Hi all,
I've been lurking here for a couple weeks and found the info and support to be very helpful and most encouraging!

I recently returned to the South Beach diet (and forum) as i wanted to give myself one last try to lose this weight on my own. If i failed this time (as i have 100's of times before), i was going to look into WLS. I found this forum and started reading. I also have found LBT and been there, reading, following links, researching all i can find. I think that this surgery may be the tool i'm looking for.

I've inquired with my insurance and bariatric surgery will be covered 100%. I will be responsible for my co-pay of $150. I contacted the insurance co. this weekend asking for a list of requirements.

The thing i'm questioning is if i keep dieting until i find out for sure and start this whole procedure am i hurting my chances of approval? Maybe i should wait and see if i have to do a supervised diet?

I'm 5' 4", weigh 246 today, my highest weight has been 281 and taken me 1.5 years to get to this wt again. My BMI is 48.2.

Any thoughts?

Pat

wait until you talk to your surgeon. see what the verdict is. some docs will want you to lose a little weight before the surgery - others will beg you to NOT GAIN!!!!

and remember - one of the biggest reasons we chose WLS is to reduce our risk of re-gaining! andn we have to be very careful that we don't - but i think most folks around here would agree that the surgery has evened the playing field for us, so that if we follow THE RULES, we'll be OK

glad to have you aboard!!! ask lots of questions, and hang out with us!

Thanks for the info. I'm still waiting for the info from the insurance co. I'm looking for an educational/informational session to attend. It looks as if i'm going to have to travel at least 2 hours to see a surgeon.

Have any of you used a general surgeon who does the procedure? We do have one that is closer. I'm more concerned about the after care than the pre-op stuff and the surgery itself.

thanks, Pat

Which surgery are you interested in? I highly recommend reading about all the different procedures available--www.obesityhelp.com is a good place for information. There's the banding, the RNY gastric bypass, the vertical sleeve gastrectomy, the duodenal switch...All we usually hear about are the RNY and band because that's what most surgeons do.

If I had just talked to my doc and gotten referred to a surgeon, I probably never would have heard of the procedure I'm going to have done (duodenal switch). Be sure to evaluate ALL your options before choosing a surgeon because if the surgeon doesn't perform a certain procedure, they likely won't even mention it even if it might be a better fit for you. Also check with your insurance, as many only cover certain procedures.

thanks for your input, Jill.

I have been researching this. It won't matter what procedure i choose, there are no surgeons in my area that perform any kind of bariatric surgery. I will have to travel. I have checked with my insurance and bariatric surgery is covered 100% less my copay of $150. I'm waiting for the list of requirements from the insurance co. right now.

I was asking if anyone had used a general surgeon, someone who doesn't do WLS primarily.

Pat

Pat - it's not generally a good idea to use a general surgeon for this. they don't do enough of these procedures, and they certainly don't have the expertise to get you through the followup care that you need.

i went online - to asbs.org - to see if i could find anyone fairly close to you. the best i could do was altoona PA - 62 miles or so from you. i know that's a bit of a trip, but the surgery isn't easy - NO surgery is easy for that matter - and you really gotta think about who you're trusting your life to.

Thanks Jiffy. That was my feeling about the general surgeon. I saw the ones in Altoona, Pittsburg and Erie. I'm leaning toward lapband and the one listed in Altoona isn't listed as performing a lot of those. But at this point, i'm not ruling anything out. Thanks for the info, i appreciate it.

Pat

there are other factors to consider - it's not necessarily the number of surgeries he's done, but the OUTCOMES - infections, readmissions, that sort of thing. the guy in altoona has GREAT credentials. and it might be worth a conversation with him -

but if you have any doubts, go to pittsburgh - they were involved in the original clinical trials, they have every facility and they know their stuff. keep us posted!

Thanks Jiffy,
As i said i'm not ruling anyone or anything out at this point. I will keep you posted.

Pat

I have family in Clearfield, so I am familiar with your area. If you are going to end up driving as far as Altoona or Pittsburgh.. Why not look into Penn State?

I haven't been able to find any one listed from Penn state. If you know of someone, i'd be happy to give them a look.

Pat

yeah - i didn't see anyone in the state college area either. and didn't see any programs. seems like most of the asbs-qualified surgeons are in Pittsburg, hershey, and philly areas. a few outliers, like the guy in altoona.