I hope that this doesn't upset anyone, but I have been trying to get this question answered. I have not been heavy my whole life, I gained 130lbs during two pregnancies(100 w/ one and one year later 30 more with the other). All together I have been trying to get the weight off for five years with no luck. My question is, has anyone been in a similar situation and was it hard to get approval from primary? Any advise or info would be great.

Beccs

Do you have to be approved by your primary before you have surgery? I didn't have to go through that loop. I would say pay him/her a visit and tell them how serious you are about the surgery. If they don't authorize switch doctors.

I think the FDA actually specified 5 yrs as the minimum length of time being obese as a qualification. If have been heavy for at least five years and actively battling the problem, the fact that you got to have a normal childhood and adolesence should not stop you. :]

But I guess having had a normal life, this whole obesity thing must be even more horrific than for those of us that grew up being the fat kid.

Hugs, and good luck!

Hun you are singing the same toon as i am. I wasn't always this way but it's been hell trying to get it off!. I've got a 2 year old and a 3 year old. I like you, gained 100lbs with first pregancy , and 20 with my second. 3 months after i had my daughter i was preggers again... My body wasn't able to "bounce back" like most peoples do. I'm still waiting on word from my doc atm. I dont think i'll hear from him til march. But who's your main insurance. Different people with different insruances have to go through different things. I myself have BCBSOK, -BlueChoice, i called ahead of my doctor and spoke with them before i even made my doctors appointment. They said i would be approved i just had to find a doctor in the area that was in the network with my insurance...

i was like a yo yo through school due to being on ritlin during the school year and then being taken off of it during the summer. I would lose weight in the school year and then gain it when i was off . I was never "super skinny" but i had a lil meat in all the right places. Least that 's what i like to think but ever since i got married my ex husband used to say you are losing too much weight, i want more weight on u.... Secretly i think he was trying to trap me so that no one else would want me but that's a whole different story and now i'm getting sidetracked LOL.

In other post below you will find great information about the procedures, doctors, hospitals and insurances. We're all here for you and good luck hun! *hugs*

Thank you all for the kind words. I will not be covered by insurance so as crappy as that is financially I at least will not have to jump through hoops for them. My husbands home office excluded any kind of weightloss surgery when they signed up with cigna. I am trying to go around my primary and go straight to the surgeon but they haven't got back with me yet. Thanks again for you all sharing with me.

becca

All together I have been trying to get the weight off for five years with no luck. My question is, has anyone been in a similar situation and was it hard to get approval from primary? Any advise or info would be great.

I haven't had children yet but I wasn't overweight until... right around the time I got married.

If your insurance doesn't pay, you won't need approval from a primary care physician. Normally that's an insurance requirement (HMO). Even then it isn't always needed. I have a PPO and all I had to do was go to a surgeon and have them deem me qualified. I opted to go through my PCP so I could get a letter of support (also wan't needed), just to help strengthen my chances since I didn't have any comorbidities.

I was 145 pounds and 5'8" tall my first 38 years of life. Then after 3rd degree burns, back surgery, neck surgery, and foot surgery I gained 100 pounds. I had it on me for 4 years and then decided to get banded. BC/BS would have covered me but, they needed the 6 month supervised diet and I was too impatient so I just took money out of savings and went to Mexico, but other than that it was not going to be any trouble I just didn't want to wait. If I can help you with anything pm me and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Good luck.