Teri Y.

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I got Approved and I'm scheduled for Juy 18, 2008 at 8:00 in the morning.  I'm a total mess right now....Happy, Crying....lol   

My Pre-Op Class is July 8, 2008 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm Pre-Op Physical is July 9, 2008 8:30 am These next few weeks are going to fly!!!  

OMG I'm just really over whelmed right now! 

Good Afternoon All,

Well I have just come from my final appt with DVR.  

As most of yall know, I have struggled on which surgery to have - RNY or the Band.  Well I gave him my decision today, and I have chose the RNY.  I do believe that this will be the best surgery for me.  I do want to say thank you to Tia and Heather for giving me a lot of good advice and knowledge on the two different surgies and for answering all my questions.  I have also researched, watched videos, asked questions, read posts, and most of all soul searched on which is the right surgery for me.  In the end, I feel comfortable with my decision.

So, I went to my final appt with a positive mind that today was day that they will complete my package and submitt it to Aetna.  So I met with Solan (great Lady) and of course I gained 1 lb...urghhhhhhhhhh.  I'm actually surprised it wasn't more seeing that I quit smoking.  She did tell me that I need to start eliminating carbonated drinks and my breads and stuff.

Then in comes Barbi...she is so funny!!!  She just went over everything.  Made sure I had all my tests in, and then out she went...lol

And finally, DVR came in.  He was in a great mood today.  He said, so you decided on the RNY, and he was fine with that and we talked about why that was my decision.  He was soooooooo happy that I quite smoking, and at that point my eyes got tears in them because I'm struggling soooooooooo hard with the smoking thing.  But he said he was proud of me and that he knows how hard this all can be and how overwhelming.  He said aren't you the "Single" one...I was like yup...Makes me wonder if everyone that comes to him is married....lol  I'm glad that he remembered that I'm the single one because that lets me know that he listens to his patients and that really made me feel good..

In the end, he was writing something down and I was like oh please don't write nothing bad, and he said nope, just writing that your OK and to go ahead and submit to Insurance.  I was like thank the lord.  We then went out and he told Solan the same thing.

So now its the long, dreaded wait of hearing If I get approved or denied.  So I'm asking everybody if you could please say a little prayer for me that I have a short waiting period and that when the call me that I hear the words "You've Been Approved".

Thanks in Advance for your prayer and reading my post.

Teri

Alrighty yall, I have finally got off my lazy butt and scheduled the other testing that DVR requested, so here’s the line up….lol

 

Blood Work – Done

Psych Eval – Done

Echocardiogram w/Doppler – 1:30 p.m. on 5/9/08

Glucose Test – 7 a.m. on 5/10/08

Chest X-Ray – 9:30 a.m. on 5/10/08 (Walk-In)

Upper GI Series – 8:30 a.m. on 5/16/08

Pulmonary Function Test – 1:00 p.m. on 5/16/08

Arterial Blood Gas – 2:00 p.m. on 5/16/08

 

I’m so worried about the Arterial Blood Gas but it’s just something I have to do.  It may hurt for the moment but it’s something I have to do.  With my last appointment on May 16^th, this will complete all my testing that DVR wanted and results from all these tests should be to their office by next visit which is May 27, 2008.

 

Good Morning All,

 

Well let me just say that yesterday’s weather was horrible, especially if you are trying to find a new place.  So I had my 2^nd consult yesterday which was with Dr. Von Rueden.  All I can say is WOW, what a difference. 

 

My appointment was for 10 a.m., but the paperwork I received wanted me to show up 15 minutes early.  But being the anxious person I am….lol  I showed up at 9:30…heheheheh!!!  1^st I met Cathy, very nice, had great conversation, had paper work ready, everything went smooth.  So I did all my paperwork, paid the Co-pay and that was it.

 

Next, here comes Tara (medical assistant).  She took my weight 249 @ 5’6 = BMI 40.3 for my first weigh in. She also took my blood pressure (110/70) and pulse 62.  I was extremely relaxed as you can see.  Big difference from my bp and pulse at my 1^st consult.  And that was it for Tara .

