Re: Several questions about the process and life after surgery

[Guest guest]

> Hi, group:

>

> It's Blair again. I'm mostly lurking here while I collect

information from

> the required 10 post-op patients, and now I need to send out an

appeal for

> help, and some questions I hope someone will answer:

>

> I feel lost in the paperwork here. What's a possible way to work

all this?

> Get approval from my insurance company, get a surgery date from Dr.

R., and

> then provide the paperwork to Dr. Rutledge? Send the two in

simultaneously?

Fill out the online patient form first. The office uses this to send

in for your insurance approval.

While that's going on, get all your other stuff together (patient

letter, family support letter, and medical records). I'd wait to

have the expensive stuff done (physical, mammogram, pap test, chest

x-ray, EKG, CBC, electrolytes) until you have insurance approval,

unless there will be some really long wait in your case. I was able

to get a physical, pap test, mammogram, EKG, and the two lab tests,

CBC, and electrolytes all scheduled within a day of each other within

a week of calling for the appointment.

> I also have some questions for those of you who have lost 100

> pounds or more:

> are you noticing that people - friends, social acquaintances,

> strangers -

> treat you differently or better, now that you're no longer obese?

> I've been

> so convinced for years that I'm treated as a second-class citizen

>because I'm

> obese, that I'm afraid I'll feel resentful if people begin treating

> me differently!!! I think they call this syndrome " Fat Head " - I

>wonder if you lose it when you lose the weight...

I lost weight before and was quite thin. I had a *blast.* I *loved*

being small (114-130). I didn't find that my friends treated me any

differently, other than the occasional remark on how much weight I'd

lost, but *strangers* definitely were more responsive, men in

particular. The biggest change was in how I felt, though. I wasn't

ashamed of how I looked. I worked out, did aerobics, went to the

gym,

went dancing 3 nights a week (and got really good at it!). I loved it

-- wore anything I wanted, too. That was so fun.

>

> What's life like in general after you've had the weight off for a

>year or more?

More fun than being fat, that's for sure. You can do more

(physically) and you don't hide, being too embarrassed to do (X) or

go (Y), so you get out more, see more things, do more things. You

probably still have whatever family issues you always had but they

don't seem so big anymore.

>Same family/work issues? New ones? I have a " pink cloud "

belief that I

> will live in that Land Over the Rainbow, once the weight is gone.

I

believed

> that when I once managed to take my weight off - through Physicians

Weight

> Loss Center's program. I regained the weight too quickly to know

what would

> come down the road, once I got used to being a normal weight.

>

> Anyway - I'm glad for this MGB community. It was really incredible

to see

> how the group handled the rogue emails from the Fort Bragg

computer,

and how

> the group pulled itself together. Congratulations.

>

> Blair

[Guest guest]

Blair:

I'm sure some of the people who have been through the procedure more

recently will respond to your questions re the right way to submit your

forms to Dr. R. and the insurance company.

It has been over a year since I had the surgery (March 5, 1999) and all

the paperwork that is required now was now required then. But there are

wonderful and helpful people that I am sure will respond.

Frances

BJenk23768@... wrote:

>

> Hi, group:

>

> It's Blair again. I'm mostly lurking here while I collect information from

> the required 10 post-op patients, and now I need to send out an appeal for

> help, and some questions I hope someone will answer:

>

> I feel lost in the paperwork here. What's a possible way to work all this?

> Get approval from my insurance company, get a surgery date from Dr. R., and

> then provide the paperwork to Dr. Rutledge? Send the two in simultaneously?

>

> I also have some questions for those of you who have lost 100 pounds or more:

> are you noticing that people - friends, social acquaintances, strangers -

> treat you differently or better, now that you're no longer obese? I've been

> so convinced for years that I'm treated as a second-class citizen because I'm

> obese, that I'm afraid I'll feel resentful if people begin treating me

> differently!!! I think they call this syndrome " Fat Head " - I wonder if you

> lose it when you lose the weight...

>

> What's life like in general after you've had the weight off for a year or

> more? Same family/work issues? New ones? I have a " pink cloud " belief that I

> will live in that Land Over the Rainbow, once the weight is gone. I believed

> that when I once managed to take my weight off - through Physicians Weight

> Loss Center's program. I regained the weight too quickly to know what would

> come down the road, once I got used to being a normal weight.

>

> Anyway - I'm glad for this MGB community. It was really incredible to see

> how the group handled the rogue emails from the Fort Bragg computer, and how

> the group pulled itself together. Congratulations.

>

> Blair

>

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