azsenior

Do you know how many ounces of liquid each popsickle has? I threw away the box so I'm not sure. Have not had the surgery yet, but I am expecting the SF popsickles will be a staple.

My cardiologist looked at me and said, "You did not pass the test". Honestly, I thought he was kidding and then it hit me they don't joke about things like that! Now, I had been at my PCP on Monday. These results had been faxed to him last week and he never mentioned it. He spent maybe 10 minutes with me, most of which was composing the letter of clearance on his laptop. WTF are these guys good for anyway????? So, now I will be scheduled for an angiogram early next week. There is a 10% chance he will find nothing. It may be taken care of with a stent. If things are really bad, there will be open heart surgery. So, no WLS for me for the time being. Wonder how long my insurance authorization is for. Major, major bummer.....

Thanks, Suzanne. It means a lot to know that there are so many people on these boards, like you, who are willing to help!

All is well. Had the angiogram yesterday and he found absolutely no problems whatsoever. When I was being prepped in the Cath Lab, the nurse told me the cardiac stress tests gives a false positive 80% of the time! The cardiologist said I was good to go with WLS. Not so much as a prescription, but I did have to stay at the hospital and lie immobile for six hours. But it was sure better than the alternative. Thanks for all the good wishes

As a result of fainting back in April, not required by WL surgeon, I had three cardiac tests: Holder (wearing the monitor for 3 days), echocardiogram and a nuclear stress test. Passed the first two, but "failed" the third. Because of that, I had an angiogram yesterday and he found absolutely no problem. Instead of a possible stent or open heart surgery, I went home in the afternoon. Was so hoping to not have my WLS postponed. I am glad I had all the tests, but now I realize that they can definitely suggest problems when there are none.

Hi everybody. I just turned 66 in July and have completed all my pre-surgical tests and gotten insurance approval for the sleeve. I had failed a cardiac stress test, but had an angiogram yesterday that found no problems whatsoever. The cardiologist had also done the Holder test and an echo so the heart and circulation is surprisingly well for someone 100 pounds overweight with high BP, diabetes and a family history of heart problems. Am hoping for an October sleeve. I figure my loss will be slower than my younger counterparts and, yeah, I'll have a lot of sag, but I will love living in Onederland!

Thanks, TexasGal. I will do the same for you! Certainly feel better having the information. Would not want it to cause a problem when I am on the table. My dad never had an extra ounce on his body and ended up with a triple by-pass. Cardiologist says most of the blockages are taken care of with stents now. Just hope I am in that category.

Congratulations, Monica! I, on the other hand, just got hit by a mack truck. The cardiologist told me I flunked my stress test and have to have an angiogram. If it is not bad, they will put in a stent. If it is bad, I will have to have open heart surgery. Sent Eileen an email. Just stunned....

Hey Kami! Congratulations, you loser, you Yes, Eileen is back and things seem to be moving, although, ironically, before she left she was insisting that I would not be approved for sleeve--long story, Medicare related. Another patient at a support group meeting told me that she had two heart attacks. Yikes Was Shuster your doc? How was the hospital stay? Lotta gas? What protein powder do you like? Hope to meet you one day. Have to see you before you lose all your weight so I will be able to notice the difference!

Ok, well surely I will be October also. I have been at it since my initial consultation the end of January. My insurance required a three month supervised program, then there was some delay in getting the insurance straight. I have Dr. Chen since Dr. Shuster won't take anyone 65 or over (I'm 66). I couldn't go to the last support group given by the psychologist, but I usually make them all and find they are useful. Let me know as soon as you hear something and I will do the same!

Last time I talked to Eileen, about two weeks ago, she said they were working on September surgery dates. I told her I could not get my PCP clearance until the 29th as he was out of town and asked if I could still make September. She said she could not guarantee that. Do you come to the support group meetings? Would love to meet you! Judy

Thank you so much, Kelli. I feel relieved. I have no trouble breathing in my daily routine, nor do I cough much. Can't think of when I have had chest conjestion last so I am hoping I get the same response that you did. Look forward to reading about your experience on the board. See ya on the loser's bench!

Since nothing that is ever faxed to my PCP seems to get through , I decided to pick up copies of my pre-surgical tests from the hospital today to take with me to what I hope will be my PCP's clearance for surgery appointment on Monday. I don't want to give him any reason to have me put his off. I am a little concerned at the finding of the pulmonary function test that I have moderate restrictive lung disease. I do have some scar tissue on one lung that always shows up, this time too, but the pulmonologist followed it with CAT scans for a couple of years and it did not change so he thought it was just scar tissue. When I googled restrictive lung disease, one of the causes was obesity. Did anyone else get this finding? Now, I am getting worried that this will be a contraindication for surgery, or, at least cause a postponement.

Yesterday I had a nuclear cardio stress test. It was not requested by my WL surgeon, but by my PCP because of a fainting spell several months ago. He just wanted to rule out heart problems. This test is in place of the treadmill test, but instead of huffing and puffing on a treadmill they inject a substance that causes the heart to beat fast. They take a CT-like scan before this injection and then afterwards to show the impact of the "exercise" on the heart and surrounding vessels. My mother had a stroke and my father had heart disease, but I I have not as of yet been diagnosed with any problems. Of course being morbidly obese with diabetes and high BP, I was really afraid I would have a heart attack during the test. They didn't have to take me outta there in an ambulance so I guess my results weren't terrible, but I will find out specifics next week. There were two cardiologists available in the office and they had me hooked up to an EKG and BP was taken every minute. Once they injected me with the stimulant material, I immediately felt dizzy and a little discomfort below my breastbone. They had warned me of these possibilities and also a headache which came a little later. I would say it only lasted 6-8 minutes. The technician told me people who are in better shape take longer to get their heart up to maximum capacity. I read that the nuclear version has a better rate of picking up problems. Also, it is preferable for folks with knee or foot problems. I would love to hear from others who had this test. It was not as bad as I thought it would be.

