TXAmy07

Good luck Kristie! Keep us informed. Hopefully we can all 3 be May-dates together!! :thumbdown: Amy

Bethany, If your doctor put that in your charts, and that will be part of your 2-year history I bet you will be fine! That's all mine had as well. Good luck!!

I was wondering the same thing about pre-op dieting in reading about people doing liquid-only diets, some not even having one, etc.... I am on day 1 and my stomach is growling, LOL. Mine consists of 4 meals: 1 serving of 2 of these: fruit, yogurt, Cereal, toast, bagel, oatmeal, waffle, etc... Protein shake 4-6 ozs of lean meat, and 1 cup of green vegetables (lettuce, peas, green Beans, broccoli) Protein Shake But I have to do it for FOUR weeks. I am curious as to what other people's diets consist of and why... Interesting stuff!

I just got a call from my coordinator - I was approved by insurance this morning, my pre-op appt is 4/23 and my surgery date is May 6!!!!!!!!! :smile2: I am a little bummed that it's so far out but I guess it's not really THAT far. I start the pre-op diet on Monday!

I just started my FOUR WEEK pre-op diet today... I was trying to figure out some positive reasons to keep it up and not cheat (other than the glaringly obvious one of the surgery being the light at the end of the tunnel) and so I just sat down and figured up how much I spent last month eating out. WOW. All those times I just "grabbed something quick" on the way home, or said yes to lunch with co-workers add up to a stupid amount. No wonder I am at the point where I need LB... :smile2: So, I'm going to use that as a positive thing and let all the useful things I could have spent that money on motivate me.

Kapamaro - that's pretty sweet that you are going through this with your boss. I wish I had someone that I was going through the process with like that. Back to the Cigna thing, I don't think the letter or note from the PCP was even on the list that I got from Cigna when I first looked into LB. When I got almost to the end of my 6-month diet I called the coodinator and went over what all I needed, and she said that Cigna had just started denying some because they were not recommended for LB by a doctor. She said if my charts from my PCP showed that she had recommended it in my 2-year history that would work, but if not I needed to make an extra appointment with the doctor I did my 6-month diet through. Luckily my PCP did mention it in her notes since she was the one who recommended it, so I was ok there. I do love all the different stories - it just seems like it depends on who reviews your stuff as to if they allow it or whatever. But I'd rather have more than enough info to convince them than the opposite! Keep up the good fight! You can do it!!!! :smile2:

I just got approval from Cigna this past week and for approval with them I needed: psych eval, nutrition eval, 6 months supervised diet, 2 year weight history from my primary doctor WITH a note in my charts stating that she had recommended me for LB surgery. (I was told by my coordinator that you can actually get that from your 6 month diet doctor if need-be but it has to be a separate visit with a note stating you should have LB - she said that's a new one that Cigna has suddenly started denying folks for not having) It was 32 pages of info, and it was approved 8 days after Cigna got the packet. I would FOR SURE ask the person at your doctor's office again. If she keeps insisting that you don't need all of that, I'd call Cigna and ask them. Maybe even call twice just to ask two different people. I am sure she does it every day too, but maybe she's mistaken on this one, or who knows. I don't know if they differ per policy but I'm just giving you my recent experience. Also, another hint that I found is to call Cigna and ask if your paperwork is in the "nurse's queue" - some of their phone people can actually access the approval department's queue to see if your stuff is in there to be looked at yet. (When they first get your paperwork it basically sits in an inbox until someone goes in and actually puts your stuff in line to be looked at) I think that helped speed mine up a lot. I hope this helps, and good luck to you! :welldoneclap:

The subject says it all I guess... I am just looking for opinions and experience on calling insurance and how many times per week/month/etc you called them. My surgeon turned in the paperwork on 3/13, they show they it as being received on 3/20 - I called on 3/23 to ask about it and actually got a higher up phone person that had access to the "queue" and so she dropped it into the queue for the approval department to review. I called again yesterday and they said to wait a couple of more weeks to call back because it takes "up to 30 days". Should I call back and start annoying them? Do they record that stuff, I wonder? And if so, will it delay them just because I'm being irritating? Thanks for any input or opinions! :thumbdown:

Do you have Cigna as well? I am not sure about the website, I never checked on theirs. I just knew when my doctor submitted my stuff and so I started calling a few days after that. I would call your doctor's office first and ask if they have submitted it (and when) and then start following up with insurance. Good luck! :confused:

Coke Zero was my addiction... and I also miss the fizz part, but I gave up soda for lent this year just to see how it would go. I cheated and had one a week ago, and it tasted terrible! I poured it out and had tea instead. I never thought I'd be THAT person, that "doesn't like the taste of sodas" but hmm... I guess that's what's happening here.

Ahb08 - Mine is with Lap Band Dallas, Dr. Anderson. My coordinator didn't submit anything until I was completely done with all of my stuff but I have also heard of people having that done and then getting a quick date, etc. I think it really just depends on your insurance. Hairnv - good luck to you too! :wink: Danimal - You're so close, just look at it that way. I think the time is going to start passing by quickly the closer we get. Maclynn - I'm excited to have someone on the same day as me! Yay!!!

