I'm 37 and have been up and down my whole life with my weight so I decided to get a sleeve done. I was lucky enough to get an appointment as Dr Shillingford is very busy, he fixed a hernia I didn't even know I had and kept me informed of what was going to happen throughout the whole process and is apart of FB forums which is helpful. So far I've lost 22lbs in 3 weeks which is fantastic. Dr S has a great team who can answer any questions if he's not available. Anyone who says this is the easy way out has no idea, it's a very emotional hard process to go through that's for sure.
I was sleeved 12/11/15. I had a rough time for the first few months with my breakup with food lol. It's been 5 1/2 months and I've only lost 50 lbs. I had a very bad wreck in 2006 and have health issues which limit my exercise abilities. On the upside I don't have alot of loose skin from rapid weight loss. It's still a learning process. Good luck to you all on your journey! Updated on 1 Jun 2016: I went for my check up and the Dr says everything is good. I have officially lost 53.4 lbs. My weight at the hospital before surgery was 247.6 and my weight today was 194.2. At 5'10" that's pretty good. I feel so much better and I can get around much better. I'll update a pic when I reach 190. Wish me luck! Good luck to all of you! This is a tough journey but well worth it. Updated on 17 Jun 2016: To anyone preparing for bariatric surgery and concerned about hair loss. I wish someone would have given me this advise. Get Biotin 10,000 mcg softgels and start taking them as early as possible. After 5 months of losing handfuls of hair every day the pharmacist told me to use this. Good luck to all! Updated on 17 Jul 2016: It has been a long 7 months. I had too many regrets after my sleeve. My breakup with food was very rough! Today I'm feeling much more positive. I've lost 65 lbs since surgery, down 101 from my heaviest. I can buy clothes from the ladies dept now not from the plus dept. I'm feeling so healthy and I have so much more mobility. I actually went to Disney for the first time in my life. Congrats to all my fellow sleevers. Updated on 12 Aug 2016: Hello my fellow sleevers. I had my sleeve done 12/10/15.. I never lost my fat gal appetite even though I could no longer eat over 3 to 5 oz. Now 8 months out I have lost my appetite. When I try to eat anything it feels like I'm full. I'm forcing myself to eat a bite at a time but I'm very worried. Please help!! Any advice is appreciated. Updated on 17 Aug 2016: I'm feeling so much better! I no longer have nagging regrets from my sleeve. I don't worship food as I once did. So to anyone in the early stages regretting your sleeve decision, be patient and in the future you'll be happy that you did. Good luck to all my fellow sleevers, keep up the good work!
So I'm 30, married and live in Florida. I've been overweight my entire life. Genetics, combined with PCOS and Multiple Sclerosis, have made it very challenging to lose weight and keep it off. I've wanted surgery for 10 years and I'm finally in the situation to make it happen. My insurance does not cover anything weight-related so I'm self-pay. After loads of research, I've decided to have the surgery performed by Dr Wizman in Margate, FL. His self-pay pricing is affordable and I feel very comfortable with his experience and patient reviews. My tentative surgery date is 02/01/18. I've undergone the psych eval, using bariatricpsychevaluations.com- I highly recommend them. Now I'm just awaiting further instruction from the surgeon. I wanted to start documenting my journey here for the benefit of others researching the surgery. I think I've read just about every sleeve review on here and they have been so helpful in making my decision to follow through with it. I don't have any answers yet; I'm still nervous about the procedure and anxious for my life post-surgery. Hopefully tracking my progression will help me as well when I need some perspective! Updated on 10 Jan 2018: So unfortunately I've decided to no longer proceed with the surgery with Dr Wizman. It's nothing at all to do with him as a surgeon. What started out as $10,500 grew to $12,700 due to my BMI (60). Being self-pay, I don't feel that I'm able to justify the added expense when another equally-regarded surgeon in the area offers a flat rate of $10,500 that includes all pre-op and post-op testing. Dr Wizman didn't include this, and insurance doesn't cover it- my final price was growing to well over $13k. I'm out $150 on the psych eval that I did for Dr Wizman, but honestly I feel that the information and support I received from the counselor was completely worth it, regardless. So I'm back to square one. I've gotten the process started with Dr