amartyn1

ok - here is my story - i actually have my approval from the insurance , as i was seeing another surgeon, i dexcided to change on the advice of others - i am going this saturday to the seminar beacuse it is there protocol and i have to go to a stress managemnt class next saturday at ABH prior to getting a surgical date and i am fine with all of this ... it is jsut..well there front staff does not seem to warm , is it me ?? i have tried to ask several questions and am basically told to come to the seminar ... i am really hoping that this is not how the entire facility is .... I have been told that the surgeons are wonderful .. can you please tell me a bit about your experiance .. thank you and congrats on getting your LB

so i have been reading theads for several hours now ... mostly the "day of surgery " ones ... I have worked hard to get all of my requirements done and submitted and have my approval letter from bcbs IL, the self frustrating part .. i initially chose a surgeon cloe to work because it would be "convenient " ie.. pre op appts , post op appts.. fills.. instead of listening to my brain - that told me to look for the best. ( not insinuating anything about surgeon #1) After telling my bosses what i was doing - mainly because i would be asking for time off.. they did some nonchalant asking around, and strongly urged my to go to a center of bariatric excellence facility . After doing some heavy thinking , i decided to change facilities and go to the one recommended by others.. so after all of my work ... I know have to go through another "seminar", possibly another nutrition meeting ( will insurance pay for it ?) and then they are requiring a pulmonalogist appt ? ( not quite sure why b/c i do not have sleep apnea) or yea and try to get in soon to see the new surgeon ... oh and the last requirement .. a class on stress management . While i realise that all of these requirements are wonderful and i am sure that i will probably learn something new with each one , i am just frustrated that i didnt start out with this program , because my brain and my heart and my body is SO ready for banding ..... i just want to start my 2 weeks of zero carbs as part of my pre-op ... so here i go again ......:tongue2:

can some one tell me were to get the counters on their profile pages for their BMI and weight ? Thank you

Hi again - i really cant tell everyone how much i love this site :biggrin: i was on another site for wls and it was so negative . well in my wait for my approval i have also changed surgeons. so i get to start the surgical process over again , although the one good thing is that when i do get appoved it will transfer to the new surgeon !!! yaaaaa i am still hoping for a surgical date next month ( October ) mentally i am ready and am truly excited about the next new phase in my life ... :biggrin:

I just spoke to BCBS IL and found out that they approved me :biggrin: now, because i am changing surgeons i have to meet for the new groups pesentation on saturday and i am going to call and see if i can preset up my surgical consultation so i can hopefully have surgery mid october ---- I am so excited and so mentally ready !!!!!:smile2:

waiting is definetly the hardest part .. i can attest to that , my suggestion, after a week call the insurance company. that is what i did and i found out that i was approved. let me tell you teh previous week and a half was like a life time of waiting ... and wondering ... now i know my answer and the insurance company is faxing me a copy of the appoval. We all have to remember that this is the first stage to the new and improved us .... Maybe this is to help teach us patience :biggrin:

Hi - just wondering if there is anyone else here from IL ??? i have completed all of the prereqs..... and it has been submitted to BCBS of IL and i am in the waiting game. I have to say that i am very concerned now because i have read some of the posts,, and it doesnt look like BCBS IL is good at approving this surgery. Can anyone help reassure me ??? i am really hoping to have surgery mid October ...:tt1: thanks

Hi - ok first and foremost i really like this site because it does answer alot of questions ... but within reading this i am now getting anxious becaue i am reading so many people get denied initially for the sx. Plus i can not call the surgery scheduler at my surgeons office because she is on vacation this week :thumbup: i have finished my 6 months , had all of my consultations, phsyical , labs ect...here is my concern , my BMI is 38.7 per my surgeons calculaitons.... has any oen else been in my shoes ... for those of you that are going to tell me to be happy that my BMI is only 38.7 - please i am in the same boat as you , plus a very long history of obesity .... and a very long family history of every comorbidity .... I realise this is a tool , and i am ready for this - almost at the point that i wish i could have the surgery tomorrow .... i am jsut very scared that i will get the rejection letter .... and paying for this out of pocket is not an option. i thank you ahead of time for your insite :tt1:

Dore - thank you for the encouragement ... can i ask how long it took for you to find out ???