Newbie Process Questions

[nolady 7]

I have successfully made it through all the screening appointments, met with the surgeon and now I'm waiting for insurance approval. How does this part of the process work? Will I get "THE CALL" from the insurance company or the Surgeon's office?

I'm a bit freaked out about knowing how to approach work with this. I work for a very large company in a demanding job. I have a feeling if I tell my boss it is an elective surgery she will ask me to wait until January. I don't want to but I also need my job. How have you handled alerting work?

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[Butterflywarrior 241]

I think it depends on your health insurance and surgery center. My center had a point person surgery coordinator and she called me with the approval. I also got a approval letter from my insurance latter on. Congratulations

I can't say to much about work but less is more?? You don't have to tell them it's elective surgery do you? And if you do, I would say, I have life threatening health issues pushing me to have this surgery so I can be healthy again asap!! Then again, you might not want to say life threatening health issues?? Another can of worms. But you can say, tge sooner you get this done, the healthier I will be and able to work!! Gotta frame it in there favor!!! Lol I do think all in all, tge less you tell them, tge better and under the Americans with disabilities act, if you are in the USA, you don't have to disclose diagnosis, medical issues etc.

Good fortune

[blizair09 3,250]

I shared with my entire team what I was going to be doing when I started my six-month insurance-required diet program in March. As I finished all the requirements in August and a date was set, I told them and arrangements were made. My surgery date was September 28, and I am going back to work on November 14. Everyone has been super supportive!

Good luck!

[Bufflehead 6,358]

You can be very terse with your work. Wait until you have your date scheduled, and say something like "I'm scheduled for surgery in ten days and my doctor recommends I be out of work for the following two weeks" or whatever your situation is.

If your boss says: "what kind of surgery?" then you say, "err, it's personal."

If they say "can you reschedule for January?" you say "no, my doctor and the insurance company say I have to have this now."

[2ndSpring 350]

Congratulations, it is such an exciting time.

My surgeon's office has a dedicated person who works with the insurance companies. she was the first to call to let me know I was approved. The hospital bariatric coordinator also called, and then I got a letter from the insurance company. So, don't worry, you'll definitely hear about it!

Once everything was final, I had a last appt with the surgeon to make a date and go over everything one last time, and then I had to go to my primary for a final clearance.

I work for a big company too. I wanted to avoid questions and concerns from co-workers, so I took vacation days. I have a great team of people and they would have been worried if I was out sick for a week and would have asked a lot of questions out of concern. I can't lie to save my life and would have wound up telling everyone about the surgery and I wanted to keep it private.

If you are taking sick days, you may be asked to supply proof of disability. FMLA doesn't require a diagnosis, so there is no need to mention any details unless you want to.

[theantichick 2,204]

I hadn't been at my job long enough to file FMLA. Luckily it fell at a good time of the year and my boss was super supportive. I just put in for the days off with my PTO.

If you've been at the job long enough for FMLA, that may be the way to go. They cannot require you to reschedule if you're qualified for and taking FMLA. Your boss isn't entitled to know any of the details with an FMLA request beyond the dates. It is an HR process and your boss doesn't have to approve it. FLMA information, unless you agree, can only be seen by HR personnel and it's unethical (and likely unlawful) for them to discuss it out of turn. With FMLA I believe you have to have a work release from your doc before they can legally let you start back to work. FMLA can also ensure you can get off work as needed for follow-up appointments.

Of course, taking time out for a health issue, there will be people who ask out of curiosity or concern for you. You'll have to decide what to tell them. A generic "abdominal surgery" or "hernia repair" can be answer enough to shut some people up.

[nolady 7]

Thank you everyone. I'm very excited to be at this point. I liked reading that I don't have to disclose specifics to my boss. I wish I could take vacation to avoid the conversation but when on vacation people still call for help but n my job and I don't want to be in that situation so I will need to tell them I am having surgery.

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