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I work for an insurance copany, but am not directly involved in the insurance part of the business, so I can only go on my understanding... but when a company excludes part of a plan (e.g. bariatrics), there's nothing to be done through the actual insurance company (outside of purchasing your own something or other through them). It has nothing to do with them, and at that point is all in the hands of your employer. Considering that your employer is now the one you have to work with, your HR rep should ne the first stop, but the most you can do is request that they release the exclusion. Considering what the cost is, it's not *likely* that they'll do it based on one request, but the worst that could happen is they say no, right?

Getting excited and nervous! Surgery approved and scheduled for September 4th with the possibility they may move it to the 3rd due to a cancellation. All my pre-op lab work and testing is done and without any concerns. Same for my psych eval, barium swallow, chest x-ray, EKG, and EGD. Did all my pre-op nutrition appointments (I was fast tracked, so there weren't as many as most of you had). Did the pre-op group class where they explained my pre-op diet and what to expect at the hospital and post op. Started my bariatric vitamins last week. Purchased any food/supplies that I think I might need for the first couple weeks post op (my husband even told me to get him a new bigger TV so I can have a TV in my room the first couple days lol... and he got a 65" screen out of it lol). Today I did my final pre-op weigh in and doctor visit. Saw another doc first (teaching hospital), then my real doc. Signed my surgery consent. Too my surprise, the doc also told me that it doesn't matter how much weight I lose now, I am totally approved for surgery (before I had to be careful I didn't put myself under a certain weight and disqualify myself). YAY! I also asked him about how much time I can take off work (I have 14 weeks of sick time saved up and a supportive employer- not that I actually want 14 weeks off, just didn't take all my sick time over the many years I worked there). He said a minimum of 2 weeks but up to 8 since I do have a fairly physical job. YAY! I could probably get away with going back early, but why push myself when I have the time and support? I would rather heal, adjust to my new diet(s) over the next month or so, and slowly build a new fitness routine before going back to the craziness that is work. Not sure how many weeks I will actually take off, but good to know I have options. And then finally, I went to a pre-op anesthesia appointment. Answered all of their questions and signed their consent. So... all that is left is to call and confirm the time of my surgery the afternoon before! And how did I celebrate? I got my last meal of my favorite Indian food. Yum! And my husband is TRYING to be supportive of all of this, but he really doesn't want me to have what he considers to be elective surgery. I understand where he is coming from, especially since every one of his surgeries has had some sort of complications. But my surgeries have all been routine and without complication. And I really need to improve my health and this seems to be the only way to get me there.

I had my surgery in Mexico ~four weeks ago and had my first post-opp visit with my US Bariatric doc yesterday. I'm having my first fill in May. Well...more like my one and only fill. He says he will give me "one good fill" of 9cc (band is 10cc). Has anyone heard of doc doing fills this way? From what I read, everyone gets many little fills. He says he's making the band do what is suppose to do and he does this with all his LAP-BAND® patients. I'm contacting my surgeon in MX to discuss but wanted to see if anyone had their fills done this way. Thanks!

In my experience, eating carbs contained in processed foods adds calories, little nutritional value, and leads to craving more carbs. I was so close to a Type II Diabetes diagnosis that my PCP sent me to a training at the local hospital to learn how to eat a healthier diet, and the dietitian stressed the importance of limiting carbs in your diet. Even limiting the carbs contained naturally in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products...way beyond cereal and Pasta. Brown rice is not a poor choice, but as a complex carb, I need to limit myself to only 1 - 2oz serving a day. Sweet potatoes are allowed, white potatoes are not. For bariatric purposes, my surgeon has made the distinction between the natural carbs and the added carbs. He advised that we should never eat foods which have sugar added to them. My PCP also recommends a low, natural carb only diet. I have never counted calories, only measured portions, and tried to make a tradition of making healthy choices for meals. If you are insulin resistant, you need to be aware of carb intake so that you can avoid the extreme blood glucose spikes and falls which are typical with a carb loaded diet. These levels of blood glucose can also contribute to an appetite that is out of control and/or contributes to counterproductive cravings. It's been fairly easy for me to limit my carbs, and I don't miss them. When I discovered my husband's stash of potato chips in the trunk of his car recently, I laughed and told him he should not be concerned about tempting me to cheat on my diet as I have lost my craving for them. Everyone is different...and physicians will give their patients varying instructions. For my surgeon, he advises low carbs, and I followed his instructions. You should follow the instructions given to you by your surgeon, and if what you want to do with following your prescribed foods list differs from them, I would have a discussion with them to share your thoughts.

