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Hey Laura! Small world huh lol. Which surgeon did you use? I plan to use Dr. Leslie Miles in Birmingham. A little bit of a drive but I chose him because of his experience doing more bands that any other that's closer plus they give you all the info and follow up you need to make it work. We did go to Dr. Mailapur's seminar and liked him as well but he seemed to highly recommend the bypass and I don't want to do that! Do y'all go to the local monthly support groups?

Awesome Im approved also and surgery is Jan 24th I'm getting the gastric bypass super excited! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My niece's sister-in-law had bypass surgery. She was 500+ lbs and the doctor required that she lose 75lbs before he would operate. But he did make it easier for her to do so, by putting her on a supervised liquid diet. She dropped the weight in record time too.

Im Oct 13th for the sleeve and i have a half sister who had bypass at least 10-11yrs ago. She says no regrets the only thing she says is that your stomach is small but your mind still can't process the new small stomach. She did say that most people stick to vitamins and are compliant for about 3 years and if you don't get monitored or get regular bloodwork that is when complications happen not because of the procedure but because of neglect. So key thing is not falling into old habits.

My Mom told me today that she really doesn't want me to have the surgery. Her reason is that according to what she's learned most people regain the weight so it just doesn't seem like the surgery would be worth ruining my life for. She also said it was my body my choice. She also said she knew people who had bypass and were just as sure as I am that they could change their lifestyle regain all the weight they lost. I tried to explain everything but just kind of ended with I just don't want to die before I can see my kids grow-up. I'm so heartbroken right now. She also brought up all the doubts I struggle with especially about failure. I want so bad not to be the fat girl anymore. I still am going forward with all the pre-op prep and the surgery in August I just wish my Mom was okay with it.

It helps to hear that others have gone through some of the same hoops. I spoke to the director of our HR Health plan group today and she agrees that this a unique situation. She suggested I appeal it. The company health board will meet in Dec. and she thinks it is a good time to bring this to their attention. I asked her how they handled other employees that have had gastric bypass or Lapband. I also asked for a written copy of the requirements.

Hey DL I have been post op for 8 yrs & sometimes I refrain from sharing my experiences because for some, the bad and ugly is not acceptable. I have had a great run but for the past 2 yrs have struggled, some due to lack of discipline & some due to a dialated anastamosis. I will be having a revision on August 20th & have joined this group to hopefully learn new things from great people like you that always have good, sound and positive advice!

<p><p>This is awesome! I called insurance today and initially the lady said gastric bypass is not covered as my husband's employer didn't pick up the rider, but when I asked about lap band she said "Isn't that the same??" Ummmmm...... no! I don't want bypass, I want the lap band. Trying to determine if that means no weight loss surgery at all or just no bypass. I am hoping that if it is nothing at all I can piggyback it on with getting my hiatal hernia taken care of. Heck, they can check for more endo while they're in there too. This gives me hope that I can work something out. For those of you who have done this, did the DR let you pay in installments or was it one big amount?</p></p>

