Hi Chassidy and welcome Well all policies are different. I have Blue Shield of CA and they make you go to six month classes and do all kinds of things pre-op. I am not familar with medicaid, but I do know it varies state to state. I would call and ask. Also, check out the insurers part on this site. It might be helpful. Buhbye. Tamara

I'm new to this message board and have a question pertaining to health insurance. As of December 31st, i will no longer have my health insurance and decided that it would be best for me to apply for insurance with medicaid, but I wanted to know if anyone knows how long it may take before everything gets processed. Did anyone have any difficulties with getting insurance. I figured it would it best to go with medicaid because they cover wls. Does anyone have any suggestions, advice, or comments? Hope to hear from someone very soon

try not to let the surgery be an excuse for you to not do other things with your life, try school out and IF it does become too much then worry about it then. Help your parents out and just enroll so he can be straight with the insurance companies, im sure you dont have the kind of money it takes out of pocket or at least wouldnt want to spend it on this. be good to the insurance companies and your parents, your surgery you want depends a lot on them. also school and your future are very important, im in my first year of college and i am having my surgery this christmas break, try something like that or wait untill summer, in the meantime go to school. good luck and god bless tiffany

It is very normal to be fearful of surgery! It is a HUGE life change. Right now, it's *probably* not a life or death decision that he has to make. (Meaning, as of right now, he probably doesn't have 18 different health problems stemming from his obesity.) I think that the burden of those health problems is what causes a lot of people, who would have never thought of WLS as an option, take the plunge. If it's any consolation, the chances of him dying on the table are very slim. (I think for RnY it's like 0.2% of a chance?) Most people who do die after surgery die from various complications: Blood clots (usually in the legs) that travel to the lungs and cause pulmonary emboli. (This is a risk in ALL types of surgeries, not just WLS.) Leaks, though I have to say: if a leak is caught swiftly, it can be treated. Post-op there are things like bowel obstructions, and blockages which you have to always be on the lookout for. For the rest of his life he will have to be diligent on getting in his protein, his water, and all of his vitamins/supplements. Exercise is also very important. Also, just because you have WLS, does not mean the weight will stay off. You have to work for it, and once you are further out, and able to eat more, the urge to eat 'bad things' will be strong. All of those issues are things which support groups, counselors, etc. would help tremendously with. The healthier he is, the better his chances of survival. The people who have the most problems are those who have the most 'co-morbs' (health problems brought on by being obese, or those problems that are made worse with excess weight.) Like Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Sleep Apnea, etc. Which brings me to my next point: Make sure he gets a sleep study done beforehand! (In fact, his surgeon should REQUIRE that pre-op.) I also recommend him really researching this on his own. Looking up info about the different surgeons/weight-loss surgeries available (he can shop around for the best one... It is his life we're talking about!) I hope this has helped you. If you or your nephew has any questions, this site is a wonderful place to gain information, or you can email me (via my profile) and I will try as best I can to direct you to the correct sources for answers. Much love, Amanda

Thankz girl....i needed that