I have no idea, there is a questionaire you fill out and when I log into their site it says I am low risk under the assessment, when they callled me they told me I was high risk. I asked them how they figured I was high risk and they couldn't tell me, but added that looking at my records, they couldn't understand why I was high risk either. If you are high risk, you have to meet with one of their surgeons, if you are low risk, you can just go to the center. Like I previously posted, meeting one of their surgeons required a 1000 mile trip. Personally, I thought it was just a way to make more money off of me. And it is not practical. If I wanted to travel 1,000 miles, I would just go back to Mexico and get my fill done for free! I now know that I CAN get a fill somewhere else, even though they try to convey this message that you won't get any support if you got your surgery in Mexico. Also, their prices are higher than the price I will be getting from a bariatric center in my own town, which does fluoro...unlike fill centers usa. Like MySjerriJo said, call around, seach the net, etc. I felt like they were my only opportunity besides going back to Mexico. Believe me, a doctor/hospital near you will be more than happy to take your money :cool:

Why cheese? If you are going to eat dairy, IMO yogurt is a healthier choice. And why fruit instead of green veggies? Green veggies are much lower carb. All that said, losing 1 kg in a week is great IMO. Does your bariatric team have a specific goal that you must meet? It sounds like it, from your post, but personally I think expecting more than 1 kg/week is a high and kind of cruel standard.

I've never tried that kind. I use bariatric advantage. I buy the big bags for home and the packets for travel (flying). It's too thick for my liking so I mix it with water according to instructions and then add about 4-6 ounces of original unsweetened almond milk or nonfat milk if I'm at hotels without access to almond milk and a ton of ice. I also discovered it doesn't stir (dissolve) well with a spoon so I had to get a blender bottle to shake it really good for a couple minutes. I've been drinking one a day (breakfast) since my lap band was removed in Feb. 2017 In preparation for the sleeve revision and to help keep me from gaining weight in the interim. They taste pretty good. However, I'm pre-op so I hope my taste buds don't change after surgery because I've stocked up for a couple months. Sent from my XT1635-01 using BariatricPal mobile app

Does your dr's bariatric program have a nutritionist that tells you exactly what you are supposed to be eating when? At my dr my nut tells me EVERYTHING, writes out sample diets, gives me lists, writes out a schedule, meets with me at all of the followup appts, everything. From what I am reading it sounds like some dr's don't have this?

I had my visit with Dr. Kuwada today and have to say that I really like him thus far. He and his staff were really nice, took their time, and treated me with respect. He answered all of my questions very candidly, and was very thorough in his explanation of potential risks. He even drew diagrams. He thinks I'm a good candidate for surgery, and his only uncertainty was how the insurance might look at my BMI of 38.6 and fairly minimal co-morbidities. I've scheduled my psychological evaluation next Tuesday morning. I already had my appointment for the nutritionist scheduled for that same afternoon; so I'm going to take the whole day off from work. Dr. Kuwada has done over 200 laparoscopic bariatric surgeries, but only a handful of Lap-Bands before he came to Charlotte (from Chicago). That would concern me more if I didn't know that Inmed is currently re-certifying him, and will have an expert on hand while he does my surgery. Guestimated timeframe for surgery, January or February. I'm getting there

Thanks, I do understand re alcohol but I had this app for a couple of months pre op and I do know that stuff like alcohol & carbonated drinks are way off limit. Not sure if the op is slightly different here but nothing is off limits to us. In fact the bariatric nurse told me to have a glad of wine 1 week post op as I was convinced my op hadn't worked!! Lol that does not however deter from the fact that alcohol contain cals and I agree this is not something I do even weekly however my 2lb weight gain began a week prior to my having the alcohol so that has mystified (and panicked me) a bit. I have been so intrigued by the small differences is diet advice from both countries post op. it is rare for anyone here (I believe to suffer any gas pain!!) not sure why that is, however I was so grateful I didn't as it sounded painful. Anyhow I'll stay off the alcohol and continue with my 20 lengths swimming 3 times weekly and hopefully I'll move from my current hurdle to a more positive one soon. Thanks for your messages x

