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I live near by and had my surgery at fair oaks hospital in Virginia. My question for you is wether the hospital is designated a center of excellence for bariatric surgery? That's very important since it means the hospital is set up for the bariatric patient.

Dr. L did my lap band 4 years ago I wish I would have looked into other options because I was scheduled to do the sleeve but then they told me my insurance was not covering the surgery about 2 months into the process therefore my options were limited and I had to cash pay so I did the Lap-Band it has now slipped and caused major complications! I am going to Blossom Bariatric and having a revision to sleeve l. I liked Dr. L I just think I had other options to pick from but was vulnerable and desperate for anything kind of my fault I guess ..lap band was 9 grand and I was able to make payments with no interest and the sleeve was 17,000 cash no payments. Blossom is 12,500. Everyone has a different story they weren't to bad at oband center just felt alittle cheated. I wish you the best of luck and I am sure you will be in great hands! Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

I hope all is well. I have my surgery with Blossom Bariatrics here in Las Vegas in December. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using the BariatricPal App

I was super worried going into my surgery yesterday, going through all the what-ifs...I had signed a medical directive and did my will, all that, as a lead up to the surgery, and I think that got me in the wrong state of mind. But the neatest thing happened! When I checked in to the admissions desk at the hospital, the man who signed me in saw my surgeon's name and said, "Dr Halpin was my surgeon, too -- 5 years ago." I confided to him that I was a bit worried, and so he took a break and escorted me to the surgery prep room, and told me his story. He lost 110 pounds and has kept it all off. He told me that he sees bariatric patients come through all the time and reassured me that they all come out! It was a wonderful contact, and just the reassurance I needed. I went into surgery very calm. It all went well and I was discharged this morning. Am off the pain meds and feeling positive. Happy New Year everyone!

The bariatric coordinator told me to not expect a BM for several days following surgery, and even then it wouldn't be solid. Hope this helps!

Don't know if you posted in the wrong section or not... But I going to do the same thing because I am getting tired of all the runaround through my insurance company. It looks like one year before I am qualified to have the surgery. I have been thinking of doing bariatric surgery most of my adult life. I don't think I need to see a psychiatrist you tell me I'm mad, I don't need to see a dietitian tell me I don't eat right. So I am skipping the bureaucracy and doing this on my own. I just need some (a lot) guidance. I hope this is the place.

I hope all is well. I have my surgery with Blossom Bariatrics here in Las Vegas in December. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using the BariatricPal App My surgery date is set for December 16th with blossom, if all goes as planned.. fingers crossed!!!!! Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

I have Anthem BCBS and the insurance approval took just over 48 hours. I completed all the testing requirements on Friday, August 23 at 4:30 pm.The surgeon's office submitted my claim on Monday, August 25 at 9 am and Wednesday, August 27 at 5pm I received my confirmation that I was APPROVED. I was really impressed with my insurance company. They have even assigned me a case management nurse that is familiar with bariatric surgery to coach me through recovery.

Mathew Cheaper is not always better. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Remember this is your life you are putting in the doctor and nurses hands. I had lap band surgery and my friend had a gastric sleeve with Dr. Stephen Hamn in Plano and Frisco Texas. If insurance does not pay it is 14,500 for everything. that includes overnight stay and you can stay longer if you need to. The sleeve is a two night stay. They want to keep you comfortable and not heard you out like cattle for the same price. at a very plush hospital all private rooms. You can even finance it through his office. It is Baylor hospital in Frisco TX. I is a real country club hospital. Dr's that are offering cheap prices are doing whatever they can to get cases. They discharge you the same day and the follow up sucks, plus their lap band fills are not included in the price. With Dr. Stephen Hamn all your fills are included the first year. Most places charge you 250.00-650.00 per fill. I do not feel 14,500.00 is a bad price at all. If I were to have plastic surgery , ex. tummy tuck with a reputable Dr. it would be the same or more. There are over 240 bariatric surgeons in Texas. Be real careful who you refer these people to. You may be included in a law suit for a bad outcome. Dr. Stephen V. Hamn is awesome and I recommend him without reservations. He was one of the first Dr.'s in Texas to do bariatric surgery with over 19 years experience. That is why I choose him. I really did my research. It was the most important decision of my life!

