sweetsagi

thanks Finallyncontrol, i needed to know that i wasnt doing anything wrong. i appreciate your reponse.

thanks LoseIt!!

Hi again all, So today makes 20 days post op and so far ive lost 14 -15lbs to date. Im on my mushie stage which really isnt that bad. I love yams so i eat mostly yams and pureed chicken but im stuck at that 14-15lbs. I just started excercising again, hiking at least twice a week yet still nothing. Am i doing something wrong? or am i expecting too much too soon?

thank you so much!

So i finally had my surgery on the first of July. I gotta say it wasnt what i expected. I was in a great deal of pain the day i left the hospital from the gas and i expected that what i didnt expect was how fast the incision pain subsides. well the doctor did mention that ill be back to normal in no time but i thought he was just saying that so i wont get too scared but Im on day 6 and im pretty much back to normal except for the itching....boy do they itch. now im in the liquid diet stage. Is it just me or does anyone else wanna eat every damn thing in sight just cause you cant have it? I crave every thing! I never thought that i would ever miss chewing but after 6 days of drinking I need to chew.:frown:

Hi Again I just wanted to add that I too was denied by my ins company but it was because of the 6 months medically supervised diet. I called obesitylaw.com just today (dont know why I waited so long) and I was told that they have a program in place that helps in situation like this when u are denied, and here is the best part... ITS FREE! they will represent you and handle the whole appeal. I was told by the attorny that the program has been in effect for almost four years (sponsered by the makers of LAP-BAND®) but for some reason not a lot of people know about it. So maybe it just might be worth giving them a call. Let me know how it works out.

Hi Im so sorry that you are having such a difficult time with the insurance.:cool: I read someone's post before that suggested obesitylaw.com. for what its worth i think you should give them a call and explain the situation. Dont give up just yet because thats exactly what the insurance comapny wants you to do. hang in there. Good luck with everything.

Thats what my mom and everyone else is saying but I guess because Im so anxious and really want to get it done it seems sooo far away. I think thats what Im gonna end up doing. Thanks

So I got the news that i was denied . I have a couple other co workers who had the same procedure done and was approved with out the 6 months supervised diet , 1 of them said she had her doc submit a letter stating that she was under his care and the other only did a 3 month supervised diet. I submited a letter and I did a 3 month supervised diet and I was denied with reason being I needed to be on a 6 month supervised diet which I guess I can go the other 3 months but does anyone know If I could appeal this decision and if so how do I go about it?:Banane20: It seems kind of unfair that they got through and I didnt using the exact same information but I guess it depends on your case worker and the mood they are in(lol)

Hi Kerri76 I was also denied and plan on appealing. I found this letter that one of the members posted. I plan on using it myself. Hope it helps. good luck! Dear (insurance Provider contact), I am appealing your decision for denying my medically needed weight-loss surgery. My ht and wt are __ and __ and my BMI is __. As statistics show and as medical doctors, you must be aware that diet and exercise help, but as a long term resolution to permanent wt-loss only 5% of people succeed. I am well aware of the risks with this surgery, but I believe the risks of being morbidly obesity out weigh the risks of surgery. I am _ years old and have been over-wt since I was _ years old. I have been on diets my whole life, having some success, but would always gain the wt back I lost, plus more. I will list the diets I have been on, but never kept any documentation because I could not have known at the time the insurance company would require it. Nor did I know that until this fairly new surgery even became an option for me, I would have to document wt loss before getting the surgery. (list ALL diets, wt- loss products, programs used. If possible, use documentation.) I have many co-morbid diseases, such as ___. (list meds also). You can also list family history related to obesity here.) (discuss everything about how morbid obesity affects your life) Sincerely, (your name) __________________

Im so sorry to hear that. What insurance do you have? Most insurance dont require that you have 2 co-morbidities if your BMI is over 40.

Hi there I know with my insurance I can call if I need a specialist that accepts the insurance and they provide me with a list. Maybe you can give them a call and they will be able to give you a list of biriatric surgeons in your area. you might have to go out of your area a little if you can t find any. good luck!:thumbup:

Hi there I have a sample refferral letter if you are still interested. You can send me a PM and I can email that to you. let me know and good luck!:scared2:

thats awesome...I cant wait to here the same also!!

Hi there I read some blogs where some people did theirs in Mexico and other places because it was so expensive out of pocket here in the US. Of course you will have to do some research but thats an alternative. Good luck!

Congratulation!!

Hi all IM new to this site and find it to be a great tool. I was wondering if anyone has been approved by BCBS of MN. I had my evals done my letter of medical necessity and I did weight management for almost a year and they will provide them with my information for the medical supervised diet. How long does the actual approval take? Does anyone know?:wink: