Newbie.. where do i start..

For the past year i have been fighting for disability and on February 14,2008 i received a letter from the judge that heard my case telling me i am approved.. I have highblood pressure,borderline diabetic, and asthmatic with sleep apnea, severe back pain and joint pain in my knees. In the letter the judge stated that because of my health issues Gastric Bypass is my only option. I have been on a 1500 calorie no sugar/salt diet since august 2007. Because of a work injury in 2005 i had gained over 200 pnds and have a bmi index of over 60.  i am 5'7 and weigh over 400 pnds.(405) to be exact.. I live in pompano beach florida and since i will be on state insurance, i dont even know where to begin.. Any suggestions? Im really glad i found this forum.  take care Kim

Kim, Wish that I could help,  I am unfamiliar with disability.  It sounds as if you are a good candidate and I just wanted you to know you have support here and that I hope that you get all the support and help you need.  I do read a lot of posts and know that a lot of people have been in the same situation and I am sure you will find the help you need.  Blessings on your journey.

MICHAEL EAK????????   He is a great resource for some guidance in this area in Florida.  Try to search him on the OH profiles and send him an email. Hope you get some direction soon. Vicky

The first thing to do would be to call medicare and find out what hospital's they approve for weight loss surgery in your area.  Then call that hospital and ask for a list of Gastric Bypass Dr.'s that operate there.  The Dr.'s office will tell you the requirements for approval.  It's good that your have a letter from a judge. Hope this help. Susan G.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions..  I had sent an email for some information from US Bariatrics but they dont take medicaid. I dont even know yet if im going to be on medicaid first or medicare, i thought fighting for disability was frustrating this looks this will be just as frustrating.. From what i understand it can take up to two months to even get the insurance, now its all in the hands of social security.... I know Holy Cross Hospital in Ft Lauderdale is one hospital in my area that does the surgery.. so im gonna go research them and see what i can find out.. I think they have a month information seminar so i will sign up for that and see where i can go from there..

Dr. Fred Simon did my surgery.....Bariatric welness & surgical center in Lake Worth FL. I do not know if they take medicare, but give them a call. 561-649-0243. They are associated with JFK Medical Center. I had my surgery on 12/18 and they are very nice people.  Good luck, and any questions, feel free to ask.

Hi there, I don't know anything about medicare/medicade, but I just want to let u know that I had my surgery with US Bariatric and at just over 2 yrs post op, I am doing amazing. They have a wonderful program, which, in my opinion, is the best compared to some of the others I have heard. I would definitely suggest that u do some more research with them and hopefully they will come up with something for u. If they don't work out for u, I know there will be someone else just as good, I just wanted to share with u that I have been very happy with their practice and program. They have the best nutritionist I have ever met. She is amazingly knowledgeable, she even has an online chatroom on monday nights. If u would like further info on that, please let me know.   Lots of good luck and good health to u and take care. 

Thank you Joanne.. I actually did receive an email from them yesterday.. they dont take medicaid or medicare and when i said i dont have that kinda cash out of pocket if i did i would have had this done 2 years ago.. i basically got a good luck response back.. My credit is horrible so i cant walk into a bank and get a loan and i dont have any family.. I just dont know what to do..

I am sorry that you got that kind of response from someone, since I work for USB.

US Bariatric Orlando has a contract with UHC Medicaid. You may want to call your Medicaid caseworker and see if changing is a viable option.

US Bariatric St Augustine will be accepting medicare shortly, though.

Call me at 407.303.4574 if you need more information.

HIJACK!!

Hi Joanne!!