Hi Tyger'sMom…I am 2-1/2 yrs post-banding. I too DID NOT want 1/2 my stomach gone or anything "bypassed"; I didn't want anything permanently reconstructed inside me. I too failed so many times and lost the same 30-40 pounds countless times & was at a point that I was so desperate to not fail again. I was a psychological mess from failing so many times & just needed help! I was willing to put in the work, but the "work" just wasn't enough; it just wasn't working. I opted for the band after a lot of research of all 3 surgeries. I realized that the band was a tool to help me change my way of life…the way I eat, proportions. I too was a diet expert in that I tried and succeeded many times at many different diets, but could never stay on the "diet" forever. I needed a lifestyle change & I needed help with that. I needed to still be able to have a cookie or cupcake or a bite or two of whatever I was craving. Depriving myself just made me not want to stay on whatever diet I was on forever; I needed to learn to be able to have 1-2 oreos instead of half the bag, or 4-8 ounces of food at a time instead of 4 cups of food at a time. I have lost 100 pounds and did so with the HELP of the band, using it as a tool as it was designed. The band is to help you feel full faster and longer, therefore eating less at every meal (and snack). Overeating is where most Americans get into their overweight problems; most Americans overeat (as you know). Eating slowly & chewing…yes, we have to eat slower than usual and chew more. When I was losing weight (I am now sustaining my weight loss), I used a cocktail fork or baby spoon or fork to take smaller bites & I chew, chew, chew 'til mush. I also do not drink 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after eating. Other than that, I have no other restrictions. I am able to eat anything I want & did not have the stuck episodes you will read about on this site. I have only been stuck a few times, but none of them caused throwing up, nor were they painful as described by some other people on this site. If your band is appropriately adjusted & you do what you are instructed to do by your doctor...take smaller bites, eat slower & chew chew chew...you won't have any problems. I would rather take the time to make these small adjustments in my life than permanently reconstruct my insides. I will also add, my family eats out a lot & although I was nervous about this in the beginning, I learned I do take longer than everyone else to eat, but I'm not eating as much so it's not like everyone sits around waiting for me to finish. I was always ok with putting in the effort, the "dieting" and exercising, but I just could not sustain that particular diet and deprivation forever. The band has helped me change my eating lifestyle to moderation, smaller portions. I only eat til I'm NOT HUNGRY ANYMORE, not until I'm FULL! I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the doc you had your informational meeting with, & I agree with everyone else…FIND ANOTHER DOCTOR. Don't let one dr discourage you from changing your life. I too started with another facility, but was not happy, I switched groups & ended up with the MOST fabulous doctors! I have learned by being in contact with a lot of other banisters that the RIGHT doctor makes a HUGE difference as to whether you will succeed or not. Yes, I have put in all the hard work, but I would not have succeeded without the incredible support of my doctors & their commitment to me to follow up with me regularly every few weeks for the first year, being responsible with EVERY fill they gave me, treating me as an individual and giving me adjustments according to what I needed, not what was the norm for whatever # of fill I was on. After care is HUGE in LapBand success. PLEASE find a good doctor who truly cares for you & what is best for you. I hope I addressed all your concerns. The LapBand truly changed my life & I believe in it…I believe if you are a person who is willing to put in the effort, the LapBand can change your life too! I see you are in California? Are you in Southern California?

Counting down the days. Got my date: September 15th!!! excited, scared, doing lots of reading/research. very glad i found this forum! going for gastric bypass and several friends/family are NOT supportive.! but i KNOW this is my last chance. need buddies. waiting for September!!!

I'm set for September 11, 2023, so I'll be your buddy!!! I literally have no one here local to bounce things off of, I'm traveling 5 hours away for my surgery in Jacksonville so I'm really hoping for a smooth departure after surgery. But I'm also having the switch done for medical reasons and the weight loss is just a huge bonus to it. I had a nissen fundoplication in 2005 and it's coming undone and like 75% of the revisions from that end in gastric bypass and my doctor said with what he could see it was more like a 95% chance that I'd have to have it done so now I'm jumping through the hoops for it all.

I'm a band to sleeve and soon bypass. The acid reflux and vomiting is every day im on nexium and Zantac daily plus chewable and i still have acid. Slider foods only no strength to work out

I am new to joining but have been keeping tabs everyday on here for the last 3 months, so I went to my Dr. and explained to her taht I was interested in getting the lap band surgery. I have a friend who just got the lap band about 4 months ago and he loves it. So I told her the Dr. I was interested in using, she told me since I have HMO I will have to see one of the Dr.'s in Straubs network first then can be referred out since the dr. I am interested in is in a different network. So I go and see a nutritionist and it comes to be that this whole appt. is about seeing a surgeon for the gastric bypass surgery what i specifically said I did not want. So I had to pary the $85 for her and a $15 co pay to see the s,urgeon who does'nt even perform the surgery nor does any dr in my network...Im so frustrated, then I recieved a letter from Straub saying that the reason for the denial os because "SERVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE STRAUB HEALTH CENTER NETWORK" but in the letter it also says Service: Pending Authorization. So I am so lost..Please help:help:

There was too much swelling of the stomach for the surgeon to get a clean cut for a revision, so he's making me wait 3 months before possibly doing the revision. I'm not sure at this time that I will in fact do the revision due to the financial stress of two cash surgeries within a year and a half of each other. It's been 4 days now and I'm eating normal again, which is nice. A week ago I struggled to get 20 ounces of liquids down in a whole days time.

