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I have been on birth control pills continuously for many years. I never get my period. However, I'm now on day eight of my period, even though I'm still taking BC pills. What. The. Heck? I know the weight loss releases estrogen, and it can really do a doosey on us hormonally, but my body is acting as if I'm not even taking BC pills. Do you think I'm more fertile now? Should I use backup BC?

Aww I'm sorry it got cancelled. Hopefully you can reschedule for sooner rather than later. Mine went great I stayed 3 nights in the hospital bc I wasn't able to drink enough and had bad nausea. But I'm home now and things are getting much better

More labs? uhhh! What is a ekg? They didnt tell me about having xrays. I will email my surgeons office bc i fell i should have been told what to expect. I only thought this what about talking about surgery, and paying.

I went into this expecting to lose like maybe 6 to 8 pounds max the first couple of weeks. So losing what I have has been somewhat of a shock to me. I don't personally know anyone who has had any weight loss surgery. my husband was asking what the most someone lost in 2 weeks was just outta curiosity Bc we both thought 17 was insane. I don't have anyone personally to ask since I don't know anyone with the surgery. Sorry if this post irritated or offended.

My diet is the protien bc iam going to mexico so it not the liquid i know its for my health but ive failed miserable? Should i just do a liquid diet al next week or be okay?

I've been pretty good on my Water recently bc I always hydrate well for my races and it's race season... But also during race season I can get a little carb-y which is fine when I'm actually racing, but it can bleed over! So this is a good thing! Still not sure what I will do this weekend, road trip to visit colleges with my daughter and I know we will try some local eatery so reserving the "right" to take the weekend off and finish my days next week LOL! Here's my Breakfast... Half scoop Fit Frappe chai latte and half scoop HIIT pumpkin spice in unsweetened almond milk! YUM!

Yes. It's changed. And my surgeon's office wouldn't believe me when I told them, but they filed after I repeatedly asked, and I was approved within the 5 days that BS of CA now promises. So, I had my first NUT appointment on June 1, My initial surgical consult on Jun 29, and got my approval on August 24. I was sleeved on Sept 1. From the initial info session to surgery was 3 months, 2 days. And I only had 2 NUT visits pre-surgery. My second one was July 30, and she approved me for surgery based on my compliance and 20 lbs weight loss in two months. :-) So, in my case, because they wouldn't believe me that it had changed, I had to be pretty insistent. By the way, I called BS and they repeatedly offered to call my surgeon's office and explain the new coverage policy to them. I didn't take them up on it, but I did have to keep reminding them of it. For example, the insurance submitting person said, "Oh, it will take a month to get back the approval" and I was like, "No, BS's policy is to return a decision within 5 days." "Oh, but they don't really do that." "No, they assure me they will."

Wow, that's crappy -- but remember, the terms also depend on state rules, etc. So, this may not affect folks in other states. It's sad BC/BS anywhere is going that way. Blue Shield of CA just dropped the 6 month requirement and a bunch of others in June.

I ultimately told UHC to go f@*& themselves and wound up self funding. They can kiss my large arse and the sting of the cost is subsiding with every pound I lose. My experience, though, came from me following up on a number of health issues over the last year. Each surgeon/doctor I met with coached me to have bariatric surgery. I took their referrals and went straight into THE bariatric program. Seemed a logical progression. The problem is that THE program, while affiliated with the area's most prestigious hospital (out of 6 hospitals) wasn't yet certified as a "center of excellence" (bariatric certificate). They had a great staff, very supportive....and each were former bariatric patients, too.......excellent surgeon...etc, etc. They told me that it'd be no problem to continue and they'd had UHC patients go through all the time. 1/2 way through the deal UHC....who'd been supportive....all the sudden balks over the lacking "center of excellence" bullcrap. I involved the HR department of my employer......and found out that we were actually dropping UHC and moving over to BCBS. The games continued. Our policy with UHC would have only covered me at 50% anyway.....and UHC was delaying. It was looking as if the surgery would be delayed to 2016....by then I'd be under new insurance and no telling how long I'd wait then. Good news was for me, that when I did contact the center of excellence program they were fast in getting me started. They also had been at this for a while longer and had special self-funding insurance safeguards....you self fund and part of your money purchases a policy that covers ANY complication that comes from your bariatric surgery for out to 8 months. This was very appealing to me and I jumped all over it. I'd already met most of my pre-op requirements for the surgeon and my patient advocate at the new center was extremely fast, aggressive and organized. She and I stayed in contact and had everything wrapped up swiftly. The end result was that I had my surgery on October 13, 2015.......when it was looking like at best it would be late December or beyond. By self funding I was able to anchor down the timeframe and it actually cost me less than it would've to use my insurance. Wild ride. The upshot of my story is this.....when working with UHC, or any of them for that matter.......stay in step with them upfront and avoid any bs later on. Involve your HR department at work if/when you are able to. It's amazing how much they can help. Best wishes.

