On Pins & Needles...

Sep 22, 2009

OK - I'm done jumping through the insurance company's hoops, and the insurance coordinator at my surgeon's office is submitting my info to them.  She says that my insurance company is one of the best about getting back with her in a timely manner - in many cases, on the same day.  It's just my nature to worry myself to death about it.

In the meantime, I've developed a nagging pain in my neck and upper shoulders, which is a real concern since I had two cervical disks replaced and the three vertebrae involved fused in May.  The neurosurgeon said that the disk above the 2 that he replaced is "iffy," meaning that it is misshapen but not yet impinging on any nerve structures or the spinal cord.  I can't help but to think that getting the weight off will not only relieve the pain that I'm having, but it will also take a load off that disk.  If they have to fuse a fourth vertebra, I'm really going to lose a wide range of motion in my neck - permanently.  WLS won't cure that.

Since the insurance precertification lasts a year (if I get approved, fingers crossed & prayers sent), I had hoped to have the luxury of scheduling the surgery around the needs of my work, which seems to slow down in December and early January.  But with my neck hurting, I probably should schedule it for as soon as possible.  Last I heard, the surgeon was scheduling surgeries just a few weeks after insurance approval.  The prospect of having the surgery earlier than I originally expected, however much I have been looking forward to getting it done, has added to my anxiety. 

So, I'm waiting on pins and needles, needles and pins...

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