 

Within a couple of minutes, in comes Rose – Financial Counselor.  She was very nice, had great conversation, and knew her stuff.  She knew exactly what Aetna was looking for, and told me what I needed to get her.  She did tell me not to stress over stuff now, and that when she submits the package after my 3 months, she will make sure it has everything it needs.  She seems very knowledgeable with what she does. 

 

Well, out goes Rose and in comes Solan – Nutrionalist.  She was cool.  Tara , the medical assistant sat in on this meeting.  Solan went over all the diet stuff with me, but because my bmi is right at 40, she said that I really just need to maintain my weight for the next two weigh ins…but I’m kind of worried because Aetna requires you to try to lose 10% before your surgery.  She gave me a pamphlet and told me to read it home but she briefly  went over each page.   She did say that I had to meet with her 2 more times, but that if I had any questions, just give her a call.

 

After Solan was Dr. Von Rueden!  He came right in and introduced himself and took a sit right by me and asked me “What questions do you have for me?”  And then I just started asking my questions and he kept on answering them…lol  He wasn’t all into the paperwork.  Actually the only time he was in the paperwork is when I referred to something.  We just talked about the differences of the two surgeries, and in the end, I did ask him which one he recommended and he also said the Lap Band.  He did say that I could do both though.  After our talk session, he did his exam on me which consisted of listening to my lungs from the back and front; checked my thyroid; felt all around on my stomach; and checked my legs.  Overall, great meeting!!!  I did ask him if I would see him again before the surgery, and he ensured me that he would…lol

 

After that, Barbie – Physician’s Assistant (I think that’s her title) came in and talked to me some more.  She also gave me all the tests that needed to be done…I already did my blood work and Psych Eval.  The ones DVR also wants are the 2 Hour Glucose Test, Chest XRay and Upper GI series, Pulmonary Function Test, Arterial Blood Gas, and Echocardiogram…can you say WOW!!!  She explained that I would have to come back next month (appt is May 27 @ 9:30 am). 

 

And that concludes my appointment.  I had to stop by and talk to Rose before I had to leave to sign something and make my appointment with Cathy.   I have to say that I was really happy with how everything went down and I’m so much happier!!!  Thanks for everyone’s advice!

 

Teri

What can I say!!!  I had a great afternoon.  So I leave work around 11 a.m. to head up to Reisterstown to meet up with Tia for lunch.  So when I got up there, I phoned Tia and she said she would be right there.  Before I even got into a parking space, there she was coming around the corner.  Perfect timing…lol  So we go to her favorite spot, First Watch Cafe!!  That place was awesome!!!  There was no wait to be seated and the food was great.  So we began chit chatting and before you knew it, our food came.  Tia was a Doll just like everyone said.  She is very knowledgeable and has experienced a lot of stuff.  I’m really glad that she took the time out of her schedule to meet up with me for lunch….THANKS SOOOOOOOOO MUCH TIA!!!  After lunch, she took me back to Ranessa’s Office at like 12:27 p.m. 

 

So I walk into Ranessa’s Office and she greats me with a big ole smile!!!  By the way, she looks great.  I believe she told me she had lost like 170 pds.  So we go on in and sit down and the session began.  She did ask me about whom my surgeon is and I explained to her my whole experience with my 1^st consult and that at this time I was undecided.  So what she is going to do is just send me two copies of my evaluation and when I make up my mind, I can give my surgeon 1 copy…how cool!!!  So these are some of the things that we discussed:

• Family History (to include mother/father, siblings, and my own family –daughters) & our how are relationships are.
• Educational Background
• My support system
• Medical problems
• Why now am I choosing WLS? The Risks of both and the long term commitment!
• And other questions such as have I ever been in jail, had anxiety attacks, been depressed, eating disorders etc.

 

In the end, she did explain what the Insurance Companies were looking for and that she would write up the report and send it out to me in a few days!!

 

Overall, this was a very good experience for me.  I mean I just got to sit there and tell this Lady that I have never met before all these things about WLS that pertained to me and she just listened and passed no judgment on me.  I came out of the office visit feeling really good.

