Friday, July 15, 2011
Wow. This is faster than I expected.
I went to an information session today and although my initial plan was to attend sessions with a number of surgery groups, I think I might just stick with this one. They were able to get me into see the nutritionist right away on Monday and in for my first surgery consult on Tuesday. By the time I got home, they had already referred me to my insurance company's required weight loss surgery preparation program. So less than 12 hours after attending my session, I already have three major steps scheduled. Wow.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
In the Beginning
Tomorrow I go to the first of three informational sessions about Weight Loss Surgery (from now on, WLS). It's something that I've been thinking about for a few years now. Recently, a doctor suggested it. That had never happened to me before. At first, I wanted to yell and scream. How dare he?!? And then I realized; My BMI is now officially at the point where there doesn't even have to be any complicating factors. I don't have to be diabetic. No one will ask me to prove that I have high blood pressure. I'm just fat enough to qualify for being fat.
Insurance companies all set their own rules and guidelines for whether or not they will pay for WLS. My insurance company requires that you have a BMI of 40 or 35 with a complication like diabetes or high cholesterol. We all know how arbitrary and ridiculous the BMI scale is, but I understand that the insurance companies have to have something to base their guidelines on. Most "health rules" are like that. Doctors need a "normative value" to base everything on. But this time around, the numbers are in my favor and it's looking like I won't have to fight for insurance approval.
Insurance companies all set their own rules and guidelines for whether or not they will pay for WLS. My insurance company requires that you have a BMI of 40 or 35 with a complication like diabetes or high cholesterol. We all know how arbitrary and ridiculous the BMI scale is, but I understand that the insurance companies have to have something to base their guidelines on. Most "health rules" are like that. Doctors need a "normative value" to base everything on. But this time around, the numbers are in my favor and it's looking like I won't have to fight for insurance approval.
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