ready to flip out!!!

~~so, I am waiting on a script in the mail for my last lab work (I live an hour away from my doc).  I call the doctor's office and they say they are still waiting on approval from my insurance company because the doc's secretary sent the info to the wrong division of Blue Cross Blue shield.  My surgery is set for May 10th.  My husband and my mother have arranged to take the day off work.  Now I have been told I might have to wait another 4 weeks...IF I get approved.  All this time I thought I was approved.  I ASSUMED that the paper work went to the insurance co. months ago when I started this process.    I am so upset, I could scream.  Please send up prayers for me.  I will be so upset if after 4 months of preparing I get denied. 

Usually the insurance company won't approve surgery until you've met all the requirements, so that means they won't approve it when you are just starting the process.  I'm sorry your doc's office didn't explain that in the beginning.

Why are they saying you might have to wait another four weeks if you get approved?

Keep in mind that if you get denied for some reason, you can appeal.  I'm guessing you meet your insurance plan's criteria for WLS or your surgeon wouldn't even be submitting the paperwork.  If so, and you get denied, it usually means they didn't get all the required paperwork or something simple like that.  That should be pretty easy to appeal.

I have completed all the steps in the process.  I called the doctors office and they said they were waiting on the insurance company.  I called the insurance company, which has approved for all the pre-op stuff, and they said they hadn't heard from the doc.  I call the doc back and his secretary tells me that they sent the materials to the wrong insurance company division and it may take another 4 weeks.  I just wish they wouldn't have given me a date until I was approved for sure.  I have had a false sense of hope and feel that they lead me on.  Now I'm afraid that I will be denied- I have pretty crappy luck to boot!.  The pre-op diet has been going on a month now.  I so want potato chips I could scream, and I can still eat them without the surgery so the temptation is awful.  I am losing sleep over this waiting game.  First I was excited and now I'm scared that it won't happen at all.  I started the process in January

 It's possible the date you were given was the date they used for the insurance company's approval process, which is often different from what the actual surgery date that it ends up being.   

Good Luck!

Um.. confession.  I'm just over 3 months post op and I've had potato chips, once.  I think I've broken every rule one time over the past month, with the exception of alcohol.  I did have a coffee with caffeine - I was trying to make myself "go", ya know, but it didn't work and milk of mag did the trick, anyways I'm rambing...

Good luck, hang in there, and start training for your surgery now.  Only regret I had was I didn't do training every day, had no idea how difficult recovery from major surgery was going to be!

Dear Rita,

I am in the beginning process, I have been to the orientation, had 1 appt. with my Surgery Dr. (whom I really like!).  I do not have a surgery date.  I can't believe you were put on a month pre-op diet before knowing if you were approved.  That doesn't seem right.  Hopefully the Drs. office tells the insurance company that you have already been on the pre-op diet for a couple weeks now, and they push the information thru for you.  I will be praying for you.  Please let us know what happens.  I am sending you hugs.  (((HUGS))) and (((PRAYERS)))

Thats horrible! I truly hope its not another 4 week for you. Im in somewhat similar situation. Ive been surgery date of May 2nd. This. Morning I'm schedule for pretesting for the surgery and insurance haven't giving approval yet. Im praying for both of us.

On you are approved get  the approval  in writing from your insurance company that way there are no surprises.

I didn't do a thing until I had an approval letter from my insurance company safely in my hand. Then I had to have a physiological examination, which I could have been canceled if I had not passed. A battery of blood work that included over 12 tubes of blood. A review by my PCP and adjustments to my diet and medications based upon those tests. A comprehensive EKG and evaluation by a heart surgeon. A sleep apnia test and evaluation by a pulmonary specialist. I had to get and use an APAP machine. I had to attend at least one WLS support group meeting. I had to attend an introductory seminar at the hospital with the surgeons who would be doing the surgery. I then was required to have another set of blood test and another EKG and one last meeting with the surgeon who who would be doing the surgery and he evaluated me for the last time. THEN I got a date and time so people could make a schedule for days off work and such. If you haven't had a similar set of things done, I would suggest that you should not plan on any date. At any time if any test failed the surgery date could have been changed or my surgery could have been canceled. And to be truthful if I did not pass all of these tests I would not want anyone carving on my body anyway.   

 It took me 7 months from first appointment until surgery.....I jumped through all the hoops and complained the entire time.  ;).  It was worth the wait.  Didn't "plan" on surgery until I actually had a date.  Good luck!!!