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I have BCBS IL ppo I do not require a co morbidity, just worried bc I'm pretty much healthy besides my weight.

I had surgery 9 days ago. I brought tons of stuff to keep myself busy BC I knew I had to stay overnight. I thought I was going to be bored but honestly all I did (and wanted to do) was sleep and then I had to walk around obviously. But I was in pain and the pain medicine always knocked me out. So if I could change what I brought it would have been just my change of clothes.

I had Lapband revision with Gastric bypass on 9/5/17. Decided with my Dr. that it was the best course to take in April. I wanted to wait until after the summer, as our daughter was graduating high school and then college late August. Did 90 day program with Dr. & Nutritionist, then they submitted to insurance after (BCBS Fed.) Did all the tests (labs, CXR, EKG, ECHO per my Cardiologist) on specific timeline. Probably about a month or close to it before I found out that I was approved. We set my surgery date before beginning 90 day program. Was anxious to hear if I was getting approval from insurance, and I really think my calling customer service with them helped expedite the process. I also spoke to the manager at my Dr.s office. Hope this helps & not TMI [emoji4] Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using BariatricPal mobile app

This is going to sound crazy, but I believe bc pills can be absorbed vaginally. Ask your doc.

Why did they make you stop taking bc pills? It seems controversial, I read other women did not go off the pill. Can you get the novo ring or depo shots?

Every book I have read recently on the WFPB way of eating recommends not eating any animal products for the best health and disease prevention,( Proteinaholic, Starch Solution, The Cheese Trap). Cheese is concentrated dairy so it is even worse then just consuming milk. It contains a substance, Casomorphin,that is in the opiate class and is addictive. That explains why it has been harder for me to resist adding a little cheese then giving up anything else. I agree calorie restriction is a big part of the puzzle, but based on my almost year long experiment with low carb, higher fat and protein eating, if you don't get rid of the fat, you don't really get rid of insulin resistance, at least in my case. I was eating 900-1000 calories with most of my calories coming from fats and proteins. My bs numbers were excellent. I would stick with this diet for 3 months and then go off plan and eat some complex carbs for a few weeks and watch my bs numbers steadily climb back up despite still taking my 2500mg metformin and daily injections of victoza. Then I would get strict again and watch my numbers go back down and rinse and repeat. When I would go off the low carb diet, I wasn't eating a lot of bad refined carbs either, it was mostly whole grains, potatoes,and fruit. During this time I did lose weight. I was 255 and lost down to 208 before having my surgery. My A1C dropped from 11.1% to 6.2%. My total cholesterol and triglycerides went up, so much so, that my doctor wanted to put me on statins. I refused because my dh has been on them for years and suffered the side effects. All I was doing on the low carb diet was controlling my diabetes, and for some people that may be enough, but I wasn't satisfied. I was living in denial and sticking to that diet by my will power alone. Maybe if I had stuck with it and lost enough weight to get to a normal BMI my experiences would have been different, but that way of eating was unsustainable for me, based on my periods of non-compliance. I had come to the conclusion that I had two choices, stick to the low carb way of eating for life and keep all of the medications, or have WLS and go for the cure. Even after having surgery I was convinced I had to keep eating low carb. It is so liberating to know I can eat a healthy diet now without all of that fat. I really wish I had come across these resources sooner, because I honestly believe I could have cured my diabetes without surgery eating this way. I have read so many testimonials from people who have really cured their diabetes eating a WFPB oil free diet. So based on my experiences, if you are calorie restricting without eating low fat, you won't experience true remission of the diabetes. By that I mean, you won't be able to eat complex carbs, whole grains, fruits,and starchy vegetables, without a spike in your blood sugars to unsafe levels. This is my experience and I realize everyone is different with different levels of exercise and medical issues.

