Guest guest Posted March 24, 2002 Report Share Posted March 24, 2002 Which surgeon are you seeking? Does your ins co have an exclusion for the treatment of obesity or morbid obesity? Thanks, http://www.vitalady.com For info on PayPal, click this link: https://secure.paypal.com/affil/pal=vitalady%40bigfoot.com Newbie Hi everyone, I'm one of those " lurkers " mentioned. Please excuse me for not posting sooner, but I like to get a feel for the culture of a group before I butt in. I'm 41, married mom of 2 teens 19 and 17 and live in Rhode Island. I've been investigating weight loss surgery since a chance conversation at work in September, when I discovered a co-worker had it done 15 years ago and has kept off 187 pounds. She is a nice normal-sized person and I was amazed, but didn't think it could apply to me. The thought kind of stuck with me, and I started investigating. At my last physical I consulted with my PCP about it, and she agreed it was something worth investigating. Just two days later she called with the name of the local expert in the lap RnY procedure, with her promise to support me. I finally called his office 3 days ago, and his office instructed me to call my insurance company for approval, which was immediately denied. They " do not cover that procedure " . So now I have my appeal going before a committee in May. I have to get my appeal together in the next week. Your resources here have been invaluable! My consternation knows no bounds. It took me months of picturing myself having this sugery before I could get up the nerve to call the surgeon, and when I do, I hit a brick wall. He is also booked solid through July. I can't even make an appointment until I get insurance approval so now I have to deal with the knowledge I'm going to be this size possibly for a year or more. On the other hand I appreciate the chance to watch others go before me, to learn what I can to improve my own chances for success. Nice to meet you all! Laury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 24, 2002 Report Share Posted March 24, 2002 I am already approved and scheduled for surgery on 4/29. Thanks --- " michelle@... " wrote: > Which surgeon are you seeking? Does your ins co > have an exclusion for the treatment of obesity or > morbid obesity? > > Thanks, > > > http://www.vitalady.com > > > For info on PayPal, click this link: > https://secure.paypal.com/affil/pal=vitalady%40bigfoot.com > > > Newbie > > > Hi everyone, > > I'm one of those " lurkers " mentioned. Please > excuse me for not posting > sooner, but I like to get a feel for the culture > of a group before I > butt in. > > I'm 41, married mom of 2 teens 19 and 17 and live > in Rhode Island. I've > been investigating weight loss surgery since a > chance conversation at > work in September, when I discovered a co-worker > had it done 15 years > ago and has kept off 187 pounds. She is a nice > normal-sized person and I > was amazed, but didn't think it could apply to me. > The thought kind of > stuck with me, and I started investigating. At my > last physical I > consulted with my PCP about it, and she agreed it > was something worth > investigating. Just two days later she called with > the name of the local > expert in the lap RnY procedure, with her promise > to support me. > > I finally called his office 3 days ago, and his > office instructed me to > call my insurance company for approval, which was > immediately denied. > They " do not cover that procedure " . So now I have > my appeal going before > a committee in May. I have to get my appeal > together in the next week. > Your resources here have been invaluable! > > My consternation knows no bounds. It took me > months of picturing myself > having this sugery before I could get up the nerve > to call the surgeon, > and when I do, I hit a brick wall. He is also > booked solid through July. > I can't even make an appointment until I get > insurance approval so now I > have to deal with the knowledge I'm going to be > this size possibly for a > year or more. On the other hand I appreciate the > chance to watch others > go before me, to learn what I can to improve my > own chances for success. > Nice to meet you all! > > Laury > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2002 Report Share Posted July 10, 2002 Hi Carol,my name is I've been dx with Igan for three years now.You were wondering about celebrex!.Celebrex is toxic to the kidneys.It should only be used on a limited basis.On going treatment should have down time of the drug to let your kidneys recuperate.With your already malformed kidney the celebrex just sped up your dx of IGAN.Better sooner than later.i hope this helped.Take care newbie > Hi, my name is Carol. I'm 43 years old, have rheumatoid arthritis > and may have IgA nephropathy. I hope you can bare with me while I > give you some background. (so sorry for the length of this!) > > I'd