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Showing results for 'renew bariatrics'.
Found 17,501 results
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Death in the family immediately post-op
Frustr8 replied to Caryn128's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Caryn , I'm hugging you, because I know you need it. What a traffic bewildering thing to happen. Now take a breath, you are going to get through this. Keep up with your fluids, food you can worry about later. Your Dad would not want you hurting yourself by not following the post surgery rules. One foot in front of the,other 👣I had a son die unexpectedly,at 31, so I also have walked this walk. You will make it through but,don't be afraid to ask for help, even if it is respite care for your mother or something else. You showed great strength by just going through your surgery now it is going need an extra reserve,to continue. Do you have friends, clergy , medical staff etc that can help? Cell in all the markets you can to make it past. And if you need to talk, until you can seek more professional consolting you do have your Bariatric Pal. family. May of us have gone through similar, we want to help and never need feel alone. Okay and it is okay to cry 💦 We All Have ourselves. -
I don't have any advice because my insurance excludes anything bariatric related. So I am going the self pay route. I just wanted to tell you to not give up. You are obviously determined because you went through all the work to get as far as you have. Keep fighting the fight!
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I decided against a sleeve revision as the sleeve wasn't addressing the actual problem. After a few years of trial and error I worked it out and solved my life long problem. I will be shortly launching My Simple Steps to Health as I have managed to lose 65 kgs by myself eating loads of food and feeling happy, calm and it's changed my life. Should be launching in April and I am more than happy to help everyone who signs up from Bariatric Pal for a heavily discounted amount. Thanks and look forward to helping you. Emma
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Anyone have Cigna HMO through Verizon?
mrsgriffin2u replied to agw504's topic in Insurance & Financing
I work for Verizon Wireless and I was approved the first time I applied. I have a high BMI w/no co-morbidities. Do you have a case manager thru Cigna? They should guide you through everything step by step. If you are employed by VZW then you would have needed to start the 6 month pre-op diet, have a case manager, and visit a seminar prior to 12/31/07. They no longer cover bariatric surgery and the only way to be approved is if you started the whole process in 2007. You also should meet with a nutritionist, have a psyc evaluation, and surgeon consult during your 6 month PCP monitored program. My surgeons office submitted for approval on 4/25 and I received the ok on 5/20. Good luck!! -
My doctor didn't push either surgery; in fact he gave a fair balanced assessment of MANY types of bariatric surgery although he only does Roux-n-Y and bypass. However GERD is problematic with the lap band. Moreover I was pretty big to start and my doctor NEVER tried to steer me to bypass. He let me choose right down the line. I suggest, regardless of the "reputation", you find another surgeon and try again.
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I have a good friend that does approvals for BC/BS. While they are not my insurance carrier, it was interesting to see the process from her perspective. She said that she rarely if ever denies bariatric surgery if the BMI is over 35. The rest of the hoops you jump through are just a formality. My surgeons office knew exactly what I needed to do and how to submit each part of the requirements. I needed a letter from my primary doc stating she had supervised my diet and exercise for at least 6 mos. They didn't require a log or any notes. There was no minimum weight to be lost prior to surgery either. Your surgeon's office should be your best resource.
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Do you know what your mental health benefits are under your insurance plan? It may be that they only cover a certain portion, but I'm not sure mental health can ever really be deemed "medically necessary" so it seems odd that is the reason they would use to deny. I would call the insurance company now and appeal. Tell them it is required by their plan in order to get bariatric surgery (assuming that is one of their requirements) and see what they say. Start with that and let us know what they say and maybe we can offer further advice.
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I saw my surgeon for the last time about 3 weeks after surgery when he was making sure I was healing well and everything was ok. He told me that he hoped he'd never see me again because if he did, it meant I was having difficulties that would most likely need surgery. Fills are done by either a tech or the same nurse who assists him in surgery. They only do fills on Tuesdays and I drive about 80 miles one way to the bariatric clinic. Once I hit my sweet spot, they tell me I probably won't need to see them but every 6 months or so as I lose weight and need (or maybe not) an adjustment to the fill. Why do you think your band is malfunctioning? No offense intended but having the band removed seems an overreaction. Remind yourself why you had this done...and then just tell yourself that it is done and move forward. .
