01/10/09 To recap. Coming to terms with my choices.

Jan 17, 2009

My ins will pay for DS but only for BMI over 50. I will have to fight them on that. With some facts and figures I think I can prevail. They also will only pay for a surgery to be done in an HCA owned hospital, period. I can only find one Dr. who does DS at an HCA facility.  Dr. Stewart at Denton Regional Hospital in TX. I live in FL by the way. I don't mind traveling but it is certainly a consideration. I am already approved for RNY through my ins company with a surgery date of 1/26. So here is how I see it. I have 2 choices.

My first and preferred  choice is to have the DS with a reputable surgeon. If that surgeon is in TX I am fine with that. To do this I will have to appeal to get my bmi of 40 approved. I am not sure how ins companies work and if this is even a possibility for this procedure to be approved to be done out of the state. I will be hounding Dr Stewart's office on Mon to hopefully put some wind in my sails. I am also going to contact the patient care coordinator at Cigna who approved my RNY. Maybe she can provide some guidance.

My 2nd choice (and the one I may be forced to make) is to go through with the RNY with my fingers crossed. Things might work out fabulously. I may lose 100% of my EBW and keep it off forever, right? I am 32 yrs old. That's a long time for this RNY to hold up for me. But, and I know this is almost taboo, I could always get a revision. (cringe) Don't beat me up over that statement. I know a revision is the last thing I would want to do but I am just saying it is a possibility.

The most frustrating thing about this is not knowing if this is even a possibility. Is all this time, effort, and emotion for nothing. I hope that on Mon I will be able to at least determine if there is any possibility of this happening or not.

So that's it. I will try my dambdest to get the DS but if I can't get my ins. to cover it I will have the RNY. There is no way I can come up with the $20,000 needed for the surgery. I already checked into a loan from my quickly dwindling 401K ( not enough in there anymore). Something rather than nothing has to be done. If I can only have the RNY then I will take it. I know though that in the back of my mind will be that nagging thought. I wish I could've.

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