 

Thank you to all who recommended that I go see her!  She was AWESOME…

 

Next up is 2^nd Surgeon Consult with DVR.

So I waited forever to get an appointment with Dr. Moein.  When I attended my informational session, the Office Manager told me that I should hear from them soon, usually within two weeks.  So needless to say, I waited, and I waited, and heard nothing.  So on the 3^rd week, I called the office (transferred me to the office manager) and she explained that they were down a financial counselor and that they had gotten new staff, but that she would help me.  She located my paperwork and said that she would call me today after she contacted my insurance.

 

So the whole day passed, and I heard nothing.  Around 4:30 p.m. I decided to call back and I got her voice mail, so I left her a message.  She called me back that day and told me that I don’t need a referral, explained my insurance stuff to me, and scheduled my 1^st appointment with Dr. Moein.  I was like yesssssssssssssssssssss!!!!....lol

 

So my appointment was set for April 21^st.  This day took forever to get here and I was so excited and so nervous.  During this time, I had got everything together that I need to be prepared for my 1^st appointment to include:  12 years of past medical records, any surgeries that I had done, letter from my PCP, current blood tests, etc.  So I arrive at the hospital 45 minutes early, but I only go into the doctor’s office 15 minutes early.  So I walk in, and NOT A SINGLE person says hello.  I was never greeted properly.  I signed in and sat down.  She (Adriene) called me up about 15 minutes later, and I provided her with my license/insurance card.  She then asks me if I filled out my paperwork from the informational session, and I say yes!  Needless to say, she can’t find it any where.  But because I’m so prepared, I had made a copy of my paperwork from my informational session and asked if she wanted to make a copy of it for her records (of course she did…lol).  She spoke with the Office Manager and she couldn’t remember talking to me, making my appointment or nothing…In the end, they finally found my paperwork.

 

About 10 minutes later, the financial counselor (I think her name was Karen) came and got me.  Wow, that was a quick talk.  Basically she told me about how much I would have to pay, and what my insurance requires.  I had already read and re-read my insurance requirements, so I pretty much knew everything.  I then went back out and sat in the lobby.

 

Next, Ashley (she was new also) came and got me and took me back.  She took my BP 139/89 (140/90 is consider high) and my pulse 118 (normal is 80).  My weight was 246 pds; height was 5’6, BMI 39.7.  And then she took me to a room to sit and wait for Dr. Moein.

 

So I waited, and waited, and waited for Dr.Moein.  When he came in, I was sleeping.  He introduced himself and sat down.  He didn’t talk much, and seemed really tired.  He went over my paperwork, asked me a few questions about how I heard about his practice, past surgeries, and past family medical history, and that was about it.  YUP, that was about it.  He asked me to sit on the table to do a small exam, and yes it was small.  He felt my stomach and my legs (down by my ankles), and that was it.  At that point, he asked me which surgery I was interested in, and I told him the Gastric Bypass.  At that point, he just looked at me, and he said I RECOMMEND YOU HAVE THE LAP BAND!!!  I immediately felt really upset.  I was hoping he would think I was a good candidate for the Gastric Bypass, but he said seeing that my BMI isn’t really high, that he feels I would benefit just as well with the Band which is less risk.  He said, if I you were my sister, I would try to encourage you to go with the Lap Band.  He knew I was really happy with that, and came back with “You barely qualify for the Gastric Bypass with your BMI, but if you want me to do it, I will do”…I was like urghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!  He said, I will just check undecided at this time.  I just wanted to scream.  At that point the dietician knocked on the door, and he told her to come on in.  I didn’t get to ask him any questions, nothing!!!!  I was sooooooooooooooooooooooo not happy.  He gave me a pamphlet and said these are the tests I need you to do, which are Blood Work, Psych Eval (tomorrow at 12:30), and Upper GI Series.  By that time, I was ready to go!  But I stayed and talked to the dietician.

