so i went to the seminar...again.

allot was the same as before, but there was some new stuff too, glad i went.

i had heard about gastric sleeve, and have looked into it, pretty well informed about the proceedure, was pleasently surprised too find out this facility did the proceedure. wasnt too excied tho, because i thought my insuranc didnt cover it because it was still considered "experimental".

i came home, went online to the insurance site, and saw that AETNA DOES cover this procdure as well...so...im thinking THIS is the surgery for me.

the diference in this and the other is a few details.

1)- the surgery doesnt bypass anything to create a NEW path for any food,
2)- it has less issues with malabsorbtion, because the stomach is still intact
3)- the stomach is shaved off, and your left with a much smaller spae to fill up when eating.
4)- its NON REVERSABLE..while gastric IS reversable after its done.


im looking for the most natural way to have the surgery. meaning when im done with it, im looking for the most normal way to still be afterwards with everything. THIS technique couldnt have come at a more perfect time for me.

at THIS facility the person who was speaking (a amle nurse by the name of mark) said that this procedure usually was designed for extra morbildy obese people to help them lose weight and then they could under-go the gastric once they hot a certain level...
he said, also, that they had noticed the extra proceedure WASNT needed in most cases because the weight came off at a regualr rate, and met as well as exceeded the goals set for hthose who had it done, so its an option for anyone to undergo, as long as your insurance covers it.

so, im opting for that.

turned in the patient packet, and insurance info, and i have to wait 2 weeks before i possibly hear anything back about if im aproved or not.

i meet all the criteria, and fall within insurances guidelines, and the coolest part is that  everything is pretty much done there at the facility (or campus), so you dont have to rely on several different doctors in several different places to get together with the info you need for insurance, its all handled right there.

so 2 weeks,,,and ill know if im aproved.

and the rate (depending on any other issues) for aproval to surgery date is: 90 days 9on average. so, im thinking i may be starting this mid october, late october sometime...

a year from now, ill be...a whole new me....

i can see her, in my minds eye..i always see the other me there...
shes been locked up for a long time...dying to get out.

nows the time. im ready, lets do this.

MICHELLE

well, ive put it off long enough and its time to update this site... on the 14th of last month, i went to a GASTRIC BYPASS seminar where there were 13 other potential patients awaiting the same end desire i was...to have surgery to correct thier obesity issues. i didnt have a ID or LICENCE with my new married name on it and so we were told that information COULD NOT be sent to the insurance place without having the proper ID, so in the meantime i have been nagging my hubby to take time to get that done so i can issue that document off to have them give me a timely reply back... while we waitied for optimal timing to run to the local DEPARTMENT OF MOTER VEHICLES to get the ID issued in my new marreid name...i had a couple of appointments... 1) i went to a nutritionist and learned EVERYTHING i needed to know (cant imagine there was anything i missed!) about DIBETES MANAGEMENT! i learned: its CARBS no sugar thats the enemy! and thats been a HUGE obsticle to overcome in my home...as nearly EVERYTHING we eat is carb related...a slice of great value (walmart) whole grain bread has 11 carbs! and the allotment per meal: 18! so, ONE SLICE OF WHOLE WHEAT BREAD (walmart brand) is concidered a meal! this has been extreemly difficult for me to take on as a challenge in my life. i have felt like the entire world has gone ahead and i have been left behind with this DIABETES ISSUE to deal with on my own... hubby doesnt REALLY have an underatanding of it himself, as hes not restricted in anything to eat..he can consume EVERYTHING and little to no damage happens as a result..LUCKY!!! 2) went for my GLAUCOMA EYE exam, and came out of that with NO ADVERSE SIGNS OF IMEDIATE ATTENTION REQUIRED, but was told because of the diabetes, i may need to make sure i have a YEARLY exam done to insure my eyes arnt developing the dreaded desease in my eyes. my visions not the best, but then its also not the worst either! good for me! then we fast forward to today....april 7th 2007. i had put the issue of the insurance possibly contacting me in the back of my head, having previously stated we were told they COULD NOT be contacted WITHOUT the proper id with my new last name on it...so i had assumed my information was sitting snuggly in a file at the clinic waiting on me to hand them a faxed copy of the ID. today...we got a letter from the clinic, hubby said, maybe it was a GOOD letter, i quickly reminded him, we werent supposed to recieve either until they had the ID in thier possetion to send off to the insurance agency to verify i AM who i say i am... i jokingly stated it was most likely a letter reminding me to issue them the document they needed in order to proceed... i opened it up... and there, second line it said: "the weight loss surgery is an exclusion of your insurance plan." i was in shock! how could that be?!?! hubby had spoken to someone onthe phone about the surgery and was told,, it WAS in fact covered. i asked WHEN was this meeting on the phone about this matter... he thought DECEMBER...UUUGH! if they were gonna change ANY policies and proceedures it would most likely have been..in JANUARY when i had my physical done... here we are 4 months later, no closer to a resolution to the issue than we were wehn we statrted out....and this sucks! they did offer 2 financing options to source thru, but well most likely be denied as hubby recently went thru bankruptsy and thats been a challenge to over come on its own.. the other option is money up front. which if we could afford to pay in cash, we could finance this. the third option: a non-surgical 12 week weightloss program they offer to help those who are in dire need of the surgery like myself to have...no cost was mentioned...but time is an issue as we have only one car and wed have to do this later in the evening, or weekends...because hubby works 6 days a week just to maintain bills. i am feeling dejected, rejected, and confused. MICHELLE

hubby sent me an email today telling me he was asking for more info from this group: www.banisternutrition.com they are located in my area of OKLAHOMA ive looked over thier site, and it seems fairly cut and dry, simple enough to participate in/do...they even state on thier site that your insurance comapny BY LAW is supposed to cover every expense of anything to do with DIABETES! "Insurance: Your insurance is a contract between you and your insurance company. It is your responsibility to contact your insurance company and determine if you have benefits for medical nutrition therapy provided by a licensed/registered dietitian. If you do not have these benefits, talk to your employer's benefits department to get medical nutrition therapy as a covered benefit. This will save your company money in the long run. House Bill 3021: This bill states insurance companies are to pay for diabetes: * education * supplies * services (including those of a registered dietitian) Diabetes should always be a covered benefit, but unfortunately sometimes companies still do not provide coverage for various reasons. " so that would be nice if our insurance did in fact cover that area. saves us money in the long run, altho, i dont see anywhere on thier site what they charge for the meetings and such..perhaps..its free? at anyrate. ill most likely be headed there as well for the need to obtaib GBS as an end result. MICHELLE

ok, i have edited and tweeked, and adjusted the dern site to INCLUDE my story, and when i save it, and view the page...its gone! whats up with that?!?!?!?! MICHELLE