So- I'm just about fed up with insurance and all of their semantics. They make this entirely too difficult. Therefore, I'm strongly considering Mexico. Especially since I would still come out $6k cheaper even if my insurance does decide to cover their 80% here in the US. I'm looking for experiences. Good or bad. And processes. Do you have to travel to Mexico prior to surgery to be evaluated? Or is everything done online/over the phone and they complete any tests, etc when you actually arrive for the surgery? I'm not a risk taker. Surgery alone is causing some nerves to rattle. And the thought of traveling out the states for a surgery is really causing some anxiety. But- I want to be happy and comfortable for once in my life. I'm hoping you can share your experience and put my mind at ease, should I choose to go this route. Thanks!!

Hi. In hospital room now. In ZERO PAIN. Un flippin' believable. Woke up feeling like I was punched in the gut but that's all. Nurses could not be nicer. Hospital ward in Mountain View CA is newer and beautiful. Nurses are letting me nap a little which is great bc I was too anxious to sleep for several nights. All of your advice was spot on!! Thanks!!! Can't believe I'm on the other side!!!

I am not the OP. But oh how I wish I was a candidate for something like that. Regretfully I get blood clots from BC pills. I got them when I was only 19, was only about 15 pounds over weight and was never a smoker. I just can't take the chance with my history. OP- I have read that since the body stores all kinds of hormones in your fat cells that you can wind up with heavier periods during your rapid weight loss phases. I have read of people that were newly menopausal when they had WLS surgery getting Aunt Flo back for a bit.

I have BCBS Fed and have a question about their requirements...I had the lapband placed in Feb 2011. Long story short, I had it removed due to infection in November 2013 (2 years ago). When I had it removed, I had already gained a few pounds putting my BMI around 31. I have consistently gained weight over the past 2 years making my current BMI 40.1. Does anyone know how this will effect my approval for the sleeve? Since I don't have a 2 year weight history of having an "obese BMI". My patient advocate at my surgeons office is optimistic of my chances. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the possibility of going through my 3 month supervised diet and testing to be denied 3 month from now. It's stressing me out.

My file was submitted to BC/BS this morning. Was advised 15-30 day for a decision. Fingers crossed!

I just got insurance approval through BCBS (fed) yesterday. My surgery date is Nov. 9th. It took 2 days to approve it once everything was submitted by my surgeons office.

Only your dr can answer that question Lynn. Haven't slept for 3 days bc of excitement and fear. Very peaceful though. A bit nauseous and weak from clear liquid diet. Have had migraine since last night. Good luck. ????????????????

BC/BS of Tennessee changed policy 2 weeks ago. The 6 month supervised diet is now really 7 months. The time from the very first weigh in to the last must be 180 days, so this is technically 6 months and 2 weeks. I completed my 6th visit yesterday and submitted to surgeon and was advised of the changes. This practice is top notch and on top of things! They had no warning from BC/BS of the new requirements. The clinic coordinator stated that she has 7 denials on her desk, but lucky for me I can attend one more visit with my PCP. Others not so lucky!! If I had to start this whole waiting game over, I would be devastated!

BC/BS of Tennessee changed policy 2 weeks ago. The 6 month supervised diet is now really 7 months. The time from the very first weigh in to the last must be 180 days, so this is technically 6 months and 2 weeks. I completed my 6th visit yesterday and submitted to surgeon and was advised of the changes. This practice is top notch and on top of things! They had no warning from BC/BS of the new requirements. The clinic coordinator stated that she has 7 denials on her desk, but lucky for me I can attend one more visit with my PCP. Others not so lucky!! If I had to start this whole waiting game over, I would be devastated!

Don't miss the best part, you can do great grass fed high quality...when you are only doing 4 ounces at a time you can afford it. Oh, satisfy the steak craving by putting roasts in the crock pot and make it very tender.

Happening to me now, too. I'm 7 months today and I have been having dinner by myself while reading (after I've sat with and fed my family). Nuts, cheese, or Protein bar. Not *horrible* stuff (except for the occasional popcorn), but things that can be overdone by mindless munching with uncontrolled portions. I'm loving the coping strategies being shared!

Ugh! I've tried all these things, except the tea, including the heavy hitters from the gastroenterologists, like Amitiza. Prunes work like a charm, but I'm allergic. As for water, I drink 70-100 ounces a day bc I'm still pre-op. I think there must be some magic combo of things that will work. I was hoping there was just some protocol that was uniformly prescribed, but I guess not. Thanks for all your responses though.

A little late to this post, but have any of you seen the documentary 'Fed Up'? If you haven't I think it doe a good job of explaining how the different types of food/calories affect the body in an easy to understand way.

Every person is different as far as protein goals mine is 70 gms. But I don't know about carbs etc during preop bc My Drs staff and dietician just says I can have sugar free pudding, skim milk, soups, 1-2 protein shakes a day, and pretty much anything liquid and sugar free. I haven't paid attention to anything else and as far as I know I don't need to. Then after surgery I think it's just important to get fluids and protein in and as u progress to stay low fat, no sugar no carbs until u reach goal and beyond. Hope that helps.

