stephanie1678

I am worried about you. Did you see a psychologist as part of your approval process? I am asking this out of genuine concern, and not to 'slam' you.

You think this is what has been causing you all the pain you have been writing about over the past few days?

Same here, July 25th.

Which insurance would that be (the complication insurance one)

Did you ever find out where you doctor disappeared off to? Strange how he just quit and picked up and left...

And this is why it is SO important to research your surgeon well (not saying your surgeon is not a good one because stuff does happen even to the good surgeons). Also, while your bills are over $100K, a self-pay patient would not be billed as much. I hope you get better soon. Leaks suck big time. ♥

Global Protective Solutions has an insurance you can take out that covers complications if your out of the countrty hospital is on their approved list (you cannot get coverage if you have surgery in the U.S.). Expensive though. $1160 for $20,000 of complications coverage (you can take out less coverage too). Seven Corner's Global Protection Policy offers a WAY better package, but is only available for JRC accredited hospitals. If you are self pay I would suggest getting the BEST surgeon your money can buy (either in the U.S or in Mexico, matters not....both places have good and bad doctors). There are some EXCELLENT surgeons in Mexico with almost non-existent complication rates. Research your options. Also remember many complications may very well be covered depending on how your treatment back home is coded. Blood clots and dehydration for example would be hard to prove are due to the surgery alone and in all likelihood would be covered. Leaks however would definitely not be covered. Because of this, find a surgeon with an as close to 0% leak rate as you can find (and don't take the dr's word for it....search all the forums etc). I know my surgeon has only had 1 leak in a virgin sleeve, and that was early in his career. Other surgeons have been equally successful.

My insurance states they will not cover any kind of repair/surgery if it is done in combination with weight loss surgery.

If you still have restriction, I would try sticking to a low carb diet first. I saw this mentioned on another forum. May be worth a try if you are not losing weight right now.: Calories: no more than 800 cals every day your first year ....or.... until you reach GOAL DAILY Macronutrients: Protein ..90 grams carbs ...first year....less than 40 gs TOTAL (never NET) 1year+ out ...never more than 60gs TOTAL for LIFE fats..... never more than 30 grams for LIFE! DAILY Measured food amounts: NEVER ..eat more than 4oz of food , no matter the type........ at any meal.... FOR LIFE. A couple noteworthy Ten Commandments: Thou shall not eat more than 3 meals per day and shall not have unhealthy Snacks between meals. Thou shall exercise 5 times per week for 40-45 minutes. Thou shall ONLY weigh yourself once per week Thou shall not covet the carbohydrate.

Is there a concern about surgery after the sleeve that I am not aware of? I thought weight loss increased the chances of successful future surgeries?

Did he do a leak test? Did you see your new stomach? If I was that concerned, I would ask for clarification. If you don't, it is going to eat at you.

It is there. But when I first joined, I did not even know when I got a PM. I had some sitting there as well. Felt bad about that after.

I PMed her yesterday.

I have. She is not answering it.

This is addressed to Serenity1959. Ss...

Can you tell me who your complication insurance is with and how much you took out?

Again, is this with Global Protective Insurance? If so, how much did yo take out? I PMed you as well...

Is your insurance covering all this?

Good luck and speedy recovery. I am less than a week behind you.

Note this part of the policy: Home country coverage may vary according to the country's specific insurance regulations I cannot get them to commit to saying that treatment in the U.S. is covered due to this exclusion (saying to just take his word for it, but they will not put it in writing). Called them again and they are incredibly RUDE in how they refuse to address this. The sales agent told me he is annoyed with my many questions and refuses to answer any further questions.

How did it go?

That's me too. I was in such a dark place yesterday that I was about to cancel. Then woke up feeling much better about it all, did a HUGE mountain hike this evening, and feel re-energized. The evenings are always a little harder for me though. Too much time to worry and imagine the worst. My date is July 25th.

Are you talking about the Global insurance? I am not sure how I feel about that company. How much are you taking out? I am still considering it, but have some doubts.

Dr Garcia does single incision as well....

I am being sleeved by Dr Aceves next week. I did extensive research, checked out complications rates, technique, etc and for me he was the obvious and best choice.