Newbie here
Hello y'all, my name is Tara and I am brand new. I have been researching this website for weeks now, gathering important information regarding my choice of wls. Y'all have helped me tremendously!!!! I went to my PCP on Friday March 15th, discussed the VSG and did all my blood work. I am def a candidate she said, and she has no problems sending in the coverage determination letter to my insurance company UHC Choice Plus. I am 5'8'' and weigh 277LBS and am 35 years old. I have PCOS (was Dx'd when I was 15yo), pre-diabetic, hypertension, hypothyroid and obviously overweight with a high BMI. My next step is for my PCP to referr me to a Gastrologist and go from there she stated. I am sooo excited to start this process. I have been on the phone with UHC asking them a lotof questions regarding the wls, and they said that the ONLY requirements for this surgery on their end is that my PCP/Surgeon needs to document that this wls is medically necessary. And I should have no issues with the approval. I sure hope so, cuz all the reading I have done on here with the denial/appeal process is depressing. I hope this is a smooth approval. I am located in Roanoke, VA, so if any other members are here too, feel free to message me. I always enjoy meeting new people :-) Well I hope to gather a lot of pre, post surgery information from everyone, as I am looking forward to hearing everything and anything about the steps to the wls and the post care. Oh, also did anyone's insuranc require the 6 month nutritional counseling or was it the surgeons doing?? I am unclear on that part. My insurance said there are no requirements prior to wls. Any info will be of help. Thanks y'all :-)
Welcome! Not sure if you realize that the font you've chosen is very difficult to read on mobile devices, so couldn't make my way through it today. Nevertheless, I want to say thanks for joining us and I look forward to reading your posts as you make your way through your weight loss journey :)
LINDA
Ht: 5'2" | HW 225, BMI 41.2 | CW 115, BMI 21.0
Welcome Tara ! Sounds like you've been doing a great job researching this and getting prepared. My insurance company, Aetna, had either a 6 month requirement or a 3 month requirement which varied slightly. The surgeons office did not impose those time requirements, so it is likely that your insurance approval will move along much more quickly from the sounds of it.
Congratulations on looking into this at such a young age ( I was 49 and I so wish I could have done this even 10 years ago).
This is a great site for help and encouragement. Wishing you a speedy approval process, but while you are getting that, I would recommend attending any surgeon support group meetings etc in the area. My 6 months wait was beneficial in that it allowed me some time to get mentally prepared. I think I could have done it in 3 months though. I'd encourage you to start a support group and you can ask a lot of questions of veterans there, and start to get yourself ready mentally for the lifestyle changes. It has been a wonderful gift, and I'd do it again in a heart beat . I'm only 5 months out so no vet here ;)
Just make sure you research your surgeon, know their experience level, complication rates and plan for aftercare. Also make sure you ask about the hospital, surgeon and anesthesiologist all being in network so no surprises.
Best of luck to you on this exciting journey!
Christina
Thank you so much for your kind words!!!! Yes, I have been doing tons of research, I know what surgery center is going to do my wls. It's a Bariactric Surgery Center with 11 different surgeons in there, just don't know which surgeon yet as my PCP hasen't called me back, well her office and given me details yet. I do plan to go to the wls support and information group, the next one is not until April. I'm excited to go. I have been over weight for most of my life, so now that I'm 35 yo, I NEED to focus on this seriously and get healthy. Too many issues in my health now, and I know there will be a lot more down the road if I don't do something about it now ya know. Well thank you for responding!!! :-)
Hey, Tara! I'm new here also & just slightly further along in the process than you are. My insurance is Aetna & they req'd 3 mos of nutritional counseling plus 3 visits with a psychologist for a psych eval. I have 1 more visit with each left to go, and I'm planning to have surgery on June 19. Welcome!
