves me for who I am (but I have to Love myself too), I lost…

My surgery is scheduled for next week and I'm kind of freaking out about how I'm going to get to and from the hospital. I'm not telling anyone about the surgery, so I have no one to drive me (plus all of my family is hundreds of miles away and I don't have any close friends in the area I would feel comfortable asking, even if it was something other than weight loss surgery). I live in a rural area about an hour from the hospital. There is a home health care agency in a neighboring small town that also does housekeeping, and I have used their housekeeping services several times, so I know them a little and trust them. They are usually pretty flexible, accommodating…

they told me at first i didn't have to do it.. now they said i have to.... im scared of this test..

My boyfriend said I would only lose 40-50 pounds that’s 50-70% . Has anyone gotten lower. Is it possible for me to reach my goal weight of 140 pounds. I am having surgery on 7/28.