DebDUtah

keep the moose.......be proud....besides that way they will be more concerned with your moose than the fact you are moving slower due to surger!!

I know that has got to be so hard, but you have to realize that you can't change his eating habits, or anyone elses. Remember you did this for you, not to change him, but to change your habits. As long as he is not rubbing it in your face saying look what I can eat you have to find a way to deal with it.

Ok to clarify, deductibles are what you have to meet every year, this includes co-pays for visits/tests. There are different coverage percentages based on the procedure and where you are getting it done. So you have co-pays, deductibles, out of pocket annual maximums, lifetime maximums and of course exclusions. Once you reach your maximum out of pocket for a year, you are not responsible for any further out of pocket expense in a calendar year, this does not include co-pays, you still pay those (from best I understand, but could be wrong). If the procedure is not covered or covered with exception or exclusion then it is not covered by the maximum out of pocket. The best thing is to call the number on the back of your insurance card and talk to the utilization review nurse/department. They will tell you what you will be responsible for once approved.

The amount you will owe is your annual maximum out of pocket at most. I am expecting to pay my out of pocket which is $2500 no more and this was confirmed by my insurance company. This amount is not even close to the 20% of the cost of service(s). Hope that helps.

They will ask for medical records, at least they did for me for 3 years and I still had to do the 6 months of supervised diet. I initially thought that the 6 months was so long, and yeah I hate waiting, I really hate it but there is a lot you have to prepare for. This is major surgery and not something to be taken lightly. You have to have a complete physical, a psych eval, meeting with nutritionist, not to mention the pre-op testing that your surgeon may want to get done (from basic lab work to gi studies sleep studies and whatever else they deem necessary). Look at the six months as not a wait but preparing for surgery. No one should jump at this surgery, and that is part of what the insurance wants to make sure too. So the way I look at it: "Whatever hoops/timeframes the insurance wants to give me..bring it on". This is one battle I can't lose. Good luck and know it will fly by, 6 mos is nothing.

Well here I am in that perverbal holding pattern with nothing to do but wait. I have sent all my medical records to my surgeon, which the financial person has gotten, but has not reviewed. I have requested my clearance letter from my primary care physician, but they have not sent it yet. Ok so I have done all I can do and now I have to wait. I am not a good person when it comes to waiting. I get antsy, nervous and downright aggrivated when it comes to waiting. So I try to occupy my time otherwise, but everything comes back to me and wanting and more importantly needing this tool to get my life back on track. I have even gone as far as cleaning out my closet of the clothes that I refuse to wear again. I have researched vitamins, gyms, protein and even the adverse side effects of the surgery. I do not know what to do with my time. Luckily I have my work and my family which keeps me busy but I keep thinking about all the things I want to do. I am going to say, I have run across a lot of people who seem to think that this surgery is the magical solution to their weight loss. Those that sabotage their surgery by eating sold foods as soon as a week out of surgery. The ones who are upset that they are not losing more than 5-6 lbs a week. I don't know about you but that is amazing that is over 100 lbs in a year, it is almost unheard of outside of weight loss surgery or extreme exercise like Biggest Loser. I am trying not to lose touch with reality and know that I may not lose fast, or I may be slower than the biggest success story, but know I want it to be me who is the one who excels losing, like everyone else. I am afraid and I worry, the more I wait the more this worry and fear compounds. So I have to make myself focus, I have to not lose sight in the fact that it is a long road I have ahead of me and there will be waiting along the way. I want this surgery to happen now, and yes I am having a temper tantrum in case you were wondering. I want this part of my journey to start but since I cannot determine the pace or the way in which it happens, then I will wait, I will try and be patient, They say patience is a virtue......well it happens to be a virtue I do not possess.

I am pre-op as well and have done so much research that I feel that the benefits outweight the risks for me. I am so sorry to hear that you were sick for 10 weeks but now that is over right? and now you just want to continue on the weight loss track. I know that we all want the big numbers and the differences to show quickly but if you have lost 27 lbs in 3 months, if you stay on this weight loss pace that is over 100 lbs in a year! I do not know how much you want to lose to reach your goal, but don't get discouraged and I know that is easier to say than do, and know I do not say it lightly. I do not know who your surgeon is/was but you need to find another physician and find one your trust. We are all here to listen but I think 27 lbs in 3 months is a good number the part that concerns me is your ill feeling and that you dont fall into a depression. There are lots of docs find one you can trust.

