Lisa1171

At least 64 oz a day should be your minimum. It's really difficult to get that much in at first but fortunately, all fluids count toward that total.

I had GERD pre-op controlled by Nexium. I still choose the VSG for the long term nutrition and malabsorption issues. I had TERRIBLE REFLUX from week 2 to week 12 post op. I lived on TUMS, Rolaids and Gas-X. I dreaded sleeping every night since I knew I would wake up with acid in my nose/throat and coughing for hours.
BUT......I would do it all again. I'm done with that now and I feel fantastic. The nutritionist at support group told me I was clearly an exception, but that it would subside i n 3-6 months post op. She was right. So I guess I'm the worst case scenario for you to consider when making your decision.

GERD can be a real issue for sleeve patients. If your pre-op reflux is caused by a hernia and you have that repaired at the time of your surgery, then you can potentially see an improvement in your GERD. But if your acid issues have some other cause, you will be likely to continue experiencing them post-op. In fact, some people who never have acid issues pre-op experience them post-op with the sleeve.

I could eat Protein bars (Quest) before suregery but can't stomach them at all now and don't like the taste anymore. Your tastes and preferences can defniitely change post-surgery.
My regular Protein foods include: boiled eggs, Greek yogurt (with less than 10 grams sugar), Muscle Milk 100 shakes, almonds, lunchmeat, steak (YUM!), chicken, fish, tuna, fat-free refried Beans, cheese.... lots of choices.
I do add in shakes frequently if I need more protein for the day.

Was your Protein Bar chocolate? I used to have acid reflux and chocolate is one of the triggers. Try one that isn't chocolate to see if that makes a difference.

@@Lisa1171, as you meet with your surgeon make sure you talk about your reflux issue. The sleeve can make your reflux worse. I was going to have that surgery and did a ton of research with doctors and on line.
Once completing research it was very clear which surgery would resolve my comorbidities.
At first I was disappointed and was not bought in so I saw a gastroenterologist who confirmed that it would be a mistake for me to go with the sleeve and would likely end up having to have it revised to RNY down the road.
I wanted one surgery and to be done. I have not regretted my decision to have RNY for even one second.
Good luck to you!

Honestly Protein is no problem. There are great options for Protein shakes which have 30grams in one serving. There are also good solutions for Protein Bars that don't cause tummy problems however I use bars very rarely. I drink one shake every morning and then my food makes up the difference. You don't have much room for other stuff so Protein becomes the priority.
Also not sure if part of your problem is caused by reflux but if so, depending on which surgery you go with, this may get resolved. I chose RNY for this very reason and I have not had any reflux or even basic heartburn since surgery.
There are foods I stay away from because I simply don't tolerate it. Mostly they have to do with lactose. Since surgery I have a slight case of lactose intolerance. I cannot drink a glass of regular milk but I can eat as much cheese as I want.

One thing I would be cautious with Medicare about is that they will stiff you on some meds... liquid pain meds are like 2-3 hundred dollars, so make sure your surgeon writes you a script that will be covered. My gf has this issue & went through post op with no meds after she was released home from hospital. Good luck everyone.
They covered everything else though.

The process for working toward WLS can definitely be a long one. Insurance companies are very specific with what they require of their patients, as bariatric surgery is costly and requires a lifetime commitment on the part of the patient. Many of us have problems that could easily be related to our weight, but I'm not surprised that insurance companies want to have documented medical files that these issues factually exist and that other measures have been taken to try and resolve them. It can try your patience with all the steps you have to take, but you're on the right path to a better overall health- keep us posted & feel free to ask your questions

Thank you. I did everything they required and I have at least 5 cormobities one of which is heart disease which I had a bypass 9 years ok so I would hope that might persuade them.. but I guess we will see

well it's been a week today since paperwork was submitted to medicaid and haven't heard anything yet. I have been doing this since May and am so ready to get this over with so I can start living a more full life. I miss working and doing things with the grandkids. I just wish they would hurry and and make up their minds whether to approve me or not.

I pray you get approved. It's so hard to get anything out of medicaid. Good luck hun!

They should do a study if you have never had one. If you DO have signs of s.a. make sure to let them know that. I felt like mine was gonna take forever...but it's flying by. I'm a little ahead of you in the process so maybe if you have any questions I can answer them for you. Hit me up anytime and add me as a friend if you want.

