Waiting for approval!

[Candle 11]

Thanks guys! I am so happy and relieved!!

I have my fingers crossed for all of you! You've been so sweet and supportive; I hope we can go through the process together!

My doctor's office called me yesterday but I didn't hear the message until last night. (I've called and bugged them so many times, I'm sure they were just as relieved as I was!! lol)

I have an appointment on 8/14 with the OR nurse to go over details and requirements for surgery. Then 8/21 at the hospital for pre-surgery testing. Then a final physical and clearance from my PCP on 8/22.

They even scheduled my first follow-up appointment for 9/10.

[valzie 0]

I'm approved!!! I am so happy. I called the insurance company this morning and they said that I was approved !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you all so much for holding my hand during this waiting period. No doubt your thoughts and prayers worked.

I guess we will be banded around the same time so it would be great to be able to keep in touch on progress.

hugs and kisses

Val

[valzie 0]

Bump....Bump......Bump

[MFRANKS 0]

i am also waiting on approval . i have gotten my cardo clearance ,waiting medical clearance ,the doc want to see me again, for clearance.i feel once i get this psy. and weight program is easy. i did recv a letter from my surgery center in atl,stating all inform needed process.you are not alone all i do is image myself with this band,i am so excited . so be encourage your dont have far to go!

[valzie 0]

MFRANKS the waiting is the hardest part of this whole journey but your right it is closer than I thought. I started cleaning out closets today and really cleaning.

You are well on your way so hang in there!

Val

[MFRANKS 0]

you are so nice ,thanks i needed that

[Candle 11]

I'm approved!!! I am so happy. I called the insurance company this morning and they said that I was approved !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you all so much for holding my hand during this waiting period. No doubt your thoughts and prayers worked.

I guess we will be banded around the same time so it would be great to be able to keep in touch on progress.

hugs and kisses

Val

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :whoo::whoo::whoo:

I'm so happy for you!!!

[Candle 11]

I GOT APPROVED!!!!!! I called my insurance co this morning and they confirmed that I had been approved and that I would be receiving a letter of approval in the mail.

Some how I missed this post!

CONGRATS!!!! :whoo::whoo:

[BluesByrd 0]

This is a great thread for those of us all waiting! I just joined LBT today, and this place is exactly what I needed. I've decided not to tell anyone my decision (when I mentioned it to my brother as a possibility months ago, he freaked out.)

I started this process in April, and the wait has been a killer, but I just submitted everything to my insurance company. Keep on prayin...

[valzie 0]

Hi BluesByrd- I started the process also in April and I understand that the waiting game is a little frustrating. Did you go through all of the tests and everything?

[princesst 0]

I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOO PISSED!!!!:angry:angry:angry:angry. I went to Dr. Spiegel's office on July 7th for my consultation and to submitt my paperwork with United Healthcare. I chose to go to him because he has performed over 6000 surgeries, despite some of the rumors that I have heard about him and his office. After going to the seminar, I was impressed with him and felt good about my decision to go there. I called a week later to see if they were needing any additional information from me such as previous doctors records and to see if they had heard anything, and I was told by my RUDE case worker Lulu that and I quote "I don't know the status of your case for I just submitted the information on July 12th and do not have time to stay on the phone and call the insurance companies for every patient that we have. But feel free to call UHC everyday if you would like!!!" I wanted in my heart to believe that she was just having a bad day............boy was I wrong! I decided to call my insurance co a week later on July 18th to check the status and was happy to find out that I HAD BEEN APPROVED!!!:eek: So I called Lulu to tell her so we could set up a surgery date and was told that they had to have a copy of the approval letter BEFORE they would schedule the appt.:faint:I was fine with that. So I waited and checked the mail every day and finally it came in on July 25th. I emailed the approval letter to her on July 26th and she forwarded it to Pam at their Houston office to schedule the surgery. Pam finally called me back at 1:00pm that day to schedule the appt. Great right??? WRONG!! It was then that I had learned that my information that had been sent to UHC to be approved had requested that the surgery be done at University General Hospital (a new hospital in Houston which Spiegel had raved about during his seminar) which was OUT OF NETWORK for me!!! They never asked me where I wanted the surgery to be done!!! I assumed that they would set it up with 12 Oaks which is the only In Network Hospital that he goes to!!! I was told to redo it so I could go to 12 Oaks that all of my paperwork would have to be resubmitted to UHC and could not tell me how long it would take!!! I AM SOOOO MAD!!! I call UHC to verify this and Pam was correct!!! I have left multiple voice mails for Pam to call me because I have questions and I have yet to hear from her. So I have decided that I am going to make me an appt with another doctor closer to home being that I live in Lake Charles. I just wanted to let anyone considering Spiegel to know what they would be getting themselves into before they wasted their time!!!If this is the way they are treating me know, how would they react if something were really wrong with me after I had the surgery. That is the question I asked myself and I figure that if I am going to have to wait for another approval that I will go to someone else.

Sorry so long just needed to vent!!!

[valzie 0]

Oh Princesst that really stinks!! I understand you wanting to switch Dr. now but will that mean you have to do the tests and everything all over again? Call around and check with another Dr.s office.

Unfortunately that no matter how good the Dr. is doesnt matter when you have to deal with his staff for scheduling and everything else.

My thoughts and prayers are with you I hope everything works out for you. Keep us posted.

[BluesByrd 0]

Well Valzie, I've done everything the Dr.'s office told me to do at this point, so I hope that's it. Didn't need additional tests that he said...

[princesst 0]

Val,

Thanks for the support!! Fortunately there are no test to redo! I look at it this way-I have waited this long.........I can wait a little longer to know that I am going to be cared for AFTER my surgery. Getting the lapband is only the first step in the right direction. The aftercare of the lapband is what continues the weightloss-that is why for me it is important that I know that I will have nurses and office staff that will work with me-NOT AGAINST!!!

[Candle 11]

Princesst - Wow!! That really really sucks!

I know all of the waiting is frustrating and how angry you must be right now but I'm going to attempt to put a positive spin on this ...

Maybe this happened for a reason? We've all been working so hard just to get the surgery day, that it feels like that's the finish line. It's really just the first step. You're going to need A LOT of after care, just think of the fills and possible un-fills alone. And god forbid you have any complications or need to switch insurance companies …

It doesn't matter if your doctor is the best surgeon in all of TX if his support staff sucks. It's better to find out now. After the surgeon inserts the band, I bet close to 80% of your after care is done by his support staff.

I fell in love with everyone in my surgeon's office. I'd say they played just as much a role in me choosing my doctor, as his reputation and experience did. They are all so caring, helpful, and patient. I've probably annoyed the crap out of all of them already and not once did I experience the negativity it sounds like you've been experiencing all along. Do you really want to go through it every time you need help or have a follow up visit? In the first few months when we’re all being hypochondriacs and calling them for every little thing, do you really want some bitchy nurse making you feel like you are wasting her time? Or worse … not even calling you back?

Houston is a very metropolitan and HUGE area - you should have no problem finding another suitable doctor in your network. I wouldn't imagine you'd have to do all your pre-op tests again - the results won't be any different. I assume you did them all with specialists, not your surgeon's office anyway.

Make some calls - talk to a few people on here. Seems like we have a lot of people in TX.

Best of luck - keep us updated.