The only sure way to find out is to call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask to speak to Utilization Review. Those are the people (nurses) who review each and every submission for coverage of these types of procedures. They will be more than helpful as they do not like getting incomplete packages anymore than we like getting denied. good luck

So glad you are finding relief and the vinegar hopefully gave you some relief until you got the yogurt.

I have a 6 mos diet supervised "waiting" period too. I am using that time to do research and to make sure I am ready. I am wondering though and am going to ask my dr to submit my papers with every except this and have them say that once i finish the 6 month diet with my pcp will I be approved. I just don't want to get to the 6 month or 7 months out and have them say, wait we also need "whatever". I would rather know now and make sure I have all that in 6 months. I want my surgery in August. So if I have to lose 10% of my weight or 30 lbs whatever, tell me sooner or later. Good luck and know we are all behind you and are prying with you.

Every day presents new challenges and why would I hope that yesterday would be any different. Perhaps it is because I have the day off I thought maybe just maybe that it would be just a tad less challenging. HA! who was I kidding. So I get up at 630am to get to the doctor's office by 745am, I walk in and pay my visit fee. At this point, the cheery little receptionist (who I note is overly so for this this hour of the morning) hands me a clipboard filled with 20-30 papers and proceeds to explain what each "group" of papers are. Now that I have my personal history papers in my hand, I head to the area I have been directed which holds several tables lined up classroom style and begin filing out my paperwork. Now I have gotten no further than verifying the information that is preprinted when they called my name! Really? But I haven't even started on the blank papers not to mention that psych paperwork (which I put on the bottom of the pile!). Eagerly I go in and I am immediately told to take off my shoes and step on the scale. It is interesting I used to dread the scale, but now, I kinda look foward to it to see if perhaps I have lost even the least little bit. I say this because I am trying (althought to some it may not seem like much) by cutting down on soda I will have quit before surgery so I don't miss it, eating less and not so late in the day. To my surprise every time I have stepped on the scale a little less of me is there (small victories). After the standard height and weight, I am taken into an exam room and told the nutritionist will be right with me. Wow, they work fast I don't see how this will be a four hour appointment, it isn't even 15 mins into my appointment and i am already meeting one of the 4 people I am scheduled to meet, pays to be on time. Now, as you can see I am quite happy how things are going until I realize exactly what is a metabolic rate test is. For those of you who have no idea it is something like this. You are handed an apparatus that is similar to a mini speaker or a really big cell phone (you know the old fashioned brick kind) with a mouthpiece attached to one side. I am told to place the mouthpiece as far back in my mouth as possible and close my lips around it tight. I am told that I will need to breath thru this for 5 minutes continuous. Oh and don't forget to put this really strong nose clip on your nose so you have no choice to do anything but breath thru your mouth. This should be easy right? Wrong! You see I am not one who can sit still, I have to be doing something, I get stir crazy easily. But come on its early and this should be easy. I was given strick instructions to sit there and just breath. Ok easy, well yeah until I started drooling because I couldn't swallow with that mouth piece in. Now all I can think about is how nice it would be to have a towel or a tissue from across the room. But remember I cannot move, all i can do is breath. So there I sit, breathing like I am Darth Vader (and yes that is the first thing that came to mind the minute I started doing this) and drooling like I have been in a dentist chair for hours. The five minutes finally passes and beep......in comes the nutritionist and says "opps I forgot to give you a tissue, I am sorry"!! It was funny then but at about 2.5 minutes I didn't find it too funny at all. With that down, I am then told now we are going to test you for H Pylori. She hands me a bag and says blow into it and seal it. That was easy, but am I done, oh no, I am told that I will have to drink about 3 ozs of flavored water. Now let me preface this with the statement that I hate 7up, Sprite or any lemon lime drink. It makes me gag, and if I have to drink any amount of it, chances are greater than not that I will vomit on the spot. And guess what it was lemon-lime flavor, oh joy! Now if I could have taken the shot and downed it while holding my nose, I would have been good, but oh no I had to drink it thru a straw!! Is this let's throw every obstacle at Debbie day (everytime I use a straw I get the hiccups)? I focus, and remember why I am doing this and it takes me a couple minutes to literally gag this stuff down. Now please do not get discouraged if you have not done this, just know that this flavor makes me go into full body dry heaves). After I have completed this fluid I am then told that I will need to blow up the second bag 15 mins later. Now I am sent back to the "classroom" and told I can continue to work on my papers during the presentation. Now I am completely confused, presentation but hey I am here to jump thru every hoop necessary. This presentation is just like the informational meeting only more condensed and taught by a WLS patient of 12 yrs. It was interesting but I wanted to talk to my doctor, I had questions. Once the presentation is over we are taken to individual exam rooms and wait for each discipline to come in, patiently waiting my turn. First is the doctor, who answers every question I have with a confidence that put me at ease instantly. He spoke of my medical history like he had lived it along side with me. It was almost like he could sense what I was going to ask before I asked it. He gave me the time I needed and more. With the confidence in my surgeon, I felt I could take on any hoop, bring it on. The psychologist comes in and it is the briefest most anti-climatic meeting I have had so far. A handful of questions and I was told you will only hear from me if there is an issue, so no news is good news. I haven't heard a peep from her so I passed! Now the nutritionist comes in (remember her the one who gave me the darth vader mask!!), and we start talking diet. My fears, what to expect and to remember I am not perfect. She was wonderful. She handed me my pre-op diet went over the dos and dont's the if and whens. Next to my surgeon she was my next favorite. Last was the insurance specialist, and she was thorough but helpful. She told me what to expect what my insurance would require and what they would accept and wouldn't. I walked away finding the latest hoop, giving them 3 yrs or medical records showing my weight at each visit. Uh oh, if you have been reading my blog, I don't go to the doctor, I do not have any co-morbidities. How am I going to come up with this. I have an idea and it will take some digging, keeping my fingers crossed. Other than that and 3 months more of supervised diet by my primary care doctor and I am a green light for surgery. Well I walked out of there in 3.5 hours and yes I was drained, mentally emotionally and was more concerned about finding my medical history for the last 3 yrs than I was how much it would cost if I didn't. But I was encouraged hopeful and so optimistic that everything will fall into place. I know I was having anxiety about this meeting, and now after I am feeling relief. I have the information and information is my power. I have to keep learning and gathering more and more information to be at my strongest. So my one bit of advice, get a tissue for your metobolic testing!!

