baribetty

I had a VSG through Kaiser, and my partner had theirs through MBC

tldr: MBC falls short in care and cleanliness, Kaiser is cheaper but takes 4-5 months.

With Kaiser, I took 16 weeks worth of classes, did pre-op tests, EKG etc, waited a couple weeks and then had surgery for about $700. Kaiser is certainly the longer but cheaper pathway. I also think there is a lot of value in getting your head in the right place before surgery, and committing to 4+ months of pre-op does the job. It is annoying and hard to wrap your head around at the beginning but it went by quickly for me, even having to drive 1.5 hours each way to classes. I’m glad I used Kaiser so we have the resources given to me for him to use as well.

MBC: Surgery is scheduled 2 weeks out from pre-approval (website form) and deposit, as thats the timeline required for the pre op diet. This is VERY fast and convenient. We paid about $5000.

We are all familiar enough with US standards for hospitals, so here is where MBC falls short on that front:

- his incisions bled through his gown after surgery, they would not give him a clean gown and told him he should just put on his street clothes. So, he wore a bloody gown for 2 days as the waist band on his sweat pants would’ve been super uncomfortable.
- bandages/tape on floor of recovery room from previous patient.
- Less than ideal bathroom cleanliness in room
- Broken toilet for the entirety of his stay (he requested it to be looked at, at least 6 times before just pleading for it to be turned off at the Water so it would stop running so he could sleep. There was urine and vomit in his toilet for his whole stay.

Care comparison:

Kaiser: I was on a morphine drip and could push the button every 10 minutes if I was experiencing pain. I was given injections for nausea. Lots of room to walk the halls. Attentive nursing staff. It was overall great.

MBC: any time he asked for pain or nausea medication the nurse would say “I will check” and leave the room. Then, he’d wait an hour and have to ask again, only to hear the same response. You’re pretty on your own during recovery. He found that this was also the case for the other patients he drove back to San Diego with after surgery. It was not simply a bad experience, but the standard.

Technically MBC contracts with the hospital to use their facility, and the nurses do not work for them directly. They have no skin in the MBC game when it comes to patient satisfaction and it shows. We hoped that tipping would help, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.

My incisions with Kaiser were glued shut. His were open and we changed the gauze every day. It’s a little scary looking and you’re left wondering, “is this normal? Are these infected?”

Kaiser: no drain, no leak test
MBC: drain and leak test.

Kaiser: you get a full binder of pre and post op instructions with diet guides for life.
MBC: all of their instructions are on their website. What you see online before surgery is generally what you get in that regard. It is convenient to google quick answers to things like how many Fluid ounces I should be having, etc and accessing the info easily on their website however it is no where near as comprehensive as Kaiser.

Feel free to ask me anything, I’m sure there’s more for me to add and I will in comments.

If you go with MBC, you should have low expectations and be willing and comfortable advocating for yourself.

Ultimately, both work but the cleanliness and lack of care from MBC made me uneasy.

Ive had the surgery and so has my partner. I can promise you, you cannot get away with not telling your husband if you live together unless you take a good 2 weeks away, never show him your stomach again (incisions/scars) and stop eating together (forever?).

This is a major change and major surgery with a recovery period. You can’t lift things for a good period of time! You can’t walk fast or far for a while. You can only sip Water and eat a couple tablespoons at once.

Talking to a doctor together and therapist would be a better route. He may feel very hurt by you going behind his back. Especially going under anesthesia and having surgery.

Ultimately, you should do what YOU want to do, but please don’t do it in secret without some support, or having the pressure of lying to your spouse about it. If you were single, I’d say you could get away with not telling anyone, but a partner you live with? Can’t imagine that being possible.

I’m sorry you’re going through this, I can’t imagine how difficult this is, and I’m bummed he can’t get excited for you and your future TOGETHER! Good things will come after surgery for him too!!

I had a VSG through Kaiser, and my partner had theirs through MBC

tldr: MBC falls short in care and cleanliness, Kaiser is cheaper but takes 4-5 months.

