Bad News Bears

Today is a sad day. During the course of my job change, I of course had to switch insurance companies. Unfortunately my new job has opted for a policy which excludes the insured from receiving the bariatric surgery. If you remember a previous post, I warned of this. It is a let down for me, but I have decided to continue to follow my diet plan to the best of my ability. I may continue to post updates here if I continue to reach weight loss goals. But past history has shown that weight loss will be slow and arduous for me. We shall see what happens. To the rest of you out there who have successfully gotten to have your surgery,  best wishes. I hope the next part of your journey is also successful!



UPDATE: I have talked to the doctors office and they said to go ahead and continue my diet visits to complete the 6 months requirements. Perhaps I can convince my employer to opt into that policy within the next year.

Pre-operative tests

There are several preoperative tests that are either required by insurance, or your pre-existing conditions, or your doctor. Below are the test that I was required to complete:

Psychiatric Evaluation:

This is done by a licensed professional to ensure that you mentally understand the requirements of the program,  the results of the surgery (both positive and negative), and have a good support group to go to with questions. This also will address your habits of eating and what reasons you choose to eat (other than hunger).

Consult with a Dietician:

This consult is required to address your physical eating habits and show you healthy alternatives. The dietician should also tell you what to expect to eat after surgery.


EKG:

This is a requirement for every surgical candidate to ensure that you are not going into surgery with cardiac abnormalities.

Endoscopy:
In my case the physician required  an endoscopy to ascertain if I had a hernia  he also took a biopsy due to my previous history with H. pylori.