StLouisGal

I called my insurance company this morning and found out that I was approved on December 21. :whoo::whoo::whoo:Now for the bad news. I have to leave this fantastic January thread because my pre-op class won't be until Jan 30 and surgery 2-6 weeks after that. And I so wanted to be a January Jewel or New Years

I'm with the rest of you, I rarely find myself in front of the camera. I hate pictures of me but for what it is worth, here it is.

Fine by me! :clap2::clap2::clap2:

Hey Ross07, Welcome :clap2: Where in St. Louis are you? :rose: Who is your Doc. :rose: This board is great. I am in St. Louis also and currently waiting for insurance approval but we won't go there, too frustrating. Happy Holidays!

What about a tiny crumb of bread and a tiny sip of wine. Is it unlevined bread or yeast bread. The unlevined bread kind of just melts to nothing (at least the kind our church uses.) Also many churches offer grape juice for the alcoholics or others who cannot have alcohol, that might be a better option for you. Just a thought. Hope you are feeling up to going to church on Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas.

I called my insurance again this morning. the gal I talked to today said it was still under review and that could take 30 days. :angry I feel like I am just supposed to put my life on hold until they decide to get their act together. :faint: I don't want to tell my family that I am having the surgery until I am sure I am because in my mind it will be just another thing I didn't follow through with in their eyes. :rolleyes I wish they would get their stories straight. The last gal on Wednesday told me 72 hours. I think this one just wanted to get rid of me. :bored I may call back this afternoon to see if I can get a third opinion. :decision:

I started researching this about four years ago but at that time my insurance didn't cover anything but bypass and I didn't want that and my primary doctor refused to even let me consider that, so I kind of decided I was just meant to be fat. I tried WW again, about 40 pounds lost :)and gained back about 60. :mad:Tried Atkins, lost about 70 pounds, :)gained back all 70. Again decided I was just going to be fat, got rid of all my small clothes, except this one green suit that I love but is a size 18. Oh well, My epifiany was when I went to an amusment park with my neices and nephew and had to get an electric cart to keep up.:embarassed: I decided that I didn't want to have to ride around in a wheelchair to keep up with my grandchildren if I ever am blessed with any. I started researching again. The band was now available and a possiblity with my inusrance. I ran across this site, and did more research, clicked every link and read, read, read, Finally in September I went to see my primary care provider and asked what she thought. She thought it was a good idea and said she would support me any way she could. :whoo:I started researching surgeons in this area. Found one, got information, signed up for a seminar, etc. only to find out that they don't accept my insurance. :cry Back to the drawing board. I found another surgeon, requested information, etc. filled out preliminary paperwork, saw pcp again to get letter of medical necessity, made appointment for the psychological evaluation (a month out from where I was then:cry) and waited. Got the Psych eval, passed, waited while surgeons office evaluated paperwork to decide if I was a good candidate. They submitted the paperwork to the insurance about a month after I submitted it to them. Now I am waiting on the insurance. My Doc doesn't even see you until after insurance approval. Once the insurance is approved I have to meet with dietitian, exercise therapist, preop testing, and a consult with surgeon. :clap2::clap2::clap2: I guess I haven't had to jump through all that many hoops yet but I hate waiting. Fortunately my PCP was able to document several diet attempts and a long history of obesity. I guess there are advantages to sticking with the same primary care provider for 20 years plus. :eyebrows: So that is my tale of woe. We are going to make it.

You have great taste in tickers. Hope you are approved soon too. It would be a great holiday present!

Congratulations. Jan 7 will come sooner than you think. Do you have to do a pre-op diet?

I guess we are all in the same slow boat. 4jin, I have a federal program administered Anthem in Missouri. :biggrin1: I miss the good old days when my doctor (who actually knows me and makes decisions on what is best for me) made the decisions about my healthcare and proceeded without interference with insurance companies. They just paid the bills when they were submitted. :flypig: Oh, but they didn't have the band back then :eek:so I guess I'll stick with what I have. I'll be praying for all of you :pray::pray::pray::pray::pray:while I'm praying for my insurance company.:pray:

I finally called the insurance company. The Doctor's office submitted the information on Dec. 6. :whoo:The insurance company finally got it on Dec 15 and have submitted it to a nurse to look at for approval. :clap2: The nurse hasn't had time to look at it. :rolleyes When I asked how long it usually took her to get around to looking at it, I was told it depended on how many more she had ahead of me on her desk but once she looks at it, I should have an answer within 72 hours :huytsao But since it is not an emergency they can't do anything to speed up the process. :guess:guess:guess I am welcome to call back next week to see if she has had a chance to look at it. :cry:cry:cry I think I'll call back tomorrow and Friday and maybe they will get tired of hearing from me.:heh::heh::heh: Thanks for letting me vent. :bounce::bounce::bounce: I'm bouncing off the walls here, I'm so nervous.

