reposting for shay until she can get her nickname changed
Well, thinking about it is putting it mildly...more like obsessing and wanting it yesterday.
My name is Shay, I live in WA and am desperate to have gastric bypass. I don't want the kind with a band, I have read that the rate of it slipping can be high, and I don't want that to happen. I am 23 and weigh roughtly 360 (I am 5'6) I have 2 kids, a five year old and 6 month old, both girls. I have been on every diet, several times.
My OB-GYN originally brought the idea to light, thought I had been thinking about it for some time. Now that I am past the pregnancy and nursing stage, I really want to "go for it". My biggest problem? My insurance doesn't cover it.
So now I am literally in the fight of my life, trying to convice any doc to write a request or something to my insurance company, but I am finding it quite difficult to find a doc that will. ( my insurance is a not for profit company and every doc 100% employed by them, Kaiser Permente) Though I have no problem having docs tell me that I am a good candidate for it.
So I am fighting that battle. Has anyone been in a simular situation? Any suggestions??
I just love this site, everyone is so supportive, it is so nice knowing that I am not alone....
reposting for shay until she can get her nickname changed
I knew my ears were burning for some reason this morning!
I hate to tell you this Shay, but Kaiser sucks! I went through **** with them trying to get surgery. I had an appointment with them last year about this time. They were going to put me in their new and improved WLS program and made me wait about eight weeks to get that information, only to find out that they would do surgery only after I'd completed a year's worth of classes and programs with them. Once the classes were complete, the nurse told me there would probably be another year or so wait for surgery because of it's rising popularity. I thought I could live with that, but then I found out that they would only approve surgery that was an open RNY with a general surgeon. The general surgeon thing did me in. If someone is messing with my organs, they'd better be a bariatric surgeon. There's enough that can go wrong that I want a specialist. Also, after doine lotso research, I really want LapBand surgery and Kaiser wouldn't even consider it.
And, just to correct something you said (sorry, this is a sore spot with me) LapBand slippage rate is very, very low. Sometimes a port will flip, but that too has a very low chance of happening. There are statistics floating around out there on the internet about LapBand surgery that are plain ol' incorrect. This is because the surgery was only approved by the FDA in the USA in 2001 and there are some numbers floating around from inexperienced US physicians that are very short term. If you take into account European and Mexican statistics, the success rate is incredible. LapBand patients will have a similar success rate as Bypass patients at two years out from surgery. I have found that on some sites (not this one, thank God!) there seems to be a war between Banders and RNY patients, fighting about what surgery is better, with both sides flinging untrue facts. It's all about what is right for you. I'm not trying to talk you into LapBand, just want you to know what's what.
The only option I found when I was with Kaiser was to either change insurance companies or go to Mexico to have LapBand surgery done. I was lucky enough to be able to change insurance companies, but if I'm not approved, it's off to Mexico for me!
I hope your experience with Kaiser was better than mine! Sorry to be so negative, but don't stop exploring your options.
Chickadee
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Don't make me get my flying monkeys!
oh not a problem, I have found that Kaiser sucks for a lot of things, and this is one of them, I can't change insurance companies until Sept. It is through my husbands work. So I will keep on fighting! Thanks!
Shay- I have Kaiser and will have wls on 3/18. Do you have a pcp, I would start there not with ob-gyn. Also if ther are co-morbidities will get you approved, but if your bmi is over 50 you don't need any. It take awhile to jump through the hoops but not all that long, once you get a referral they must respond within 2 weeks and if denied you can appeal. Don't give up, find a Doctor who is familar with WLS, ask around. Good luck in your journey.
Karen
I didn't start with my ob-gyn, she brought it up at one of my last visits before I had my daughter, she was very nonchalant (sp?) about it, just like oh have you ever though of...that kinda thing. I finally got somewhere today though, not far but further than I have been How long was your overall "time". I am a bit worried because in all honesty, this is the ONLY time I or any dr has ever talked about it "on the record" so I don't have any paper history persay. But we will see
shay's thinking about it
