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I'm pre op but I have pcos and have been on all types of BC? Started with pills but had to stop when I went on blood pressure meds, did depo for years, loved it but the weight gain was over 60 pounds. I have a mirena IUD put in last year, have had maybe 10 days of cycle in the 10 months I've had it. Love that I don't have to think about it, but it really doesn't do much for my hormone level fluctuations. I can't get pregnant so I don't worry about that, it's more to control bad bleeds for me. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I have anthem BC/BS and they said letters would not pass as required. That it had a be a full 6 months supervised adn the doctors turn in all notes from those 6months and each visit (monthly almost exactly) I just started as well with same insurnace so we should be at the same time

I had an iud paraguard put in. The procedure was uncomfortable but not horrible. Afterwards, however, I bled for about 20 days out of the month. I thought it would pass, but it didn't. I kept it in for about 4-5 months before finally getting it removed. I think I'd rather go with any other form of bc after that. Lol. My situation was unique I think, but it's my experience. No permanent harm was done thankfully.

I returned home today from MBC. And I can't tell you how relieved I am to be out of that dump! My first night post op my companion was trying to figure out a way to have an ambulance come take me back San Diego. The only pain medication they offer are Toradol and ultram which are never used without stronger narcotics here in the states after major surgery. I also wasn't able to urinate after surgery and got up to the toilet probably 15 times and begged the nurses to catheterize me and after arguing for an hour, a nurse from the OR cathed me for almost 1500cc! Then acted like they had never seen urinary retention after surgery! I almost collapsed on the floor and was told to "stop complaining". No one had name bands. The nurse blew their gloves open before putting them on also! Since I'm finally back to the safety on my home I'm going to try to sleep a bit but feel fed better

My son is on a specialized formula as he is tube fed. I found that putting the formula in a covered container and smacking the bottom of the bottle on the counter a few times knocks a lot of the bubbles out. I pour it into a bottle, screw on the lid, then bang the bottom flat against the counter three of four times. If he's being extra sensitive, I can then pour the bottom layer out as it is nearly bubble free. I've also noticed that certain brands are foamier than others. A different brand may be better for you. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Today is one week postop ... I feel pretty amazing considering how I felt .. I was very in tune with my body pre op and now I feel like I am getting to know myself again which can be challanging at times. On Saturday night my friend had a birthday at a steakhouse and I went. Had only Water and left before the food came out. My energy was up and I didn't want to miss it. I try to walk as much as I can. Physically and mentally I get better every day. I am very excited to finally have a new normal which I am realizing Takes time. I have been taking normal sips and even guzzled water the other day bc I forgot I couldn't and was actually OK. My throat and ear has been hurting so bad. I wasn't taking my acid reflux meds bc I really hate meds and once I did I instantly felt so much better. I've decided to just take them for the best couple of months. My next app is this Wednesday and I look forward to seeing the doctor. How are you doing ?

This thread really hit home for me. Starting around 6 months post-op, I felt that I was being constantly attacked at work and home. I was very irritable and sad, and I attributed it to feeling like I was being treated unfairly by many people. In retrospect, I think that I probably stopped trying to overcompensate for my size and was more willing to stand up for myself. People didn't like that and responded negatively. I also think that some of my colleagues at work felt extra threatened by me once I began to get my physical health under control. In other words, they could feel superior to me when I was enormous, but my weight loss disturbed that. To be fair, I had also stopped taking my Zoloft a few months post-op bc it gave me raging diarrhea. Now that I am again on a very low-dose anti-depressant/anti-anxiety med, things are much better. I also agree wholeheartedly with the comments about not being sedated or medicated by food. That loss of my former coping mechanism (food used as a drug) is still a source of anxiety for me. During that 6-12 month time frame, it was a monumental stress, but it is better now. I am now almost 22 months post-op VSG and believe I am at my goal weight. Way back at my surgical consult on March 6, 2014, my surgeon asked me how I would feel at around 145 lbs. I said that I couldn't even imagine it. Well, here I am. I wouldn't change the journey for anything-even the anxiety, attacks, and sadness at seeing previously hidden truths about humanity. HW 267 SW 261 CW 145 Thanks for this thread. B&B Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Weigh in day again and I'm back in a stall. Hey ho. Am I fed up? Am I despondent? Nope. Not one bit. I have got so many NSVs happening that the fact that the scales aren't budging this week doesn't bother me. I feel great. I look a damn sight better than I did 5 months ago and I have ditched 40lbs of useless flab - so far. I started swimming last week and by Friday I was clocking up half a mile (without stopping) in 35 minutes in the pool. The dogs are getting one to two hours walking per day so they are thrilled with my weight loss and fitness gain. My jeans without belt loops (thus nowhere to anchor a belt) are beginning to slide off my arse and I have to hoik them up, when no-one is looking, when I'm out and about. I can get a beautiful pair of Frye boots on that were too tight around my calves not that long ago. I've bought a couple, or three, new pairs of jeans and can get into two pairs well before I expected to. I've still got a way to go yet but just to be able to see and feel results so quickly is just wonderful. I don't feel that my weight loss is too slow. I am only too aware of how long it took me to put it on and it didn't jump onto me over a matter of weeks that's for sure. I spent fortunes and untold hours at Weight Watchers meetings and although I managed to lose weight it never, ever stayed off. Having the VSG has been one of the best things that I have ever done for myself. I just wish that I had done it sooner. It has given me the mental kick up the rear end that I needed to get my eating habits under control. I'm still learning a new way of approaching food but now I have a physical 'stop' button in the shape (literally) of my sleeve. So, I embrace my stalls because I know that my body is juggling and rearranging it's composite parts during these times.

