DivaSoBlessed

Congratulations Reece! I'm in the Chicagoland area as well and I am just starting the process. You are going to rock this out big time. ????

Sounds like you are well on your way getting prepared for the big day. Welcome and congratulations!

Thank you @ChelleBean! I had a long talk withy PCP on Monday along with my husband and although it turned into a grilling session to see what I had done more recently in terms of attempts to lose he agreed that WLS was the best option. This past Wednesday I attended a information session which is required before you can meet with the surgeon for a consultation. I should be hearing back from them on Monday after they verify that my insurance covers WLS. I will then have to take a 4 hour nutrition class that costs about $400 and take 3 tests before they can give me a surgery date. I'm excited and afraid at the same time.

Hi @@KarenLoh Thank you for that wonderful compliment. Yes I wouldn't have it any other way. I found some YouTube videos of my PCP talking about why he went into his field of practice and how he dedicated to helping his patients achieve optimal health fitness. He's stern, young, and funny, and he will call you on your crap if he feels that you aren't truly trying to get healthy. He is just what my husband and I need. I simply had to have him on board. He truly shows concern for the both of us. I know how you feel in terms of losing a good doctor. I'm still trying to recover from losing my GYN. She was the best doc ever. She knew all about PCOS and would also tell me about herbal medicine to treat my symptoms. She moved her practice closer to home and I miss her dearly. It sounds like you had quite a journey going through the process before your WLS. I am sure looking back that you can appreciate how far you've come. Congratulations my friend.

Thank you @FocusOnMeNow. Yes I am finding that which policy covers different procedures depends on a number of factors. If it is insurance through your employer they may elect to not pay for this kind service. My policy they cover bariatric surgery but they will not cover anything that involves treatments for infertility. As for the supervised diet they no longer require it for my particular policy but I have heard of PCP's supervising 6 month diets especially if ultimately a patient would need a letter of necessity from either the surgeon or the PCP. My policy states a reqiured letter of medical necessity from either. I'm so happy for you that you got through all of the testing in prep for your surgery a congratulations are in order to you. How far post-op are you? [emoji4]

@@animallover1247 I had that same worry and stress. I don't think that I had to really pay him a visit simply because with PPO you don't need a referral to see a surgeon but as stated earlier in this thread its good to have your PCP on board because well beyond surgery you ultimately have to at some point pay a visit to your PCP. I did it because I know how strongly he feels about me getting healthy and I wanted his opinion. If he had said that this is a bad idea I probably would have still pursued having WLS. No more worries my friend. Now the next step is this information session. I will keep you posted. [emoji4]

Thanks @@Nurse_Lenora, I called yesterday and they emailed the policy with the requirements to me. After reading everything over it looks like I qualify based on my BMI alone I am above 40 at a 53. I also have hypertension. So I am guessing that the next step is this information session in order to be able to meet with a surgeon to discuss my options.

@@livvsmum Thank you! I am looking forward to this journey. It certainly has been a long time coming. I am prepared to fight for a better life now than more than ever. The pst few hours have been quite emotional. I still have to get approval from my insurance but I am hopeful tht it will be approved. I had them send me a copy of the requirements for medically necessary surgery and without even thinking about my comorbidity's my BMI alone is high enough for approval but I also have a few other ailments that make me eligible. So now its on to the required information session. [emoji4]

Thank you @ThePostOp. It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. As you said. One hurdle down, and I am ready for the next. I debated attending this information session a day before Thanksgiving because usually we are home prepping for the holiday but I want this enough to give an hour and fifteen minutes of my time. I weighed in at my largetest eeight ever last night 361. I can feel the difference too my stomache feels awful after I eat almost every time that I eat. I went to bed in mild pain while trying to nurse my type II diebetic husband through a tooth ache. Thank goodness for clove essential oil. That stuff works like a charm. I will keep you posted on my progress.

Thank you @@Nurse_Lenora I am experiencing so many emotions right now that I don't know what to do with myself. I'm excited too.

