Question:
I was diagnosed with diabetes last year. Would that be considered a doctor supervised

diet?    — KathyE (posted on May 29, 2006)

May 29, 2006
a doctors controlled diet is just that. a doctor must weigh you i believe weekly or by weekly. Just because you are a dietibetic does not mean you will lose weight, you are trying to control your sugars. You need to speak to your doctor and let him know what you are trying to do. good luck
   — Steve Cohen

May 29, 2006
If anything being diagnosed with diabetes would be considered a co-morbidity and would further aid in you obtaining approval for WLS. A phyisican supervised diet is about what you are eating, how you are exercising and following the instructions of the physician and dietician (should your insurance require information from the dietician as well as the physician.) My suggestion to anyone would be to access their insurance companies website and see for themselves what the requirements of their particular insurance. If you live in the State of Maryland and your insurance covers WLS --if your employer has more than 50 employees, your insurance company can't turn you down -- Maryland Law.
   — the7thdean

May 30, 2006
If your Dr. has modified your diet to control your blood sugars (restricting carbohydrates for instance), and is monitoring your weight and blood sugar on a regular basis, I think it might count. Your Dr. might be willing to write a letter to that effect to the insurance co.
   — blues-singer

June 3, 2006
I would say that it would count since you've been seeing a doctor, but start discussing diet/exercise just in case. I'm 33 and have had diabetes for 4 years or so (runs in the family big time-both parents). Anyway, I had 'doctor supervised' diets a few years ago with another doctor, about 9 months worth (not consecutive) and was given prescriptions for adipex. With my new doctor, while I was unable to take diet pills because of other medications, I still decided to see her monthly as I wanted to attempt wls at some point. My doctor and I discussed this and she made the notes in the monthly visits. While they always take your weight, bp, etc...she asks what diet and exercise I've done. Most of the time lately, it hadn't been much. The point is that I was making the effort to see her monthly and the insurance didn't question it. While I didn't have the '18 consecutive months' that my insurance requires, I was still approved first time around. I would make sure to see your doctor monthly and make sure that he/she takes good notes. Talk about diet, even if you haven't done much or been successful. My doctor told me that they are just looking at the visits and the weight. Depends on the insurance though...good luck and don't give up. I started thinking about wls a few years ago and will just be having surgery on June 29th.
   — tbrewer26

June 5, 2006
It would if the doctor weighed you and talked about your diet with you at least once a month.
   — Novashannon

June 14, 2006
I followed a diabetic diet and kept my hemoglobin A1C in normal levels and that is what counted as my doctor supervised diet.
   — catleth