ColleenErin1974

20 minutes ago, Sweet as peaches said:

Sharing your feelings and getting it off your chest is beneficial to those who may have the same problems. I know about severe anxiety and it takes over your life. So let it out I applaud you for letting us share in your pain. Monday will be here before you know it.

Thank you for the kind words. This surgery is a huge deal for me. It's good to know I am able to talk here and someone is actually listening and understanding what I'm feeling. I appreciate everyone here!

17 minutes ago, Sweet as peaches said:

@ColleenErin1974 that situation sucks big time all of them should be ashamed of themselves. That stress enough alone makes you not want to deal with them. My prayers are with you.

Thank you for the prayers. I suffer with PTSD and severe anxiety with panic attacks and this situation has been hard due to this. Having to wait over the weekend now is going to be fun.

I want to go out and walk because that helps me feel better, but it is 90 degrees and 200% humidity where I am and I'm stuck inside.

Well, sorry for the delay in my response. It has been a LONG day!
I called the office manager at 10:30am today. I left a voicemail to please get back to me. By 2:30pm I still had no response and called her again leaving another message. At 3:15pm I finally got a call back, but not from the manager. The financial lady called me to let me know that I do not require authorization for the WLS, but only for the hospital stay. I asked her why has it taken so long to get back to me if I did not require approval? I know this lady spoke directly to my insurance lady yesterday about this situation. She was not sure why the manager lied to me for almost 4 weeks.
So, she then sent me over to my surgeons secretary. I then asked her why I've been waiting for a surgery date for more than 4 weeks?
Here's the response:
She said she got the info about me being medically cleared about 3 weeks ago. I knew this much. Then she tells me that the surgeon misplaced my chart! SMH! She then tells me she was given a surgery date by him for me, but couldn't give it to me because of the misplaced chart! She says she told him after he found it that I have now been waiting for the date for 3 weeks. She says she now hasn't heard from him so as to contact me and get the surgery done. Now, she said she isn't sure if the date that had been picked is still good! She said she will email and text him for a response and she will then call me with the info.
Of course he is not at the office and it's Friday! So I have to now wait through the weekend again!
This is a giant FUBAR! I am just astonished with this situation!
At this point I am still being dodged by the manager. I'm sure I won't hear from her again because she will have to tell me WHY? was I lied to and strung along about this.
So, as usual, I have to sit and wait!
I cannot wait until all this is in the past and I can just work on a healthier me!
Sorry for such a rant, but I needed to vent!

I'm with UHC care improvement plus Medicare Advantage. All I needed for insurance approval was do a 3 month supervised diet. The insurance lady said with this insurance because I have to pay my full deductible there is no prior approval needed. Granted my deductible is $6,700, but I have that all saved, so all I need is a surgery date.

I'm certainly interested in seeing what you find out tomorrow morning. Or what song and dance you'll get.

So sorry you're dealing with this. Like you need the extra stress!! Good luck in the morning. I hope you get some justification.

Ta Rena

I can't wait for the excuse. My insurance lady caught them red handed lying. I will definitely keep ya posted! This will be eye opening I'm sure! Thanks!

I've been done with my pre-evaluation appointments and testing since 2/23/17. I have been calling the office about 2 times a week to see what is going on.

It took most of March to just get my surgeon to look at everything and medically clear me. Once that was done, I was told that now all this is to go to my insurance company for approval (that was 4/4/17).

I was not contacted about this, and after a week I called the office, spoke to the manager, and was told that everything is at my insurance and I just have to wait.

Ok, after another week I called and was told my case is pending. Again, I wait.

I do this 2-3 more times and keep getting told its pending.

Today, 4/27/17, I call again with no response. Now, I call my insurance to see what I should do. I talk to insurance company. She says that there is nothing about prior approval in my case and we start investigating!

According to my insurance, I do NOT need approval for WLS with my policy. OMG! SMH.

Now, I ask them what is my Doctor waiting for? She asks for my surgeons number and who I've been in contact with there. I give her the info, she puts me on hold, and she contacts them.

About 25 minutes later, she comes back to me and says that the manager has given my info to the surgeon for him to get me a surgical date. WHAT????

My insurance lady than asks why have they been lying to me saying I'm not approved for surgery yet, when I did not require approval in the first place! The manager tells her that someone else messed this up, not her and she would make sure it is taken care of.

So, now I know this office has been just placating me with a bunch of BS! I put a call into the manager myself and as of now, no call back yet! I'm beyond pissed off here. I've done everything I have had to do since 11/16 and I've been ignored for what reason?

Tomorrow, bright and early I will call the manager again and if no response, I drive for an hour to the surgeon and don't leave until she talks to me.

OMG! Has anyone else had anything like this happen???

Ugh!

Any info would be appreciated!