I have acid reflex but not sure if it's charted as gerd or not and i have aches an pain in my feet but dont know if i should go to the dr again seems like im always there.

thanks for the info i think i hope they do a sleep study on me .I have a bone mas over 35 i have high chestrol and acid reflex i have my first orintation tomorrow it's going to be a long process

Not sure if you need to know how to get approved but With Medicare, with Florida at least, for what i know about approval, you have to have had been overweight for at least 3 yrs, have either high bp, sleep apnea, diabetes. And there are a few more things that qualify and your bmi has to be more than 40 or at least 35 w/co-morbilities. If you haven't been diagnosed with sleep apnea, they may send you to get tested. I myself do not have high bp or diabetes but I do have sleep apnea which I found out after my Doc sent me for the test. I also have acid reflux..BAD. Lapband from what I have been told, will help that if not cure it. I have bad joint pains and arthritis. Looking forward to being lighter on my feet..literally:) Good luck hun!

I am still waiting on my exact date but do know its the middle of December and I am having Lapband but i had my choice between that and the sleeve. Medicare is my primary/medicaid secondary. My first visit to my doc was Sept. 16th. I have finished all other required task asked of me besides that I will see my Nutritionist Thursday and i will get my exact surgery date then. Getting REALLY excited!

I, too, went though the process with Medicare and Medicaid. First off, find out their requirements. You can call the number on your card or look online. Medicare does NOT do a prior authorization but Medicaid does. Medicare will be your primary. I was denied by Medicaid and told by the hospital that if Medicaid denied then it was very unlikely that Medicare would pay.
However, because I felt confident that I did meet the requirements, I sent a letter to Medicaid requesting an appeal hearing. Within a week I got a letter with an appeals date, then 2 days after that I got another letter saying that Medicaid had decided they cover my surgery after all. Makes you wonder if they just automatically deny and hope you don't appeal. Anyway, my point is- do your homework and don't take "no" for an answer.

I started back in April 2014 and am just submitting paperwork today to medicaid so we will see what they say. I am hoping so I can get some weight off and get back to work. I miss working believe that or not. It's hard to keep a job when you can't stand very long because of bad knees and weight.

I'm not sure which one pay for what but it shouldn't take 3 yrs for the whole process, I wish you luck. I have Medicare/Medicaid as well.

Good luck to your mom! It's great that she has your support and concern. ????

Hey. Welcome. I agree with the others. I say call your insurance company first before getting your hopes up if you're not planning to pay for this yourself. The ins. companies run this game and they will have hoops for you to jump through. I have great/honeymoon examples, fair examples and just plain old noncompliant and horrible examples of people with this surgery. Oh yeah and some stellar veterans from this site. I think it's up to the individual. If you/we can get the support needed and are really ready to take on the task of discovering and coming to terms with how we got here....I think it will be OK.

Hi Lisa,
I have been told post op hair loss is due to not getting enough Protein. I have suffered from depression and PTSD but am stable, approval wasn't an issue. No disrespect to your Mom but perhaps check into different surgeon or hospital. It does not seem that her program has good after care or prep. If a post op patient chooses to eat high calorie food and no Protein the surgery won't work. It is an excellent tool for thousands though. Best wishes!

Hi Lisa,
Congrats on taking the first steps towards a health life. In addition to your insurance rules, the hospital you chose will have a protocol and program. My insurance would only approve a "bariatric surgical center of excellence" which was also recommended by my PCP. I had to lose 8% body fat, attend six weeks of lifestyle classes, go to two bariatric surgery meetings, have an extension psych profile, two visits, will an exercise physiologist, and meet with P.A. and dietitian before I could meet with director of surgery. You also need blood work and maybe other tests like a sleep study, stress test and also an EKG. Once she approved me, I met with the surgeon. SO....not a quick easy fix nor the easy way like some think, lol I did get insurance company approval though in 24 hours though I am having bypass in 2 weeks and can't wait to be 100 lbs lighter

Hi Lisa first I would like to say congrats on your choice to be healthy in regards to your questions it depends on your insurance requirements that will determine first of you are approved as well as the requirements that you will have to go through to see your requirements some insurance like mine required a 6 month process in which your weight had to be managed by your doctor and various test before I was approved my entire process took 10 months. Once you go to your first seminar this will discuss all types of surgery that is out there for you. Good luck with your choice.