Recent Posts

post your suggestions here to help others make it through Thanksgiving with confidence.  Any favorite WLS-friendly recipies do you use at this time of year?

thanks

Hi everyone I am a new post-op 2 weeks today and I am doing ok.  The first 7 days I lost 7 pounds and I will be going to my 2 week post-op appointment on thursday so hopefully I will have lost some more.  Right after surgery I was feeling so good and doing to much and by the 8-10 day mark I all of a sudden couldn't stay awake for nothing, I was always tired so I started resting more and now I feel better.  I can't wait to start lossing more and getting this weight off.  Well talk to you guys later..

Hi!  My name is Carla Ross.  I am fairly new to OH and have found it to be very helpful and informative.  I had WLS (Realize Band) on August 16, 2010 and to date am down 57 pounds.  WHOO HOO! 

I have been very lucky in that I have not had any problems, in fact I would say it has been "textbook".  I recently began exercising as I hadn't been the first 4 1/2 monts of my weight loss journey.  I meet and work out twice a week with a Certified Personal Trainer and then do cardio on my own twice a week.  So, a total of four nights a week.  Last week I became a "onelander"!!!!  Can't believe how wonderful I feel.  My goal is to lose an additional 30 pounds by October 23rd (my 50th birthday).  After that it will be all about maintaining the weight loss.

I am not a pro on insurance stuff but if I'm not mistaken, because you are in an HMO, you do need to be referred to a bariatric surgeon from your primary care physician (PCP).  Direct referals are really when you have a PPO or are going to pay out-of-pocket for the procedure with no help from the insurance carrier.

I recommend getting an appointment with your PCP and see what surgeons he/she knows of to help you.  If that doctor is against weight loss surgery (some are), then you have every right to go back to the insurance carrier and be reassigned to a pro-WLS doctor (my term).  You might need to ask them for a list of PCPs and then call those offices to ask if they have worked with a patient before who was undergoing WLS. 

I'm not familiar with surgeons in Fairfield, however, you can look here on OH for peers in Fairfield, look at their profiles to see which surgeons they worked with.  That might help. 

You could also research for a bariatric surgeon and then call them to see if they take Blue Shield and what PCPs they have worked with.  I'm not sure how helpful or doable that route is but it can't hurt.

If nothing else, consider the process of jumping through these hoops to find the right PCP and surgeon as a test to see just how serious you are about having surgery. 

Fight for it.

I want to get faster and stronger this year. Maybe even finish a traithlon on the podium for my age group.