msladykris

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Cardiac clearance....CHECK!  That was almost too easy.  Doc listened to my heart,  medical assistant plugged me up to EKG and everything is fine.  Now for the pulmonary clearance.  This one could be a little trickier because of my issues with asthma.  But we shall see.  I am worrying less and less as I move along.  This is going so fast!  I'm excited.  3 more visits with the Bariatrician and 2 more checklist items.  I'm on my way!

Ok, so I finally got my checklist.  Things required prior to insurance approval.  I only need 4 things on the list!  Scary!  Why is it that when what you want is staring you in the face, you get scared????  4 out of the 8 things are done.  All that I need is TSH level test, pulmonary clearance, cardiac clearance and a dietician consultation.  Oh, and I only need 3 months with the Bariatrician!  Isn't that crazy???  By the end of the year I could possibly have a surgery date.  Exciting but at the same time I have this weird scary feeling!  Aag!  What to do with all these crazy emotions!!!  Definitely not eat!  LOL

Dr. Stote was awesome! Easy to talk to. I usually dislike psychiatrists but he was ok. Recommends me for surgery....yay!

Ugh! Just had my surgery consult literally 20 minutes ago. She sucks! Came In with her surgery gear on an her pager was ringing the entire time. She rushed through a few questions to fill in my chart. Asked me if I had any...stood up as I was asking the last one and rushed out of the room. Wow! Am I wrong to have expected more? She was very sterile and cold. I knew to expect no bedside manner but at least wanted her to be a little interested in me as a patient. Hopefully this was a fluke and she'll seem more interested next time.  

Now for Dr. Stote. Hope this one goes better.

So I have been struggling with the idea that I need to take this medicine for Lupus.  It has been prescribed to me, but I'm terrified to take it.  I need to work.  Single mother with no one else to rely on to pay bills.  I've missed a few days here and there with Lupus, but don't want to miss more by taking this chemo drug.  My question is, how will this (taking or not taking) affect my appointment with the surgeon/Bariatrician the end of this month?  Will they look down on me for not taking it?  Will the fact that I start taking it affect my progress for WLS?  Just wondering...I know I will just have to wait and see.  Wondering if I should start taking it after I hear what they both have to say.  Any thoughts?

So I finally got my yes! Medically necessary weight loss surgery IS covered. Yay!

The frustrating thing is I don't know any of the requirements. Stupid third party administrator! Told me that my doctor has to start the precert process before I can know what the requirements are. BMI, 3, 6 or 12 months medically supervised wl program, etc.  Has anyone heard of this mess??? She said once they start the process the doc will tell me this info????? What???

So now I'm going in blind. It will be so easy for them to deny me! Ugh!

So I was utterly defeated yesterday.  Largely due to my impatience.  I should have just waited.  I came into work today and called Cigna instead of the BAS (third party administrator who told me I wasn't covered for bariatric surgery).  Cigna could not find my info.  They said since it is a new policy, my employer hasn't entered all the info and the computers weren't up-to-date yet.  I speak to HR and asked her if anything has changed with my coverage and if WLS is still covered and she says, "yes, as long as you qualify".  I'm just really hoping that she knows what she's talking about.  Cigna said it could take up to a week for my info to get in the system.  So I'm just going to try to be patient and wait to call next week about coverage.  I'm just so freakin anxious!  I guess I've been big 30+ years, I can wait another week!

Feeling like the wind has been let out of my sails today. I was feeling anxious and got my insurance info from HR today. It is a day before my benefits start.  I called the benefits provider and asked if bariatric surgery was covered and she said NO! I even asked her to double-check. Still no! I could cry right now. I'm praying that it is a mistake since my HR person volunteered the info to me saying that they had me in mind when choosing the policy. (My boss said he wanted me happy and healthy for my girls! So what in the world happened???

Very discouraged!

So I'm super stoked! Tuesday I went to start my process at St. Vincent Bariatric Center of Excellence. It was a group session with an insurance person (Shalanda), a dietician (can't remember her name but she was new and a little unsure of herself) and of course Dr. Inman.

I really liked her. She was professional and obviously knows her stuff. She was an open book with a dry sense of humor. I'm excited to talk to her one-on-one in August. Apparently she'll be out of the country for the whole month of July.

I'm wondering if I can start my medically supervised weight loss program with the Bariatrician in July before I meet w/ dr. Inman first. That way I don't have to wait a whole month to get started. I guess I will find this out on July 1st when my Cigna PPO begins.

One thing I learned that I was surprised about was the 2-weeks post op recovery for a lap ds. If this is true, I'm so happy. I can essentially take a long vacation and return to my desk job! Of course this is if there are no complications! I know I have a long road ahead and I'm ready for it!