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Hey all, I'm new. Long story short I just got told by my would've been surgeon's office (Dr. Weiss at CBH) that as of January 1st 2014, KY Medicaid no longer covers bariatric surgery. I was so close to finally getting something done, but the very day my insurance went active was the very day they stopped covering what I needed it for in the first place. Oh well, that's life eh? I guess they'd rather spend that money on my future heart attack and stroke treatments. Anyway just thought I would stop by and pass along the information. I hadn't read about this anywhere else on the web, so I thought there might be others who need to know. Regards.

So tomorrow my journey officially begins. Intake day. I'll be talking with the PA, the Psychologist, a nutritionist, and a financial/insurance specialist, as well as having some blood work done. I'm nervous but excited to finally be moving forward with this. Anyone else who had surgery with Dr. Weiss? He comes very highly recommended. I'm told the best in the state. I'd appreciate some "intake day" insights if you have any. Thanks.

I'm not a religious person, but you know what they say: "If thy right hand offends thee, cut it off." ...Or something like that, haha. Only in our case it's the stomach.

Haven't met with him yet, but I believe he'll be doing my EGD next month. Good luck to you as well!

My doctor put me on phentermine for my three month supervised diet (his idea, I didn't even ask for it). I've taken it before with some success, but it honestly doesn't do a lot for me. I don't really feel any different. Fortunately no side effects, but only a slight decrease in appetite so far. Anyhow, some of the information my surgeon's office gave me included no diet pills for at least two weeks before surgery. So just make sure you clear it with your surgeon before taking anything. And whatever happens, best of luck! You can do this.

If everything goes as planned I'm looking at an early Fall / late Summer date. Just need to get a three month supervised diet out of the way. My guess is it'll land around September. Good luck to everyone!

So yesterday I had my first appointment. "Intake Day." I met with a psychologist, nutritionist, physician assistant, insurance specialist and my patient advocate. Everything went really well, and everyone seems to agree that I'm a good candidate for the gastric sleeve. It turns out my insurance only requires a 3 month supervised diet, so assuming everything else goes well, I could be looking at a late summer/early fall surgery date. But we'll see. Next on the list is an EGD. It's a procedure I'm only vaguely familiar with, so naturally I'm nervous about it, but I'm told it's no big deal. I just hope it goes smoothly.

Thanks so much for the kind words I'm definitely nervous about everything, but crazy excited too. And I've never been more hopeful for the future. I actually met with my PCP today to knock out the initial visit for the monthly weigh ins. There's the initial, plus the three followups. So only three months to go!

Maybe check out Soylent

I'm definitely afraid of hair loss too. Male pattern baldness is rampant on both sides of my family and I already seem to notice signs of thinning. I'm worried that after my surgery, I may never see again whatever hair I lose, haha.

Seriously stunning!

It's definitely the little things I look forward to the most. I can relate to pretty much everything all of you have already mentioned. Most of all I'd love to be able to kick these blood pressure meds. At least one of 'em (I'm on two different BP medications). I also wouldn't mind dodging the diabetic bullet that I know has my name on it.

So I received a call back from the surgeon's office today, and my first appointment / intake day will be May 15th. She said my insurance didn't actually have a lot of criteria, other than BMI, comorbidities, etc. She didn't say anything about a 6 month supervised diet, so hopefully I can get the surgery sooner than I had expected! I'm insanely excited to get started, but of course crazy nervous too. Which I'm sure will only get worse, haha. So I just wanted to post and see if anyone had any insights/warnings/things to consider for the first appointment.

Didn't know that. Fortunately I never touch the stuff.

Oh of course. I'm not assuming anything. Plus even if the insurance doesn't require it, the surgeon very well may. It sure would be a lot more convenient for me though, haha. Either way I'm ready to do whatever it takes. Thanks a lot everyone.

Hey all. As someone who's dealt with high blood pressure since adolescence (I'm 24 now), WLS is something I've considered since I was about 17 or so. Now that I'm actively pursuing a gastric sleeve, I'm kind of worried about potential surgical risks that might be associated with high blood pressure. Does anyone know if there is any increased risk of complications or death for hypertensive patients during surgery? I mean, I have to figure it's not an uncommon problem for those of us undergoing bariatric procedures, right? So I'm sure the surgeon has plenty of experience with it. I know this is all stuff I should discuss with my doctor, I just wanted to hear some input from anyone who may have had similar concerns before their surgery. Thanks.

I submitted my patient packet in early March, received an email about week or so later saying it could take up to 4 weeks to be reviewed. So I guess I just have to play the waiting game now. Of course I'm sure this kind of thing varies considerably from surgeon to surgeon, so your mileage may vary.

I'm going through Dr. Weiss at Central Baptist in Lexington, KY, which is a Bariatric Center of Excellence. And from what I understand Dr. Weiss is one of the best in the state.

Thanks for the assurances everyone. Besides I have plenty of time to find new stuff to worry about, haha. But I'm sure it'll be fine.

I am. Though it does like to be stubborn and sporadic sometimes. Especially when I get nervous. So in the back of my mind I have this fear that it'll go haywire on the operating table or something.

Okay, I know it's been a while, but I have good news. Long story short, KYflower75's info is correct, Medicaid is in fact still covering weight loss surgery in Kentucky. The whole thing was a matter of miscommunication between Medicaid and the Surgeon's office. So as of today I have completed and submitted all the paperwork necessary to get the process started.

Well this is definitely interesting. I have Passport, and was also told (as far as the rep was aware anyway) that there was no change. And yet I've been told by two different surgeon's offices that medicaid was no longer covering weight loss surgeries. Maybe I should make a few more calls and figure this out. Thank you so much for the info!