Lauren87

Hello! Glad to connect with another local person! I think you really hit the nail on the head about making things off-limits. I tend to fail when I do that (long term, short term I can do it). I would like to live a life of moderation and I'm hoping that the bypass can help with that. It's overwhelming at times, but hearing from folks like you is really helpful! I am really, really looking forward to getting a more effective tool. Fingers-crossed! Thanks for sharing your experience!

I tried a few brands of Protein powders but my favorite right now is called scitec nutrition.
Water and powder shake it up yummy

Lauren87-
This is a great post!
I am just like you. Got a lap band about 10 years ago and it worked great--until it didn't. Now I have to get it removed and want to revise to a RNY.
I've developed a touch of diabetes in the last few months and have tried to give up sugar, which will help with both my diabetes and learning not to eat sweets after the bypass. Sometimes I slide a bit, but after the bypass I imagine a bad dumping will change that!
Anyway, good luck with your decision, and visit here often. The peeps are funny, smart, supportive and the best bunch of friends I have NEVER met!

So glad to hear of your success! Thank you for the advice!

Looking forward to the sleeve in early 2020!! Must Must focus on drinking more Water and Portion Control. Need to be more intentional on what environmental issues cause me to overeat. (Mostly family relationships). But I'm also extremely hopeful for some open doors for the ministry God has given me. Ready to start the journey.!!!!!

I’ve been doing this same thing. Caffeine was the hardest. But now the canine headaches are gone and I’m just down to my occasional fun sized piece of candy which is gone next Monday. That’s my drop dead day. Pre op liquid diet starts the 12th and I say goodbye to old eating thoughts and Bad foods forever. I’m very all or none and if I tell myself eating it will make me dump I’ll avoid it. I hate being sick that much.

Thank you for this! I know getting off the sugar is going to be essential pre-surgery and you're right, it's better to do it now than to deal with it while also recovering.

Absolutely get rid of the junk now! It will make recovery so much easier. You have to knock the sugar. Period. With bypass, you don't want to risk dumping. It takes about 3 days, but once you are off the sugar, the cravings will settle down - unless you take a single bite again. I was already wheat free, but knocked off the sugar, all soda, all processed foods, and caffeine preop. I was soooo glad I did. No withdrawal from any of that crap when I was already dealing with recovery.

I was the worse eater in the world - 52 years of junk, fast food, and beat the hell out of my body. Sugar was a my lifeline. I started with switching to fake healthy sugar then eventually got off it all together. I had the sleeve and it was the best decision i ever made.
You can use my decision - I sat down and decided to choose to life vs eat and drink, Good luck and I hope it works out for you

This is very informative, thank you! I am hoping to get the ball rolling before I even meet with the bariatric team so that I'm really in a good space when I begin the process. I have begun incorporating more movement into my days and prioritizing Protein, but I know I have a ways to go before I'm at a point where I'll see weight loss. It sounds like you're in a great place and I'm sure you're going to do great post-op!

I am a lap band to sleeve gastrectomy. My surgery is scheduled for 11/22/19. I have a nasty slip with my babe which I'm convinced happened after my gallbladder removal sx. I gained haha of what I lost after the gallbladder sx. Fortunately I have Tricare and all will be covered. I know a young lady who when to Mexico to Pompeii Bariatric. They seem to be reasonable and may work with you. Check them out. Can't hurt. You need to get that thing out if nothing more.

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I can understand why--surgery is very expensive! I have done a lot of research on health insurance plans and I have seen a few that have the strict "one surgery per lifetime" clause, which as your surgeon says, is ridiculous. I can sort of understand the rationale if the plan was the same, but because they're not, they have no reason to complain. Insurance can be so frustrating!
Having to go through the supervised diet again is such a pain, but I'm glad to hear it's 3 months and not 6. I really wish there was more acceptance and understanding from the insurance companies (I know, I know, never going to happen)... you're in a hard place and it's absurd to think you're supposed to pay for it on your own. After I had my Lap-band surgery, I had several health insurance plans with written exclusions on baratric surgery and that is a large reason that I haven't had follow-up done in years--I can't pay for it out of pocket. It was a per-existing condition I came to the plan with!
I'm sure your program manager knows this, but I'd be anxious to get a pre-authorization letter for the surgery, then you know they're on the hook for covering it!

I'm in Wisconsin and can only speak to my experience for VSG>RNY revision insurance approval. I had really bad GERD and my endoscopies showed Barrett's. So Blue Shield (my employer is in CA) approved it immediately for GERD and did not impose any pre-operative requirements such as monitored weight loss, etc. So my recommendation would be to pursue it for complications and not WLS if you want a quick approval.

I am revising from band to bypass on October 24. Unfortunately, despite insane nausea, heartburn, the pain with eating, I had nothing that looked to be an emergency, so I had to start back from the beginning with weigh-ins and nutrition visits. Without anything showing the band had to come out in an emergency situation, insurance would not cover the revision.

I hope you have better luck, but just be prepared that it might not happen right away! It's a bummer, but I'm certain it will be worth not dealing with the band anymore 😃

Thank you both, Orchids&Dragons and MsBosse! I appreciate your insight. I really have no clue what the policy will look like until open enrollment since it was previously a written exclusion and this is the first time they've covered it. I'm a state employee with group health insurance/uniform benefits, so I'll be curious to see if each plan will have the same language regarding revision, or if they'll be different. I spoke to a nurse with the bariatric program last week and felt a little defeated because I felt like she was pushing towards the idea that if there's nothing wrong with the band, I'm SOL. Now, whether or not that is true, I don't know. That may just be me being hyper-sensitive.

Again, I appreciate the feedback from you both! Once the plans are out, I'll start digging, calling, and consulting. Thank you!

Thank you both, Orchids&Dragons and MsBosse! I appreciate your insight. I really have no clue what the policy will look like until open enrollment since it was previously a written exclusion and this is the first time they've covered it. I'm a state employee with group health insurance/uniform benefits, so I'll be curious to see if each plan will have the same language regarding revision, or if they'll be different. I spoke to a nurse with the bariatric program last week and felt a little defeated because I felt like she was pushing towards the idea that if there's nothing wrong with the band, I'm SOL. Now, whether or not that is true, I don't know. That may just be me being hyper-sensitive.

Again, I appreciate the feedback from you both! Once the plans are out, I'll start digging, calling, and consulting. Thank you!

Your surgeon's office will have the best guidance. They go through the hoops all the time. It's not your problem to figure out.

I was banded in 2012 and now I am doing a revision to the sleeve with insurance. I have Aetna and they pretty much approve anything. I did have a revision on the band in 2015 due to acid reflux and my gallbladder. After my gallbladder was removed I started to gain the weight I lost back and the band gives me horrible pain in the port. If possible I would see if your insurance shows the clinical information on what they approve for certain procedures and what the requirements are to get approved. Aetna has it where you just call them and tell them what you are trying to do and they give you a clinical id that tells you what you need to be approved. Based on that information I should be approved soon for my revision to the sleeve. I would just check with the insurance company and ask. I hope this helps.