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I had a lap band put in last year. Now I feel like I was duped. The office said they had 2 board certified surgeons and we would always have access to good post op care. That turned out to be not the case at all. They had 2 surgeons, but one of them is away on an indefinite leave, so there is just one. The office keeps soliciting new patients, which takes up all the time of the only remaining surgeon. For my post op care all I can ever get is a nurse who doesn't want to hear any questions that are beyond his nursing ability. So I am stuck with a malfunctioning band and a nurse who can only put liquids in and take liquids out, each time I have to pay for the visit, and he is extremely rough in the way he handles the band. This is a small town in Virginia, so the nearest other bariatric facility is about 70 miles away. If the office would have been more honest up front I would not have had the procedure. I am seriously considering having the band removed (at the facility 70 miles away so it can be done by a surgeon, not a nurse) because I cannot get post op care from a qualified physician in this town. Just venting.
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I have just been recently been banded and I did pay for it myself. Capital One and Wells Fargo do Health Care Financing. I went through Capital One. My employer plan thru the insurance company does not cover any bariatric surgury either, no questions. I don't think I will ever be sorry that I finance it though. I should be getting a big break on my taxes next year because of it. If you have healthcare costs greater than 7.5% of your gross adjusted income, you get to take a couple of thousand off your taxes. Just something to consider. Good Luck!
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Nausea, food aversion, protein nausea, weakness pls help
belaby18 replied to carmenalivet's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Im at the point where the nausea is becoming unbearable so I'll give it a try. Thanks. The doctor I saw yesterday said it might be due to acid reflux, which I'm taking a 14 day course of omeprazole and still nothing. It was a waste of doctor visit, I just got a referral to a bariatric surgeon since I didn't get the surgery in the US. -
Who should submit the prior authorization? Me, primary physician, or surgeon? My insurance policy does not include bariatric coverage, so I was going to appeal the expected denial but I need a denial first. Has anyone ever had experience or heard of anyone getting coverage when their policy excludes it? Thanks!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
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7days out and hungry....... or is it my head
Creekimp13 replied to Slevedbanana's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Why shouldn't you be hungry? You're, very literally, starting to starve. I went on a rant about this idea of "head hunger". If you've eaten a nice meal of chicken breast and veggies...but you desperately still WANT a cheeseburger and fries...that's "head hunger." Needing more fuel...and having physiological signs that you need more fuel...is actual real hunger. And YES lots and lots of bariatric patients suffer it when their calorie demands are high (healing) and their intake is dangerously low (first few weeks after surgery). Many people suffer nausea...that eliminates hunger. So, they beleive that no one else feels hunger. But lots of us don't suffer any nausea, and for us hunger can be overwhelming until our diets open up to more realistic amounts of calories. I could have eaten my own leg off a week after surgery...I was THAT hungry. You're not alone:) When more foods opened up to me and my caloric intake got to be about 1000 calories a day, I felt wonderful...no more hunger. Hang in there...it gets better. -
If you look on Cigna's website at the bariatric surgery info, it no longer says anything about having to have 2/5 years documentation. When I first started this process, it said 2 years. Several of the customer service reps that I spoke to said that I needed 5 years.. so my surgeon and I decided to get together 5 years of history just in case.
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Tricare Prime and Dallas/Fort Worth Texas
IntoLess replied to Mommie_of_4's topic in Insurance & Financing
The best advice I can give you is to call Tricare directly. Anytime I have had to change a specialist for one reason or another, they have always been helpful. Just ask for a list of bariatric surgeons in the area, research them, decide who you want for your surgeon, call and ask if they are accepting new patients, and then tell your PCM to give you a referral to that doctor. -
Has anyone had lapband in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Tricare Prime paid for it? I spoke with my PCM and he said I needed to find a surgeon. But tricare doesn't have bariatric surgeons listed on their site to find a specific doctor. How do you go about finding a surgeon that take tricare prime?
