Info on Gastric Bypass

I am new to this and have been thinking about doing this for a while now. For those of you that have done this or are in the process, What all did you have to do to get started?

Hi Amanda and Welcome! The first thing I did was make sure that my insurance carrier would cover the procedure. Then got my referral to MUSC. I called Dr. Byrne's office and Joyce sent me out the paperwork and everything fell into place from there. I will tell you this is the best thing that I have ever done for myself and my family. I wish you the best of luck and if you need anything, just let us know. Britt

WELCOME TO THE BOARD, MS AMANDA ... &, PRAYING FOR YOUR SUCCESS! ... FIND OUT IF YOUR INSURANCE COVERS "MEDICALLY-NECESSARY" WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY. USE THE TERM "MEDICALLY NECESSARY" AS SOME CARRIERS PLAY WORD GAMES & TELL YOU "NO" BUT THEY ACTUALLY DO COVER THEM. THE POINT BEING THAT NO ONE WOULD HAVE THIS SURGERY IF IT WEREN'T MEDICALLY NECESSARY, BUT IT'S AN EASY WAY OUT FOR THE INSURANCE CARRIER TO SAY "NO". ... IF THEY DO COVER WLSurgery, THEN ASK FOR A COPY OF THEIR "CRITERIA" ... THIS IS THEIR "RULES" UNDER WHICH THEY WILL APPROVE YOU FOR SURGERY. FOLLOW THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... IF THEY COVER IT, THEN YOU USUALLY HAVE TO GET YOUR PRIMARY DOCTOR TO GET A REFERRAL TO THE SURGEON THROUGH YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER. I'D JUMP THROUGH HOOPS TO GO TO DR BYRNE AT MUSC, BUT OTHERS HAVE GONE TO OTHER HOSPITALS & USED OTHER SURGEONS & BEEN REAL HAPPY. ... AS SOON AS YOUR REFERRAL IS APPROVED BY YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER, CALL THE SURGEON YOU WERE REFFERRED TO & MAKE AN INITIAL APPOINTMENT. THEY ALL HAVE A LITTLE DIFFERENT PROCEDURE, BUT YOU USUALLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH MEDICAL TESTS, MINOR SCREENING & CLASSES (SOME MORE, SOME REQUIRE LESS) BEFORE THEY WILL THEN OK YOU FOR SURGERY. ... IN THE MEANTIME, YOU'LL WANT TO GET LETTERS OF MEDICAL NECESSITY FROM YOUR PRIMARY DOCTOR & ANY SPECIALISTS YOU GO TO FOR CO-MORBS, LIKE FOR ARTHRITIS & JOINT PAIN, FOR SLEEP APNEA, FOR DIABETES, FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE & HIGH CHOLESTEROL, ETC ... ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE HELPED BY THE CHANGE IN YOUR DIET, WEIGHT LOSS & THEN INCREASED ACTIVITY. ... GET COPIES OF MEDICAL RECORDS REGARDING YOUR CO-MORBS & YOUR PREVIOUS DIET ATTEMPTS. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET PRO-ACTIVE, I SUGGEST THAT YOU SIT DOWN & WRITE 2 DOCUMENTS ... ONE DESCRIBING EACH MEDICAL ISSUE YOU SUFFER FROM THAT IS CAUSED OR WORSENED BY THE OBESITY & HOW IT IMPACTS YOUR LIFE ... &, ONE ABOUT YOUR LIFESTYLE LIMITATIONS & THE PHYSICAL & EMOTIONAL BURDENS & TOLL THESE TAKE ON YOU & YOUR FAMILY. ALSO, BE SURE TO INCLUDE SOME DETAILS ON YOUR DIET & EXERCISE ATTEMPTS OR INABILITY TO EXERCISE ... &, WHY YOU BELIEVE THIS SURGERY WOULD BE BENEFICIAL & A SUCCESS WHERE OTHER ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN FAILURES. ... AT THAT POINT, YOU MAY NEED AUTHORIZATION FOR THE ACTUAL SURGERY, DEPENDING ON YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER'S PROCEDURES.

Welcome Amanda... You will find alot of information on this site and such a great bunch of people that are very supportive. The first step that I did was research. I got on the internet and googled very thing about Gastric Bypass, I talked to my PCP and got a referral to MUSC (the only place to have this done ) The MUSC group will then walk you through everything. Good luck on your journey and if you have any questions, ASK. Julie