Search the Community

I have BCBS of Illinois and they covered everything but $1500, and my secondary covered $1200 of that. So I only had $300 out of pocket. They approved my surgery within 48 hours of my surgeon's office submitting everything. From my 1st appt to my surgery date was 2 1/2 months. BCBS only required 1 pre op and 1 post op nutritionist appt, 1 psych eval, approval letter from my neurologist (because I have MS), approval letter from my PCP, having tried at least 2 methods of weight loss in the past (my PCP knew about me doing keto and also low/no calorie and put that in the approval letter). So it was a fast and painless process. My surgeon's office wanted the blood work and EKG before surgery. BCBS approved every test with no issues.

That statistic, besides being an average, reflects bounce back weight gain which is pretty common, general diet complacency where after a couple of years we let things slide a bit, adjustments to the way you eat to better complement your lifestyle, general health, changes to medication, etc. It’s not the highest amount of weight you may lose but where you MAY end up at the three years point. It’s the same stat that says the a average weight loss at three years for sleeve is about 65% of the weight you have to lose. The most I lost was 43.8kgs (141%) . Then I settled at around 42kg (135%). Now at three years it’s 40 (129% - damn HRT & I had to up my protein intake.) Yes, my gain is minimal & I lost a lot more then the stats suggested but others do experience less loss & greater gains. Treat averages (stats) & BMIs for that matter as a guide only not a hard & fast rule. They just give you a bit of an idea of what might happen.

I was blowing through sizes so fast that I bought everything except for underwear at thrift stores (like Goodwill). Actually, I still get most of my clothes there, and I've been in maintenance for over five years!

lol what a catch 22! Ummmmm I’d say I’m excited about surgery I’m a revision so there’s a bit of been there done that . I just want to fast forward to when I’m recovering at home. I felt overwhelmed with how much new information is out/products since I had my first surgery in 2010 . I’m naturally a worry wart so I’m going through the motions of overly researching duodenal switch . I know it’s best for me due to my metabolism disorders. I read somewhere you could lose a pound a day ! Like that’s crazy to me lol ! (Also I’m making you my accountability partner lol there will be meltdowns FYI !)

Hi Everyone, I was posting over in the RNY August thread, but it doesn't seem to be very active. I had my surgery on Tuesday, so today is my Day 3 Post Op. The surgery & hospital stay went very well, but I had a rough first day at home yesterday. I think it was mostly because I no longer had the IV for hydration and it takes forever to drink enough water on your own. The barium swallow test at the hospital was pretty gross. Plus, it didn't move very fast through my bowels so I was sitting around for like an hour while they kept trying the x-ray; they finally sent me back up to my room and had a mobile x-ray come up a few hours later. Everything was fine, it was just slow moving. It made me really nervous that something was wrong though. I was on a pre-op liquid diet (OptiFast shakes only) for 7 days, clear liquid only the day before surgery and until this morning, I've only had clear liquids. I haven't been hungry at all, but I can tell my body is pretty weak from not taking in many calories. I've been really tired. Today I started full liquids, which for me is 3 servings of 2 oz per day until my 1 week post-op appointment. I had 2 oz Fairlife Chocolate Shake this morning which went down well and I'm working on a 2 oz portion of SF vanilla protein pudding right now. It's been difficult for me to get my 64 oz of liquids in. I never thought it would take this long to drink! Before surgery, I was a person who drank 100+ easily before bed.

I meant to post this here…Tomorrow is two weeks post op. Feeling good. Much more energy. Walked a mile and a half with the fam earlier and didn’t need a break, which two weeks ago wouldn’t have happened. Tried puréed egg salad today and seems to be sitting well. My biggest thing is remembering to eat slow. Last night I did my yogurt dinner too fast and it was not pleasant. 🥹 Hubby is getting sleeved 8/26. Lots of changes in our home!!!

If I were in this situation, I would wait and go through insurance. Spend the time while you wait fixing any habits that would be counterproductive to life post weight loss surgery. Stop eating fast food and focus on healthier foods so you know what to expect after surgery. Look at the year you spend preparing for surgery as an investment, and how you will be more successful if you're not battling food issues. Best wishes!

