6 month diet up to application to approval
OK so my insurance will approve me for a VSG, which I am very excited about. Im doing the 6 month diet now and documenting eating and exercising.
Question 1 - Should I really try to lose weight or just stay the same? What is the goal of this?
Question 2 - is the 6 month diet an exact date thing before you can apply to insurance for the surgery? Like my 1st Dr appointment was supposed to be last week but it got moved to this week. Does that mean that I won't be able to apply to the insurance before April 28 2011?
Also what do you include in that insurance letter? I plan to include, the 6 month diet, 5 yrs of weight history, letters of recomendation from other drs I see.
What else?
Thanks.
Jack
Thanks.
Question 1 - Should I really try to lose weight or just stay the same? What is the goal of this?
Question 2 - is the 6 month diet an exact date thing before you can apply to insurance for the surgery? Like my 1st Dr appointment was supposed to be last week but it got moved to this week. Does that mean that I won't be able to apply to the insurance before April 28 2011?
Also what do you include in that insurance letter? I plan to include, the 6 month diet, 5 yrs of weight history, letters of recomendation from other drs I see.
What else?
Thanks.
Jack
Thanks.
Jack,
I can't help on the insurance questions since I was a self-pay.
As to the pre op dieting it serves a couple of purposes:
1. Helps reduce the amount of fat around your liver and the liver itself. After surgery when you are actively losing your liver will be working overtime.
2. It shows compliance on your part. The surgery in and of itself is just a "tool" to help you lose weight. It is the changes in your eating and excercise habits that will keep the weight off long term.
Never, and I mean NEVER, trust a fart!! 
I would say that yes you should try to lose weight. That being said you need to look at what BMI your insurance won't approve you at and make sure you tailor your preop loss to not exceed that BMI. If you are at a BMI of 32 and they won't approve anything under 30 it would suck to do all the work and get a 29 BMI and oops hey you no longer qualify.
As for the insurance stuff your surgeon probably has someone that does all of this. They know what they need and the process each company requires. Infact your surgeon should be able to give you the infor regarding at what BMI they wouldn't approve you.
The issue with your liver is that durin surgery they need to work around it and while the anatomy dummies make it look so simple the reality is they need to move and lift your liver out of the way during surgery. This is the main purpose of the Preop diet right before surgery.
As previously said the reason for the 6 month diet is to show you ability to adhere to a plan. This surgery is a tool and you will have to be on a diet for a very long time post-op.
Good Luck!
As for the insurance stuff your surgeon probably has someone that does all of this. They know what they need and the process each company requires. Infact your surgeon should be able to give you the infor regarding at what BMI they wouldn't approve you.
The issue with your liver is that durin surgery they need to work around it and while the anatomy dummies make it look so simple the reality is they need to move and lift your liver out of the way during surgery. This is the main purpose of the Preop diet right before surgery.
As previously said the reason for the 6 month diet is to show you ability to adhere to a plan. This surgery is a tool and you will have to be on a diet for a very long time post-op.
Good Luck!
Paul C.
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
Yes the 6 month diet is an exact thing. The Doctor and insurance company want to know you are serious, and that you have tried to get your weight down every way you can. They do want to see success. Your losing weight during the 6 month diet will not give the insurance company a reason not to allow the surgery, it will reinforce the idea that you have been trying for years and just can't lose it all on your own.
The insurance letter will be written and submitted by your surgeon's office, not by you. The insurance company will look at all the medical records on file for you from all your doctors and make their decision based on that info and your surgeons recommendation.
A piece of advice that I got when I was going through the process that you are was: "5 years from now this small delay will not make one bit of difference so don't sweat it". My surgery was 14 months after my doctors visit, surgery was delayed twice because the surgeon was called away for emergencies, so you can tell I went through a lot of stress. He was right, 5 years later it didn't matter one iota, I got my surgery, lost the weight, and have a healthy happy life.
Good luck to you, roll with the punches and do what you are asked to do, it will all work out.
The insurance letter will be written and submitted by your surgeon's office, not by you. The insurance company will look at all the medical records on file for you from all your doctors and make their decision based on that info and your surgeons recommendation.
A piece of advice that I got when I was going through the process that you are was: "5 years from now this small delay will not make one bit of difference so don't sweat it". My surgery was 14 months after my doctors visit, surgery was delayed twice because the surgeon was called away for emergencies, so you can tell I went through a lot of stress. He was right, 5 years later it didn't matter one iota, I got my surgery, lost the weight, and have a healthy happy life.
Good luck to you, roll with the punches and do what you are asked to do, it will all work out.
Robert
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