Approved!!

That's right. I called Intracorp today and spoke with Ann. She asked if I was sitting down, which caused my stomach to drop. Then told me I was certified. I asked, in my stunned state, if that meant insurance would pay for the surgery. She said, "Yup."

I think I may have squealed. Then I asked what I needed to do next. Got the approval code/number/thing and said thanks.

Then, I called Alvarado, so they could send me the new fee schedule. Called my mom to let her know that we are now, officially, going to be surgery twins. Called my dad to let him know. As per usual, he was happy and down to business almost immediately. He wants a day by day itinerary of our time in San Diego.

It is actually, really, truly going to happen. I'm so giddy and terrified at the same time. I am ready for this though. I know my stuff. I know my pouch rules. I just don't quite know how to not be fat.

I can hardly focus on anything right now. I tried reading a couple blogs, a book, a play. My brain just keeps wandering. Thankfully my workload this afternoon is heavy and utterly brainless. I'll put on my headphones and just dive in.

I'm approved! eeeEeee!

Dr. Hiser

Got my phone call from Dr. Hiser yesterday. Apparently he's Alvarado's doctor who goes over any possible medical complications that might pop up, not related directly to the surgery.

He says I'm healthy, my diabetes is very well controlled. He was a little surprised I had it so well controlled without medication. Yay diet and exercise, I say. Friendly sounding guy, also sounded cute. But then, I'm a sucker for good voices.

Well, I'm off to enjoy a day in the sun. I try to spend days like this not thinking about the surgery, or waiting to hear if I'm approved or not.

Sneaky Sneaks

No.. I'm not sneaking anything. Alvarado Hospital is being sneaky. My surgeon, Dr. Whitgrove, works out of Alvarado Hospital. Evidently his former partner is working with the hospital to start their own bariatric surgery unit and are sneakily trying to trick me into doing the surgery through them.

I was able to slip past them though, and called my surgeons office to let them know this was happening. Muahahahah. One small victory. (Why did I type fictory then? is it a ficticious victory? weird)

Anyway, today is week 14 of being dessert free. No nothing, no tastes, no nibbles, nadda, zip, zilch. It's easier, and I think will make the post-op food issues a little bit easier to deal with.

Called Evil Intracorp and spoke with Ann. (I'm not giving her the E at the end because Intracorp is Eville!!!!) She said, "Ma'am, we barely received your appeal on the 18th and we have 15 days to respond. The appeals department probably won't even get to your file until some time next week." I asked, "So, because you have fifteen days to respond, you're going to use the entire fifteen days." My tone finished that sentence with "just to spite me." Ann(no e) replied, "Ma'am, we deal with millions of cases, you're just going to have to wait." I asked, "Does that mean I can't call to check?" She sighed heavily and replied, "No, you are free to call as much as you want." "Thank you." I then hung up.

First, I'm barely 28, single, and I hate being called MA'AM. Gah. Second, my fax was RECEIVED on the 17th, but they date stamped it for the 18th. So, stop telling me you received it a day later than you did. Third, MILLIONS of cases my ass. Maybe millions over the last 20 years, but not millions right now.

I will reiterate. Intracorp is an EVIL (EVILLE I tell you!) company.

Talked to Gail to bitch about the Evils of Intracorp. Gail brought up a good and scarey point. What if this appeal drags beyond June 30th? What if the next fiscal year's insurance policy doesn't cover this surgery? Are we completely screwed? Hopefully that's just Gail's cynical side peeping through. But dammit. I hate waiting and these are the reasons why. My blood pressure just has to be way above normal. Dammit.

I'm not gonna call again until Monday, but in the meantime... I've got my phone talk with Dr. Hiser (from my surgeons office) tomorrow at 3:00pm.

Lastly, I'm currently reading a blog that creates a lot of mixed feelings in me. The woman had a Duodenal Switch in November of 2002. Her Before and After pics are amazing. So, I started reading through her WLS account from the begining. And I find myself screaming at this woman to stop with the junk food. Not very nice of me. And I'm not doing it literally, but she eats junk, doesn't exercise and then complains that she's not losing weight as fast as she wants. I'm not even to February of 2003 in her archives yet, so maybe she starts doing better. Anyway... here you can find The Fat Diaries (great title) and decide for yourself.

Waiting for Intracorp

Sandra got everything faxed into Intracorp on Thursday. Per Intracorp's wacked policy, the faxes were all date-stamped received with Friday's date. (This seems a bit odd to me. Why wouldn't you date-stamp something received on the day you received it?) And I'm gonna give a call tomorrow afternoon to see what's happening.

I get nauseous in my stomach thinking about the surgery sometimes. And I'm not sure if its nerves while waiting for approval or fear about the surgery itself. Probably a combination of both.

