New To This Site Help Needed

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this site and I really don't know where to start/post.

I'm currently considering gastric sleeve self pay due to struggling for a decade to release the unwanted fat. I'm vegan and I love it (being vegan has helped me due to my dairy allergy). I've been a "yo yo dieter" for over 10 years my weight goes up and down constantly.

I want to finally get a grip on things for good (weight loss tool). I do excerise and eat healthy yet for some reason that seems to not be enough for my body type. I'm concerned that I could reach my former weight and I told my self that I would never want to be or allow myself to ever get that big again (over 280 almost 300).

So what I need help with is the whole stigma of Bartric Surgery people always assume "it's the easy way out" or that people who get it are lazy and somehow "cheated".

I also want to know about the potential pros and cons of being self pay as well as opinions concerning should I continue to strive towards my "natural weight loss journey" or if it's time for me to try something else (I'm currently 100lbs over weight).

Thanks

WLS will always have that stigma. Nothing about it is easy. Understand that WLS only give you a small window of opportunity to take a lot of weight off quickly. Maintaining that loss is no different than any one else who has lost weight, by any means. Regain after WLS is very possible. 

People will always have their opinions- and usually they come from lack of understanding. You can chose to try and educate them- or you can just own your decision and opt not to defend it. Which means telling few. WLS is not easy- the life after is hard. You have to reverse a lifetimes worth of poor eating habits and learn how to nourish your body in a new way, adopt exercise, and safeguard against complications with supplements. It's worth the payoff if good health though. 

Self pay is usually faster because you don't have to jump through insurance hoops. Being mentally prepared is far more important than the financial. With self pay be sure to factor in potential complications and post op care. Some office offer a separate 'just in case' fee for coverage if a complication arises. 

Only you can decide is WLS vs. losing without medical intervention is right for you. I visited this site 5 years before I had surgery-- decided I could do it on my own. 5 years later I came back opting for surgery. I'd lost no weight in those 5 years. Maybe you'll be different- whatever you decide- I wish you the best. 

Thank you so much for your response. I really appreciate you mentioning the self pay aspect because I have heard that if there are Post op issues the patient could be on their own.

It's helpful to hear about your 5 year struggle because before I did any reasearch I was so focused on doing it naturally I figured I've done it before and that I can do it again. That turned in to 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 8 years and now 10 years later and I haven't released more than 16 pounds (even after portion control, fats, sugars, etc, and a personal trainer-smh).

I've been considering this for roughly a year and a half now and after my last physical ****pt having the doctor check my thyroids etc-nothing was wrong my labs are excellent). I also think I may've subconsciously been trying to avoid the "stigmas" by focusing on natural methods only. Either way I'm currently still doing the natural thing "traditional diet and excerise" but I've also begun to contact some surgeons because the next thing I have to consider is being vegan with baratric surgery. 

I know it will require an increase of protein and vitamins will be required which I'm definitely not against.

I am self-pay and my surgeon uses a company called BLIS that provides coverage for complications so you don't have to worry about it.  I'm very glad for that as it gave me (and is still giving me) peace of mind that I won't bankrupt myself with medical bills if I end up having to be back in the hospital for some complication or another.

http://www.bliscompany.com/blis-services/bliscare

ETA: it cost me an additional $3400 or so to have this backup, but that's peanuts compared to what it could cost if I ended up having a 2nd surgery or in the hospital for a few nights with a complication, so I was fine with that. 

Thank you so much for the info. I'm definitely expecting the best if I go through with the surgery and it has been a concern regarding "what ifs". I was reading an article about how if you end up having to go to the hospital for post op issues be it a few days, weeks, months later the insurance company can refuse to pay out because the procedure was done via self pay. So this info is great to know.

I just wanted to say hi as a fellow vegan and vsg person. I had surgery 12/28/2016 and have done ok but I struggled to get enough protein the first 3-4 weeks and I'm definitely missing the ability to eat lots of veggies. You can definitely do this as a vegan, it just takes a little extra effort. 

Thank you so much for your response.

It just goes to show how important it is to do due diligence in research so you can obtain facts to help make a decision. I was hesitant to reach out to people and ask questions but now that I have it has allowed me to gain so much insight.

I'm still in the decision making process because I'm trying to make sure that I've exhausted all other weight loss options/methods before I obtain a surgery date. Either way I am feeling a bit more confident about being vegan and considering the sleeve procedure.

I was also self-pay and I had a complication.  Although, my insurance paid for it.  My insurance pays for all my labs, which are over $1,000 each time, it paid for the EGD to have my stricture taken care of and it paid for all of my pre-op stuff.  I now need my gallbladder out and my GI doc wants me to go back to my bariatric surgeon but he isn't covered under my insurance so I'm going to a different doctor.  I would call your insurance to see if they cover complications.  My insurance said that even if something went bad during my surgery that they would cover that too.  

Thank you so much for your response this is great info to know. My current insurance is crap I only have it because insurance is the law and I don't want to get stuck with tax fines. So that's why I was planning to pay cash to cut out the hassle of the insurance company (even if I changed to a better insurance).

My belief is expect the best and prepare for the worst so now I know that if I do pay cash for this surgery that I may need to change insurance companies so I can at least be with an insure that will cover complications from a self paid procedure. I was told about self pay insurance called BLIS (I think that's the name) it's supposed to help you if you have extreme costs due to complications and no insurance coverage.

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