Acadia

In Canada we call this a version of Lazy Man's Cabbage Rolls.

Point blank: if your policy specifically excludes weight loss surgery then you cannot appeal it. You will be self pay if you proceed. Weight loss surgery is considered elective surgery and falls to the employer to determine whether or not they will cover it. It has nothing to do with the insurance plan itself, only the waivers and restrictions/exclusions that the employer chooses. I work in the insurance industry and have worked at two separate insurance companies one with exclusions and one without. Check to see if your company offers more than one plan option, they may not have excluded it in both. Or look into personal insurance.

I've been fine taking an allergy pill, birth control, vitamin D capsule, and acidophilus bead the day after surgery (mine was January 14). Anything smaller than an m&m / full size aspirin.

$35 x 3 Psychiatrist Appts $35 x 1 Primary Physician papers $150 x 1 Psychiatric Report $110 x 1 Nutritionist $170 x 1 Specialist $110 x 1 Pre op consultation $2,500-4,000 for the 10% I'll pay for the procedure. BCBS will pay 90% Total Cost will be around $3,180-4,680 That doesn't count fills, which will be around $100 each.

I was banded on the 14th and am going through the same thing, as most people do. I feel like I need to belch and little burps come out but not what I need. A lot of stomach grumbling. Tightness in my chest. Shoulder and back pain. I'm taking the liquid T3 prescribed and will start to take the pills as soon as I can. A hot rice pack (tube sock with dry rice and tied then microwaved for two minutes) helps both with the shoulder pain and internal gas pain. I'm having problems getting comfortable for sleeping though, I have to prop myself up and can't be on either side, back only. I'm sleeping a bit but my neck and shoulders are paying for it.

ElfiePoo: very good points. I did my research prior to surgery and for five years prior to that and watched as the procedures changed. I kept an eye on people who had the various surgeries and found that gastric bypass, and now sleeve, because of their malabsorptive properties work great initially but result in a lot of left over skin (due to the rapid weight loss) and don't encourage the person to change their diet and eating habits enough because they're able to stretch their stomach back to it's former size and eventually, as mentioned, the negative effects are dampened. It's a personal choice. I believe if people do the research and if they're able to talk with people who have had the various procedures they can make an informed and educated decision. Doctors don't always know best, as we've surely all experienced at one time or another.

After hearing all of the negative feedback people say about WLS I don't feel comfortable saying anything. I find that it's a personal decision and that I'll do better being my own positive influence than risking negative feedback or comments, talking behind my back, etc. There's really no reason for anyone to know the specifics.

I was offered all three options and was told I would have to choose between sleeve and gastric bypass because of a potential Lupus diagnosis. Fortunately the Lupus diagnosis was not made and was able to choose what I wanted. I chose LapBand specifically because I do not want to lose quickly. I want to lose slowly and steadily to ensure time to keep my skin in order and to learn how to adapt myself. For those considering the more extreme procedures, remember, once you get sleeve or gastric bypass you won't have any more options and if you gain back you'll be in a worse position. Start with LapBand and see how well you do, then if you can't handle the necessary changes you can make a more informed decision.

I finally looked and I have the large incision in my navel and a tiny incision under my right breast. If there is a noticeable scar left in my navel it will be fixed with a tummy tuck to get rid of the stretch marks. But I have a long time to go before that happens. Enough time to forget how painful this is!

I see this as my personal decision and won't be telling anyone.

I take: multi with Iron (I use one-a-day sours), D3 5,000 IU, calcium citrate with D, Biotin, B1, B12, coq10, Iron, Cinnamon, Ranitidine (like Zantac), birth control, and Ceterizine Hydrochloride (allergy). All of those are required except Cinnamon, birth control, and Ceterizine Hydrochloride.

The biggest two benefits of the Realize band are: low profile port is the norm (1 cm high by 3 cm wide) and it stays low pressure whereas LapBand hits high pressure before it is half full. This is important because the fills are what keep you in your sweet spot and if your band is too high pressure the possibility of rupture, slippage, etc. Is greater. Also, the lap band has baffles like those air bubble strips used in packing, whereas the Realize band is one smooth silicone tube. One smooth tube is less stressful on your stomach tissue.

"so, do they put the port in your belly button, then?" - Yes. Single incision was first started in 2008, so it is pretty new. I haven't had the courage to look at my abdomen yet to see how many additional incisions were necessary, if any. I'll post my surgery experience in the Post op area.

I'll be having the single incision, but the Dr. said there's a chance of a second incision if they need to hold the liver back (unlikely in my situation but I'll let you know tomorrow). Multiple incisions tend to be used on people with more visceral fat (all around the belly area and organs) to help hold things back and out of the way so the surgical instruments can be accommodated. Single incision is also rather 'new' in that it's only being done at some facilities due to the increased complexity. The hospital I'm going to only does single incision (with up to 2 incisions if necessary). I imagine most facilities will convert to 1-2 incision within a few years.

My surgery is outpatient and is on the 14th. I'm to be there at 9 AM and they expect me to be heading home around 2 PM. I've been on a liquid protein diet for the past week (Muscle Milk, Isopure Zero Carb, Broth, Sugar Free Jello, etc.) and it's been fine. I supplemented with one protein bar when I was out, hungry, and had no access to anything else and I didn't want to overeat later. I started the year at 253.4 and am currently at 246.2 and have been monitoring my body fat percentage, skeletal muscle percentage, visceral fat percentage, weight, BMI, and more using a new scale. It's helping me to stay on track and it's neat to see a graph actually go down on a regular basis rather than fluctuating. I ordered 13 cases (156 bottles) of IsoPure Zero Carb (tastes like Crystal Light and is pure protein, no lactose, no carbs - 40 g and 160 calories, 1 a day will help me get 2/3 of the way to my protein goal) from VitaminShoppe online, they have the best deal and free shipping (but be careful ordering as that item causes multiple temporary authorizations on credit cards). I ordered a year worth of multivitamins from Harmon Discount ($102 for a year's worth of appropriate gummi multi vitamins), vitamin D (sublingual) and CoQ10 (sublingual) from AmericanRx, and B12 (sublingual) and mini Calcium with D from VitaminShoppe. I tried the recommended bariatric vitamins but found that they are just normal size vitamins that you have to empty the contents of. Totally pointless to spend more for the same thing. I also signed up for automatic 6 week Sugar Free Jello delivery from Amazon, removed all junk from my house, stocked my freezer with Diet-to-Go vegetarian meals for when I can eat (they are small portions - 1,200 calorie plan), and I imagine I'm missing several things. Either way, I'm very well stocked, prepared, and ready for Friday morning. It's taken me since 2004 to actually get to this point, and six months total from start to finish. At this point I have 121.2 lbs to permanently lose.

Very inspirational. Thank you.