I am so sorry for the bad news you got today. Maybe you can appeal and they will change their decision, it is worth a try.

Having worked in an OR you will not be able to wear the hair tie or elastic if it has any metal on it. For the same reason that you cannot wear jewelry or anything else metal. So with that being said you can wear a rubberband or a tie without metal but best to just wear it "twisted" back for the surgery in the cap....I am hoping my hair is the least of my worries. Hope that helps

So, next week I have an eight hour appointment with: my surgeon, nutritionist, physical trainer (aka personal trainer), psychologist and insurance person. I get poked, proded, questioned and analized over my ability to be healthy enough to have the surgery both physically and mentally not to mention my ability to pay what my insurance won't. I am looking forward to the appointment, yet my biggest fear is the psychologist, and why I don't know. I have a pretty sound mind (even though my sense of humor is quite warped), however, most importantly I know why I am doing this. The main reason is I don't want to die, I am taking control so I live. There are other reasons too of course and some may find the vain or invalid reasons. The best way for me to describe the other reasons is to say that I am tired of being "oh Debbie". I want to be "yeah Debbie". I need to go from "oh" to "yeah". I need to be able to walk into any clothing store that I want and not worry about if they carry my size ("oh I am sorry we don't carry that size" to "yeah we have that in your size"). I want to be able to fit into a middle seat on an airplane and not care that it is the only seat available ("oh you are in this seat" to "yeah this is your seat"). I want to be included and not feel like the an after thought ("oh we forgot to invite Debbie" to "yeah Debbie is invited"). I want to be the kinda girl men look at not because I am large but because I am beautiful ("oh my look at her" to "yeah what a beautiful woman"). These scenerio can go on and on and on and we all know it. I know that anyone of the people that I am meeting with next week could delay or even stop my journey. There is not one person who can change my reasons for wanting to have it. With that being said I will go into each meeting with my head held up and my reasons for having the surgery an open book. And I will not stop until I hear from each and every one of the that "yeah Debbie this is for you".

