Frequently asked questions

The good news is insurance plans are covering bariatric surgery more than ever before. To find out what your insurance will cover:

1. Call your insurance company and ask for information about coverage. Ask the insurance representative all of the questions from the insurance worksheet in the information packet we mail you.
2. After the call, we can help you review the information to understand your specific coverage — and whether your insurance has special requirements you need to meet before they will pay for bariatric surgery.

We offer self-pay options for those without insurance benefits for bariatric surgery.

Technically, yes. But it’s highly discouraged.

• Gastric bypass surgery is considered permanent.
• It’s impossible to predict whether a sleeve gastrectomy can be reversed.

If your operation were reversed, you would regain most or all of the weight that you have lost. You'd also be at risk for the same complications as when you had the initial surgery.

For gastric bypass and sleeve patients, maximum weight loss occurs at approximately 12 to 18 months after surgery. You may continue to lose weight for as long as two years.

After that, weight loss levels off. There is usually a slight regain of around 5 to 10% of your weight loss around the two-year mark.

This is typically the maximum weight regain. However, if your weight begins to creep up beyond what you expect, talk to your doctor about what might be causing you to gain weight.

If you return to your old eating habits, it’s possible to overcome your bypass operation and experience significant weight gain in the future.

In gastric bypass, the remainder of the stomach stays in place and continues to function. With a sleeve gastrectomy, the outside 80 to 85% of the stomach is removed.

Dumping syndrome is a group of symptoms (gas, diarrhea, cramping) experienced by some patients who have gastric bypass.

Dumping is related to eating sweets and carbohydrates that stimulate the stomach pouch to empty more quickly, causing these highly concentrated foods to be dumped into the small intestine. When this type of food enters the small intestine, it moves rapidly through the bowel. It also causes the release of hormones that can cause dizziness, nausea, fatigue, sweating and diarrhea.

You might. Some patients swallow air when they eat. Air is not absorbed by the digestive tract and it has to go somewhere.

Some people will find themselves burping more than before. For those who don't, the air must pass all the way through the digestive system. This may make the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome worse, which may lead to diarrhea.

Women should not get pregnant immediately before surgery or until at least 18 months after surgery.

During the period of rapid weight loss, certain nutritional deficiencies may occur which would put the developing baby at risk for malnutrition and birth defects. Plus, female fertility increases as weight is lost — so your chances of becoming pregnant increase in the months right after surgery.

Therefore, women of childbearing age who are having weight loss surgery should use two methods of birth control before surgery — and continue for 18 months after surgery.

After that time, when weight loss and nutritional status have stabilized, there is no restriction on pregnancy.

After surgery you will feel the effects of alcohol sooner than prior to having surgery. Also, it takes longer to return to a sober state after drinking. People can also have a blood alcohol level above the legal limit after just one glass of wine.

Overall, you can have an increased risk of developing serious alcohol abuse problems after surgery — regardless of your experience with alcohol prior to surgery. Studies show this risk increases over time.

Smoking increases your risk of experiencing the following problems immediately after surgery:

• Blood clots
• Pneumonia
• Bleeding
• Surgical wound infections

Post-surgery bleeding and painful ulcers can develop at the connection sites after a gastric bypass for life, so lifelong smoking cessation is vital.

Yes. Cannabis promotes sedentary behavior and stimulates appetite, which interferes with important lifestyle changes needed for long-term success.