triser72

LOL!!! I think I have been on that tour for about a month now. I know my husband thinks he needs to be on it - "I sure am gonna miss your cookin'!" But this week, I realized that I am mentally tired of FOOD!

Thanks for sharing your experience! This is a wonderful account of the first couple of days!

I guess a Care Coordinator would help. I'll call tomorrow and ask if one has been assigned to me.

My surgeon faxed the pprwk to insurance. He and his bariatric coordinator advised me "to stay on top" of the progress with the insurance - he said the paperwork often gets lost if someone doesn't call to check up on it. Plus, he said "It's your money that is being paid to the insurance company. You have a right to ask what is happening."

OK - I am not sure what to do here. Any advice...would be appreciated...I called April 23 to UHC and the Claims rep told me that I was approved for bariatric surgery as of 4:45pm. Yeah! Yippee! Woohoo! So, I called April 30 to find out if a letter had been sent to me regarding the approval. UHC Claims Dept. told me that yes I was approved and my surgery date was May 6 and they were looking at the notification number. But they didn't know why documentation had not been sent to me regarding the approval. WHAT?!?!?!? :confused2: I didn't even schedule surgery b/c my surg told me that I needed a precertification # in order to schedule a preop appt and surgery date. I asked the Claims rep "Are you expecting me to be in the hospital on this date having this procedure done?" The response was, "Based on our information, you will be." REALLY?!?!?! So, the Claims rep transferred me to Care Coordination for further clarification. Care Coordination said "No, you have not been approved yet. Your file is still under review. We don't work in the same system as Claims." WHAT?!?!?!?! :confused2: So, I hung up with Care Coordination and called Claims again. Suddenly, they are confused and couldn't find the approval or if any documentation of approval had been sent to me. :wub: I want to know whose desk my paperwork is sitting on and what that person's direct phone number is at their desk. Any suggestions...????

Thanks for posting this! I have UHC and a similar timeline as yours, so this lets me know that I should expect the approval letter next week. My surgeon's bariatric coord. told me to call when I rec'd it to setup the pre-op appt.. YEAH!

Definitely go for documentation! Until then....have you tried...Aquaphor by Eucerin or Burt's Bees Diaper Ointment or Desitin? My doctor told me on skin fold rashes - always wet instead of dry - meaning an ointment is better than a powder.

I am doing my happy dance cuz I am approved for LapBand :biggrin2:and I have been accepted to graduate school:thumbup:!!! Dr. Ballette's office sent in the pprwk on 4/2, UHC rec'd it on 4/8. I have spent the past 3 days calling UHC - getting boomerang'd between Customer Service and Care Coordination is no fun :redface: - the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing in the world of health insurance. I finally yelled at a sweet young woman yesterday b/c in 30 minutes I was bumped btwn 6 dif't people in Cust. Svc. and Care Coor. with 3 dead-ends. I am paying UHC $400 each month to handle my health coverage and my paperwork is sitting in a pile on someone's desk and the computer, of course, has no knowledge of it:confused2:. So, I called today at 4:45p. Lo and behold, I have been approved!

Just tell her. We pay therapists to listen to the good/bad/ugly parts of our lives. They help us get through the bad and ugly parts, and rejoice with us in the good parts.

This is a great testimonial!!!

The doctor's nurse called me today to tell me the same thing - she submitted all of my paperwork for approval and to call the insurance company in 10 days and starting hounding them. Yippee!!!!

I have UHC - not banded yet - just waiting....the doc's office is submitting paperwk to them this week. I have heard that UHC is one of the quickest approvals out there, and that they cover more than the 80/20 rule. As to what my doc requires - he doesn't require anything the insurance doesn't require. So, no pre-op diet or battery of medical tests for me! Just a psych & nutrition eval with all my doctors records (which states a 5 year history of morbid obesity and co-morbities). All of this is what the insurance rep told me. I think getting the medical records sent to the surgeon's office was the hardest part so far.

rotfl.....I must have been gobsmacked at birth with that canned multipurpose dough!!! It's all on my butt!

:smile: I HATE MINE TOO!!!!!! Nationwide Medical keeps sending me extra supplies and I can't figure out how to get rid of the machine! I can't sleep with that stupid mask and I have to make sure I kiss DH goodnight before I put it on, then the mask comes off during the night. UGH!!! I just went back to BreatheRight strips and that seems to work just fine.

I think the best thing I read was last night (somewhere on this site) that Lap-Band is a weight loss TOOL. That made so much sense to me. I need something to aid in my quest for portion control - it's the holy grail for me. I am in the approval process right now, so I still have a bit of ignorance and innocence about the actual experience post-op. I see the restriction in the diets, and I see the things are going to be really tough for me to change. Like you, I was scared about 10 months ago, now I have a whole bunch of bravado!

