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From my research it looks like the plication is often coupled with a lap band. if you go to a band board you will see a lot of topics about this procedure and get some feedback from those who have done it. I did ask my surgeon about it and he told me that it is not something that he does. In his opinion there are just too many possible complications associated with that procedure. He said that someone considering the band plus plication is better off with the sleeve or bypass.

I do know that these surgeons go to conferences all the time. Mine has been to 2 multi-days ones in the past 2 months. He came back with all sorts news about recent studies and trends and which groups are now promoting WLS. You would think that things would be more standardized given that but they sure aren't.

A little Yoga goes a long way. Ever since I started I rarely get any aches or pains in my joints or back no matter how much I exercise. As we get older we need to stretch out and Yoga is perfect for that.

That looks awesome! Please come to Connecticut or the NYC area

If you don't feel comfortable then you shouldn't do it. I just haven't seen any research that makes me think this is a common issue but since they only have a limited number of years of data anything is possible. Any procedure has a leap of faith element to it, this one included.

Make sure you always get a receipt. Whenever I pay in cash they pull out the book and hand write one. Keep yelling because they should still have a record of you being there at that time and why. Medical professionals have to account for every patient they see and detail what was done. They must have something there. You just need to keep pushing them to find it.

Patrick, once again you come up with the most helpful and informative posts on this whole forum. I still have 4 months to go on my medically supervised diet before we can even get a date. That's a long time to think about things. By the time I go to the hospital you will be done with all the major medical and close to being on your new normal routine. I'm thrilled that you are letting me follow along with your progress so I can get a good picture of what I have to look forward to. Thanks and keep posting

Can't they just go back to their appointments and look it up? These things don't exist in a vacuum. There were codes that had to entered so they could bill it and insurance information that they needed to submit. You could go back to your calendar and give them the date and time of the appointment and they should be able to look it up from that.

She might be confusing this surgery with something else. It hasn't been around for 10 years or at least as an independent procedure. There is no way she could be seeing patients 10 years out. There aren't even that many who are 5 years out. That's why some insurance companies won't cover it. They want more long term data first.

Life does has a way of throwing you curveballs. All you can do is recognize them and learn how to hit them. You will get through this and figure out the right thing to do.

Stevia is definitely not as sweet as Splenda. The body gets used to sweet and salty which means the most you use the more it takes to get that same taste. It took me a couple of days to get used to the less sweet taste of Stevia but once I did I vastly preferred it. Since it's natural like sugar it doesn't have that chemical taste you get in the artificial sweeteners. The price has been coming down too as long as you stay away from the Truvia brand. The Walmart version of Stevia is around the same price as Splenda and Equal.

Stevia is the way to go. It's just a leaf so it's a lot more like sugar than Splenda or Equal. Truvia is the most well known brand name of Stevia, it's put out by Cargill, but you can't go wrong buying a different version of Stevia for a lot less.

I asked my nutritionist this exact thing the last time we met. She told me that insurance company just wants to be able to check the box that you met the requirement. They don't care about the results. She told me that some people really need it because they had no idea what a proper diet should look like. For others, like me, she doesn't have much to tell me past the 1st session. She'd be happy with me losing 1 pound a month for a total of 6 pounds but the insurance company doesn't care.

Stunning pictures. I love the way you use the same pose to really show your progress. You have the right attitude and are obviously working very hard. You're going to get to your goal. Count on it.

For the past 6 years I've been practicing Yoga 6 days a week. Despite all that time there are way too many poses that I just can't do properly. I'm sick of modifying them because my stomach is in the way. I'm going to do the whole program exactly as it's taught. No more modifications or getting my elbow just half way over my knee. My Yoga will be perfect for the first time in my life.

I have not been sleeved yet but I've been on enough diets to know that rule 1 is to recognize when you screwed up. You did that. You realize the consequences and won't make the same mistake again. What's done is done but the way you are handling it is a very positive sign for the future. Stop beating yourself up and learn from this, which is sounds like you already have.

Remember that they are not you. You know what you need to do for yourself. Don't let anyone else influence your choices. Make sure you take care of #1 because no one else is going to.

Getting information never hurt anyone. Go to the information session and then see if it's right for you

I know where you are coming from. I'm a short guy but I have a large frame and have always been big. I don't want to suddenly become short and tiny guy. Go to the Man Room forum. You'll see that there are many guys into weight training who don't just lose all their muscle after this surgery. They're not suddenly 150 pound, spandex wearing marathon runners. They still look like guys you can play Saturday morning flag football against. It put my mind at ease. Check it out.

That's a good reason why a councelor could really help both of you. Having a professional who knows how to get couples to communicate is a good thing. If you willing to talk about it on a board with strangers you should be willing to see someone who is trained to help in this area.

You should post a review of both after you have a chance to try them. That would be very helpful to others with the same question.

How did you get that? Was it a special offer?

Every insurance company is different. Even different plans in the same insurance company can be different since employers can decide not to include coverage for this surgery. It's very possible that there isn't a medically supervised diet requirement. My advice would be to go to a couple of different informational sessions for surgeons who accept your insurance and then once you find one you like explain the situation and ask how to proceed.

Weight loss surgery isn't for everyone. If he's able to get down from a 40 + BMI to a 25 BMI through diet then he doesn't need this. Not everyone is able to do that though. I've been on Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers and many others over the years without those results. You have to do what works for you.

Patrick Rocks! His posts have been incredibly helpful. Can't wait to read about the next part of his journey to health