Monasmle

Now that I think about it, I was taking the easy way out by controlling my high blood pressure with medication. Now I have done it the hard way by losing weight. Excellent.

I was thinking the same thing! Heart disease is influenced by lifestyle as well. But I don't see nearly the shame people with obesity face. And certainly much more empathy.

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Just sharing my approval with Highmark BCBS of PA, I was approved within 3 days and received a letter by the weekend. I'm ecstatic, but my parents who aren't very supportive of the surgery are unhappy. It sucks because I want to share my joy and happiness, but they're being happiness sponges. Any advice on what I can say to try and remedy the situation? My possible surgery date is January 17th- and I've decided on gastric bypass.

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Great to hear, as I have highmark as well I have highmark as well but haven't submitted yet.

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This one drives me CRAZY. I bet hundreds if not thousands of people DIE every year because the social stigma against WLS deterred them from getting life-saving surgery.

First of all, we all know there is nothing "easy" about WLS. It weeks/months of misery and recovery and takes a lifetime of commitment and hard work.

Second of all, even if WLS was "easier" than doing it the "hard way", why is that a bad thing? As a society, don't we strive for efficiency? They are always coming up with ways of making every aspect of life quicker and easier. So why is "easy" bad?

Thirdly, it really seems to be a double-standard when it comes to WLS versus other medically necessary surgery. You never hear anyone saying that getting a knee replacement is the "easy way out". "They should just walk it off and fight through the pain." So why is getting surgery to correct other medical issues okay, but WLS is not?

Right!! No one says let's go back to using leaches to cure illnesses, thought I bet they have about the same 5% success rate just by random chance. By that logic we should stop researching cures and do everything "the hard way". Those that best cancer or heart disease can be glorified and those that don't, just "didn't try hard enough".

It's so hard to beat the stigma, even with so much research showing obesity is not about will power.

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I had a similar experience, surgeon said sleeve instead of bypass. Now 5 months later, and a ton of research and I really would feel more comfortable with bypass. If I'm going to go thru surgery, I don't want to risk having to do it twice. In the end, there's a reason why bypass is the 'gold standard'. Good luck with whichever you go with!

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Congratulations!!!!! What is your exercise regimen? Eating regimen? I just had my surgery 2.5 weeks ago and feel lost....

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Congrats on your surgery!! at 2.5 weeks make sure to follow your surgeon's eating plan. Once you've completely healed you can start to modify things if you need to but early out your focus needs to be on healing......but below is what I do now

As far as exercise all I do is walk. I walk between 5 and 8 miles a day...usually broken down into two walks. My eating plan is pretty simple I eat very low carb.....I don't eat any breads, or starchy veggies, and of course no sugar. I eat things like chicken breasts, fish, pork, eggs etc. and non-starchy veggies....and from time to time I have a few almonds.

Good luck!!

Amazing progress! Thanks for sharing. And that's great to know about the walking. I'm not much for the gym, but I love walking. I'm at 2.5 miles a day, and working up to 5. It's great to know that you were able to achieve so much with walking and diet alone.

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@ great question, something I struggle with too. Every time I'm single, I lose weight, relationship comes along, and back up I go. Now I'm happily married, and wondering how long I'll be able to stay "obsessed" enough to make this work.

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Thanks guys. Does bypass have the same hunger lowering effects, even without the removal of the stomach?

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Thanks guys! My PCP had to sign a form with three year weight history. Hopefully that not related.

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It sucks you aren't given a choice. It should be your choice. I personally chose sleeve over bypass for a bunch of reasons, but it was MY choice. You should be given that same opportunity. Here are some of the reasons I chose sleeve:

• No rerouting of my intestines requiring multiple joins where there could be potential leaks.
• No malabsorption.. sure it's great for losing weight faster, but it can also lead to lifelong deficiencies. Also, I'm a runner and it is critical for me to be able to get in enough calories to fuel my body.
• Removal of the unused portion of my stomach. I hated the idea of my "old" stomach still being inside me and potentially developing ulcers or cancer or something and not being easily accessible with an endoscopy.
• Maintain the use of my pyloric valve. I was *really* weirded out by the idea that my pyloric valve would still be there, attached to my old stomach and opening and closing uselessly in response to signals from my new stomach. Ew.
• No dumping. Some people like the idea of dumping, because it's a deterrent to eating bad foods, but I wanted the option to eat small amounts of sweets and carbs down the road, once I was in maintenance. Also, not everyone who has RNY gets dumping, so it's risky to assume you will.
• Cheaper. I was self-pay and sleeve is just downright cheaper.

My BMI was also right around 40 when I started considering surgery. I managed to lose all of my excess weight and have been maintaining for 15+ months. So sleeve was definitely the best choice for me. But, again, everyone is different and should be allowed to make the best choice for themselves.

@@JamieLogical thanks! I've heard sleeve also limits your hunger hormone, but with the stomach still there, I wonder if the same effect happens with bypass.

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Hi all,

As I'm reading posts, I realize that some insurance requires a BMI 40+ for 2+years. I didn't see that on the highmark policy explicitly. I don't have diagnosed comorbidities, and I was somewhere between 35-40bmi two years ago. (I have pcos, but I don't think that counts.)

Has anyone else with highmark been denied for their BMI history being too low?

Thanks!

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This is really helpful, I'm having similar pressures from the surgeon for the sleeve, but my gut says bypass.

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Hi all,

I'm a 30 year old female, around 41/42 BMI. I'm 1 NUT session away from submitting to insurance. I initially went to my surgeon asking for the bypass, to which he said I'm not overweight enough for and wouldn't be worth the complications. He said he wouldn't even consider it for me. And I left it at that.

As I'm reading more, I'm having some doubts about the long term success with the sleeve. I know that one can be equally successful with both, but when looking at averages across many people, bypass wins out. In my mind, I would want to take the option that affords me the best chances at success forever. But I'm not sure if there are other considerations I'm not aware of (besides malabsorption and complications).

At 40bmi and above, I would think I am definitely eligible for it. I like my surgeon, but I'm not sure if I should search out for a second opinion.

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Hi all,

I'm a 30 year old female, around 41/42 BMI. I'm 1 NUT session away from submitting to insurance. I initially went to my surgeon asking for the bypass, to which he said I'm not overweight enough for and wouldn't be worth the complications. He said he wouldn't even consider it for me. And I left it at that.

As I'm reading more, I'm having some doubts about the long term success with the sleeve. I know that one can be equally successful with both, but when looking at averages across many people, bypass wins out. In my mind, I would want to take the option that affords me the best chances at success forever. But I'm not sure if there are other considerations I'm not aware of (besides malabsorption and complications).

At 40bmi and above, I would think I am definitely eligible for it. I like my surgeon, but I'm not sure if I should search out for a second opinion.

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Thanks! I will not like to my heart's content!

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When you thumb up a post using the app, does that have anything to do with Facebook, or is that strictly related to this app? I'm not sharing my surgery with family or friends, so I'm worried of anything posting to my Facebook account.

Thanks!

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What a transformation!

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My surgeons office has been very helpful so far, Dave me recommendations for psych eval, nut at the surgeons office, they do all pre testing, and submit paperwork. I can't say enough what a difference it makes to not have to worry and know that someone can guide me thru the paperwork. I'm two nutritionist sessions away from submitting for approval!

Good luck! It'll all be worth it in the end!

I've got the same question, so I'm interested in what other people have done to explain their time off. And how many days do most people need to recoup (assuming a desk job)?

Thanks for posting, it's such a support to hear that I'm not alone. In my tough times it's helpful to get support from reading everyone's struggles and their perseverance to overcome. You can do it!