Note: If you have been following my blog this should have been entered before "Friend or Frenemy" but I had a moment and didn't realize I hadn't posted it until today....please forgive me! Going to get a physical, and this is my annual physical. Did I mention that it has been over 25 yrs since I had an annual physical. Now I have not neglected the annualy "women" physicals, the necessary mammograms when you get to "that" age or even the colonoscopy due to family history, but oh noooooooooo I wouldn't get a physical. <<dramatic pause to allow you to stop laughing>> Yeah I know beyond weird huh? I was afraid of that apparatus of stress, the one with all the numbers that used to be a dial and now is just digital which i think is worse, becase it is in kilograms and it gives me that false sense that I weigh less than the actual weight I am, the scale scared me. Going to the dr caused me so much stress I just kept being busy. Now what makes this even more pathetic, my insurance pays for annual physicals at no cost to me. You see I never wanted to find out what was really wrong with me. I was afraid of a conversation about my weight, my eating habits, and my lack of exercise. Kind of like when you go to the dentist and he asks if you floss "why yes I do 3 times a day" said no one ever! I was afraid of the truth. Well, I finally woke up, no more, I was going to find out just how bad all this weight had effected my overall health. We all know what I am talking about so I won't go thru the laundry list. I went in to the doctors office, with my head held high and they took my blood pressure first. The medical assistants didn't take it once or even twice they took it four times (2 diffferent medical assistants). I started to get worried was I having a stroke! Then they said "hmmmm we will take it manually in the room". Why, is my pressure so high I am off the scale on this medical apparatus too?? Then they checked my heart rate, the next comment was "we should get this machine checked". Ok, now I am starting to be validated for why I stayed away, sick, I am sick.....how long before I am on a list of medication the length of my arm???? I made myself take a deep breath and walked steady to the room. Once there one assistant started taking my pressure again and the other was asking me the list of quiestions I am sure if printed out would be about 5 pages single spaced, about every illness I and my family have had. When they finished my blood pressure the assistant whispered to the other and I knew then something was wrong. When I asked they said the doctor would let me know what it was and answer any questions I had. They left and in came the phlebotomist, oh how I hate needles (and I work in the emergency room ~ it is a lot different sticking than being stuck!). She was good one small poke and that was over. The doctor comes in and we start talking. Now I had seen this man for years for bronchitis, sprains and any minor need for a physician. So his first words to me was "why a physical now?" and he smiled a smile that made me immediately relax. I told him I was taking control finally. He was glad to hear it. I immediately asked about my blood pressure, and what happens he smiles again. Well it seemed that I had a pressure of 110/60, and it was verified as it was that every single time they took it. But, the medical assistants assumed that it was wrong based on my weight. I was happy, but kinda mad at the skinny little techs for judging me, but I let it go. I got to feel the cold stethoscope on my chest and back, and breathed deeply as he instructed. He poked me and proded until he had check me thoroughly (oh and yeah I did stick my tongue out and say ahhhhh!). He said it looked good but he was waiting on my labs and outside tests before he could give me results. So I left with a bandaid from my lab draw and a small strut past the little medical assistants proud I had such a good blood pressure. A little part of me was afraid of what the labs would show, but right now this was my victory walk. The next day I get my results..........healthy, I am healthy? how can someone be morbidly (i sure think they could pick a better adjective) obese and be healthy???? But I am. My ten year prediction of CAD is less than 1% (and according to the dr it doesn't get any lower!) I am happy that there is no underlying condition, that I am healthy but how did I get so lucky? why me? Then my heart sank, I will have to lose this without surgery even though my BMI is over 50. My healthy heart ached, I cried. How sad is that, I cried because I was healthy, people would give their right arm to have my labs and health and here I am crying. After a short pity party, I called my insurance company and asked what requirements (no matter the height of the hoop, no matter how hard to jump thru, I was going to do it) did I need to comply with for approval for the surgery. Turns out it is my BMI and a year of dietary supervision by a primary care doctor is all it took. A year that's all, heck that's easy I have been overweight my entire life (sometimes more than others), I can do that. So for the last 6 months I have been soaking up every bit of knowledge and information I can get my hands on and now I am halfway there. One last summer in a swimsuit looking like a stuffed sausage, one last halloween unable to wear that sexy costume, one more christmas of not being able to ask for clothes because I won't tell my size. Soon I will be able to sit in any chair I want without fear of fitting be comfortable walking in any store to look at clothes because I know if I want it they probably have it in my size. It is so close .......... the beginning of the best part of my life.

