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I'm glad you're doing great! ???? I'm on my pre-op liquid diet and I'm having a hard time to sleep through the night. I dont know what it is... Probably I'm nervous bc of the surgery, can't stop thinking about it. But I'm going to start exercising this Monday, I really hope it helps me sleep better (and not wake up my husband in the middle of the night) ???? I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

I was doing great until yesterday. It was my follow up with the surgeon, I was 9 days post op. As I was getting ready, I started getting severely nauseous, I think just from dressing and putting makeup on. Or maybe I drank my protein shake too quickly, I don’t know. I didn’t puke but was just miserable with nausea. He cleared me to try soft foods, so I had 1/2 a string cheese and I chewed eat bite to oblivion but got even sicker. I have the scopolamine patch on, but I also took my dose of zofran (4 mg). I was able to sleep ok. But woke up severely nauseous again. This time I took 2 zofran which didn’t seem to help, and I started to panic so I took an anxiety med. I also went on a mile long walk bc I couldn’t seem to sit still. When I got home I did a guided meditation, and fell asleep for a couple of Hours. I was able to get done one premier protein shake, and like 8 oz of water and barely any Gatorade and now I’m nauseous again. I haven’t thrown up at any point since I got out of surgery. Any ideas on how to deal with nausea? Besides Zofran and the scopolamine patch? I would rather have searing pain then nausea, I just hate it. I’m miserable and too afraid to try soft foods. Thanks!

I started it last year and had to quit bc it made my knees hurt really bad from impact, plus the weight I was carrying. I actually just tried it Thursday, since I've lost weight and about 50 lbs later, its more manageable. It's still tough. I'm not following the full program everyday but will start to incorporate insanity in my weekly routine.

Advise needed. I am 8 weeks out from bypass. This second month I have lost 3 lbs total. It is so frustrating. I understand there are stalls, I have read up on them and get they are a true problem during the early weight loss stages... but this feels more then a stall. I feel like I am doing something wrong. I started working out a month ago, 3-4 times a week... hard hiit style training. I increased my calories to 900, I drink 60-80oz Water, 80 grams Protein. I try to do a low carb diet, between 30-50 grams a day. I track my food and weight most of the time so I know my macros and calories are pretty accurate. Here are things I know I am not doing right.... I do not eat slow. I eat slower then I used to, but not that slow. Dense food will get stuck if I am eating to quickly... and it takes a bit to move through. I am trying to slow down. I recognize I eat dinner faster, because I tend to be hungrier. I have incorporated a later afternoon snack to help combat this. I have a hard time not drinking while eating. I try to remember, but honestly mess it up about 30-40% of the time. This doesn't cause me to over eat. I pretty much portion out and plan my food for the day.. and stick to that. I'm working on this change. I've started setting a timer. I have been eating small amounts of unhealthy food. For example, we went to dinner the other night and I had half a slice of pizza, or I took a bite of my kids Halloween candy. I track all this in my food journal and I stay within my macros and calorie count for the day. Before surgery I would allow myself these "cheat meals". I believe that this helped throw off my metabolism. This type of eating has been proven to work for non Wls patients... but guess I don't know how it works now with the surgery. I lost about 100 lbs before surgery. My surgery weight was 243. I am curious if my weight loss is slower because my body was already in mass weight loss mode... and therefore didn't really shock my system? I was also in ketosis before surgery... I have slowly been coming out in the last month as I add back more grams of carbs. (I was at 15-20 grams... now at 30-50 depending on day). I am wondering if this is causing slow weight loss? The only other relevant information I can think of is I recently went back on birth control and have not had a period for about two months. BC is just to help control cysts... so it is not a necessity I be on it. With all this information... any ideas? Anyone with similar problems? Any suggestions to kick up weight loss? I have been hovering around 224 for a month now and I am getting pretty frustrated. I am not seeing a change in inches either, at least stomach. I meet with my trainer this week to test my fat to muscle ratio... so I am hoping for some good news there. I just need to see that what I am doing is making a difference. I am getting ton of compliments... but I am a numbers analytical person so I need to see hard numbers changing. Critique, advise, and suggestions are definitely wanted. I am open to changing things up, if it seems like sound advise. I am also willing to wait it out... as long as it will lead to changes. I feel a realistic goal is 6 lbs a month. I would love more, but expect at least 6. 3 lbs a month isn't cutting it. Thanks for any help! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I don't crush my bc pills or my thyroid pills. They're small enough to pass through with no problems

