catwoman7

you're probably going to have to call them directly to see if your particular policy covers it. A lot of insurance companies cover it, but employers can pick and choose which services they want in the policy they offer their employees. Some don't want bariatric surgery coverage included because it adds a lot of the cost of the policies. my insurance company (not Empireblue) has offered coverage for years, but until two years ago, my employer decided not to include it, so when I had surgery six years ago, I had to switch to different insurance. hopefully yours will cover it...

I had one in the hospital, but they didn't send it home with me. They just gave me some pain pills (which I don't think I even opened - i really had very little pain)

just wanted to say that I'm six years out from RNY, and I don't think the lifestyle is radical. Maybe the first month or so, but I don't feel my life is any different now other than I exercise regularly and eat a lot less than I did pre-surgery. I can eat pretty much anything now except for really fatty meals. also, I never bought any of those things from my surgeon. I could buy them wherever I wanted as long as they met the requirements.

people's tastes are so different that you're bound to get 100 different answers for this. I personally liked Unjury and Syntrax products the best - but you'll find others who DON'T like them. The Core Power shakes (mentioned above) are also good.

I agree with everything Arabesque said. Get on top of this before it gets out of control. Start tracking your food again if you've stopped doing that. I still track mine at over six years out because I know from my past history that once I stop monitoring myself fairly regularly, things can spin out of control quickly. It's much easier to lose five or ten or even twenty pounds than 50. And by the way - regaining is unfortunately VERY common. We stop paying as close attention - we're not as vigilante as we were the first year out of surgery - diet fatigue sets in - bad habits start to creep back in. A 10% regain (10-20 lbs) from our lowest weight is extremely common. I knew that going in and factored it in to my goal. My struggle now (and probably for the rest of my life) is keeping it from going higher than that.

I'd call the insurance company and just ask them. Then you'll get it straight from the horse's mouth.

sorry to say this, but your husband is exhibiting major jerk-like behavior. That is awful. Even if he disagrees with you getting the surgery, refusing to drop you off and pick you up from the hospital sounds very juvenile. I'd probably enlist the help of a friend if it were me. I did tell a couple of close friends whom I knew I could trust about my surgery. Or do you have a family member who could do it? If not - yea - the home health idea could work... sorry you're dealing with this. You don't need to deal with his juvenile behavior on top of the stress of going through major surgery. UGH.

it's not everyone else's body, it's yours. You do what YOU want to do. If you're comfortable with the way you look, or if you want to lose a few more pounds, then do it a couple of thoughts: many of us who end up losing most (or all) of our excess weight look pretty gaunt at first, but then the fat sort of redistributes over time, and we look a lot better (as in not as gaunt. We look healthier). Also, many of us also regain about 10% of our loss (so 10-20 lbs) in the second or third year post-surgery - without much effort on our part. I purposely went about 10 lbs under my goal to account for the eventual regain (and yes - I DID experience the regain during year 3...it's unfortunately very common) also - hair. The loss will eventually stop and it'll grow back. I lost hair from months 6-9, and it all grew back.

three-week stall. Almost all of us go through our first major stall with the first 4-6 weeks after surgery (we call it the three week stall because it's USUALLY the third week, although not always). If you do a search on this site of the three week stall, you will find about 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding!). Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days - and know that it'll break and you'll be on your way again. btw - that uptick in weight is almost certainly due to water retention or you have more in your bowels than you did the last time you weighed. There's no way you could gain true weight eating 600 calories. As others have said, fluctations of a couple of pounds are normal. If they play with your head too much, then just start weighing once a week instead of daily.

I drink Elevation shakes sometimes now (I'm six years out), but we were told to stick to whey protein isolate shakes during the first few months when we weren't getting our protein needs met from food alone (whey protein isolate is the most absorbable form of protein). Elevation shakes are a blend - NOT whey protein isolate. So if your program requires whey protein isolate shakes, then Elevation aren't going to work - at least not in the early post-op stages. they should be fine for pre-op and for once you're a ways out from post-op, though.

stalls are common and you'll likely hit a few on your way to your goal. When you hit one, just stay the course and stay off the scale for a few days - and know that it WILL break and you'll be on your merry way again!