Shillingford out of Boca Raton. My surgery date will be pushed back, but should hopefully still be in the month of February. So far, his office has been super helpful and quick to respond to all of my questions. The education packet I received explains in detail what to expect; the good and the bad- they seem very thorough. Unfortunately I felt like there was a lot of unknowns and unanswered questions with Dr Wizman's office, so I'm happy that circumstances led me to Dr Shillingford. I go for my consultation in 2 weeks, then everything should happen quickly after that. I'm disappointed but still just as optimistic as before. Don't ever let a bump in the road deter you from your finish line! Updated on 30 Jan 2018: So I met Dr Shillingford in his office in Boca Raton. My impression of him was that he's very knowledgeable and intelligent. He's also kind, soft-spoken, and thorough. His office staff is amazing- much more responsive and informative than the prior surgeon I was working with. I've scheduled my surgery for March 5th. I have some pre-ops to do (that are included in his package price) and a clearance letter to obtain from my neurologist in reference to my MS. I'm super excited and very happy I found Dr Shillingford. I start a pre-op diet on February 12th; 6-7 protein shakes daily, plus sugar free popsicles, sugar free Jello pudding, chicken broth, and low sodium veggie soup. 3 weeks of no carbs...Lord help us. On another note, I took photos this past weekend for my 5th wedding anniversary- they reminded me why I need this surgery. I wasn't at all comfortable posing for pictures, and based on the previews from the photographer, I'm not gonna be happy with them. They'll serve as a great reminder if and when I feel discouraged throughout this process. I'm tired of being so big! I'll add a photo when I get them and you'll feel my frustration. Updated on 30 Jan 2018: My husband and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary by taking a weeklong vacation to the mountains, and then to the town where we were married. We had the best time. We hired a photographer to capture the milestone. I had bought some new clothes (thanks Torrid for loving us big girls) and had my hair and makeup professionally done for the photos. I felt beautiful and confident and was happily reliving our wedding day with my sweet husband. Then I saw the proofs, sent to me by the photographer to choose the ones I would like for him to edit and print. My bubble of happiness burst. The reality of how I actually looked hit me. Ignorance really is bliss. There I was being gushed over by husband and feeling like I looked great- and now I feel foolish. I didn't look great. I know that none of that matters and I'm just feeling sorry for myself- I have a husband who adores me and we're happy. But there's always that part of me that never feels good enough and has no idea why he married me. So while I choose my photos, silently cringing at every one, I remember that it won't always be this way. Maybe next year will be better. Maybe I won't have to limit my choice of outfits to come from that one store...and to have to cover this part or smooth that part. Maybe I'll look at my pictures and finally be satisfied...finally feel like I belong. Maybe even frame one instead of keeping them in a drawer. I feel confident in my decision to have surgery- and it's more than just skin deep. It's more than how I look in clothes. It's about me feeling like I belong and like I'm deserving- for the first time in 30 years. Updated on 9 Feb 2018: Surgery = Paid. In. Full. Start my pre-op diet Monday. That means NO sweets on Valentine's Day! But that's ok because next year I'll be rocking a little red dress :) Updated on 16 Feb 2018: So I'm on day 3 (ugh only day 3) of my pre-op diet. As I said before I'm allowed 5-7 meal replacement shakes (SlimFast, Boost, etc), reduced sodium vegetable soup, reduced sodium chicken broth, sugar free Jell-o, sugar free pudding, and sugar free popsicles. Nothing else other than at least 64 ounces of water a day. So far I've been drinking 3 shakes, having 1 Jell-o and 1 can of soup per day. And let's not forget the ridiculous amount of water that has me heading to the bathroom 37 times a day/night. Back to food...canned soup is so unhealthy and not very yummy so I made my own vegetable soup. It's pretty filling and made enough for 7 days so at least I have that to look forward to. This is gonna be a long 2 weeks. It's definitely not easy to watch my husband eat real food and drink soda when I know it's against the rules for me. Poor guy keeps trying to eat in hiding so it doesn't seem like he's flaunting his yummy food. In other news, I did all of my pre-op testing at Northwest Medical