I also have a small group plan through Anthem BC/BS in CT. I was told by BC/BS direct that they cover the Lap-Band but my employer excludes it on my specific policy. My employer knows nothing about this exclusion and told me to call our broker. Our broker indicated that with small group plans “commercial plans?” the Lap-Band is not covered. My coverage was just changed from HMO to PPO as I no longer live in CT. I contacted an attorney that posts on this forum, Gary Viscio, to find out if it’s even worth it try and fight BC/BS. I’ll update if I find anything out.

I have BC/BS PPO. I was denied because of the experimental/investigational excuse. They now cover the sleeve in Ohio. I had a BMI of around 35, but have sleep apnea and hbp. I asked the surgeon if I lost weight during the 3 month's supervised diet would that disqualify me. He said "no", the only weight we provide them is your starting weight. If I were you I would try to get your surgeon's office involved in fighting with BC/BS. I really doubt you will get anywhere by yourself. I agree with Mini Me that it sounds like some figures got messed up somewhere if you started at 40.5. I wish you the very best!

I do have loose skin it upsets me bc I feel like I destroyed my body but all these can be fixed I have really bad loose skin on my thighs and I will most deffinetly need a breast augmentation! I didn't have fears about surgery you need to stay positive after all we are here to better ourselves right there is tremendous that you have the courage to love yourself to get healthy this journey is hard but your worth it!!!

So this is my story so far, almost 8 years ago I gave birth to my youngest child it was a very stressful and emotional and physically painful pregnancy. After birth I found myself the lightest I had weighed since 4 th grade I tried for years to keep it off but always fluxerating in weight. About five years ago my third child was diagnosed with severe ADHD. Already having my oldest who has autism and my middle child having ADHD and now my youngest with severe ADHD my husband and and I decided it was time for me to stay home and quit my job. So this is what I did. I went from constantly on the go to being at home and for the first few months I struggled of just not understanding I never smoked drank or did drugs why did I have three disabled kids?? This is something I still question often but just thankful I have them at the end of it all. Slowly tho over the last five years I have increasingly put weight on. Bc of my abusive childhood from my mother I vowel I would always be the best mom I could about 8 months ago I opened my eyes and realized in order to be a good mom I have to for one take care of me. Something I have never done. I have always put my kids first above everything. So in April I started my journey I quit smoking cold turkey just like I did during my pregnancy and have not looked back I will do anything it takes for a this surgery. I started at 283 I'm now at 270 and I go to finally meet the surgeon on October 25. !! I'm so excited and so ready for this journey!!! I started my classes back in April and it just seems like it's been forever. I'm so ready to start my life to a healthier happier me. I have suffered from so much depression due to me gaining weight and I'm ready to say good riddens to both and hello world and ready to start having fun with my husband and kids. This summer was really an eye opening for me I went to Hershey park with my kids and I was told I had to get off the ride sooo humiliating. Going to the beach and wearing clothes in the ocean bc I'm embarrassed to wear a swimsuit. Went hiking and kept having to stop and my family waiting for me bc I felt like I would pass out. I'm ready for my new start and nothing will come in my path. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

With your co-morbidity,a BMI of 36 should get you qualified without any problems whatsoever. I live in Wilmington,and NC BC/BS initially turned me down,but my BMI was only 39 and I have no Co-mobidities. Sadly(or happily depending on how you look at it),I gained a few more pounds and was approved. Best of luck to you.......

