La lurker here

I think i will be part of this family soon. I have an appointment with a DS surgeon on 8-16. I have already gotten pcp notes, cardio clearance, Pulmonary is scheduled on 8-9 and psych is on 8-23. I'm sure there will be a few other things, but thats a pretty good start don't you think??? Regards, Thelma

Thelma, Welcome. Who is the surgeon doing your DS? Hope you can get involved in the OHLA support group and on the DS Forum Message Board. There are many great people on here. Rhonda DS on 7/7/04 225/112/110 scheduling hernia repair and panniculectomy for September

Dr Gary Stevens in Lafayette. Yes i have been mostly lurking on the off,main and la boards. I recently started lurking on the DS board. I have really learned a lot. I sure hope that he will do the DS for me. I am not as large as some folks, but i am sure that is the procedure that i want. If i have to settle for the rny then so be it, but i think patients should have a choice. Thanks for your welcoming words. Regards, Thelma

Thelma, If Dr. Stevens does the DS and you medically qualify for WLS (regardless of the type of surgery you have--DS or RNY), you should have no problem because Medicare covers DS. Your only hitch is to find a surgeon that accepts Medicare (Does Dr. Stevens?). Most surgeons will ask you to sign an agreement that you will agree to pay $XXX should your insurance deny the claim. This usually happens since Medicare doesn't pre-approve and supplements or secondaries generally only pay on what is allowed by Medicare. Surgeons are very knowledgeable about what will qualify a patient so I wouldn't worry too much about this. I have Medicare as my primary and UHC as my secondary (not a supplement) and only paid a total of $215 to the hospital for some of my deductible and co-pay that hadn't been met. Also, I had to pay $150 for my psych eval. (I had medical bills in excess of $200,000 because of complications that resulted in 3 surgeries). If you ever need to talk about the DS, Medicare, etc., just drop me a line and I will be glad to answer what I can. Please take advantage of the wealth of information available on the Message Boards. No questions is too silly or too personal to ask--believe me. Rhonda 225/112/110 scheduling hernia repair and panniculectomy for September

I have one more question. I found in the packet that there is a charge for the nutritional meetings that are required. Do you think that Medicare will pay for that??? Thanks Thelma

I'm answering my own question. I just got a letter from the doctor and in it he mentions that medicare will pay for the nutritional instructions. I thought someone else might be lurking and need to know. Thelma

Welcome abourd Thelma. The DS is a wonderful and powerful procedure. I wish you the best of luck.

Yes, the more i learn about it the more i want to have DS. I hope that My doctor will agree. I have heard that some doctors reserve it for very very heavy weights. I see the surgeon next week. I know that he does them and i know that i can have ins coverage for it, so i hope that it will happen for me. Thanks for your welcome. Regards, Thelma