FamilyGuyNJ

Down 125 lbs today!

And I wad in the hospital for 22 hours. I had no complications. Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

My insurance was charged a total of $70k but only paid out $50k. My surgeon and assistant were paid $20k but they are still billing me $1,100 for my deductible. The surgery only took an hour. Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

I didn't not that there was such a thing as tourism insurance. Thanks for the info.

Just curious. Did anyone have a surgery in Mexico and experience complications when you got home? Did your insurance cover the cost of the complications? Or did you get stuck with a huge bill from a US Doctor & Hospital?

At two weeks I was able to drink 3 sizeable gulps at a time. I would finish a 32oz Powerade Zero in about 40 minutes. I was worried that I was taking in too much too fast and that the sleeve wasn't giving me the restriction I needed. Needless to say, I was worried about nothing. If anything, I am fortunate, because I never had trouble staying hydrated and my restriction is in full effect when I eat. Good luck to you!

I know it's very common to develop gallstones after WLS. Today, I touched my stomach, just to the right of where my gallbladder should be and I felt a little pain. The pain was equivalent to that of a big pimple or a cyst that was ready to pop. It seems to move around a little too. Could this be a gallstone? Do they make the surrounding tissue sensitive to touch? I have no other symptoms so I don't plan on reaching out to my doctor, but I will tell him at my next appointment in 3 weeks.

John925 I see you had plastics within less than a year from your WLS. Did the surgeon try to convince you to wait to see if your weight stabilizes? I keep reading that you should wait at least a year or preferably up to two years to get plastics done. Also, if you don't mind my asking, but how much did it cost? And what part of the country are you from?

John925 I see you had plastics within less than a year from your WLS. Did the surgeon try to convince you to wait to see if your weight stabilizes? I keep reading that you should wait at least a year or preferably up to two years to get plastics done. Also, if you don't mind my asking, but how much did it cost? And what part of the country are you from?

Upated - She lost 50 lbs! Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

Your wife goes on a diet because she doesn't want to be bigger than her husband. She's lost 40 lbs!! Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm just 2 months past my SVG surgery and lost just over 50lbs. I've been watching the bills roll in from my Doctors and the Hospital and I'm shocked at the expenses. But I'm even more shocked that my insurance is actually paying these rates. Based on what I've ready, SVG in the US costs $18k on average and I've seen higher charges up to $30k so my mouth dropped to the floor as to what I've seen come through my insurance. For example: Surgeon charged $22k, insurance paid $17.5k. Surgeons assistant $11k, Insurance paid $4k. Hospital $23k, Insurance paid $22k. Anesthesiologist $12k, Insurance paid $8k There are many other smaller charges like the NUT, Psychiatrist, Xrays, Bloodwork, etc. All charges to my insurance exceed $70k in total. Overall, my insurance paid out more than $50k. Fortuneateately, I only paid a few hundred dollars in co-pays and used by FSA card. I guess I should be happy as there were no complications, the recovery has been a cake walk and weight continues to melt off at 5lbs a week but I feel incredibly guilty. I work for a small company of 150 employees. They offer great benefits. We are Self Insured and pay an insurance company to manage the policy... and it's one of the biggest health insurance companies out there. I thought the point of the Insurance company is to pay the least amount possible to Hospitals and Doctors. I feel in this case, everyone gouged my insurance and insurance rolled over on their backs to get their belly rubbed. In the end, my company will be the ones paying $50k. My blood pressure meds and sleep apnea machine is much less expensive than this surgery over the course of 20 years. I escalated to the insurance company to say "I don't think you represented my company fairly", but responded by saying they paid out the customary fee and nothing was considered excessive. So I'm asking the folks on Bariatricpal.com... what did your doctors/hospitals charge your insurance? What did they actually pay out? Am I the only one who feels this way? Or am I over reacting!