Hmm, the decision is solely yours and your wife's. I am also in my 30's with no kids and we are financially very comfortable but I feel like the reason why is because we don't spend 18K when we don't NEED to. Get my point? The point of the insurance requirements are to get you focused, prepared and starting the process of your new life long requirements. If you start to make the changes that will be required after surgery, you will not spiral while you wait. You will however get more prepared and ready for your new life. I had a 6 month process that was "fast tracked" and surgery at 4 months. With that being said, I learned a lot about what to expect. I already knew how to eat healthy and how to read nutrition labels etc. (Which both were part of my classes) But what I found most knowledgeable was what to expect after surgery. I have heard stories from people I know who went through WLS but I found a lot of their information was false or they just didn't understand what they were actually being told. Two other people I know had the exact same surgeon at the same bariatric center and have the same support team through the center. (Including the same Dietician) yet both of them had different understanding of things. The best thing I could have done was take those classes myself and get the answers directly from the providers themselves. It is like in Elementary school when we all sat in a circle and the teacher whispered a statement in the first kids ear and by the time it was whispered 13 times, at the end it was completely different. I also have lost and gained over 100 lbs 4 (i think) times before having surgery. Worked with a trainer, bought exercise equipment...etc. I still lost 40 lbs in the pre-op process just by making VERY TINY changes that they suggested starting with. ok ok, I said a lot and probably boring you now. My opinion from a financial standpoint and from a learning/preparation standpoint would be to go through insurance. But really, you just have to make this decision yourself.

Yep, I was on them 7 days post-op. The needles are tiny, like super tiny. And they generally come in preloaded syringes. So you just squeeze your lower belly, stab, and inject. If done properly it is very fast and relatively painless, though they do tend to bruise. Your surgeon's office should be able to teach you how to do it, and there are a ton of youtube videos available as well. It really is not that bad, I promise. The first one is the worst just because of the nerves, after that its really not a big deal. Agree with others, discuss with your provider for sure, but DON'T skip them. Post-op blood clots are a risk and the medication will ensure that doesn't happen.

It’s been a week since my gastric sleevectomy, and all things considered, things have progressed fairly smoothly. The procedure went down without a hitch. I was up walking around that afternoon. The most pain I experienced was from the incision where they pulled the stomach out (it’s been a full week, and it is still a bit sore, but definitely much better…,hold on to your side if you have to cough or sneeze). It was strange to drink from the one ounce cups at first (you know it’s coming, but until you have to, it’s hard to appreciate it fully). It is definitely a different feeling when the stomach fills up so fast with so little fluid, but it is real. Since I’ve been home, everyday gets a little bit better. The pain in my side is going away, I’m able to get outside to walk a couple miles each day (not all at once, but working my way back up), and it’s getting easier to feel when I’m getting full as I’m drinking my protein shakes. (I will say that I am looking forward to the end of next week when I hit the purée portion of the diet and can enjoy the taste of “solid” food.)

Takes a while for pantoprazole to kick in, sometimes as long as 3 to 4 weeks. I had the sleeve back in 2015 and I never had those symptoms in the beginning. I would call your surgeon. Maybe they can switch you to Omeprazole or another type of medication that will work better for your body. Fast forward, a few years, when I first started getting gerd symptoms, I was put on famotidine and when that stopped working, I was switched to Omeprazole and then to a few others.

It is pretty amazing how fast pounds melt off in this pre-op diet! Today has been one fo the first days in a looooong time that I actually felt lighter. I need to take some body measurements to track that progress too Love the broth!

Your loss is really impressive and you should be incredibly proud of yourself. I started at 385, though my highest weight ever was at least 400 lbs (my scale didn't go higher) and am now at the same weight as you (not losing nearly as fast as you have - and really slowly now). On the one hand, I feel so amazing. Physically, I feel so much lighter than 271. I feel spry. Things are so much easier and I don't automatically feel limited. I am enjoying physical activity and exercise. I have SO MUCH ENERGY and have been so productive in my personal life. Medically lots of things are better. But, even with that, I know I am still fat and that's how everyone around me sees me - as the fat lady. It's tough because on the one hand, I am so proud of what I have done and how hard I am working, but on the other, I still have SO MUCH FURTHER to go and I know society as a whole still sees me the same way as it did before. It's like being in mile 13 of a marathon... so proud of managing 13 miles but dreading and a bit depressed about having 13 more to go (and worried I won't make it). I'm not sure that I feel significantly differently in public situations, since I am still obese. But, I feel more "normally obese" if that makes sense. I don't always feel like I am automatically the biggest person in the room. I am not paranoid about sitting on chairs (will they hold me? can I get on the stool?) like I used to be. I'm less worried about what my butt is running into (I have a booty, it is/was a real concern). But, I am still obese and I know judgement abounds. Not sure I am helping in any way, but it is a weird place to be in.