I do love daydreaming of what I might look like two years from now. And it kinda scares me while simultaneously thrilling me. Since I started socializing with non-family members at the age of five, I've been fat. My whole self-identification centers around being fat. My arms and legs make room for my belly. I hope I'll be able to rewire both my physical, intellectual and emotional selves so that I don't always see the fat me in the mirror.

Also, I hope I'm pretty. That's probably lame, but what if my face is only pretty when fat? What if I have some weird deformations I never knew about that will only show up once I lose weight. Gah. I just want to hear from insurance, so I can stop this unproductive thought cycle.

Nutritional Evaluation

Met with Amy, a dietician, this morning. And it seems like I'm well educated on how to eat after surgery. She thinks I'm an excellent candidate for surgery and will get a letter to me today stating that.

Tomorrow, I'll talk with Sandra at Alvarado, and she'll fax everything in to insurance. Then, I'll call Gina at Evil Intracorp. Annoy her some more, and hopefully know by next week if I'm approved.

Which of course I will be.

Then, I will get thank you cards ready for everyone I dealt with. One for each member of my "multidisciplinary team," the ladies I spoke with at Intracorp, and of course for Sandra. I'll then have them all mailed when I get back from the surgery.

I just wanna send thank you cards because I've been an absolute royal pain in a lot of people's butts. Maybe that's weird. But thank you cards to people who I'm fairly sure swear angrily when they get off the phone with me will stop them from sending any bad juju my way.

12 1/2 weeks Dessert Free

I honestly can't believe I've gone this long without so much as a nibble or a lick of ice cream, candy, cake, pie, cookies or anything else resembling sugary desserts. I'm not completely sugar free because I still occasionally have some starch and fruits, but I think cutting out the desserts is really going to help me after the surgery. I won't blame the surgery for this, as it was a decision I made back in march.

I've got a meeting with a dietician tomorrow morning at 9:30. I'm going to ask her to please get her letter or report or whatever all written up and done as soon as possible, I'll then say... "I can wait in the lobby for it if you'd like." Heh. Thought part of me seriously doubts that I'll get it tomorrow, I can always ask and then hope. This is the last little tidbit I have to complete.

Talking with a co-worker today, he mentioned that I'm probably gonna have some crazy self-image issues. He's right of course. I know that already. He says I should get counseling as soon as I feasibly can. Which seems to be what most everyone says to me. Am I that messed up? Heh. I know I probably am, but it amuses me that people have no qualms about telling me to seek therapy.

San Diego is a go

Not the surgery yet. Just the trip. My parents are awesome. And because my mom is having surgery the same day I'm scheduled, my dad decided to finalize all the travel arrangements.

So, and this will not be the scenario that unfolds (repeat three times hourly: I will get precertified and I will have surgery on July 13, 2004), in case I'm denied once again, I get a spiffy dippy vacation with my parents in San Diego. Zoo, Sea World, Beach. mmmm, swimming pool.

This actually gives me just a little more wiggle room to get insurance approval. Before, I needed approval with enough time to get plane tickets and book a hotel. Now, I just need approval for the surgeon to cut. Eeep.

Have I mentioned I hate being in a holding pattern? Dammit, I can't even start getting nervous and queasy about the surgery. I never thought the chicks I wasn't supposed to count before hatching would include extreme pain.

Insurance DENIED - Double Yay!

Sad call yesterday from Sandra at Alvarado telling me that I was once again denied. This time for lack of a nutritional analysis and diet history.

This threw me for a loop as no one had ever told me I had to have a nutritional analysis (by a certified dietician) and I thought (and confirmed with Sandra) that the recent fax pack sent into Intracorp was nothing but a diet history. Or else, what have I been doing for the last six months getting weighed and talking to my doctor about food and exercise and ARRGG!

I was in tears. Wish I wasn't so stupidly emotional when I should be more put together and logical, but dammit - I just know insurance is trying to string me along until I give up and they don't have to pay.

Yesterday I went from crushed to very angry. Looked through all my paperwork and could find no sign that a nutritional evaluation or analysis was requested or required. I was sure that something was wrong. I called a lawyer and am supposed to talk with him about my case tomorrow.

Today, much more clear-headed. I got everything together to make sure I have a complete file. Called Evil Intracorp again, and had Gina fax me the criteria their doctors use to evaluate a case for pre-certification.

In good news: My mother's surgery was approved. She has a different insurance company than me, so... that's awesome. Wish I had her insurance.

Other good news: In getting a complete copy of my file I have nabbed a copy of my psychologist's report on whether I'm insane or not. Very interesting read. I found it fascinating how he constantly seemed to describe me and my brain, and then quickly say that although it sounds like he's saying I'm insane, I'm not.

