Re: And the research journey begins...

[Guest guest]

Welcome !

By way of introduction, Im Judie from Idaho......I had my surgery a year ago

in Nov in Portland, Oregon and Im down 88 lbs and already at goal in terms

of the size I wear (12 and approaching 10)

The fact that you write so much is a good sign so none of us are going to

groan at your questions....that is why we are here!

I just wanted to welcome you to the group and say " fire away " ........

Hugs, Judie

[Guest guest]

You have just

opened the floodgates, so to speak. >>>>>>

Bring them on, ,.....Im ready boat and all!

Hugs, Judie

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Judie. I hope you realize what you are saying. You have just

opened the floodgates, so to speak.

> Welcome !

> By way of introduction, Im Judie from Idaho......I had my surgery a

year ago

> in Nov in Portland, Oregon and Im down 88 lbs and already at goal

in terms

> of the size I wear (12 and approaching 10)

> The fact that you write so much is a good sign so none of us are

going to

> groan at your questions....that is why we are here!

> I just wanted to welcome you to the group and say " fire

away " ........

>

> Hugs, Judie

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the group. It is good you found people like this at the

beginning of your journey. I found the DS Chat room before my surgery, but

not this particular place to post and ask questions until after my surgery.

I wish I would have known these wonderful people pre-op. Congratulations on

your first step to a better future.

Sheri

9/28/01

DS with Dr Herron/NYC

-44#s and lots of inches.

[Guest guest]

,

You're on the right track. The best way to start is to goto your PCP,

get a physical and start getting your co-morbidities documented as

well as your BMI, etc. If you feel you're already ready to talk to

your PCP about the DS, I would print out some documentation from the

DS website for him/her so they can read it later. Most likely she'll

want you to describe the procedure and how it differs from others..or

even if she doesn't ask, that's good for her to know. I would also

start checking on your insurance policy. How exactly is your

exclusion worded ? I had an exclusion for anti-obesity formulas and

drugs, but no surgical exclusion and I got approved within 24 hours.

You also tend to have more luck with PPO's than HMO's since most

surgeon's are out of network. You may want to check into your PPO

options at work if possible. Also, if your PCP says, " Ohh, your

insurance won't cover this type of surgery, etc " , don't take her word

for it, because most of them don't know. Plus, it never hurts to try

and get approved as many people with written exclusions are approved.

I would also start compiling a diet ( & exercise) history for as far

back as you can go, with approximate weight loss and gain, etc. I did

a diet & exercise history for the past 5 yrs. The reason I included

the gyms, workout machines & exercise programs, etc was because I

didn't want them to think I though diet alone would get off over

150lbs. When I talked to the Medical Management Dept at my insurance

company, they said it was the best diet history they'd ever seen and

I was approved within 24 hours. Btw, by best diet history, I don't

mean I did a ton of diets..I never did liquid fasts or things like

Phen-Fen, because I didn't believe fasts were effective long term and

there had not been long term studies on the effects of those drugs

yet. I did include why I stopped the diet or drug, etc..no

significant weight loss or even weight gain, side effects, ie,

Metabolife made my hands shake and made me dizzy, etc. So basically,

document your co-morbidities..(if you haven't been checked for sleep

apnea, you should see if you can get that done, especially if you're

fatigued during the day), then document your diet/exercise history

and research your insurance policy.

Let us know if you need any help

Anita

11/08/01 Dr Keshishian

11/08/01 320lbs

12/18/01 288lbs

> > Welcome !

> > By way of introduction, Im Judie from Idaho......I had my surgery

a

> year ago

> > in Nov in Portland, Oregon and Im down 88 lbs and already at goal

> in terms

> > of the size I wear (12 and approaching 10)

> > The fact that you write so much is a good sign so none of us are

> going to

> > groan at your questions....that is why we are here!

> > I just wanted to welcome you to the group and say " fire

> away " ........

> >

> > Hugs, Judie