Yesterday, December 7th was my one year surgiversary. It has been a great year and a rough year. A healthier year and a sicker year. An anxious year and a peaceful year. Contrasts, to say the least. I started at 207 lbs and a 36 BMI. From the beginning I had trouble following the Protein rules because everything made me gag--things like almond butter which I loved before and Protein shakes which I thought were pretty good before. So I did the best I could in finding protein sources, but fell way under the allotted amount. I also struggled with eating too fast--a lifelong habit. I had many occasions, especially in restaurants, when I was involved in conversation and would forget to slow down. food would get stuck, and I made more than my fair share of trips to the bathroom to "let it out". One time I was in a clothing store after eating and then drinking Water on top of it. The liquid started to come up on it's own and I ran to the bathroom, thanking God it was not in use by anyone else. At about six months out, it seemed to dawn on me that "Hey, I can only eat a small amount and it's okay. Just take your time with it and enjoy it." I had some unrelated female, back and thyroid health issues which often kept me from exercising. Because of these things and because I was so fed up with dieting rules and didn't try very hard, I lost slowly. Slowly compared to many on this forum, but according to my doctor, I'm on track or a little ahead of the game. My cholesterol is down from 275 to 216 and my sleep apnea is completely gone. I have had some problems with acid reflux. I had a very large hiatal hernia repair at the time of the surgery, and don't have good tone in the upper sphincter. I am still dealing with this to see if anything besides taking PPI's can help. My doctor suggests converting to the bypass, but I'd have to be in pretty bad shape to do that. I waited a long time for my insurance to cover the sleeve for a reason! I encourage anyone who is on the fence to take the plunge and do it while you are young. At age 55, the loose skin especially in the face is an issue. I don't care too much about what is covered by clothing. My brother says he knows some people who had the surgery and their faces looked drawn at first, but eventually filled out. I hope that is the case with me. The lack of hunger is a good thing and a bad thing. I'm getting used to it, and do have to often force myself to eat. Going out to restaurants is not as satisfying because if you're not hungry you don't get that great satisfied feeling from eating. Now I eat pretty much what I want, trying to choose healthy, natural foods and keeping mindful of my protein intake. I still have chips and chocolate on a regular basis, though. I have a rough time giving those up. The absolute BEST part is not always being unhappy with myself about my weight. All the diet books are gone (and I had a huge stack). I don't immediately go to the "how to lose weight" articles when I open a magazine. I eat what I like and enjoy it in small amounts. I take my time with it, eat slowly and when I'm done, I enjoy the conversation, rather that craving what I'm going to have for dessert. When I go out, I don't feel self-conscious and try to cover everything up. It's very freeing! I'm not sure where I am going to end up, but I have 12 lbs to go to reach my goal weight. I have already reached my goal size. Everything is different than when I was young. I used weigh 10 lbs less than I do now, but I was a size 14. I celebrated my anniversary by buying a pair of size 10 stretch black corduroy jeans! Down from an 18-20. Yeah!

