Im so discouraged

*sigh* OK I dont post here alot, although I have lurked. I made the decision to have WLS a few years ago, but waited till my husband was 100% on my team. I really knew I needed his support all the way, not just half heartedly. Well finally last summer he was feeling a bit more comfortable with the whole procedure. I got referred to Dr Simon at Arizona bariatric Surgeons and went for the seminar and started jumping through all the hoops that BC/BS required. And thats what I have been doing since then. I finally have all the pre-requisites done and called back to Dr Simons office to have them start the paperwork. The girl there told me she had my file and all she needed was new copy of my insurance card. No problem, I faxed it right off. This was 6 weeks ago. I waited about two weeks before I tried to call and check up (I Didnt want to annoy them)..left a message...never got a return call. Called again the next week, same thing...and then again the next week and again the next...so here 6 weks have passed. I finally reached her (she never returned ANY of my phone calls) and I just now find out that she hasnt done a thing! She says she needs more stuff from me. She was so snippy and rude and acted like it was my fault or something that she never had time to return my phone calls. You know? If it had been only a week maybe...but I called FOUR TIMES...over a month and never heard back once! Ok so fine, she needed more things from me, but good grief, I just wasted another month of my life waiting for nothing!!!! She could have told me Im so sad. So anyway, she tells me that I need to go see my PCP because she hasnt released my records. Since I knew I had given the surgeons office the release forms I set an apt. with my PCP and I find out she has never recieved the releases. Yet another example of the the girl in Dr Simons office not following through . I feel like I have wasted so much time and I just cant bear it. I called The Wish Center this morning, and I'm 'thisclose' to switching over to them. Can any one tell me of their expericences with the Wish Center? And if anyone is a patient of Dr Simon's at Arizona Bariatric Surgeons did you go through this as well? I really liked Dr Simon but this girl seems to be such a slacker, and surely she has to have some clue as to how important this is to people

I am so sorry you have gone thru all this. Let me tell you some have it easier then others I have gone thru alot of the same stuff Been denied 4 times, was 3 days from having surgery lost ins. Girl at Dr's office forgot to fax ins for approval. Physc Dr took a sweet month to sent he's approval for surgery. it goes on and on. I did learn from others here to do everything your self. I went and got all my Paper work from PCP even sent letters clear back to 1981 to hospitals and Dr I seen took about 2 month but I got a binder full Then I went and got 2 extra copy's of all my dr reports Just in case they lost them, Has happened before don't trust them to do it for you they wont unless they are very caring and really and trully want to help. So KEEP Fighting I got very depressed and very negative 10 month ago but some how I found a way to fight back. I am only 47 days from surgery and I still get pissed cause some get what they want with no problems in less then 2 months. But it will happen. If you need to talk email me I know what it's like Chin up and go out fighting Teresa

Yep, Theresa's on the money. Keep your chin up. As long as you haven't been denied, you're still doing better than many who get the door slammed in their faces. I know that doesn't particularly help at the moment, but you're very close even though it feels far away. The real pain is that we all have to go from the hinterlands of Arizona to Phoenix in order for our insurance to pay for this surgery, which keeps us from being able to just walk into the doctor's office with the info they need when they don't come through. I had similar pre-surgery problems with Juarez's office in Phoenix - nobody returning calls and screwing up instructions to me. Follow ups are also hard to make as a doctor's appointment becomes a day trip from Tucson. All in all, it's been worth all the pains in the butt in the long run, but sometimes, in the process you do get the feeling that maybe there's a big quiet conspiracy to just kill you off with stress and delays before they have to shell out on the surgery. Imagine if the average man had to jump through these kinds of hoops to get heart bypass surgery (which, by the way, is statistically much less of a long term life saving proceedure than stomach surgery). There would be such an uproar that the medical establishment would'nt live it down. But obesity is generally a disease of women and the poor. They can afford to blow us off because they percieve we don't have the clout to demand better. Oh, well. You probably didn't come here for a political rant, but you got one anyway. Do keep your chin up and keep plugging away even if, for some reason, you don't get approved on the first go. It's those of us who stick with it like a pitt bull guarding a bone that eventually get there. Good luck. - Stephanie J

Thanks so much for the encourgement. I think I need that now. I feel like I've just been treading water here, and it get so tiring. I think for me although I am not what one would consider in good health (I'm 5'3" and 325#), I dont have hardly any co morbidities. I dont have high blood pressure, I dont have diabetes, my cholestoral although not low is lower than my husband's who is the picture of health. It's almost like they want me to get good and unhealthy and miserable or something. Has anyone any experience with the Wish Center?

I had bad results with the Wish Center and I switched to the office of Dr Simon and Newhoff. I did not feel the staff was all that cooperative but I got in fast the and Dr's are superior.

THATS what I was wanting to hear. I felt good about Dr Simon as well....thanks for the input

Welll I can say positively that the staff changes A LOT in the offices, and I now only recognize two girls in Newhoff and Simons office. You really have to keep after everyone in this chain, Insurance PCP, and the surgeons office, then the hospital coordinater you have to be proactive because it is your health. I do not know that much about Simon, but I do know Newhoff and I trust he would not have an associate with a bad record. It's the staffing, and so many Insurances that are cutting off in 2005 that I am sure their schedules are pretty full. I don't have first hand knowledge of the wish Center and only know the people in my support group who went there and their after care program has a little to be desired in my mind, plus they are a franchise. I would stick where I was just get a notepad and start asking for peopples names when you talk to them , it seems to make them more accountable. I don't know there used to be a great coordinator there who sent your stuff off, I imagine they are in demand and all the staff looks very young in comparison to some of the old ones. Good Luck and keep warm!!!!!!

I guess I was one of the luck ones. I had my first appointment at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale with Dr. Swain. I had to wait three months before my surgery and the wonderful gals in his office took care of everything..Yeh I had to make a few telephone calls just to see what the progress was. Hang in there. All will come out ok for you I'm sure.

Thanks all *****sponded. I think I will stick with Dr Simon because I really felt comfortable with him. I will just get all my info ready before my appt with him (in two weeks). I think I will go ahead and see if I can get scheduled for a sleep study (here in Flagstaff) to hve that done as well.