My journey has been a long one to get where I'm at now. I initially visited a doctor in mid-2010 and went through many months of tests and dietician appointments and specialist appointments; everything I needed to do before I could submit to insurance for approval. All in all it took about 8 months to get through that process. However, my insurance denied me and then denied my appeal. I gave up for a little while and just didn't know where to go from there, but ultimately decided to continue to try to lose weight non-surgically (though unsuccessful).

This past May, I found a new doctor that I instantly felt comfortable with and truly felt like he had my best interest at heart from the start. Dr.Fishman of Obesity Treatment Centers in Livingston, NJ is fantastic, and so is his staff. They went through all of my paperwork, tests from previous, etc. and worked hard to get the insurance to approve me this time. They must have done something right (and know what they're doing) because I got my approval letter 1st try this time, without having to go through everything I did the first time around.

To make a short story long , I'm now 21 days out from surgery and moving right along. I have my pre-admission testing tomorrow morning, a couple specialist appointments to get medical clearance (e.g., pulmonologist, vascular surgeon, etc.), my IVC filter will be inserted in 2 weeks, and then its just waiting for my actual surgery date. I think I'm going through the normal pre-surgical fears and insecurities, though I am anxiously excited to truly begin my journey to a healthier me.

I found VST through my many internet searches for more information, personal journeys, and success stories related to the sleeve. I am looking forward to sharing the journey with all of you and hope to get to know you all better!

:wub: JerzyGirl :wub:

Welcome! Glad you are here and I wish you best of luck!

Welcome to VST and congrats on finally getting your surgery approved. Best of luck to you on your journey!

Everyone gets jitters but we get through them. I'm so glad u didn't give up

My journey has been a long one to get where I'm at now. I initially visited a doctor in mid-2010 and went through many months of tests and dietician appointments and specialist appointments; everything I needed to do before I could submit to insurance for approval. All in all it took about 8 months to get through that process. However, my insurance denied me and then denied my appeal. I gave up for a little while and just didn't know where to go from there, but ultimately decided to continue to try to lose weight non-surgically (though unsuccessful).

To make a short story long , I'm now 21 days out from surgery and moving right along. I have my pre-admission testing tomorrow morning, a couple specialist appointments to get medical clearance (e.g., pulmonologist, vascular surgeon, etc.), my IVC filter will be inserted in 2 weeks, and then its just waiting for my actual surgery date. I think I'm going through the normal pre-surgical fears and insecurities, though I am anxiously excited to truly begin my journey to a healthier me.

Congrats on getting approved! I sure hope it happens for me too. Did your insurance give you a reason why they denied you and denied your appeal before?

Also, just curious...why an IVC filter? Does everyone have one placed in prior to surgery? Do you have other medical concerns that require it?

Just wanting to understand better so I know what I am getting into too, as I am still pre-op too.

Did your insurance give you a reason why they denied you and denied your appeal before?

Also, just curious...why an IVC filter? Does everyone have one placed in prior to surgery? Do you have other medical concerns that require it?

Supposedly they denied my original submission and my appeal because I didn't show a significant enough history of being overweight, which I never truly understood because I've been overweight since I was in my teens and my medical records clearly show this. My records also showed the numerous attempts to lose the weight unsuccessfully, too. Honestly, I got discouraged after the denials came and I stopped looking into it further. Just happy that I got over that hump and back on track to where I'm at now.

As for the IVC filter, I'm a special case. I had a DVT about 10 years ago and although I've had no reoccurrence or complications since then, my surgeon isn't taking any chances and is requiring me to have the filter put in or he won't do the surgery. Unfortunately, its yet another day in the hospital of being poked and prodded, but its a necessary evil at this point and worth it in the end.

Next question, what's a DVT?

Next question' date=' what's a DVT? [/quote']

Deep vein thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis

Ooooh Ok, thank you.

Good luck!!