I have BCBS Fed, so it may be different. Anxious to hear about coverage. My niece lives in Arkansas too & she couldn't get approval from her insurance (through her job, never heard of the insurance). I'm so proud of her though! Through hard work and determination, she's lost around 100lbs. so far by exercising and healthy diet. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using BariatricPal mobile app

Same with me just the thought of protein shakes makes me want to gag! I think it's just because our body's are fed up lol

Hey, sleevers! This is my 1st Post in quite a while. I had started a conversation last year at this time, regarding my decision to go for surgery in Cancun. But I postponed, bc I had a physical and ended up in the hospital with acute hypertension. 200/129! After changing my diet immensely and taking natural supplements I got my BP down considerably (but not my weight!) First I'll give you my stats then tell you all about MX. Surgery date: 9/23 HW: 229 SW: 217 CW: 201 GW: 130 Height: 5'4" Ok so....After lots of research, I opted for Sergio Verboonen. And at this moment, I super glad I did. But the whole experience wasn't without it's downfalls. I don't want to go on a crazy long detailed rant. So I'll give you a pros and cons list ending with a synopsis. Pros: 1. Dr. V was a pro! I read about people with their pain days later and not being able to function. Surgery area-wise, 100% pain-free! 2. The nurse staff at Victoria Medical. Went above and beyond to monitor my blood pressure before and after. It was quite elevated @ 160/90. They gave me meds and in the 48 hours I was there were so attentive, but not excessively so that I couldn't rest. 3. Private room was nice, considering I got up every 40 minutes to pee with my butt hanging out of my gown. You can have a friend or family member stay with you, but I told my BF to stay at a hotel. I really wasn't up for company. 4. Results! I've lost 28 pounds! Mind boggling! I've been dieting and working out for years. But, I stuck strictly to a liquid diet for 2 weeks. Super effective and it's melting away. 5. My incisions are friggin tiny! After I got out of surgery, Dr. went down to talk to my BF and explained that I only need 2 incisions, usually he needs a 3rd to pull the liver to the side, but my liver was clean and tiny. He still made the hole but didn't end up using it.... 6. Like most sleevers state, the gas pain subsided by the 2nd day. My BF put on a little jazz in the room so I would get out a bed and dance in place a do a little swaying to work it out. I've never been so happy to fart! Haha! 7. Transportation. Abraham and his driver was there for me every step of the way. I was picked up and dropped of for every step. Never having to get a cab anywhere. Such a relief. Pros: 1. In Stark contrast to Dr. V's obvious expertise, his bedside manner leaves much to be desired. But honestly, I didn't really care as long as he did a good job. But his general lack of interest in the pre-surgery meeting left a slightly bad taste in both mine and my bfs mouth. 2. Nursing staff was great, but there's def a language barrier. I'm actually pretty understanding of Spanish, I just really suck at speaking it. But we all got through just fine. Very minor con. 3. Gas pain was CRAZY! I got gas trapped in my neck and shoulders as well as my chest. It was unbearable and it was that day...the day of, that I had those regret thoughts. 4. Good and bad....I was constantly connected to a saline drip. Which was great, but it randomly through me so rapidly I had to get up 20 times a day and drag my iv into the bathroom with me. It was so annoying and I could not wait to become detached to that darn apparatus! 5. I opted for an upgrade in hotel stay, by staying at Beachscape in the hotel zone rather than Later Quinta in city central. Ugh, they suck! We arrived, I argued the room was paid for, but the lady insisted it wasn't. So I was super mad at my coordinator. Paid for the room. Got to the room and it was dirty. Like as in, not made up. Dirty coffee cups on the sink and in the shower. It looked like someone had been lounging on one of the beds bc the pillows were tussled and there was used soap and a used towel. Finally got in touch with my coordinator. Went and got my money back with serious stink-eye from the desk clerk. We decided to take a loss and stay at the Real inn on my last night in Cancun. Much more pleasant. 6. To make the hotel situation even worse and this also goes hand in hand with Dr. V mannerisms. My coordinator texts me after everything and says he forgot to charge me extra for Beachscape and that the doctor was mad at him for not charging the extra $200. So I had to text my CC # for a terrible experience and a night I didn't even stay there. 7. Oh yeah...reception at Victoria. You stink too. They are worst than grumpy Brooklyn baristas. I hope this answers some questions about the choice of Medical Tourism. Feel free to ask me anything!