Peanut Butter Drizzle tastes like a Nutter Butter cookie!

OMG!!!! I want to see the B&A pics! That is a great testimonial!!

I have done everything I am supposed to do, now I wait on the paperwork shuffle. Woohoo!!!

amsderb - from the time your doc submitted your paperwk for approval till the time UHC approval came through - how long was that?

Congratulations - what a great present for your 30th!

Whew!!! I am so glad to hear of other people who are in the same place I am! Only by grace have I made it to 36 years old without surgery or hospitalization of any sort. I am so afraid of the "unknown" regarding surgery or anesthesia that I am practicing avoidance - if I don't think about it, maybe I won't be that nervous. So, I have been to the psych eval and the nutrition class - I am focusing on being mentally prepared for this major life change: a new way to buy groceries, shrinking clothes and what to do with them, etc., etc., etc.

After a year of research, I consulted with an older doc in June 07. He was fast talking with not a lot of info, arrogant and a grouchy old man. He made me feel very vulnerable. I walked away scared, unsure of myself, and overwhelmed with the process - after insurance, I paid him $34 to make me feel that way. He had lots of pre-op stuff to do - it scared the crap out of me. BUT I didn't follow through out of fear. With the help of my therapist, I began exploring another angle of wls - a one stop shopping outfit like a hospital with lots of pre & post op care. The doctor is mid to late 30s, and he has SO MUCH good information. As a 36 year old woman - it meant a lot for a doctor to make a CURRENT presentation with CURRENT information. Lots of research-based info presented on powerpoint - he knew how to work a remote for the lcd projector. Why does that matter? b/c I do that stuff everyday and I can relate to someone who knows, presents, and manages his info very well. He was straight and to the point. My 1-1 with him last week was wonderful - he recognized my nervousness immediately and put me at ease. He recognizes that wls doesn't need a lot of pre-op hoops to jump through. I thought this was interesting, especially since my insurance doesn't require me to jump through those hoops either. Basically, I have the BMI, the co-morbidities, and the family medical history to support my need for weight loss - isn't that enough? I can email the nurse with any questions that I have - I've had plenty and they all get answered. He does all the fills himself - he is very thorough with aftercare. I just feel like I am getting a young(er) surgeon with current information and practices. After my psych-eval today, I found out that the first old doc I visited doesn't have a good rep and has horrible aftercare results. The second doc (and the one I am choosing to stick with) has great results from his patients. Here's a bit more personal experience....like you need it......I was born in 1972. The doc who delivered me told my mother that I would need a pap smear every year starting at age 14 - he said that's the age that all girls should go. So, in 1986, I had my first pap smear - I was scared, crying, and holding Momma's hand. It hurt and didn't understand why. I kept going to the doc each year. Then we got health insurance with daddy's job and we went to a new doctor. So, my mother marched me in for my annual pap smear. The first question this doc had was "Why are you here?" To our shock, he told us that the old doc's guidance wasn't current. He said that pap smears aren't needed until girls are sexually active. I didn't have another one till I was sexually active. Truly, it's apples v. oranges, old v. new, etc. For me - it's the young doc. Do your research about the surgery and the surgeon and do what feel right. It's your body.

dosh: take heart and stay in the game! It's your body and your life - don't lose faith in yourself 2 days before the big day! On Feb. 25, I asked a friend/colleague if she had any regrets regarding lapband surgery - she said "only that I didn't do earlier in my life". That was a page turner for me. The results excite me, the surgery scares me to death,.....the opportunity to live my life the way I have always wished - that is what helps me stay in the game!

I am not sure what to think about all of this....maybe there should be some form of standardization on the psych eval step in the process. My psych eval is Monday. She said it would take an hour and cost $175. Part of that time is 20-30 min. spent on the paper questionnaire. I have been in psychotherapy for close to a year (I am a workaholic) - which has led to the discovery that I do so much for others that I let myself go. Lapband is doing something for myself and being forced to pay attention to it. My psych says that I have ignored my weight for so long and allowed food to serve emotional needs. She says losing weight will bring my self-esteem back into balance and I will begin to view food as fuel. Undoubtedly, psychotherapy has changed a lot of my perspectives in the past year. I plan to continue psychotherapy after lapband.

Welcome, Amy! I have been here for 2-3 weeks and have discovered that I am not alone. Congrats on your AMAZING weight loss - so much so quickly - WOW! I live in the Spring/Klein area and am in process of being banded by Dr. Balette in The Woodlands.