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When he said Ozempic was expensive - I looked it up. It's about $900 a month in the US !!!! ( That's without insurance ) What a great video ! Thank you for posting it !

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Oh wow that's super interesting thank you. Think this is going to be the way forward. To hear him say that obesity might be 100% treatable with this approach actually made me weepy. So many people could be helped to a different life.

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If only insurance would cover the weight loss meds like they do the surgery. Not sure why they don't. It would still be cheaper for them in the long run than treating all the health issues and meds that come with obesity.

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Here is another take on this that just came through my email, aimed more at MDs but still very much at our level

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/996189?ecd=mkm_ret_231030_mscpmrk_endo_top_content_etid5999473&uac=37787FY&impID=5999473#vp_1

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On 10/28/2023 at 5:13 PM, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

If only insurance would cover the weight loss meds like they do the surgery. Not sure why they don't. It would still be cheaper for them in the long run than treating all the health issues and meds that come with obesity.

They will in time, but these drugs are only now becoming approved for weight loss use; they formerly were strictly diabetic drugs used off label for weight loss, and a darling of the Hollywood set, and followers of them, so that didn't give them a great image on an official basis. They are basically a lifetime use drug, so the cost is a big issue with those covering them, but that will decline as more competition comes on the market and they go off patent, and as they gain respectability in the "legitimate" medical world and not just the fly by night weight loss "spas".

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On 10/30/2023 at 2:02 PM, RickM said:

Here is another take on this that just came through my email, aimed more at MDs but still very much at our level

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/996189?ecd=mkm_ret_231030_mscpmrk_endo_top_content_etid5999473&uac=37787FY&impID=5999473#vp_1

Thanks for this. Very helpful because It had a bariatric risk/benefit tool hyperlinked in the article that I use to create a new post.

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On 10/30/2023 at 2:02 PM, RickM said:

Here is another take on this that just came through my email, aimed more at MDs but still very much at our level

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/996189?ecd=mkm_ret_231030_mscpmrk_endo_top_content_etid5999473&uac=37787FY&impID=5999473#vp_1

Thanks for this. Very helpful because It had a bariatric risk/benefit tool hyperlinked in the article that I use to create a new post.

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On 10/30/2023 at 2:02 PM, RickM said:

Here is another take on this that just came through my email, aimed more at MDs but still very much at our level

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/996189?ecd=mkm_ret_231030_mscpmrk_endo_top_content_etid5999473&uac=37787FY&impID=5999473#vp_1

I never knew the reason for the BMI of 40 or over until reading this, but it makes sense. Back in the 1990s, gastric bypass was an open surgery with a whole lot of risk. You just wouldn't do that unless you were in dire health or the future risk of dying prematurely was great. It's such a different surgery, or surgeries, now, yet the guidelines remain the same.

Sometimes I wonder if more people would get bariatric surgery if those who had it talked more openly about it. Not to blame anyone who chooses not to, because people can be awful. But I wonder how many people in part believe they or others can diet and exercise their way thin if they really try because that guy they work with did it...except he actually had surgery and just doesn't say it.

Only 2% of people who qualify getting the surgery is so sad. It kind of makes me mad that I would have qualified a while ago but no one told me until I hit that magic 40 BMI on the doctor's scale, even though I have other conditions that meant I would have met the requirements probably 10 years ago. Instead, I was put on Saxenda and Wegovy at different points, and neither one was a real miracle drug for me. Plus, my insurance only covered them for about 6 months, so nowhere near lifetime like you need. I think there's a lot of education that needs to happen out there on every level.

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Quick and helpful video for anyone interested in the topic

Just watched that video. Great video. Thank you [emoji847]

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
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    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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