Reminder-If you have your surgery in another country and get home with a complication ( infection, leak, band slip, etc ) Who are you going to find to take care of you? Not many bariatric Dr.s want other Dr's dissasters. It is a liability issue for these Dr.'s to take care of other Dr's patients. The cost of a complication after you get home will be minimal to the saving of having it done in another country. :laugh:

So I have posted several times about my difficulty in taking my bariatric Vitamins. I take the Celebrate brand chewables: Multivitamin, the Calcium, and twice a week, the sub-lingual B-12. The multivitamin is the one that makes me the most queasy. I try to take it with a bit of food, but it is so unpleasant to my stomach that I have to lay down afterwards, sometimes with a bucket, "just in case" (although "in case" hasn't actually happened). Today, I was upset and couldn't eat, so I didn't eat anything and took my multivitamin with just some of my daily coffee/Muscle Milk drink. Within 30 minutes, I had crushing chest pain. My husband was at the airport, leaving the country for work, so I packed a bag and tried to get myself to the ER. I just couldn't get the courage to drive there! But I was afraid to call for an ambulance or bother my neighbor or friends because I was sure it would subside and maybe it was just gas or something stupid. Or, maybe stuck food (although I hadn't eaten - go figure). I wanted to get to the hospital where I had my surgery, so that they would know my situation, and where my surgeon practices - but that is maybe 15 miles. I couldn't drive there in my condition in case I caused an accident and hurt someone. So I drove part way through my neighborhood, changed my mind, pulled over and considered calling 911, and then most of the pain subsided. This is the same reaction I have to codeine, which is an allergy of mine. I don't have many allergies, just codeine and guinea pigs, and bleach. Codeine does this exact same thing to me, or at least it did the last time I took it, maybe 25 years ago. I did go on to the hospital. They took me back immediately in a wheelchair, so I bypassed the full waiting room and all the forms. I had an EKG, blood tests, and chest x-ray. The EKG had some slight irregularity, supposedly not heart attack related, but everything else was normal. My alarm for low breaths per minute (or whatever) kept going off. They wanted me to stay over for monitoring but I desperately wanted to go home, especially with my husband out of the country. I agreed to get a stress test from their cardiologist tomorrow and I agreed to no physical activity until then. Bummer because I wanted to start Water aerobics tomorrow. I am a healthy woman, 47, no comorbidities, pretty active. I am 99% sure it is an allergy, but will do what I was told and update. The first nurse I encountered today was kind of a know-it-all and told me it wasn't an allergy because I didn't have hives. Hello, I never had hives with codeine either. Also, she cut off my circulation (to the point of immediate pins and needles) with the blood pressure cuff, which has never happened before, and when I mentioned that, she acted like that happens when blood pressure is taken.

Hi everyone: I just joined this group today. My 18 y/o daughter is having her lap band surgery tomorrow morning. My wife is having hers done this coming Tuesday and I am scheduled for the end of October. We are all going into the great unknown. We are fortunatre that here in NH, there is a new law that mandates bariatric surgery for treatment or morbid obesity or comorbidity. The law went in to effect this month and we were rejected earlier by our insurance provider but now can have it done thanks to the new law. BTW - what is BP'ing? Thanks everyone.

