ObesityHelp

Mandy,

I don't have PEIA coverage but I did some research for my sister and remember reading their requirements for surgery.  You may have already visited this site but here it is just in case you haven't.  http://www.westvirginia.com/peia/page.cfm?section=251&storyi d=5366  . 

Good luck with your journey! Janis

i am one week post op and i did the whole weighloss program priior to surgery.  Not only did  I loose weight over the 2years but I also gained 22.5pounds.  During the 2 years I ended up w/uterine cancer and also had to have a total knee replacement. A  total hysterectomy cleared up the uc and of course knee replacement fixed the knee.  I finally sat down w/surgeon and said look, I have been here non stop (like 4 missed visits) in 2 years.  I have participated and dropped out when the knee problem becomes too hard to bear and then rested my knees for 3 months and exercised again and went up and down on weight.  He said that PEia is becoming somewhat easier to deal with.  and I said well i want to do my psych eval and just go for it.  i was willing to have to fight an appeal than just set and spin away another year.  i did my psych eval in mid dec. 2010 and had my endoscopy on 12/11/2009.  I got a call on like 1/21/2010 that they had good news at the drs. office.  i called back, thinking that they had submitted me for surgery. 

SURPRISE - not only was a submitted, i was APPROVED on first go round even with a 22 pound weight gain.  My surgery RYN was on 2/10/2010 and i have lost 24.5 pounds.  i have had NO problems with eating and everything stays down w/ no problems.  I even know when i have to go to bathroom and was surprised that there were not frequent overwhelming trips to bathroom - everything feels and acts as before except less food taken in.

What typeof surgery did Dr. Rossi do?  Lapband, RNY or gastric bypass?  Thanks

 What other underlying health issues will allow you to bypass the one year of dieting rule that they have?

If you have any questions please ask I will help as much as I can because I know PEIA is hard to deal with. I know of another who got approved without the 10% but had surgery out of state due to she lives close to the boarder of PA and has PEIA.  Call them everyday and push for what you want and need to help you become healthier.

Well, I have now been diagnosed with high blood pressure.  I am also having problems with my joints and what an orthopedist described as a significant amount of arthritis in my lower back.  So far my blood sugar is behaving.  I am fairly certain I could be diagnosed with sleep apnea.  When I had an upper respiratory infection last month, I actually choked and wake up gasping for air.  I just feel really disgusted that PEIA makes it so hard to get approved.  I mean, I will be thirty five this year and have been dealing with obesity since I was five years old.  I actually remember crying in the pediatrician's office when I weighed over a hundred pounds in the third grade - I weighed more than my mother.  So do I start with a family doctor or do I seek out one of the surgeons who does the surgery and allow him to document everything?

I know from a coworkers experience that PEIA is very difficult to work with...they told her that she had to maintain her weight for a yr without gain or loss....