 

So the dieticians name is Casey!!!  She was the best part of this whole appointment.  She to is NEW!!!  But she was great, and gosh I feel so bad because I was so emotional by the time she got to me, that as soon as the Dr. left, I began to cry and I did tell her why….lol  She was really nice and really easy to talk too.  She gave me my packet and encouraged me to come back at least for the next to visits.  By the end of our conversation, I was feeling better and we were walking out to the waiting room.

 

So I made my next two appointments with the Nutrionalist is May 16 and June 20 and that’s it!  Overall, I left unhappy and felt like I accomplished nothing. 

 

In addition, I want to say thank you to Tia for letting me vent.  It was really nice to talk to someone about this.  I really don’t know anyone who has had WLS so I have no one!!!!

 

And if you are reading this, then I too want to thank you for reading this longggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg post…lol

 

Next up, Psych Eval with Ranessa McNally tomorrow at 12:30 pm

On March 12, 2008 I attended the Informational Session at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.  As most of yall know, Dr. Moein's office requires that you attend this informational session before you can even schedule your 1st appointment with Dr.Moein, so I had to be there.  The session was from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.  Of course I showed up early and was very eager for the session to start.  At first there weren’t many people in there, but as the time got later, more people started to roll in.  I had all my paperwork to turn in, to include:  Patient Registration Form, Patient History Sheet, copy of my Insurance Card and also a copy of the Clinical Bulletin for WLS from Aetna, a current copy of my Health Record from Aetna (maintained on their website), and other items they requested.  Dr. Moein came in and went through the whole presentation.  I had already searched this information, so everything he said was just reinterating everything that I have read.  At the end, he opened up the session for questions.  A lot of the questions pertained to Insurance requirements, etc.  The session ended promptly at 7:30.  Now I just have to wait for my appointment.  Welp, I got my 1^st appointment with the surgeon on 21 April 2008. 

My Sleep Study was on 3/11/2008.  I pretty much knew how everything was going to go because 1) my mother had one done and 2) I had done my research.  So I showed up at the hospital 15 minutes early and got all my paperwork done at the Registration Office.  Then I sat on the couch and waited for the Tech to come down and get me.  The Tech came and got me and one other lady and took us to where we would be sleeping for the night.  The Tech was really nice, polite, and very knowledgeable.  He hooked all my stuff and it was relaxation time..lol  The only bad part of the sleep study for me was the part they put up your nose (and its not that bad).  Other then that, I was good to go.  Turns out that I have mild Sleep Apnea. 

 

So I made an appointment with my PCP on 2/25/2008 to discuss my decision with him, and was really supportive and said that he would do anything he could do to help me obtain my approval through Aetna .  I did tell him that I would keep him in the loop with everything that I’m doing.  I did ask him to set up a Sleep Study for me so that way I could get that test out the way, because I knew that I have never had one done and through research found that most surgeons have you get one.  He had no problem with that, and put in the paperwork to have one done, and my sleep study is scheduled for 3/11/2008. 

 

In January 2008, I finally made up my mind to have WLS.  I have struggled with my weight since I graduated from High School back in 1989 and over the years it just has gotten worse.  Now 19 years later, I’m going to do something about it.  My highest weight was 264 pounds, but right now I’m about 246 pounds and I’m 5’ 5 ¾”. My BMI right now is right around 40 BMI.  Now my BMI has fluctuated through out the years due to all the diets I have tried.  I also have many side effects from my weight to include:  Mild Sleep Apnea, PCOS, had my gallbladder removed, IBS, hypoglycemic/Type II Diabetes (Pre-Diabetic), Primary Hypolipidemia, Fatigue/No Energy, Leg and Back Pain, Pain in my hip and knee joints, IBS, and Hydradenitis Supprative. 

 

So I looked into my insurance which is Aetna , and my plan does cover WLS if I meet all the requirements.  At that point, I went through Doctor Find with Aetna , and it came up with 3 Doctors.  I choose to go with Dr. Babak Moeinolmolki at Greater Baltimore Medical Center and gave the office a call.  Once I got through to the office staff, they informed me that I had to first attend an Informational Session before seeing the surgeon, so I signed up for the Informational Session on March 12, 2008.