Scared About Two Things!!

Hi everybody! It has taken 8 months since my PCP referred me for WLS, just for me to get through my surgical consultation and other appts. I still have another week to go before going in to see if I am "released" by the psych. & nutritionist THEN my surgeon will submit for approval from my insurance company! I am scared for 2 reasons: 1. I am afraid that my insurance company will say "NO!" or drag their feet so that I miss my chance (my surgeon is supposedly leaving for Iraq in April) or require additional weight-loss effort "proof" that I am unable to provide. Basically, afraid of anything that will prevent me from getting this surgery! 2. I am afraid that my insurance company will say "YES" and that I will get a surgery date BEFORE my surgeon leaves for Iraq!! Sounds strange, huh? I am afraid of not being able to get the surgery, because I am anxious to begin a journey towards regaining my health and my self-worth, but I am afraid of that stamp approval too, because I am scared to death about what could happen to me if things don't go smoothly. What about surgical complications? Blood clots? Infection? Leakage? My own personal failure, like I have experienced on countless diets and pills and horrible concoctions, so many times in my life? Why can't I just be positive and brave and think that everything will be okay? Can anyone identify with these feelings? Trista K.

If you just positive and brave you wouldn'tbe normal! You are normal to be ambivilent about the surgery. Remember you can always say no to surgery right up until surgery time. Try not to worry too much. Good luck. Cathy 365/210/165

Before I applied for authorization to have the surgery, I researched the complications. When it came down to it, I knew of the surgeon's reputation (I work in a hospital) and knew of his skill and the care he had for his patients. That overrode any huge concerns that I had. I did not have problems lke diabetes or high blood pressure or sleep apnea before surgery. I did have GERD and significant mobility restrictions. I think that lessened my concerns about side effects. I wasn't going anyplace positive with the 40 years of dieting efforts that I'd already been through. I was so overweight that walking to my desk from my car in the morning made my heart pound, my ears ring, made me wheeze. How would I be able to exercise enough to lose any weight? This was my only chance. If your insurance company moves like mine did, you won't even have heard back from the insurance company by the time your doctor leaves for Iraq. I saw the surgeon in November '03, had things submitted in February '04 (after the psych consult, the dietary consult, the pulmonary consult and resulting sleep study), was denied in April '04, appealed and denied again in June '04, spent summer '04 working on my "medically supervised" 3-6 month diet (which was why I was denied), resubmitted again Sept '04, and approved finally in Oct '04. You might need to look for another surgeon. Even if he did surgery before he leaves, he won't be around for the follow-up. You should be able to check with your insurance to find out if that medically supervised weight loss program is required. I didn't check upfront and it cost me many months of delay. My surgeon didn't know either, since I was the first patient he'd had with my insurance. If I'd have know ahead of time, I could have started on it when I saw him in November '03, and then 3 months would have been done when the paperwork was initially submitted in Feb '04. My failure to check it out ahead of time lead to quite an emotional rollercoaster over last year. Good luck on your journey-- Sue O.