a little advice needed

I have finally had my surgery rescheduled to June 7, 2005 and now my employer is giving me a hard time and wants me to put the surgery off until the end of Sept. So i talked to Misty at at Dr. Peter's office and she said i would be running the risk of having to do everything all over again so now i am writing a letter to my boss to make her understand the importance of this surgery. In her eyes it is an elective surgery that is not medically necessary. If anyone has any helpful advice please give it. Thanks Mary Clark

Mary, This kind of thing really heats me up. How dare she ask you to wait 5 months for medical treatment. This is just my opinion but, it would not be covered by your insurance if it is not medically necessary and if it is medically necessary why would you put it off? It should be treated as any other medical treatment. If you needed heart surgery or cancer treatments would they ask you to wait? Why should you jeopardize the outcome for their convenience? Sounds like a form of discrimination to me. Do you work for a large company or a small one? I work for a large company and I was told that I did not have to inform my local office managers of the basis of my leave other than it was medical leave and the approximate time I would be off. I was not required to give them any documentation. All information was to be sent to my corporate office human resources department and there it would be treated with confidentiality. If you work for a very small company it may be different. Perhaps you could have your primary care Dr. and Dr. Peters write a letter stating that it is medically necessary and that delaying would put your health at risk. I would ask them not to list my comorbidities however as that is none of her business. My surgery came at a time that was inconvenient for my local office but they are getting everything done and the world will not fall apart while am gone. My biggest fear about waiting was what if my situation changed? What if something in my health deteriorated and I was no longer a candidate for surgery or what if they changed insurance companies and it was no longer covered? You need to do what is best for you now. I would also document every conversation with this person in detail in case you ever need to refer back to it. Penny

Thanks Penny, I work for a some what small company. I must admit i was furious when she stated this was elective surgery like it was cosmetic surgery or something. I am putting together a letter and i will do what you said and contact my PCP and doctor Peters to see what they can put together for me. Thanks again Mary

With the new regulations in place an employer doesn't even have the right to know why you are going to be out, what type of surgery, etc. All that is needed is the correct forms filled out by your doctor stating the necessity of you being out (that's a very paraphrased reader's digest condensed version). Your employer cannot determine for you whether or not your reasons for being out is elective or life saving. They cannot and they are putting themselves of being held accountable legally if they do. *stepping off my soapbox* Gastric bypass surgery is recommended for those persons who are 90 pounds or more overweight and have or are likely to have medical complications that will be helped, and in many instances, cured by substantial weight loss. There are a large number of patients for whom losing a lot of weight is imperative, including those suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, heart trouble, shortness of breath, arthritis and orthopedic (bone) problems with their legs, hips or back. This NOT (as you know) an elective surgery. I am sorry your employer has placed you in this position. If she has a higher up or you have a HR you can talk to about this please do. Your boss should not be making these determinations regarding your surgery. I wish you the best! Gigee

Mary, Everyone so far has given you great advice but I will add my two cents too. Or maybe even a nickel! :>) Your employer cannot deny you having this surgery. If the docs are doing it, and your insurance is covering it, I believe it is medically necessary. Your boss is just plain stupid to think it's "cosmetic"! (Let me guess, is she a skinny thing that never had weight issues???) OK no more "catty" remarks from Ms. Kitty! Hang in there. I had an experience with my employer (former employer!). I was out unexpectedly on disability for two months. Had nothing to do with my WLS but it was a co-morbity of being obese, and actually got me moving towards having the surgery. Anyhow, when I came back my employer gave me a really hard time and basically made me feel I was no longer wanted there! Yeah, like it was my fault I was rushed to the hospital and admitted! Anyhow I decided life was too short to put up with such morons and I quit. OK, I am not suggesting this for you, but HANG IN THERE! I'm sure Dr Iragu's office can help you prove it is a necessary surgery. Kit

How appaulling your boss is? I would be furious. She apparently does not understand the emotions that go with having to resort to this surgery. I was very fortunate my boss was very much supportive of me regarding the surgery and she still is. I would definately keep a diary of any comments made towards you, because this is discrimination at it finest. I work for a large company and had a bad experience with one of the people in our human resource department. When I got back to work you have to talk to some one from human resources before you can begin work. This jackass came over to get me and as we were walking back toward his office made some comments about the number of people at my company who have had this surgery. He actually said, well this must be the new thing that people are doing, having this surgery, he said it used to be breast enlargement/or reduction surgery and now it is gastric by-pass. I was stunned to say the least. I stopped looked him the face and said there is no comparison. I remained cool. Afterwards I took the issue to the next step. The director of human resources. He made the jackass apologize to me for the comments and placed something in his file. As far as I know this is USA we have rights, sometimes we just need to fight for them. Don't take those types of comments. Lucretia