[Craftinggranny9]

Hello everyone,
I just found this forum and it sure was a good feeling to find all you guys!
I am 52 yrs old,weigh 300lbs,have sleep apnea,mild pulmonary hypertension,high b/p,arthritis and fibromyalgia. I have always been big,but just seemed to keep creeping up over the last few years.I have spent my whole life trying one diet or another,and commercial wl programs and never worked ofr me or stayed off long when it did.I am tired of being tired and miserable and having no life because of my weight,I cant walk very far,cant run at all,stairs kill me,and my legs and hips hurt all the time.I want to be healthy again and able to play with and watch my grandkids grow up,and do things with my husband again.I have talked to my PCP,and my heart doc and they both think I am a good case for wls,and I am praying that it wil work out that i can have it.My secondary ins may pay but my primary is saying they dont cover it...also many years ago in the 70's I had 3/5 of my stomach removed because of precancerous type ulcer,never was told anything about diet,was given reg meals in the hospital,never lost any more than 12 lbs.This wasnt weight loss surgery I had.But I am afraid it might keep the surgeon from agreeing to do it...although when I had that surgery I weighed about 150lbs and over the years I have gained up to 300,with no kind of physical problems (from the surgery )when I ate.I dont want to be able to wear a bikini or run a marathon,I just want to be healthy and have more energy.Im looking for a support partner who is just starting out in the wls journey,also.If there is anyone here who would like to be my partner,please let me know.Also I would like to hear from folks who have had wls surgery,regardless of the kind,and what you have experienced personally. Thanks&Hugs,Peggy

[jiffypop]

peggy honey... i have news for you... by posting on this forum, you don't get just A BUDDY. oh no. you get a WHOLE BUNCH of them!!!

my suggestion for your surgery, though, is to go to a major university center with lots of experience with this. and the reason? because of the fact that you don't have a whole lot of stomach left and with the history of precancer, you want to have someone EXTREMELY WISE AND EXPERIENCED take care of you. i don't usually say things like this, but this surgery is not a quick fix [as you know... i can tell from your post] and it's for the rest of your life, so you need to be healthy now and forever.

i know that's what you want.

as for the primary insurance... what's with them??? why did they say NO???? sounds strange to me... did you get this from the customer service phone number or the president of the company? i'm sure someone will be along who has had major issues with insurance...

we're glad to have you... hang out.. ask lots of questions...

[Ditzy Blonde]

Peggy Welcome! Your situation is different, since you already had some surgery on your stomach. I agree with Jiff, you want someone other than some doctor who is green around the collars for this one. Heck for any Weight loss surgery!

Good Luck, and come back and tell us what you have found out!

[My4Monkeys]

Hi Peggy. I haven't had my surgery yet, so we are kind of in the same boat. I've never had any kind of surgery before, except to get my tubes tied after my last child. I hope you are able to get the insurance issues worked out. I would definately push the issue with your primary insurance.

[Mom2Triplets]

Hello Peggy, I'm haven't had surgery yet but having insurance issues as well. My insurance company says its a covered benefit if medically necessary, but I have 4 dr's saying its necessary and all the health issues that qualify and they still denied me. I'm currently waiting to hear on my appeal that I have an attorney doing for me. My atty says that my particular insurance company is notorious for denying people who meet the criteria and they think they just do it to weed people out who aren't willing to fight for it because they typically get it appealed successfully. So like you, I'm in the waiting game on approval. I've been working on getting wls since 1/03 and I'm READY to get this approval!!! Its a quest. Like you I'm not looking to wear a bikini or run a marathon, just be healthy and comfortable and able to do daily activities with my kids. Do you know if your insurance company considers this surgery covered and they just denied you or do they just not cover this surgery? I wish you a speedy approval and hope they can do it after your previous stomach surgery. Good luck!!!