New Here, wanting WLS

Hi everyone, I'm new to these boards.  My name is Dawn, I'm 39 years old, happily married and mom to 3 boys, ages 9, 15 & 17. 

I have been online researching WLS for weeks now, and have made the decision that I do want to move forward in doing what I need to do to get approved.  Our insurance covers WLS.  I'm just not sure where to start out.  I'm going to call my family doctor tomorrow and see if I need an appt with him first, to get a referral to a weightloss surgeon (Grand Rapids MI).

I weigh approximately 354 pounds, and I'm 5' 5-1/2" tall. I will be 40 years old this summer, and have come to the conclusion that I can no longer put off taking care of me.  The years are flying by, yet my weight always remains the same.  I really want to be healthy, I want to exercise, and I want to be able to do more things with  my boys.

I know my BMI is high, and I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes a year and a half ago, and high cholesterol just recently.  I'm sure I have sleep apnea, although I haven't been diagnosed yet.  My husband and a friend has told me that I stop breathing, and I have woke up gasping for a breath before.

What is pushing me forward in having WLS, is the fact that my 32 year old sister just had a heart attack in Sept. 09, and a triple bypass just before Christmas.  Both my grandparents had heart disease before the age of 40. 

I am scared to death to take this step, for fear of major complications, but I'm also scared to death of what can happen down the road if I continue to do nothing.

I look forward to talking to all of you, and having your support on my journey, and I look forward to helping others after I have completed my journey.

Welcome to the MI OH boards.

good luck on your journey to WLS, and a brand new you

this forum is a good place with great people from newbie to all out veterans and everything in between too.

We have virtual coffee chat daily and you are welcome to attend and chime in. There is now set time to come to the chat just stop by when you can.


When I started my journey I call my Ins. company to get them to send me the required criteria for approval. It is a list of what qualify you under there guide line.

since I had a bmi of 60 and Diabetes and other comorbidies I was approved with out a 6 month diet. Different Ins. require different rules.

Then I made an apt with PHP and he referred me to the Bariatric Dr's.
What insurance do you have? HMO PPO Traditional.

Welcome again.
And best wishes on your journey.

Hi Dawn!  Welcome to OH.  I have found so much information here, and made so many friends...it's an awesome place.

Ok, first of all - have you been to any WLS orientations/seminars yet?  This is a great starting-off place for you to get information.  My insurance did not require me to get a referral to go see a surgeon - that is something you're going to have to check out with your insurance.  You also will want to go to a surgical practice that performs all of the procedures so that you get the most accurate, non-biased information.  I go to Grand Health Partners in Grand Rapids...there are three surgeons, and two of them perform every WL procedure.

As for choosing the procedure that's right for you - this is going to be the hardest decision to make, in my opinion.  You have to figure out what you need from WLS, and what kind of long-term lifestyle you want to lead.  You mentioned Type 2 Diabetes and high cholesterol... the Duodenal Switch (DS) procedure has an almost 98% **CURE** rate for diabetes [yes, you read that correctly - CURE] and also has very good stats for lowering cholesterol, particularly triglycerides.  These are a couple of the reasons I chose this procedure.  You can learn more about the DS at duodenalswitch.com, DSfacts.com, or come on over to the DS forum here on OH.

Not all surgeries are created equal, and it is very important for you to do research on your own.  Things I looked at when I was choosing a procedure were:  how well it would resolve my co-morbidities, what were the long-term weight loss statistics (I don't want to re-gain my weight 5 years down the road), and what was my quality of life going to be after surgery.  You will feel the most confident in your decision after you have done your research and found the answers to the questions that are swirling around in your head.  Surgery is not a "one size fits all" kind of thing - I have friends that have had the Lapband and RNY - while they are doing well with their procedures, I didn't feel those were right for *me*.

I wish you much luck.  If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me any time!!

My insurance is Blue Care Network (for state employees), an HMO. I know that one of the hospitals that they approve for surgery is Spectrum Health Blodgett Campus in Grand Rapids.

I will call my insurance company on Monday morning and ask them about the procedure, and what steps I need to take. I really appreciate your info!

I haven't read up on the duodenal switch at all, but I'll definitely check out the web sites you mentioned and consider it as well.

Thanks for the welcome!

Dawn

sometimes you can go on like to the ins and put in your policy # and read your policy and if you have any riders for WLS

Hi Dawn,

Check out Dr. Kemmeters page he's got video explaining all the different surgeries!
http://www.facebook.com//pages/Paul-R-Kemmeter-MD-Bariatric- Surgeon/409262035626?v=feed&story_fbid=411618855018#/pages/P aul-R-Kemmeter-MD-Bariatric-Surgeon/409262035626?ref=ts

Best wishes on your journey!

Lisa

Dawn,

Welcome.  This is a great forum.  Ask away....we've got allot of diversity in surgeries here.  I personally choose RNY, my ins. did not cover ds, so I didn't research it and lap band was not restrictive enough for me. 

Prior to surgery I had diabetes, hbp, gerd and a BMI of 50.  All of those conditions were gone within days of surgery, seriously days.  I left the hospital not taking any medications besides Previced (as a preventative for ulcers).

I too have allot of cardiovascular history in my family.  My Mom's side has strokes and my Dad's side has heart attacks.  I lost an Uncle to a heart attack, he was only 32 and my Dad had a heart attack when he was 49.  I knew my fate was being sealed if I didn't do something serious about my weight.   So I understand where your coming from.

Good luck with your journey,

Edie

Dawn, welcome!  I too am a new member to OH.  I just got my insurance approval this past week and am looking forward to having RNY by the middle of February. 

I chose RNY because it has excellent long-term results and everywhere I read it was referred to as the "gold standard" of weight-loss surgery.  I didn't want to worry about gaining back weight, as I have seen a friend do with lap-band.  I knew I needed something restrictive and effective.  I considered the duodenal switch, but my surgeon has much more experience with RNY and that affected by decision. 

My insurance (Smart Health from the Ascension Health System) just changed their criteria.  They no longer require a six-month physician-supervised weight loss period before surgery.  I needed a referral from my doctor for the surgery and a psychological evaluation and then basically I needed to meet the criteria of a BMI of 40, or BMI of 35 with coexisting medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes or sleep apnea. 

My surgeon does not require a 2-week liquid diet before surgery, he basically just asks that you have your last "big" meal 2 days beforehand and then fast for 12 hours before surgery.  Still, I am beginning a low-fat, high-protein diet on my own so that I'm in the best possible shape coming out of surgery, hopefully to help with my recovery.

Again, congratulations on starting your journey!  This really is a great site and I too have found lots of information here.  I look forward to hearing from you again!

Welcome to the greatest journey of your life !   Good luck !

Thank you for the welcome everyone!

I'm learning alot about WLS through all the posts at OH. Looking forward to talking to my insurance company tomorrow and getting more information on what steps I should be taking to see about qualifying.

I'm very excited to get the ball rolling.