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Henry- which doctors do you represent? I emailed someone named David yesterday with bariatric pal but I'm waiting for a response. I have a few questions..... Thanks everyone. Please keep the info coming! I was nearly confirmed with one doctor and now I'm not sure if it'll work out due to this situation which is extremely disappointing. They also want to add on an 18% tax because of some rule with the Mexican government and paying with an American check. Has anyone else heard of this? Thanks!

The answer is quite simple. An unfilled band, or a band which is not filled to optimal level? It's just like dieting. And we are all here because we realized that dieting does not work in the longterm. Willpower when dieting eventually runs out. Everybody on this board knows this truth. Read some blogs of people who haven't gone through WLS. Remember your own life before you had WLS. Willpower is not a renewable resource. I have to say that the one advantage of being unfilled is the proof positive of the power of the band. I lost my weight not thru willpower...but through bandpower. It's much much easier to practice good habits when one's hunger is dimmed and one's stomach capacity is reduced. You forget that when your band is working properly, and may get a big head thinking that it is your personal strength getting you to goal.

@ChunkCat after my post op appointment my Bariatric doctor told me to only take my Ozempic if I stop losing weight.

So, I found out my insurance won't cover bariatric surgery. Disappointed considering that I thought insurance companies were covering it. Anyone have any recommendations to proceed?

Just joined the board and thought I would send a quick message on my experience with Tricare. I started the process on Feb. 21st with a referral to a bariatric surgical center from my PCM. Had my consultation appt. at the center on March 4th and was approved by Triwest 6 days later. Tricare really does get those approvals out quickly. I just had my surgery 4/18/08 and lost 17.4 pounds in the first week. I feel really fortunate that I was able to get approved and have surgery so quickly. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my experience and good luck.

I lost 21 lbs on my 2 week preop liquid diet. I was on bariatric advantage shakes for 2 weeks preop.

I've cried at more than one of my psych appointments. But then, I continued seeing my therapist even after the mandated visit. Crying and being emotional is certainly permitted. They're trying to evaluate your mental state and fitness for surgery to make sure you'll be a successful candidate. Some psychs just rubber-stamp it (for lack of a better term), some are genuinely involved in the process and want you to be successful. Part of my approval stemmed from being willing to continue to work through the process with my psychologist (and I do know I'm very lucky to have insurance that covers these visits) because I do credit at least part of my success to having someone who is very familiar with the process (most of her patients are bariatrics patients) and understands what I'm going through at the various stages. It depends on your psych though. Was your psych a recommendation from your surgeon/bariatrics team?

thank you all. I am grateful for your feedback and support. proudgrammy your results are amazing. hope to even come close. called my bariatric doc today to speak with their PA. hope to get some feedback from her too. I sometimes wonder if all the ups and downs over the years have gotten me to a place where my body is not responding to an 800-1000 calorie Protein mostly diet. not sure. well I got the sleeve so no turning back now. hope to feel grateful and provide support for others soon.

I've been chewing these blasted things, and to be honest, it's not that there bad that bothers me. It's that they are SO bad that once you finally manage to chew it and swallow completely, you can't believe it could possibly have been that bad and you have to have another right away to prove it. GGAAHH!! Can't they make good ones, like the non-bariatric Calcium chews?

