My insurance requires a 4-5 month weight loss program along with the usual psych, nutr., pcp approval. I am half way tempted to go to Mexico to have my surgery, I am horrible at waiting or delayed gratification. I am just so excited and want to get going on my sleeve journey. I have my first surgeon's consult on 12/1. I am praying for a miracle...lol, I want him to say I need the surgery so badly that he will write a letter to bc/bs telling them I have to have the surgery immediately. It won't happen probably, but I can hope and pray. :ihih:

I am 50 years old and have diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, lipidemia, and have become disabled with a diabetic ulcer on the bottom of my left foot. I am not allowed to put weight on my foot until it heals andhave to take blood thinners due to blood clots going into my lungs from being so sedentary.

I am too young to be this dang old and sick. I have been obese since I was 6 years old and I don't know any other way to be. BUT I AM GOING TO LEARN!!

Best of luck to all you sleevers out there. Your stories are my inspiration and solace right now. I look forward to getting to know you in the coming year.

Carrie

hey!

i know waiting sucks but its honestly not that bad. at first, the thought of waiting 6 months made me want to jump out a window! dec 1st marks my 6th month appt and i cant believe it!

just stay busy, read and research! everyday i learn something new as i research! start a vlog on youtube to keep you busy! thats what i did. with the health problems you have, i would recommend staying local. good luck to you and your journey! stay positive

My insurance requires a 4-5 month weight loss program along with the usual psych, nutr., pcp approval. I am half way tempted to go to Mexico to have my surgery, I am horrible at waiting or delayed gratification. I am just so excited and want to get going on my sleeve journey. I have my first surgeon's consult on 12/1. I am praying for a miracle...lol, I want him to say I need the surgery so badly that he will write a letter to bc/bs telling them I have to have the surgery immediately. It won't happen probably, but I can hope and pray. :ihih:

I am 50 years old and have diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, lipidemia, and have become disabled with a diabetic ulcer on the bottom of my left foot. I am not allowed to put weight on my foot until it heals andhave to take blood thinners due to blood clots going into my lungs from being so sedentary.

I am too young to be this dang old and sick. I have been obese since I was 6 years old and I don't know any other way to be. BUT I AM GOING TO LEARN!!

Best of luck to all you sleevers out there. Your stories are my inspiration and solace right now. I look forward to getting to know you in the coming year.

Carrie

Thanks Jasleeve for the encouragement. I know you are right, and I am a research demon. I have been reading so much about the sleeve and watching other sleever vlogs. I lurked here for about a month before I even asked my pcp his opinion about the surgery. He is all in favor of my having wls, he has been my doc for years and has seen my struggle. He is overweight and really 'gets' the disappointment we go through. He didn't know a lot about the sleeve and started quizzing me. <snicker> He was surprised I was able to answer all his questions. He laughed and said "I don't think I could stop you if I wanted to" NOPE !

Are you going to have your surgery soon or are you 6 months sleeved?

I think staying local is a good idea too... for followup. The time will fly!

Carrie,

Don't give up! Waiting is a pain, but we have to jump through those hoops to get to our goal. I decided 9 months ago to begin my journey. Now I'm down to a round of testing and my consultation/set the date on Dec. 6th. It is worth it, and I can see that you are determined. As Journey says, "Don't stop believin' "...

BeyoncSleeve

im praying to be sleeved by dec 20th. i meet my surgeon tuesday and hopefully ill get a tentative date. dec 1st marks my 6months so they send my stuff over to my insurance and i wait!

Thanks Jasleeve for the encouragement. I know you are right, and I am a research demon. I have been reading so much about the sleeve and watching other sleever vlogs. I lurked here for about a month before I even asked my pcp his opinion about the surgery. He is all in favor of my having wls, he has been my doc for years and has seen my struggle. He is overweight and really 'gets' the disappointment we go through. He didn't know a lot about the sleeve and started quizzing me. <snicker> He was surprised I was able to answer all his questions. He laughed and said "I don't think I could stop you if I wanted to" NOPE !

Are you going to have your surgery soon or are you 6 months sleeved?

the trick is to make all your testing appointments asap and get them out the way. i completed all my testing within the first 3 weeks of starting my process. only thing that i waited for was cardiologist and that was because they wanted me to wait until my 5th month to get that testing done. i remember at a support group, i met this lady who completed her 6 month diet but was procrastinating on completing her testing. it completely CONFUSED me! i couldnt understand how someone could decide to have WLS and finish the 6 months but still not finish testing. i guess she didnt want it that bad. i wasted absolutely NO TIME!!! i feel like im going to the drs every other week but its worth it

Another way to save time is to call your insurance and ask what their requirements are. Believe it or not, a lot of people do not do this. If you pick a surgeon of excellence (which you should in my humble opinion), the insurance coordinator will call your insurance at the very beginning of the process and CONFIRM what you were told so there are no surprises. They might even provide you or your primary physician forms to fill out so it is all in the exact way the insurance wants it.

I see a lot of delays here because the surgeons staff is inexperienced and they send the wrong or incomplete information to the insurance. An experienced team is essential for your health and speed. Best of luck!