9 minutes ago, mschecter said:

im about 3 months into the process about half way through

all my med requirements have been completed so far the only thing i have left is the 3 last nut appts

I have united health care and have went through there bariatric hot line spoke to my counselor My UHC is low premium plan

has anyone went through UHC and can anyone give me idea of what they had to go through to get approved

Thank you

I have UHC Medicare advantage insurance. I've been done with all my prerequisite testing and appointments since 2/23/17. So far, I had to wait for my surgeon look over everything and give me medical clearance for the surgery. From 3/22/17 to 4/1/17, I waited to get surgeon clearance. Then, it was finally sent to UHC for final approval. This is taking forever. My chart was sent to UHC 4/1/17 and I still have no surgery date. I call the manager of my surgeons office 1-2 times a week.

4/21/17 -the manager returned my call to tell me my case is still pending.

Today, the insurance company gets called again to see where I stand. Wednesday is the day my office does all insurance things. If I hear nothing, yet again, I call the manager again tomorrow.

This is getting old and irritating.

I hope you have better luck than I have so far.

1 hour ago, losintowin said:

My biggest fear, that I follow everything I need to, and then insurance for some reason says no. I've waited for this for so long, am scared something is going to get screwed up!

That is my fear too. I finished all prerequisites by March 1st. Then it took over 4 weeks to get medically cleared. Now I've been waiting on insurance approval. It's been a little over 2 weeks and I'm still pending. The waiting has me so anxious and nervous. I hope you hear soon because I feel your pain. Good luck.

I'm having RNY. I have severe GERD, that causes me to sleep on my couch in an upright position. I actually chose the RNY even before knowing about the sleeve. I have noticed that the sleeve is more commonly done now, but I was told that if I did a sleeve, I would most likely have to have a revision to the RNY. So, I decided to just do RNY and skip having more surgery.

7 minutes ago, CristieMarie said:

Crazy! I worked as an EMT for Mohawk in Albany, we were at Memorial all the time!

That is so crazy! I was on the night shift. I was the Catscan tech. I spent most of my nights hanging around in the ER.

2 hours ago, CristieMarie said:

Albany, New York

I'm originally from Saratoga Springs and I worked for years at Albany Memorial Hospital! I'm now in central Texas. Small world!

Congratulations!

I'm still waiting to hear about approval from my insurance company, so I can get a date. Being patient is so hard. I keep thinking,"Will the surgery day ever come?"

Good luck with your surgery! Maybe someday soon, I'll be on the losers bench too!😋

I called my surgeons office today and spoke with the manager. She checked to see if there was anything going on. According to her there was no news yet. Tomorrow she will speak to the woman who does all the approvals and first thing in the morning she'll have her call my insurance company. So, still more waiting! Ugh!

I need clearance from Pulmonary with regard to my asthma, but they won't give it to me because asthma is an "exacerbation condition" and I might be clear NOW but struggling THEN. So I have to see them right before.
I also need my psych eval but I can't find someone with hours I can make to do it. I started this process last year and had to drop out, but I saw a recommended psychologist then and didn't like her, so I won't go back. I told her all about my attempts to lose weight in the past, and the next thing she said was "why don't you try Weight Watchers again?" This was after I told her I'd tried WW FIVE TIMES in the past and never kept it off!! So yeah. Need to call around.
You guys are so lucky you only have two weeks of liquid diets before. Liver Shrinking for six months is not the most fun I've ever had. But at least I get to practice and get used to it, right? [emoji849]

For your psych evaluation, that is if you haven't gotten it yet, find a few places and call and ask if they do late appointments or Saturday appointments. Also, ask your surgeons office if they could recommend one for you. I had to go to one other than who my clinic used because my insurance wouldn't cover it. My doctors gave me a card for a doctor who took my insurance and the visit with him did cost me $82 out of pocket. I was ok with that because if I went to theirs I would have to pay over $200 out of pocket.
Good luck to you!

Carmel premier shake? ?? I drink premier but never knew about carmel!! Where can I buy violetisle

I get my carmel premiere shakes on Amazon. I only found chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry at Walgreens and Walmart.< br>

Hello friends, I'm curious if anyone can tell me how long it took for you to get approved for surgery from your first Orientation Meeting? I had my first meeting with the doctors on March 8th and still waiting for all the follow-up appointments.
Thanks.

I went to orientation on 11/2/16. I started my 3 month supervised diet on 11/22/16. I met my surgeon on 1/30/17. I then had appointments for medical clearance from 2/1-2/23.
I've been done with all my pre op evaluation appointments, but it took 4 months waiting to be medically cleared by the surgeon (there was a dropping of the ball for my chart to be given to him). My information was sent to my insurance company 11 days ago. I'm now in the waiting game for approval and it has me nervous. I'm calling them tomorrow to see if we heard anything yet.
I'm so anxious!
Good luck!

