NanLaz
I'm getting started on this blog a little late, but better late than never! I've been a member of OH since 2006, but only had surgery in 2009. I've seen quite a few friends have RNY and lapband surgeries, but always swore that WLS was not for me. If I was going to lose weight, it would be the "old-fashioned way." I first seriously looked into WLS in 2006, when I was diagnosed with lipo-lymphedema ans started dealing with the wonderful world of CDT treatment and compression garments. I was too large to be able to don garments by myself, and have been having my husband wrap me daily with compression bandages since then. I decided it was time to lose some weight, to improve my mobility and regain my independence.
In August 2006, I had a consultation with a surgeon regarding a possible RNY. He thought I would be a good candidate, but my bubble was burst when his insurance guru came into the room. My insurance company (Horizon BCBSNJ) had recently changed its policy to declare that WLS for patients whose BMI was over 60 was considered "experimental" and not covered. At a BMI of 79, I was not too pleased to hear this! Who needs WLS more than someone with a higher BMI! I was frustrated and went back to my life.
I continued to read the OH boards, looking into perhaps getting legal assistance to appeal the policy. While doing my research, I learned about the DS surgery. The more I researched, the more it sounded like the surgery for me. In mid-2008, I found out that Horizon had changed its policy, and that I would qualify for surgery. I looked for a surgeon and started the process of getting all the prerequisites done.
I chose Dr. Inabnet at Columbia Presbyterian in NYC to do the surgery. I went through his colleague Dr. Davis in NJ, because he was in-network with my surgery. I finally got all of my testing done, and the paperwork was submitted to the insurance company in the middle of June 2009.
On July 6, 2009, I got the word from Dr. Davis' office that I had been approved. Hurray! A few days later, I found out that Dr. Inabnet was leaving Columbia, and would not be at his new hospital until September. Dr. Davis' staff said that he could do the surgery with another of his colleagues, Dr. Bessler, but I knew that neither of them was experienced enough with the DS for someone with a high BMI (in my opinion). I decided to consult with another surgeon while I waited for Dr. Inabnet to move to his new hospital.
When I met with Dr. Roslin, I was impressed with his demeanor and confidence in his experience and abilities. He was concerned that with my mobility issues, the DS might not be right for me, you know, with the sometimes urgent need to get to a bathroom right away. He also felt that it would be difficult to pad me properly on the table for such a long surgery. I realized that he was right, and appreciated that he took my mobility into consideration. We agreed that staging the DS would probably work best for me.
To be continued . . .
