Newbie to the board
Hi All,
I am new to the VSG board.. been on the site for quite awhile though. Mostly reading..reading and reading. I have been thinking about WLS for the past couple of years and was reading alot on the lap band procedure however for the past few weeks I have been researching the VSG and based on what I have read.. I think this procedure seems like the best fit (for me). The problem is my insurance wont cover any WLS :( I appealed and was denied and asked yet again and still no luck. At this point I am seriously considering self pay. Ugh... it's a lot of money! Anyways... I will continue contemplating that or maybe wait and see if next enrollment period (for ins) they will add it.. who knows.
I do have a question for you guys.. those of you who will more than a 100 pounds (or close) to lose.. how is the loose skin? A couple of the reasons (yes, vain are they) is ..I never really considered straight bypass due to the rapid weight loss that seemed to cause a lot of loose skin and then loss (thinning) of hair. From what I have seen and read, both of these don't seem to be huge an issue with the VSG.
I do admire each any every person who has had to deal, continue to deal and will deal with weight issues. I have struggled with this since a teen and have tried a bazillion (or more) of diets with the only outcome being the hunger, the regain (plus more) and the sense of failure that accompanies them.
Thanks so much for reading my post and I hope to become more active in the forum and reallllly hope I can have this surgery!
Mel :)
I am new to the VSG board.. been on the site for quite awhile though. Mostly reading..reading and reading. I have been thinking about WLS for the past couple of years and was reading alot on the lap band procedure however for the past few weeks I have been researching the VSG and based on what I have read.. I think this procedure seems like the best fit (for me). The problem is my insurance wont cover any WLS :( I appealed and was denied and asked yet again and still no luck. At this point I am seriously considering self pay. Ugh... it's a lot of money! Anyways... I will continue contemplating that or maybe wait and see if next enrollment period (for ins) they will add it.. who knows.
I do have a question for you guys.. those of you who will more than a 100 pounds (or close) to lose.. how is the loose skin? A couple of the reasons (yes, vain are they) is ..I never really considered straight bypass due to the rapid weight loss that seemed to cause a lot of loose skin and then loss (thinning) of hair. From what I have seen and read, both of these don't seem to be huge an issue with the VSG.
I do admire each any every person who has had to deal, continue to deal and will deal with weight issues. I have struggled with this since a teen and have tried a bazillion (or more) of diets with the only outcome being the hunger, the regain (plus more) and the sense of failure that accompanies them.
Thanks so much for reading my post and I hope to become more active in the forum and reallllly hope I can have this surgery!
Mel :)
Hi and welcome to the VSG board.
I haven't lost enough weight to really be able to tell how much excess skin I'm going to have, but I'm sure I will have my share. However, I'm sure it will be better than the excess fat!
I knew from the start that my insurance didn't cover WLS. So I went to Mexico and had a very good experience. It's less expensive than here and there are loans available to help with the costs. I loved my doctor and had a very good experience there. It might be something to look into.
Best wishes in your journey!
I haven't lost enough weight to really be able to tell how much excess skin I'm going to have, but I'm sure I will have my share. However, I'm sure it will be better than the excess fat!
I knew from the start that my insurance didn't cover WLS. So I went to Mexico and had a very good experience. It's less expensive than here and there are loans available to help with the costs. I loved my doctor and had a very good experience there. It might be something to look into.
Best wishes in your journey!
HW: 335. SW: 318. CW: 161.0. Height 5'8. Age 43.
the loose skin really depends on a lot of factors like genetics, how big you are, how much you exercise post operatively, etc. I haven't really noticed a lot personally. The only area I would say I can see that would need to be tighten up are my thighs, but it's not even that bad.
Good luck to you! I don't know how big your company is, but maybe you could talk to the person or people in charge of your insurance plan and plead your case on how including WLS in their coverage could save them more money in the long run vs continuously paying for meds and procedures for morbidly obese people.
Welcome to the board :)
Good luck to you! I don't know how big your company is, but maybe you could talk to the person or people in charge of your insurance plan and plead your case on how including WLS in their coverage could save them more money in the long run vs continuously paying for meds and procedures for morbidly obese people.
Welcome to the board :)
I ended up paying for my own surgery for the same reason, and chose to go to Mexico to save money, and have been thrilled with the outcome.
Like Kelly says, there are a lot of factors that affect loose skin. . . I have some, but it seems to shrink somewhat as time goes by. If time and finances allow, I might return to Mexico for a bit of nip/tuck...but even if that never happens, I'd much rather have loose skin than tight fat!
Like Kelly says, there are a lot of factors that affect loose skin. . . I have some, but it seems to shrink somewhat as time goes by. If time and finances allow, I might return to Mexico for a bit of nip/tuck...but even if that never happens, I'd much rather have loose skin than tight fat!
On April 14, 2011 at 9:43 AM Pacific Time, mel14 wrote:
Hi All, I am new to the VSG board.. been on the site for quite awhile though. Mostly reading..reading and reading. I have been thinking about WLS for the past couple of years and was reading alot on the lap band procedure however for the past few weeks I have been researching the VSG and based on what I have read.. I think this procedure seems like the best fit (for me). The problem is my insurance wont cover any WLS :( I appealed and was denied and asked yet again and still no luck. At this point I am seriously considering self pay. Ugh... it's a lot of money! Anyways... I will continue contemplating that or maybe wait and see if next enrollment period (for ins) they will add it.. who knows.
I do have a question for you guys.. those of you who will more than a 100 pounds (or close) to lose.. how is the loose skin? A couple of the reasons (yes, vain are they) is ..I never really considered straight bypass due to the rapid weight loss that seemed to cause a lot of loose skin and then loss (thinning) of hair. From what I have seen and read, both of these don't seem to be huge an issue with the VSG.
I do admire each any every person who has had to deal, continue to deal and will deal with weight issues. I have struggled with this since a teen and have tried a bazillion (or more) of diets with the only outcome being the hunger, the regain (plus more) and the sense of failure that accompanies them.
Thanks so much for reading my post and I hope to become more active in the forum and reallllly hope I can have this surgery!
Mel :)
OT: Okay I have to admit I cracked up and laughed here at work when I read through this the first time. I was trying to figure out why your trying or how your trying a Brazilian (Bazillion) had anything to do with weight loss or management thereof. Now back to your normally scheduled message.
Welcome Mel! Glad that you decided to post!!!! my nurse practitioner/program director dude said that he'd never seen anyone do much more than shed some hair and not huge hair loss and he's been doing this for years. i worry about it too though!!! vsg is working for me, but it's definitely a personal choice. lots of people seem to have good experiences going to mexico . . .
good luck and keep us posted!!
good luck and keep us posted!!
Ann 
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