I had surgery 2 days before Thanksgiving - talk about torture, LOL! I brought my Protein Shake to the table with me and drank while they ate. Luckily my family knew I couldn't prepare the food. I would say with a 7 year old and a 9 year old they are old enough to prepare dinner. I would sit down with them at the beginning of the week and have them suggest dinner options for each night that they can prepare. They each get 3 days for the week and the 7th day you can order them pizza or something else that they like. Make sure the meals they suggest are simple with just twoor three ingredients. There are TONS of websites for children cooking and what is age appropriate for each age. You might want to check with your local grocery store and see if they have kids cooking classes that they can attend as well. It will teach them good nutrition choices and how to appropriately use a stove. Also, utilize your resources. Tell your friends, co-workers and family that you're going to have surgery and you're concerned about getting your kids fed. Guaranteed they will chip in and make a casserole for each night. You might even have more food than you need. You know if it was one of them you'd jump at the chance of helping them out. Why not ask them for help when you need it? Good luck and congratulations on your surgery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HI everyone. thanks for the interesting thread. can anyhow help ?? had my band fitted in May.. no restriction.. had first fill. again no restriction. so haven't lost hardly any weight , and in fact been fed up and eating rubbish.. or eating for england as us UK people like to say :biggrin1:. had my second fill 3 weeks ago.. well i did feel something.. when i ate 'thick' food.. ie meat, boiled egg, bread and rice it felt like it got stuck .. and took a few seconds to pass that hard lump feeling in my chest.. i was so excited to have a feeling.. it wasn't painful but kinda odd, and uncomfortable, i tried so hard to stay 'in tune' with my body, but i could still eat lots if i ate slowly and almost everything would go down.. eating a full bowl of Cereal was really easy. I haven't measured my food in cups. but i know its still a really good amount of food i can eat. and yesterday,, horror of horror's, that feeling has gone.. i can now eat a whole french baguet (forgive my spelling).. and for lunch i had a pretty big jacket potatoe and salad with prawns.. i only have a little feeling of hardness in my chest.. and not much of a full up feeling, i can still eat 2 slices of bread in a sandwich. I havent once felt so full up i will pop. or had anything like a pb ? i don't see how my band could of fell off, on x ray 3 weeks ago it was all ok.. I don't understand how that feeling has gone.. i haven't forced food down myself.. or been sick or anything. i was so happy thinking i was getting near to restriction. but in the past few days i feel like i have given up again.. my jeans felt looser last week, but this week they have gone back to normal size. i feel so envious when i hear stories of how people can only eat a tiny amount.. i think it must be so easy to be positive if the band is working for you and you see the weight coming off. but its so hard putting yourself and your wallet through major surgery when not much happens.. i struggle so much not having restriction. i was so much happier last week, and just don't understand how where that feeling has gone. i have asked my surgeon how much is in the band.. but i didn't get a very straight answer, so have now written to the hospital asking for more information. he said it was a 6ml, swedish band, and the first fil they put in 4.8mls, when i asked how much they put in during the second fill they said about 3 mls.. well according to those figures the band is over filled, and i don't see how that can be. but that also makes me worry , as if its is over filled then there is no room for any more fills and the op has been a failure !!! oh dear ........ i would like to be a success and have my ticker go down. but its been the same for months !!! good luck to you all kind regards

Well Immore my BMI is considered obese. I like other people have struggled the last 7 years with my weight. My highest weight was 215 and I am 5' 3.5" I managed to lose about 35 pounds 4 years ago after I stopped taking some medication I was on when I initially gained the weight, but I am still 50 pounds over the weight I was at until I was 25. I also had two pregnancies where I gained around 60-65 with each of them and then lost pretty much every single pound after I gave birth. I was 22 and 24 years old with my pregnancies...just before I turned 26 I started gaining and hit the high point of 215 around the age of 28. I have yo yo dieted now for the last 7 years. I think my metabolism is pretty shot. I have tried every diet and excercise plan under the sun and I manage to lose about 15 pounds before I either stall or like any other person whether they are 270 pounds etc or 185 pounds I get so fed up that I fall off the wagon. It is equally hard for someone who is 50 pounds overweight as it is for someone who is 100 pounds or more over weight to lose it. Why don't people who are a hundred or more so pounds overweight just keep trying to lose...i mean can't they just do it? (being sarcastic Only difference is I would have to stay on the wagon for a shorter time then someone who is heavier. My fear and the fear with others who have a lower BMI is that I know if I wasn't constantly yoyo'ing to lose that 15-20 pounds only to gain it back and I would gain it back plus more. I have been heavier so I know my body is capable of it. If i just said the hell with it I could gain and gain and gain. Instead I torture myself with diets, diet pills etc. Why not be proactive and do it now before I have serious health issues. The sleeve has been shown to be effective for people with a lower starting BMI i think even more so then people with a higher one. I believe the percentage was 85% of excess weight was lost. I have no problem stating that at this point it is not a medical necessity for me and maybe it is cosmetic but people do lipo and breast implants for that reason too so why not do something that will make me feel better...solve the dieting issue and help me focus on me and more then likely stop me from ballooning to a higher weight where I would be even more super miserable. I think I have also stated before...who here that has a higher BMI wouldn't wish that they would have done it before they spent even more years being miserable and unhealthy. So I hope that shed's some light on why someone with a lower BMI would choose to have the surgery and also why the surgery has prooved to be successful and in no way any more harmful to someone of a lower BMI. Edit:: I hope this post doesn't sound too defensive...i really don't mean it to come off as such.