My name is Daren, I am 42, married to an awesome man who is my rock. Together we have 4 daughters who are 15, 6, 5 and 3. I began my journey towards the lap band about a year ago. A friend of mine who was my doctor (sadly our insurance changed so he is no longer my physician) suggested that I think about a bariatric procedure of some kind. I have been overweight since the onset of puberty though I was amongst the fortunate few who was never teased about my weight, well not from other kids, but my mother had no problem pointing it out every chance she got. I remember being 13 and weighing in at about 130 pounds...and it just continued up from there. My six year old daughter is the only "genetic" child I was fortunate to give birth to (the others are of my heart, no my body) and when I went for my first prenatal exam I weighed in at 234. Did I mention that I stand a mere 5'4"? I worked very hard while I was pregnant to not gain weight and was unfortunate to gain 29 lbs the last 12 weeks that I was pregnant. My friend chewed me out every visit reminding me that since I was diabetic (gestational at that point) with every pound I gained I was endagering the baby that took my 16 years to concieve. I swore to him I wasn't doing ANYTHING I was not supposed to be doing and I was even exercising...something completely unheard of for me! I tried to no avail to convince him that it was all water and baby. Seldom in a large womans lifetime is she believed to not be overeating...but I honestly was NOT. I was validated the day after she was born and stepped on the scale outside of my room and showed him that literally overnight I had lost 35 lbs! I really was all water. Thankfully she weighed in at a mere 6lbs 13 ounces...so I was mightly proud. I was warned that because I was a gestational diabetic that if I did not lost a significant amount of weight I would likely become a type 2 diabetic in the next 5 years. I decided since I could lose weight while pregnant I could do it when I wasn't. I didn't take into consideration that I had lost my mother a mere 9 months previous to my daughters birth (you do the math...she was a gift if I ever saw one!!!) postpartum depression and how cut off you are when you go from a full time working woman to a stay at home mom all of a sudden. I am a VERY social person and didn't realize until I was sitting on my kitchen floor in tears sobbing that I was totally and completely depressed. I worked on that and with the help of modern medicine, found some relief from the crying jags but continued to decline as I discovered over the next few years that I also had fibromyalgia. This coupled with depression, untreated sleep apnea made life a living hell. I got treatment for the sleep apnea and hoped that it would relieve all of my symptoms...sadly I was mistaken in this hope. I still have fibromyalgia and in March of this year discovered that I had type 2 diabetes. I weighed in at a whopping 273 pounds (9 more than the day I walked into the hospital to give birth to my daughter...youch!) and decided that it was time for a life change. I started researching and discovered that many of the life changes required for the lap band I had already accomplished without even knowing anything about the lapband. I stopped drinking soda when I got pregnant and aside from an ocassional one here and there never really developed the taste for them again. I used to be the pasta queen but stopped altogether when I was pregnant and never really missed it so I figured I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I did. I started working on some exercising, though with fibromyalgia, it is difficult...but I have discovered that the Wii is an incredible invention and that coupled with the Wii fit software, I exercise far more regularly now than I have ever done so before...and the kids get to play with me so it fun for the whole family. I just finished a 14 week class with Kaiser on Healthy Lifestyles and have finished most of the pre-surgery requirements for their program. I was told I had to lose a total of 20 pounds from my initial weigh in at their orientation (259) and am happy to say that I am only 1 pound away from the goal weight. I want to take it down an extra 10 just as a cushion since every single scale that I get on says something different!!! With luck and some pushiness on my part I am hoping to be banded before the end of the year!!! My six year old asked me if I would still look like her mommy when I was "skinny" and I told her that I would be the new and improved healthy versions of mommy. My 15 year old promises to share her clothes with me (and steal mine) when we are the same size...can't wait for that!!! Anyway, that's where I am at right now... Daren