As I get closer to goal, I find myself thinking a lot about what it means to be a "normal" weight and how it's defined--by ourselves, by our doctors, by our peers, etc. For some background, I was a ballet dancer as a child and teen, and my high school years were the only time in my life after hitting puberty that my BMI was in the "normal" range. I was dancing about 20 hours a week, but I still was pretty solidly in the middle of the "normal" BMI at about 120-125 lbs. I was always the "big" girl in ballet class. I felt ashamed that I was only 5'1.5" and yet weighed over 100 pounds. Most of my dance teachers were always trying to get me to lose weight. We had weekly weigh-ins, and roles were often given or denied based on whether or not you had lost the 10 pounds they wanted you to before auditions. I came home so many nights in tears, telling my mom that I'd been told to live on carrot sticks and Water until a performance, that she took me to my pediatrician and asked him straight out if I actually needed to lose weight or if I even had weight to lose. I remember him saying that I had a very muscular build, and to lose weight would mean losing muscle mass. Which at the time, seemed like what I was supposed to do--I didn't want to be muscular and strong, I wanted to be waifish and have collar bones and hip bones that jutted out. I did have a few great teachers who didn't hold with the BS ballet body ideals and really tried to counteract the others, but I still took a lot of the bad stuff to heart. As you can imagine, I had some pretty effed-up ideas about ideal weight and body image, and I still struggle with it (and yes, I do see a therapist). In looking at the BMI charts and what is "normal" and "healthy" for someone of my height to weigh, I get very stressed out. I'm now 5'2", so by the standard chart, I should weigh between 104 and 135 pounds. I've set my goal at 135, but then the thoughts start creeping in... "but that's the fattest normal weight you can be," "gain 1 pound, and you'll be back into overweight status," "if you were really successful, wouldn't you be a the low end of normal instead of the high end?" So what does the weight/BMI range signify? My gut reaction is that 104 lbs/BMI 19 is inherently "better" than 135 lbs/BMI 24.9. I suppose it's meant to encompass different body types... but what does that mean for me? what is my body type, and where should I fall on the scale? I've seen a number of people on these forums that set their goal in the middle of the normal range so that they have some wiggle room. But I just can't quite imagine that now--as a 34-year-old who has a primarily sedentary job, walks and does water aerobics a few times a week--I could possibly weigh the same that I did as a 16-year-old pre-professional ballet dancer. Then, to throw more confusion into the mix, I've started reading about how frame size affects your weight. I measured my wrist according to the standard guidelines, and I apparently have a "large" frame (yep, that screwed with my head, too... but I guess I can't help my bone structure). So factoring that in along with my height and gender, other body weight calculators I've found (on hospital/official-type sites) give a range of 128-143 as "ideal" for me. Is this just a way to make people feel better about themselves, or is this a scientifically valid calculation? Pretty much any doctor I've ever been to uses the BMI chart as the end-all, be-all for assessing healthy weight. If I reach my goal of 135 but no less, will every doctor's visit for the rest of my life still come with an admonition to watch my weight, because I'm right on the tipping point into fat & unhealthy territory? Because if after losing nearly 100 pounds, I still have to feel like I'm a cow who's one meal away from disaster, I'm going to be devastated! It's so confusing and, at least for me, fraught with opportunities to fall back into my "all-or-nothing" thought patterns that contributed to my weight problems in the first place. I was going to post this in the general WLS forum, but it turned into more of a rant than I intended... apologies for the long post.

Yesterday was my 11th day post-op. My wife was feeling down from hearing about a death in her family. I was on deck for ensuring everyone got fed. I went to Arbys and loaded up on the insanely delicious brisket sandwiches they bombard TV with on their ads. Everyone seemed happy. Grabbed some Cookies later from a local spot that makes the best. Took them home to my wife. Cheered her up a little. Took my son to a friends birthday party......picked him up at 10:00pm where he said they had pizza & cake yet he was miraculously hungry again. We went through the drive through at my favorite spot on Earth....BoJangles. He had a box of chicken sitting in his lap and couldn't stand it....1/2 way home he asked to eat. I laughed at him and said to dig in. He cut the overhead light on and destroyed that yardbird, biscuit and my favorite drink....a Diet Dew. Needless to say he wasn't done by the time we reached the house so I sat in the driveway with him and waited on him to finish. I am planning on cooking or grilling something for them for lunch today. My wife is one of those blessed folks who has always been the recommend weight on the height-weight chart....or close to it. Our son is a teenage carnivore. He's tall and overly lean. We keep him well fed....yet he's got the metabolism of three. I say all the above to simply say this: I am constantly seeing HD TV food commercials and have been surrounded by my prior favorite foods and held prisoner seated beside Teenage T-Rex as he enjoys them. It is no biggie. I'm still having Protein shakes as my only meals, 12 days post-op. I don't feel deprived or hungry. I"m not feeling like I'm missing out. I'm thrilled by the readings on the scale every morning. It feels better than any food could ever taste.