I would never go back to an all liquid diet. I could never sustain it for more than a day or two. Plus I don't want to be thrown back into "diet mentality" again, and I'm afraid that would do it (at least for me). I'm also mostly vegetarian (I eat meat maybe once a week tops). I eat a lot of beans and dairy products, though, so I don't have trouble meeting my protein goals, but I usually have a protein shake as my mid-morning snack just so I don't obsess about protein all day. I know if I have that shake, I'll always meet my goals. Plus, I'm one of those odd birds who actually LIKES protein shakes!

I lost over 200 lbs and had a TON of excess skin. I've since had it removed. It was easy to hide in clothes so no one knew it was there except for me and my husband, but I didn't like the way I looked naked or the way it slapped up against me when I exercised. and no - it is NOT worse than weight loss. I would have taken that loose skin any day of the week over weighing almost 400 lbs again. ANY DAY. here is a picture of me BEFORE I had the skin removed. Do you see it? Nope - easily hidden in the right clothes (long-ish slightly oversized shirt to cover the abdomenal skin, 3/4 length (or longer) sleeves to cover the batwing arms, and a very supportive bra). and no, you are not too old. I am in my 60s.

you likely won't have hunger or full signals for awhile - many of us don't. You had some nerves cut during surgery that take awhile to regenerate - and in addition, hunger hormones are suppressed (for most of us, anyway) for the first few months. Just follow your clinic's food plan and you're good. You'll start feeling restriction once you move to solid food - and hunger usually comes back sometime during the first year post-surgery.

that doesn't sound like true dumping since that occurs after eating too much sugar (or for some people, fat). It usually involves heart palpatations, chills, sweating... Regardless, that ramen is clearly NOT agreeing with you. You may just have to wait it out. You've tried everything I would have tried (papaya enzymes and antacids). I know you hate vomiting, but it's too bad you can't, since that usually relieves it. Just so you know, vomiting post-surgery is actually a lot less unpleasant than it is pre-surgery. I no longer dread it. I hope this resolves for you soon - I'm sure you're miserable!

yep - boredom eating here too (I'm six years out). This pandemic has been a struggle since we've been trapped in our houses for much of it. When I can, I get out of the house when boredom hits - walk, bike, etc. I also try never to let myself get too hungry. I also keep things like SF popsicles, SF Jello, and raw vegetables like baby carrots and celery around all the time. Doesn't always work, but it does sometimes...

I think it's the insurance companies that care about that, not the surgeons. I think most surgeons would do it if you're between 35-40 BMI without co-morbidities - but a lot of insurance companies won't cover it without the co-morbidities. But it'd be worth checking out, at least. Maybe yours will..

I really like Zumba. But on days when I'm feeling not quite as energetic, I usually find one of those walking videos instead. I'm currently hooked on "Reps to the Rhythm" (on youtube). His are more of a cross between a walking video and a dance video, IMHO. I like the music - and he has cats that often walk by the screen while he's dancing/walking....kind of adds to the whole thing.

you look fantastic!!

most companies use the weight that was recorded when you first started the program (although not all). Hopefully yours does..

it takes most of us about a week. You don't have much in there.

I remember things like eating tuna, egg salad (although warning - a lot of people can't tolerate eggs early out) - can't remember what else, but I also continued to eat some of stuff I ate during pureed stage, iike hummus, refried beans, and Greek yogurt. Ricotta bake is good, too - there should be a lot of recipes out there for it. check out the blog "World According to Eggface". She has recipes on there for all the stages

happens to most (maybe all?) of us. yes - IV fluids. It can take a few days for them to work their way out of your system.

some people become lactose intolerant after surgery (sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently) - and some people develop an intolerance for certain types of artificial sweeteners, so I'd suspect one or the other...

it's common after surgery - I had it at first but I haven't felt it in a long time (I'm over six years out). It's due to low blood pressure. Just get up slowly. Here's info about it (and most of us have the acute version - it'll usually resolve itself over time): https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/orthostatic-hypotension/symptoms-causes/syc-20352548