Center in Margate. It consisted of an EKG, chest X-ray, blood work, and pregnancy test. Everything tested well so now we're just counting down the days until surgery- I feel ready. I should mention that other than immediate family (and you lovelies) I've told absolutely no one about having this procedure. I'm sure all of my friends and coworkers will figure it out eventually- I just feel like I don't need that potentially negative judgement clouding my outlook prior to the big day. My husband supports me 100% and that's enough for me. How do you guys plan to handle this? Keep it under wraps or spread the word? Updated on 20 Feb 2018: Y'all...it hasn't even been a week on this diet. I feel like I haven't had real food in years. Literally EVERYthing sounds delicious. I'm a fairly picky eater but right now I'd be happy with just about anything of substance. I know I have to do this- and I know this is my doing and my fault for being fat to begin with. But that doesn't stop me from whining. I'm hungry. And I'm going to be hungry for the foreseeable future and that crushes my food-loving soul. If you're eating something delicious- hell, even something just meh- have some for me! And say a prayer for my husband while you're at it; a hangry wife does not = a happy life. Updated on 4 Mar 2018: So my husband and I are southbound to Margate to check into our Airbnb. Surgery is tomorrow! I have to be at the hospital at 0700. “Cut time” is an hour and 5 minutes, plus time for anesthesia, intubation, prep, and such- should be around 2 hours. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I know the risks of general anesthesia and that’s what gives me the most pause. Not enough to back out, but it’s in my mind regardless. It’s TBD if anyone else will be present tomorrow; so far it’s just my husband and that’s ok. This is my decision, I don’t expect anyone else to put their lives on hold or to think of it as much of a life-changing day as I do. My family hasn’t voiced any objections but I also can’t say that I feel like they support my decision. But they don’t have to :) I’m a big girl (literally and figuratively ha). I’m a little proud of myself for making this happen and taking the steps to become healthier. I have my husband and all of you sweet people in my corner, and for that I’m grateful. I’ll try to update in the morning before everything starts to happen, but in case I don’t get a chance I want to say thank you to every one of you who’ve taken the time to send messages and comments or even just positive thoughts my way. Say a little prayer for me in the morning! ???? Updated on 5 Mar 2018: I’m so nervous, y’all. I can tell my husband is too. I hope everything goes smoothly; say a little prayer for me! Here we go! Updated on 5 Mar 2018: So it’s almost midnight. Surgery went fine ???? apparently I lost 23 pounds on the pre-op diet so there’s that. However, for the sake of being completely honest, right now and for the past 7-8 hours, I feel like complete crap. SO nauseated and hurting. I’ve had enough pain and nausea meds to kill a horse but for whatever reason my body just isn’t responding the way it should be. I have violent hiccups, which probably isn’t good for what my abdomen has just gone through. I’m a mess. I just keep telling myself it’s going to get better and all be worth it. I don’t want to scare any of you away from this procedure- I just want to put it all out there, ugly side and all. But it will get better. I’m just praying that happens sooner rather than later. ?? Updated on 6 Mar 2018: So here we are with surgery behind us. Yesterday was definitely rough. I woke up from anesthesia in a lot of pain, but a few shots of Dilaudid made it bearable. Yesterday was a full of pain and nausea that has luckily gotten better as time has passed today. A few moments of misery have peppered day 2; I still get hiccups often, which definitely sucks. But I’m about 90% better than yesterday. I did my dye/X-ray today to check for leaks, thankfully there were none. I was given the option to have some broth (beef, ick) but one or two spoonfuls was all I could muster. I actually do have an appetite, which seems odd but nothing tastes good at the moment. I think it’s starting to sink in, what I’ve done to myself that can’t be undone. This process seemed to take forever then all of a sudden everything was happening so I’m a bit overwhelmed. I’m looking forward to getting to know myself and my body again. Even with this pain, I’ve yet to experience any regret. Anxiety, maybe. But no regret. Updated on 7 Mar 2018: I was released from the hospital about an hour ago. They sent me home with prescriptions for pain medicine, blood thinners, and Pepcid. The nurse was kind enough to dope me