just getting started..questions

Hi I am new to this forum and I have a lot of questions. 1. has anyone used medicaid to have the surgery and was it difficult getting approved? 2.I am going to the seminar at duke next friday, anyone had their surgry done there? 3.I am scared and excited any and all positive reinforcement will be great. 4. more questions later.... I am looking forward to getting to know all of you and hope to make some new friends.

Hi Debbie. I can't speak on Medicaid or Duke, but I wanted to say hello and welcome. This is a great board with lots of nice people on it. We're all on various stages of our journey and it's neat to read all of the different perspectives. Take care and keep us posted on your progress through the insurance and pre-op stuff. Surgery will be here before you know it. Take care. ~Ellen

I echo Ellen's sentiment. Welcome. I cannot help with questions one or two, but number three is normal. I guess we all felt that way. Ask all the questions you need to. This is a great resource for getting answers and help. I wish you the best. Diane

Congratulations on your decision for WLS! It was the single best decision I ever made for myself. If you talk to Barbara Cuomo, she is having her surgery at Duke, and was recently approved by her insurance company. I had my surgery at UNC Chapel Hill, not far from Duke. I have heard wonderful things about Duke. I believe you will be pleased. Please keep us informed of your progress and let us know how we can support you! Diane

Hi! I have medicaid and I am going through the Duke WLS Center. I recently had my first appointment on April 30th. I went to the seminar in Feb. With Medicaid, in order to get approval, You have to go through a 6 month supervised weight loss attempt provided by your primary care physician. I am halfway done with that. 3 more months to go. Please feel free to email me anytime [email protected]

...I forgot to add that there are a few more things that Medicaid will require before approval. The seminar will answer all of your questions. You will also be allowed to ask your own questions. Beth is the insurance specialist there and she is there to help you get everything you need. Good Luck!

I went through duke wls and had my surgery at Durham regional...they were fantastic and I will be 2 months out tomorrow and down almost 50 pounds...My surgeon was dr. aurora pryor and she was great. i have bcbs state so sorry i can't help you with the insurance...good luck

Hi Debbie. I don't know about Medicaid. There is a post from a woman who got approval from Medicaid. I went to Duke at first and for me, I did not like the way the office handled me. The woman was abrupt and not helpful. I paid the application fee, the psychiatrist fee and one other fee it added up to about $800. The woman who was the Insurance guru was just not helpful to me. I was bummed about the money spent. I deserve to be treated well, I was spending my hard earned money there! I ended up going to Pinehurst and Dr. Mitchell did the surgery. I found the office to be terrific! They were informative and scheduled my appointments, and gave me up to date information regarding results. They helped me with the insurance and everything was seamless! He has scheduled meeting in Raleigh by Crabtree. You will have to check the website. http://www.firsthealth.org/Health%20Services/Surgical%20Services/Bariatric%20Surgery/index .htm The hospital at Pinehurst is not a teaching hospital. I got one-on-one care from Dr. Mitchell's office. He has a great philosophy about patient care. He talks about this event to be an life long relationship. I had the surgery 1 month ago. It was rough right after surgery. I wondered what did I do! which is a normal response! But after the shock of actually having the surgery wore off I settled into this great journey! I am so glad I had the surgery, my struggle was 3 years, but I finally got it! Good luck to you, Antoinette