PreOpSleeve

I had my initial consultation with the surgeon on July 11. At that time, my weight was 279. Today, my weight is 248. Will Anthem deny coverage for the surgery if I continue to lose weight at the same rate I've been losing weight based on changes to my diet and exercise routine?

I started with his group but the office was unorganized and it seemed that the follow up support was not up to par. I wanted to go with a Center of Excellence so I ended up with Dr. Jeremy Korman at LA Bariatrics/Marina Weight Loss. The whole team is amazing. My surgery is Monday 7/20 and I am in excellent hands. I'm a nurse and believe me I have done my research. The whole process has taken about 6 months and has been well worth it.

How far along did you get with Dr. Feiz before you switched over to Dr. Korman?

Do you have to take Vitamins for the rest of your life b/c of the sleeve gastrectomy? If so, how many different pills do you have to take and how frequently do you take them?

I am pre-op now, and in looking through what is requried for the post-op diet at least for the first couple of months, it looks really rough and tough. Is it as tough as it seems? How tough would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the hardest thing you've ever done in your life. How have you managed to get through it?

Thanks

For those of you who had to undergo an EGD (upper endoscopy), how many weeks/months prior to your surgery did you get it? Did you have it done before or after your insurance approval?

I just attended my seminar two weeks ago and the patient care coordinator is asking me to do the EGD. My insurance, however, requires a six month medically supervised weight loss program, meaning I wouldn't even get approved for the surgery until early next year. To save on costs in terms of deductible and out-of-pocket maximums, I would like to get the EGD and surgery done in the same calendar year. Is it reasonable to wait until early next year to get the EGD since my surgeon won't even be applying for approval of the surgery until early next year?

Thanks

I am thinking of selecting Dr. Michael Feiz as my surgeon for the glastric sleeve. Anyone else used him in the past for the gastric sleeve procedure, and have thoughts, comments, grievances to share?

Thanks.