Eek eek eek!

So, I had an appointment today that put me in the last stage in Vocational Rehabilitation. I had a Functional Capacity Evaluation, and I think I might find out by next week if I'm approved. (VR would pay for the RNY surgery, b/c I don't have insurance coverage. Otherwise, my parents have a loan lined up.) Basically, whatever info VR gleans from the FCE is where they decide if my weigh effects me enough that me having this surgery would increase my chances/ability to work. Since diabetes was my only other issue that VR looked at, this FCE is my last chance. I'm so nervous, so pray pray pray for me!!!! Or just keep me in your 'positive vibes' part of the brain. I hooooooooooooooope I'll find out by this upcoming week, Thursday. But at the latest, the next Tuesday. I'll be right here till I get that phone call... 

Good luck and I hope that phone call comes soon. Beth

Hey girl,      I'm in the very beginning process of Voc Rehab to see if they will help me. My insurance doesn't cover WLS. Wondering how long you've been dealing with them so I can kinda get an idea. I hope they give me the FCE. They'd approve me for sure. Bah haha. One can dream, can't one?      Best of luck to you. I'll be praying for you to get approved. Pray for me too, will ya?      Have a great weekend. Mare

Good luck with VR!!!!  My experience has been: July 17th - Went to a general orientation. Got a bunch of paperwork. Once filled out, I called VR back, and they set me up with a counselor and appointment. August 2nd - First appointment with my counselor. We went over the paperwork. I left thinking that VR was not going to be an option, because it requires a certain income level, and my mother thought I was still filed as a dependent on the 'rents taxes. Get home, talk to my dad, find out that's not the case. Call back, get a new appointment. August 14th - Finally the new appointment (my counselor seems to go out of town a lot, and only works at VR Tues, Wed, Thur.) Counselor meets, sends off all the medical release forms to the doctors. Says if he doesn't hear from them in 2 weeks, he would call them, and he'd have the information by 3 weeks after the appointment. August 28th-ish (two weeks later) - Counselor has recieved the information, and he was going to go over it all. Either with that phone call or another one within that week, counselor called back to say that I need an FCE. I only have one documented medical condition/issue (diabetes) on their list of requirements for approval, and I have to have at least two. FCE is the second one. So I had to get a 'prescription' for an FCE faxed from my doctor to VR. September 14th or so - We still had not heard from Moses Cone Hospital (they're doing the FCE). We call my counselor, he's out of town. His stand-in or whatever says they had sent the prescription to Cone. We finally call Cone, and they say they don't have anything of mine. September 20th - Get a call from my counselor saying he was back in town, going over to the Outpatient Rehabilitation Center (where the FCEs are done). Finally hear back from him, and a nurse from that office. And I got the appointment for September 28th. September 28th - FCE appointment. Afterwards, the nurse said he would fax it to my doctor on Monday or Tuesday and either do the same for my counselor or give it to him in person, because my counselor works at that office some. And my counselor already said that it would only take a day, at most, to meet with his boss and make the decision. But I don't know when my counselor actually works at the physical therapy office, so I'm hoping at the latest, I'll know by October 9th. Whoooooooooooooo knows. Originally, the counselor said that the process normally takes 2-3 weeks. But, uh, yeah, you see how that went. Although, already having my psychological eval done along with a few other things helped, because that's one of the requirements VR has with approving WLS. That's a bit fuzzy, but I decided to write out as much detail as I could so that you would have some idea.

A bit fuzzy? LOL Not at all! Thank you so much for your response. I also have ALL my tests done...Nutrition, Psych eval, etc. I went throught the whole procedure just to find out 4 months later..."Oh, we're sorry. Your insurance doesn't cover that!" What the...??!!??!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! I'll keep praying you get your approval real soon. Yay you! Love ya, kid. Thanks again. xoxo Mare

Yeah, my insurance sucks large cow balls. (Sorry, the whole health insurance industry ****** me off!) I'm with some unknown company, American Republic, and basically my insurance is just enough to call it that. It's enough to get me into a hospital, but it barely covers a thing. So, from day one, when my family saw I was serious about having this done, my mom called them up and asked. The surgery wasn't on their list of surgeries, but they offered to "Maybe cover $200 of it." So, my parents were willing enough to work with BB&T and get a loan set up, but then we found out about VR through the coordinator. We're really really really hoping it works out, but I'm also incredibly relieved that my father said recently, "Well, if it does, it does. Fantastic! But if not, it won't stop us." I am insanely blessed for the family I have, because I swear, my monetary expenses on health problems have always been an issue. I just hope now with this surgery that all of that will go away. And then, in May, I'll be out of college and God willing I'll find a fantasmic job making a good salary! We can all hope!

I wish you all the best with getting that surgery funded through Voc Rehab.  I sure hope you don't have to go self-pay.  When I think of all the complications I had and the additional costs that involved, I am so grateful I have insurance, but I think of all the folks who are self-pay and what it would have cost them and I shudder.

Hey Emily, I am praying that you hear something soon from the vocational rehab place.... How far into the scheduling is the office you are currently going through? Rahsheeda

My RN/Coordinator Susan originally said that it would be mid-November at the latest, but I don't know if that factored in VR. Basically, I think if I hear from VR by October 9th that I can get the surgery done a month later. (I'm thinking I'll have my pre-op scans of the liver, labs, etc, and that she'll give me a three week cushion to do liquid diet, shrink down the liver.) I'm to the point that as long as I'm still 22 when I have the surgery, I won't ***** too much. (My birthday is November 23rd.)

Congratulations on having the FCE! I'm wishing you every success.

Please let us know when you hear something.

Barb

P.S. Get out from under that chair and enjoy the fabulous weather ... it'll help the time pass. Seriously, be sure that you are doing things to take care of yourself as you wait.