Hi, this type of exclusion is through your employer. Athem BC BS does cover this type of surgery (I have them for my insurance) but your employer can request that certain services not be covered (to save costs). You may want to talk to someone in HR and see if this policy will be changed. Good luck!

Thanks. I mention the period thing bc they say we gain weight, but I lost. I feel great still wish I was smaller but it took me years to be morbid obese so at least I'm healthier. Still with a long way to go but I will get there hopefully I loose 10.5 this month so I'm have way to my goal

I have PCOS and endometriosis. The two BC methods that have worked the best for me were a Mirena IUD and the "four-times-a-year" birth control pills like Seasonique. If you don't plan on getting pregnant for 5 years, once inserted, the Mirena is really a breeze to live with--my periods completely stopped about 2 months after insertion and I didn't get another one until it was removed.

I got weepy as well around day 4. I couldn't understand what was wrong with me. I would cry for no reason. I got fed up with myself...LOL! It got better by day 8. I am now at day 12 and pretty stable again.

I was told that it did not. Of course, I was also told a sleep study was a cosmetic procedure . And they wonder why people HATE insurance companies......... Best of luck with your BC/BS IL fight.

I'm 6 months post op and I didn't vomit right off, it took me 5 months to experience it. It was my fault and not my doctor or the band bc I either ate right after drinking or vice versus. At 4.5 filled, I was still able to eat Krispy Kreme doughnuts and 6" subs from subway & I gained 12lbs bk.:-( Now I just got another fill and I'm feeling more restricted and I love it bc I'm eager to lose weight and make better decisions about what I enter into my body. My starting weight was 325lbs I got down to 275 & now I'm 284 & I'm DETERMINDED to lose more & keep it off. Good luck & blessings to us all (banders) to stay strong and defeat the fat monster.

Does anyone have / had BC/BS PPO ILLINOIS? I AM AWAITING APPROVAL TOO. THANKS. CATHY HOPEFULLY DR TERRACINA NEWPORT NEWS VA

I just got my letter today. I have Anthem BC/BS VA (ppo). My only requirements where being 100lbs overwieght, BMI over 40, and employer rider. I had all 3 and i was approved on the first try. I call tommorrow to get my surgery date.

When my older brother was 17, The Momster was in one of her usual rages. He'd had enough, so he grabbed her, picked her up, and put her outside. That was the day I realized he'd grown up and wasn't going to take her BS anymore. It was a very defining and triumphant moment. I always hated my abusive brother, but that day I thought he was so cool! Our family never used fists but there was quite a bit of physical "pinning down" during insane blow ups. One time my brother used the hose and sprayed down all of them (Momster, her paranoid schizophrenic sister, and our 90 year-old uncle.) My older brother is just as screwed up with greed disorder (he stole everyone's inheritance and over a million in family property and is still under investigation.) My brother steals from his rich relatives, and then hoses them down.

I have BC/BS Anthem from Virginia. They covered it and the fills. I paid around a $1,000 bucks or so out of pocket. You can get the hospital to set up a payment plan if necessary. You need to call your benefit coordinator at BS/BS Anthem in your state and check. Good Luck

Before surgery I lost 30 lbs bc of this shot called victoza, for slightly high blood sugar. I haven't weighed myself since I left the hospital 3/5. My post op is 3/13 so I will know then. My goal would be 140lbs I would like to get smaller than I did with the lab-band. I didn't get my 60g today ill try again tomorrow. I'm so sick of the feeling of gas. Does that go away soon. I would like to weigh 160-180lbs. I want to eat so bad. What foods are you eating now. How long did you stay on the liquids. I feel 6 weeks is torture. You are doing great with your weight loss. I hope to follow in your footsteps.