I finally made the decision!!

After 3 years of making appointments and canceling them - I'm finally going through with it!! I think the length of time between calling to make the appointment and actually going (usually almost 10 months) caused me to get discouraged. NOT THIS TIME!! I called Dr. Wynn's office at Christiana and I have an appointment next Friday. I've tried everything else and nothing works. I'm on the road to success now!!! Now..on to the fight with my insurance company...I have BCBS and I've heard mixed reviews. Anybody have any suggestions or hints to get this pushed through quickly?

Welcome to the board, congratulations on making your decision and LOVE your name! Linda

Hi Simply, If you can... try to make it to the support group meeting tomorrow. It's at PMRI, Rts 52 & 141. The old Pelleport. Starts at 10AM. Try to get there early to get a seat. Cost is $5.00. All about protein is the topic. Email me if you need more info. [email protected]. This is a great place to start getting information so you'll make the best decision for you. Welcome to the DE boards. ((HUGS)) Elissa

Hi Gawjus! Welcome to the DE board. Congrat's on your decision! I have BCBS and was approved very quickly. I hope you have the same experience with them! Don't have any ideas on how to push through quickly, but please be sure to use this time to read and research all you can about the surgery and life after WLS. There are some great stories here at OH.com. Everyone's experience is different, so the more you read, the more prepared you will be when you officially become a loser! You've selected a great set of doctor's. I wish you all the best in your journey! ((hugs)) Carla

Congrats on making your decision!!! I have BCBS (Personal Choice PPO) and I had absolutely no problems getting everything past them. In fact, I had no idea that they were even working on the approval process for my surgery date...until I got their letter approving me! PS -- when you do get this letter, don't plan that the surgery date BCBS puts on it is the correct one. They have to put a "dummy date" to get it through their system. At least that's what they told me! I called Dr. Iragu's office when I got the letter and in hardly no time at all, I had my surgery date confirmed. Good luck. Keep posting to let us know your progress! Kit

Hi Simply!!!!!! I am pre op too and have BCBS and they have not given me any problems at all. They have approved all my authorizations from my PCP. Congratulations on your decision. I am blessed everyday for making it myself. Everyone that I have met so far have been really nice and supportive, especially the professionals. Good luck on your journey. You are right behind me. Smiles Julie

Hey there! Welcome and congrats on your decision! I have BCBS, Empire Blue - PPO, no issues, no problems..actually Dr Wynn's office sent in my info on Thursday afternoon and BCBS (my nurse case mgr) called me Tuesday morning (it was my BIRTHDAY!) to tell me I was approved. Quick and easy. Best of luck! Valerie

Thanks to you all for your encouragement. I've been checking this site for 3 years so I know how well you all take care of each other. Hopefully by Christmas I'll be giving some post-up words of encouragement to a new comer! I won't be able to make tomorrow's meeting because I go to school on Saturday mornings but I will keep everyone posted on my success with approvals, surgery dates, etc. Thanks again! Simply Gawjus

Hi Gawjus! Congratulations, I know it is a big step. There's nothing wrong with it taking you a long time to decide, because it is such a big decision and life-changing event. All that matters is that you are ready - really, truly READY! As for BCBS, I have POS and I didn't have too many problems. The problems I had were only a result of a time crunch I had between when I could get my sleep study done and my surgery date. I didn't know there should be at least 2 weeks between the sleep study date and the surgery date, in case you have sleep apnea and need to go on a CPAP machine. By the time I realized this, the only place that had a date early enough for me was in MD, and BCBS wouldn't approve it because it was out of state and they insisted it could be done in DE (they didn't seem to understand the time factor involved). Eventually, I found a place to take me and luckily I didn't have sleep apnea, or I wouldn't have made my surgery date. When I was having trouble w/this issue and I called the 800 number on my card, everything the operator who answered the phone said was basically a put-off, so if you need to call for anything, I would suggest asking for a supervisor. That's what I did, (and my call was returned very quickly) and the supervisor was very helpful and understood exactly what I was talking about. When I grew anxious later on about a separate incident (waiting until the day before surgery to get officially approved because everything was so "down to the wire"), I called the same supervisor directly to see if there was anything I could do, and she was very helpful again. So it was good to have a certain person to call directly, otherwise I just would have gotten the run around and blase answers. Just be insistent in a calm way - they really don't like it when you ask to talk to a supervisor, and they try to convince you that you don't need what you KNOW that you DO need!! Good luck!! Hugs, Bertie