S. Jersey support group?

Hi all. I'm hoping to have surgery the end of Nov. and the surgeon I think I'm using is in N. Jersey (I live near Medford in South Jersey)...this means I probably won't want to use the support group from my surgeon since it's such a drive. Are there any good support groups in South Jersey that are open to anyone who's had WLS? I'd really like to get involved with a group. Thanks in advance, Heather

Hi Heather, Have you already committed to the surgeon in north Jersey?  Is there a particular reason you're going so far away for surgery.  I live in Mt. Laurel and had my lap RNY at Barix Clinics in Langhorne, PA.  The drive took about 35-40 minutes, max.  It's a great facility and has fabulous surgeons.  The support staff and medical staff are absolutely top notch.  There are several people from this area who go there for their surgery and support meetings. Hope this helps. Barb

Hi Barb. Barix was/is my first choice.  Unfortunately, although their center is "in network" with my insurance their surgeons are not. (At least not yet...they're in the process of getting in network and they can't give me any sort of time frame when that will happen.)  They do have 1 surgeon who is in network but he only performs open surgery...and I really would prefer to have lap. I'm still praying that it will work out to go there...but how long am I supposed to wait???  I'm hoping to have the surgery either the end of Nov. or early December...so there really isn't a ton of time left...of course if they get in network before Nov. I suppose I would just wait to have the surgery and go there. Thanks for your response...so I guess you travel there for all your support meetings?  I really like the looks of their program and I love that it's a center completely dedicated to WLS...hopefully it will end up working out to go there, in the meantime I just want to keep moving ahead with plan B. Heather

Heather, That sounds strange.  I thought the surgeons worked for Barix - not independently.  Hmmm.  I have a friend there that I can ask.  I'm sure they've given you accurate information, I just was unaware that could be a problem.  Who are you insured with, if you don't mind me asking?   I know there are some really great surgeons "out there", but frankly, I was willing to wait for Barix.  And wait I did.  I was at my first pre admission test (PAT) date and the dr. told me I had to have a sleep study.  I asked why I hadn't been told that before and his response was, " I don't know, but you HAVE to have one before I'll approve you for surgery."  Of course...I needed a C-PAP.  Not because of sleep apnea, but rather because of reduced oxygen levels or something like that.  I'm a teacher and had scheduled my surgery to coincide with Winter Break.  Needless to say, that blew my great plans out of the water.  So...I ended up having to wait until Spring Break.  All in all, I think it took me almost a year.  That said - it was worth the wait - not just for peace of mind for myself and my family, but because the care I received was better than anything I could have hoped for.  My post-op has been just as good. Now for my confession.  I don't go to support group meetings.  As I said, I'm a teacher AND own a stained glass store in Mt. Holly.  I just haven't been able to pull enough time out of my schedule to go.  I do have a mini support system set up (WLS post ops) through friends and acquaintances, but receive most of my support on OH.  So far, it's worked for me. I hope all goes well with you and your WLS plans.  Feel free to send me emails if you have any questions or just want to chat. Take care, Barb

Barb: I'd love it if you found out the information I've been given is wrong!  The person I've been dealing with is Elizabeth...I think she's right...my insurance company only has Dr. Marymor listed as an approved surgeon...none of the other surgeons they have on staff are listed with my insurance's website.  There was another surgeon that was ok, but he's not there anymore (I can't recall the name off hand).  My insurance is Oxford by the way. I'm glad to hear you've been so happy with Barix...that confirms for me that they really are still my 1st choice if it can all work out somehow. I'm also glad to hear you're not finding that support group meetings are a necessity...that these boards and some good friends are enough for you...since I am concerned that I won't find a support group I can attend.  It sounds like Our Lady of Loudes does one in Collingswood and that Virtua does one in Voorhees...I'm going to check them both out this month and see if I can fit in with either of those.   I checked out your pictures...you look AMAZING already!  I'm so excited for my losing part of this journey to begin! Take care, Heather

Hi Heather, I've sent an email to my friend at Barix and will let you know what she says.  It would be super if she could give you some good news! The surgeon in your network was probably my surgeon, Dr. Alan Brader.  He's amazing and just left Barix about a month ago.  Hey that might be an idea - I think he went to the Wilkes Barre (sp?) area or possibly Lancaster.  Either way, those locations aren't too much farther than north Jersey - depending on how far north you're talking about. Another idea is for you to ask the people at the Voorhees and/or Collingswood support groups for information on their surgeons.  There are some surgeons in the Philly area that have received some kind of status for being bariatric surgeons of excellence.  If I find out more, I'll send that your way as well. Well, best of luck.  Let me know how things are going and I'll let you know what I learned from Barix. Talk to you soon, Barb

Heather, FYI, I believe Dr. Pupkova will be "in network" within the next 2 months, as I ran into the same problem, I have Oxford and I am in the process of insurance verification and then on to scheduling, so the insurance coordinator at Barix told me the last of the paperwork to get Dr. P "in network" had been submitted over a week ago and she believed that it should be happening by the end of September, which is what I hope, as it would save me the $3,000 out of pocket for using a doctor who in not in network.  I am very confident w/Dr. P and, if I have to, would pay the money.   These boards are good for support and I go to the PA board for a lot of my support, since we are so close to PA and also because it is a very active one.  Another thought is that perhaps we can see if there are enough of us in this area of NJ to form a support group meeting of our own, one that includes people from all stages that can meet local at a time where all interested could attend, maybe one evening at 7:30/8:00 p.m. or a Saturday afternoon once a month. . .  just something to consider.

 

Hi Laureen! Sorry to hear I'm not the only one dealing with the "in network" issue over there.  My contact at Barix wouldn't even schedule me for a consultation unless I wanted to pay out of pocket for it.  I have NO out of network benefits so it's not really an option to go there unless I can get one of their surgeons approved.  I would love to use Dr. P. I've read great things about her!  I hope it all goes through for you...will you let me know when she gets approved?  I would really appreciate it...that way if my contact forgets about me I'll know to call her.   Like I said, I want to use Barix...but I don't want to keep waiting and waiting when there are plenty of other surgeons out there, and 1 in particular that I already feel comfortable with.  I would be 100% sure about him if it wasn't for the fact that he's almost 2 hours away with traffic.  Even that's not such a biggie, the problem is more that his regular people he refers to and his support system is all there...and all those meeting make the drive a problem.  I'm sort of giving myself a lot more work trying to do the surgery and follow up appointments there w/ the surgeons help...but all the other stuff here on my own.  Ya know? I love the idea of starting something local...but it would be best if we could join something already in place because I don't know how we'd get the experts in to speak...we'd just have other WLS patients...you know?  I'm going to the "New Beginnings" seminar at Virtua this week...we'll see what their program is all about and what kind of support they have in place.  I don't believe they have a surgeon who's approved for Oxford either...so it's more just to try and connect with a support group.  If you're interested in what happens there let me know and I'll be sure to tell you how it goes.  The meeting is on Thursday. Heather

i used a dr. earl noyan who is in hamilton nj and works out of robert wood johnson hospital right ih hamilton. he has a support group that meets at the hospital if u want any other info, message me good luck, jacki

I had t he same issue with Barix, I was all set and had my approval only to be told they were out of network. They new I had Aetna after my first visit, I know I should have checked into it myself so can't lay total blame on their coordinators but it left me with a bad feeling about the whole thing.  You should look into Dr Wasser's group in Willingboro. Their part Lourdes and are wonderful and have their own support group that meets the first Monday of every Month. The support group is well attended and all 3 surgeons attend all meetings. Good luck. I had Lap Band 2 weeks ago and am very happy with the results and all the staff related to Dr Wasser.