With Kaiser, I took 16 weeks worth of classes, did pre-op tests, EKG etc, waited a couple weeks and then had surgery for about $700. Kaiser is certainly the longer but cheaper pathway. I also think there is a lot of value in getting your head in the right place before surgery, and committing to 4+ months of pre-op does the job. It is annoying and hard to wrap your head around at the beginning but it went by quickly for me, even having to drive 1.5 hours each way to classes. I’m glad I used Kaiser so we have the resources given to me for him to use as well.

MBC: Surgery is scheduled 2 weeks out from pre-approval (website form) and deposit, as thats the timeline required for the pre op diet. This is VERY fast and convenient. We paid about $5000.

We are all familiar enough with US standards for hospitals, so here is where MBC falls short on that front:

- his incisions bled through his gown after surgery, they would not give him a clean gown and told him he should just put on his street clothes. So, he wore a bloody gown for 2 days as the waist band on his sweat pants would’ve been super uncomfortable.
- bandages/tape on floor of recovery room from previous patient.
- Less than ideal bathroom cleanliness in room
- Broken toilet for the entirety of his stay (he requested it to be looked at, at least 6 times before just pleading for it to be turned off at the Water so it would stop running so he could sleep. There was urine and vomit in his toilet for his whole stay.

Care comparison:

Kaiser: I was on a morphine drip and could push the button every 10 minutes if I was experiencing pain. I was given injections for nausea. Lots of room to walk the halls. Attentive nursing staff. It was overall great.

MBC: any time he asked for pain or nausea medication the nurse would say “I will check” and leave the room. Then, he’d wait an hour and have to ask again, only to hear the same response. You’re pretty on your own during recovery. He found that this was also the case for the other patients he drove back to San Diego with after surgery. It was not simply a bad experience, but the standard.

Technically MBC contracts with the hospital to use their facility, and the nurses do not work for them directly. They have no skin in the MBC game when it comes to patient satisfaction and it shows. We hoped that tipping would help, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.

My incisions with Kaiser were glued shut. His were open and we changed the gauze every day. It’s a little scary looking and you’re left wondering, “is this normal? Are these infected?”

Kaiser: no drain, no leak test
MBC: drain and leak test.

Kaiser: you get a full binder of pre and post op instructions with diet guides for life.
MBC: all of their instructions are on their website. What you see online before surgery is generally what you get in that regard. It is convenient to google quick answers to things like how many Fluid ounces I should be having, etc and accessing the info easily on their website however it is no where near as comprehensive as Kaiser.

Feel free to ask me anything, I’m sure there’s more for me to add and I will in comments.

If you go with MBC, you should have low expectations and be willing and comfortable advocating for yourself.

Ultimately, both work but the cleanliness and lack of care from MBC made me uneasy.

This was really helpful.

I was self pay, but in Florida. it was under $12k with everything. And my doctor is great. Almost all zoom unless you have an issue. And he gives out his cell number for random text questions.

Ladies how are your results? I am down 110 pounds I am currently 8 months pregnant so I gained about ten pounds.