I had more problems with my PCPs office than I did with my surgeon's office, however my process was extremely fast. I would wait until after you talk with your surgeon and insurance coordinator before I made any decisions to go elsewhere. I am also a fan of instant gratification, but my process went so quickly that I felt like I didn't have time to change my mind!

There are a lot of differences in insurance requirements, but I would think that your large amount of comorbidities will work in your favor. Hang in there. Ask lots of questions and get your insurance coordinator to give you a list of what you need to do for them to be able to send your case to insurance for approval. I actually left my initial consultation appointment and made my appointments with my PCP and the psychologist before I left the parking lot at the surgeons office.

Wow! Thank you all for your wisdom and encouragement. I am going to follow through with all of your suggestions. I have already realized the experience of other sleevers is more accurate than most of the medical/insurance folks I have dealt with. I don't mean that disrespectfully - it's just they seem to try to fit us into certain categories and this is definitely not a 'one size fits all' situation.

I loved hearing your thoughts everyone. I pray you all have the best possible journey. I look forward to reading your sleeve adventures.

Carrie

Good Evening,

First of all let me just tell you that I am like you. When I decide to do something I don't want to wait I want it RIGHT NOW! So trust me its easy saying this then doing it. But this will happen and you've got to hold on until then. Get all of the information you possibly can for your insurance. Be you are best advocate. No one wants this more then you do, so speak up for yourself. I LOVE my surgeon but can't stand his administrative assistant. She is terrible with communication but the surgeon will email me back within an hour. When I didn't hear from his assistant for a few weeks, I didn't sit back and worry and fret about it, I took matters into my own hands and emailed both her and the surgeon and I called. Well I guess she got sick of hearing from me because she gave me my first appointment to see him one on one on a day that he wasn't supposed to see patients and the same day she gave me the appointment she gave me a surgery date AFTER she asked which date would be best because she knows I'm a music teacher and hubby is deployed and should be home soon.

I truly believe that even if you have to wait you WILL get there and use this time to get yourself educated on the good, the bad, and the ugly on this surgery. Take the time the time to heal. I've been on blood thinners before because I had a blood clot in my lung and I know how much it sucks and how careful you have to be. But maybe try going to a pool that way you can start preparing for the surgery physically as well as emotionally. I went out and brought a bodymedia fit so I can try all of my calories and steps. I've had small goals that I want to have BEFORE the surgery so it will take my mind off the wait.

Send me a message if you need to vent because I totally understand! Good luck and see you on the losers bench soon!

T

wow.. I just read my thread again.. now I see what happens when I do reread it before I post it. grrr sorry for the errors!!! :embaressed_smile:

Tonya

Tonya, no worries...it just means your mind is going a gazillion miles an hour LOL.

I am an Army brat and I remember what it was like waiting for my father to come home from VietNam. You are in my prayers.

As soon as my foot ulcer closes I will be in the Water. I have to drive 26 miles to the Y, but it will be completely worth it. Meanwhile I will be doing chair exercises and anything else I can do without putting my foot on the floor. I am so ready to get un-kinked and stretch...

Carrie, I don't have much to add but I wanted to lend my support and say hang tight. Time will fly and before you know it, you will be on your way. Others have already given you wonderful suggestions. I just wanted to wish you luck with this journey and your health! You sound so determined and ready to make a change. I look forward to reading about your progress! Be well!

Welcome to VST :smile1:

It does sound like you have a case for you to bypass the 6 month insurance guideline. I wish the very best for you, and much health to you in your future.

Having the sleeve was by far the best choice I've ever made, I don't regret one single thing about it. I don't even regret the little bit of buyers remorse I had in the very beginning. It has made me who I am at this very moment - and I quite like who I've become.

Read up and plenty, there are so many stories here you wouldn't believe. The sleeve has worked for thousands upon thousands of souls!

I was in pretty much the same boat as you with many of the same symptoms and a few different ones. I had (still have) real good insurance and was not wanting to wait the 6+ months for acceptance, I literally thought I would be dead in a few months, I was doing that poorly. I had some cash and decided to go ahead and go to Mexico. It saved my life.

Now 11+ months later I am 170+ pounds down and feeling great. I swim 5 days a week and have more muscles than I have EVER had in my life. As of today I am bouncing around a weight of 205 and LOOK thin even though I am still 15 pounds overweight.

A woman here at my work decided to have WLS after I had mine, she started the process in February. She just had her surgery last week, an almost 10 month waiting period while they jerked her around, "lost" her "paper work", changed her requirements and generally screwed the pooch consistently over and over. She was worried she'd have a stroke over the sheer aggravation and lies they told her over and over - when they suddenly just DROPPED her from the roster with NO explanation. She finally waited them out and had the surgery, she had a RNY bypass despite the fact that she wanted a VSG, they talked her into getting a full bypass instead or threatened to make her start all over again through the insurance waiting game.

I told that horrible story above to let you know that others have done it in MX and survived and thrived. Whatever you choose IT IS WORTH WAITING FOR. It's also worth taking the risk and paying out of pocket for too.