OSSG-GH Members Chat Here

They said we could not start a new message board, so I had an idea How about "adopting" one that really isn't being used. This "indoor" recreation message board has not even been used once as you can see. Could we possibly "adopt" the Indoor Message Board for our purposes? I don't see why not. For those of you new to obesityhelp.com, I guarantee that you will love this site. It has helped me so much from pre-op to now. It is very simple to become a member and doesn't cost a thing. And as you can see, exchanging messages is a whole new experience and if you wish to submit a photo, we can see your picture next to your posts. You can also start your own profile. There is a Patient Forum for Dr. Bock but it's not the same as a message board like this one. So this is my effort to get something going here. I hope people will be interested because I think it's so fun to add the little animated emotions to your messages. Love Diana

Great Job Diana, I think that if we put the word out to all GH patients to join us here, it will be a success. I have often wondered how many people on here are with GH. Hopefully everyone finds us ok! Thanks again for doing this! Lori

Hi Ladies! I'm so excited you responded! Another thing I did was add "Indoor" to my interests list on my profile, that way this message board will be listed on the left-hand column for easy access. Love Diana

Hi, nice to hear about you ladies again. I'm starting to get a little nervous now, next Friday is the pre-op class, finally get to meet Dr. Bock and Harriet. Time seems to be going by pretty fast thanks to work, I work for the big local airplane company and have been traveling out of town every other week, it will be nice not to ask for a seatbelt extension someday. Diane, I'm glad to hear you are doing so well, it gives the rest of us hope. Jerry from Union

Nice to hear from you, Jerry from Union. The pre-op class is very informative and it's nice to put a face with the doc. Dr. Bock is wonderful. I can't say enough about how much I admire him. He has completely changed my life. Harriet is great too although I've only met her the one time at the pre-op class. I'm looking forward to NOT being so squished in when we fly to Japan in September. It's about a 10 hour flight if I remember correctly. I'm really nervous because I haven't flown since before 9/11 and I had sworn to myself I would never get on a plane again. But my husband's grandparents really want to meet their great grandson in person and they're too old to travel here. So I guess I'm going to have to go. There is a good chance my friend will come along too, and that would be great so I have someone to talk to while everyone else is speaking Japanese to each other. Good luck with your surgery and keep in touch. Love Diana

Is this a thread for people who have Group Health insurance. My daughter wants WLS and I have read GH guidelines and they are very strict. Her BMI is only 43 and she is 16. She does have co-morbidities of asthma and GERD. Any suggestions?

You would need to find out the clinical criteria for WLS. Does your GH coverage include weight loss surgery? Which GH plan do you have? There are several. I have the traditional plan. It covers WLS if you qualify. BMI of 40 with at least 1 co-morb (sleep apnea, arthritis, etc.), BMI 50+ with no co-morbs, BMI Under 40 with 2 or more co-morbs. Hope this helps, Lori

I read GH criteria (I work for GH) and it is obssessively strict. I just wondered if that is the official criteria, but they really OK some people after turning them down a few times. She has BMI 43 and GERD and asthma, back pain. But they specify only certain co-morbities qualify, such as sleep apnea, uncontrolled hypertension, etc. Her co-moribidities are not there. They also specify age 20 and above. We are looking at several options. We could self-pay, but if she had complications that could ruin us, as you know! It also seems like the cost in Washington state is $32000 for a lap RNY bypass, but might be lower in other states, such as Utah, where I saw a price of $22-25,000 with Rocky Mountain Assoc. Physicians. Do you think many people self pay? We initially thought she could have a lapband at $13000 but the Dr. recommended the RNY as more appropriate for her at her age and GERD status.

Have you thought of going out of the country? There are several docs in Mexico that do the surgery for much much less money. There is a forum on here for out of country WLS. Also, has your daughter had a sleep study done to see if she has sleep apnea? It is worth a try. I didn't know I had it until I was tested. Good luck to you... Lori

Hi Kathy, here is a link to the website that has the official GHC criteria for WLS. I'm not sure if you have seen it yet. Good luck, Mari http://f6.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/cGd8QgAGmlI2lblFD-KDbM7Za7kUohySpG9ihJEqZrbn1aVrkO8iK_-cbw_IG0ABa3DS7VNicPZNhvFyQceM6i3fvsgHydI/Group%20Health%27s%20Bariatric%20Surgery%20Criteria.doc