Frustrated and losing hope

Well, still hoping to have the Bypass surgery. It seems that no one is taking the Medicaid card. I am going to go do my seminar next week for Northwestern but I will still have to do 3 months of nutritional visits. It is getting harder for me to walk and breathe. Working is becoming harder and harder. I have called all of the places on the Medicaid list and no one is taking it. I dont know what to do. Maybe I am just not meant to have the surgery :-(

If I am not mistaken, I think University of Chicago Medical Center takes medicaid. Might want to check on it.

I called and they said they need a letter from my PCP, but they said she is not in their network so I cant be seen. I have a regular Medicaid card , not HMO. They said it doesnt matter, they only have a certain list of PCP's that they can take referrals from.

Okay, I had 20 minutes and patience to kill today, so I called around Medicaid. Man, do they give people the run-around or what????

Some people in Medicaid think there is a list of bariatric surgeons who take Medicaid while others insist that is not true and that you just have to call around and ask surgeons' offices if they take it or not. Yikes!

According to the nicest and most caring person I found, you should call your DHS caseworker at 800-843-6154. I was on hold there forever and gave up. Their phone recording recommends calling on Thursday or Friday and between 8 and 9:00 a.m., as the call volume is lower. I'm guessing you might have done this already.

I now share your frustration!!! Aaargh!

Nicolle

Thanks Nicolle, but I have talked to the caseworker and also have emailed back and forth to the Mediciad office in Springfield. For some reason, there is a misconception that all people on Medicaid dont work and live off of the system. I am unable to get health insurance because I have Lupus and I am an Independent Contractor and dont have an employer. It is crazy!!!!

It is a constant circle trying to figure this out. I have seen alot of success stories on here from people who have Medicaid. I am just not having any luck. I cant even imagine going through all of the nutrition classes AGAIN! I am a Nurse and my daughter is diabetic so I am always at the nutritionist with her. This whole process is draining me. I am just going to go to the seminar at Northwestern on Tuesday and hopefully, Dr. Nagle will be able to do my surgery and maybe waive the 3 months of Nutritionist visits.

Hang in there Lisa!

I KNOW how hard it can be---getting the run around.  It took me almost 2 years from start to finish and I had to re-do the supervised diet.
Keep at it and it WILL happen.  Do not get discouraged.  Keep at it and them.

We are here for you!

Lisa,
Hang in there! You may have to travel outside of your area to have surgey. Here in Peoria there are tons of Dr. that take the card...We are only 2 and a half hours away from you...

I read your post the other day and thought of the times I had felt the same way.  My post today on Roll Call seemed to me like a major part of what I would say to encourage you.  Things change and sometimes it seems that everything is against us but just keep taking those positive steps and trying to open those doors.  Especially do all that you can do to improve your lung function and to lose weight with the dieticians even though they do not seem to really get it and try to force you to eat too many fruits and vegatables.  Post op that seems so much less important when you are taking your vitamins which it turnds out is a lot less complicated than it seems pre op.

After five years of trying to get down this road I really feel now that I am on the feeder road to a major highway.  In Texas I had tried several routes to getting the surgery but with all of my previous surgeries and infections the doctors did not want to touch me and all of the insurance companies, state agencies and legal help I really felt like Humpty Dumpty as all the kings men could not me back together again.  Thank you to all of you for your virtual help in helping me once I moved here.  A special thank you to Christine and Dave for your non virtual world help as well and to the others of you I met at the Kane center support meeting and the pizza place pre op.  It was still what seemed like an eternal process as I went through the year of medically supervised weight loss without knowing if I would be approved and then as I was approved and it turned out the doc I was approved for had left that hospital and then the drama of finding another doctor and his really not wanting to do my surgery either.  I know my surgery means I will be taking supplements forever and eating in a way that seems strange to others.  Especially waiters and waitresses but I am beginning to feel normal at that and thinking of the folks who eat full meals when out to eat as strange.  So much more fun to order a meal and sample from what I will be taking home for another meal or two.