Atlantaaaa I need your help!

 

I live in Atlanta.

i don't have health insurance yet and I don't have Money to pay for all the costs of the surgery 

please let me know how you guys are paying for it. Which insurance covers and how long I have to be a member of the insurance company to have it paid for. 

I don't know anything about  insurances, financing, hospitals....

I am almost 90lb overweight. 

Get me tips, doctors name, insurances names... Whatever you think is gonna help me.

pleaseeeee

OK,  you sound pretty stressed and miserable about your weight, and desperate to do something about it. I understand how you feel because I was in the same situation 5 yrs ago. I was employed by State of GA and at the time they would not cover wls.   I had no $$$ to pay for or finance such an expensive procedure, so I was pretty much out of luc****il they decided to cover wls in 2009.

 

 

As far as insurance, any private policy you go out any buy yourself is not gonna cover wls. It is an expensive rider. Many corporate policies you get when you work for a big company don't even cover it because it makes the premiums higher and companies don't want to pay for it.

So, to answer your question ALL insurances cover wls, but only if you pay for the wls coverage.

So...  You can do a few things:

1. Go out of the country. There are forums on here where you can research and find repuitible surgeons that do good work.  

2. Finance with your private credit cards or Care Credit.

 

3. Get a 2nd mortg on your house.

 

4. Borrow from family (like who has a rich aunt with an extra $25,000) :-)

 

5 get a job somewhere that covers wls in their insurance package.  Starbucks covers it in their insurance plan.

 6. Borrow from your 401k.  If you stay fat, you wont live long enough to spend it anyway because you will die from a co-morbid condition or be in a hovaround.   Ever see a fat old person at an amusement park, or strolling around the mall? NOPE because they all either die early or cant get around to enjoy life. Hmmmm?

My DS was $87,000 after I added everything up.  No way could I have ever ever paid this.  RNY is less followed by a vsg.  I would not take a band if it were free :-)

 

Now, eventhough your insurance may not cover the actual wls procedure, it likely will cover the pre-op visits, testing, lab work, and maybe even the follow up visits.   For example,   I was able to do all 6 mos of pre op dr visits, psych testing, labs, cardio clearance, etc with my insurance before the policy actually started to cover wls.

 

I know this probably will not give you much hope, but its reality. Sucks huh?

 

Do try your best to lose it on your own.  Even a few pounds will make you feel better and make you healthier.  WLS is not easy and is not a quick fix.    What diets have you tried in the past?  I highly recommend South Beach.  Get the book at the library or Goodwill or ebay.  

Try logging your food intake on an online journal like dailyplate.com.  You will be surprised how much you are eating! And how little you are moving.

 

Embrace this time as an opportunity to meet as many wls patients, attend orientation seminars, research, research, research.   I do believe from my personal journey when you have to fight and sacrifice for your wls you appreciate it more.

Thanks for your replay.
No. All of my life I. Was able to lose my weight and keep it off. Even after my first kid. I did weigh****chers for a couple of months and bye bye fat.
But after my second Baby ( she is 2). I have tried all of diets and doctors that I know. I don't know but I think is because Ill be 29 this year is getting more difficult to lose it.
Anyway, Thank you so much

Have you tried a low carb diet like South Beach or the New Atkins?    If those don't work, you should get your thyroid and metabolism, and hormone levels checked. 

 

Please don't think I am being insensitive to the fact you struggle with weight.  I was there in your shoes myself.  But, it is possible to lose without wls. Just hard to keep it off and hard to stick to diet and exercising.  

Also, realize even if you do have wls, you will still be on a diet the rest of your life if you plan to keep the weight off.  The surgery is just a tool that gives you an extra boost: either with: 

malabsorption (DS) ,

restriction of how much you can eat (band, vsg),

or a little of both malabsorption and restriction (rny).  

There is a lot of self discipline and monitoring involved to be successful at it no matter which wls you have.

 

There are some great meetup groups too  for weight loss.  Try Meetup.com.