I've had employees go out on FMLA in order to seek cancer treatment. You are allowed 12 weeks FLMA per year. Have you really used up 12 weeks out of the last 52? If so, you have no choice but to wait.

I started Vitamins on day 3. Multi-V, D, Calcium Citrate, & B12. Also a daily Prilosec to avaid acid reflux. I don't understand why a Doctor would have anyone wait 6 weeks. I see my NUT soon... I'm going to ask that question.

I'm two weeks now and I have no trouble drinking. I can take 3 consecutive sips and it goes right down. I can take another 3 sips in a minute. I had no trouble drinking a 32oz powerade in just under an hour. I do not get that bloated feeling that I felt the first few days post op. I'm transitioning to pureed foods now. If it weren't for some of the the pureed foods, I wouldn't feel the restriction.

I just had my sleeve done at Clara Mass on 2/13. I am actually very happy with the treatment I received there. 9 of us were sleeved that day. The hospital staff took very good care of all of us. I received follow up calls from the Hospital to make sure I was doing well. Although I don't think Clara Mass is where I would go for other surgeries, I definitely recommend their bariatric department.

My NUT said taking a tiny sip of water to make dry food go down is not a problem. Just take the least number of sips you can.

I found that by day 9 or 10, I could drink an 11 oz Premier Protein Skake in 10 minutes. I drank a 32 oz Powerade Zero in just under an hour. Now at two weeks out I can eat about 1 1/2 cups of Soup for lunch no problem. I'm not really getting that bloated feeling I had in first week each time I drank anything. Is this what you are experiencing?

I was sleeved on 2/13. Stayed one night in the hospital. Gas pains were not bad. Pain from the incisions required narcotics for the first 10 hours. Since I wasn't sleeping well in the hospital, I would get up and walk around throughout the night. Went for about 6 walks during my hospital stay. I was surprised that more people were not walking around since 9 of us had the surgery that day. By the next morning, I'd say the pain was a 3/10. Liquid Tylenol was all I needed for pain once I got home. But I did take a Percocet at nighttime just to relax. I tolerated fluids well the day after surgery. With every sip there was a moment of pain as it went into my sleeve. This sensation has improved every day and is almost non-existant at day 10. I took Gas X strips in the days following surgery but didn't really notice a difference. By day 4 post op, I felt pretty darn good. I spent most of day 5, 6, and 7 going out, running errands, driving and living a pretty normal life. On day 8, I went back to work and it was not a problem at all as I work in an office. Also, I drink one cup of Smooth Move Tea to prevent constipation. I lost 15 lbs in 10 days post op and I'm down a total of 70lbs since the process started on October 13, 2016.

That's Naveen Ballem.

I recommend Dr Nave email Ballem in Glendale Ridge NJ.

I was clear liquids for day 1&2 post op. On day 3 I started protein shakes.

Get Smooth Move tea. It tastes like licorice and is very effective. I go within 24 hours of drinking one cup.

I was on clear liquids for only days 1 & 2. Days 3-14 I could have protein shakes (no added fruit), Greek Yogurt, Applesauce, Light Cream Soups, Ricotta Cheese, Sugar Free Pudding & Fat Free Cottage Cheese. I stick mostly to the shakes, but have tried cottage cheese on day 6 and then Ricotta Cheese on Day 7. I'm tolerating it well and am not pushing it.

I had my first gout attack over 20 years ago and have mostly kept it under control by taking allopurinol daily. I can't remember the last time I had an attack. Well, I'm on day 3 of the Pre-op diet and I'm sitting here wide awake at 3am from a gout attack. Over the past 3 months, I've lost 40 lbs so I'm thinking all of this weight loss is what brought on the attack. I normally take a strong NSAID to help during attacks, but NSAIDS are going to become off limits in a few days and I don't think I can ever take them again. I'll need to walk as much possible once I have surgery, but that will not be an easy task if experiencing a gout attack. Anyone else have to deal with gout during their pre-op and early post-op phase? Any advice?