I have a date

Beth Ann and I went to my nutritionist's appointment last Wednesday. We sat down together and talked about the changes I would be making in terms of what foods I can or cannot eat in the future. It was kind of a formality more than anything. This was the last requirement before I could schedule my surgery. I was told that she would turn in her report immediately and that I could probably have my surgery scheduled the next day. So I emailed the person in charge of scheduling and asked if she had received the nutritionist's report. "Not yet," she said. I followed up Friday, Monday and Tuesday. "Not yet," "Not yet," "Not yet."

Later Tuesday morning I received an email that she had finally gotten the nutritinist's report but they could not find my psych evaluation. I told her that I went to my psych appointment on November 3 and that they should have had the report a long time ago. "Not yet." So I called the psychologist's office. Twice. Her assistant finally called back and said she would fax it by 3:30pm. Good God. Why is this taking so long??

So finally I received an email saying, "Call me so we can schedule." I was so excited, my heart started thumping.

So, the surgery is scheduled for Monday, December 22!

Approval

I called the insurance company on 11/3, 11/4, 11/5, 11/6 and on 11/7. When I called on 11/7, the usual "I don't see any record. Please call in 15 days." was replaced with "what doctor? what hospital? what month?"...I told the representative all of the information and she said "There is an admission number."

"Does that mean that I was approved?" I asked, slightly nervous, confused, and excited.

"Yeah, I guess so." was her response.

All weekend I was secretly a nervous wreck, just knowing that the rep was confused or did not understand what I was asking. Then when I got home today (11/10), there was a letter from the insurance company. Bad news: I am morbidly obese. Good news: I am covered under insurance.

So the next step is to see the nutritionist, then I can schedule surgery. Stay tuned.

The first consultation

On Wednesday, October 29, I went to my first consultation with the Dr. He said I was the perfect candidate for lap band and he told me that he too had a lap band. We spoke about his experience and about the medical community in general. I told him that when I had gone to my PCP to get her opinion on the lap band, I had been berated and belittled. I told him that my wife had been shocked that I was spoken to that way...kind of in a way that seemed like I did not know anything, especially about how to eat. She told me to stop drinking regular soda (I don't) and to stop eating chips, cookies, cakes, and candy (I don't). It was horrible. Then she said she would not give me a referral (I didn't need one) and told me she was going to put me on a diet pill and a strict diet and would see me in a month. I did not go back.

After I finished speaking to the doctor, the insurance specialist came in. She told me that for my plan I needed medical records...I whipped out my organized packet. She was impressed that I had all of the records ready to go. As far as the 2 missing years, she had me just sign a note stating that I had not been to a physician those years. She faxed over the information on 10/31. She also told me to call the insurance company every day until I heard from them.

Medical Records

So there are 2 ways to pay for lap band: insurance or cash. There are "packages" that run between $10,000-$15,000. Obviously I don't have the means to pay cash, so I have to go the insurance route. Thankfully, I have very good insurance through my employer. They do require a 5 year medical history with a BMI of 40 or more. BMI is calculated based on your height and weight. Currently I have a BMI of 43. I was very determined to get a head start on this process.

When I made my appointment at the seminar, it was a month away. This gave me time to try to obtain medical records. Thinking back, I had only been to a couple of doctors within the past 5 years. I searched the internet to get phone numbers and addresses. I also found a template online of how to submit a request for medical records. I mailed off the requests. Over the next several weeks I checked the mail every day. I became obsessed with getting the medical records. When all was said and done I was able to get records from 3 of the past 5 years, all showing a BMI of at least 40. The other two years I did not see a physician but I was able to get some records from about 6-7 years ago. I compiled everything and waited the next few days for my first consultation.