No balloon? in Weight Loss Surgery

So yesterday was the weight loss webinar.

There is a bariatric center near me where one of the doc’s was hosting a webinar about all their weight loss options. I think they do this probably monthly, it was just luck that one was scheduled for yesterday.

The doctor was basically talking about all the “surgeries” but it was an interactive chat so I asked about the balloons, which is just a “procedure” cause there’s no cutting.

I had seen online - google searches - that you keep the balloons in a year and could lose up to 75lbs. He said that’s not the case - or at least that’s not the way his office does it.
The balloons only stay in 6 months and the average weight loss is 30 lbs.

Basically he said with my BMI the balloon is not going to give me the results I want/need. PLUS it’s not covered by any insurance because it’s still too new to be considered successful long term. It really isn’t even for long term. It’s temporary cause they take the balloons out in 6 months.

I feel like the balloon procedure has been around over 5 years but I guess that’s not long enough for anyone to take it seriously.

He suggested for me, and for everyone, to get one of the surgeries.
Lap band, bypass, or sleeve. There might have been a 4th but I can’t remember it.

And of all those choices he said the sleeve was the best choice AND it is covered by insurance.

I tend not to believe that it is covered but he says if you BMI is high enough the insurance people actually consider it a way to prevent other diseases that obesity brings on and saves them money in the long run.

I think he’s giving these insurance people a little too much heart.

He did say that most insurance companies don’t give in right away. I may have to see a nutritionist - which they provide - for months before the insurance people agree to cover it. This is not for me to lose weight, this is for me to learn how to eat right and get my head on straight so the surgery is a success the first time.

There’s also blood work, x=-xays, scopes, etc. They check your body out to determine if you’re healthy enough for surgery. zhe said a lot of obese people have herniated intestines that lead to acid reflux that the person doesn’t even know they have. They will fix any hernias as well when they do the surgery to prevent the reflux issue.

I don’t know where the surgery takes place and how long you stay in a hospital. He said you can go back to work in 2 days as long as your job doesn’t include heavy lifting. Mine doesn’t but Will’s does. But I don’t know if he means in the hospital or at home. I don’t know if the insurance covers the hospital stay and the surgery.

Anyway I don’t think they’re actually opening their office till June so the process for me may take longer than most.

The other thing I liked is that this doctor was very kind and sensitive about the obesity issue. He thinks it a genetic and environment issue. He also believes that we still have that “cave man” mentality where the body likes to hold on to fat.

So if you have a family history of being over weight, and your environment when you were younger taught you bad eating habits made you overweight as a child, and then you continued it on your own for years into adulthood - your body will like to be fat. So much so that when you diet and exercise your own body will sabotage you by changing your hormone levels and increasing your appetite to put the weight back on.

You know me, I blame myself entirely for where I am and HATE that I can’t just put the cookies down. But I appreciated him NOT blaming me for where I now am.

He says that all weight loss is mental and once I get the sleeve, and I routinely eat smaller portions, that after a year my mind should have tricked my stomach into being satisfied with smaller (or I guess you would say normal) amounts of food.

And of course he did say, if you get the sleeve and still try to eat like you normally do with high amounts of sugar and large portions, the surgery will not be successful.

And your mind will want to. You’ll fill your plate to the same amount of food you always ate and you’ll Want to finish it like you always did. Especially those that grew up from in the “clean plate” club like I know Will did. Nobody really forced me to finish my food, I just did. You’ll still crave the desserts you always did, especially if you’re an emotional eater and let the stress get to you. That can’t be your comfort anymore.

But if you get the surgery and then really work on eating small, eating slow, and eating healthy - you can maintain the habits long after the initial rapid weight loss of the surgery slows down.

Luckily I think I still see their nutritionist for a time after the surgery as well. I could actually learn to be normal.

I didn’t want to be put to sleep, I didn’t want to go under the knife, I really didn’t want to. But he made me a lot more comfortable with the idea and completely shot down my balloon idea so now, yes, I am considering surgery.

The doctor also said it’s a very low mortality rate for this surgery. And they haven’t lost any one in 10 years.

They also talked about the risk of acid reflux, hair loss, wound infection, blood clods - but all these are temporary and preventable and will be monitored.

And guess what Will said when I told him all about it.

He said Yes. He wants to do it too.

I’m so surprise cause we were both against it for different reasons. I was against it out of fear and out of not feeling I deserved this shortcut or easy way out. I got myself in this mess by being a disgusting pig, I should get myself out with hard work.

Will was against it cause his sister had the bypass, she has to be on vitamins forever, I think she became lactose intolerant after that, and had extreme hair loss. And right after she lost weight she got pregnant and stopped eating small portions and gained all the weight back and now she’s bigger than me.

I don’t know if he was considering the bypass 15 years ago when his sis had it. But after everything she went through he was firmly against it.

This all happened before I knew them so I’ve never see her small. I think her hair is nice but she said her hair used to be much fuller.

Will’s hopeless about his weight. He doesn’t believe he can lose 1 lb and even if he did it wouldn’t stay off. He doesn’t join me in any gyms, and diets anymore because he has zero hope or faith. And if I’m gonna do it, then yes, he will too.

I think he’s lazy as well. He’s not gonna do all the research I’m doing. The webinars, the calls, so if I put it all on a plate in front of him, yes he’ll bite.

So I called my insurance this morning and the office that held the seminar is not in network for me but there is an office an hour away. Kinda sucks that I don’t get to the closer off but them’s the breaks. They can’t quote me on price until they get info from the doc office - some procedure code.

So I called the bariatric group and scheduled an in person appointment in June. It was the soonest they had :( I don’t know what happens at the doc office. I’m sure it’s just a talk, not an examination. With Will’s ok I scheduled a meeting for him too. His is actually before mine - maybe we can sit in on each other’s and just get in and out faster.

I think the next step after the face to face in June is a physical exam, blood work, x-rays, and getting in touch with a nutritionist for whatever allotted amount of time the insurance company needs. Then finally get the surgery.

I hope this all goes fast. But everything in divine timing right?

Last updated December 20, 2020