So I guess this works as double duty - an introduction and a (kinda) question. I am a Registered Nurse...a very fat nurse! And I've been that was (fat, not a nurse ) for almost 13 years. I've done diet after diet. Acupuncture, moxibustion, hypnosis. HCG to the point I got gallstones. And each year, my weight just keeps climbing. I'm ashamed to say that the only significant weight loss I had was after I had met the love of my life, and then lost him...(but later found him...and my lost weight, grrrr!). I have stereotypical PCOS and Metabolic Syndrome (hello, black hairs on chin - I grow an impressive beard!), so that has exacerbated my weight issues. I started seriously looking into bariatric surgery 6 years ago, but didn't like the available choices of RNY, DS and then LapBand. Over the intervening years, I decided to try to get a LapBand anyways. I had one of those insurance companies that required a 6 month supervised diet, consults, etc...I jumped through all the hoops, found a surgeon I liked...and then he quit! Left private practice to accept a teaching fellowship. I was very bummed. So I figured this was my clue to try dieting again. So I went back to more failed, frustrating dieting. About this time, I was diagnosed with diabetes, which complicated matters even more. After nearly a year, I decided to go the LapBand route (again!). All my previous tests had expired, so I had to do the 6 months supervised diet and consults again...then got turned down by insurance due to an exclusion...the appealed and won!...set a surgery date and then got very, very ill. The chest xray that was done the week before my surgery showed a shadow in my lungs, so I had to see pulmonary, etc. Turned out to be nothing, but by then my precious "vacation" days from work were wasted and I had to go back. I felt ashamed and defeated, and just gave up on trying to lose weight altogether. Here it is, 2012, and I can now add hypertension, high cholesterol and tryglycerides and hypothyroid to my medical litany. And finally in January, I said....enough is enough. I'm going to make this happen! I'm 5'8, 310lbs....what would I advise a patient to do in my situation? So I called my insurance and found out that they do not cover bariatric surgery for any reason. ANY. I'm trying to not make any rough comments here, but it's terrible that I am an RN, I devote my life to the health of others, and my company has specifically excluded dietician visits for weight loss, weight loss plans and bariatrics....wtf?? But I digress. After realizing that I would get no help from insurance, deciding to self-pay was the least difficult choice. My darling husband (the aforementioned lost love who was later found ) had a RNY over 2 years ago with wonderful results, and has been very supportive. I've spent the last month researching my options, and have decided that Dr Aceves is worth my time and money. His track record and reviews have convinced me that Dr Aceves is the best choice for my new sleeve and new life. And here is where I come to the crossroads. My family is totally unsupportive of bariatrics in general, and Mexico as a whole, so I will not be telling them. The can comment ad-nauseum. I'm still pondering what to tell work - I work in a very tight-knit facility with only a handful of nurses, and my role is such that my absence for even 10 days will be sorely missed (when I fractured my foot in December and I was gone for 2 days, it was mass chaos!). I really, really don't want to tell my boss WHY I need a week and a half off, so I'm trying to figure out how to be creative. The problem I was NOT anticipating, was needing to find a new primary care physician. When I told my MD what my plans were, she began to tell me how I just needed some willpower, and that she could not support me going to some "back alley hack" in Mexico. She then implied that she would refuse to assist with my follow through care, and that if I did indeed go to Dr Aceves for a sleeve, I would need to find a new PCP. So I'm stuck on these two things - work and finding a PCP who will be ok with my having weight loss surgery out of country. Argh. I have not set a date for surgery yet...I keep thinking I need to try to get time off first and then try to make a date, but what if one's not open....? I can't afford to lose my job, too many bills! But I need to regain my health. Getting through every day at work is like running the gauntlet, in more ways than one. Anyways, sorry to ramble. I just want to add what an inspiration it has been to follow along with everyone's progress with their sleeves - I've been reading this forum for quite a while! Thank you so much for your help on my own journey -Asche, The Crazy Cat Lady

I would love to have something to chew! Doc has me on a liquid only diet. No sugar over 5 grams and 15+ grams of protein each serving. I can have clear broth and sugar free jello/Popsicles. That is all. The bariatric advantage multivitamins are also making me nauseous... I am not sure why my doc has such a strict pre-op diet but I lost 8 lbs the first week and lost 3 more so far this week. Guess that's a good thing! I just keep telling myself it is all worth it!! I know I can do this!!!

Hi everyone, my name is Alicia. I am 37 years old and have about 230lbs to lose to meet my goal weight. I have 2 boys, 6 yr old and a 10 month old. I have been wanting a Bariatric surgery for a long time but insurance always denies it. The company I work for has decided to help me out with the financial part of it. I was told the best surgery form me would be the gastric bypass but that is COMPLETELY out of the question because of the cost. I am so afraid I will get the lapband and won't lose very much. I have diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, you name it. I hope I will hear back from people that will make me feel like this is still a good decision and not a waste of 14k.

It usually means something like they only pay for one bariatric surgery in your lifetime, or there is a separate dollar max, something like that. But only they can tell you for sure. I would try calling them rather than emailing, I find my insurance responds super slowly (if ever) to email. Good luck!

You need to see a gastroenterologist. That could be a stricture or scar tissue build up. Can you reach out to your bariatric surgeon first? They probably know who to send you to. Your pcp is not the right person to see. Sent from my SM-A102U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for your response. This will be my 4th abdominal surgery and second bariatric procedure. I think it is safe to say that there is some period of recovery no?

I just got some bad news that will require me to put surgery on hold. Being a typical guy, I don't complain about the things that I probably should. Well, I had a routine follow-up with my sleep doctor and he referred me to a cardiologist. I told him that I was feeling short of breath lying down and sitting upright sometimes. I always just chalked it up to being overweight. Today, I had an echocardiogram and the result has made me feel hopeless. There is a problem with the mitral valve in my heart. This will need to be corrected before I can undergo bariatric surgery. For now, my cardiologist increased my blood pressure medicine to ease some of the stress on the vascular blood vessels. The next discussion is surgery to repair the valve. Given that I have not had a heart attack, the recovery period will be somewhat shorter but still will be a while. I feel really sad .... for every step forward, it seems that there are two steps backward. Anyhow, thank you for listening.

