No longer a Lurker in Georgia!

[Motocrossgirly 0]

Hi Everyone,

I have been lurking too long! Sorry, but I have really learned a lot over the past 2 months, as I waited for my case to be submitted for insurance approval.

Yesterday, November 1, 2007 I was approved by UHC POS!! :whoo:

Next stop, will be surgery with Dr. Johson & Atlanta Bariatrics...

Thanks for allowing me to lurk, I hope to get to know more of you better!

[4jin 0]

Hi there.

I too am choosing Dr. Johnson at Atlanta Bariatrics with Northside Hospital. Have you met him yet?

I am still at the beginning process of this whole thing.

Any advice that might help me speed up some steps?

Congrats on getting approved. I've heard that insurance is sort of tougher than most to qualify.:clap2:

[Motocrossgirly 0]

Hi,

What insurance do you have? All in all, I went for my info seminar in July. I had everything complete by the end of August, psych eval, weight history, pre-op labs & nutritionist appt. What too me so freaking long was getting a letter from my Primary Internal medicine doctoer. He took 2.5 months to write me my letter. I had to follow up & finally make an appointment to go in & discuss it with him.

He was very negative telling me that anyone he had done a letter for had never been approved. Even people with Co-Morbidities. I don't really have any Co-Morbidities. But I have been Morbidly obese forever, and have had numerous documented weight loss attempts with my internal med doctor.

I am not surprised I was approved, because I checked into my husbands benefit plan summary document through his work and found that it was a covered item as long as I had a history of morbid obesity = BMI>40 (mine is 43) I am 5'5" & 265.

Good luck! Get your Plan Summary Document from your work (or hubbys work if benefits are through him). Read up on what is covered & what is excluded.

I really like Dr. Johnson he seems great & the Emory Johns Creek hospital is GORGEOUS!

Good luck. Feel free to email and ask me anything. I will answer if I know it :-) This is a great forum also.

[Motocrossgirly 0]

Hi,

What insurance do you have? All in all, I went for my info seminar in July. I had everything complete by the end of August, psych eval, weight history, pre-op labs & nutritionist appt. What too me so freaking long was getting a letter from my Primary Internal medicine doctoer. He took 2.5 months to write me my letter. I had to follow up & finally make an appointment to go in & discuss it with him.

He was very negative telling me that anyone he had done a letter for had never been approved. Even people with Co-Morbidities. I don't really have any Co-Morbidities. But I have been Morbidly obese forever, and have had numerous documented weight loss attempts with my internal med doctor.

I am not surprised I was approved, because I checked into my husbands benefit plan summary document through his work and found that it was a covered item as long as I had a history of morbid obesity = BMI>40 (mine is 43) I am 5'5" & 265.

Good luck! Get your Plan Summary Document from your work (or hubbys work if benefits are through him). Read up on what is covered & what is excluded.

I really like Dr. Johnson he seems great & the Emory Johns Creek hospital is GORGEOUS!

Good luck. Feel free to email and ask me anything. I will answer if I know it :-) This is a great forum also.

[skmcentyre 0]

Tiffany, Dr. Johnson did my surgery on the 23rd of October. Great experience, until I did something. I didn't think it was stupid, but it did cause me a bit of a set-back on recover. You will love Dr. Johnson and everyone in their office.

[Motocrossgirly 0]

Tiffany, Dr. Johnson did my surgery on the 23rd of October. Great experience, until I did something. I didn't think it was stupid, but it did cause me a bit of a set-back on recover. You will love Dr. Johnson and everyone in their office.

Hi.. Can you email what you did so I don't do it?? I have an appt with him on Friday 11-9-07 & will be scheduling surgery then.

Also, how long were you in the hospital? Are you in their support group? I would like to belong to a support group, but I want it to be interactive, not seminar type setting & that is what it was like when I went to the 1 required support group they held....Any other words of wisdom? Now that it is getting closer I am nervous..

[skmcentyre 0]

Hi.. Can you email what you did so I don't do it?? I have an appt with him on Friday 11-9-07 & will be scheduling surgery then.

Also, how long were you in the hospital? Are you in their support group? I would like to belong to a support group, but I want it to be interactive, not seminar type setting & that is what it was like when I went to the 1 required support group they held....Any other words of wisdom? Now that it is getting closer I am nervous..

Tiffany, about 6 days after surgery, I bent down to pick up my dog's food bowl and felt something pop. Turns out I pop open some of the internal sutures at one of the incision sites. It is healing, but I sort of had to start over on the left side. It was just a benign thing that I bent over just the right or the wrong way.

I was going to the support group tomorrow night, for my first time post surgery, but with my recovery being slowed, I need to continue to rest.

I don't know if there are other smaller or more interactive groups within their practice or not. That would be a great question to ask Suzi or LaTonya.

I have already begun to experience such freedom from food as a result of the surgery, because I don't think about my next meal anymore and long for that next meal. That is one of my big issues pre-banding.

Keep in touch.

[skmcentyre 0]

Tiffany, about 6 days after surgery, I bent down to pick up my dog's food bowl and felt something pop. Turns out I pop open some of the internal sutures at one of the incision sites. It is healing, but I sort of had to start over on the left side. It was just a benign thing that I bent over just the right or the wrong way.

I was going to the support group tomorrow night, for my first time post surgery, but with my recovery being slowed, I need to continue to rest.

I don't know if there are other smaller or more interactive groups within their practice or not. That would be a great question to ask Suzi or LaTonya.

I have already begun to experience such freedom from food as a result of the surgery, because I don't think about my next meal anymore and long for that next meal. That is one of my big issues pre-banding.

Keep in touch.

Oh, I spent one night in the hospital due to my sleep apnea. I am glad that I spent that night. One night was enough, though.

[Motocrossgirly 0]

Thank you so much for sharing that info! I really appreciate it as I will think long & hard about how I contort my body after surgery, even if it is simple bending. I am sorry you had that bit of a set back, but you sound as though everything is going smoothly now. I hope we can keep in touch. Thanks again for replying & perhaps I will see you in the support group?

I also will update all with my surgery date.

Tiffany

[skmcentyre 0]

Tiffany, I a feel better today, than I have since surgery, which was 2 weeks ago yesterday. In the bigger scheme of things, that isn't too bad. My best wisdom to you at this point are these things:

#1)

[skmcentyre 0]

Tiffany, I a feel better today, than I have since surgery, which was 2 weeks ago yesterday. In the bigger scheme of things, that isn't too bad. My best wisdom to you at this point are these things:

#1)

oops, don't know what happened:

#1) listen to Rachel. Her counsel is sound and will help you get through this

#2) be sure you sip the Protein drink after surgery; I mis-interpreted the instructions and found myself in more pain than I should have been in

#3) Keep you eye on the prize; a few weeks of discomfort is nothing compare to where we are going

I look forward to taking the journey with you. The chat part of this site is awesome; folks at every stage of recovery and loss are found there. Tons and Tons of support.