izabella13

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I have finally heard from my PCP today and I am approved.
I have waited four weeks for the approval, but I am pretty sure that someone at my PCP dropped the ball on getting the paperwork in that's why it took so long. I have been calling the surgeons office every week for the past four weeks and the woman there kept telling me that they are still waiting for the approval. Last week I got fed up with having no answer and called the insurance company direct, they told me I have to contact my medical group (I have BCBS of IL, HMO). I have tried for days to get a hold of someone there, but no one was picking up. Finally yesterday I called during my lunch break and spoke to a coordinator who said she does not see anything being submitted to them regarding the authorization. So I called my PCP, they claimed to be on the phone with the coordinator just as I called (yeah right), unless the coordinator called them after speaking with me. Anyway I asked to know the day when my request was submitted and they did not want to give me a straight answer, finally said that I will have my answer the next day. My feeling is that my paperwork did not go anywhere until I called everyone yesterday and made a stink. I was pretty pissed yesterday, but at least I already have my answer today.
I have been waiting for this for over five years, before last year, when my insurance changed, I was already set up on going to Mexico for the surgery. Now that it's becoming a reality I still don't believe that this is actually going to happen! I still have to tell my parents about my decision, this will not be a pleasant and supportive conversation. My best friend though, just offered to take me to the hospital, be there for me and bring me back!!

I have completed all of my pre op testing last week.

3 months of dietary consultation
Psychological consultation
Upper GI Track xray

Psychological consult only took about 15 minutes, she asked me about why I want the surgery, if I smoke, drink, am I willing to change my eating and exercise habits after the surgery. She suggested I see her again a month after the surgery.

From the psycho consult I went for the xray. It was not pleasant. I had to take off all of my clothes, put on a skimpy hospital gown. The doctor took xrays while I drunk some sort of white milky liquid. First I was standing up, front and side. Then they laid me down and I had to turn sideways and on my stomach on the table while trying to cover my butt with the hospital gown, having both the doctor and the assistant watch. Lots of fun (for them). Doc said my GI track is beautiful, that's probably why food goes down so easy!

Yesterday I have made an appointment with the surgeon for February 1st, hopefully I will get THE DATE then.

I met with the surgeon yesterday, July 6. Dr. Tiesenga in Elmwood Park, IL, it was a very short meeting he just asked me about any medical conditions, which I have none except back pain. I have reoccurring sciatica pain shooting down my right leg too. The doctor seemed nice and so did the staff at the clinic. The doctor wanted to know which surgery I have decided on, he does the RNY, Lapband and VSG, I could not give him an answer. I have been wanting to have a weight loss surgery for several years now. Until May of this year, when my job switched to BCBS insurance, it was specifically excluded by the previous insurance policies. Because of this I was considering the self pay option, possibly going to Mexico to have it done.
I have actually contacted Dr. Tiesenga's office in the beginning of this year about a self pay Lapband, I think it was $14,500, I was considering moving forward with this doctor and the self pay cost. I could not  believe it when I found out the new insurance policy covered the procedure! While contemplating the self pay options I was really set on getting the RNY type of the surgery, if I was to go to Mexico, the Lapband was my second choice. Now that I have been to the orientation and consultation meetings I had no idea which surgery to go with. They had to mark me down for one of them at the doc's so I told them Lapband, but that wasn't what I truly wanted. I came home yesterday and did more research, read a lots of posts from RNY and VSG patients and made up my mind, the VSG is what I want.
As I mentioned, I have been researching and planning the surgery for several years and now that it seems within my reach I am a little scared. This is major surgery, I have never been hospitalized before, have not have any major health problems, is this worth it? I have been overweight for about 10 years now, I am lucky not to have any medical conditions. Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases run in my family. My grandma and my mom are both obese, so is my sister. I know that even though I have no serious conditions right know, they are written into my future if I don't loose the weight now. And of course my self esteem, I try not to have the weight affect me in the way I am and do things, but it does. Especially lately, due to some other personal problems I have been kind of down and sad, on top of being fat LOL. I want to live, I want to explore my wild side, I know I have one. I don't want to be invisible anymore, it's funny how being so big can make you invisible. I have two close friends they are both so skinny about a 100lb each, I look like the blueberry girl from Willy Wonka when I stand next to them LOL. So, I have to do this for my own sanity and health of course.
Interesting thing regarding being invisible. I have been visiting this web page for several years and often look at the before and after photos. As I look over the photos, some of them I have already seen in the past, all the" before" pictures, the fat ones, are brand new to me, as if I have never seen them before, but same person's "after" photo I recall seeing before. Yes even me a fat girl subconsciously "forget" or don't register the pic of an obese person, but remember the skinny ones. Unbelievable.

I almost forgot to mention what are my requirements before the surgery.
I need a psychiatric consult, dietary consult which will last a minimum of 3 months and upper GI x-ray, these are the tests they marked down for me for the Lapband. I believe I will need a sleep study for the VSG as well. Since I have an HMO policy, I will have to get referrals from my primary care physician, I will see her on Saturday.

I have called the surgeon's office, he actually has a clinic about 2 miles from where I live, very convenient. They want me to come in for an informational meeting on 6/21.

Received the referral letter in the mail. Dr. Frederick Tiesenga in Elmwood Park, IL. I think I contacted his clinic regarding a self pay option, it was 14,500 for a lap band.

In May of this year my work health insurance has changed to Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Advantage, I chose the HMO plan. I have found out that the policy covers bariatric surgery. Today I went to my primary care physician to ask for referral to a surgeon. She said it will come in the mail. She did not support my decisions to have the surgery at all, said that it carries long term health problems, I told her that keeping the weight will also cause health problems. I have been dieting for years, took all kinds of diet pills, did Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig, went to the gym and worked out with a personal trainer. I started gaining weight in my late twenties and ballooned year after year, recently gained 30 lb within a year. I have been researching clinics around Chicago to have the surgery done as self pay, before the new insurance kicked in. My mind was already made up, it was just the matter of getting the finances in order for the self pay option.  This change of insurance carrier at work is a God sent. I hope this works out, can't wait for my visit with the surgeon.