So after a grilling session with my PCP he agrees that surgery is the best option for me but only because I am turning 40 next year. He knows of my desire to lose the weight and start a family. I had a break down right there in front of him. This PCOS has me like a darn Water faucet all of the time. He told me that he had a 21 year old attempt to do it and he was thinking "get your but out of my office you are young and have time to lose the weight" . He finally said yes to writing her a letter and due to her age and maybe her BMI they denied her. He is big on getting in consistent workouts and eating healthy but I tried to explain to him even on my most compliant days I would feel defeated because the PCOS makes it that much harder to lose the weight. Anyway I am attending a information session this Wednesday which is required before you can even schedule an appoint to meet with a surgeon. This is the start of my journey and although I am nervous it feels good to know that my primary doctor is supporting my decision to do this.

Thank you so much @ThePostOp! As for the hubby I couldn't go through this journey without him. He has been my supporter since day 1.

Hi @ThePostOp Thank you so much for responding. I am at the same resolve that I am not walking out of that office without his being on board with me doing this surgery. Because of having PPO I don't think that I need a referral to see a surgeon but I do want his okay. That is simply because as you said he will indeed have to be the doctor that I see well beyond having surgery. When I originally started this journey back in 2004 I went into it not being as prepared for all of the pitfalls that go with what is suppose to happen during the process of having WLS. Today I am well polished and I'm like a bowling ball ready to knock down any pins standing in my way. I am refusing to take no for an answer and if he isn't on board I don't have a problem switching PCP's. I would rather not do that because I really like my doctor and I can tell that he really is truly concerned with my overall health. My husband and I have the same doctor and I usually show up with my husband to all of his appointments and he usually shows up to mine. Because he has type II diabetes and the doctor originally didn't believe that he was working out on a daily basis until he started seeing the weight loss for himself he wanted me with him as a witness. I didn't show up to his last appointment beacuse I knew that doc would be on me about my weight loss. He sent word back with my husband that he wanted to see me within the next 90 days. He hleven told my husband that he was going to piss me off and light a fire under my ***. Well he doesn't have to wait 90 days becauae I am going in full throttle with my shiny bowling ball for a strike lol! I have not contacted any surgeon yet but I know where I want to go for my surgery. I will go and see my PCP first and take everything from there. I will let you all know how it goes. Thank you for your words of encouragement. I truly appreciate it.

Hi @@WorkinOnMe These are great suggestions. I thought that my appointment was tomorrow but its actually today so I am going to give BCBS a call asap. I am prepared with many questions and I almost feel like I need to write them down so that I don't forget anything. I also have paperwork for previous attempts at weight loss dating back to 2004 along with food journals that I accidentally found in a box on one of my closets. I am hoping that this will get him on board. I will definitely let you all know how it goes. Congratulations on the success of your journey. I know that having so many ailments before starting your journey were hard to deal with because I am there now. Stay tuned. Fingers crossed.

Hi @@Kitty112415 First off Yay!!!!! Congratulations on your surgery. I am so excited for you. Please do keep us updated on your progress. I am praying that my doctor will be as supportive. It definitely helps when you are trying to go through the process. I am still a bit nervous but this is my life on the line so I am going in well prepared. I appreciate your response.

Hello @@shriner37, I agree with that a lot of PCP's are generalists and may not have a lot of knowledge on a specialty such as bariatric surgery. I found a YouTube video of an interview that my doctor did for the hospital that he is affiliated with and his main points were about overall general health and fitness which he is into and has previously advised me to do. The problem is that I don't think that he is aware at the severity of me having PCOS. It doesn't matter how long I exercise and attrmpt to eat clean the weight that I lose always returns and more. I suffer daily from many ailments due to having this condition and from my research one of the best alternatives to effectively dealing with PCOS, high blood pressure, and pre-diabetes is gaving this WLS. I decided that I wanted to do the sleeve because I have seen that there are a lot of people who are having to go back in for revisions due to complications and outside of that there is too much maintenance with fills that I just don't want to deal with. I am also aware of the risks associated with getting the sleeve as well. I am going in knowing that he is either going to be supportive of my choice or that he may not be but I am not leaving his office until I get a definitive okay from him. Thank you so much for shedding some light on the situation because it helps me to remember some key points going in. I really appreciate it.

