Do you want to try to lose weight to get approved for surgery or not?

I guess medicare requires a 6 month diet. Do you want to lose weight and show you can do it? Or do you not want to lose weight, so they see it's the only way you can? It's confusing.
 
I don't even know why they require that anyway. It's seems so stupid. Like we all have not tried a million times to lose weight. If we were able to lose it and keep it off, we wouldn't even be looking at weight lose surgery! He! He!

Crissy, I can't tell you what their ultimate goal is....to prove you CAN lose weight on your own, or that you can't. You might ask others from your state who were in teh same boat and see what their experiences show.

My insurance required a supervised diet. I had no guidance as to whether I needed to lose or not lose... my PCP... who had gone through that with a LOT of his patients, believed that the insurance companies wanted to see real effort, because those that caan stick with the six month supervised diet can stick with a lifetime of altered guts. I lost 57 pounds on my six month supervised diet, and went from a BMI of 60 to 50. Since a BMI of 50 was still VERY qualified for surgery I had no problem being approved.

What I consider the bonuses of my experience: 

I hung out here and I learned about all the pre-op, new-op, middle-of-the-program and maintenance issues were that people faced. I learned about complications and how to recognize and do something about them.

I began to try to follow the long-term-post-op diet.... I learned to read labels, eat serving sizes, NOT drink with my meals, supplement with vitamins, tolerate protein shakes, move my butt a little more.

My postop time was much smoother than those who learn nothing about this surgery and go in blind.... I was BLESSED in my postop time.... a lot of the biggest adjustments I'd already been through. I'd learned not to drink with meals, I'd de-toxed from caffeine and from simple carbs, I upped my liquid intake, etc. The only BIG changes I had to deal with after surgery was simply having HAD surgery, and learning how my anatomy worked for me.

While I know you want the surgery NOW, if you can't have it now, you at least have six months to improve your understanding of it and become an expert at a lot of the lifestyle changes you'll have to make anyway.

I've also heard of a lot of good stats about those who lose pre-op doing better on the table, losing better, losing more, and keeping more off in the long run.

Good luck!

I guess that's true. Thanks for your input. I am sure waiting will help with that part. I am glad to hear you are doing so well!

I remember how I felt when I found out I had to wait six months.. my original inquiry to my insurance company did NOT include that requirement and when they turned me down they sent an updated set of requirements that included that one extra thing. Urgh!

But really, truthfully, I think that I had a wondrously easy time because I used all that time to learn and grow and become educated. I'd been frequenting OH daily for eight months before I had my surgery.

My insurance company also required 6 month physician monitored diet, but they didn't have any requirements to meet on how much I had to lose. My surgeon did require me to lose 15lbs, in order to shrink my liver and make the surgery safer.

I would ask your insurance company if you are required to lose a certain amount, and ask your surgeon the same thing.

Best of luck.

Thanks. I don't think Medicare requires any weight lose or does the doctor. I just am not sure what to do.

 I have medicare and I have had lapband and RNY and never once did I have to do a diet before surgery. 

Hmm. That's interesting. The doctor said that Medicaid required it. I hadn't heard that they did until the doctor said that, but I figured they would know. hmmmm.

Medicaid and Medicare are two different things anyway. But I'd contact Medicaid to find out their requirements from the "horses mouth" so to speak.

Sorry. I get the phrases mixed around. He He