Edavidson

It will get better, once you are able to eat solid food again. This is the hardest part but you will adjust. I hope you feel better soon.

JPF1961: Find out if your State requires that insurance pay for weight loss surgery. If they do you have a very good chance of getting your money back. I would at least give it a try.

I am five months out as of May 10th. I still get nauseated and throw up. I take a double dose of Prilosec and I take ultra gas X because you can't eat you have gas so bad you feel like you are going to throw up and being so hungry makes you sick at your stomach. Some people have this problem and some don't. I have nausea medicine from my Dr. you should ask for something for your sick stomach, it is not good to throw up all of the time because you can tear your sutures.

I am very excited and I had to share. I went to the Dr. this morning and I have lost another 10 lbs. Last month I only lost 1 lb. and was so upset but today gave me another boost. May 10th i was five months post op. My total weight loss in 91 lbs. I was very sick at first and most of you know my terrible story. A lot of weight was lost in the first three months but then I just stopped. I need to lose 42 more lbs and I will be done. I am very excited. I did start walking a lot, I just head out of the front door and I don't go back until I am exhausted and I think that is what jump started my weight loss again. For all of you May sleevers, I can't wait to hear your post op stories. Good luck to all of you...

you should get approved now. if you need me to research anything for you let me know. I will assist you all that i can. I worked in legal for 12 years and I am a research bug. if someone tells me no they had better have a good provable reason. Go to the mattresses, fight, fight, fight. "You've got mail" i love that movie.

I am so happy for you. If you have a letter from your PCP and you let them know that they are required by law to assist you with the surgery you should be approved in no time. Have a great weekend.

Exactly Honey, I am so angry at how insurance company's give us the run around over weight loss surgery. There is not one weight loss surgery patient that would have gone through that procedure if they were able to lose weight and keep it off. I don't want you to give up, you fight for this if it is really what you want to do. Don't let them get away with it. Find out if your state requires the insurance company to do weight loss surgeries and then call them back if they do and tell them they will approve you. Good luck to you and let us know what happens. Keep the faith.

I have Blue Cross Blue Shield and trust me, it is not that great. I have a $6500 co-pay before they pick up the tab in addition to $100 per Dr. that I see in the hospital. I owe a lot of money to the hospital and Dr.'s. But, I can pay on time which is what i have to do.

Hi, I don't know if this will help but I pulled this information on United Health Care coverage. See what you think, I thought it was very interesting. If your state requires them to offer weight loss surgery, even though they don't normally cover it. By law they have to comply. You may be in luck. Most people don't know this and they get away with it. See below United Healthcare’s Criteria For Weight Loss Surgery Coverage In Am I Covered by OC Staff/October 19, 2013/ While many United Healthcare Summary Plan Descriptions and Certificates of Coverage explicitly exclude coverage for weight loss surgery, many plans do cover surgery. In fact, some states require insurance companies to cover weight loss surgery, so even if your policy excludes it, if your state mandates coverage you may be in luck! United Healthcare’s pre-approval criteria for surgery The following criteria must be met to receive coverage: 1.Class III Obesity (Body Mass Index greater than 40) 2.Class II Obesity (Body Mass Index greater than 35) with one or more of the following co-morbidities: 1.Type 2 diabetes 2.Cardiovascular disease (such as hypertension, stroke, angina) 3.Severe sleep apnea or other life threatening cardiopulmonary conditions For fully insured policies in Maryland: 1.A Body Mass Index above 40 without comorbidities, or 2.A Body Mass Index of 35 or greater with comorbidities including: 1.Hypertension 2.Sleep Apnea 3.Diabetes 4.Cardiopulmonary condition 5.Any other life threatening medical condition that is weight-induced. 3.You must show proof that you’ve followed diets but were unsuccessful losing weight long term. These can include Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, etc. •In the last two years you must have participated in: •One structured diet program for 6 consecutive months; or •Two structured diet programs for 3 consecutive months. 4.18 years of age or older Which weight loss surgeries are covered by United Healthcare? 1.Gastric bypass 2.Lap Adjustable Gastric Bands (i.e. Lap Band or Realize Band Surgery) 3.Gastric Sleeve Procedure (also known as laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy) 4.Vertical banded gastroplasty 5.Biliopancreatic bypass (Scopinaro procedure) 6.Duodenal switch The following procedures are covered in adolescents: 1.Gastric bypass 2.Lap gastric bands 3.Gastric sleeve Are lap gastric band fills covered? Lap gastric band fills are covered for those patients that undergo Lap Band or Realize Band surgery. What procedures are not covered? 1.Mini-gastric bypass 2.ROSE, StomaphyX, TOGA 3.Gastric electrical stimulation Is a second weight loss surgery covered if lap band doesn’t work? Yes. Assuming the same conditions to qualify for the original procedure are still met. What if there is a problem? What if I don’t lose weight? If you have a complication related to the surgery United Healthcare will cover any related procedures or hospital stay. If you do not lose weight and you still meet the original criteria for coverage a second procedure will be covered. Does United Healthcare require a Center of Excellence? As far as we can tell, no. But, by choosing an in-network surgeon, you will save on your out-of-pocket expenses. United Healthcare’s contact information United’s contact information is arranged by state. Click here and select your state. United Healthcare’s weight loss surgery full coverage statement United Healthcare’s full statement of coverage can be found here.