Matt, I don't have any new words of wisdom beyond what others have said. I'm sorry you're having to focus on a different health area before your bariatric surgery. I do agree that perhaps once you get past the initial disappointment you might be able to see this as an extension of the same journey, toward the same goal of your health. I know that doesn't help right now, but don't forget why you started this and don't lose heart! You've come so far already, you'll do great!

The Band-Wagon Support Group will meet on Saturday October 13th at 10am The Band-Wagon is a support group that is open to any lap-band patient. This includes patients banded by other doctors and pre-band patients doing research. If you are unable to attend, please check out our website at www.MalleySurgical.com. We have a forum for open discussions and hope to be able to have all your questions answered. Beginning in October 2007, “The Band-Wagon” will begin meeting at the New Hope Bariatrics Center. New Hope Bariatrics Center is located on the Northeast corner of I-435 Hwy and the Nall Ave Exit. New Hope has a large private conference room for group meetings to be held in. The complete address is: New Hope Bariatrics Center 10787 Nall Ave. Suite 100 Overland Park, KS 66211

You said it all in your title, we only fail when we surrender to our weaknesses. But by coming back, asking for support, and renewing your determination, its clear you are not going to surrender to your latest challenge. Everytime you meet and conquer a challenge, you gain something powerful, you are stronger than before. I chose my screen name that is my mantra, to motivate me through the tough times, vincere aut mori= latin for conquer or die. You can do this, again, and you will be stronger for it.

Fortunately our hospital is ALL private rooms which is awesome. I was on a regular wing so all kinds of patients plus my doctor only does about two Bariatric surgery’s per week.

I'd call and ask. Even if your roommate isn't a bariatric patient, vomiting happens. I was VERY sick after my 2nd hip surgery because I do not tolerate anesthesia very well. That will be true no matter what surgery I have - and could be true of your roommate.

I am taking the Bariatric Advantage vitamin...hate um....However I do love those calcium chews, maybe a little to much -

Dense is important. I coincidentally read two different things yesterday posted by bariatric authorities who discussed the importance of re-introducing solid foods to your new anatomy. Not only does it help with satiety but it's kinda like...if you don't use it, you lose it. And you need to have the solid food to maintain a well-working digestive system. So get those solids in. It's all about choices. Choose your hard, dear.

Hi, my name is Ronda. I have been a bariatric patient for 10 years now. Initially, I had RNY done and lost 85 pounds with it. My maintenance was steady for about 5 years, but started declining--regained weight, bone loss, anemia, circulatory and cardiac problems. I have hypertension, but am severely allergic to those drugs for treatment. Weightloss and management is the only way I have of keeping my health in good shape. In 2007, I went to a new bariatric surgeon to seek an evaluation on my prognosis; he said revision surgery was needed to attend to severely stretched stoma. Insurance always held strong opposition to any treatment for my problems. This visit, Dr. tried 2 times to appeal the insurance for treatment--failed both times. Some time passed, and I had changed employment status and my healthcare needs were being covered on State Medicaid. This time, I learned that my bariatric treatment was covered under my Medicaid plan, but would need evaluations from the pulmonologist, cardiologist, psychologist, and dietician/nutritionist, in addition to following a dr-supervised weightloss plan with my pcp--I started all of this last September. It took solid 9 months of negotiating coverage and ultimate surgery that I had with my doctor on May 31st here in Phoenix. AZ. I am 3 weeks postop now. My loss is 23 pounds, and still mostly blender shakes and some pureed foods. I find that I don't really like what I ate preoperatively. Most of the foods taste too sweet--even if sugarfree. I had laparoscopic surgery so the healing is great--just unable to lift anything yet. I am driving, and doing most of my chores as long as I don't lift anything over 15 pounds. I walk the malls, and try to keep busy per dr's orders. Yet that is a challenge now that we have 110 or hotter days coming this summer. I still keep at it, tho. I know my surgery was a gift from God--in every sense of the word, as was the initial RNY procedure back in 2001. Both surgeries saved my life! Forever, will I be indebted to the Powers that Be.

Probably not, if they don't cover bariatric procedures you are probably looking at going back to MX. Are you sure you need surgical correction? Did they unfill your band and put you on liquids for a few weeks? That usually fixes a slip.