My name is Daren, I am 42, married to an awesome man who is my rock. Together we have 4 daughters who are 15, 6, 5 and 3. I began my journey towards the lap band about a year ago. A friend of mine who was my doctor (sadly our insurance changed so he is no longer my physician) suggested that I think about a bariatric procedure of some kind. I have been overweight since the onset of puberty though I was amongst the fortunate few who was never teased about my weight, well not from other kids, but my mother had no problem pointing it out every chance she got. I remember being 13 and weighing in at about 130 pounds...and it just continued up from there. My six year old daughter is the only "genetic" child I was fortunate to give birth to (the others are of my heart, no my body) and when I went for my first prenatal exam I weighed in at 234. Did I mention that I stand a mere 5'4"? I worked very hard while I was pregnant to not gain weight and was unfortunate to gain 29 lbs the last 12 weeks that I was pregnant. My friend chewed me out every visit reminding me that since I was diabetic (gestational at that point) with every pound I gained I was endagering the baby that took my 16 years to concieve. I swore to him I wasn't doing ANYTHING I was not supposed to be doing and I was even exercising...something completely unheard of for me! I tried to no avail to convince him that it was all water and baby. Seldom in a large womans lifetime is she believed to not be overeating...but I honestly was NOT. I was validated the day after she was born and stepped on the scale outside of my room and showed him that literally overnight I had lost 35 lbs! I really was all water. Thankfully she weighed in at a mere 6lbs 13 ounces...so I was mightly proud. I was warned that because I was a gestational diabetic that if I did not lost a significant amount of weight I would likely become a type 2 diabetic in the next 5 years. I decided since I could lose weight while pregnant I could do it when I wasn't. I didn't take into consideration that I had lost my mother a mere 9 months previous to my daughters birth (you do the math...she was a gift if I ever saw one!!!) postpartum depression and how cut off you are when you go from a full time working woman to a stay at home mom all of a sudden. I am a VERY social person and didn't realize until I was sitting on my kitchen floor in tears sobbing that I was totally and completely depressed. I worked on that and with the help of modern medicine, found some relief from the crying jags but continued to decline as I discovered over the next few years that I also had fibromyalgia. This coupled with depression, untreated sleep apnea made life a living hell. I got treatment for the sleep apnea and hoped that it would relieve all of my symptoms...sadly I was mistaken in this hope. I still have fibromyalgia and in March of this year discovered that I had type 2 diabetes. I weighed in at a whopping 273 pounds (9 more than the day I walked into the hospital to give birth to my daughter...youch!) and decided that it was time for a life change. I started researching and discovered that many of the life changes required for the lap band I had already accomplished without even knowing anything about the lapband. I stopped drinking soda when I got pregnant and aside from an ocassional one here and there never really developed the taste for them again. I used to be the pasta queen but stopped altogether when I was pregnant and never really missed it so I figured I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I did. I started working on some exercising, though with fibromyalgia, it is difficult...but I have discovered that the Wii is an incredible invention and that coupled with the Wii fit software, I exercise far more regularly now than I have ever done so before...and the kids get to play with me so it fun for the whole family. I just finished a 14 week class with Kaiser on Healthy Lifestyles and have finished most of the pre-surgery requirements for their program. I was told I had to lose a total of 20 pounds from my initial weigh in at their orientation (259) and am happy to say that I am only 1 pound away from the goal weight. I want to take it down an extra 10 just as a cushion since every single scale that I get on says something different!!! With luck and some pushiness on my part I am hoping to be banded before the end of the year!!! My six year old asked me if I would still look like her mommy when I was "skinny" and I told her that I would be the new and improved healthy versions of mommy. My 15 year old promises to share her clothes with me (and steal mine) when we are the same size...can't wait for that!!! Anyway, that's where I am at right now... Daren

i haven't had the surgery myself, i'm in the begining stages. my story is similar to yours except for the medical problems. i've been obese all my life and never had any surgery except for dental. i'm an ob/gyn and do surgeries all the time. there are no guarantees in anything, for the most part the complication rates are minimal. one of the keys is making sure your surgeon has enough experience (make sure he or she is a bariatric surgeon), don't be afraid to ask for his complication rate. first find out if your insurance covers bariatric surgery and what their requirements are. then find a bariatric surgeon. they will guide you from there. my insurance requires me to lose weight (10%) first and since i don't have any comorbidities i'm don't know if i will get approve. if not i am heading to mexico (it's going to cost about the same as my copay for surgery here anyway), that's how serious i'm about being at a healthier weight and prevent my family's medical problem from becoming my own. weight loss has been shown to significantly improve morbidity/mortality. you may end up having to take less pills everyday for blood pressure and even require none at all. good luck with everything.

Mexico is a great option. Just make sure you do your homework. Don't just shop price. I wanted a surgeon that does surgery in a hospital and not a clinic. Most importantly look at the surgeons credentials. I had my surgery with Dr. Valencia in Tijuana. The cost was $8,100. He also does surgery in Ensenada for $8000. He is a professor of bariatric surgery at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). That was the main that reason that I chose him. When you start eating solid food, if it gets stuck you will PB or throw it up. It sounds worse than it is. You have to take small bites and chew very well. Sometime we forget but you'll learn after a little while.

that's a question for your bariatric clinic. Some allow it, some don't.

