WELCOME TO THE NEW OBESITYHELP.COM
CHECK OUT WHAT'S NEW
ARE YOU A BARIATRIC PROFESSIONAL?
LEARN MORE ABOUT OH
Friends
Surgeon Testimonial Andrew Averbach, M.D. Dr.Averbach was amazing. I am so grateful to him for doing my surgery. I had insurance approval for Dr.Magnuson but he would not do my surgery after many months of testing and years of fighting with insurance to get approval. I lost my insurance but Dr.Averbach took all the possible precautions as I was a higher risk being a revision and my health problems and he did my surgery and it was a sucess.The first couple days was tough especially day one as they had a very hard time controlling my pain since I am a chronic pain patient and have taken meds for a long time and had an interthecal pump put in a couple weeks before surgery. I got throug that and now I am walking further than I could before surgery and it has only been 4 wks.Now I must take it from here with the Dr and his staff's support.All is going well. July 28,2007- I am almost a year out. I am down 182 lbs from my highest weight ever.I am at 248lbs, my highest wt. was 430. I had lost 40 or so before surgery. My life has changed so much. Before surgery I was basically bedridden getting up very seldom.Since I was 9 wks post-op I started swimming and I swim 5 days a week and love it. I have gotten my life back. I am out of bed. I drive, I shop for my family again, I love life. I have gone from 6-7x to a size 20 pants and 18/20 tops and 1x .It is amazing. My medications have gone from over 20 to 2. My health problems have improved. I just had 2 sleep studies and I am waiting to see how much my sleep apnea has improved but I know it has. Everything has improved, every day I can do something new and I see some improvement in my life. It is wonderful. I am not healthy but I never dreamed my life would even get this good post-op and I still have a way to go. I love life and my surgeon and his staff. Member Interests
Latest Surgery Support Comments No comments posted yet. Please post yours. Click here for the surgery support page |
My Story
I had a failed gastric stapleing in 1982 where I almost died. Most of the procedure is blocked from my memory. I have been fighting for this surgery insurance approval since 1999 where over a couple years I took it through hearings and everything, then over a couple years I made periodic phone calls and was denied and then this year I was told the Dr could send another request and 2 months ago I was approved to have the surgery as long as it was done at Johns hopkins Bayview.I have been trying to get an appt. with the surgeon since then.Hopefully the surgeon will approve my paperwork soon and I will get an appt. I did see this same surgeon in 1999,2000 and he approved it then but my insurance denied it. Without this surgery I know I will end up bedridden or dead and I am ready and must do whatever it takes to make this work. I only fear if it is not done soon my health will get worse and I will be unable to have the surgery. May 15 2006-I am still trying to get the surgery. Dr Magnuson declined doing the surgery 2/14/06 due to my lupus -my primary care Dr told me.This was over a year after my insurance approval.He gave me a couple names to try. I have so far been to Dr Kligman who also said no due to my having lupus and it being a revision combined.That made me a high risk patient.He did say I was doable, however he couldn't do it for me at this time.He said he would leave the door open and I could try again in a year because their are a certain % of high risk patients the surgeons due per year plus a couple other things. I understand but I am scared because I know I will die without this surgery. He suggested Dr Singh and I have been trying to reach him but he is very busy right now and I was able to go to the seminar by his partner Dr Averbach this week and he has said he will consider me and I have made an appt for May24, 2006. I have researched this for so long and my insurance approved it and my Drs are all for it but I need to find a surgeon. I also want to make sure I am alive after the surgery so I need a very experienced surgeon with high risk patients so I hope this is the one. My primary Dr is so sure I need this she wrote Dr Phil and my friends wrote Oprah and I wrote the discovery health channel yet none of us have heard anything from anyone. The problem is now my insurance won't cover the surgery and I am scared. Any suggestions would be great.Of course I am struggleing finding my way around this site but I thought I would update you all as Dr Magnuson is no longer my surgeon. I must say I was a bit hurt by the long wait to get turned down when I had the conditions from day one but when your life is at stake you go on and move forward and I know there is a wonderful surgeon out there ready, willing and able to save my life. I just hope I find him/her in time. Sept.2006 I had my surgery Aug 18,2006 by Dr Averbach who is with Dr Singh at St Agnus in Baltimore. I am doing pretty well. Dr.Averbach was wonderful and took every precaution as both Johns Hopkins and Un of Md. referred me to them since I was a very high risk. I keep checking and they all say all is going as it should but this is my life and I worry.I want to do everything perfectly this time and I don't want to fail.I was to close to dieing /bedridden before this surgery and I don't want either.I am so grateful to Dr Averbach.My life is allready changing.I can walk further than before surgery.I have lost weight.I do wish the fatigue would improve but that is part of my lupus, FM and I had multiple procedures in a few months span with anethesia involved. I hope you are all wel. Life is a gift to be treasured and I treasure mine today. Love Laurie Member Interests: Click here to see interests of other ObesityHelp members. Surgeon Info: Surgeon: Andrew Averbach, M.D. Dr.Averbach was amazing. I am so grateful to him for doing my surgery. I had insurance approval for Dr.Magnuson but he would not do my surgery after many months of testing and years of fighting with insurance to get approval. I lost my insurance but Dr.Averbach took all the possible precautions as I was a higher risk being a revision and my health problems and he did my surgery and it was a sucess.The first couple days was tough especially day one as they had a very hard time controlling my pain since I am a chronic pain patient and have taken meds for a long time and had an interthecal pump put in a couple weeks before surgery. I got throug that and now I am walking further than I could before surgery and it has only been 4 wks.Now I must take it from here with the Dr and his staff's support.All is going well. Insurer Info: Priority Partners, Medical assistance
|
Add as a Friend
Send Message
Member Card
Block Member