@@animallover1247 Thank you for responding. I don't think that BCBS requires the six month supervised diet anymore but I am praying that he is on board with me wanting to have the surgery. Sounds like you made the right choice in choosing another PCP and as for your psychiatrist it almost sounds as if she was trying to scare you out of doing the surgery. As long as she sent you an approval status for your surgery I would pay her no mind. Congratulations on getting this far into your journey and I am wishing you a much better experience from here on out. Lets keep in touch to see how you are doing with your progress and I'll update you on mine. I knew going into this that there would be some opposition but I am ready to fight through it all. As I sat going through old documents from surgeries, emergency room visits, wls dietitian appointments, I counted that I attempted my journey in 2004 and was defeated by change in insurance and doctors not being very helpful. Today is a new day and I am fighting for it. I'm not taking NO for an answer.

I finally decided to pay a visit to my PCP to discuss me having WLS. I am sooooo nervous! I have only been with this doctor a few years and although he is all about getting physically fit and being healthy I don't know what his thoughts are about having surgery. I started feeling unsure about this appointment and I thought about canceling. I thought that in order to prove my attempts at weight loss I would have to hunt down old medical records from previous doctors. I don't know why I did this but last night I came across a couple of boxes that have been in my closet for almost 3 years. Low and behold..... I found old receipts from LA Weight Loss that closed its doors four months after my husband paid for the program in full. I also found old food diaries, old appointments from a weight loss program that I attended back in 2004 when I first attempted to have the surgery, as well as old ER discharge papers from when I had complications due to my PCOS. This could have been nothing but God because I have not gone into this closet in quite some time. My appointment is within the next few days. I am wondering is there anything that I should mention to him or ask him about specifically in terms of discussing my wanting this surgery? I have PPO so I don't technically think that I even had to pay a visit to him but I chose to anyway. Any advice you can give would be much appreciated. Thanks In Advance.

@@BigDaddyJG You look amazing! Congratulations on your success.

Congratulations ladies! Best wishes on your upcoming surgeries.

@@Nurse_Lenora Thank you so much. That is awesome news and I am happy to know another Chicago girl who is also on the same path to a fresh start at a new life. Please keep in touch and keep me posted on your process. I and sending hugs and prayers your way. I wish you all the best on your upcoming surgery in the new year.

@@Mountaingal Thank you very much! It feels good to have a place where you can receive support and advice. I will definitely continue researching as much information as I can. Happy Sunday!

@@jane13 Thank you so much! I definitely will. I am still learning how to navigate the website but so far I am glad that I found it. There is nothing like having support from someone who has been or is on the same path as you. Happy Sunday!

@@_Kate_ Thank you so much for the warm welcome. it feels like yesterday when I was looking into getting this surgery done for the first time and it amazes me just how quickly time flies. I feel like I should have fought more when I first started looking into this but I was dealing with so many emotional highs and lows during that time that I just needed a break from it all. Now I am back and moving full steam ahead. I can't believe that I will be 40 soon and have let so much time pass without giving it a second thought. I wished that I had done this sooner as well but I am sure that I won't regret it either once I am on the post-op side of things. I will definitely keep you all posted. Happy Sunday!

@@BLERDgirl Thank you so much for providing me with these helpful links. I am going to take a look at them. I have spent this entire week looking into what steps I need to take and just moments ago I looked at our insurance policy. According to BCBSIL they do cover the surgery if it is medically necessary and approved coverage can only be provided at Hospitals permitted by the Claims Administrator (Blue Distinction Centers for Bariatric Surgery). So it looks like I will be scheduling an appointment with my PCP first after he returns from his vacation. I do have a few places in mind and the closest location to where I live is a accredited Blue Distinction Center. This is both exciting and scary at the same time because for the longest time all I have wanted to do is stop just existing and start living again. In doing so I can regain full control over my life again and hopefully one day start the family that I have been dreaming of with my husband. He has type 2 diabetes and has lost over 100 lbs with consistent exercise and eating better but there is room for improvement. I have felt guilty because my weight has been stagnant while he continues to lose but it is so much harder for me because of this PCOS. This surgery will help me to help myself in getting the weight off learning how to keep it off. I will keep you all posted. Thanks again for welcoming me. If feels good to know that I am not alone.