All I can do is wait at this point. I have to wait another couple of weeks before I get the listing of all of my appointments. I think the hardest thing to do is wait. I'm definitely making strides toward my surgery though. I told my two office mates last week so that they were not completely in the dark. That way if I have to talk to the doctor's office while I am at work they can try to run interference for me. I still haven't told my parents but I think that will happen on Monday when my husband and I get home from our weekend away. We're visiting my husband's brother this weekend and we told him as well. He thinks that it is a great idea :)
I am much more aware of what I eat and the amount of soda I was drinking before. Now I am trying to drink only water or crystal light and trying to cut down on the snacking between meals. When I get home I should be right on track to eat my B, L. & D with no snacking and no Diet Soda.
I can't wait to talk to my surgery "mentor" as I haven't seen her in a couple weeks. I have a lot to tell her.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
My First Consultation Went Well
I went for my consultation today and met with Dr. Graber and his office staff. It was very informative and they were very positive about the whole thing. The first member of the office staff that I met had actually had the surgery herself which made me feel a ton better. Its nice to see that an employee of the group had the surgery performed.
They explained the surgery and the steps that I needed to take prior to the surgery. The main one being don't gain any weight and wean myself off of Diet Coke. If it is between having a healthy life and starting a family and Diet Coke, I can definitely survive without the Diet Coke. They mentioned that I should cut down on my portion size and eat Lean Cuisine-Healthy Choice-Weight Watchers type meals for two meals a day and try not to snack between meals. By following this weight management plan and adding exercise I should be able to meet my insurance companies requirement of a physician monitored diet and exercise program for 3 months proximal to my surgery date. They have a woman on staff who will be able to help me get all the information together when they send forward the paperwork to get approval for the surgery.
I was told in 2-3 weeks that I would get a listing of appointments that I needed to attend prior to the surgery in the mail. I have to complete the appointments on the list prior to the surgery. It was mentioned that even though they set up a surgery date prior to having the insurance companies approval they very rarely, if ever, have to reschedule because they are still waiting on the insurance. When I get the list I just have to remember to double check that they are participating providers with my insurance company and call my PCPs office to ensure that I get the appropriate referrals.
I weighed 276.5 today at the office which is down from 282.5 at my appointment with my PCP in January. Dr. Graber said it is not unreasonable to have a goal weight of 130 pounds. WOW!!! I mean WOW!! That would be sooooo cool. I can't wait to look that good. My husband and I are going to go on a shopping spree when I hit 130 :)
My husband and I are going away for the weekend to visit his brother, but when we get back we're going to get the treadmill uncovered so that I can start walking every day inside while the weather is nasty. It was -8 when I got up this morning with wind chills between -30 and -40 degrees. It didn't warm up too much all day, matter of fact at 8:50pm it is 1 degree outside. I just turned on the heated mattress pad to warm up the bed so it isn't too cold :) I'm also looking forward to purchasing an elliptical machine for after the surgery. I'll have to start saving pennies now!!
They explained the surgery and the steps that I needed to take prior to the surgery. The main one being don't gain any weight and wean myself off of Diet Coke. If it is between having a healthy life and starting a family and Diet Coke, I can definitely survive without the Diet Coke. They mentioned that I should cut down on my portion size and eat Lean Cuisine-Healthy Choice-Weight Watchers type meals for two meals a day and try not to snack between meals. By following this weight management plan and adding exercise I should be able to meet my insurance companies requirement of a physician monitored diet and exercise program for 3 months proximal to my surgery date. They have a woman on staff who will be able to help me get all the information together when they send forward the paperwork to get approval for the surgery.
I was told in 2-3 weeks that I would get a listing of appointments that I needed to attend prior to the surgery in the mail. I have to complete the appointments on the list prior to the surgery. It was mentioned that even though they set up a surgery date prior to having the insurance companies approval they very rarely, if ever, have to reschedule because they are still waiting on the insurance. When I get the list I just have to remember to double check that they are participating providers with my insurance company and call my PCPs office to ensure that I get the appropriate referrals.
I weighed 276.5 today at the office which is down from 282.5 at my appointment with my PCP in January. Dr. Graber said it is not unreasonable to have a goal weight of 130 pounds. WOW!!! I mean WOW!! That would be sooooo cool. I can't wait to look that good. My husband and I are going to go on a shopping spree when I hit 130 :)
My husband and I are going away for the weekend to visit his brother, but when we get back we're going to get the treadmill uncovered so that I can start walking every day inside while the weather is nasty. It was -8 when I got up this morning with wind chills between -30 and -40 degrees. It didn't warm up too much all day, matter of fact at 8:50pm it is 1 degree outside. I just turned on the heated mattress pad to warm up the bed so it isn't too cold :) I'm also looking forward to purchasing an elliptical machine for after the surgery. I'll have to start saving pennies now!!
Monday, March 5, 2007
And A Month Goes By....
Okay so I am a bad blog updater.....
As I mentioned on Feb 4th I didn't really have anything to update, but that soon changed.
February 9th - After being up all night violently ill with the stomach bug I was home laying on the couch trying to sleep after the vomiting had stopped. I finally get to sleep and the stinkin' phone rings. Much to my surprise it was PCPs office saying that they had received the news that my insurance company had approved the out-of-network visit with Dr. Graber. If I could have dragged myself off the couch and done cartwheels I would have. My PCP called Dr. Graber's office and set up an appointment for May 8th at 1pm. It was a 3 month wait, but what could I say?!?!