I respectfully disagree. It wasn't just a temporary reaction. My bs would take days to come back down even on my medication, I doubt this would happen to a non-diabetic. Low carb diets do not cure type 2 diabetes, they simple mask the symptoms. I will agree that they improve the health of the diabetics following them because they help to control bs, For me low carb never was a cure, it was just a way to control bs along with taking 2 types of medications. Wouldn't it be much better to actually solve the cause and prevent it from happening in the first place? There are many examples of type 2 diabetics that have been cured or put in remission (how ever you want to say it) by adopting a low fat WFPB diet and exercise.. These people are now able to eat whole grains, fruit, and even potatoes as a part of a nutritious diet and no longer have any bs problems. If you are interested look for success stories following Forks Over Knife Diet, or look at the many success stories on Dr. Mcdougall's website, or Dr. Garth Davis, or Dr. Neal Barnard.

I haven't read his any of his stuff, but just the brief look I took tells me he is a low carb proponent. The problem is this country was never really on a low fat diet. Yes consumption of refined carbs along with continuing to eat saturated fats in animal products has led to the obesity problems and type 2 diabetes. I agree with that. The problem with low carb diets and type 2 diabetes is as soon as you eat any high carb meals your blood sugar will shoot up because you haven't really cured the insulin resistance you are just controlling the symptoms. I know because I tried it for quite sometime. I would be eating 20-30g total carbs daily and have excellent bs, but if I decided to have a piece of birthday cake or a bowl of brown rice, my bs could go as high as 160-180 easy. I was still very much insulin resistant. My body could not handle a meal with more than about 15g of carbs. Happily that isn't a problem for me anymore. I really hope you experience the same when you have your surgery.

I did mine at different times. My surgeon said it was better to heal first. Also he would have a better idea about how much scar tissue I had before he converted me. He seemed to believe it was safer. It worked out for me bc at first my insurance wasn't going to cover the sleeve and after my band was out thry did! Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I recently went in for a revision. I was in a similar situation. They were going in to remove part of my colon and I asked if the could upgrade my Sleeve. I’m in Week 5 now and it reminds me of when I first had BS. Do it! I had less than 48 hours to decide. You won’t regret it. HW 530 Sleeve SW 490 Revision SW 404 CW 352

I can only tell you my story and I have had both. The band for me was AWFUL. AWFUL! I can't believe I lived with it for 5 years. I had port pain for 5 years it never went away. Sure sometimes I couldn't feel it but many many times years later at night I could feel it and it was sore. The other nightmare about the band is that if you eat one bite of something that doesn't go thru you are in trouble. So for example an innocent piece of broccoli? You experience pain and being to slime and can only hope it will come back up. This happened to me at restaurants, people's houses, during birthday dinners with my family. I missed so much in the bathroom praying that little piece of whatever would come up. It's not if you overeat it's if it goes down wrong. Slider foods? Have fun with that bc you can drink a mcdonalds shake and eat crackers or cookies and you can eat a lot of them. Lastly I never lost any weight. Maybe 20lbs in the beginning. But that's it! You can eat slider foods so much more easily with the band and you probably will if you have the experiences I did with the healthier foods not going down. If it was choice for me to eat crackers that were guaranteed to not give me a problem I would choose that over a salad with chicken because who needs that kind of work? Fast forward 5 years and I finally revised to a sleeve in January. My only regret is that I didn't start here and wasted so much time suffering with the band. I'm down 100 lbs in a size 10 jeans and I feel amazing. I can eat small amounts of whatever I want however I have become a much healthier eater. For example we are tailgating tomorrow and I made a ton of food today and a huge veggie tray that I will munch on. With the band I would have planned on chips and salsa so I didn't end up in the bathroom for the entire game. As far as keeping the weight off no tool will do that for you. This is a long and difficult journey. My weight loss is slowing down now dramatically and I have to start thinking about maintenance and it's scary. However the past 9 months have been preparing me and I feel optimistic that I will be able to continue eating healthy and since I am unable to binge on anything I really think I'm gonna make it. I know there are some people that have been successful with the band and maybe they will tell you differently that it works and go for it but it absolutely did not work for me it worked against me. The sleeve is a dream and I'm so so so happy I did it! Good luck! Band to sleeve revision surgery 1/16/17 HW: 283 CW: 183 GW: 160

Hi everyone Ever since i thought abt having this surgery ive wanted the sleeve bc it has less risk. But now that i have read up on both..im not sure. Something that ive noticed more is my heartburn/acid reflux..should that be a reason to switch to rny? All advise is welcome. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

dont feel b ad sweetie i did it to... from the computer not the app bc i got it from the activity page..

