lovealways

It's called Winthrop Surgical Associates and it is a Center of Excellence. The surgeon's name is Dr. Collin Brathwaite. He operates in Long Island and Queens. Check him out! He's amazing!

Yes, but you will lose health coverage when you turn 26

My sister had her hiatal hernia repaired while having her VSG procedure done....however, her insurance covered both. We live in NY and have a great surgeon. I am not sure the cost of VSG in NY or NJ =\

Hmm. I'd like to know too. Some people say they go by your first ever weigh-in at your consult with the surgeon but idk

Wrong. Those foods are mushy, yes, but loaded with tons of carbs/fat/sodium and 0 nutritional benefits. Were you explained by your surgeon in detail what is acceptable and what's not? Pasta is a no-go, practically for all of our WLS life from here on out lol. Good luck

My UHC plan is great too...but they also only cover one weight loss surgery as well =\ That's better than nothing though!

What are your stats by the way? BMI? Maybe they can look past the whole age thing if they see that it's medically necessary right now.

I didn't realize we live basically pretty close to one another. I live in Mineola on Long Island. I have similar insurance to yours....United Healthcare Community Plan, which is also a medicaid plan. I was so dead set on having VSG surgery, but found out MOST medicaid hmo's like ours ONLY pay for gastric bypass since the VSG is a newer procedure. I would call your plan to see if they cover VSG and what the requirements are. I would check out Dr. Barkan or Dr. Brathwaite at Winthrop Hospital bariatrics. They are amazing and MAY operate on you despite your age.

Are you from NY by any chance?

Ricooo Suave!!!! Woohoo!! ::whistles::

We only get ONE BODY in this lifetime. That says enough. Who would want to hurt their bodies like that on purpose AND after a major surgery?

My sister is 6 days post-op and 8 lbs down. She is still on a clear liquid diet...tomorrow she can finally introduce protein shakes, sugar free/fat free pudding and some sugar free/fat free foods. After that, she goes on to the pureed stage of mushy foods for 7--14 days, then slowely introduces solid foods, but very carefully. No fruit/veggies for months post-op, and no bread for months, if ever. She also walks 1/2 a day. Every surgeon's idea of a diet post-op is different, but maybe you are moving a little too quickly post-op! Strawberries are high in sugar! Bread, even whole grain, is high in carbs and empty calories! Maybe try to stick to protein first! Good luck

I've been every weight under the sun due to chronic yo-yo dieting. At my highest, 265, I now wear a 20 in lane bryant. At my lowest, 127, I was wearing a size 9. At 165, I used to wear a 12/13. I'm 5'4". I know for sure I'd probably never be a size 3 lol.

Congrats!

This is confusing to me as well. My BMI is 46 from my first weight with PCP and surgeon. If I lose weight and drop to a 40, is that ok? I always hear they go by your first weigh in with surgeon.

I have UHC and was dead set on getting a vertical sleeve. I researched it, was excited, and found out they don't cover any type of WLS unless it's RnY bypass. I've researched RnY and I'm now okay with getting it, but just check with UHC on their requirements and coverage. Every UHC plan is different.

I keep getting mixed messages too about requirements, etc. No one seems to know much. I have UHC Community Plan. I'm doing all the pre-op work now...but geez...some answers would be nice.

Usually those with a BMI of 50 or greater will have to do luvenox injections. My sister gets hers twice a day for a week.

Is it normal to throw up post-op day 3? Not a lot, but some nausea? I think painkillers would make the nausea worse, right?

Tracey is doing ok. She is in surgical ICU still with very much pain. They are keeping her in ICU because her stomach is very swollen? Is this normal? =\

Here's an update on Tracey (I'm her sister) ... She is all set and ready for surgery and should be going in within 15 mins. Doctors found a hiatal hernia and will also repair that. We'll keep you posted! Good luck to everyone else having surgery this day!

Here's a few questions. Answer based on your own experience. I'm just curious, really 1. For the most part, the process to becoming sleeved isn't always an easy one. Insurance throws us hoops and loops and then we're sometimes asked for a 6 month diet or weigh in, and a ton of various dr. appointments we need to fit into our busy schedules. My question is...during that long process that seemed like it'd take forever, what convinced you to be patient and hold it out? Knowing that even after you completed all the requirements, insurance could still deny you, what kept you going? 2. If gastric sleeve surgery was completely out of the question...you couldn't self-pay, couldn't go to Mexico, and insurance kept denying you or didn't cover WLS...what would have been your plan B? Would you feel hopeless or maybe even hopeful? 3. We all have had our doubts before deciding on if the sleeve was a good choice for us or not Post-op and after losing a good amount of weight, was there a particular "ah-ha" moment that stood out to you and made you realize you made the right choice (or not)? 4. Now that you're post-op and (most likely) enjoying your new life...thinking back, is there anything you miss about your old life? The consolation of food, how you felt, etc. Thanks! Answer 1, none, or all...I'm just really interested in hearing about experiences from a different perspective.

Need some clarification, please! So I called my insurance company (united healthcare community plan) and they said they only cover gastric bypass. I wanted the sleeve. I heard that some surgeons are able to actually get the sleeve covered, but it is a little bit of extra work. Is this just wishful thinking? Also, I had my first consultation with my surgeon. So far, no one knows if I need a 6 month supervised diet since the patient advocate was out on vacation. I called my insurance 900 times and they said they don't see anything about a 6 month diet and that the only requirement is pre-auth. Should I go ahead and assume I don't need it or just go ahead and do the 6 months anyway?? Ahhhhhh. So frustrating! Thank you!!!! :)