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VSG with Dr. Alejandro Lopez in Puerto Vallarta 12 May 16
Boujie replied to Boujie's topic in Mexico & Self-Pay Weight Loss Surgery
Hi Helen! Sorry it took me so long to reply...been so busy! ALO Bariatrics and Dr. Lopez is AMAZING! The hospital in Puerto Vallarta is San Javier, and it is pristeen. You even get a private suite and shower, etc. The room has a sofa if your partner wants to stay with you. We were picked up by Dr. Leo at the airport, and he takes you to the Paradise Village Resort & Spa (it's part of the package) and paradise is right! It's right on the beach. Everything you need is on the resort. The morning of the surgery, Leo picked me up in the lobby and took me to the hospital (it's literally a 5 min drive) and I registered. My surgery was at 1:00 pm, he picked me up st 11:00 for pre/op (bloodwork, EKG, IV). They (nurses) come to your room to do this. They then wrap your legs in compression bandages. A resident comes in for your medical history (medications, previous surgeries, etc). Then you are wheeled down to the OR. You will meet Dr. Lopez and the anesthesologist (who is very funny and handsome..so is Dr. Lopez...wow!) Different peeps will ask you sbout your medications, I was sick of it lol. Then you are wheeled into the OR, scoot onto the gurney, he tells u when he's sedating you, and BOOM..you're in recovery. They gave me a shot of morphine, and I felt no pain at all. They will give you analgesics and antibiotics at regular intervals thru your IV the whole duration of your stay. You will spend the night, and in the morning, you go down to radiology for your leak test by CT scan. Both Dr. Lopez snd the anesthesiologist are there with you (I am assuming it's because if there is a leak, you have to go back into surgery immediately). You drink 2 separate gulps of a clear, bitter liquid and you get to watch it on a large screen. Pretty cool! Once you get the all clear, you can drink clear liquids. Discharged at 4:00 pm, Dr Leo takes you back to the resort. Anakaren (nutritionist) will come and see you before discharge to give you Meds and instructions. We enjoyed walking, lying on the beach, etc. We stayed an extra day. Oh yeah, u will have a drain. Dr. Leo will come to your hotel room and remove it. He picks u up at the hotel, and takes u yo the airport to fly home. Very impressive and seamless! I feel FANTASTIC!! No nausea, nothing. Go for it! -
Hello, I am contemplating gastric sleeve. I will really appreciate if folks who have actually gone through the operation can suggest names of surgeons with whom they had had good experience. Or which institutions are considered centers of Bariatric Surgery Excellence. Will greatly appreciate.
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here's the thing....you gotta address the disease of obesity....the noise in your head that pollutes your determination to be (& enjoy) good health. A 50 lb gain suggests you're "off program". It's a symptom of your disease of obesity. Make appointment for follow-up. Speak w nutritionist in bariatric program. Weekly weigh ins @ the surgeon's office doesn't require an appointment, & makes you accountable. Get to support group. There's no shame in the struggle. Anyone posting here has been & is, in the same boat.
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I take bariatric advantage berry. It's pretty good and specifically developed for us. Good luck!
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I just found this: Bariatric Surgeon Profile - Horacio Guajardo, M.D. He's only done 85 sleeves. That's not very much sleeve experience. There is a surgeon in TJ and she isn't very experienced either and her patients can eat an entire chicken breast 3 weeks after surgery, I'm 10 months out and I can't eat that much and my stomach has already stretched out. Can you imagine how much she'll be able to eat when hers has stretched? Experience means everything in the world with this procedure. I have NO clue if this surgeon is great or horrible. I've never heard of him before I read you post. He's in a safe location, that part is good. He states on his OH profile that he trained Dr. Rumbaut. I'd call Rumbaut's office and verify that. Rumbaut has farrrr more experience than this guy... it kinda doesn't add up. Just research and verify everything.
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Insurance questions (regarding BMI/weight loss)
snarkychef replied to ohclementine's topic in Duodenal Switch Surgery Forum
I have Blue Cross, and I had a switch done with a BMI of 35.9. I'm very lucky in that my doctor is the head of the bariatric fellowship department at a big teaching hospital, and he basically set the Blue Cross standards. He even got any kind of pre-op dieting waived. You just have to meet with their dietician twice a month while going through all of you pre-op testing. I was turned down, but I actually went to the Blue Cross office and sat in the lobby until someone from appeals came down to see me and I asked her to schedule a peer to peer confernce with my doctor. It took me staging a sort of sit in, but they scheduled the call and I was approved the next day. Talk to your doctor about qualifying co-morbidities. If he can tell them why he thinks the switch is the best operation for you, you can likely get it approved at any BMI. -
Protein drinks...freezable?
heidikat72 replied to Muted_Tummy's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
"the world according to eggface" has several protein ice cream recipes that follow the same method MxKitty just described. and "the bariatric foodie" has a couple of protein popsicle ideas -
Protein drinks
JourneyToLife replied to Autumnrain1908's topic in Protein, Vitamins, and Supplements
Good luck to you. I haven't gotten to my first appointment which is August 12th as many of the doc's (Nutritionist, psychologist, and Bariatric doctor) are out on vacation. Keep me posted on what you find that you like as I will be doing the protein shakes next month. Thank you for your post. -
I couldn't handle any of the chewables. My surgeon recommended the bariatric advantage chewy bites and I love them - all 4 flavors.