What BC were you on before? Michelle Post op revision band to bypass 9-28-17 Sw 276 Day of surgery 252 Cw 248 Goal Healthy BMI 154.

My doc had told me reg BC would not be effective after surgery... I'm 21 days post op and looking for options... Any suggestions other than IUD those are scary... thanks in advance for any input 🤗 Sent from my SM-N910W8 using BariatricPal mobile app

great post. welcome. unfortunately, even in a forum designated for men with a sticky post telling women not to be here, they swarm here anyway like flies. so rude and disrespectful. and then they go “waaah, i didn’t know! “ - even girl members here for years with thousands of posts say this. funny, as men wouldn’t be caught dead in the Women’s Forum. somehow, we can keep all these tricky sub forums straight! pretty good for us big, dumb lugs! anyway, good luck to you bro. you will figure everything out. bc i can tell you’re an intelligent dude and the weight loss happens slow enough to give you time to adjust mentally. it’s only women who b***h about “i’m losing weight too fast! “. imagine that, women finding something to complain about. even when it comes to this miraculous, life-saving surgery.

I'm 3 months and get hungry and no problem eating. I try to stay under 1000 calories. I was struggling with lots of hunger and only getting in around 500 cal the first 6 weeks but not really after that. I would eat even if not hungry bc you need to meet your nutritional needs with protein and vegetables of you can't get anything else in.

Diana_in_Philly, Thanks for the info - we were actually just notified by IBC that we are no longer in their coverage area now that we moved from Chester County to Berks Co, but since they took so long to tell us we still have to wait for open enrollment. Looks like we will be going with Capital Blue Cross, which stipulates it is a non-covered service "unless medically necessary". All other plans through our broker and on open marketplace for individuals or families do not cover it at all. You have to be on an employer paid ins. plan (with 50 or more employees, I believe, bc we are self-employed and looked at small business plans as well and none of them covered it) and your employer has to choose the option to cover it. I was completely baffled that I did not have the option to add the coverage to my insane premiums which are already more than my mortgage, but apparently in PA that's the breaks. So, now I will be further investigating how "medically necessary" their medically necessary means for the new plan. If that doesn't pan out, possibly some sort of financing, but seems a little out of reach at this point. Also currently battling severe chronic back/other pain right now and am having to consider spinal fusion surgery, which I don't want to do - especially when I know recovery will be much more likely to have a good result if I am closer to my healthy weight, but since I don't know if I can get the WLS yet I may have to do the back surgery first (I've already had 3, but this is the most invasive by far). Anyway, thank you again for sharing your hospital info. All my current docs are HUP-affiliated in the suburban hospitals they took over, but downtown is definitely the way to go if you can do the commute. Congrats on your success so far. Looks like you've come a long way : )

Im a mom so the complications of surgery always scared me. Thats why i opted for the sleeve..bc it has very little complications. I put it off for long enough and came to a realization that i cant loose all this weight on my own. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I agree abt it bieng mental...and joke with my sisters that i wont pass the pysch eval [emoji23] i want to take a before pic now...bc this is the heaviest ive ever been...284 :/ Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Congrats! Thats amazing. Ty means alot to have a place i can talk abt it. Bc its all i think abt ..and my sisters r getting sick of hearing abt it lol Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I would switch programs. It sounds like some BS. They know people have issues with food and losing weight. They put you in this program, probably hoping you fail, then they string you along buying their food with surgery as a carrot on the stick at the end. I would never choose one of these programs that are selling you food and tell you that you have to lose X to qualify for surgery. They just milk people for money.