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I just called my bariatric surgeon to double-check whether they sent the letter to Aetna asking for approval. The gal told me that not only was the letter sent, but Aetna had already called back with a verbal approval!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess when you read the health insurer's clinical policy bulletin backwards and forwards and follow their guidelines to the letter, then approval comes quickly!

The clinic is just waiting for the written approval to arrive, and then they'll put me in the January 30 pre-surgery class. My surgery date will end up being sometime in February.

YAAAAYYYYY FEBRUARY!!! That is totally what I wanted! At work our busy season begins in March, plus I'll be going to Mr. Big's twice-yearly meeting the first week of April, so I really wanted at least a month of recovery before heading to Florida for the busybusybusy. Yay!!!

Talked to the gals at SSM DePaul.  They told me that they did, indeed, receive my application packet, and they submitted to Aetna last week.  Of course, that's going to come back as denied due to not having the required 3-month multi-disciplinary diet hoohah.

I told them I was really aiming to get this surgery in 2007 because I'm worried that my employer will exclude for 2007. But they told me that was pretty much not going to happen.

In their clinical policy bulletin, Aetna says that they'll approve a surgery before the multi-disciplinary hoohah is over, as long as you complete a full three months before the surgery date. But the insurance coordinator said that in fact she's never seen Aetna approve a surgery before the entire 3 months is complete. In fact, she's had them deny before because a full month had not elapsed between the end of the multi-disciplinary hoohah and Aetna seeing the request.

And the center will not schedule a surgery before the insurance approval is secured. That makes sense -- they can't chance reserving an operating room and a recovery room and all the associated personnel for a surgery that might not happen.

The gal did the mental calculation and said, Well, you need three months... Let's see... You're probably looking at February.

February?

February. Considering that they're scheduling surgeries right now for October, by the time I finish my 3 months and then Aetna takes a month to give their approval, by then they'll probably be scheduling for February.

That's disappointing.

It took me 2 months to gather up all the required info and send the application; I wish I'd just submitted it half-complete and started my 3 months while still continuing to gather medical records and the psych eval and whatnot. I wish I'd started that clock 2 months ago. I should have realized that it would go like this; that they wouldn't schedule until the approval was in and that there would be a waiting period. These are some of the best bariatric surgeons in the country, duh, they're gonna have a waiting list.

Let's just all hope that my company doesn't exclude bariatrics for 2008. Let's all hope THAT's not the plane that I missed while I was farting around, being all blase about timetables.

Patsy in the diet center is on vaca right now, but she'll call me on Tuesday (my birthday!!) to discuss beginning my 3-month dog-and-pony show....

It all started with a journal post by an internet friend of mine. It was a post beating up on herself for not sticking with her Weight Watchers program. I posted about how I hated that on diets I morph from an interesting person into someone who thinks about food 24 hours a day. I posted that I've tried multiple diets and in the end I always ended up bigger. I posted that I think about surgery, but my lord it seems so scary.

And that's when I realized that I'd begun to think of surgery as an inevitability. That I'd begun to think in the back of my mind, "Well, eventually I'll have to have weight-loss surgery..." Well, duh! If I feel like I'm going to have to get WLS *eventually*, then shouldn't I do it NOW? Now when I'm 32 and my body has more hope of bouncing back and healing quickly? Now when I've got more of my life left to live as a healthier person? Now when I've got excellent health insurance?

I work for a consulting firm that helps other companies decide what benefits to offer to their employees, and how to structure their benefit programs to lower the cost. The big trend right now is for companies to specifically exclude bariatric surgery. I keep seeing it with client after client. My company self-insures. It's only a matter of time. I wouldn't be suprised if they exclude it for 2008.

Time to jump. I can't flirt with 300 pounds for the rest of my life. I've already sized myself out of Lane Bryant and Fashion Bug/Dress Barn Woman, how long till I can't go to Catherine's either? How long before that winded feeling after climbing the stairs to my 2nd floor apartment morphs into a wheeze? How long before the diabetes that's ALL OVER my family line runs me down? How long before the pressure on my CPAP machine has to be ratched up?

I am happy. I love my job. I have lots of dates with lots of guys who think I'm the bee's knees. I have some great friends.  I'm smart and educated and I have a self-possession and a self-confidence that inspires envy in women who would seemingly have everything.

I do not believe having WLS will magically make my life all better. My life is pretty damn awesome as it is. If I can just have the life I have now? But without the vague feeling of sickness all the time? Without all the exhaustion? Without all the aches and pains? Without the CPAP machine? Without a future of insulin injections? Without ever feeling movie theater seats digging into my hips? Well, I think that would be pretty damn awesome.

In the process right now of filling out all the paperwork to begin the process. I fully expect this whole thing to take 6 months and for me to have to do doctor-supervised weight-loss program for 3 months first. It's ok. I'll jump the hoops. At least the option is actually *there* for me beyond the hoops.

The only option that works for weight loss more often than it fails.