stewarps

Kari, I need to know whether your fills depended on your NOT losing fast enough. Yesterday, they would not give me a 2nd fill because, after a month of SERIOUS dieting, I'd lost 12#. They said a fill would NOT make me less hungry, that I'd ALWAYS be hungry w/ a lapband. True? (Basically, I'd lost too much!) If so, I'm VERY upset about it. Pam

Just a quick update, because all went thru quickly AFTER I'd have to make new co-payments & deductibles July 1. I had my first meeting w/ a Dr. (DeMaria) Friday, July 18; my pre-op conferences (w/ several others) all day Monday, July 21; and surgery Tuesday AM, July 22. All medical went fine, but administrative foul-ups continued: 7/18 appt 2+ hours late in an area so cold my temp dropped to 96 & they brought me a blanket; Monday AM meetings in a room where they couldn't get the A/C to work; Monday PM conference w/ program director at hospital cancelled when no one could find her (they supposedly found out she was on a 2-wk vacation!); paperwork for pre-op labs not filled out; & post-op instructions list aforementioned absent nurse program director as our contact. Thank God the banding evidently went fine, the doctor was good, the hospital staff was great, & Brandy--at the office--really does work the miracles. Pam

Do NOT wait until you are supposed to hear back. I offer advice as one whose paperwork was "lost" (both entirely and in parts!) repeatedly by both the weight loss center and the insurance company. Supposedly everything has now been found, and I have been approved and scheduled -- for the wrong surgery -- now that I'll have a new set of deductibles & co-payments to make. And I first applied last September! Good luck, & keep your fingers crossed for me.

Be sure NOT to wait until you see info listed online. Call, & talk to insurance person, nurse, etc. Also, just this week they finally found my missing results from tests done 1/10. I'm about to call now to recheck. It really is ridiculous, but have spent too much time & too many $$ already not to give it a chance to work out. Good luck to you. Pam

The last time I looked online & talked to them, they said it often took a couple of months to get all the info credited (!!!), so have not yet been through any review yet. Pam

I went to Duke meeting & applied early last Sept, & was given an appt 1/03/08. Was told then that blood tests had to be w/n 3 mos. They also redid my ekg (2X: one on "wrong paper", the second--ordered by them at Durham Regional was not yet listed in my record), then ordered a stress test even though (all) my ekg's were fine. Said I had significant "risk factors because I was obese (!) and so old. Then when that was fine (according to the tech who did it), they insisted on doing a cardiac catheterization, too, which was also fine. Two weeks later, they don't have any of the reports--including notes from 1/03--yet listed in my records! Have ALL reports sent to your primary care physician, & keep copies of EVERYTHING you turn in. Good luck. Pam

Be sure you don't have tests too far ahead of your appt--at least the blood tests. They made me redo because they weren't "current." Pam

Is Dr Enochs at Duke? I'm having all kinds of delays getting approved there--almost think it's a scam to get me to support all the auxiliary services they've sent me to (w/o finding any reason not to approve me) that have already cost thousands (despite insurance!!!). Please reply. Pam