Chasidy

Sara! Hey! How are you?! I was banded on 11/20/09 and got my first fill on 1/13/10. I'm still HUNGRY! I'm not sure how much I have - I called and asked Tabitha and she said either 3 or 4 cc's. I go back on 2/10/10 and I'm hoping to get a few more. I don't eat as much - but I feel like because I eat so little I get hungry every couple of hours.

I've been preparing for a couple of weeks but still don't feel ready - the next two evenings I have to be on top of everything. I'm not doing good at all with my pre - op diet to be perfectly honest. I've tried and I have been absolutely starving. Mine is supposed to be liquids with two fruits a day and that's just not working for me. I've cheated a couple of times because I thought I would pass out if I didn't. I'm really worried about the cheating. I hope this doesn't mean I'm not ready.

My Surgery is Friday and I'm kind of freaking out - mostly on the inside but none the less FREAKING OUT. What if I'm not ready - will I ever be ready if I'm not now. I'm fat and tired of being fat. So many emotions I need to know if everyone else goes through this???

So Aetna denied my surgery originally saying "not medically neccessary". My policy benefit states that I must have a BMI of 40 or 35 with two co morbidities. I have a BMI of 42. What could be more neccessary?!?! I'm not very patient so I've called the doctor's office several times over the past couple of days. Well today - the answer is this - Aetna says I didn't complete my three month multi disciplinary. I did. So I called Aetna and they say the doctor's office didn't submit the paperwork for all three months, and if they just submit that the denial should be over turned. However, the doctor's office has now said that my surgeon is going to call Aetna's medical director to get it over turned. Did anyone have this much trouble and if so is there ANYTHING I can do to help this process through? I've made appointments with my family doctor and with my ob gyn to get letters of recommendation from them. But that's going to take weeks.

FINALLY APPROVED!!!! Surgery date is 11/20/09! I start my pre-op diet on 11/11/09 but I'm not sure what that will consist of just yet. I'm scared and happy and nervous and excited. I just don't know how to feel!

Update..... when I called the doctor's office yesterday to see if he had made the call to Aetna's medical director, he hadn't. His wife was in labor....great for them, not so much for me. I just wish I could have more patience. I told the girls at the office what the insurance company had said about additional progress notes and asked if they would send them and they said sure! As of yet - they haven't. I feel like I could crawl out of my skin waiting on a response. I feel like I have put so much into this and the people I'm forced to depend on don't really care.

My personal opinion is have the one that knows you best ARNP - write the letter and then have them both sign it. An additional letter from your OB wouldn't hurt either.

I'm sooo happy for you....you've given me hope. I'm in the middle of a dramatic denial situation myself and I really hope mine works out like yours! Congratulations!!

I also just got a denial from Aetna - not medically neccessary! I followed their guidelines and I have a BMI of 40. What more do they want?!?! My doctor has to have a "peer to peer" with Aetna's Medical Director? I don't have a good feeling about it - but I don't know what to do. I want to do SOMETHING - but it's like my hands are tied.

That's the things that people have been saying to me for two months now. I can't help but think they are just being polite and really don't believe what they are saying. I look in the mirror everyday I know what I look like.

I'm with you on not being able to be down long. I just started my job in July (took the job because the insurance covers the surgery lol) My friend was banded two weeks ago on a Friday and by Monday she was up and taking her son for a hair cut and shopping. She told me that the laying around made her feel worse - so being up and moving and sitting in class shouldn't be too hard on you.

I've had two appointments with my surgeon so far - apparently the first one didn't count - but they said today that on Aetna I was able to do the 3 month program instead of 6 months. When you say have all your ducks in a row - can you give me an idea of what those ducks are? I'm a nervous wreck about the insurance. I don't want to get my hopes up for them to be crushed. I feel like the doctors office isn't telling me enough about the insurance because they know already. They did tell me today that it would be great if I did lose weight but it doesn't really matter at this point.