Mommy07

I am from Maine and having the surgery at Souther Maine Medical Center. I weighed in at 270 with my dietician on the 10th of October. I started eating they way she told me to and I have lost 7 pounds in two weeks. I am affraid that if I lose too much weight my BMI and my weight won't be high enough to have the surgery approved by my insurance. Any suggestions?

hey thanks! Good luck with your fill! :confused:

So, I am understanding everything that the dietician told me. Alot of it is back to basics from weight watchers, portions, weight, ounces, excercise, etc... Then she told me about the "UNGY?" protein replacement something or another that I will have to get during my 2 week pre-op diet? what the heck is UNGY??????

Good morning Bandsters! My first dietician meeting is tomorrow. I was wondering what I can expect to learn from this appointment and about how long is the first appointment? :thumbup:

Second Wednesday of each month, 7 to 8pm Fourth Wednesday of each month, 6:30 to 7:30pm

Thank you.

I see a lot of you have neat weight tickers and information signatures I was wondering if someone could help me do this?

I am confused about the difference between the Pre-Op diet and the liquid diet. Are they the same thing? If not, when do they start me on the Pre-op diet? I have my first meeting with the dietician next Tuesday. Is that when I start my Pre-Op Diet?

Thanks, I think I've got it!

I got a call yesterday scheduling my first dietician appointment on 09/09/08. I got a call today to schedule my first consultation with the surgeon on 10/1/08. However, I also have to see a Pulmonary Doctor because I snore. They need to make sure I don't have sleep apnia, of course that doctor is booked until November :smile2: So, that is making my process longer. Has anyone else have to see a Pulmonary doctor? What happens.

I went to the seminar August 13th, mailed in my application on the 14th. I called on Thursday the 21st and was told that the Surgeon's Office Assistant was on vacation and would be back on 25th and I should hear from the surgeon's office this week. So, I called again today, because I am a pain, and left a message and about 3 hours later.... The dietician called me to make an appointment! WoOOOHoooo. I have already seen my PCP and she approved all the services and my Insurance...what a joke, all they want is my PCP to say that I need it and an approval letter of medical necessity by the surgeon!:cursing: Let's just hope it is a easy as it seems!:huh2:

Hi, My name is Abbie. This is great! My appointment is 09/09/08 at 1:30. We are just about the same age too. I turn 28 in December! My e-mail address is abbie.cote@yahoo.com. I am going to the support group meeting tonight at 6:30...U?

I thought they wanted you on BC. I had my son almost 9 months ago and I had an IUD put in. That was $600. I'll be upset if I have to have it taken out and put back in again!

My cousin and I found out that the closest hospital and surgeon for the lapband is about 20 min from our house! So we went to the seminar and support group, we are waiting to hear back from the surgeon's office. I saw my doctor and got my referrals. However, when my cousin went to see her doctor to get referrals he told her he refuses to give her a referral to Southern Maine Medical Center of Excellence because he has had patients with complications from that hospital after having that surgery. He told her that he will only give her a referral to Tufts Hospital in Boston! That is 2 hours away! Granted the surgeons there may be more experienced and they may also have better after care but they are the largest hospital in New England, they should have all of these things. SMMC in Maine, the surgeon has done over 200 surgeries and he has been a surgeon for 14 years. He also graduated from the #14 out of 200 top rated colleges in the U.S. He is Board Certified. He doesn't have any misconducts reported. I am confused as to whether I should go to SMMC or make the extra effort to go all the way to Boston everytime I need a fill, dietician, or medical assistance? Does anyone have any ideas?

I just got a call from Jessica the dietician. I had called yesterday to ask if the Surgeon's office got my application and what I needed to do next, blah, blah, blah. So, she said they got 15 applications the night of the seminar and Linda is the person in the Surgeon's office who will be calling with dates for the Dietician, Psychologist, and Lab work and she is on vacation this week. Dr. Carroll will look over the application to make sure I am qualified for the surgery. Jessica told me that she looked over my application after I called and thought it looked great and that I should be getting a call next week to start making appointments. After I get the call with the appointments I have to call my PCP and give her all the appointments dates that have been made. She will then contact my Insurance Company to see if it is covered, I have Harvard Pilgrim Health POS. If it is covered the insurance company will give her a code of some sort that she will give to Dr. Carroll's office. Then the journey begins! Oh, I can't wait until next week!!!!

