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Lots of questions

K

Kaylen

New Member
Hi everyone,

I am new to the site and have lots of questions... But first, here is a little about me. I am 24 and live in the Spokane, WA area. I am married and have no children. I have never been thin in my life! I am 5'8'' and currently weigh about 285 pounds (the highest I have ever been). I have no self esteem and a slow metabolism.

I have tried loads of diets, eating healthy, weight watchers, weight loss shakes, exercising, but I can never lose very much and it comes back. I am a semi active person, I walk daily, hike sometimes, and use my elliptical a couple times a week. I have First Choice Health insurance.

I want to have weight loss surgery but I don't know where to begin or if I qualify. I have a family history of heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, hypothyroidism, and over all family obesity on my father's side... Some on my mother's. There are only four people on my mother's side who are a healthy weight.

As I am getting older I am becoming worried about my health and how at risk I am for many diseases. I have tried everything. Except surgery.

So, I guess I want to know how I can get the process started with weight loss surgery. I don't know what is out there and what would be best for me. I know I will probably get a lot of answers saying to go talk to my doctor, and I plan to. But I want to know what to expect on the road ahead of me. I am motivated to do this and just be healthy. I want to be able to have children some day and at the weight I am at now it is almost impossible for me to get pregnant... And I wouldn't want to at this weight, any way.

Any information you have helps. Thank you for taking the time to read my post. :)
 
Welcome, Kaylen,

This is a very exciting journey you are contemplating. Congratulations. There many "first" things to do. Attend a (usually) free Weight Loss Surgery seminar. Often, they are advertised in the newspaper. Or call the biggest hospital around and ask about bariatric surgery seminars. At the seminar, ask for details about the more common surgeries: gastric band, sleeve, roux en y, mini gastric bypass, duodenal switch. Ask why someone would choose one over the other. Be firm, you want specifics.

In the meanwhile, check with your insurance company to see which ones they cover. Most cover rny, some cover band, sleeve and/or duodenal switch; I know of none which cover the mini gastric bypass. Also, know that there is much available in the area of medical loans, should you decide you want something that will end up being something you will have to pay for yourself. Interest rates vary widely, so if you go this route, look around. There's also lots of "medical tourism" or surgery offered in other countries, as an option.

And check online. See what is physicallly involved with these surgeries. Every little graphic detail is available if you want that.

And talk to others who have had it done. IMNSHO, there is no better reference than someone who has "been there, done that." There should be live support groups for bariatric patients available to you locally. Go to one. Talk to people. Trouble talking to people you don't know? No problem. Just listen and listen well.

Ask questions. Ask them here. There are some very knowledgeable folk here. Friendly, too. You need to thoroughly understand what it is you're committing yourself to. And when you think you have no more questions, try to come up with something more to ask!

Keep your husband involved. He will be there in the beginning, through the surgery and your recovery, and of course in your ongoing new life. In the end, however, remember that the final decision must be yours alone.

I'm so glad you've found this Forum! The people here are helpful and supportive. Please keep us in the loop, so to speak. It's very exciting to watch a newbie toddle off on her first steps! lol
 
Kaylen-Welcome to the forum. Starting with a visit to your doctor is an excellent idea. He / she will be a part of your weight loss journey from start to finish and beyond. In order to have WLS your primary doctor will not only have to provide some of the documentation that will be sent to your insurance, he will need to give his approval for you to have the surgery once you have had all of your pre-op testing.

If your PCP does not recommend a bariatric surgeon to you then you should do some research on the Internet and find a hospital web site that specializes in bariatric surgery. From there you can locate a surgeon and a schedule of seminars. You will be required to attend a seminar as a starting point. In the seminar you will learn about the different types of WLS and also have an opportunity to ask questions so start making a list to take with you. Usually a surgeon leads the seminars and there should also be a nutritionist there. If interested in having surgery your name and contact information will be taken and the process will begin :) There is an insurance coordinator that works in the surgeons office who will be your primary contact up until the time your insurance makes a disposition on whether you are approved for surgery or not. At some point you will have a consult with the surgeon and the nutritionist. There are a lot of pre-surgical tests you will need, we all go through this. It will take some time but as soon as you are done with these your surgery date will be determined and you will be on your way to a healthier and happier life :) :) :)
 
Hi Kaylen,

I can't add much to what has already been said by Pat and Qaterra except that generally the insurance coordinator at the Bariatric Center usually will know all the requirements for most of the insurance companies. That is things like do they require a weight loss trial, and how much they pay and what your co payments would be if they do cover the surgery. They will work with your insurance company as well. Some of the weight loss trial requirements are stricter than others. I was so excited to begin that I beat my Primary Doctor referral to the seminar and when they called me from the hospital to come to a seminar I was able to say " went last Tuesday". The seminar is definitely the place to start. Don't be upset if you notice some people have different requirements as each insurance company and each center are slightly different. The internet was where I started for information but the seminar really solidified what procedures my Doctor did and the reasons to choose one over the other.
 
