LMorales

24 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", 14 lbs in three weeks is pretty normal. Most of us "average" WLS patients lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first MONTH, so you'll end up somewhere in that range.

as for stalling at three weeks post op, do a search on it on this site. I just did. There are literally 17,501 posts on it. Happens to almost everyone. To get through it, stick to your plan and back what off on weighing yourself. Maybe weigh just once or twice a week until it breaks. And it WILL break, as long as you stick to your plan. Usually lasts 1-3 weeks. And it'll likely be the first of many stalls.....

Thank you. I needed to read this!

I'm 3 weeks post op and have only lost 14 lbs and now have hit a stall for almost a week. I was losing like a pound a day during full liquids. Now I am in soft food stage and haven't lost a lb since starting soft food. How do I break this stall. I've only lost 14 lbs and almost 4 weeks post op.

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I have only lost 7 lbs since my sleeve surgery and I am 1 week post op. Is this normal?? I thought I would have lost more by the 1 week mark.

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I'm getting sleeved August 10th! I'm so excited !

I'm getting sleeved August 10th! I'm so excited !

Hi everyone! I am scheduled for my gastric sleeve for August 17th. I am 5'3" and 230 lbs so the doctor said I need to lose 100 lbs. Honestly I am super nervous and keep having thoughts of excitement but then I think well maybe I will just cancel it. Is it normal to feel this way? I would love to meet other people that are scheduled on the same month or around so we can somewhat do this process together.

Surgery date 08/10[emoji4]

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Follow the plan your team has to a tee. I follow it religiously and my weight has dropped like a rock. Start weight 323lbs, exactly 5 months and 3 weeks later I’m down to 188.0lbs. Only a single stall that lasted 1 week but again I have not cheated a single time, tracking everything I put in and energy out. Just my personal experience but I have watched the people who think they can cheat with no consequences. Use the tool you’ve been given and you will be successful. Best of luck, speedy recovery.

Wow, amazing success!! Congratulations!! Thank you for the tip

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Eating the right things is more important than anything else.
That dumb say, "nothing tastes as good as being skinny" totally true, because there isn't one food I miss enough to mess this up.
And I should have done this sooner.

Love this so much! Thanks.

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I know I personally would have been okay to travel by that point, but if I were you I would make sure that you're not doing anything too physically taxing. I developed an Iron deficiency after surgery that absolutely took all of my energy, but I started to feel better after about 2 weeks on iron pills (so 4 weeks after surgery.) If you develop anything like that you should know by your post op appointment with your surgeon.
Everyone's recovery is different, but even with the iron deficiency mine was incredibly smooth and surprisingly less painful than I had imagined (I've had colds that have made me feel worse honestly.)

Thank you for your transparency. I decided to delay my surgery date until after my trip just to be safe. Thanks again!

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I flew home on day 2, across country flight.. so yeah, i may be over zealous but you should be fine. Make a plan for how you plan to keep up your fluids, especially if you are driving. That seems to be the hardest part for me.

Wow! That's amazing! I decided to delay just to be safe. I'm glad everything worked well for you!

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I think the problem of traveling is sitting in one place for a long time. The doctors worry about blood clots. But I think 6 weeks is okay. You're just not supposed to sit around for more than 2 hours at the time I think. Also you're assuming everything goes okay with your surgery., I wish I hope it does!

Thank you for saying this! I decided to delay my surgery until well after my trip. I think this is best.

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I just got approved from my surgery for 08/10! Any tips for someone starting out? Must haves? Any thing you have learned since having your surgery?

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I am planning to have my surgery date on June 8th. I have a trip across the US mid to end of July. How soon did you travel post op? How did you feel traveling so soon? Any recommendations on requesting to postpone my surgery date until after my trip?

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On 3/3/2023 at 6:13 PM, Bandedbut said:

My insurance didn't cover it either, as Catwoman mentioned, your employer needs to add it to their plan, and I was told no going around that. I ended up as self pay, and using my HSA savings. Because I have a high deductible plan, I figured even if I was able to go the insurance route, it would cost me 7K in my deductible, and I would lose months and months of time jumping through insurance hoops. There are clinics I'm sure all over the country that specialize in just bariatric surgery, I went through West Medical in LA and had a great experience, it was $10K and only took 3 weeks from 1st consult to surgery. Mexico clinics start around $5k, and while I know some have had great experiences that route, I just wasn't comfortable. It's very possible you have a local bariatric Dr. that takes self pay. There are also financing options with credit cards like Care Payment that offer no/low interest rates. Don't let money hold you back!

How hard was it to get your job to try to get a rider? I honestly don't want to get my hopes up .

Like you, I hear so many great experiences in Mexico but don't feel that is the right path for me. I prefer to stay in the states. I live in Florida and everything is so financially inflated but I honestly don't want to lose more time. Thanks for the encouragement!!

On 3/3/2023 at 10:39 AM, kla7403 said:

My primary insurance thru my employer (united healthcare) does not cover it. Im fortunate my husbands new insurance (Aetna) does have bariatric surgery coverage. But before he got this insurance I was seriously looking into going to Mexico for my surgery. There's some financing options available too.

