oy, more delays

So I went to my consult yesterday - everything went WONDERFUL.  I passed my psych evaluation, Dr. was all ready to go and send out my letter for the approval process...but wait...medi-cal now requires 6 months of physician supervised diet, documented every day..everything I put in my mouth and everything I do. ARRRRGGGGHHH!!!!

So now I have to wait six months...SIX MONTHS!!!  This makes me so mad. 6 more months of pain..6 more months of ppl staring and snickering every time I'm around. UGH! I was so happy because I had something to look forward to within the next couple months...now...nothing!

I don't know why they think a diet will help me...i've dieted all my life -_-

grr...sorry - I needed to vent.

It makes since in the long run dear. I just finished 5 months of classes with kaiser, I loved the classes we learned so much. Logged our food and everything so its 5 months of a supervised diet.

I managed to drop almost 45 pounds.

The program I went through with my insurance requires a 6 month supervised diet also, will classes and a bunch of other stuff.

BCBS required a six month physician supervised diet as well... since I had already ten years documentation from my previous doctor with Nutrition classes, Light for Life, Weigh****chers, Redux and other attempts... my doctor passed it through and I did not need to revisit the issue again. I could lose the weight... I just could never maintain.

Since it's considered medical intervention... they want it to be your last effort... and they want to save $$$.

It took me three years to decide to go the surgery route. From start to finish another three years. RNY, two rounds of reconstructive surgery and I've been able to maintain. If not for the hard road traveled, I appreciate this gift even more. I remain focused and alter what I eat and how much I exercise because I know I can always go back.

You have so much to look forward to... so much... all good things come to those who wait... and it's worth every bit of it.

Kim

It's very easy in the world that we live in to want things and want them NOW!  Take this time and see it as a blessing to start to develop that "habits" for your LIFETIME.  Start taking your vitamins, start limiting your carbs and moving some way some how.  Truly it's a blessing that's just unseen by you right now.

You STILL  have something to look forward to.  Your new life awaits you.

Ms Shell

Been around here awhile and seen and experienced quite a lot, albeit, quite necessarily absent for too long from these OH forums. Color me impressed. You seem to get it right out of the box when you state what should be bloody obvious, but rarely is for everyone participating here on OH in putting forth the following:

"I don't know why they think a diet will help me...i've dieted all my life -_-" 

I need you to go forth, look at yourself in the mirror and repeat what you wrote in the above. Several times if need be. Give yourself a huge hug or two for such remarkable insight, and then think this through further out... 

Absent some highly discretionary requirement by your chosen WLS surgeon to lose something as diffusely arbitrary like 10 % of your body weight which may or may not sound in medical-surgical  efficacy (I personally go back and forth on this issue depending on what a patient may present with). I love the fact that you reached a level of understanding that DIETS DON'T WORK, and I hope and pray you carry that through to your choice of WLS surgical intervention. No other WLS, no matter what your surgeon or even others here will tell you can provide us for the most normalized post-op eating lifestyle in conjunction with the very best peer reviewed longterm data sets showing the full (DS) duodenal switch - gives the very best excess weight loss over time and which clearly is the most successfully sustained.

Absent living on carbs, the DS is the ONLY WLS intervention that, for reasons not yet well understood, truly addresses the metobolic challenges most of us face and will face as non-DS post-ops needing to do what for those others--- ??? DIET FOR LIFE with the added stress of serious regain out long term unless you can commit to a STRICT LIFEtTIME REGIMENt of DIET and EXERCISE. And even with that in place, you might not ever reach goal or even closely maintain  a less than satisfactory weight loss the further out you are... No, you will NOT hear the full weight of that all too common eventuality, or even anything positive about the DS from the Bariatric surgery millsand by far most non-DS surgeons. Other WLS's are a snap to learn for even the most challenged, marginally skilled general surgeons, and the profit motive here is quite high for the practioner and the participating hospital groups. For us, most of us here, really- as the truly metabolically challenged, we can NEVER hope to diet our way out morbid obesity WITHOUT addressing the METOABOLIC physical longterm challenges we face. The DS is the only surgical intervention that does so in stark contrast to any others so CONSISTENTLY. Not a perfect solution by any means, but the peer reviewed longterm studies demonstrate the superior outcomes of the DS to that of any otherr WLS surgical intervention, bar none. 

Be that as it may, I'm unsure about medicare per se, but I would encourage you to call DMHC and see if your current insurance plan qualifies you to seek an immediate grievance to get your 6 month (NONSENSICAL) diet insurer's requirement immediately overturned, which has been DHMC's common practice in the past.

http://www.hmohelp.ca.gov/aboutthedmhc/gen/gen_contactus.aspx

1-888-466-2219

Regards,

Rockne

I know the waiting is hard, I had to wait a little more than a year and a half to even get into Kaisers 20 weeks of classes. I only have 5 more classes left. I thought I could never loose the 10% but have already reached it. Does Medical offer any classes or visits with a nutritionist to help you? I just love the dietitian, she is awesome! Good things do come to those who wait, try not to let it discourage you!

Thanks all for your replies and support - couldn't get through it without ya!!

... no dieticians aren't covered on my insurance - $75 a visit ugh.. and Medi-Cal just wants a itemized list of what I eat basicly and for the doc to state "yeah she was on a diet, we supervised it, and she still didn't lose anything".

They don't require a certain amount of loss or anything *yet* which is good. I'm going to see if I can get that part at least shortened through someone or something - hell, I'll go on the liquid diet to at least get under 300 so my back will stop pounding lol!