I’m getting my surgery 10/10/22 Bypass 💙

Hi All,
I posted a while back about being interested in getting surgery at Blossom Bariatrics. After much going back and forth, them quoting me almost 19k... I decided to look more into going to Mexico. To be totally honest, I kept thinking I was off my rocker to go to Tijuana for a gastric sleeve. But after a ton of research, I decided that Dr Ariel Ortiz at OCC (Obesity Control Center), was the surgeon for me. I do have Kaiser Southern California insurance and while I was approved for surgery through them, in fact they would pay it all, it could take a year give or take for the entire process. Honestly, I couldn't wait a year and do their classes. For me, I have to get my health on track ASAP. Also, I understand nutrition from university classes I've taken, I have done a ton of reading and watching up on pre and post op protocols... and I didn't feel like the 2 month class through them online would teach me anything I hadn't already heard of or learned. I'm no expert, by any means... but I've definitely feel prepared and ready.
Anyway, I reached out to OCC and immediately there was a totally different feeling in my communication with them in comparison to Blossom and the 4 other places I reached out to in Southern California. They were ON TOP of it all. They were patient with me (Olivia is who I spoke to most at the beginning) as I asked a million questions, I didn't feel rushed, like I was bothering them, like a number or like I was being "sold" a gastric sleeve. That's how I felt with the other places I had contacted. It has been completely seamless with OCC. I did take out a $6k loan through a company that does health care loans and I'm confident that I will thankfully be able to pay it off before the interest kicks in. But it all has been totally worth the out of pocket money so far.
I've definitely had my fair share of surgeries in the past for other things, and I have to say, I have NEVER and I mean never, received the amount of communication and hand-holding as I have received through OCC so far. I feel totally safe to the point where my wife will be staying back at home with our dogs since they are basically our children.
It's pretty incredible how the American Healthcare System is in comparison. The level of care thus far just makes me wonder what the heck is wrong with our health care system! LOL.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience so far. I'm excited to have surgery in 9 days (October 7th). I know it wont be easy.. but it will be worth it. Feel free to reach out. I'll post once I am post op!

I have BCBS of Illinois and they covered everything but $1500, and my secondary covered $1200 of that. So I only had $300 out of pocket. They approved my surgery within 48 hours of my surgeon's office submitting everything. From my 1st appt to my surgery date was 2 1/2 months. BCBS only required 1 pre op and 1 post op nutritionist appt, 1 psych eval, approval letter from my neurologist (because I have MS), approval letter from my PCP, having tried at least 2 methods of weight loss in the past (my PCP knew about me doing Keto and also low/no calorie and put that in the approval letter). So it was a fast and painless process. My surgeon's office wanted the blood work and EKG before surgery. BCBS approved every test with no issues.

I have Blue Shield my surgery was approved a week after PC Dr submitted. They have a lot of things they want you to complete but all in all I feel more prepared because of all the meetings (virtual) I attended. I learned a lot and am as ready as one can get (I think)!

Sent from my SM-A135U using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m sorry, that must be hard! Have you considered going lighter, rather than darker? If you dye your hair dark, your thin roots may show more. I know you said you have tried shampoos, my stylist suggested ColorProf if you are up for trying another.

I have Cigna, had no issues.
I think all insurances require some kind of pre-op process/trial period. But I was approved in 3 days after my surgeons office submitted it.

Just a tidbit here... I didn’t consume any marijuana around my surgery, then a couple months in I started using it a bit. A few months after that I stopped and dropped 20 lingering pounds. I can eat SO much more (and want to) when I’m high.

I have told only a few family members and one friend. I’m two years out, lost 123 pounds and no one has raised an eyebrow bc it is such a gradual process. You don’t need to tell anyone you don’t want to know. I’m glad I didn’t tell anyone else. It adds pressure and judgement. 

I really do not understand this topic, Seen it here a million times. Not going to kill this topic but No way are you going to drop 100 plus pounds like me and get Noseeeee Betty not asking.
Who the Hell really cares what people think! This is your life and your decision. If you want to keep it to yourself then lie your ass off, I have found I just answer the question : How did you lose so much weight? are you sick? No Its simple I stopped eating like an animal!
Usually ends that topic quickly.
But I am also male and Ice cold so Maybe I should just shut up because I have no idea from a female perspective how to answer this.

I have told only a few family members and one friend. I’m two years out, lost 123 pounds and no one has raised an eyebrow bc it is such a gradual process. You don’t need to tell anyone you don’t want to know. I’m glad I didn’t tell anyone else. It adds pressure and judgement. 

Sleeved May 21, 2018. I have lost 190lbs and would like to lose 50 more. Hw: 398.8

That’s really crappy. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all of that invasion of your privacy. I think ultimately people aren’t thinking about us as much as we think they are... hopefully the work chatter will end when the next point of focus comes to their attention.