up on pain killers before I left since I have a 4 hour ride home. I’ve eaten next to nothing since coming to the hospital. They gave me broth, some protein goop and decaf tea both days =\ I forced down a few spoons of broth, not much else. I’m really concerned about getting my water in; I can take just a tiny bit at a time and it doesn’t feel great going in, but I’m constantly sipping because dehydration is the less fun option. My belly is still sore and for some reason so is the rest of my body. Hips, neck, shoulders, throat- it all hurts. I’m guessing from the hospital bed and stresses of surgery. It’s nothing that can’t be handled. I didn’t find it hard to get up and walk the first night after surgery. It was slow-going but my husband walked me up and down the hallway a few times every 3 or 4 hours. I feel like that helped to get rid of some gas and made me feel better. But needless to say, I’m happy to be going home and starting the next phase of this journey. I’m glad this part is over, now I’m looking forward to dropping some weight and then the fun part begins- shopping :) Updated on 13 Mar 2018: I’m 8 days out. At home, just focusing on assimilating to this new life of mine. For the most part, I’m never hungry; I just experience an “empty” feeling in my stomach if I haven’t eaten or had a shake. I find it really hard to get enough fluids in everyday (64 ounces) mainly because it’s so uncomfortable to drink water. I can actually get a protein shake to go down easier than water. Most days I’ll have 2 protein shakes and 2 bottles of water which equals about 48 ounces- not enough. But I keep sipping, trying to get there. The last few days I’ve noticed I get short of breath with very little exertion, I get clammy, and can feel my heart rate go up. I had this same feeling a few times when I was super anemic and needed a transfusion, so I’m a little concerned because there’s no reason (to my knowledge) of why I’d be anemic now. So I asked my PCP to order a blood test so we can find out what’s up. It’s bad enough that I have to sit down in the shower and I lose my breath just walking across my house. Obviously this means I’m not getting my steps in- that bothers me more than anything; I didn’t put the time/money/effort into this to be sitting around the house all day. But otherwise, I still have mild-moderate pain on the left side of my abdomen where they pulled the stomach tissue out. The incision is larger than the rest and I’m told there are internal stitches that are probably causing the discomfort. My skin in that area is pretty numb, I’m guessing some nerves got damaged in the procedure and just haven’t healed. I don’t need very much pain medicine to handle this; the pain is very superficial and more annoying than anything. I’m starting to try some more foods- I had soup today that went down well and some refried beans with a little cheese that made a great dinner last night. I’m cautiously trying to incorporate more things into my diet. I’ve not felt the need to use the bathroom much so I’m hoping more semi-solid foods will get things moving- TMI, I know. Btw in case you read this with the hopes of seeing how much weight I’ve lost- sorry, I’m refusing to weigh myself until I’m at the doctor next week. If I don’t see the number I want to see I get in my head and get discouraged. So my husband has hidden my scale. It’s really best this way, for me at least. Thank you all so much for your support and encouraging comments/messages. Y’all are kind of my only audience right now, so it means a lot to know you’re rooting me on :) Updated on 22 Mar 2018: So I met with Dr Shillingford yesterday. He took out some stitches and told me everything that I’ve been experiencing is normal and that I’m on the right track. He said I should be gentler on myself and remember that I’m still healing; and to drink as much as possible. I got on the scale and it said 402. That’s exactly 40 pounds since my pre-op visit on 2/12. I’m 3 pounds shy of my short term goal which is is be under 400, but I’m happy that I’m so close. At this rate, I’ll meet that goal by the weekend. I still don’t see it or feel like I’ve lost 40 pounds. But I’m sure I’ll notice it soon enough Dr Shillingford prescribed Actigall to prevent gallstones during the rapid weight loss phase, and b12 injections to be administered monthly. I’m feeling pretty good today. I got some laundry done and did some light cleaning around the house- all with minimal shortness of breath! I’m still consuming mostly liquids, the semi-solids I’ve tried haven’t sat well in my tummy so I’m a little gun-shy about trying more right now. I feel like a bottle is a new appendage of mine. I’m constantly sipping something. I’ve started drinking