I wasa just banded yesterday in Bon Secours by Dr. Weiss of Tri State Bariatrics and anyone looking for ANYTHING to do with the bad needs to do them selves a favor and either attend teir support groups or use them for your surgery needs. I cannot express how happy I am with everyone on their staff. I am in Dutchess County and use their fishkill office for routine visits and middletown for my pre surgery appt. Their support groups are great and offer you all the hlep you could need. Sorry for the poor spelling and grammar i took my pain med a lil while ago Be happy to chat with anyone thats wants/needs a bandster friend

Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern has a support group in Rockland County I realize that is a ways from you, you could also look it up on their website. They are also affiliated with Bon Secours in Port Jervis. I had my lapband done at Good Sam.I live in Rockland. My doctor also works out of Goshen Bariatrics. Good Luck!! Irish

Oh and another thing lolI do understand the frustration, my mom was not supportive of the surgery. I just didn't talk about it with her until I was approved. She did support me even though she didn't agree with what I was doing. The women in my family are traditionally big. I watchedy gram struggle with being morbidly obese all my life before she passed from complications post knee replacement (2nd replacement) and complications of being obese. She was only 68. It was heartbreaking. My mom is obese and about the,size I was in February. She believes that she is okay since there are no other issues with her. I respect that. She tries to cook healthier. It's tough. I also understand how much you (we) want to loose without intervention. Or the frustration of trying so hard and not loosing weight. Ive tried so many diets and failed long term. I looked into the surgery in 2012 but the surgeon Office I contacted was an ass so I let it go. Looking back I probably wasn't ready anyways. In 2015, i cut out most sugar, breads, most dairy, all soda and most processed foods. I gained 20 pounds. I went into a deep depression and stopped doing anything. I'd see my kids off to school sleep til 10. Do the bare minimum of work sleep from 12 -3. Straighten up the house. Cooked dinner sit on couch then rest of the night. My SIL saved me and help me see a therapist and find a supportive pcp. In January after my diabetes went worse and a huge talk with my pcp I decided to talk to a bariatric surgeon and other professionals and post surgery people. I went to my informative meeting and began the process. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Ha! Every one has a tipping point when surgery was the best chance at being healthy. Don't rush into. Go at your pace I'm totally with you on this. I feel the same way. I'm at a point where nothing else has worked for years and every doctor I have been to has recommend this... from my OB to my endocrinologist and everyone in between. I feel like I'm all out of options and this is my last resort. I guess that's why it feels forced, but at the same time I feel like this is what I need. I just hate the idea that everyth8ng I ever knew about dieting is basically a lie after I met with the nutritionist yesterday. Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

Good luck with your appointments and pre-surg diet. I am sorry to hear about your uncle. I lost my mom in Feb so I know what you mean by rough. Let me know if you want a referral credit at Bariatric choice. They have all kinds of protein and food and snacks as well as vitamins. You can use the credit on anything. I can't stand the calcium horse pills so I get the cake bites, but their protein bars and snack bars are good too. I know you are getting excited. It will be here and be over before you know it. I can't believe I am 2 1/2 months out now! I am still dropping but hoped it would be more than it is. I have to look at the big picture though. I am only 50 lbs from the goal now. When I say it that way it sounds better. Lol. Good luck and keep me posted!

@Danny Paul, I have Keystone Health Plan East right now, part of Independence Blue Cross of Philadelphia. We are self employed, so we have an individual plan through a broker. Our policy excludes all weight loss programs and bariatric procedures (except a $150/yr max gym reimbursement w/proof of attendance). We recently moved closer to Reading, PA, so we are in Berks County now, and apparently out of IBC's coverage area. So we had to switch plans during open enrollment anyway, but we were already considering it to try to find a plan to cover me for this. We found out that no matter if we get our plan through a broker, like we have been, or through the healthcare marketplace, that No individual or small business plans from any insurance provider in PA offers bariatric coverage anymore. So, we can't even pay extra to get the coverage. You can only get it if you work for a Co with 51+ employees - which I cannot work except for helping my husband with office stuff from home a few hours per week - and he is a 2nd generation painting/carpentry contractor doing this for 30 yrs, so him just getting another job is not an option. PLUS, it's not guaranteed the Co you work for has the ins plan that covers it either. The employer has to choose that coverage allowance when they choose the plan for their employees. PA is one of several states that doesn't require it. Also, you can get it covered usually via Medicare (not old enough yet unless I get SSI/SSD - have begun applying for SSD, but will likely take a few years if I do get approved and I'm not waiting that long to have the surgery...) And, it is covered by Medicaid, but we are above the income limits for that. We discussed so many scenarios for ways to get coverage (all surrounding states do cover it, so should I move to MD/DE/NJ for a year, rent a room, get ins there, and get it paid for? But in the end all of that what such a hassle and took me away from, well my family of course, but also my doctors and everything else. Just too much work. In the end, my husband said he was willing to take out a loan for it. I didn't even ask because I felt it was too much - but even though this is only one step in trying to help with all my many issues, he could see how it could be a catalyst for helping make everything else a little better. So he thinks it's worth it, which kind of blows me away. Obviously I think it's worth it, but always worry about my "issues" being such a burden on my family. Right now I am feeling really blessed by their support. So, let's just hope lots of people need their houses painted this winter so we don't have any slow spells and we can make our loan payments!! Sorry, I this is probably way more than you were asking...

