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Neurologist and Neurosurgeon is trying to have 6 month BCBS required diet waived.



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Hello! I have IIH and my Neuro and Neurosurgeon is trying to get BCBS to bypass 6 month diet so, the surgery can be sooner. I am losing my vision and they think that the surgery will cure me so, I do not have to have brain surgery. Has anyone been able to bypss the diet?

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@ Have you done any other WL program like WW or dr. regulated diet? I was able to get my done with the history from WW, Gyn, and GP. I went to them and got all my weights. This showed the losses and gains over the years. Not saying is your answer... but it maybe something to look into just in case.

Good luck

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@ Have you done any other WL program like WW or dr. regulated diet? I was able to get my done with the history from WW, Gyn, and GP. I went to them and got all my weights. This showed the losses and gains over the years. Not saying is your answer... but it maybe something to look into just in case.

Good luck

Thank you for your reply! Yes, I have done WW a couple years ago and I log on fitbit now. I have been following the Paleo diet. I called and mentioned the fitbit log and WW to my nurse advocate with BCBS. He is supposed to call me back by this afternoon with an answer. Thank you so much!!

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fit bit is great.... What is your bmi right now? If it's borderline.... be careful of how much you do lose... you don't want to lose to much and not qualify for not being fat enough.... lol

I actually had to gain 10 to get my band.... and i would do it again and again. i had no co morbids and my bmi was 39ish... and it had to be a 40. But i knew this before going in. So me and chic fa lay milk shakes became best buds. Do you know how easy it is to gain 10... lol. I lost those 10 on pre diet plus a few

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Hello! I have IIH and my Neuro and Neurosurgeon is trying to get BCBS to bypass 6 month diet so, the surgery can be sooner. I am losing my vision and they think that the surgery will cure me so, I do not have to have brain surgery. Has anyone been able to bypss the diet?

Sounds like they need to do an appeal and talk directly with BCBS.

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@@bayougirlmrsc I am well over the 40 BMI requirement... 58 right now. I spoke with my Dr at the bariatric clinic and it doesn't seem like they will even speak with my neuro and nuerosurgeon and go ahead and submit for early surgery... I think it is because, I am going to their dietician monthly and their dietician doctor monthly... They are making $400 a month off of me for the next 6 months out of my pocket because insurance doesn't cover the pre-op diet.

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@@Inner Surfer Girl I am waiting for BCBS to let me know how many appeals there can be... my biggest fear is submitting it... getting denied, appealing with peer to peer review, getting denied and then not having another chance to appeal after having my brain surgeries. I told my bariatric doctor today that after having 2 brain surgeries, I just do not know if i will have the drive to have another surgery. I am thinking it is safer to have the brain surgeries, follow the 6 month diet, and then decide if I can handle another surgery. It is frustrating that a less invasive, cheaper surgery could cure me but, insurance would much rather cover not one but 2 brain surgeries, and WLS. It just doesn't, make since at all.

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@ Not to be a butt..., but are they the only game in town? Please don't give up on your self.... Keep on them. I was lucky with my old insurance.... it seems like they would be more pro-WLS than paying for all the WL related problems... it's crazy too me.

Don't give up on yourself.... you are worth the fight

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Wow I hope bcbs listens to your doctors... Because they are paying for surgery either way and WLS sounds like win win for both of you. Best of luck and prayers for a quick answer.

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@ Not to be a butt..., but are they the only game in town? Please don't give up on your self.... Keep on them. I was lucky with my old insurance.... it seems like they would be more pro-WLS than paying for all the WL related problems... it's crazy too me.

Don't give up on yourself.... you are worth the fight

I am looking into another surgery center now.... I followed their diet for a month and gained 4lbs... their doctor's response... It's ok 4lbs is nothing in the grand scheme of things, you will lose everything you gain once you have surgery. I responded with, sure no big deal to you but... every pound I gain puts me closer to brain surgery and blindness! She said not to worry... not exactly the kind of doctor I want to go to.

Wow I hope bcbs listens to your doctors... Because they are paying for surgery either way and WLS sounds like win win for both of you. Best of luck and prayers for a quick answer.

Thank you so much! Now BCBS is saying they will cover it early but.... the doctor's office is not wanting to do it early. I am switching centers!

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Just a little update! I switched clinics last month and I was just approved for July 5th surgery date! I am awaiting letter confirmation but, I have the approval number. Woohoo

Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App

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i know this is old, i have iih i was put into remission after optic nerve stealth fenestration surgery for about 5 months but wanted to try weight loss to make sure it didn't come back. my neuro surgeon swore if i lost 20 pounds i would be cured. well i had surgery september 22 and i'm having problems again!!!!!! ugh how are you doing?

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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      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.
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      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💪
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