Re: A responce from Dr. Buchwald.. Now I have a Questio...

October 2, 2000

I am new to the group, so please forgive me (and correct me) if I am doing

this wrong.

I just got back from my endocrinologist who suggested WLS about a month ago.

She suggested banding, but I told her about ALL of the research I have done

and my reasons for wanting a lap BPD/DS. She said, " Go for it! " I explained

that although we live in Chicago, it looks like I will have to go to

California or New York for surgery. She gave me a thumbs up. :c)

So, where do I go from here? I called Dr. Gagner's office. They were really

rushed and basically said I have to fly to NY for a consultation. Then I

have to have all of my bloodwork and psych eval done AND get insurance

approval within 30 days of surgery! Well, I believe I will need to get the

psych eval done before the insurance will approve and then God only knows how

long it could be before my insurance approves it - if my insurance approves

it the first time around. I asked what happens if insurance drags their

heels and it takes over 30 days. They said I'd have to re-test again.

That sounds like a nightmare! Believe me, I am not lazy and I REALLY want

this badly, but I used to work for insurance companies and I know how that

deal works. I don't even know if it is possible to coordinate all of this.

And what if they cancel my consultation or appointment when I have already

taken several days off of work and booked a flight to NY?

Help! Help! Help! and Thanks!!!

October 2, 2000

I had surgery with Drs. Pomp and Gagner in August and the only test

that had to be within 30 days of surgery was the bloodwork. Of

course, they want this to be as current as possible. I only live 30

miles away, but even so, I did not want to go into NYC for all the

pre-op, so I had them done locally (my PCP ordered them for me) and I

got the results faxed to Dr. Pomp. I was not seeing a therapist at

the time, so I used Dr. Drooker, the psychiatrist affiliated with Mt.

Sinai. If you are seeing a therapist, you can get the psych consult

done by him or her. There may be a standard form that they need to

fill out for psych clearance. My insurance company did not require

any pre-op tests for approval. They approved the surgical consult

with one phone call from my PCP and they approved surgery with one

phone call from Dr. Pomp's office. I hope things go as smoothly for

you.

Regards,

Lori

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