Hey Nicole, I'm 5'4 and was 277 pounds. I had aches and pains as well and that definately counts towards the requirements for the surgery. I have to honestly say I don't regret this surgery not even a bit. Its the best decision I've made for myself in a long long time. I'm finally taking time for me. It is work....you can't expect the band to do it all but, you know that's what I like about it. I still have to make the choices it just helps keep me on track. Before...during the holidays I would of gained 10 pounds easy eating all the fudge, Cookies, cakes etc. This year I had some of those things but, I can't eat much of it because of the band plus....I've worked hard so far that I'm not willing to give it back hahaha. It's not always easy and I do go up a few pounds sometimes but, the band keeps me going in the right direction it won't let me give up. I do wish you the best in your journey and please feel free to PM me anytime with any questions you have. I too didn't meet with Dr. Jones or the Bariatric center until I had the referral. What I suggest is that you print out the information located on Beth Israels website for your doctor. Make sure to print out all the info about the surgery, results etc. My doc had no idea the about the surgery and spoke with surgeons at the hospital she is affiliated with. Those surgeons told her to refer me to BIDMC. If your doc knows you well and knows the struggles you've had she/he will help you with this. My doc asked me if I was sure this is what I wanted I told her I've been researching this for a long time, I know it's a tool not a miracle and that I have to work with it in order for it to work. I told her the Bariatric center will make me have a Psych eval, physical, ultrasounds etc to make sure this is for me. She was satisfied with that and gave me the referal. So prepare yourself, educate yourself with all the info and show the doc how excited you are about it. How can he/she say no after that? If he/She does then get another doctor Best of luck! Sherry

Dr. Abkin is my surgeon...he's out of Morristown, NJ and so far everythings been great. The patient education and the office staff are very good. I was approved within less than a week after submitting the paperwork to BCBS.... and he's on NJ Monthly's list of the Best Doctors in NJ under Bariatric Surgeons... He does surgeries in three different hospitals, so you can pick the one that's closest to you.... www.alsbariatricsurgery.com

Thanks for your honesty ???? I actually have 3 very good friends going for the gastric sleeve. One is more like a sister to me and we started the process together. I have been in research overload lol I watch videos on YouTube and I google stuff and look up stuff during the day when I'm able to. I already have a list of questions started for my surgeon. I'm fine with the surgery THEN my anxiety kicks in when I see something bad like someone dying after having it down and BAM that's when my anxiety kicks in and all these questions pop into my head. I've always had anxiety and always will have it. The bariatric program I'm going through knows I have anxiety and they told me it's normal.