Tidbit 1: "In college she developed an ability to look happy on the outside in order to socialize, but she dealt with the pain of 'invisibility' on the inside. While this may sound like the spliiting of the Borderline Personality, it is also quite common with obese people."

Tidbit 2: "She may also experience mood swings involving anxiety and depression that she has attempted to medicate with food over the years. This throws her into the vicious cycle of helplessness and hopeless countered by efforts to appear outgoing and in control. This does not indicate sever personality or clinical pathology however."

He even states, as I always love to hear, that I'm extremely intelligent and quite likeable.

Now if only Evil Intracorp would realize that and just approve based on my intelligent likeability.

One last Tidbit from my psych eval regarding weight and work: "She is convinced that she cannot get a better job because of her obesity. There is certainly scientific evidence to support this claim, as people are often overlooked in hiring and promotion due to attitudes toward obesity."

I've always loved being analyzed, I wish I could afford psychotherapy on a regular basis. I'm fascinated with how my brain and emotions work.


What's Next? Well, I'm going to talk to the lawyer as soon as I get my denial letter from Evil Intracorp. Though, at this point, I've found the small print regarding my current problem, so maybe he can just help me see if there's anymore small print I might've missed. I've got an appointment to meet with a certified dietician on Wednesday, and as soon as I get that done, Sandra at Alvarado will fax everything again. Ahh... the joy of pre-certification. Gah.

Still Holding

Someday I will learn many lessons.

Lesson #1 to learn: I should push the right button after spending twenty minutes on a post, so that I don't lose the post forever. Because I am not one of those people who can re-type something and have it sound anything at all like my first draft.

Lesson #2: Insurance companies are wicked.


I called back on Monday. A very angry woman gave me a run-around, and basically called me a liar and a moron. I asked for her supervisor and was connected with the fabulous Zephyr (who will be elevated to ab-fab status if she comes through for me, unlike the temptress Tesha from Friday) who gave me her direct line to call on Thursday. Hopefully then I'll either have an answer, or another day to wait until.

Because if there's anything I hate more than very angry women masquerading as customer relations people, its waiting with no deadline in sight.

On Hold

Wednesday I met with my doctor for what should be my final visit for my six months of doctor supervised diet. Have I lost weight? No. Well, she mentions to me that she'll get this visit to the person who types up transcriptions, and she'll get it back to me by next week. I ask if she can let me know as soon as its done, because I need as much time as possible to get insurance approval. So, what does my fab doc tell me? That she'll get it done within a half-hour with a cover letter and faxed to Alvarado. I get home, call Alvarado, tell them to expect the packet.

Thursday, Alvarado gets everything faxed to my insurance. Including everything that was sent the first time back in February. I'm psyched. But also feeling nervous about insurance. On Tuesday, a lady at my support group mentioned that it took her a year and a half of fighting insurance to get them to approve her surgery. Eeep. But, I think she also missed a couple doctor visits, and she has no co-morbidities. Makes me almost glad I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type II a few years back. Anyway... her mention of how long insurance took is making me nervous. But I get my reference number and all the information I need to call insurance and start bein' a squeaky wheel.

Today, I called insurance and was almost immediately put on hold. At first I was like, "Oh boy, here we go... how long am I gonna be on hold." Then the hold music starts singing to me. It sounds familiar. I listen a bit more. And I almost start laughing. It's Wilson Phillips "Hold On."

This is awesome for a number of reasons. I believe in little signs and reasons. So, the voice singing to me as I'm sitting on hold is Carnie Wilson. Wow. And my doctor was her doctor. Double Wow. The song is telling me that "Things will go your way, if you hold on for one more day." I'm taken off hold.

Tesha talks to me and informs me that they should have all my information into the system, and a decision made by Monday afternoon. UBER Wow. I really do only have to wait one more [business] day. I'm in a stunning mood.

But I'm still nervous. Kay. That's allowed. It's almost like I'm afraid to hope to hard that this will be approved. Because that means I'll actually be doing it. And it's hard to make changes. Even if they're gonna be good for me. I mean, what if I turn into a bitch when I lose weight? I think that's the complication I'm most worried about. As if its only my fat that has made me the nice, intelligent, talented person that I am. What if my self-confidence vanishes..? Heh. Silly thoughts, and I know it. I'm allowed to think them, nonetheless.

Surgery Twins

Well, my mother has tentatively scheduled her surgery for the exact same day as me with the very same doctor. So, this should help my parents afford this because now my dad doesn't have to make two trips down to help carry luggage. Which in turn will help me afford the trip, because it means that they get less grumpy about helping me out.

I got a packet of information from Alvarado on Friday. Very specific about what is happening when the day before and the day of my surgery. A basic set of eating guidelines for the first six months post-op. I'll remember to bring the packet in and type it up for this site, because it was really eye-opening for me to read.

I'm excited that I get to tell the support group tonight that I've got a date.