That is a good idea! I will look into switching over to my husband's insurance if it is covered. Did you have to wait until a new enrollment year to switch? I kind of don't want to have two insurances for myself on mine and my husband's.

On 3/3/2023 at 10:55 AM, Sleeve_Me_Alone said:

So frustrating! I'm so sorry. Maybe see if an appeal is possible? Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease....

I did self-pay in Mexico and had a WONDERFUL experience. Feel free to read some of my other posts for additional info. I know that's not an option for everyone, and many don't feel comfortable going that route, but it's worth looking into.

It's very frustrating! I am considering an appeal or what my other options are. Its good to know that I am not alone. I am considering self pay at this point. I will check out your posts. Thank you!!

On 3/3/2023 at 9:44 AM, lorlybeth84 said:

Is self-pay an option? I found a great surgeon in Alabama because bariatric surgery was excluded from my insurance as well. I had very few pre-op requirements and the cost was $8995. You could always go to Mexico too which is the cheapest but I was too nervous to go that route.

I am seriously considering self pay. Just trying to pick myself up from the let down as this mainly why my current insurance plan. I was told it was covered. I live in Florida and everything is over priced here but I truly am considering self pay at this point.

On 3/3/2023 at 8:59 AM, catwoman7 said:

most insurance companies will cover it, but it's usually not part of their "core" coverage. In order to offer it, employers need to buy a rider for it. So although her company uses Cigna, they probably decided not to have their policy include the optional bariatric surgery rider.

This is exactly right. I have contacted my employer and crossing my fingers regarding a rider or them adding this. At the same time I don't want to hold my breath. Exploring my other options and trying to pick myself back up.

I got Cigna at the start of this year as my job switched insurance companies. My surgeons office was preparing me with steps toward surgery when I got a call today saying that bariactic surgery isn't covered under my plan. I feel so disappointed. Now what? How can I get coverage? Anyone experienced this?

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I brought my cigna policy for my surgeon to read and it cleary stated that there were no 6 or 12 month long documentation of failed weight loss attempts required. My surgeon called the insurance coordinator and she says in her past experience of working with Cigna they require 12 months of failed WL attempts. There is NOTHING of this mentioned on the cigna requirements. I really don't need anything slowing down my process. Did anyone else run into this issue with cigna and getting approval?

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Are you able to share what the surgeons said was ok and others said was not ok by any chance? Curiosity has gotten the better of me. I could possibly help you also address these discrepancies,, as I have over 20years consulting lifestyle and mindset management for weight loss surgery.

Sure! Well like I mentioned, the main one for me was that you aren't supposed to drink until 30 minutes after meals. I believe the rationale was that it pushes your food down your pouch quicker and therefore will induce hunger quicker. He told me that's not really important to worry about and that I can eat and drink together after surgery. Alot of his answers he didn't explain his rationale. More so just yes or no and he kept mentioning he can get me into surgery quickly. Diet questions I had he told me to talk to the nutritionalist which I understand he is a surgeon and not a nutritionalist. I asked about chewing gum and things that I heard you couldn't do after surgery and he said there is nothing that I can't do after surgey. While it sounds great it just wasn't what Ive been hearing which makes me want a second opinion. While I do want this procedure, I am looking for guidance. I am looking for a slow and successful journey not a speed race to the operation table.

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Get a second.. third..forth...fifth ... how ever many opinions you need to be comfortable. You have to trust and me comfortable with your surgeon for anything, not just WLS.
With that being said, literally EVERY surgeon and their team have different requirements. It is not that surprising that you are getting different information. I put off surgery for so many years, partly because I thought I would never eat or drink anything again. There is "false" information out there and there is perfectly good information too.
My surgeons team says NOTHING is off limits, eat within your plan and as long as you do ok with it not making you sick or uncomfortable and you are still making the progress you are expecting then it is fine. They stress a very balanced diet for life, they explain that this isn't supposed to be a life long "diet" it is a life style change. We have to make permanent sustainable changes that we can maintain for the rest of our lives. Everything is ok IN MODERATION and that is what they try to teach us.
Regardless of all that you have to feel comfortable! So get all the opinions you need, after all you are trusting them with your life!
Good luck!

So true, thank you for this!!

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Yes, I did. I went to a few different consultations. I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable with my surgeon, that we saw eye to eye regarding post-op nutrition (i.e. fan of fruits/vegetable for health benefits, not Keto or extreme low carb) and more importantly had a good surgical record.

I agree. That is most important. I am telling myself it is OKAY. You don't have to go with the first surgeon you consult with. Thanks!

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I had my consultation for VSG today. Everything I have heard such as not eating and drinking, chewing gum ect after surgery the surgeon said I could do. He has been practicing for 4 years. He got great reviews which is why I was interested in the first place. I just found it interesting that in all my research I found every surgeon against certain things post op and this surgeon said I can do them. Has anyone every gotten a second consultation with someone else? I found a great surgeon with decades of experience and thinking of consulting with him instead. Am I over reacting? Should this be a reason for concern?
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What was your starting weight vs now? How many supplements do you have to take a day? I am planning to get the gastric sleeve but now I am curious about the MGB.

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