BILLING/CODING INFORMATION: CPT Coding: 43644 Laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; with gastric bypass and Roux-en-Y gastroenterostomy (Roux limb 150 cm or less) 43645 Laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; with gastric bypass and small intestine reconstruction to limit absorption (investigational) 43770 Laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; placement of adjustable gastric band (gastric band and subcutaneous port components) 43771 Laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; revision of adjustable gastric band component only 43772 Laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; removal and replacement of adjustable gastric band component only 43773 Laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; removal and replacement of adjustable gastric band component only 43774 Laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; removal of adjustable gastric band and subcutaneous port components 43842 Gastric restrictive procedure, without gastric bypass, for morbid obesity; vertical-banded gastroplasty 43843 Gastric restrictive procedure, without gastric bypass, for morbid obesity; other than vertical-banded gastroplasty (investigational) 43845 Gastric restrictive procedure with partial gastrectomy, pylorus-preserving duodenoileostomy and ileoileostomy (50 to 100 cm common channel) to limit absorption (biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch) 43846 Gastric restrictive procedure, with gastric bypass for morbid obesity; with short limb (150 cm or less) Roux-en-Y gastroenterostomy (may be done laparoscopically) 43847 Gastric restrictive procedure, with gastric bypass for morbid obesity; with small intestine reconstruction to limit absorption (may be done laparoscopically) There is no specific CPT or HCPCS code to report mini gastric bypass. A laparoscopic approach is used with the mini-gastric bypass. The stomach is segmented similar to a traditional gastric bypass; the jejunum is anastomosed directly to the stomach, similar to a Billroth II procedure. The mini gastric bypass is not based on its laparoscopic approach, but rather the type of anastomosis used. This on the Blue Cross Blue Sheild page: http://mcgs.bcbsfl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.main&doc=Surgery%20for%20Clinically%20Severe%20Obesity

Sorry, but your the one who brought up the complications rate being higher then the band first. So, since you brought it up first, you should be the one showing the proof. I'm not going to waste a bunch of my time convincing the obvious unconvincable. I'm not going to bother.....there is plenty of information out there showing the statistics on complications of sleeve versus band. And no you don't get to lump bypass with the sleeve against the band....they are two entirely different surgeries. You can carefully word it to make it sound better or worse, but you need to actually look at all of the statistics. And yes, most importantly you should look at the statistics of your doctor in reference to the surgery they are going to perform on you.

I'm sorry to hear this. So, are you able to do the self-pay route then? I feel fortunate that I have Aetna, they seem to have a rather generous WLS part of their coverage. I know that my revision will be covered when I decide on the right doctor for me. Although, I don't take anything for granted with the changes with the Healthcare reform- who knows what benefits will be cut next year so I will get the revision done this year one way or another.

Hi Diddle! I love reading your posts! I'm new to this so I don't always know how to post or comment, but here we go. The little protien bullets you talked about getting at Sam's Club...do you know the name of them, and the other thing is the Atkins shakes. Are they just called shakes or something else, and what is the best flavor? I start my Protein shakes on Tuesday for my surgery on the first. I'm not young at almost 58, and my surgery will be an open revision, but you know what...it's really my last chance to get rid of this weight. You inspire me. I was sad to read about the loss of your mother. I lost my mom about a year and a half ago. I still miss her and always will. If I can be of any help to you feel free to ask. What state do you live in? I'd love to find a buddy around here to partner with. Any suggestions? Kristen

Hello everyone! This is my first post. I'm very excited about getting a lap band. Last week I went to a seminar given by Dr. Chua in Milwaukee and this Friday I have an appt. to see the nutritionist and the psychologist. I called my insurance and they do cover bariatric surgery however someone at Dr. Chua's office said that my insurance (WPS) does not cover the lap band because they consider it experimental. I would rather have the lap band insted to getting the bypass done. I'm wondering if anyone out there has a lap band that has WPS insurance?:phanvan:(