Yes my husband is going to go with me day of surgery. He's a nervous wreck but im ready to get the show on the road!! I was terrified but I'm past that now thank god, now I'm most worried about hair loss bc I have short hair as it is and its pink/purple/green/blue, lol. I haven't had "normal" hair in years and I'm worried about going bald lol

Thank you all so much for your replys Im feeling much more confident now that I've heard from others that have been in the same position It seems crazy that where I live you need to have such a high BMI and to very overweight as well But if they were to offer it to paying clients a lot of ill health in the future could be avoided . Im sure that the health benefits alone would be worth it . I just don't want to get to the point of being that overweight and then feel that I really need to have one I know for sure that unless I do another residential B/C for at least 2 weeks I won't actually lose the weight. And as a Residential BC cost 1000 a week and a sleave £4000 it's seems stupid not to go this route and fix it permanently

In May i will be 2 years out! I lost 90 pounds as of last February (2015) and was the same weight for about 6-7 months although i went down one pants size due to tightening i suppose. I have worked out since 3 weeks post op and never looked back, i am a workout junkie. As far as food i suppose i could do better but i stay within the calorie limits ive set on MFP. I also have a fitbit that syncs my exercise with it. I recently started gaining weight and cut my calorie limit down and upped my exercise . So for example, i started doing spin 3x a week and on those days my usual kickboxing that i do 5 days a week as well. Plus i walk a tonnnn! I know the rules of eating protein etc. i stepped on the scale this morning and i gained 4 pounds this week wtfffff it was so discouraging!!! I see alot of ppl this far out eat 1000 cals a day but i can eat 1600-1900 bc i work out so much and i feel hungry but assuming everything is ok with the sleeve bc i dont need much. An egg still does the trick to hold me over for a couple of hours.... Please helps guys and gals, in freaking out over here:)

I'm on day 6 of 14 of the liquid phase and I'm about over these Protein shakes! Never want to see another one when I'm done with this! Monday I go for my pre-op testing and then on the 21st I will be getting the sleeve. Every time I get fed up with the shakes, I just remember why I'm doing this and think of how the surgery will change my life for the good. Besides that, I'm down 9 pounds in 6 days!

@@Marie2016 I am doing well.. Everyday truly does get better. I am going to be very honest... I am not getting enough protein in, I just don't want that thick consistency, I'm thirsty so I crave water, Gatorade, etc.. Also, I am hungry. People eat around me and so far I have craved ever single smell that has found its way up my nose. I layed low until today, just went to school.. Left a bit early bc I was getting very tired. So excited for puréed foods you have no idea. Ecstatic that the gas pains are gone but have this weird sensation in my throat that is very annoying. Maybe acid reflux? The tight chest when drinking feeling has been getting better every day. I truly believe that sleep, walking during the day, and staying hydrated are healing me right now. I know I need protein.... Tell me how you are.. How's it going? How do you feel?

I was never denied, after 3 weeks of waiting and calling and then telling me they didn't have my paperwork it had to be resubmitted bc they told my surgery coordinator to do it one way and then after the fact they said that wasn't the right way! So they resubmitted last Thursday, Friday it was already being reviewed, Monday my surgery coordinator had to send clinicals and today I called and it was approved.

Thanks everyone. I have a EGD today and due to GERD, I will be getting bypass. They also found ulcers in my stomach which will delay the surgery. I am so fed up on how I let myself gain so much weigt Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am currently using a NuvaRing, but I'm going to call and make an appointment to have a Mirena inserted. Even with the once a month dosing of the ring, I'm having a hard time remembering to pick up my refill, remove, and replace it in a timely manner. I haven't been on BC in 14 years (haven't needed it), so I'm just not in the habit. I can't imagine me on daily pills! Lol. Haven't had any side effects with it though. As for the first period after surgery, mine was extra long (3 weeks, arriving a week after surgery), and normal on the heaviness and discomfort scale (though I have neither endo nor PCOS). I did stall for a couple weeks as soon as it finished though.