Tell your surgeon when you are doing your Leave of Absence paperwork that you do not want to let your work know the specific procedure you are having. I am in the same position as you and my surgeon said that they will do the paperwork as "abdominal surgery" and that is sufficient. The time off of work is minimal, and just dont give them any more information than they need. If they ask, say that it is personal and not appropriate to discuss with anyone other than your physician or immediate family. And yes it is illegal for them to ask due to HIPAA (Health Information Portability and Accountability Act). Good luck and focus on what is important.

I thought I should write a follow-up not only for those who are reading this but for continuity when I reflect back on this journey. Today I walked into a meeting with a physician who knew nothing about me, nothing about my choices and why I have made the choices I have and why this is the road I am taking. It was not a meeting I was looking forward to. But I took the position that I have a strong belief in which is, "Knowledge is Power". I had the knowledge so I had all the power. The dr. walked in and I made sure I was open pleasant and not defensive and open to what he had to say. He started off trying to talk to me about the bad choices I had made in my life (and yes those were his words). I didn't flinch I let him finish and then I went to town. I basically took this man to school (in a good way lol). My first question was if he was aware of the procedure I was wanting and if he had any experience with patient who wanted them. He said he knew of this "experimental" procedure and its risks. Well I knew right there by his answer he had no idea. So we talked for the better part of an hour and you know what, he had no idea what the sleeve was he thought it was a the DS Switch. After we talked he took my hand and told me that he wished that every patient he saw was as sure of what they wanted and needed in their life, and he said he would do whatever he could to help me succeed. WOW, I was blown away. From frenemy to friends just like that! Yet again another example that most of those opposed to us are just lacking the information that we already have. One step closer and I ready for every one of them, bring 'em on.

So i have been seeing my PCP for the mandatory weight management, and he has now had to take a leave of absence due to a family emergency and is away from practice for the next year. I hope that everything turns out well for him. Now I have to to see his partner whom I really don't know. I have all these feelings of insecurity, for the first time during this process. What if he doesn't agree with what I want to do for this next step in my life? I have heard from other patients that he doesn't listen to his patients that he has his own agendas. This surgery is not a decision I came to lightly, it is not something that is a gut reaction looking for the miracle cure, I need this to live otherwise I am going to die. I even opened up to a physician I work with in the emergency room (and that was huge, but I wanted to know what she thought of the procedure) telling her of my plans. Now you have to know that this ER doc is fitness junkie she competes in marathons and swims miles a day and rides her bike to work even when it snows! She said to me why don't you just cut out carbs, it was that easy for me. I laughed and I said that is like telling a heroine addict to stop heroine, but hey everyone around you will be doing it and its ok but not for you. I need this tool. She gave me comfort in talking with me saying that "You know I have NEVER seen a complication here from this surgery. That doesn't mean there are not possible complications (which I acknowledged). I have seen serious complications with the by-pass and lap band but not this procedure. So if you are going to do it this sounds logical and the safest. Good Luck". It was like she gave me a thumbs up which meant the world to me. Now, I have to meet with yet another person, a physician, who could derail my future. Is he friend or frenemy? My friends know me they know what I need to do to be healthy, but a frenemy would judge me and tell me there is another way, their way. My worst fear is he is a frenemy, so many doctors have proven to be frenemies. They do what they think is best saying I am not "that" big, that I dont need to lose weight and that I am healthy, so many times I want to scream. It has taken me years to get them out of my head and realize that I have to take control, I have listened to too many people in the past. I have so much in my family history that could come to haunt me, every co-morbidity that an obese person faces but I have been blessed to avoid every one of these health problems. It was easy for me to believe the docs that told me I was healthy and that I didnt need to lose weight because I didn't have these health issues. if I don't correct my weight I know I will become chronically ill and die. Sure hope he understands.

Thank you, I cannot help but think this is the best step for me. I hope you have continued success in your weight loss journey. And thanks for "listening" to my ramblings.