Can someone tell me if that means that I won't covered for the laopband- I just went to my seminar yesterday?? Thanks This what is under my covered benefits in my certificate booklet Obesity Covered Services for obesity include up to two nutritional counseling visits when referred by your Primary Care Physician. Prescription Drugs and any other services or supplies for the treatment of obesity are not covered. Surgical treatment of obesity is only covered for patients meeting Medical Necessity criteria, as defined by us. Precertification is required, and coverage is only provided for gastric bypass or vertically banded gastroplasty. and then under exclusions and what's not covered: Any services or supplies for the treatment of obesity, including but not limited to, weight reduction, medical care or Prescription drugs, or dietary control (except as related to covered nutritional counseling). Nutritional supplements; services, supplies and/or nutritional sustenance products (food) related to enteral feeding except when it’s the sole means of nutrition. food supplements. Services for Inpatient treatment of bulimia, anorexia or other eating disorders which consist primarily of behavior modification, diet and weight monitoring and education. Any services or supplies that involve weight reduction as the main method of treatment, including medical, psychiatric care or counseling. Weight loss programs, nutritional supplements, appetite suppressants, and supplies of a similar nature. Procedures including but not limited to liposuction, gastric balloons, jejunal bypasses, and wiring of the jaw.

I dont understand insurance companies.. I had a lap band placed 7/2007 with Dr Aceves. I started out at 215 & got down to 157... It then became really difficult to eat, things got stuck. i could eat ice cream but not chicken, salad, beef..etc.. I decided to have it removed 7/2010 & my insurance covered it, i weighed 168 when I had it removed. Now 1 year later i weigh 198 lbs. My insurance is denying VSG & gastric bypass because my BMI is 37 & I have no comorbidities. i am panning to go back to Mexico in fall for VSg as a self pay.. very frustrating........ i

I can totally relate to your frustration too with Highmark BCBS and the 50+ BMI requirement. I live in NY and am hopefully getting the vsg in Buffalo, NY but the insurance is within PA. where my husband works. My BMI is 37 with hypertensiion and diabetes. I knew about the 50 BMI requirement but went through all of the pre-surgery steps anyway. The bariatric coordinator submitted my paperwork for the vsg last week. So, keeping my fingers crossed. When I called Highmark bcbs today to comfirm they had received my paperwork, I was told a predetermination could take from 4-6 weeks!! Oh my god, I hope that is a gross exaggeration. I guess I am preparing myself for being denied. But I dont feel the bypass or lap band are appropriate surgeries for me due to related circumstances I hope I can convincingly express in an appeal letter if it comes to that. I am hoping it might be easier to win an appeal with Highmark since they at least offers the vsg for a certain population as opposed to an insurer that doesnt cover it at all. Good luck to you! Lisa

It took me 3 months to get in to Emory Bariatric for an appointment with the nutritionist, which would be the beginning of my 6 month diet and exercise program. I knew before I went that if I wasn't a BMI of 50 BCBS wouldn't approve the surgery. I purposely gained weight before going over the last 3 months and weighed in at 49.9!!! The account manager that submits the insurance paperwork told me that even if Id been right at 50 they wont approve you unless you lose weight and show you can follow the program for the 6 month requirements, so I wouldn't be approved either way unless BCBS drops the BMI requirement. They only require 40 for Bypass and Band, but I dont want either of those. I left the appointment, after all that time and anticipation, deeply disappointed. Im still going to go through the 6 month process though i hopes that some time in the next 2 years they might change their policy. Im just so upset about the whole thing.

Hi carolyn, I'm right next door to you in LA. Congratulations on 10lbs gone! That's great! Supportive husbands are the best I'm curious, how is your sister? Did the bypass help her?

When I had my first soft food/fish I had grilled salmon at a family cookout. There was no way I would have been able to fit in anything but the salmon (and certainly not steamed or firm vegetables). With soft foods I was still only able to do veggies that were complete mush. I would bypass the sides and just have some nice soft, flaky salmon. Later that week I had some baked tilapia with a tiny bit of mushy green Beans and a bit of mashed potato. Edited to answer your question: if are buying fresh fish at the grocery store they should be able to cut the filets in smaller portions for you.