Well, I went ahead and at the risk of being annoying, called them back today. I guess I had good timing because they let me know when I called that I was APPROVED!!!!! They gave me the approval number and said they hadn't even gotten the letters sent out yet! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :smile2:

Jodi, thank you so much for the advice. I took that advice and called Cigna again and got a super helpful lady that explained to me that the first person I spoke with this morning was actually completely wrong. She said exactly what the insurance coordinator said - pre-authorization and approval is the same thing for them, and my paperwork was in the system to be pulled for Nurse's review. She was able to access the system and "pull" the paperwork for review which I guess puts it into the nurse's queue, and they will review it to approve it and give it a "pre-authorization code" and send a letter to both the surgeon and me stating I am approved. (or that I am lacking whatever) She also looked at the paperwork and said that it looks good and thorough. So I might owe the insurance coordinator an apology, especially if she thought I was trying to say she didn't do her job correctly but whatever. There's no reason to be rude about it! I did pick them because their coordinator (at the time) was so helpful and she'd been through the surgery and let everyone feel of her port at the seminar and she just overall rocked... Now, not so much! Anyways, thanks for the input. I needed that! -Amy

CelticAngel, who is your surgeon? I ask because I am also in Dallas. I called my insurance this morning and they received the paperwork last Friday but said that it may have gone to the wrong department because of how my surgeon's coordinator sent it to them? I don't know what that means... The coordinator says she sends it to the same place "every time" and has "never had a problem before". I posted more details in the insurance forum though, so hopefully someone sees it and has had the same issue or can advise. I am crossing my fingers that the coordinator is correct though!!!

I just finished everything last Friday and my surgeon's coordinator sent everything into my insurance for approval.. So now the wait is on! She said to wait about 2 weeks to call CIGNA to start bugging them, and I am anxiously waiting for it to have been 2 weeks. I am ready to get this show on the road!!!!!!!

Maestrita, It sounds terrible but I agree, I can't wait to let him have it once I get to my goal! He was a lousy husband - the first time my doctor recommended LB to me and I told him about it he told me there was NO WAY I would succeed in that and he didn't know why I was even bothering. I would never lose weight. I called my insurance anyways and they weren't covering it TX at that time and I cried so much because it felt like the whole world was against me. So. Once I am all hot and skinny (and healthy!) it's ON. How terrible, that revenge is also a motivator for me! I'm glad I didn't tell them that part in the psych eval. Haha. But as much as I can't stand him, he did give me a pretty awesome kid. Sorry I made you cry Shellynnrn! -A

Wow... it feels pretty good to know I am not the only one who has had these experiences! Here are some of mine: :scared2: Co-worker brought his 3 or 4 year old daughter up to the office and they were walking side by side as they passed me, and the daughter said "Daddy! Look how BIG she is!" to which the dad tried to play it off that she said it because he's short and I'm several inches taller then him but please... we all know what she meant by "big". :crying: Just recently I went to a Water park with my daughter and her friend, a friend of mine and his brother, and my boyfriend. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt over my bathing suit but after a few hours the wet shorts rubbed the inside of my thighs completely raw and I had to take them off and go without, and play it off as "the shorts just started feeling gross being so wet for so long" when questioned as to why I took them off. :heart: Haha, I thought I was the only smart one that did the jacket thrown loosely over the airplane seatbelt trick! I did that before I even knew there were seatbelt extensions - I thought I would get kicked off the airplane if I didn't fit and I was terrified since I travel for work... One day I got busted by an attendant who thank GOD didn't say a word, just walked up and handed me an extension. That's when I figured it out... But still, I HATE asking for one. Especially in front of co-workers. Humiliating. Having my 8 year old daughter come home from a weekend with her dad (my ex) and tell me that Daddy's new girlfriend's sons said "your mom is FAT!" and laughed at me - in FRONT of her tall, skinny daddy and the gf, who decided not to defend me or correct the kids that were old enough to know better. While she told me the story she started to cry and said, "Mommy I told them you are working out and trying to lose weight but they just kept laughing and it made me so sad". It made me fall in love with my daughter all over again, and she is truly the reason I am on this journey. I went for my 6th and final visit for my 6-month supervised diet this morning, and that is all I had left to do. My paperwork should have been put in the mail today (or Monday) for my insurance... So hopefully I will know something soon! I am praying it's a yes! -A

Hello! I stumbled across the site while looking for other's experiences with insurance. What a great community! I am attending my 6th and final "6 month supervised diet" visit tomorrow morning, and my surgeon's insurance coordinator will be turning in the paperwork to my insurance company (CIGNA) as soon as she gets the 6 month diet notes from the doctor that did that part. I have done my psych eval, dietician meeting, attended a seminar, and have gotten a 3 year weight history from my PCP. The coordinator says that I have more than enough info, and my PCP had very detailed notes for each year where they spoke with me about weight, losing weight, etc. She said everything looks very good and I should call Cigna in 2 weeks, and that it could take 30-60 days for the approval but since everything looks good for me it may not even take that long... I am having a hard time accepting that! I am terrified that I have gotten my hopes up for this life-changing experience and I will be denied. So that's me and where I am right now. :confused: I look forward to reading and posting here, and hope to post some good updates as I move forward on this journey! Amy