Welcome Kaylen: You have found a wonderful site with a ton of very knowledgable people. I agree with all the responses you have recieved. Let us all know what you find out from your personal doctor and how everything is going. U won't regret WLS if you are approved.
 
i too am pre op. i am scared but have put 2 12 yrs into the process so i am waiting impatiently for the surgery. i have gone thru the mayo clinic in mn and have met all the requirements....the insurance company is the issue...thy are making me jump thru hoops. I am so close that i think it will happen. but then i get another rejection letter and i say whats the use and start not faring and u know what that means. eat...eat...eat. no one cares if i get bigger. its a mind thing for me.
 
Patintrio-Welcome to the forum and congratulations on considering WLS. It's not that uncommon to get several rejection letters before you are finally approved for surgery so don't beat yourself up over this. It's not your fault and there isn't much you can do about it except to perservere. You should not be the one jumping through hoops, there should be an insurance coordinator working for your surgeon who is doing all the jumping. The insurance coordinators know all of the ins and outs of the insurance requirements and also the games they like to play. You, on the other hand, are the one who has to have all the testing done just like the rest of us had to and believe me we all know this isn't easy. Just hang in there and it will happen.
 
Welcome to Kaylen and patintrio. You have come to the right place.
Kaylen, everyone above said all the things I could think of, so I'll just say ditto. There is so much information online--in fact, yesterday I was reading about pregnancy after bariatric surgery. So just google away. the forums are great (this one is anyway) but some can be a little off, so just take what people say with a grain of salt, and make your own decisions.
 
hello kaylen and welcome to this forum. i have made a few ventures into this forum. i do find them helpful. one thing i might mention is dont be set on one procedure. i thought i was going to have the sleeve. i found out last week the medicare has not approved the procedure yet. so therefore i can not get the sleeve unless i pay for it my self. i dont intend to do that.
i am 72 years old and i have many of those issues you have mentioned. that should not deter you. in my opinion,what really matters is your mindset. at 72 i dont even feel old and therefore i am not old. i have had 4 bypass surgery. i have diabetes. i have severe sleep apnea. all of these troubles can be a result of overweight.
my reason for the rny wll be IT CAN TOTALLY STOP THE DIABETES. IT CAN TOTALLY STOP THE SLEEP ANNEA. IT CAN SLOW DOWN THE CARDIO VASCULAR DISEASE. IT CAN LOWER THE BLOOD PRESSURE SIGNIFICANTLY.
so the weight loss is just a bonus. and at your age what a better gift to give yourself to slow down all of the above mentioned ailments. now is the surgery a magic bullet? no. i will have to make a significant change in my life process. but i will add years of life to myself so will you.
check as many websites as you need to get answers.
YOUR MNDSET IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL. YOU MUST BE READY TO ACCEPT THE CHANGE.
please,please do yourself a favor and listen to everyone and blank out those who dont support you. there will be some but if your mind is made up that you can do this,by all means go for it.
i started this journey on july 2 and have been told no by my insurance company then told no then told yes. you must keep battling to move forward. on nov 8 i will finally have my first consult with the doctor. i need this surgery to be completed by the end of the year because i have met all of my deductibles. i told the person i talked to that nov 8 was too far away because i need the surgery completed by year end. she indicated that would be no problem. i have taken it on my own to get permission from my pcp,heart doc,lung doc, i may have one more doc to see. i dont know if a colonoscopy is required but i am going to have that done before i get to nov 8. there should be no more stumbling blocks
i wish you good luck and stay with this forum. while i dont post too often i do read most of them. GOOD LUCK
 
thanks for all the suggestions. i will and have been surfing the web. the sleeve is the only one they will do. Mayo Clinic in MN.
 
Hi Kaylen, Welcome. When you talk with your docter ask for a referal to a weight loss surgery seminar and that is where you can get all your questions answered and get the ball rolling, then you will have a lot more questions once the prosses gets started. Good luck on your journey and let us know how you are doing. :cool: Tom
 
Hi Patintrio, Welcome. Keep on with the pressure to yopur insuranc ecompany and enlist the help of your bariatric team, they can be instrurmental in helping with approval. :cool: Tom
 
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