Thank you very much. I will do the same for you!

I attended the free seminar and a support group on 08/13/08. I mailed in my application for the surgery on the 14th. I also went to see my PCP on the 14th and got referrals for all the doctors I will have to see for the surgery. However, I haven't been "approved" by the surgeon's office yet for the surgery. My insurance company doesn't require me to do anything. Their only requirements are; 100 overweight, 35 BMI with co-morbidities, 40+ BMI, no smoking, over 18 yrs old and under 60, and the hospital has to be a "hospital of excellence". I have Harvard Pilgrim Health POS they will pay for everything as long as I have a referral from my PCP. I only have to pay for doctors co-pays =$20 So, I went online to see what the surgeon requires: Insurance Coverage Because many insurers consider weight loss surgical procedures elective, patients must obtain insurance approval *DOES THIS MEAN A REFERALL FROM MY PCP?* for the surgery prior to scheduling the procedure. There is no fee for the information session. While many of the costs that will be incurred during the evaluation process will be covered by insurance, some charges may become the responsibility of the patient. If a patient qualifies medically for surgery, the surgeon’s office will request pre-approval for coverage of the procedure from the patient’s health insurer *ISN'T THIS THE SAME THING AS ABOVE?*. When the insurance company gives its pre-authorization, patients are notified by the surgeon’s office. In most cases, a date for the operation will be scheduled during this notification. For patients not covered by insurance, there are self-pay options that may be discussed with accounting department. Once a date for the operation is scheduled, patients are often asked to come into the office about a week before the procedure. If patients are not eligible for surgery or decide it is not an appropriate option for them, SMMC is committed to helping them attain their weight loss and health goals. Other weight management and exercise programs offered as part of our Weight management program are also available. Ask the program coordinator for more information about these options. Steps to Take - Surgery Attend the Information session. (MANDATORY) *CHECK-I DID THIS* Educational/Informational sessions occur at 6pm for new patients admitted to the program. Patients wanting information only on the Gastric Bypass Program are welcome to attend. Attend a minimum of two Gastric Bypass Support Groups prior to surgery. *I AM ATTENDING THE SECOND ONE ON 09/10/08* Complete packet questionnaire and forms. (The packet is handed out at the information session). A medical release is included in the packet in order for the team to obtain health information from your primary care physician. Please sign this release and include it with your application. Mail in the packet to the address provided So, what do I do now? Can I even get a referral from my PCP for my insurance company before I know that I am approved by the surgeon for the surgery?

I went to the seminar on Wednesday and the support group right after the seminar. I mailed out my application to the surgeon on Thursday. So, I was wondering how long does it take to hear from the surgeon?

I was wondering what the psychatric evaluation is like? What kind of questions do they ask, what are they really trying to discover about us before we get a referral from them?

see the publication from the IRS.gov webpage. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf -Abbie

:tongue2:I went to the seminar on Wednesday and then I stayed for the Support Group meeting. It was amazing how I felt so comfortable amongst so many strangers. The next day (yesterday) I mailed out my application and the surgeon's office should have it today. I also went to my PCP to get referrals for all the doctors in the team at SMMC in Biddeford. I thought I was going to have to beg for the referral, it was so easy. She put me on the scale my BMI is 43 and she asked me if I was ready for this and I said I've been thinking about that and when I went to the support group I knew I was ready. The next thing I know she is calling the doctors offices and trying to set up dates so that I can get referrals with those doctors. I told her that I had just mailed in the application and I haven't yet been approved by the surgeon, and she said that was okay and that she just needed dates for the referrals. So, that was that~ Now I am just waiting to hear from the surgeon. I hope his office calls soon with good news.

I haven't been to the seminar yet I go tonight, for those of you who didn't read my last post. I have been reading about having to thin out our liver...how the heck do we do that?

Tonight is the Free Seminar in Biddeford, Maine! This is where we (my cousin and I) fill out the application that the surgeon reviews to see if you qualify for the sugery. We also are attending our first bariatric surgery support group after the seminar. I am so excited and at the same time so nervous,:crying: I have the worst luck of anyone in the world. So, when I hope for something good I get sick to my stomach:crying: because it almost never works out for me. I will post back again when if I hear anything from the surgeon later this week or next week. Wish me luck. Abbie:thumbup: