MacMadame

Which referral? Are you talking about your PCP referring you to a bariatric surgeon or your bariatric surgeon referring you to insurance for approval?

Congrats! Sounds like it will be smooth sailing for you.

This exactly why I am against testing 3 year olds. We don't understand how and why some people get obese and some do not so there is no value in labeling people early on.

The sleeve stomach doesn't stretch. All the stretchy part is cut away. Maybe early sleeves which were made as large as a DS sleeve had this issue, but the sleeves being done today with the 32 & 34 f bougies, don't have this issue. You are left with a 40-60cc stomach, which is slightly larger than the RnY pouch, but the RnY pouch is made from the stretchy part of the stomach and stretching is an issue with it. That is why average EWL for a RnY tends to go down over time. In the 5 year data that LapSF is collecting, regain for RnY is around 25%, but for the sleeve only about 10% regain.

I think for girls, you have to wait until they are through puberty. A lot of girls get "thick" at the start and end up perfectly fine at the end. But ONLY if you don't freak out and put them on diets. The ones that get put on diets end up with lifelong weight problems. At least this has been my observation watching hundreds of young figure skaters go through puberty in my area. I do think it depends on *how* overweight they are. If you are a child and you already are in the obese category, that is different than being a child who slips in and out of the overweight category. OTOH, how many people here were put on diets when they were children? Quite a lot IME. Yet here they are having WLS. So obviously it didn't help, did it? I don't know that the answer is, but I know that testing 3 year olds -- when we know so little about how people grow and how to treat obesity -- is not the answer. I think the answer is more research into how to treat obesity. What's the point of identifying people potentially at risk when, once they are identified, we haven't got the faintest idea of what to do about it?

Yes, a 10 day pre-op diet is common. I wouldn't say "normal" because they all do it differently. I didn't have to do anything, for example, though losing some weight pre-op was suggested.

Good luck! Insurance issues suck.

Somehow I posted my reply in the RnY forum instead of this one. I won't repeat it. Just go over there. :redface:

I would go for the sleeve. You will get similar results in terms of weight loss as you will with the bypass, but without the risks of malabsorption. Also, it appears that there is less chance of regain with a sleeve. The reason is that the bypass pouch is made out of the stretchy part of the stomach whereas with the sleeve, the stretchy part is cut off. Also, with the bypass pouch, you end up with a stoma which can stretch. It's also because of the stoma that bypass people will get food "stuck" similar to what happens with the band. Sleevesters have a fully functional, normal stomach so sometimes we get the "foamies" when we eat too fast, but it's really hard to get stuck.

Glad to be of help. Let us know if this works.

I'm not at goal now but I've been at goal before. I used Nutri/system and it didn't last. But it gave me an idea of how it all works. Of course, I'm older now and my skin is probably less elastic than back then. But we'll see...

Sounds like you are pushing the button for upload or for save signature? If you type your signature into the big box, then you need to select "save signature". If you are trying to upload a picture, then there are a bunch of steps.

Personally I wouild wait until 6 months after my weight stablized. That's based on a combination of what the plastic surgeons want and my own experiences with dieting down to goal. Everything did keep firming up once I was at goal so I plan to wait this time.

Mine said walk immediately but wait to 2 weeks to go back to the gym. Avoid weight bearing exercises for as long as you aren't supposed to lift things (in my case 2 months)

Welcome to LBT and good luck with your surgery!

There is a thread in the "Doctors & Hospitals" forum dedicated specifically to this doctor. I'm sure someone where can help you.

I'm back at work. Damn I'm tired. And I've only been here for 2.5 hours!

I don't see how they can tell where a 3 year old is going to end up. Normal at that age is *so* variable.

When I get to goal, I'm going to get my belly button pierced.

I just noticed your post bbypokins. Have you considered seeing Dr. Jossart instead? I've heard he's a "teddy bear" and a lot of people who don't like Cirangle, like him a lot. (I assume you paid some sort of fee for follow-up care and possibly aren't using it because of your dislike of Dr. Cirangle?) Personally, I like Dr. C. so much I had him do my sleeve, but our personalities do mesh. You do need to see someone that you can related to because bariatric surgery is not like having your gallbladder out. The relationship is important. If you don't mesh with Dr. C, you need to find someone else or risk being less successful with your band.

Welcome to LBT, colinandme!

My recommendation is to find another surgeon. The 10% weight loss requirement is not supported by data. It's arbitrary and, for many people, unnecessary. There are plenty of good surgeons who don't require it and would be very happy with your 16 lb. loss.

What did the error message say?

I don't know if it's a good idea or not, but I tried to get my family to eat whole wheat spaghetti and we all thought it tasted horrible. What brand do you use? If I can find a tasty one, maybe I will succeed in my quest.

I'm on the liquid diet and would kill for some scrambled eggs and cottage cheese.