So I finally finished all my pre op and got insurance approval and was about to pick a date for the end of April. Then I ended up in the hospital for blood clots in my arm, and learned I have an abnormal issue where my first rib is cutting off blood flow to my arm. I've had three procedures now to remove the blood clots and have one more surgery scheduled to remove my first rib. I'm happy that my condition can be fixed, but frustrated that my wls has to be put on hold for 3 to 4 months while I'm on blood thinners after I finally finished my pre op and mentally was prepared to have my wls this month. Hopefully I can stay on track and keep lossing on my own. I've lost a decent amount just by seeing the nutrionalist and exercising more. But I feel like I won't be able to keep up with these good habits I've developed because of my inability to work out and the long hospital stays I've had.
Highest weight: 293
Current: 260
Goal: ?

I understand what you are going through and I wish you safe and well. I wound up with pulmonary emboli (blood clots in my lungs).
This happened about 2 years ago and I'm since off the blood thinners. We never really knew what caused them, so my surgeon sent me to a hematologist as one of my many things to do to get medically cleared. After a bunch of lab work, the hematologist, stated that I will be on lovenox injections for 4 weeks post op.
I hope you are well soon. At least your doctors found this early and you are being treated properly.
Good luck and keep us posted!

Yeah, there definitely different from each other. I know about this fun stuff by being in the medical field for 23 years.

It does suck though. Everyone feels it differently and depending on how much gas gets put in and how much they get out before closing up the incisions.

I hope you start feeling better soon!

Hello,

Im sorry you're having gas pain. I'm pre op RNY, but had 5 abdominal surgeries and they used CO2 in all of them.

My pain was worst with my gallbladder surgery.

The gas x is for gas from in the stomach and intestines and the gas pain you are having is intrabdominal. Your body has to absorb the CO2 and it can take some time to do that. I had the gas pain for a week, but I kept on walking. Walking helps the most, but it takes time. If you are able to lay on your right side, that helps move the gas around so it goes away. Keep using the heating pad too.

I am no doctor, but it worked for me. If it is to unbearable, call your surgeon. You want to be sure there's no infection or strictures. I do hope you feel better soon! Take care.😃

A good way to start is to make an appointment with your primary care doctor. Tell them the reason for your appointment is for a medically supervised diet because you're going to pursue WLS. They may want to do a physical for a baseline weight. Your insurance company will have certain criteria for you to follow and your surgeon will also have you doing things too. You can set up another appointment with your doc, but the appointment must be at least 30 days between visits.

I started my supervised diet in November and had my consult with the surgeon in January, so my mandatory visit for my insurance were done by the time I saw him.

I did have an EGD, psychological visit, hematology (history of pulmonary emboli), nutritionist, and follow up for the EGD with gastro doc. I did not have to do a sleep study or cardiac visit. This all took place from January to the 23rd of February.

Every surgeon has their criteria you must follow. To succeed in the WLS, always follow your doctors to the tee.

Good luck to you!

I hope this helped.

Maybe I should start taking Vitamins too! Thank you!

You should definitely be on Vitamins. If your Vitamin D is low it can contribute to fatigue. Also, check B12 and possibly Iron. If you're anemic, that too will cause dizziness and fatigue.
Good luck!

Wow! Wth? Pretty incompetent on someone's part over there. I'm glad you finally got an answer to that part. Definitely update us about insurance. This waiting (I'm waiting too) is so hard and nerve wracking!

I agree that someone dropped the ball there. Now I am a little happier that everything went for approval, but I'm nervous too.
I'm not sure when I have my surgery date yet and with my luck I'll probably have to wait for months to have my rny.

Wondering what ever happened with this. I'd be annoyed too.


Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Well, here is where I stand now:
I called the office again last Thursday and the secretary said she wasn't sure what I wanted. She said I needed patients and it will get done. WTF!
I then told her I wanted to speak to her manager and I'll wait on the line to talk.
The manager came on and said I did fulfill my pre surgical tests and appointments. She said that she was sorry and that this should have been looked at in February.
That dumbfounded me.
She said she will see my surgeon later and she would personally have him look and medically clear me. That was last Wednesday and Friday I called her back to see where I stand.
To my delight my chart was given to my insurance company for approval since my Doctor medically cleared me.
Now I'm just waiting for approval from my insurance company.
I was told to call Friday (tomorrow) if I hadn't heard anything yet.
I'm very anxious about this now. I will be calling tomorrow and see where we are with the approval.
Wish me luck!
I'll keep y'all posted once I know!
Thanks for the support!

36 minutes ago, tarabee7 said:

I've been watching a bunch of YouTube on things people have be consuming during this getting ready but I'm hitting a wall of not finding products I like.
EVERY Protein Shake I've tried is so nasty! And I don't like hello or popsicles... so would love anyone's suggestions EsP on the Protein part !!
Thank you !

Have you tried the unflavored Protein Powder? You can add it to juice or maybe crystal lite you don't taste it. You can add it to Soup or hot coffee/tea, but it can't be any hotter than 140 degrees or it changes the texture. You can use a kitchen thermometer to check before you add it. I like to use it in my coffee.

Be careful with Excedrin Migraine, I believe it contains aspirin, which we shouldn't have pre-op. I believe it is a blood thinner.

Oh! My bad! I totally forgot about not having aspirin and ibuprofen. Sorry about that[emoji39]