I’m sorry, that must be hard! Have you considered going lighter, rather than darker? If you dye your hair dark, your thin roots may show more. I know you said you have tried shampoos, my stylist suggested ColorProf if you are up for trying another.

I told a very select few, and I’m glad I didn’t tell more people. I don’t need the world of Facebook watching (and judging) my journey. I think it could be a good level of accountability for some, but for me, no way.

I already feel judging eyes on me.

I'm sorry you are struggling and happy you've had an "Aha moment" and posted about it.
I've been saying this from the beginning of my personal WLS journey. If we don't get right in the head, the surgery--which face it, it's not magic bean surgery--is not gonna do all the heavy lifting. We are such crafty, smart, surviving specie(s) haha, that we WILL figure out a way to outsmart our surgery.
What I still hear however is more magical thinking coming out of your mouth. Tomorrow, nothing will be different. You will wake up, resolve to mystically "do better"/"be better" etc, but guaranteed by 3-5pm, you will break and go for the fix. There is NO magic in this process. No WISHFUL thinking.
Unless/until you accept that your success depends on being accountable for your actions, and decide that will make concrete changes that are actionable, you will continue to despair and the beatings will continue until morale improves.
Honestly, the ONLY way to confront this issue we ALL face is to have a great plan. In your case (and in many of our cases, the key to the plan needs to include strategic partners: surgical team (who needs to know you're struggling and doing things you aren't supposed to do, bariatric counselor/therapist, RD), reading books on ending these self-defeating behaviors whatever they may be, making a concrete check list you USE and follow faithfully each day, decide on zero tolerance of going off-your checklisted plan, and being content that it takes time to correct behavior and weight. It also takes a physical plan for exercise.
Then you have to DO YOUR PART. You must log. You must weight foods. You must PLAN. You should maybe think about weighing daily, measuring monthly. Check things off your list.
I doubt seriously that you've stretched your pouch. Most likely, what has happened is that your pouch has matured which carries with it a natural "opening" or relaxing of your tum, which means you "CAN" eat more. It doesn't mean you "SHOULD" eat more. If you go back to your rules and follow them, you should begin to feel your restriction again.
Set your rules!
1. No more than 1 cup of food at a meal by volume.
2. Eat dense, dry, lean Protein first (60-80g per day).
3. Eat al dente or raw veggies.
4. No meat lube, sauce, compound meals that are highly caloric. Keep your food separate! It will hang in your pouch better and provide nutrition without a bunch of added calories you don't need.
5. Cut your carbs to 20-30net carbs (carbs - fiber) per day.
6. Aim for almost zero sugar.
7. Drink your Water (100+ ounces per day.
8. Don't drink your food! No liquid calories.
9. No eating/drinking 15 mins before and 1 hour after
10. Exercise daily. Try for 10K steps each day.
11. Take your supplements.
12. Get a real life support group and attend regularly.
13. Come here and get involved and on the BP Facebook group.
14. Above all--see your doc, RD to get a plan for success. AND get a referral to a bariatric counselor.
15. Consider joining OA.
I wish you success, health, and a good life. I don't mean to beat you while you're down. I'm trying to make sure you don't waste any more of your honeymoon period spinning your wheels and participating in a giant fantasy.

I told a very select few, and I’m glad I didn’t tell more people. I don’t need the world of Facebook watching (and judging) my journey. I think it could be a good level of accountability for some, but for me, no way.

I told a very select few, and I’m glad I didn’t tell more people. I don’t need the world of Facebook watching (and judging) my journey. I think it could be a good level of accountability for some, but for me, no way.

@baribetty I too, was VERY weirded out by the idea of drains.
Taking care of them was MUCH easier than I thought. (AND.....I didn't pass out, lol!!)
Removal was quick and I barely felt anything, similar to the brief pain of an injection. Then no stitches, Steri-Strips maybe?
You'll be fine. Keep your eye on the prize!