This is such a personal journey for each and every person who choses weight loss surgery. I find that like everyone else this is not my first time at the rodeo, so to speak, when it comes to losing weight and trying to be healthy. We all have our demons and those who say they support us and want the best for us. But when the sun sets and it comes down to it the only person who can do this is looking right back at me in the mirror. Since I know this is such a personal journey, I have decided that the best way for me to deal with this is to reach out to those people like me, on this website (as my dog is getting tired of me talking to him and the cat just ignores me!). Let me explain who I am and why I am here.... I am the youngest of three children, the baby and the only girl. Now most people would say wow you are the spoiled one, that I got away with everything and that I could do no wrong. This is the furthest from the truth in my case. I came from a loving family, and a mother who was home and when it comes down to it I had a great childhood. I never wanted for anything, I never knew what it was like to go without, and this included food. In defense of my mother, she never had to worry about her weight as she was blessed with that metabolism that allowed her to eat anything. Until I came along, she was cooking and feeding a family of all men, which meant the more food the better. We were all active and played sports and I was no exception. I played softball, soccer, volleyball and spent the summers swimming and even swam on the country clubs swim team. But to this day I hear that I don't eat enough. Really!! Let's see I got to this size by eating broccoli, uh I think not. There was an endless supply of twinkies (and yes I will miss them) pepsi by the case (and in bottles my weakness), chips and candy and we were never denied. Now, I am not blaming my mother, she just didn't realize nor did I. She sent me off to fat camp when I was 9 because I was in "husky" clothes (and the person who classified clothes as husky should be shot!), she had me checked out by physicians for "gland problems", who told her I was very healthy and if i lived in the islands I would be considered gorgeous and sought after by men (well we weren't moving and this devestated my mother I think more than me). From that point forward it was a tsunami of weight watchers, nutri systems and fad diets. I never had a problem with boys or men, I am everyone's friend and love to make people smile (the curse of a fat person to be accepted), in fact I was part of the in crowd in high school and college. I married had a child and the divorced and none of this was because of or in spite of my weight. So this only fueled my RA (I will explain later), I kinda wish I had I think I would have woke up long ago. I look back and say, ok I have a great sense of who I am (I work in a level 1 trauma hospital's ER and love my job) and what is right and what needs to be corrected, I just haven't been able to correct it, until now. I never knew the why, I never really knew what got me to the massive weight of 352, and yes for me that is massive. Well the why is rather complicated, yet simple, and took me a bit to figure out. It is simple the why is because, simply because. Ok, stop laughing but that because has a very strong foundation. I am this size because I never stop eating the wrong things, because I wanted everyone else to correct my problem, because I would never get on a scale or acknowledge my weight, because I wouldn't admit nor did I see that I was overweight, this is my RA. Now let me explain that one. I used to look in the mirror and I never saw an overweight person. I know that sounds strange but I think I have a disease that has yet to be identified, a type of reverse anorexia (aka RA). You know it's an eating disorder of an obese person, just as devestating and it was fueled by not just my friends family and physicians (yes I had numerous physicians tell me I didn't need to lose weight, that I am healthy!) when deep down I knew better. I could keep going and going but I think you get the idea by now, so I am obese because, simply because. Well, I snapped out of it, what caused me to snap out of it I don't know but I did. I have no co-morbidities I am healthy and if you looked at my medical records (with the exception of my weight) you would see an above average healthy female, so it wasnt my health. I am going to have this sleeve as I know that I cannot stay this heavy and this is my only way. If I don't my health will decline and I will become ill if not die, and I don't no I won't let that happen before I have lived a long long long life. I now have no problem saying my weight to those I trust, I see a fat person in the mirror when I look now (oh and I don't like what I see!). I have researched this surgery until I feel like there is no way I can fail. I have researched my physician and hospital and have confidence in his abilities and the capabilities of the hospital. I just now have to get my insurance and my life in place to succeed. First, I have to finish a year (only 6 mos more to go) of nutritional visits with my primary physician before my insurance will approve my surgery. I will finish this 12 mos requirement in July. I thought that this process would take forever, but I do not see that being the case, the first half has flown and now I am on the downhill slide. I will use this blog to express my feelings and just get it off my chest, I am not sure if anyone will read it, or if you are reading this then I hope if nothing else it lets you know you are not alone in this battle. Until next time

It could have been toradol but if they were looking for something along the lines of morphine it was most likely dilaudid.

I had a 6 mos period of weight loss/physician supervision, with the visits no more than 2 mos apart, although they could be closer, but it had to be 6 months of supervision. I hope for the best for you and hope you get approved, but do not be surprised if they want you to wait longer. If that is the case verify that you do not need to be seen by the doctor anymore, as it would really suck if you had see the doctor again and you didn't. For now keep our fingers crossed and see what they say. If they want you to wait know it is just around the corner to