She introduced herself as a bariatric pain management psychologist. I guess that's what I get for accepting an 'alternate psychologist' to clear me for this requirement.

Hi Dolittle. Almost everyone who goes to Mexico for surgery seems to have a very positive experience, so for self-pay I think it's a great idea. One other option is a very exerienced bariatric surgeon in Colorado, Dr. Kirshenbaum, who has been doing lap bands for a couple years now. You can get more info on hime at LapbandRockies.com His total price is $9950. If you run a search on this site you can see posts from others who have used Dr. Kirshenbaum. I'm scheduled for sugery with him on 1/16. But again, the Mexican docs also seem great. The general price there seems to be about $8500 these days. In general, if you get surgery outside your local area, try to line up someone for fills and other aftercare in your area before proceeding with the surgery. It's good to know for sure that you have options. In some geographic areas of the U.S. it can be very difficult to find aftercare if you had surgery somewhere else. If your insurance will cover this I would focus on finding the best doctors in your area, not just on the best doctors in general in the USA. Many doctors are quite good at this, and experienced, and there can be some advantages to staying local. Keep reading this forum. All the answers you need are in here. Welcome and good luck. Mark

You know, it's been a wonderful day. Last week I found out from one of the "higher ups" that they were dropping all allegations against me at work! Thank God for witnesses!! While I am truly grateful for my job, I am still a bit pissed off that it went this far. One more meeting on Thursday and it should officially be over. Seventeen years, with 13 of it being at the same position and they treated me like dog doo. The best news is I also had my surgeon consultation today and it went great! After having to cancel my appt last month, I was happy to find out that as of yesterday, my surgeon of choice, Dr. Faulkenbery of Southwest Bariatrics, now uses the Realize Band which is what I wanted! He seemed to like their support site very much. Tomorrow I make appts for the blood work/EKG, the psych appt., the exercise appt and then the nutritional counseling. I am hoping to have it all done by the end of the month so I can have the surgery by the middle of June. And if my day couldn't get better...I didn't even get charged in the parking garage ! :thumbup:

Am I really doing this? That was the question I kept asking myself today. Am I going to this consultation for bariatric surgery (that's something for obese people)? Am I going to post blogs on this site visited by obese people?.....Yes I am because as of today, that strange sounding being is ME!!! For soooooo long I was the big girl that had all these small friends who made excuses for why she didn't look like the other big people they saw (and sometimes made fun of). I was the token big friend that they genuinely enjoyed being around because I was sooo funny, always smiling, dressed nice, etc... So why when we go out to dinner, parties, hell the grocery store other people saw everyone in the group but the big girl? Of course, once i started talking and they got to see who I really was, they liked me...as a friend... Well I've got friends up to my wazoo...I need something more; I need a LIFE!!!!! So yes, after all of that I am really doing this!

It's been a few months since I posted; however, I remember reading the pregnancy threads with interest as a pre-op. Prior to my surgery, I had been infertile due to PCOS for many years, to the point of having less than 5 horrible, irregular periods each year. I had my sleeve done April 16, 2012, my weight on surgery day was 296 (down from 312 before preop dieting). By March 1St of this year, I had been holding steady at 180lbs since Christmas, with not much luck in losing more. I am 5`8 for reference. Around 220lbs, without medication, my periods returned with clocklike regularity - to the point of starting during the same two hour timeframe in the morning. Wow! In late March, I started losing weight without any other changes....and then found out I was pregnant. I knew within about a week of conception due to the onset of gutwrenching morning (read: all day) sickness, followed by crushing fatigue. This has been a total change from previous pregnancies at higher weights, which were much less symptomatic. As I had a major, life-threatening portal vein thrombosis after my sleeve surgery last year, requiring hospitalization on a Heparin drip, I called my hematologist with confirmation of pregnancy at 4 weeks. He placed me on Lovenox injections to be continued through my entire pregnancy and for a handful of months post delivery. Finding a OB who would take me on as a post Bariatric patient was a challenge. My normal OB chastised me, staying bariatric patients are incapable of carrying healthy pregnancies (which is patently false, by the way), and refused to care for me. After many interviews, including one with a midwife who told me I was fat and shouldn't gain more than 10lbs through my pregnancy, I found an intelligent OB who is attentive and knowledgeable regarding the unique needs of expecting post bariatric moms. I am currently 11 weeks, and pregnancy has not been kind to me. I have been on prescription antiemetics in order to stop vomiting, now IV Iron infusions due to anemia. I've lost a few lbs, now holding at 174. My injections had to be doubled due to already forming a clot in my leg. However, that being said....I yearly believe my sleeve gave me a chance for one last pregnancy. A chance I wouldn't have had otherwise.

