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One step forward, half a step back

3momchaos

3momchaos

Member
I just got a call from my surgeons office. Aetna has changed their policy to 12 visits with the dietician/counselor. There is also no more policy about weight gain because they realized during all of this that people are gaining weight to almost no fault of their own. So I've had 5 visits, and I have 2 scheduled for June and 1 for July 1st. Then just 4 more. It actually doesn't change my timeline that much, maybe pushes it out into September a little but it's not that bad. I will have an EDG when my dietician visits are done and as close to surgery as possible because they have to COVID test me before I can have a procedure. My patient advocate sounded so stressed on the phone. Apparently there have been a few policy changes for different insurance companies in the past month, so she’s been trying to get all of it figured out without messing up the time frame that she originally gave all the patients.
 
canecorso81 said:
This whole process has been so crazy. The UPs are so UP and the LOWS are so LOW. shhhhffffwwweeeee. I'm still waiting to hear from my doctors office or insurance. :(
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I will say that the patient advocates are really amazing at my doctors office. I called and left a message close to closing last night and she called me at 8:30 this morning. I’ve been very fortunate with that.
 
3momchaos said:
I just got a call from my surgeons office. Aetna has changed their policy to 12 visits with the dietician/counselor. There is also no more policy about weight gain because they realized during all of this that people are gaining weight to almost no fault of their own. So I've had 5 visits, and I have 2 scheduled for June and 1 for July 1st. Then just 4 more. It actually doesn't change my timeline that much, maybe pushes it out into September a little but it's not that bad. I will have an EDG when my dietician visits are done and as close to surgery as possible because they have to COVID test me before I can have a procedure. My patient advocate sounded so stressed on the phone. Apparently there have been a few policy changes for different insurance companies in the past month, so she’s been trying to get all of it figured out without messing up the time frame that she originally gave all the patients.
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I'm glad to hear that Aetna dropped the weight gain disqualifier. It stinks that the extra visits to the dietitian/counselor will add a little time to the process but girl, make the most of those appointments! Jot down every question you have when you have it. I know you'll utilize the hell out of the appointments! :)
 
Brenda2010 said:
I'm glad to hear that Aetna dropped the weight gain disqualifier. It stinks that the extra visits to the dietitian/counselor will add a little time to the process but girl, make the most of those appointments! Jot down every question you have when you have it. I know you'll utilize the hell out of the appointments! :)
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I asked so many questions in the beginning, and I see different questions here that are answered that I can’t think of any :confused: My dietician appointments are averaging about 15 minutes because I can’t think of any new questions. She’s impressed with my attitude towards the process (and delays) though, so I guess that’s a good thing. I will try to think of some questions for my next appointment with her. My appointment in 2 weeks is with the counselor again, and I think I’ll be able to think of a few things to talk about with her.
 
Hi, 3momchaos, It's funny because like you . I didn't have many questions during my dietician appts., but I think it was the next to last appt., she gave me (what I call the Bible) a much thicker booklet with all of the pre and mostly post stages of food allowances. Wow, then I had many, many questions for her. So much information and I knew I would have to be prepared for each new stage. I have to go over it again, since this was in March, before everything got cancelled due to the virus.
 
Roseanne (or anyone else who is having surgery soon), what clinic are you going to?

Does anyone here have an opinion about the best bariatric centers? I went to Virginia Mason hospital which is a campus of the University of Washington Medical School. My bariatric surgeon was one of the most highly rated in the nation. In fact after I made my appointments, they did an interview and story on him on the national news! I was really shocked but also really glad I had picked him, without knowing how good he was.

Virginia Mason is still an excellent Bariatric Center including their nutrition services. My doctor retired years ago but I have seen the current head of the facility and she is very very good. It's so weird to go to the clinic 12+ years after surgery and see what has changed. Everything is different now. Weight loss surgery is really such a finely honed procedure that there is a waiting list at every Seattle location that offers it.
 
I am going through SSM Weight Management at DePaul hospital in St.Louis with Dr.Mario Morales. They’ve been really great. I chose this weight loss group because of a recommendation from someone who had the sleeve. I’ve since met a few other people who’ve had WLS, and they used Dr.Morales as well. I’ve even met a nurse who went with their weight loss program over one at her hospital.
 
I am attending the Northern Arizona Healthcare Specialty Clinic Weight Loss Center. Whew! That's a mouthful. I first attended an introduction meeting. My surgeon is Dr Andrew Aldridge who was also the surgeon who inserted by daughter's chemo port. The WLS team is a great group of people who work together well. There are two surgeons from which to chose.

The first mandatory introductory meeting is a couple of hours long and the team takes turns presenting: exercise specialist, nutritionist, psychologist, nurse practitioner and overall team lead. We're given a large book containing lots of handouts and articles about the process and what to expect. The optional monthly meeting can be attended in person or with Zoom and is open to any patient. Individually we meet with the nutritionist and nurse practitioner monthly for 6 months.

There are other meetings with other professionals, submitting insurance, blood tests, COVID testing (new one), cardiac workup, chest xrays and the like before the final approval and meeting with the surgeon. Then we meet with the hospital pre-op and surgeon pre-op for final instructions and the pre-op diet starts.

Whew!! I get my COVID test on Monday, the 15th as well as starting my pre-op diet. Today was my meeting with the hospital pre-op via phone.

We do as much as possible by Zoom since our state is so large and its an hour's travel between hospital and home.
 
WOW! Lois, I am so happy for you! And the whole run up to your surgery sounds incredibly thorough and seems to consider everything that should be considered.

I hope you feel completely confident and I hope they handle you gently and make the procedure as easy as possible for you. I know you have concerns about downtime and finding a caregiver for your daughter during that time. Has that been taken care of yet?

I think it says a lot about kind of person you are that you are able to handle all the pain and stress associated with the grave condition of your child, while making the improvements to yourself to make it possible for you to handle it with as much strength and courage as you need everyday. I'm really proud of you and I have your back! I am not sure that I could ever stand in your shoes and be as courageous As You Are.

But I have arrived at the place where you are headed. So if there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I will be happy to offer you any strength I have to give.
 
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