Hey There! New Here.

I have beeen researching this like crazy, I know that this is what I want to do, it's like a dream that people are being cured. I want to be cured.

I am 21 and diabetic. I am currently on Humalog, Lantus and Metformin. 1000 MG of Metformin, 50 units of Humalog before each meal and 75 of Lantus at night. With all this I am fasting and still at 200 in the ams. Endro says that I won't make it for another 5 years living this way.

I just saw my PCP and asked her for a referral to a surgeon that can do this procedure. I currently have CIGNA.

I know I have a lot of steps to go, but I was wondering what the steps are. When I called CIGNA they flat out told me that there was no way that they would cover this, when my husband called 1 day later, they said that they would cover it if it was a neccessity....so I am confused, excited, angry and happy.

I am waiting for the referral PCP says it takes a week, I would really like to know what will happen, does anyone have cigna? Has anyone heard this before? Are there people out there that have CIGNA and have had this procedure?

:cool2:

Hey There! New Here.

I have beeen researching this like crazy, I know that this is what I want to do, it's like a dream that people are being cured. I want to be cured.

I am 21 and diabetic. I am currently on Humalog, Lantus and Metformin. 1000 MG of Metformin, 50 units of Humalog before each meal and 75 of Lantus at night. With all this I am fasting and still at 200 in the ams. Endro says that I won't make it for another 5 years living this way.

I just saw my PCP and asked her for a referral to a surgeon that can do this procedure. I currently have CIGNA.

I know I have a lot of steps to go, but I was wondering what the steps are. When I called CIGNA they flat out told me that there was no way that they would cover this, when my husband called 1 day later, they said that they would cover it if it was a neccessity....so I am confused, excited, angry and happy.

I am waiting for the referral PCP says it takes a week, I would really like to know what will happen, does anyone have cigna? Has anyone heard this before? Are there people out there that have CIGNA and have had this procedure?

:smile2:

Hi,

I can't tell you anything about your insurance carrier - I am from Canada and we are almost all self pay here. But I would like to make a couple of comments on your post.

Firstly, Can you be "cured"? No - once you have Diabetes you are in it for life, BUT - it can be managed with just diet and exercise. Don't expect miracles though, it can take time. I was banded last year and initially lost 40 lbs with no change at all in my meds. I was very disaapointed at first then came to terms with it. I had gained some weight so I went to get a fill and have started losing again. All of a sudden, I had to reduce my insulin usage. I went from 50 units of Levemir (similar to Lantus) to 36 units. For my Novorapid, I was often using 20-30 units per meal down to 2-6 units. I have also started to reduce my blood pressure meds.

The other thing I would like to ask is if your sugars are in the 200s in the morning or after fasting - why is your endocronologist not adjusting your insulin? One of the advantages of being on insulin is being able to achieve perfect or near perfect blood sugars! I would definitely question him/her and empower yourself to make these changes yourself.

I hope this all works out for you! I wish you the best of luck.

VMAIRD, I have Cigna Insurance, and I had to see my doctor and a nutritionist for six months consecutively. The doctor has to document

each visit and that you discussed dieting, nutrition. Do not skip any appointments for the six months. Also make sure your doctor is willing to write a letter saying you need to have the surgery for medical necessity. Also find a surgeon that you want to preform the surgery,

his or her office staff should be knowledgeable about how to get your insurance company to approve the surgery. I have heard that Cigna is one of the hardest company to get approval. I did get approval on my first try. I have sleep apnea, diabetes,hypothroid,high blood pressure, high cholesterol, reflux and a high BMI. I had surgery five months ago and Ive lost fifty five pounds. I am now off my cholesterol medicine, one of my blood pressure medicines and my reflux medication. My diabetes A1C test shows I'm at 7.5 which is lower than before surgery.

Sorry to write a book, but have you heard of a diabetes medication called Byetta? You might ask your doctor about trying it to help your diabetes. One more thing I heard is eating a few almonds before bedtime can help with morning blood sugar readings. No not the chocolate covered ones. LOL let me know if you have any more questions. I am a work in progress. Best Wishes

I was banded on May 1st and am now off my diabetes meds. It feels so good not to have to take the meds anymore!! It is worth it to pursue this surgery. The insurance company will end up spending MORE money on meds and other obesity related illnesses if they don't approve the band!!!

You might find the following site interesting regarding curing diabetes.

Obesity surgery may cure diabetes - Diabetes - MSNBC.com