And the only thing wrong with me that would help toward surgery is my bad cholesterol is 151 and she said it should be 100 or below and no meds needed. Just diet and exercise...hmmmmm. So yeah, not looking good on the co-morbidity front for insurance approval. But, I am thankful and praising God that I am healthy as far as that goes. It just aggravates me that according to the surgeon's insurance girl, some of the stuff I've seen other companies approve as co-morbitities won't fly with UHC. But, I absolutely refuse to purposely gain weight to get my BMI up 4 points.

If it doesn't happen, I may hang out with y'all still and be a wanna be sleever and try and take some things from y'alls way of eating and such and try once again to do it without surgical help. Cuz I just plain ole like y'all!!

I hope they consider high cholesterol a co-morbid. I can imagine that would make approval easier. I actually know 2 ladies here that strapped ankle weights under flare leg pants to make the BMI requirement. Obviously, I'm not saying it's okay, but with the insurance companies rules/regulations, I can see where people would take drastic measures to get approval.

Fingers crossed, prayers for you. You're fabulous, and I'd miss your posts if you didn't stick around.

So, I just got an email from the insurance lady and she asked me where I got that I had to be on meds for high cholesterol for it to be counted as a co morbidity, LOL So, I emailed her back and told her that's what I had understood her to say and that I sure was hoping that I completely misunderstood her, LOL There may be hope yet!! :-)

@ the ankle weights thing. LOL! I would have to put 30 lbs of weights on my feet to do that, I could see myself weeble wobbling into that office, they'd be like "get her surgery STAT! She's got some major stuff goin' on!" lol

hmmm...maybe ankle weights wouldn't work but something around the waist might do the trick. :wink0: I wish I had thought to do that at my first consult weigh in and I wouldn't be stressing so much now about how I'm going to keep my weight down while still eating everything in sight.:sad0: I would have just been able to leave the ankle weights at home for my pre-surgical weigh in. But, I'm going to make it if I have to starve myself before that next weigh in...

I've never heard anything about having to be on medication for co-morbidities. Joint pain/arthritis is one of mine but I don't really take anything for it except ibuprofen as needed.

I have lower back and hip probs and pain in my right knee but she said that couldn't count as a co-morbidity for me with UHC. Crazy huh.

hey, you could be the amazing shrinking woman, shorter,shorter, lol. My UHC case manager told me high cholestrol was a co-morbid, well keeping good thoughts for you.Carla

Cool Carla, thanks for that info! Do you know if UHC told you anything about joint pain stuff? I'm keeping faith!! My God is a God of miracles! Watched my little boy be healed of meningitis last school year in the hospital right in front of me with no meds in him (I say that so ppl know that it wasn't anything he was given that made his neck loosen up, made him sit up and color and eat and laugh and know what he was saying), had just got in his quarantined ICU room! He can make me approved for surgery without any co-morbitities if it's His will

Speaking of shorter, I've thought all my life I was like 5'7 or 5'7 & 1/2 but nope, turns out I'm 5'6, LOL So, that's already happening, heehee

Ankle weights = Brilliant!

:thumbdown:Now that you mention it I have RA and thought it was a co-morbid but the case manager said no, but osteo arthritis was taken into consideration, guess knee replacements might be more expensive that wls. GOD is great and good and if you give it to him he will take it off your shoulders. wow..Such a miracle you witnessed with your son, it humbles me to read it, but God knew he hadn't fullfilled his purpose in this life. Doctors are mere men afterall. :redface1: The other comorbidities were diabetes,sleep apnea,hypertention,high blood fats, and the lenght of time you've been overweight and a history of failed diet attempts. The only other thing that was interesting was all my adult life I was 5'8 and I took off my shoes at dr and they measured me and I was 5'7"..I thought no way! Yes way!! I made DH measure me without shoes and I had shrunk, so have you recently measured without shoes? I think they put 5'6" in the end on me so measure you may be a shrinking woman.lolCarla

Edited March 26, 201016 yr by cwalker
misspelling

Well, she informed me today that my cholesteral had to be life threatening and it be shown in medical records were I was put on medication so either she isn't willing to go the extra mile for me or UHC is great about approving but has a very short list of accepted co-morbitities.

Well ask her if she's willing to submit it anyway or if she has any experience in denials/appealing denials. I've read on different places on google where just because they say it's not covered doesen't mean they won't pay for it. Also there's carecredit and other low cost loans, Carecredit has like a 48 mo no interest if that's a option.If she isn't willing to do that that would be your answer.Try not to let it stress you -and I know that is sooo hard to do.Hugs,Carla:001_rolleyes: