APPROVAL AND SURGERY DATE

I was surprised to find a voice mail on my phone from the surgeon's office on 6-25-10 stating that they had submitted my file and I had been approved by insurance!!! This was a huge surprise because I was told by my insurance company's bariatric nurse for dietary monitoring that I had to have one initial visit to weigh in, then have six additional visits for monitoring of diet and exercise for a total of seven visits. I didn't even know that the surgeon's office was going to submit my file to insurance one month early. I called the bariatric nurse to confirm that I have been approved and the good news is TRUE! Today I scheduled the surgery for August 5, 2010. So far, it is a "GO". Now I am just waiting to schedule pre-op testing, find out how much out-of-pocket I will have to pay, and to start the two week liquid diet.

Right now, it really hasn't sunk in - - - I'm still in shock that the approval happened so quickly and without any problems. I am blessed!

IS THE END IS SIGHT?

My fifth appointment with my dietician went well. She seemed to see the end in sight! She is very encouraging and I only wish insurance would cover appointments to see her AFTER surgery. I had a 1.5 hour appointment with the surgery center nutritionist recently. She went over eating habits, vitamin requirements, protein supplements, etc. She also was very helpful. I am completely off of carbonated and caffeinated beverages now. I have one more hurdle before the surgery, which is mastering eating meals without drinking. I understand that this is a "MUST" for the by-pass surgery to work effectively. So......I will conquer this hurdle in the near future. One more appointment with the dietician and I will have completed the insurance requirements. I have completed all of the group support requirements and surgery center requirements. I keep a notebook of all of my records and documentation in this journey. That notebook is overflowing at this point! Physically and mentally I believe I am ready for this surgery. Emotionally, I hope I can cope and make it through. With God's help, I am sure I can. There are so many individual and family emotions invovled in this process - LONG TERM!

TIME PASSES SLOWLY

It seems like it is taking FOREVER to make it through the insurance requirements for WLS. I had my fourth dietician visit and my fifth support group session this week. My bariatric nurse called last week to check on my progress. I have completed the sleep study, been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and now use a cpap machine. I have lots of ups and downs over the past couple of months. One big DOWN was the realization of just how bad my obesity is....when I saw a candid picture of myself. Pictures somehow do not look the same as what I see in the mirror at home! I have been doing my best to dot every "I" and cross every "T" so that I won't hit any snags with insurance. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ready to have this surgery, get healthy and improve myh self esteem!

SLEEP STUDY

One more milestone has been met. I had the surgeon required sleep study this weekend. That was strange!!! Even though I kind of knew what to expect since my husband and father have both had the study, it was still odd to have all of those wires all over me and was expected to sleep! I did finally sleep a little and was relieved at 6a when the technician came to get me ready to leave. Needless to say, I slept a good part of that day when I got home to my own bed.

APPOINTMENTS, APPOINTMENTS, APPOINTMENTS

It feels good to make even the slightest progress in this process! In two weeks time I have attended a group therapy session, attended the required education class, taken psychological exams, met with the psychologist for an evaluation, and met with the surgeon. I was VERY impressed with the group therapy and plan to attend regularly both before and after my surgery. The psychological exams took 3 hours and were exhausting! The psychologist seems to think I am "normal" and will do fine with the surgery. The surgeon and staff at Obesity Solutions are phenomenal! I feel like I could not be in better hands at this point. Now I just have to bide my time doing the insurance required physician monitored dieting and attendiong the group support sessions. I hope time flies!!! I am SOOOOO ready to proceed with this surgery and get healthy!

Making Progress

After numerous attempts this week and LOTS of frustration, I finally got to talk to a case manager with my insurance, who opened my case and assigned me to a nurse. I know this is only a tiny step in the process, but it was the first REAL progress that I have made with the insurance company, so I was on cloud 9 after this conversation. Only three days until I have my first conversation with my nurse and then one week until I have my appointment with my PCP and can discuss my plans with him. I am a member of the "Obesity Help" message board, which has been SOOOOO helpful, supportive and informative as I begin this journey.....it is a connection to countless people who have been or are in the same position as me.....as connection that I could not have if it were not for this message board. I am so thankful for this resource.

First Small Step

This would seem like a small step for most people, but I have been waiting months for this day! Now that my new insurance has taken effect, today was my first chance to finally talk to someone at the insurance company to verify coverage and to request entry into their Bariatric Services program. Once I had the coverage verification, I completed the last paperwork for my doctor and rushed my "inch thick" package to the post office to get it into the mail ("priority mail" - no less!). I am supposed to have a case worker from the insurance company call within two days to register me into the bariatric program. I am going to be devistated if I end up having my application for bariatric surgery denied by the insurance company! I'll keep praying and keep my fingers crossed!