tigerbelle

hope you hear something final soon, sandsmom

Part of my fear is a direct result of complications I had for major surgery in February of 2009; it has taken me over three years to even consider surgery as an option...I had a paniculectomy to remove a massive lymphedema (over 30 lbs. of tissue and Fluid removed)...I had complications and ended up back several times for additional surgery...to sum it up, I spent a week in intensive care, another 3 weeks in a regular room at the hospital, a month at a rehab hospital, back to the regular hospital for a skin graft over my entire abdomen, after which I was immobilized on my back in the hospital bed for 2 weeks unable to leave that position for 2 weeks (yes, I had Valium)...I then spent an additional two months homebound with home health wound care before returning to work after a total of 5 months...I knew the risks of course, but what was supposed to be a week in the hospital and return to work in 6-8 weeks was an ordeal I never want to experience again

I am humbled by the gracious welcome and appreciative of the advice, feedback and offers of support..y'all have brought up some very relevant factors to consider...I am going to continue reading the posts and devote some extra prayer time to this decision...for sure I agree that this is a decision only I can make based on my comfort level and my own needs...I am fortunate that this upcoming week I have a session with my therapist, and I am going to take that opportunity to talk through some of my issues with her...again thanks for all of the support and feedback...it always seems to help me each day to read the various posts and threads on this site

how coincidental...I also have LSUFirst, and they basically without hearing anything just said NO...unfortunately, switching jobs or being picked up on a spouse's plan are not options for me...I am less than two years from 30 years of service and full retirement...also I am not married nor foresee that happening any time soon...I pray for your dad's success and admire his courage

thanks for the feedback, suegirl and Jonathan my insurance specifically excludes coverage of any type of bariatric surgery for any reason--no matter if it is medically necessary or not...I work for the State of Louisiana (the obesity capital of the south outside of Mississippi), and none of the insurance plans offered to state government workers covers any type of bariatric surgery...it is ridiculous since the benefit payments they have made to cover all of my comorbidities from the diabetes and obesity are staggering...go figure

as a taxpayer, this is the kind of thing that angers me...not that medicaid covers WLS but that people like me--who work in State government--have insurance plans that do NOT cover WLS...so I am working for the government and don't have coverage...but my taxes that I pay as a worker are being used to cover WLS for those who aren't contributing taxes...unfair to the max

I hope all works out for everyone...just to make you all feel a little better--at least you have the chance to get approval and coverage...my insurance (State of Louisiana) does not even consider coverage of bariatric surgery, so I will be paying myself for the entire process

hope you continue to get better each day

so GatorTime....if I paid my surgeon up front cash, he should be able to offier me a 10% discount and still make more profit than if I financed through CreditCare and he got charged 13%....right?

great, MsInzee

thanks for the advice, angeleyes...that is something I will talk with my insurance company about judysart: I hear ya...what makes me so angry is that it is proven that the long-term costs of treating complications from diabetes, for example, far exceed the cost of the WLS...I don't understand why insurance companies don't recognize this

I am wondering how this company--Care Credit, which I have heard of--stays in business if it charges no interest...it must be that the surgeons themselves "discount" the account when it's turned over to Care Credit...in other words, if the surgeon's bill is $15,000, Care Credit would settle with the dr. by paying him/her $14,000 let's say...from the patient, though, Care Credit would collect the entire $15,000 from the patient, thereby profiting by $1,000 on the transaction that makes me wonder...do surgeons possibly charge less to patients who are paying them up front with cash versus the patients who either finance through some company like Care Credit or have to file paperwork for insurance coverage....hmmm

here is a related question from me...I know my insurance doesn't cover bariatric surgery, so I will most likely be paying for the VSG myself...I have saved enough to pay for it; however, a concern I have is the chance of complications...I have heard that if you self-pay for the VSC surgery, that if you have complications as a result, the insurance company won't cover the cost of care that ensue from the complications...extended hospital stays, rehab and additional surgeries could add up to way over twice what the initial surgery costs...supposedly there are insurance companies that you can obtain a policy from that will cover the costs of care if the surgery has complications for up to one year post-surgery....has anybody heard of this or know of someone who has utilized it? any feedback will be helpful

thanks y'all for the encouragement...I am trying to remain optimistic...I saw my therapist today, and that helped me sort through some things...I see the bariatric surgeon next week for an initial consult, so I will keep y'all updated...thanks for the prayers scaredoftheunknown: I pray for success with your surgery on Thursday...you are all very inspiring

Hi, all...I am going in for a consultation with a bariatric surgeon next week. I am not sure if he is going to recommend a VSG or a Roux en Y bypass, but I am hoping he thinks the VSG is the best option Reading this particular thread has made me somewhat nervous...one of the main motivators for me to seriously consider WLS now is that my a1c levels have been extremely high--I am talking over 9 it is like I am now feeling this surgery is my last resort due to serious complications I have faced already and am facing right now...for example, I have an ulceration on my left big toe right now that is taking a long time to heal (the uncontrolled diabetes being the main culprit plus poor leg circulation)...the dr is even concerned I may end up having to have that toe partially or fully amputated--a horrible thought to me I am now in compression stockings all day plus wearing a boot for protection on my left foot...if I get over this current crisis (please God), I am determined that I will have the WLS in an attempt to gain my health and life back...this thread brings some fear to me, because my PCP thinks I am now in a vicious cycle requiring drastic action, so I am not sure if I will be able to get my a1c back down to under 8 and surely not under 7 before I have another serious health crisis the reason I am responding here and asking for feedback is to find out what types of comorbidities y'all had (if you are willing to share) prior to undergoing surgery or seriously contemplating it...just to let you know my current situation...I have a BMI of about 50 (weighing about 280 lbs)...I have a bad time with skin infections (such as boils)--I tend to get them easily and they are long-time healing...I have poor circulation in my legs (hence the compression stockings)...I am 50 years old....been diagnosed a type 2 diabetic for about 10 years now...currently I take the maximum recommended dosage of metformin daily...also, I am on 30 units each evening of Lantus...I am on blood pressure medication, an anti-depressant, thyroid supplement, and a medication to reduce triglycerides (not really working)....part of my fear is that when I consult with the surgeon next week, he is going to tell me I have too many high-risk factors to even attempt the surgery....I guess I am just wanting to know if there is anybody who has had the multitude and severity of problems I have now prior to having their VSG....