March 1st - I was on my way to house sit and dog sit for a good friend and I happened to call my machine on my way to their house. Much to my surprise Dr. Graber's office called and said that they had reviewed my information that I submitted online and would like to get me in sooner. It was 4:45 and the woman who called had left for the day and didn't leave a note in my file. I was told to call back in the morning.
March 2nd - Well we got quite the nasty winter mix overnight and there was a bit of ice on the ground when I went into work that morning. I got to work around 7am and let me tell you that the wait until 9am when the office opened was long :) I called at 9:05 and the woman who had called the day before was having trouble getting into work because of the weather conditions. I left a message for her. I received a call later that day from a nurse who was helping out the front desk she said she still didn't find a note in my file, but she could get me in on April 2 at 11am. Woo Hoo, 5 weeks earlier. I went on about my business and the phone rang later that afternoon. It was the original woman who left the message. She asked if I had gotten her message and I explained what had transpired since then. I told her that I had ended up with an appointment on April 2nd. She seemed confused, but told me she had an appointment on Tuesday, March 6th at 1pm for me. I almost fell off of my chair. I was soooo excited. I ended up telling one of my office mates as she was in the office when the phone calls transpired. I asked her to keep it quiet and am hoping that she will. I don't need everyone in the world to know my business especially since I haven't even told my own parents!
March 5th - The night before my consultation and I am hovering between excitement and nervousness. I can't wait to see what the Dr. has to say. My husband is coming with me and he is also looking forward to it. I have to leave work around 12:15 to get to the appointment at 1pm, with a few minutes to spare. I'm hoping the weather clears up some as it is snowy and blustery. They are expecting wind chills of 25 to 30 below zero tonight!
I'll update more tomorrow after my consultation.
As I mentioned on Feb 4th I didn't really have anything to update, but that soon changed.
February 9th - After being up all night violently ill with the stomach bug I was home laying on the couch trying to sleep after the vomiting had stopped. I finally get to sleep and the stinkin' phone rings. Much to my surprise it was PCPs office saying that they had received the news that my insurance company had approved the out-of-network visit with Dr. Graber. If I could have dragged myself off the couch and done cartwheels I would have. My PCP called Dr. Graber's office and set up an appointment for May 8th at 1pm. It was a 3 month wait, but what could I say?!?!
March 1st - I was on my way to house sit and dog sit for a good friend and I happened to call my machine on my way to their house. Much to my surprise Dr. Graber's office called and said that they had reviewed my information that I submitted online and would like to get me in sooner. It was 4:45 and the woman who called had left for the day and didn't leave a note in my file. I was told to call back in the morning.
March 2nd - Well we got quite the nasty winter mix overnight and there was a bit of ice on the ground when I went into work that morning. I got to work around 7am and let me tell you that the wait until 9am when the office opened was long :) I called at 9:05 and the woman who had called the day before was having trouble getting into work because of the weather conditions. I left a message for her. I received a call later that day from a nurse who was helping out the front desk she said she still didn't find a note in my file, but she could get me in on April 2 at 11am. Woo Hoo, 5 weeks earlier. I went on about my business and the phone rang later that afternoon. It was the original woman who left the message. She asked if I had gotten her message and I explained what had transpired since then. I told her that I had ended up with an appointment on April 2nd. She seemed confused, but told me she had an appointment on Tuesday, March 6th at 1pm for me. I almost fell off of my chair. I was soooo excited. I ended up telling one of my office mates as she was in the office when the phone calls transpired. I asked her to keep it quiet and am hoping that she will. I don't need everyone in the world to know my business especially since I haven't even told my own parents!
March 5th - The night before my consultation and I am hovering between excitement and nervousness. I can't wait to see what the Dr. has to say. My husband is coming with me and he is also looking forward to it. I have to leave work around 12:15 to get to the appointment at 1pm, with a few minutes to spare. I'm hoping the weather clears up some as it is snowy and blustery. They are expecting wind chills of 25 to 30 below zero tonight!
I'll update more tomorrow after my consultation.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Nothing to update
I did get a message from the woman who handles referrals at my PCPs office on Friday saying that she had called my insurance company to see if they had approved or denied the out of network precertification. They had received the form but had not reviewed it yet. The insurance company told my PCPs office that if they didn't hear back by Wednesday to call back then.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
No Word Yet
I still haven't heard anything from the insurance company about my pre-certification request to see Dr. Graber for a consult. I didn't really expect to hear anything back already, but I did try to call the woman who handles the referrals at my PCPs office today and their voice mail system was down. I called twice but wasn't able to get her as she was probably on another line. Maybe I will try to call again tomorrow.
I did go ahead and fill out the information on Dr. Graber's website yesterday. It took some time but hopefully it will give them a solid basis on my medical history. I also went ahead on Tuesday and had my Endocrinologist send over copies of my medical records to my PCP in case the insurance company had any questions.
I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
I did go ahead and fill out the information on Dr. Graber's website yesterday. It took some time but hopefully it will give them a solid basis on my medical history. I also went ahead on Tuesday and had my Endocrinologist send over copies of my medical records to my PCP in case the insurance company had any questions.
I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
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