been having flank pain on and off for years with traces of blood > in my urine. Then last winter I began experiencing more severe pain > with large amounts of hematuria. To make a long story short, I had > exploratory procedures down by a urologist who thought I had an > obstruction in the ureter. He found chronic inflamation in my > bladder. Since I continued to have flank pain, I was referred to a > nephrologist after having a renal ultrasound and lasix scan that > showed my right kidney is smaller than the left and is functioning at > a slightly slower rate. My flank pain is on the left side, but the > small kidney is on the right. Go figure! > > I recently took myself off of Celebrex after being on it for over 3 > years. The pain improved (but is still there) and also the water > retention that I'd been experiencing. I saw a nephrologist yesterday > who feels that my problems may be due to longterm use of Celebrex or > to IgA nephropathy which I may have had for quite a while, most > likely years. My blood tests are all normal except for low red blood > counts. > > He wants me to wait another month to see if the flank pain and > hematuria completely resolve to be sure. (I've only had small or > trace amts. of hematuria since the surgery) If I'm still > experiencing those things, he will monitor me closely. He says as > long as my kidneys are functioning well and my bp is under control. > (My bp has been fluctuating for a few years now...high end of normal > to low end of high), it won't hurt to wait. He said that if I begin > to spill protein into the urine or have abnormal blood tests, then I > will most likely have a kidney biospsy to determine the exact > reason. > > I am quite nervous about this. The diagnosis of IgA nephropathy does > make sense and explains some things from my past history of kidney > problems that were baffling. The thing that complicates everything > is my rheumatoid arthritis. It's hard enough dealing with one > chronic disease, but to add another one on top of it is very > concerning. > > I was very impressed with this nephrologist. He was very thorough, > explained everything in detail and answered all my questions > patiently. I had a stack of paperwork which he examined very > carefully. I believe he is leaning toward the dx of IgA because he > wrote down the name and told me it would be good if I did some > research on the internet...although when I left he told me that he's > hoping it's just the Celebrex that was causing my problems. > > I would really appreciate if anyone could give me some insights as to > whether my symptoms sound as if they could be temporary or whether > they point to nephropathy. > Could a med like Celebrex which is a non-steroidal anti-inflamatory > med cause a kidney disease? > The nephrologist said that I most likely had the disease and the > Celebrex made it more active...or something like that! Geez, it's so > hard to remember everything from initial dr's appts! > > Does kidney inflamation ever lead to bladder inflamation? > > And if anyone knows, do you think my symtpoms sound more like the > result of a medication that will go away than a disease? I've been > off the Celebrex now for over a month. > > I know no one can give me definite answers. I have been an active > member of an online support group for RA for a few years now. People > so often can find more answers from support groups than anywhere. > And driving home from the dr's appt, you think of a zillion questions > you should have asked! > > I apologize for the length of this...I left things out and it was > this long! Bless you if you get this far! > > Thanks so much! I hope you're all having a wonderful day! > Carol > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2002 Report Share Posted July 10, 2002 Hi Carol. Welcome to the group. I'm not a doctor, but if I were, I probably would be thinking and doing the same thing. The main thing to know is that currently, a doctor can only guess at a possible diagnosis of IgAN. It takes a kidney biopsy to be sure, and there certainly are other kidney conditions that can cause hematuria. IgAN with hematuria but no proteinuria at all is relatively uncommon, but not impossible. Believe it or not, and even a few people in this group may be surprised to hear this, but kidney pain is actually rarely due to the kidneys. One exception is if there is a urinary obstruction of some kind. Inflammation of the bladder is another reason. Kidney pain can also occur if, due to whatever cause, a kidney becomes enlarged and stretches its renal capsule (that's the envelope around the kidney). A glomerular disease like IgAN usually causes more of a dull ache in the lumbar area than actual pain. As you know, a bladder infection can cause blood in the urine too, and a bladder infection can damage a kidney due to urinary reflux. If a nephrologist has become involved and is thinking