Age: 25 HW: 275 CW: 265 GW: 165 Surgery date: 3/30/16 I am reflecting on a moment that really hurt me. When I was 20, I went on a crazy 8-month long diet. I barely ate 1200 calories a day and I worked out vigorously at the gym. I didn't care what kind of calories I ate (didn't care about protein) and many days I dipped well below 1200 just to see results. I went from 230 to 150 in 7 months. Every conversation I had was about calories and working out. People were worried about me. My face looked sunken in. I was starving. I started eating a more normal amount and continued working out. My weight crept up to 160. Before I knew it, I was back up to 180. As soon as I stopped starving myself, all of my weight came back. Well... I had gone to my PCP at some point during my weight loss. They had a recorded weight of around 160 for me. I went in a few months later for a Pap smear- side note... My PCP is a wonderful man who has been seeing me since I was a child, however, other people in the office are not great- I decided I wanted the nurse practitioner to do my pap because I wanted a female. This was my FIRST PAP EVER! So... I was half naked on a table, terrified of what was about to happen, when this blonde, skinny, young nurse practitioner walks in. She was looking at my chart and she threw it down on the counter. She said... "Are you aware of how much weight you've gained?" I said "ummm I am here for a Pap smear, I don't want to talk about my weight with you." -Weight is ALWAYS a sore subject, but it is especially sore after you know you've gained when you shouldn't have and you're not emotionally mature enough to handle this BS!!!- Ok, so she insisted on talking about my weight over and over again. She told me I'm going to die early and that I'll never be happy as an overweight person. I started crying and continued to cry all throughout the pap. I didn't want her to touch me. I didn't want her to look at me. It was just a really awful experience. It has been 5 years since that incident. I have kept my weight gain to about 30lbs since. Despite her rude ass comments and chilling demeanor, I have been happy. I can thank her for that challenge. I have cute clothes to wear and a plethora of friends and a loving, healthy boyfriend who is happy for me and supportive. I am in a good place, and I am FAT. Because I'm in a good place, and have been for quite awhile now, I am so very excited about my upcoming sleeve gastrectomy. I want the tool. I can't wait to be healthier and more active. I'm happy I'm doing it now so I can finish enjoying my life. I would like to write that nurse practitioner a letter, but I'd have a hard time being nice! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have Blue Shield of Ca. It's a bunch a BS why I kept getting denied... In July because I didn't have 6 month of weigh ins with my PCP, in January because they weren't happy with my PCPs notes, and last month because of some BS w my Medical Group handling my paperwork wrong. It's been a horrible past few months but I am finally approved and anxious for my next step!!

I'm going for my first NUT visit on Friday. I'm a little worried because during my initial visit with the surgeon he said not to lose any weight bc my insurance Carefirst bases the BMI on the last visit not the first. So I'm completely confused, if I'm doing the NUT visits wouldn't the insurance want to see a change or would they basically deny the surgery bc I'll be able to lose off of diet alone. I've never been able to keep the weight off and whatever I lose never is more than 15 lbs. and they'll slowly creep back on no matter how much exercise and diet changes I make. Any input is appreciated

I never noticed anyone treating me differently. In the past I haven't received any criticism on my weight, and now I don't either. There was only one time I was at a store and the store clerk asked me if what I was carrying was a diabetes bag, I said no it's a makeup bag and I carry my wallet in it. Then later, when I thought about it more, I thought he must've said that bc I was fat. I don't know that for a fact though because he was very nice while checking me out of his land and making (positive) comments on my purchases. How I feel about myself, however, has changed a great deal. I do feel better about myself, and that's a sure thing.

I have fed bcbs standard last year and basic this year. My payments for nutrionist, psych, 3 monthly meetings with primary care physician, first meeting with surgeon were all under standard. It was 3 30 dollar Co pays one for nutritionist one for psych one for surgeon. 3 20 dollar co-pays one for each month with primary care physician. Thanks to these forums, I then switched to basic at beginning of 2016. Preop appt is 40 copay, surgeon for day of surgery is 200 copay, and hospital is 100 a night capped at 500. The hospital is this low because of my hospital being a bcbs center of excellence for bariatric surgery. According to the bcbs insurance person my anesthesiologist is included in the hospital copay. Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

I had a friend ask me to join her in doing "Virtual Lap Band" Apparently they hypnotize you into thinking you've had WLS and you magically eat like you do as if you had it. Needless to say I did not opt in for my BS Detector 9000 was screaming at me...

Thanks Liposuction68, sounds like you have been through it. Fingers crossed everything goes smooth this time around!! 2 goldengirl...Yes, its me again! I had spoken with BS/BC CA rep and she laid it straight that they no longer have that 6 mo requirement and she pretty much said the same as you regarding other reps not looking into the updated policy.. Will definitely ask for a manager next time, maybe they have another suggestion as far as getting my surgeons office updated on that policy. Nonetheless, my surgeons office said they would go ahead and submit paperwork when i'm ready, just wish they would stop looking at me like i'm making this stuff up.

Congratulations on your surgery day and happiness! Your words made me cry bc I'm 2 months away from surgery and have all the emotions you listed! Best of luck! Can't wait to hear your progress! You got this!!

I have found that in days when I feel ravenous, which really stand out Bc most days I have almost no appetite, it is because my body needs nutrients. On those days I give it all it asks for and find that within a day or two I'm back to normal. I also hydrate it well and get sleep if I need it. If theses an emotional factor involved I address that too, but mostly it's the nutritional thing. And my weight loss has not been hurt by this at all but I sure am feeling better!