why does it always happen to me??????

i went to beth israel for an info night ,filled out all the paper work i have been battling weight since i was 16 joined t.o.p.s. tried weigh****chers had four children , gallbladder surg . SEVERE gerd i loose my voice constantly been on meds forever for that was on holter monitors for paplitations have trouble going up stairs my bmi is 35.9 and i keep being told i am not eligible for surgery .i need good news for once .i have medicare and masshealth if only i could win the lottery i would pay cash for surgery i am now 34 . help cindy

i heard from someone that Boston Medical does it free for MassHealth patients that are eligible, now remember this is just something I heard, but you may want to look into it ok? Hope something works out..

I have MassHealth as well, and I go to Boston Medical Center (Dr. Hess is my surgeon), and I've already done the bulk of my testing, just have the psych eval left. MassHealth will rarely every cover a lapband, but they do cover other WLS's. I'm having an RNY. I highly recommend you check them out. I had trouble with Beth Israel as well. They wouldn't even see me after I filled out the paperwork. So I was elated when I went to Dr. Hess and I'm finally getting the help I need there. It's a hike for me to get there, as I live in Hudson, but I need this surgery, if I plan on losing the weight I need to lose to be around for my fiance, and our son. Best of luck! -Eva

I wish you all the best of luck. Ask your primary care doctor, (AND ANY OTHER DOCTOR ASSOCIATED TO ANY AND ALL PROBLEMS YOU HAVE ASSOCIATED TO YOUR WEIGHT GAIN, MEDICAL CONDITIONS, ETC...) to write you LETTERS OF MEDICAL NECESSITY, even though you have already spoken with someone,and if someone (a hospital or Dr.) says your BMI is too low, Umass states BMI of 35 or higher (I believe), and the bigger your medical paperwork trail you have, the better! I work at a medical insurance company and you may think there is a run around sometimes, ((but after realizing that many of the people who want this are NOT in the right state of mind to have the surgery, regarding extreme depression, other medical conditions that need to be addressed first, or some other issue)) Certain hospitals are 'against' the procedures (like B.I. Deaconess), so check out the hospitals, like Umass, that are all FOR it! Send a copy of all the letters you receive from the doctors, to MassHealth and to ALL of the hospitals/surgeons you speak with. Umass is where I am having my surgery. My surgeon is the chief of surgery, Dr. Kelly. I am not MassHealth, but I do know UMASS has an incredible weight loss center! Telephone: 508-334-3886. http://www.umassmemorial.org/ummhc/hospitals/med_center/services/weightcenterindex.cfm My surgery is July 17th, after waiting over a year or so. If you KNOW this is THE something, THE tool you need, keep at it! All my best, Sandi

I am probably wrong about Beth Israel deaconess, so many people keep saying how wonderful they are. I would keep checking everywhere....this is your health, your life, and a great test of your strength! KEEP on TRUCKIN'

What reasons were given for you not being eligible for surgery? What are your co-morbidities? What is your reason for disability? Do you seek regular care with a primary physician? If you don't have a PCP get one now and start getting your co-morbs documented and treated, and start a physicican supervised diet too. Unfortunately gallbladder surgery and palpitations can happen to anyone, so they wont help your case for surgery. Do you have co-morbs like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, arthritis, incontinence. To the best of my knowledge with a BMI of less than 40 you need to have co-morbs to qualify for surgery. SInce you have researched the surgery you probably aren't surprised to find out you didn't qualify based on your given information. Best of Luck Amy