Honey, we have all been where you are and we can all assure you that this too shall pass. It takes a while for the pain to subside longer for some and not for others. What you are feeling is perfectly normal and you will heal and feel better. Weight loss is also slower for some than others.I am five months out but I only weigh when i go to the Dr. that way I am so happy because a few months can make a big difference. Hang in there dear and try not to concentrate on your weight so much. It will come off and you will feel so much better. Take good care of yourself.

You will be so happy you called your PCP for a letter of recommendation regarding your weight loss surgery. Never give up.

My friend said her shoulders hurt for three months after her surgery and it did go away. I did think it was strange but it does happen. I hope you feel better soon.

Gymbremom: Don't give up, my insurance turned me down too. Have your PCP send a letter stating that your diet plan has failed. The fact that you have been on a diet for two years and have not lost a substantial amount of weight is what usually gets you approved. Please keep trying...

mshenry11: I am so happy to hear that your Dr. wants an ultrasound of your abdomen, sleep study and EGD. The more information they have regarding your health before surgery will only make the procedure safer for you. I was out for 2 1/2 months but only because of problems. My friends who have had the sleeve were back at work in two weeks. Good luck to you...

Stevecfo: OMG! I am so sorry for you. Thank God you went to the ER and they were able to find the problem. I didn't have my spleen punctured but every single cut that was made busted open and left me with a strangulated bowel, and over 30 perforations in my abdominal wall. I had three surgeries in two months. Like you, I would never do it again. Even though we are an exception to the rule, it does happen and you and I among others pay a hefty price for our decision. Most do just fine, it is a decision that should be researched and you should be prepared for anything. Another reason I was happy to be a few minutes from the hospital that did my sleeve. I hope your recovery will be short and you can finally start to feel better. I am glad you shared your story. Good luck to you, it will be better soon.

The first few months can be trying but also rewarding. When your clothes start to fall off you will not even remember what you went through. Keep posting your feelings and ask questions. We all go through the surgery differently so your chances of finding answers to your questions will be answered by someone. I love this website, it keeps me focused.

My PCP is an internal specialist who I have been with for 25 years. I first went to her when she was interning with the PCP I was seeing at the time. I am very fortunate as she has a lot of weight loss surgery patients. If your PCP is not familiar with the procedure I really do agree with the others. Tell your surgeon, taking care of you is their job they should treat you with respect.

It will get better, that first few days is really trying but once you start walking you will see that a lot of the soreness will fade fairly fast. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

I am only five months out but I was dry heaving until last week when I posted how I was feeling and was advised to take prilosec. I have to take two but I have not had not been sick since. I still have a problem eating, it hurt when I try to eat solid food. I am glad you are seeing your PCP, it sounds like you may need to have an upper GI to see what is going on. I feel that anyone who has had weight loss surgery should stay in close contact with their primary care. I see her once a month because of post op issues. I hope you feel better soon.

Soonerjoseph: Thank so much, I have been so upset over the negative feedback. I think that I had unwittingly open a can of worms. I appreciate your comment, it makes me feel so much better. Good good luck to you.

I actually still have the gas in my stomach and throat five months out. I was advised by another sleever on this website to get prilosec. I was using Zantac and it didn't work but when I bought the prilosec I finally got some relief. I use the generic as well and it works great. When I go to my PCP I am going to get a prescription so the ins can pay for it. It is expensive but well worth the money. Hope you feel better.

I think that all of this bantering back and forth about U.S. vs Mexican hospitals and surgeons should end. People are really getting upset and that is not what I intended when I told my story. I am probably 1 out of every 1000 patients having weight loss surgery who had a life threatening ordeal. It was not my surgeon's fault or the hospital's. I never said that my hospital was the best hospital or that my surgeon was the best in the world. I was just sharing my personal story which I thought that was what this site was for. I only mentioned that "I" myself would have been in trouble had I not been able to get emergency surgery and that I was grateful that I could go to the hospital where all of my records and medical history was. My problem started two months after the sleeve surgery. I could not imagine having to call a surgeon in Mexico to get help when I was in so much pain. That is all my friends, I am very upset that this has gotten so out of control. I have no problem with how or who or where people go to have surgery. As I stated before, I have heard wonderful stories about Mexico. I just would not go through a tourism company to have surgery out of the U.S. because of my bad health. I am truly sorry if I have offended anyone. It was never my intent!

I never weighted after my surgery. The only time I know how much I have lost is when I go to the Dr. I never felt the frustration because I didn't have a clue if I was losing or not. In five months I have gone from a size 24 (Women's 3X) to a size 16 regular women's clothing. I agree with everyone else. Don't weight, get that scale out of site and just enjoy the changes in your body.

Absolutely!

JamieLogical: Thank you for your input, I never dreamed so many people would respond to my post. It was only to encourage people to do their research and be prepared. People die in the States just like anywhere else in the world from surgical complications. I have tried unsuccessfully to urge caution when you have surgery abroad if you are in bad health. Morbid obesity kills, surgery for this malady is so important to give improve your quality of life. You are the only person who has actually understood where my opinion was coming from. Just be prepared, that simple.