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Hi! I live in Ohio and was wondering if anybody knew if the Medicaid would cover the sleeve surgery? I am 25 with a bmi of 65 and I weigh 430 pounds. However, nothing else is wrong. I have no sleep apnea, blood pressure, diabetes or anything. I think that is why my primary doctor hasnt suggested the surgery and doesnt seem interested in helping me get the surgery. I was thinking about going to Mexico but I am a full time student so money is tight...I know for sure this surgery is right for me. I see people less than HALF my size getting insurance approval and it makes me so sad because it feels so out of reach for me cuz I only have Ohio Medicaid...

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I called and the lady was very vague and kept telling me that my doctor has to start the process, which he wont. and she basically didnt know anything else. she has no idea what WLS they cover or dont. yea, calling wasnt a help at all.

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I have Illinois Medicaid, I have no idea if they are the same but here is what I had to do. So in order for you to get the surgery almost everything has to be on a "referral" basis. I called medicaid many times, they helped me little to absolutely none with anything.

I went to my WLS seminar first to find out if they would take my Illinois medicaid, I got the packet and had to have my primary care doc refer me. Once my doc referred me the weight loss place took over. They referred me to numerous places. I have had blood work, sleep study, stress test, EKG, chest xray, there are more but I can't remember them all right now.

Anyway, I felt I had no bad co-morbities either. I have depression, slight arthritis, and a long diet history but nothing huge, or so I thought. After getting my sleep study I found out I had CSA. Central sleep apnea, and also some scans said my arthritis is far worse than I thought.

Point is you may have issues you don't know about. If I were you I would either change your doctor or start asking for testing to be done. The truth is you are in the range for surgery, you don't even need to have co-morbids to qualify, so if your doctor isn't going to help you then find a different doctor who will.

I have had to change my doctor many times because sadly when you have medicaid most docs don't treat you well, or that is my experience. If you have a weight loss surgeon in mind you may want to try and call their office for help. They may be able to recommend a doc who takes medicaid who would be willing to refer you. Good Luck! Keep pushing forward and you will eventually get the sleeve, it's just gunna take time.

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Thank you Felicia! I know what you mean about being treated like crap if you have medicaid. The lady on the phone from my insurance was rude and wouldn't give me any information regarding how I can start the process to get WLS. I dont want anything but the sleeve, but she wouldn't tell me if it was covered or not either. I have done the sleep test, no apnea. I have done the ekg with another doctor, so I wonder if I can use those past attempts towards this application. It wasn't more than 2 years ago...I hate what you have to go through to try to get healthy. Clearly Im a canidate-why do I have to jump through hoops just to get this? It's almost like they want you to suffer.

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 0 replies
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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