Powerade Zero and adding Bariatric Choice protein concentrate to my water. It adds 15 grams of protein and helps me get my fluids in. I go back to work (ugh) next Wednesday, I feel that I’m physically ready. I’m feeling a little better everyday and getting excited for what’s to come. Updated on 19 Apr 2018: SW: 442 CW: 388 So I’ve made it to the 6 week mark and saw my surgeon yesterday. I’m down 54lbs and all of my incisions are nicely healed. I’ve started eating regular food; my day consists of Oikos Triple Zero Greek yogurt at 6 (I work 6a-6p), 1 packet of Quakers weight control oatmeal with an added scoop of Genepro protein powder at 8, a boiled egg at 10, lunch around noon- usually a few ham and cheese roll-ups, almonds at 2, and a cheese stick at 4. Dinner is typically whatever my husband cooks- I can eat about 3 bites and I’m done, so I don’t make that meal a big deal. I drink as much liquids as I can get down, I’m not always where I should be. But I’m averaging about 70oz of protein and 50oz of fluids- that should increase as time passes and my stomach continues to heal. But I’m doing pretty good drinking water with a BariatricPal fruit drink protein powder pack, skim milk with Genepro added, or just Propel water. I still can’t get regular water to go down well, I don’t know what’s up with that. I’ve started monthly b12 injections, but I haven’t started a vitamin yet. I ordered some multivitamin patches from BariatricPro today, so we’ll see how that goes. As far as exercise, I’m only walking a few days a week. I still don’t feel like I have an exorbitant amount of energy- probably has something to do with the lack of that multivitamin and the fact that I work a LOT. All in all, I feel pretty good. I feel like my clothes are getting big and I’m fitting into spaces (like my car) a little differently. I also feel pretty good about being under 400lbs for the first time in 10 years. I’m the same size I was when I met my husband, so that makes me happy. The only consistent side effect I have is acid reflux. I take my Pepcid like I’m supposed to but literally EVERYthing gives me reflux and I have a persistent “blah” feeling in my stomach. But it’s something I’ve learned to ignore most of the time. I don’t have any signs to let me know when to stop eating. Some people burp, sneeze, hiccup, etc- but I’ve got nothing. I don’t know that I need to stop until I take a bite, it goes down, and I feel like I’m gonna throw up. Luckily, I’ve not yet followed through with the vomiting. But I hate that I have no other indicators. I eat slowly and mindfully, but there’s no way to know until that bite makes it’s way down that it was a bit too much. I’m continuing to work on it, hopefully I’ll eventually come to a point of knowing exactly how much to eat. Really long story short, I have no regrets thus far. Updated on 19 May 2018: So I’m about 10 weeks out. I eat regular food, with emphasis on protein. I can eat just a little at a time- about 1 and a half golf ball-size meatballs. I can NOT drink while or immediately after eating or I feel like my chest is going to explode and like it’s all going to come right back up. I just reached the 70lb mark. Seventy pounds I hope to never meet again. I do feel like the scale has slowed down, but I’m ok with it- as long as it’s still on the downward slope. Some things I’ve noticed: I stink! Ok, not that bad. But I do notice a considerable difference in the amount of deodorant applications. I feel like I always smell; my husband disagrees but I’ve read where others have experienced the same because our hormones change after surgery. Hopefully this goes back to normal. I don’t like it. At all. Losing 70 pounds when you start out in the 400s is not as big of a life changer as you’d think. I can still wear the same (albeit baggy) clothes. And I really have to study photos to see a significant difference. Trying to tell myself that it’ll come eventually. I do get hungry. When I wake up, I need to eat. The hunger is different than before- it’s not so much of a pain than an empty/squishy feeling. Some days I’m not hungry at all, others I want to eat all day even though I eat very small amounts. Getting the fluids in is still hard. I’m averaging around 60oz a day- still not enough but I’m trying. I’ve found like drinking flavored Propel water is helpful. Plain water still makes me feel blah. Going out to eat is interesting. I usually try to share with my husband. Anytime I get my own meal, I can hardly have 3 bites before I’m full and servers are always worried there’s something wrong or I don’t like it. Some are a persistent. I’ve started using the excuse of “oh I just had a late lunch”. Not very convincing for the fat girl to say she’s not hungry. I still am very much happy that I’ve made this decision. Looking forward to inching toward the 100lb mark! Updated on 19 Aug 2018: I’m a little over 6 months out from my gastric sleeve procedure. My current weight is 347- so close to reaching 100lbs lost. It’s been pretty smooth sailing since my last post; nothing new worth mentioning. I noticed my weight loss slowing down around 4 months post-op. I’m having to watch what I eat a little more at this point. My stomach isn’t nearly as swollen and it can hold more and more food as time goes on. I ate a whole (small) slice of pizza recently before I knew it- that was a scary moment when I realized what I’d done so easily. I go to the gym 3-4 days a week; 15 minutes on the treadmill at a brisk pace and about 45-60 minutes of weight training. I’m happy with my results so far. I still have a hard time getting enough fluids, and I still can’t stand to drink plain water. It’s not the taste, I’ve always enjoyed water- it just feels uncomfortable in my stomach without something added to it. Makes no sense, my husband tells me it’s all in my head! I’ve only dropped 2 sizes in clothes: from a 28 to a 24. At least now I can shop in mainstream stores, if I so choose. I have more energy and have noticed that I take up much less space than I’m used to. It’s a little mind-bending to fit in places that your brain is convinced that you won’t. My hair is still coming out. A lot. Hopefully this levels out soon and it starts to grow back- luckily I have a surplus and it’s not too noticeable to other people. I generally feel better. My confidence is slowly building. I feel like now is when the hard work is going to start. My stomach is more of a tool that I have to use wisely. I’m not just going to see the weight fall off anymore and I feel like it’s going to take more work to reach my goal. But at the end of the day, if I never lost another pound it would still be worth it.
Hello Everyone, I am so excited to be here.....Here's my story! I am a 28 year old woman who has been battling with my weight for as long as I can remember. I have to be honest though, I have only been overweight for the past 7 years. Though the scale has only reflected me being over weight for less than a decade, my mind has played horrible tricks on me my entire life. While I wasn't always overweight, I was always the "fat friend." My friends were pretty much stick thin and since I was constantly around them I would compare myself and automatically assume I was fat. My mother was a naturally slim woman and my dad was obese for a while but once he became diabetic he lost a lot of weight. My oldest brother is a big guy, my younger siblings are of normal weight, and then there's me!!! I am 5'8" and I weigh 305 pounds. *Sigh* Writing that just made it too real for me! I am a naturally curvy woman which I love, however, the cute curviness I once possessed has become completely out of control. I remember in the past when I would tell people what I weighed, they would gasp and say "Oh my Gosh, you don't look like you weigh that much," since I was always heavier than I appeared and I guess that made me feel like I had a pass of some sort. I was more concerned with people not thinking I was fat not even realizing that I was using that as a way to not focus on my weight seriously. It was my junior year in college when I started to put on serious weight. I was no longer active like I was in high school and I ate whatever I wanted. Entering college, I weighed about 155. My junior year, I weighed between 190-205. Still kept it very cute! I knew how to dress my body and got away with it. Right before graduation I tried the HCG diet. (Y'all heard of that right?) It's the diet where they give you these HCG drops and put you on a 400-500 calorie a day diet. COMPLETE FAIL!!!! Lasted 3 days, LOL. By the time I graduated, I was about 220 pounds. The next 4 1/2 years is when I would gain the rest of the weight. So many life altering events (good and bad) contributed to the excessive weight gain. During those years, I have tried soooooooo many times to lose weight , personal trainers, crash diets, diet pills, diet shakes, eating right, and so many more. I would always lose weight, depending on the diet it could be between 13- 30 pounds at a time, but as soon as the diet was complete, I would gain all the weight back that I lost and then some. Anybody who knows me would consider me overall to be a fun, social butterfly. However, in the last year I have become someone unrecognizable. This weight has caused me to be depressed so much that I hate going anywhere. I used to dress up to go to work and now because I've gotten so big, my clothes don't fit (AND I REFUSE TO KEEP BUYING BIGGER AND BIGGER CLOTHES) I