My bypass was 6/8/22. Here’s a quick update. I went into surgery at 208 lbs. I had started the liquid pre-op at 222. I came home from surgery on 6/10 at 223… IV FLUIDS from the hospital caused that. On 6/30, I weighed 192. It was my 3 wk visit with the surgeon. We talked about stalls and not weighing every day. Today is 8/10, 2 months 2 days post op and I weigh 178. Historically I am a slow loser, so I’m over the moon at how this is going. I’m averaging about 1/2 lb loss a day. I found meeting my hydration and protein goals challenging and I had to focus to meet them. It took me a few weeks, possibly 5 weeks even. I made sure I made hydration goals first and then I focused on protein. I found that large amounts of anything with artificial sweeteners (crystal light, etc) stalled my weight loss. Except for 2 s/f ice pops per day, I steer clear of artificial sweeteners. I stopped drinking protein shakes when I made the connection between stalls and artificial sweeteners. I put PRO-T (17 G protein) in a bottle of water a few times a day to meet my protein goals. I buy it on Amazon and I used it after cosmetic surgery a few years ago with great results. I was slow (intentionally) to progress through food stages by choice. I have not been hungry, I have to remind myself to eat (I’m thrilled), and I eat what I feel like eating if it’s something allowed I go through phases: cucumbers, hummus, soup, zucchini, pickles, egg salad, tuna, peanut butter. A couple of bites and I’m full. I walk 3 miles a day, 4-5 times a week. I take vitamins my surgeon has prescribed. I am always drinking water. I have one cup of coffee a day and have essentially lost my love of it. UNPLEASANT: I’ve had 3 vomiting episodes. All my fault because I ate too fast. They were basically uneventful and I was immediately fine. One dumping episode. I didn’t realize buttermilk has sugar in it and I made a dressing for zucchini spirals. I never needed pain meds in the hospital post op probably because I was given a 3 day nerve block in the abdomen by the anesthesiologist. I NEVER had a single gas pain. Ask me any questions: I will try to organize this info and perhaps make it easier to follow. In no particular order, my go-to foods are: ricotta cheese, lettuce with skinny girl dressing, tomatoes, zucchini, chicken-crust pizza (recipe from Sugar Free Mom-Google it-its TDF), many recipes from Bariatric Kitchen on fb. There are SO many recipes…more than I could ever hope to prepare in my lifetime. LOL My attitude has reverted to what it had been most of my life: eat to live. The emotional eating is an issue I have dealt with personally and I dealt with it by removing myself from the kitchen and drinking a bottle of water. When you are sipping, it takes awhile to drink a bottle of water and that’s a good thing. Good luck and feel free to ask me any questions.

I don't think you should be at all concerned with doctor shopping - we look at different cars/dealerships, different realtors when we buy a home. A doctor should be no different. But it looks like you have made your way through and yay for getting a revision! I had the Lapband in 2011. I never really felt restriction after my pouch healed (2 weeks or so) and I lost 60 lbs. I've kept it off but every time I try to lose more weight I end up gaining it right back. I've gone vegan for 2 years, then went keto and promptly had to have my gallbladder removed last summer - doc said it was directly related to keto. I've lost 40 lbs on my own and gained it right back. So in July I decided that since my insurance now covers bariatric I'd see what could be done. Boy have things moved fast. I went to my PCP (also a NP and I love her) and she referred me to a bariatric surgeon. I had my first consult with him on July 12th and he scheduled me for all the tests. I got them done in record time, sometimes two doctor appointments a day, and got done last week. Had my 30 day follow up today and although they're just submitting to insurance now, he's confident they're going to approve so I have my surgery date for October 24th. Here's to revision and another chance!

Hey everyone! I'm scheduled for October 24th for revision from Lapband to Bypass. Just got my date today. Still have a few of my results that need to come in so they can submit to insurance but my doctor seems pretty confident I'll have no problem getting approved. It's all happened pretty fast. First consult was on July 7th and I got all my testing done in the last 30 days. I was happy that I was down 4 lbs (not a lot but at least I was down) from that original appointment, my blood pressure was in a really good range and it seems everything is going well. Glad to meet you all and have some friends on this journey!

I have a stash of built bars in the fridge for grab and go protein. The “puff” bars are my favorite, but the regular are good too. They taste like a candy bar, but are protein dense and help curb hunger until I can get to real food, so I didn’t cave and grab fast food while on the run.

