so frustrated!!
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KimGainey
Posts: 8 Member
Just found out today that my insurance company now want me to have 6 months of nutritionist visits. They changed the policy in july but just contacted my doctor this month (sept). Dont we have enough hoops to jump through!!! I understand the doctor's need for specific things but if I could have lost the weight before I would have!!! Why does the insurance company override the doctor's good sense?? Ii's just one more thing to do. I'm tired and frustrated. I have been through 2 insurance companies and 5 years of back and forth with this decision. I could just scream!!!!!! I really want a Coke. Just a sip. No, an entire 2 liter!
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Sorry to hear about the insurance company frustrations you are experiencing. I was fortunate that I did not have to go through that step, but have heard t hat so many others have. Some companies actually require a specific weight loss before they authorize, which makes no logical sense at all. As you stated, if we could lose, we wouldn't need the surgery!! Wishing you the best as you continue to jump through their hoops and hope this is the last one for you.0
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Thanks so much for your kind words. I just had to vent. My family, although extremely supportive, has no idea what a setback does to your confidence and willpower. I'm feeling better today though.0
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Totally understand your frustration. I actually did a year of nutrition appointments and then the surgeon want me to lose another 30 lbs to be at a certain BMI. But, I was very blessed because he decided to leave town and go into private practice so he did all the surgeries in a month period as long as we had all the insurance requirements. Just take a deep breath.....it will be worth any hoop you have to jump through if you have been struggling as I had been. Good luck and you will be in my prayers.0
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I actually had to do 6 months with a nutritionist and behaviorist before I could be considered.. and I am actually grateful they required it... everything I learned I now have to apply.. I have a huge 3 inch binder that has all my resources.. I also met some amazing people and now we support each other0
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It took me almost 8 months to weave my way through all of the insurance requirements (including 3 months of nutrition supervision) and medical clearances from my doctors, primarily because my Primary Care Physician and Cardiologist are with the Veterans Healthcare system. It was very frustrating and I had little support from my family. Fortunately, I had a few friends that had gone through it before me and also a very supportive Patient Advocate in the hospital bariatric program. Trust me and the others, it's so worth the footwork. When I was in the hospital the day after my surgery I had this euphoric feeling of "FINALLY!"0
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Yep. My insurance required the same. Only issue was that with a BMI of 36 to begin with, if I lost any weight, I'd no longer qualify even with the multitude of co-morbidities I had. My doc collected my $25 co-pay and filled out the paper every month for 6 months. I think the insurance companies just hope you get frustrated and go away! They didn't seem to care that I gained 12 lbs over the 6 months! ...end rant. That said, now that I'm on the other side (2 weeks), I can say that it gave me the time to come to terms with a MAJOR life change and get as educated as I could about it. So, jump through their hoops, educate yourself and get as healthy as you can before you submit to insurance. Best of luck in your journey!0
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Understand your frustration, but there is a bright side to meeting with the nutritionist. I personally know two people who, with self pay surgeries, shopped for a doctor who required very little in the way of preparation. Now, post surgery, they have no idea what to do or how to take care of themselves nutrition - wise. I am 2 month post - op, and am glad for the nutrition classes and other informative classes that were offered. Good luck to you!0
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I'm brand new to this website and to these posts. It sounds like each of you have fought the insurance battle and have been grateful for the time as to be better prepared. Our insurance does not cover this surgery and when we went to our first informational meeting a little over a year ago, self pay was not an option. Since then, I have read as much information as I could find, watched countless numbers of you tube videos and have incorporated what I learned doing weight watchers with the the things I've learned over the last year. We came to the conclusion, after several life altering events, that this is important enough to self pay. I've been grateful to read the experiences on MFP to further help prepare for after surgery. I have my sleeve surgery next Friday. I just want to thank each of your for sharing your experiences. It is a great benefit to those of us that follow as well as inspiration seeing no regrets from anyone.0
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Good luck on your surgery. Keep us posted and feel free to ask questions and/or for help. You may add me as friend if you wish. I had my surgery on July 1.0
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It will be worth it in the end. Many of us only had to do ONE visit with our nutritionist. The more educated you are the better patient you will be post op. Don't worry! I had the same requirement as you but since I was a "regular" patient at my dr. office already, and we usually talked about my diet and what I was eating my insurance company counted that as part of my requirement. The paperwork said 6 consecutive NUT visits. As it turned out, acutally they wanted 6 visits within the past 2 years where diet and weight was recorded in my file. Since they weigh you at every visit I wasn't worried about that one, and I had already made 5 appts in the last 2 years so I did one more and the rest is history!
Good luck on your journey!0 -
Do Not Give Up!!!! Yes, jumping through all the hoops is extremely frustrating but it's so worth it in the end. I felt as thought they make us do all this to weed out the one's that are not 100% committed to wanting to change their lives.
Both my husband and I had the Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy done this year, it took 11 months from when we started the process to when we actually had surgery. I was somewhat familiar with the process since my husband started the process and had his surgery 4 months before I did.
I joined MFP out of frustration at the lack of weight loss I was having and needing support from others who may be going through what I've gone through. My husband (who weighed over 100 pounds less than me at time of surgery) lost 30 pounds the first month home from the hospital, I lost 10! When I tried to express my frustration/anger he tried to be so supportive (that's why I love him so) but all I could see was that he's lost this tremendous amount of weight and I felt like I'd lost nothing. I know that each person's loss is going to be different and that having hypothyroidism makes losing weight (at least for me) seem like a battle. But I have no intentions of giving up either! I'm committed to improving my health and my life.
Stay strong, don't give up!0