just wear the few things I have that fit and could really care less about my looks. I don't like to go anywhere that requires me to dress up too much, it's all too much! I am losing myself...... I met my amazing boyfriend October 2014 and he is the bomb y'all. He has been dedicated to helping me with anything weight related since we met. He's such a trooper. I am so happy with him and completely in love. I know I need to make a change to take my life back and be the girl that I used to be. The time is now.................. Updated on 29 Sep 2016: I found out about the sleeve from scrolling through the Instagram explore page. I would come across the pages of a few amazing women who explained that the sleeve was what changed their lives. I watched those pages for weeks, watched hundreds of YouTube videos and read reviews from real self. After checking my BMI and realizing that I could be a candidate, I was sold!!! I called my insurance company (AvMed) to inquire about my bariatric benefits. They told me that I did have a bariatric benefit but that's all they said. Guess I have to figure everything else out on my own..... Shortly thereafter, I began to research doctors in the South Florida area. I came across Dr. Wizman and Dr. Shillingford who were both renowned bariatric surgeons. I did some research and made the call to Dr. Wizman first (he was closer to my home) to schedule whatever I needed to schedule. I was informed that I would need to attend an informational session at his office. On September 7, I attended the session with Dr. Wizman. I was led into a room with about 40 other interested participants. The lady who gave us most of the information was so nice, she was very patient and answered all questions asked. Dr. Wizman on the other hand came off as a bit arrogant, he disregarded questions and just seemed a little rude to me. My boyfriend didn't like him either. The next day, I decided to give Dr. Shillingford's office a call. They informed me that I would need to attend an informational session as well. On September 14th my boyfriend and I attended Dr. Shillingford's session and I LOVE HIM. He is definitely the surgeon for me. Completely opposite of the other guy. I was given all of the info about my insurance and was pleased to find out that my insurance covers my surgery 100%, no copay, no deductibles. Thank God!! However, I do have 6 months of this and that to do. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh....... I have to do 6 monthly visits with a nutritionist, 4 visits with my PCP, and meet with a psychiatrist. This is really so much work, I just wanna get my surgery already..... Updated on 24 Oct 2016: Hello all, Hope everyone is doing well. As for me, I have been spending the last couple of weeks trying to decide about pretty much everything as it pertains to this surgery. *SIGHHHHH* I now have AvMed insurance which requires 6 months of visits with a nutritionist and PCP, I have hated the idea of that since I found out. However, it is now open enrollment at my job and we are able to change up our insurances if we would like to. If we change them, they will go into effect January 1. So I looked into the other insurances that my job offered and came across BCBS aka Florida Blue. I think I aggravated Ms. Ashley to death(Dr. Wizman's patient coordinator) but she was so patient with helping to find out what the requirements would be for BCBS versus what I have now....AND THANKKKK GOD, they only require a letter of medical necessity, psychological evaluation, initial nutritionist consultation, and a blood test. Listen y'all, I am ecstatic about this!! So ecstatic that I decided to give Dr. Wizman another chance to get on my good side LOL. Ashley explained to me that I could get started on those things now and as soon as January 1st rolls around, she will submit to insurance for approval! BCBS only pays 80% of the surgery but as I understand it, insurance companies give the surgeon's office an amount that they will pay and I am responsible for 20% of it. With my yearly deductible being $250, the 20% of surgery fee, and Dr. Wizman's program fee....I am going to have to pay just under $1,000 all due 2 weeks prior to my surgery. I am a happy camper :-). As of now I have my psychological evaluation scheduled for 10/31, that's step 1. Anybody else have Blue Cross Blue Shield? How's it going for you?
Hi every one, I'm new here. I'm on my diet before surgery is hard.... I'm taking it day by day my doctor told me to replace all my meals with Slim Fast is being hard no having real food and see everybody eating solid foods. The good part is that I started my diet last Tuesday Oct. 20 I was 274lb and I'm now 261lb. I'm exited and scared at the same time.