First, congrats on your weight loss. Yay! If you’re losing at a great pace why do you want to lose faster? We all lose at our own rate & what is right for us. And you’ll end up at a weight that is right for you too. Sure you may lose a little faster at the beginning with a bypass but it slows just like any other surgery as you progress. So at this stage you’d probably be losing at exactly the same rate. You also didn’t start at a very high BMI so your rate of loss wouldn’t be like someone weighing 400, 500+lbs. But their rate of loss slows too. In five months you’ve almost reached your goal. Can’t complain about that. As @RickM said the average weight loss at about 3 yrs post surgery is about the same regardless of whether the surgery is sleeve or bypass (about 65% of the weight you had to lose). I’m glad I got the sleeve. I exceeded my weight loss goal & happily sit at a weight I never thought I would weigh as an adult let alone to have basically maintained. And to me that’s the biggest win: maintaining. Generally I’m healthy. I don’t need to take any vitamins like you would with bypass. And while I have a malabsorption (protein) issue, which are possible with bypass, it occurred as a result of my gall removal last year & had nothing to do with my sleeve surgery 3 years ago. I had mild managed reflux before surgery & I still have reflux now. It manifests differently but again it’s managed through diet & meds. If it worsens & I need a revision in the future I’ll deal with that then. I have to be careful to eat slowly & to avoid dry or coarse food but that’s me & my sleeve. I had a bit of a fussy digestive system before anyway so there’s nothing that’s harder to manage or limits me in any way. Celebrate every pound you’ve lost & enjoy the life you can have now. Don’t worry or question how fast you’re losing.

Yea it’s not the same for me either. I used to drink rum and Coke Zero so I have tried rum and crystal light but it didn’t taste very good so I think I’m just not able to drink it fast enough to get a buzz. I have since tried the pineapple flavored one and I can get a slight buzz on that but like you it doesn’t last long and it’s of course higher in calories. It sorta not worth it anymore.

I drank this weekend for the first time since surgery. I never really drank much before surgery, but maybe a few times a year. I am about 4.5 post-op and it didn't kill me. Or make me sick. I even stayed in my calorie range. I didn't plan on drinking but it was my birthday and I was thrown a surprise Birthday party so I decided to try it out. Worse case, sick at my own party. I was bought a shot of fireball. (My favorite but ALL sugar) I drank and 1/3 of it rather than the entire shot and then waited to see what would happen. Nothing, so I drank another 1/3 waited a few and then the last of the shot. Then.... was I buzzed? I don't even know, I felt buzzed but off of 1/1.5 oz? I know they say it hits you faster but I am still not even sure what it was. It felt different, but still buzzed. Lasted about 10 minutes. LAME..haha So I ended up having a total of 4 shots all night, buzzed for sure at the end of the night but again. It went away FAST. Like 30 minutes later I was sober. I woke up in the middle of the night with a headache, probably dehydrated. Drank a bottle of water with some Tylenol and went back to sleep. Next day, perfectly fine and back to my protein rich days. I doubt I will drink again for awhile. But I enjoyed my Birthday, guilt free without any issues.

2.5 weeks post op. Does anyone else’s sleeve kinda spasm a bit if they drink too fast or sip too fast? I’m confined to a desk, trying to study all day but it’s difficult when I try to take sips of a shake my sleeve is like…no thanks. Does this go away soon?

I do have the paperwork but I am moving extremely fast with my eating. I was cleared for finely chopped foods 5 days after my sleeve gastrectomy

I work with the school system and worked 5 weeks after my surgery with the ESY Summer school. With the exception of eating a little fast a couple times because I was talking and not paying attention, so I got that stuck feeling until I burped a couple times, I did fine. I even ran with some kids. Participated in everything and had a great 2 weeks. I'm back at my regular job (since August 2nd) and school starts in 3 days (August 10th) and other then nerves begging to be fed(I'm starting a new position) I'm doing really well. I come home worn out once I hit my front door and I'm asleep by 8:30pm but I have good energy throughout the day. I don't allow snacking though other then a protein shake before school starts so that helps with nervous eating. I do have a couple different sources of protein(cheese squares in my mini fridge and beef jerky) in case I start feeling bad and need a boost. They are already portioned so i won't overeat. I don't know how much energy I'll need when I'm actually dealing with students.

Depends on the food but I've had that "eat too fast" feeling. It's only caused me to throw up 2x but it was enough. I chew slowly now and really try to pay attention to what I'm eating. I have found in group settings it's just better for me to eat beforehand otherwise I get caught up in the conversation and tend to eat or drink too fast. Heck I made myself sick drinking water because I drank it so fast that I was in in pain about 4 weeks post op. It was a family dinner. I ended up excusing myself from the table and went to the bathroom and threw up the excess water. Hated that but felt better afterwards. Now I'm very cautious and the only sweets I've had is the low carb/ low calorie ice cream. 2/3 a cup at a time and spread out. A pint is taking forever and that used to be a serving for me!

I like you am very impatient. I started my journey in January and am ready to get the surgery. Ive had several procedures I had to do first and seemed like no one was scheduling as fast as I wanted them to. Im scheduled for my pre op appointment on the 15th so not much longer. Sent from my SM-S908U1 using BariatricPal mobile app