Juniorguru, it did hurt my back also for that component of the test. Thank goodness the technician was a pretty big guy to help me get up!

Nurselisa, that sounds fantastic. I love egg salad and tuna salad. Will keep that in mind to try when I get my sleeve, hopefully next month.

OCDgirl, keep plugging on the insurance. I am a NJ state employee retiree. I have Medicare Primary and Aetna Secondary. Medicare does not cover the sleeve yet, but I was told by five different Aetna personnel that they would pick it up once Medicare declined. Aetna covers all three procedures with the high BMI and comorbidities. The insurance clerk who works with my surgeon was furious that I was relentless about wanting her to apply to Aetna for the sleeve. She said I was wasting her time. She went on a medical leave. The new clerk made the application to Aetna and I was approved within a few days. I don't doubt the wealth of experience the surgeons and clerks have, but sometimes they might know as much as they think. Keep pushing. When you get a denial in writing, then you can pursue it through the channels. Suggest that you check out the insurance thread on this forum. There are people there who can help you should an appeal be necessary. Good luck and keep us posted!

Just got the phone call from Banner Bariatric Center saying that I am approved. Once I get PCP clearance and the pre-op testing done, they will give me a date in September. My surgeon's testing includes blood work, upper GI, chest x-ray, EKG and pulmonary function test. I had a real fight on my hands to get the insurance clerk to even submit for authorization. Medicare is my primary, but I have Aetna for secondary. She felt like I should settle for the band and not waste her time--her words! Fortunately for me, she took a leave and her replacement got the authorization in a week! I have lost 30 pounds since I started the journey with my three month supervised diet requirement. The center has three support group meetings each month that I have found very helpful. I agree with others who have said that this period is very productive in that there is time to process all the information and emotions. So, now I have to come up with name for my sleeve. Maybe Samantha

Hi AMo! I also am a September sleever. Just got word today. Started the process in February. I will get my surgery date after I complete the pre-op testing and get my PCP's clearance. I wish you the best. This is finally going to happen for us!

Is it available in retail outlets anywhere or only by mail-order?

I think I have read all the Medicare posts on this forum and others, but I have not seen my particular situation so I would like to see if there are others like me. I have had an Aetna plan for quite some time as part of my pension benefit from the state of NJ. When I turned 65, I was required to also pick up Medicare. It is my primary and Aetna is my secondary. When I first started at the Banner Gateway Bariatric Center, the insurance clerk told me that I would not be able to get the sleeve since Medicare did not cover it. Even when I told her that I also had Aetna, she was very firm in her answer. I called Aetna four different times and was told by their agents that I would be covered. They had my card number that says I am Aetna Medicare. The original insurance agent is currently on leave and her replacement says they are requesting approval for the sleeve. Guess I will find out the answer sooner or later, but I would love to know if anyone else has this type of Medicare policy. I do not want the lapband and I am not a candidate for bypass. I have a "belt-line" which would make movement of the lap instruments difficult and open is just not an option given my age and previous surgical scar tissue. Would love to hear from other seniors in my position. Thanks!

My sister is not quite ready to pursue WLS. She had part of one foot amputated in April (diabetes) so she is still recuperating. She had a bypass about 30 years ago that had to be reversed. I think it was practically experimental. She ended up with such severe malabsorption issues she had to have it reversed and she gained back all the weight and more Not sure she would be candidate, but if she can get this wound healed she may be giving your doctor a call.

Received a phone message yesterday that even though Medicare declined, my secondary, Aetna, had approved!!!! I have completed all the prerequisites except the lab work. Am hoping for an August surgery date or September at the latest.

After getting the expected denial from Medicare last week, my surgeon's insurance director said she would try Aetna, my secondary insurance. I got home this afternoon and she had left a message saying that Aetna had approved my surgery. She asked me to call her. Of course, I was only able to get her phone mail box. I am actually scared to get too excited because I am afraid that she will tell me she called the wrong person! I feel that mainly because it was sooner than I expected to hear anything, but mostly because the woman (now on leave) who I had dealt with earlier got really angry with me because I was insisting that she move forward with a request for the sleeve. Several Aetna agents had told me that she should get the denial from Medicare and then go to the secondary.. She practically screamed at me that I was wasting her time and should just settle for the band. (For medical reasons, I am not a candidate for the by-pass.) I know that Medicare does not approve the sleeve yet, but I kept thinking that they could then go to the secondary and I knew that I met all the criteria for Aetna. I have lost about 30 pounds in my 3 month medically supervised program, have been exercising and am really psyched and ready to go. I do know that there are about 30 people they are trying to schedule in August, but I would love to have an August date! If it does turn out that she left the correct message for the right person, I want people who have a Medicare Replacement Plan to know that there my be hope for a sleeve, if the secondary approves. In the meantime, I will have to be on pins and needles all week-end.

Congratulations, GF! Looks like things are getting done in the BG offices! I have heard from Cara a couple of times by phone and email. Medicare, as expected, declined the VSG. She has now submitted it to my secondary insurance, Aetna. I do not expect a positive response so I will probably be faced with taking the band or waiting until Medicare approves the sleeve. I can't wait to hear everything about your journey!