New and Looking for advice

Hi I am a 25 yr old mother of 4. My bmi is 47 and I am miserable. I am considering bypass. I need any and all thoughts!! I am not sure where to even begin. During my research I notice quite a few things ex. sleep apnea that i know I have, but have not been "diagnosed" with. Should I do that first? Do alot of insurance companies cover this procedure? Again any and all guidance is appreicated!! Amanda

first you should call your insurance co to see if they cover it , or make an appointment with a gb doctor, your pcp can recommend one. and you may need a referal, thats how i went about starting. after you get your appointment it may take a few months to see them, i got my appointment back in Jan and didnt have my appointment till April. So I would call soon,. my first appointment i saw the NUT, and the surgeon, and then was sent for blood work and had to go back to see the therapist , and they made me an appointment for a sleep study(did that 4/27) and i saw the NUT again and i see the surgeon again next week. .. I hope that helps, i'm still new at all this .. but i'll answer anything i can ~Kelly

hi and welcome. The first thing I did was called my insurance company and asked them if my plan covered bariatric surgery and when they said it did I asked them to fax me a copy of the requirements that needed to be met in order to have it. A lot of plans that cover the surgery cover it if you have a BMI of 40+ w/ or w/o co-morbidities such as sleep apnea. As soon as I knew I met the criteria I called and set up for a consult. Again some insurance companies require that you have a referral (like from your PCP) mine fortunately does not. A lot of bariatric programs require that you have a sleep study done (they set it up usually) I went through Newton Wellesley and they set everything up. It's a really great program. Personally I think the biggest battle for most is the insurance end of it. Good luck and feel free to ask anymore questions Gwen

Hello, I am somewhat new to this sight also. I began my journey in febuary. I am 25(on june 6) and my bmi is 46.1. I have no comorbitites and I am a pretty healthy person BUT I am miserable I hate being fat. I have been fat all of my life and I am just done. I callled my insurance company and asked them if they cover the surgery and then I called my pcp. he referred me to my surgeon and then on and on from there. once you find a surgeon then he or she may tell you of some support groups that you are required the attend. They are wonderful there are people there that have already had the surgery and there are people like you that are thinking about it and have the same concerns as you. like I said I started in febuary. my insurance approved it on friday and I got a surgery date today for june 11. Im excited. I hope this helps and good luck with your journey lindsay

Welcome Amanda I had surgery almost 18 months ago. I spent a good year on this sight before I decided to formally looked into gastric bypass surgery. I went onto my insurances website to see what their requirements were. I called the surgeon that I wanted to consult with. I was lucky and got an appointment within two weeks. He answered all my questions that I had at that time and he also took my family medical information and he explained the surgery and the process. He then gave me a list of things that he personally requires such as a clearance letter from my PCP, nutritionist and psy appointments and attend support groups. My insurance required a six month medically supervised diet. The surgeon and nutrionist were the people who supervised my diet. For me it was a long process. I had my consult in July or August and did not have surgery until November the following year. Every doctors and insurance requirements vary to some degree. Good Luck! Janet

Janet, I live in Groton. What hopsital/group did you work with? I have looked at Emerson and Lahey. Any advice?

Hi Julie I went to Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Medford, Ma. My surgeon is Dr. Randall. He is wonderful even to this day. I thought I had gallbladder issues. he sent me to have tests done he always calls me back even from his cell phone. I looked into surgeons instead of overall programs. I had met many people who had Dr. randall and everyone had such great reviews of him. I then decided to go for a consult and decided he was the surgeon for me. He also works out of MGH, I did not want to have to travel into Boston. Again good luck! If you have any other questions feel free to ask me. Janet