of something like IgAN, it could be because the red blood cells in your urine have a certain look about them that guarantees they can only have come from the kidneys. As already replied, a NSAID like Celebrex can certainly cause some kidney damage (interstitial nephritis, mainly), especially with long term use like that. And, obviously, if you already had some mild condition like IgAN or any other nephropathy, it might make it worse. Does kidney inflamation ever lead to bladder inflamation? Actually, it's more the opposite, with bladder inflamation leading to kidney damage. Hopefully, it will turn out to have been just the Celebrex, and hopefully, it will be reversible. Since you're not spilling any protein, there's a good chance there isn't too much permanent damage done in there, and if there is, it probably is fairly mild. Let's hope so, anyway. Good luck. Pierre newbie > Hi, my name is Carol. I'm 43 years old, have rheumatoid arthritis > and may have IgA nephropathy. I hope you can bare with me while I > give you some background. (so sorry for the length of this!) > > I'd been having flank pain on and off for years with traces of blood > in my urine. Then last winter I began experiencing more severe pain > with large amounts of hematuria. To make a long story short, I had > exploratory procedures down by a urologist who thought I had an > obstruction in the ureter. He found chronic inflamation in my > bladder. Since I continued to have flank pain, I was referred to a > nephrologist after having a renal ultrasound and lasix scan that > showed my right kidney is smaller than the left and is functioning at > a slightly slower rate. My flank pain is on the left side, but the > small kidney is on the right. Go figure! > > I recently took myself off of Celebrex after being on it for over 3 > years. The pain improved (but is still there) and also the water > retention that I'd been experiencing. I saw a nephrologist yesterday > who feels that my problems may be due to longterm use of Celebrex or > to IgA nephropathy which I may have had for quite a while, most > likely years. My blood tests are all normal except for low red blood > counts. > > He wants me to wait another month to see if the flank pain and > hematuria completely resolve to be sure. (I've only had small or > trace amts. of hematuria since the surgery) If I'm still > experiencing those things, he will monitor me closely. He says as > long as my kidneys are functioning well and my bp is under control. > (My bp has been fluctuating for a few years now...high end of normal > to low end of high), it won't hurt to wait. He said that if I begin > to spill protein into the urine or have abnormal blood tests, then I > will most likely have a kidney biospsy to determine the exact > reason. > > I am quite nervous about this. The diagnosis of IgA nephropathy does > make sense and explains some things from my past history of kidney > problems that were baffling. The thing that complicates everything > is my rheumatoid arthritis. It's hard enough dealing with one > chronic disease, but to add another one on top of it is very > concerning. > > I was very impressed with this nephrologist. He was very thorough, > explained everything in detail and answered all my questions > patiently. I had a stack of paperwork which he examined very > carefully. I believe he is leaning toward the dx of IgA because he > wrote down the name and told me it would be good if I did some > research on the internet...although when I left he told me that he's > hoping it's just the Celebrex that was causing my problems. > > I would really appreciate if anyone could give me some insights as to > whether my symptoms sound as if they could be temporary or whether > they point to nephropathy. > Could a med like Celebrex which is a non-steroidal anti-inflamatory > med cause a kidney disease? > The nephrologist said that I most likely had the disease and the > Celebrex made it more active...or something like that! Geez, it's so > hard to remember everything from initial dr's appts! > > Does kidney inflamation ever lead to bladder inflamation? > > And if anyone knows, do you think my symtpoms sound more like the > result of a medication that will go away than a disease? I've been > off the Celebrex now for over a month. > > I know no one can give me definite answers. I have been an active > member of an online support group for RA for a few years now. People > so often can find more answers from support groups than anywhere. > And driving home from the dr's appt, you think of a zillion questions > you should have asked! > > I apologize for the length of this...I left things out and it was > this long! Bless you if you get this far! > > Thanks so much! I hope you're all having a wonderful day! > Carol > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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