My plan had no coverage for bariatrics- so not even a consult would be paid for.

Bariatrics were excluded from my BCBS TX policy too.

What insurance do you have? I've never heard of any insurance company not being able to tell you the information you requested. I have Cigna...which has the reputation of being incredibly hard to work with in terms of bariatric surgery, but I had NO issues with them and they approved my surgery 1 1/2 days after I submitted my paperwork. Cigna's requirements for bariatric surgery are available on their website, and I was able to "checkmark" each thing off the list before I submitted my stuff. Now I will say I did call one surgeon back in May (the one my PCP referred me to) and they practically hung up on me when I told them I had Cigna. So I had to find another surgeon on my own. I did have to go to their weight loss seminar, and their 5 hour nutrition class. And then the insurance coordinator in their office was never particularly easy to get a hold of...always took numerous e mails/phone calls to get a response. But overall the process was not near as daunting as I thought it would be...just time consuming! Almost all insurance companies that I've read about are okay with approving surgery for someone with a BMI over 40, even with no co-morbidities. I have a BMI of about 42, but am healthy as can be...just fat! But Cigna still approved me. It seems in general, for most insurance companies, that you have to do the 6 month supervised diet with your physician, meet with a nutritionist, have a psych evaluation, log your diet and exercise program, and either have proof of a BMI of over 40 (no co-morbidities required), or between 35-39 with two or more co-morbidities from the last 24 months. So if you haven't started your 6 months of dieting I would get on it...and call your insurance company again and ask what their requirements are for approving bariatric surgery, and if they say they can't tell you again ask for a manager. Also check their website. Good luck!

Hey All! I'm a newbie here, but I've finally decided to start the process and get information about VSG. I feel mentally ready for it and that it's time, as I've been going round and round with the decision for years. I go back to my new PCP on 3/10 of this month to discuss it more and get bloodwork. I gave her a head's up at my initial consult that this was something I wanted, and she said let's see if you are a candidate at your next appointment. I already made my appointment with the weight loss center for the information center on 3/25. They advised they do not need a referral from my PCP, but to have my most recent labs sent over. When I called the weight loss center, I was advised that after the information session, you will be contacted within a week for the actual consult with the surgeon. I've been doing a ton of research so far, and I see a lot of folks have a 6-12 month supervised diet mandate with the insurance. After contacting my insurance company, they sent me the policy and advised that they have lifted their 6 month restriction. My policy states the following is needed for approval. BMI 40 and over or BMI of 35-39 with co-morbidity. Individuals should have documented to respond to conservative measures for weight reduction prior to the consideration of bariatric surgery and these attempts should be reviewed by the practitioner prior to seeking approval for the surgical procedure. HOWEVER, following that statement, it says "As a Result, some centers require active participation in a formal weight reduction program that includes frequent documentation of weight, dietary regimen, and exercise. However there is a lack of evidence on the optimal timing, intensity and duration of non-surgical attempts at weight loss, and whether a medical weight loss program immediately preceding surgery improves outcomes." HELP- what does this mean? Psych consult I'm pretty clear on the other first and last requirement, but the 2nd one has me spinning my wheels slightly. When I called my insurance to ask for clarification, I was advised that a letter of support from my PCP would likely suffice. My only hesitancy is that I just started with a new PCP, and I'm wondering if she will approve me off my BMI alone, or want to try conservative measures first since I am new patient there. If she doesn't provide letter of support, will the nutrition classes that the surgeon will inevitable require satisfy the letter requirement, can he be the one that writes it or does this text indicate that it needs to come from my PCP? I plan on calling the center during their business hours to ask if they've encountered this insurance wise tomorrow, as they were closed today. Any one run into this issue with their insurance policy? Any insight or perspective offered would be awesome.

Bariatric Advantage recommended nectar medically unflavored so I ordered some. Haven't tried it yet but it says it's tasteless. It's just straight protein-no other nutrients so it's 40 cals & 10g Protein per scoop. So you can add two scoops for 20g & only 80 cals. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App