majorsmama

Mine will be late July also. My insurance has approved the surgery and I'm just waiting to see my PCP on 6/22 for clearance and then I can schedule it. Unfortunately, training at work is forcing me to push it back until late July.

I had my EKG and chest xray today as the final part of my surgeons pre-op requirements and I had the results of both of them emailed to me so I could provide them to my PCP for clearance. My EKG had abnormal results. The note on the EKG says First degree AV block. I Googled and found that it's likely nothing serious and can even be a result of unbalanced electrolytes. I'm just wondering if this could have an effect on my surgery. I wonder if my surgeon will now require clearance from a cardiologist. Does anyone have experience with this?

This post is really just a vent, but I'm posting it here because nobody in my life understands how frustrating this has been. Last week I completed the final appointment for my medically supervised weight loss. It was not a great month for me for many reasons, but I managed to weigh EXACTLY the same that I did the month prior. When I mentioned to the nurse that I was happy that I hadn't gained, she said "yeah its a good thing too because we would have made you do another month.". I was taken aback and asked if she was serious and she said yes, that they've had insurance companies deny requests for even a .2 lb gain and so they've adopted the policy that they automatically extend the medically supervised weight loss by one visit. The thing is, since my first appointment, I had lost 29 lbs. So had I had even the smallest gain for one month, they would have made me come back another month. Despite the fact that MY insurance would not have required it. Also, my surgeons office made me have 4 total appointments even though Aetna only required 3. When I told my surgeons office that, they said "well we can submit after the third if that's what you want, but we won't help you with an appeal if you're declined". So they basically bullied me into doing one more visit than what my insurance required. And when I asked why it was their policy to require more visits than my insurance did, nobody could give me a straight answer. I'm just so frustrated. If I weren't this far into the process, I would probably switch surgeons. My surgeon himself is fantastic. But the people who work for him are awful and the policies that his office have implemented are ridiculous. I think once my surgery is over, I'm going to give some overdue feedback. I don't want to complain now because I don't want to do anything to jeopardize my surgery. And this is a center of excellence too!

I'm getting sleeved in late July. I'm 36 years old and 5'4" and 265lbs. Good luck to us all!

Yeah I don't fit comfortably in a roller coaster at my current size but I love them and can't wait to get strapped back in one soon!

On the positive side, I think the DS has the most successful and long term weight loss results. Good luck!

Aetna took only a day to approve me. Good luck!

How tall are you? You must be pretty tall to have a bmi under 40 at 270lbs!

What Dr/hospital are you using? I'm in az too

My surgeons office sent in my paperwork to Aetna on Thursday of last week and I called them today and was told I am approved! They are mailing out the letters today! I am over the moon. 2 business days, that's gotta be a record of some kind! Now I just have to wait another 6 weeks or so because I am currently in training for work through July 17th. ????

Mine was submitted on Thursday and I called and was told this morning I am approved!

I'm in Gilbert and I'm wondering the same thing!

Banner. It's the only place that had a doctor in my network. Banner Gateway? That's who I am using as well. One of the nutritionists I saw was really hardcore and strict while the other is very laid back. They told to cut out starches as well. I just completed my 3 months of visits and lost a total of 29 lbs. I had slip ups in that time, I just didn't mention them. As long as I was losing weight, they didn't give me any fuss.

I think endocrinologist records would be fine, but I think most insurance companies are looking for monthly visits. You should call them and find out.

@@marybowlus did your surgeons office notify you or did you call Aetna directly to find out?

@@jas84047 sounds like we have the same office! Mine also prefers email because they do not answer the phone. So I email and it often takes days to hear back. At my final weigh in appt the insurance coordinator told me she would review my info and email me with what (if anything) she still needs but would email me regardless. Yeah, that was almost a week ago and no email.

I completely agree and thanks for the feedback. I so badly wanted to give that nurse a piece of my mind (it didn't help that she was completely unfriendly and rude that day) but I don't want to piss anyone off at this point. I'm just too close.

I think most do. I have a friend who had Lapband who didn't have to jump through any hoops. I wish my insurance was that easy!

If your bmi is 29, I'd assume you need to gain more than just a little. I guess it depends on your insurance. Mine requires a 40 BMI documented for 2 years. It can be 35 if you have co-morbidities. So it depends on your insurance and what your surgeon will do. My surgeon for example would probably not sleeve someone with a 29 BMI.

I would take a bariatric vitamin if I were you. Regardless of what your surgeon has advised (which I don't agree with), there's no harm in taking them. You'll need a liquid vitamin post surgery.

I have 80/20 insurance with a Max out of pocket of $2000 so that's what I will end up paying.

As we all know, hair loss is a part of having wls. But my hair is already super thin due to genetics combined with years of Hashimotos hypothyroidism. And when I say thin, I mean THIN! You can see my scalp kind of thin. It's really bad. So I am extremely concerned about being close to bald post surgery because I know I will lose more. I know the Protein and Vitamins help and to take Biotin and all that, but I just wanted to hear from any ladies who were in a similar situation to me. I'm afraid I'm gonna end up in a wig. So ladies who had super thin hair pre-vsg, how bad did it get after surgery?

I lost 120 pounds with diet when I was 22 and my skin sagged pretty bad. And I was young and hydrated. Over the years I have managed to fill that saggy skin back out and then some. But even as a vain, self-absorbed 22 year old, the saggy skin was exponentially better than being fat. I know that after being sleeved I will have loose saggy skin again but I don't care. I want to be healthy and feel good. I don't need to wear a bikini, I would settle for a sundress or shorts. I see the concern about saggy skin so often and it boggles my mind that someone would even consider staying fat rather than be healthy with some loose skin.

The surgeon will not know your specific insurance requirements. Six months is pretty standard so maybe he was speaking hypothetically. You should call your insurance company and ask them.

I would assume that you would have to meet the 6 month requirement if you expect Anthem to provide any bariatric coverage. I don't know for sure, but if an insurance company has a requirement, I doubt they will care what your other insurance requires. Best option is to call Anthem and ask!