5 year diet journal ???

Hi all I never wrote down when I did my diets and the amount that I lost nor did I document it with my doctors I've been trying to lose weight for 15 years and the insurance that I did have approved for me to have the psy evaluation, and even to meet with the Doctor and a date was set and everything but 2 days before the appointment the Doctor's nurse informed me that they had canceled my appointment because I didn't get my 5 year weight loss journal to them.  I filled out all of the diets that I could remember and the amounts that I had lost on them because it was forms that the doctor needed.  Well when I called the doctor's office to ask a question about the appointment time that is when she informed me that they had canceled it and that they sent me a letter in the mail (I NEVER received a letter in the mail) saying that they had canceled the appointment.  Anyway does ANYONE have any idea on what I should do now??? ALSO they changed my insurance to AmericaChoice from Blue Cross Blue Shield has anyone heard of this new insurance company?? Any info on this please would be most helpful!!! Thanks, Angie

Are you sure it isn't 5 consecutive years worth of medical records?  I have never known of any doctor *****quires a 5 year diet journal... that is crazy

It's a 5 year weight loss journal they want specific dates and days and numbers of loss pounds and they want it documented by the dr.'s too, which I don't have.  I didn't go to the dr. except once a year in the last 5 years and then it was only for the woman exam for birth control pills.  And I didn't start going often until the last almost a year because I'm having serious mobility issues with my knees and back pain.  The doctor was Dr. Wright at Vanderbilt here in TN and that doctor was the one that canceled my appointment even after my insurance had accepted to pay for me to see him.  He is the one that wants a 5 year diet journal along with the 5 years of trying to lose weight from my pcp doctors.  Any information would be most appreciated! Thanks, Angie

Oh I'm not going to see him at all, he was just the doctor that my PCP refered me too.  I would love to know of anyone in Nashville around Old Hickory that have doctors that were great who treated their patients with RESPECT because that Dr. Wright his staff talks to you like you're stupid.  I've looked on this site and there is a high praise for a Dr. Dyre I called his office yesterday and all you can do is leave a message with his answering service  and someone will eventually get back to you.  I left a message and am just waiting for them to call me back.  I wish this site had instant messages for people to talk one on one with lol I love to talk and if anyone would like to talk by instant message please email me at [email protected] I would love to have friends to talk to besides just on the message boards!!! Thanks! Angie

Hi Angie, Welcome to the board!  Some of us here went to Baptist Hospital Metabolic Surgery Center.  There are three docs there and everyone I've talked to have liked their choices.  The staff are also very friendly.  I have never heard of 5 years worth of journals or medically supervised dieting.  I would call your insurance and find out from them, specifically, what is required. Good luck and keep us posted! 

I also wanted to tell you that I used Dr. Houston...who is in with Dr. Dyer and Dr. Olsen.  They have always treated me and my friend with the utmost respect and the office staff are unbelievable...they are all so sweet and bend over backwards to help.  This is also the office that got my friend her approval through AmeriChoice.

Angie, Please go to Vanderbilt in Nashville. Look up Vanderbilts weight loss center and give them a call, they even have a free seminar wher you can ask questions.  I had Dr Willie Melvin III as my surgeon and he was great.  Vanderbilt took such good car of me.  Dr Richards is really good too but he has a long waiting list for patients.  You will be happy if you try Vanderbilts center for surgical weight loss.  I cannot praise them enough or Dr Willie Melvin. They have other equally qualified surgeons too.

Americhoice is a new tncare plan. Call them, ask them for the guidelines on weight loss surgery and I have never heard of 5 yrs worth of documentation. If I were you, and Americhoice says thats mularky, I would find a new doctor.  Is there a reason you are going with that one?  I am just shocked.

I can't help you with the five year journal...I had to provide five years of diet history with how much I lost on each one, how much I regained, and proof of the diets...like my journals and weigh ins for weigh****chers and my dietician records when I was on the diabetic diet...basically it was gathering all my records. As for the insurance, I do have a small amount of knowledge about this one.  I posted earlier about my friend getting her approval...she too had been switched from BCBS to AmeriChoice.  She got her approval yesterday after waiting for over two months.  She will be the first one in our surgeon's office to have it through them as they have just now negotiated the contract with them.  Be sure and check directly with them on the requirements as she did NOT have to provide a five year diet history...just her medical records documenting the attempts to lose.  This is a new ins. and it is moving slower but they are moving  and she did get approved so hang in there!

Hi Angie. So this was the specific surgeons (Drs) requirements and not your insurance? That is weird. If that is the cas,e I would say find a different surgeon or Dr. I know that most hospitals will make you fill out paperwork and they will ask you to list diet attempts in the past 5 years but I have never known them to say it had to be consecutive and Dr supervised or anything like that. You can just put the dates you remember for stuff like weigh****chers, or when you tried an atkins diet or the cabbage soup diet or any other diets you did on your own. I do not think it has to be exacat dates and exact weigh loss. Just try to remember and put it in. Plus, they need to be nice enough to explain it all to you since this is a long complicated process. If you did not get the treatment you wanted with that surgeon, change. Remember, your surgeon and hospital you chose will have to stay with you for years to follow up and you need to be able to have a good relationship with them. Sorry you had a bad experience but do not give up.