Mrs. Reid

MORE FRUSTRATION!!! Called the insurance company this morning and they say my pre-authorization is pending due to errors! So I call the program coordinator and she says Kelly the insurance person is off today but they will look into it and give me a call on Monday. Kelly never calls back...I'm going to have to call them. It just seems so amazing to me that this is what these people do for a living...this is all they do...and yet it has been a full month since I met all the requirements for the surgery and they still have not been able to get my case properly submitted to the insurance company! So now the soonest I would be able to have surgery is the beginning of February. My whole life is on hold waiting for this to happen. This is just unbelievable!

I talked to the insurance company and they have my paperwork so I hope to get a call this week. It looks like the first week of February for me...but no date yet.

Still no surgery date, but I have a pre-op appointment on the 23rd. The pre-op exam is good for 30 days and I will definitely be scheduled within that time frame. What happens during a pre-op appointment? What are they looking for? Has anyone had their surgery canceled because of something that happened in their pre-op exam?

I wonder if the alcoholism is the same in sleeve patients?

Well, tonight I had my last food funeral. This is stuff I'm never going to eat anymore, even if I can. Tomorrow I get back to eating my 3 high Protein, low carb meals a day plus two Protein shake Snacks. I expect to get insurance approval by next week and then I will have my date. Between now and surgery it is all about practicing the behaviors I will need to be successful after I have the surgery. I feel like this is my last chance to get my life back. I am going to win!

Wow! I want results like that!!!!

Congrats! I hope I have news like yours next week!

Called the hospital today and they have submitted my paperwork for insurance approval!!! Yeaaaaaaaa! I will call back next Friday morning if I have not heard from them. It's a shame I have to stay on top of them like this or risk falling through the cracks.

I'm in the same boat. Insurance has not received my paperwork and it's been 3 weeks since I jumped through my last hoop. This is driving me crazy!

I will do every other day next week and if I don't get what I need then I'm going to call the surgeon's directly and tell him what is happening. I bet they will call me back after that!

I have Preferred One. I have decided that I am going to start calling every other day till I get an answer!

Called insurance again and they have still not received my claim. Called the program and there are no notes saying the claim had been sent. The insurance person Kelly, has not returned my phone call of last week and Doreen who is the admin for the program said she would talk to Kelly and see what the hold up is. This is so frustrating. It is almost 3 weeks since my last NUT visit and the program has not even submitted my paperwork. I am about to become that squeaky wheel!

I have Preferred One. They are supposed to be an easy company to get approved by, but since they haven't gotten my claim yet, they can't approve me.

Congratulations! I hope to post that I've been approved sometime next week...till then....still waiting!

Wow, so good to hear success stories. So good to hear about things going right and things working out. I am pre-op and all the stories of complications and negativity during the first month have got me a little frightened, but not enough to stop me. Thank you so much for posting. I was thinking about taking up running too.

I had PTSD with a ton of depression and anxiety. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend a book called The Mood Cure by Julia Ross. Through years of therapy I was able to function in the world. It wasn't until I started the therapy in the book that I became a happy person. Three months later I was a totally different person. The amino acid therapy actually changes your brain's ability to experience positive emotions. I wish I had the book 30 years ago and saved myself a lot of pain. I was very skeptical at first so I got the book at the library and bought the smallest bottles of aminos I could find. It took about 3 days and I was sold on it...things changed THAT fast!

Called the insurance company this morning and they say they have not received my claim. Bummed.

I really feel that I have to be in this 100% to go ahead with wls. I had been investigating wls for 3 years. There were a couple of times I did the first informational sessions and then backed out to try to lose the weight on my own. I lost it and gained it back plus more. Still I felt that wls was too radical a move for me. But after 3 years of watching my health decline as I age..I am going for it. There is nothing that will stop me from getting the surgery. If I am rejected by my insurance then I will appeal and start saving up to go to Mexico to have it done. This is going to happen. I am afraid of the pain and complications ...and I am going to face my fears. I could not have had the surgery even one year ago. If I was insurance approved I would have backed out at the last minute. Now I am in it to win it.

Congrats on your surgery. You've come a long way and have just a little more to go to claim the prize. Let us know how it went!

Only 2 people in my life know...actually 3, but my best friend dumped me when she found out I was having surgery. We work in the same place and I don't believe she is going to tell people, because I believe she is afraid that I would tell everyone she had wls and gained most of the weight back.

I'm really trying to psych myself up for the negative feelings of the first few days. Even though I know you are feeling bad, you are post-op and I would do almost anything to be in your shoes right now.

I had the same problem. I needed to show weight loss for my final appointment with the NUT so I could get submitted for insurance approval. What I did was ate a small Breakfast at about 7:30 then had a Meal Replacement shake at 11:30 at lunch at 1 a meal replacement at 4 and another at 6. Then 3 days before my appointment I had nothing but 6 Meal Replacements every day. and purposely went to my appointment dehydrated. I took a bottle of Water with me to drink as soon as I got my weigh in done. I just considered it a practice run for my two week pre-op diet. I showed the weight loss was passed. Now I am waiting for insurance approval. Good luck!

Gosh, I'm amazed at how much posts like this affect me. I want so badly to succeed and when I hear of someone having a hard time it scares me....gives me the feeling that I'm going to mess up and not lose the weight. It's like "See! People have the surgery and they still overeat! It's possible that you're going to have the surgery and still be fat!" It just seems that I have worked so hard to change my habits and this surgery means so much to me. Gosh I feel like I'm going to cry.

I see a lot of people say to take gas x to the hospital with me. I see there are gas x strips, chewables and pills....which ones did you use. Are the pills easy to swallow after the surgery?