I like January Jewels, too. Gifted garnets is great too.

What a great thread. I am anxiously awaiting approval. :nervous My paperwork was sent to BCBS nearly two weeks ago and still no word. I think the people who are supposed to be approving are probably out holiday partying. :confused: They have no idea how nervous I am about this whole process. How long has everyone else been waiting for approval?

Take as much information as you can to the primary so that you can explain it to them if you have to. They are going to have to write the referral to get you approved. The more you know about the procedure and the benefits of it, the more chance you will have to get the primary to approve it and send the referral. I am pretty sure Tricare does cover it but not in all facililties so you may have to hunt around for a facility that does the band under Tricare. Good luck to you.

I am seeing Dr. Scott. Good Luck on Wednesday. It is going to go well. I'm anxious to hear how things go at DePaul. So far I am very impressed with the clinic.

I am still waiting for insurance approval. I will have it at DePaul also. Who is your doc?

I just tried the strawberry in skim milk for my lunch. It is pretty good. I think I like it better in lemonade but I have to get my Calcium in somehow. I tried the unflavored in oatmeal but it gave it an odd consistency. I just need to experiement a little more with it. It came with a lot of interesting recipes that I want to try. The best part is that you can stir it with a spoon and don't need a blender.

I think it is worth the price. It mixes in with a spoon and doesn't taste chalky like some protein shakes I have had. I mix the chocolate and vanilla with skim milk and the strawberry with Crystal Light lemonade. It is really smooth and easy to drink. If you order regularly you can get a discount on the Unjury website. Every little bit helps.

I haven't been banded yet so I am sure I don't know exactly what you are feeling but don't beat yourself up, and don't let anyone else. Are you measuring your food? That might help you realize how much you are eating. You probably aren't completely healed yet and don't have any restriction. Hang in there and stop letting your mom stress you out. Don't get on the scales except at the Dr's office. That way you can honestly say you don't know how much you have lost.

Mine has been a little different but real similar Started doing research online 9/1/07 Called center for information 10/5/07 Filled out preliminary form online 10/6/07 Recieved paperwork: 10/15/07 *Diet History *Health History *Letter from PCP stating medical necessity, weight history, medical clearance for surgery All paperwork submitted to surgeon 11/15/07 Pyschological evaluation 11/15/07 Passed Surgeon's office submitted paperwork to insurance 12/6/07 Upon Insurance approval: Pre-op classes with Dietitian, Physical Therapy, Pre-op testing, and Consultation with surgeon to set date TBA Manditory Support Group meeting: Probably Dec. 19 Surgery. Hopefully sometime in mid to late January I guess it has moved fairly quickly. :whoo::whoo::whoo:

:whoo:Congratulations.:whoo: I am still in the process of getting approved. How long did it take to get your insurance to approve you?

That is a great exhibit. I saw it when it was in Dallas. It is in St. Louis now. It is definitely worth seeing. Makes understanding the anatomy much easier. I really got the most out of the babies. They looked asleep and made it very easy to explain to our nephew who was with us that God created babies to be perfect from the beginning and hopefully gave him something to think about before he starts making babies before he and his partner are ready. I don't think I would have been able to handle it if these babies were the product of abortion but they all died either in accidents or natural causes. It is a very powerful exhibit.

I go to Curves and they measure once a month. The waist is different for everyone but you can tell where it is when you bend side to side. It is usually the smallest point. Mine is right on the belly button. Hope that helps.

I'm glad I am not the only one in this insurance boat. My letter was sent yesterday and when I made my weekly call to the clinic she said it may be 4 to six WEEKS for them to respond. :speechles She did say that there are still some surgery dates available in January so to keep thinking positive thoughts. I hope she is wrong about the length of time but this is the holiday season so who knows. I guess we all have to hang in there. I'll call again next week to see where we are.

Welcome, There are several of us looking at January/February surgery. It's good that we have our own little Missouri support system. Take care and let us know how you are doing.