I think for all of us this would be so difficult to deal with. Sounds like you sincerly want to lose weight. I like my surgeon but I love my dietician/nutritionist. I think if I ever experience any problems I would seek her advice before my doctor's unless it might be surgically related. My nutritionist is a full time bariatrics nutritionist. She only works with bariatric docs and bariatric patients. Nutritionists are much less expensive to consult with than a doctor although it sounds like you could use a very competent and caring bariatrics doctor. I just don't know if they exist? Most docs I've spoken with want to keep their visits to 10-15 minutes where you can spend up to an hour with a nutritionist for $50. Each doctor is so wrapped up in his/her own practice that most will not take on a consultation type roll for a patient who had surgery elsewhere. I'm sure there may be one but where? I'm assuming you're relationship with your surgeon went South? You should try to see him or ask around about a bariatrics nutritionist. tmf

Pray God my day to feel that way,comes soon. I'm still stuck in. Pre Surg-ville where the qualms and whim-whaas live. I long to be emancipated and see the Surgery Room lights shining like a beacon for me. I am currently stuck in a snafu and in a holding pattern until Tuesday when the Bariatric Gods come down with a ruling. All good thoughts gratefully appreciated. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Yep...you're in band pergatory... that awkward time between surgery and adjustments. There are SOME lucky people who have profound satiety and just simply do not feel hungry. I wasn't one of them! I got HUNGRY! And the professionals at my bariatric program thought that was over stating my case. I was very early in the banding program. They only had experience with RNY folks who really don't get hungry for at least the first 6 mos. Now, I try really hard to talk about hunger during support group. It's real, and the only thing that will fix it is the appropriate amount of adjustment! Hugs,

I had my surgery with Bariatric Pal and their plans worked wonderfully. As Henry said two night in the surgical center and two more in their recovery house. I did arrive late the night before surgery as was put up at the recovery house for that night and then taken for surgery the next day. I traveled to the east coast with one plane change (overnight) on day 5 with no problem. Good luck with your surgery.

Okay, so background first before I get to my question: I was sleeved 10/22/2014 and, as of January, had lost 105 pounds. Which was great! I wasn't quite at my goal weight, but I was getting there steadily. I had absolutely no complications after my surgery; everything healed beautifully and I stuck to the diet. My surgeon always talked about how I crushed the statistics and how impressed he was. Then, just after the first of January, I got sick. Like, really sick. It started with just nausea and some abdominal pain and I wrote it off as a stomach bug, but it just kept getting worse. Basically, I've been unable to eat anything solid for over a month now. Eating or drinking ANYTHING causes extremely sharp pain in my upper left abdomen, which is worse with anything that has a sugar/fat content. I've lost 18 pounds in less than a month because I can't eat anything aside from broth (sometimes) and sugar free jello/pudding. I have to drink the Zero Carb Isopure (clear liquid) for Protein because I can't keep down regular shakes. I have to crush my pills and Vitamins again. I'm constantly nauseous and extremely weak despite the fact that I'm getting my protein and vitamins. I can't even get down my one flight of stairs without having to rest in the middle. After about two weeks and a trip to the ER for IV fluids, I went to my surgeon because I knew it wasn't a stomach bug anymore. He promised he'd figure it out and scolded me for going to the ER because they would have "no idea" how to treat a bariatric patient. Thinking it might be a blockage in my common bile duct from a stone, did a gallbladder ultrasound and a CCK HIDA scan. Both came back normal, even though the HIDA scan was absolutely excruciating. He referred me to a gastroenterologist for an upper endoscopy (which he was present at) and a barium swallow to make sure my esophagus was functioning correctly and that I didn't have ulcers or a stricture or something along those lines. Both came back normal. Basically, since then, his office has been telling me that I need to speak with the gastroenterologist in regards to everything, as it has "nothing to do with" the surgery. The gastroenterologist told me today that I needed to follow up with the surgeon, as he was "out of suggestions". In essence, both my surgeon and gastro have thrown up their hands and told me that they have no idea, so it's not their problem. Neither will give me the paperwork I need for work. I am in danger of losing my job and therefore my health insurance. My question here is how should I tell the office that I will no longer be visiting them for follow ups or for any other reason? Should I write a letter? Call them? I refuse to give them my business and what little money I have if they are willing to just give up on me and say 'it's not my problem'. Any suggestions would be appreciated.