Frustrated with the Process -- Seeking A Sounding Board and Experiences from Others
Good morning!
I am a 40 year old female with a BMI of just above 40. I have PCOS and severe sleep apnea.
Six months ago, my husband started Zepbound. His BMI was just over 46, and he has sleep apnea. It has worked wonders for him. He literally walked in, asked his provider about it, and walked out with a prescription. And now he's lost something like 70 pounds.
This week, I decided I wanted to take the plunge after seeing his success. I have the same provider as my husband. Not the same practice, the same actual person. I reached out to them to ask about it, and they referred me out to a weight loss clinic.
The weight loss clinic wants me to (1) attend a group intake session and (2) talk to a dietician before I can ever even see a doctor to discuss meds. And I understand that sometimes insurance can require a bunch of steps for pre-auth. But my insurance doesn't cover any type of injectable for weight loss under any circumstances, so the pre-auth steps are moot. I'm just going to have to pay out of pocket, and I understand that.
I'm extremely frustrated that I have to jump through all these hoops when my husband didn't. Doing a group intake session feels like a ritual in humiliation. I understand it does skirt HIPAA, but it feels invasive. The last dietician is spoke with was condescending. I am a very pick eater, and she told me, "I have eight year old patients, if they can eat these things so can you." That was a different dietician in a completely different health system years ago, but still I'm skittish.
Does anyone else have similar experiences? How did you navigate them? Is there something I'm missing, like a true medical reason I'm being treated differently than my husband?
\---EDIT---
I got more response more quickly that I expected, and I don't have time to respond to each individually during my short work break. I'll try to later tonight. But I want to thank you ALL for your insights!
My emotional brain is definitely on high alert and wants to scream "discrimination" as many of you pointed out. It's hurt and angry and confused.
My logical brain is trying to temper it with, "Maybe something is different, maybe the process changed, etc." as many others of you pointed out. It knows they probably aren't intentionally out to get me, and it's just either a bureaucratic process issue or a well-meaning, but nevertheless, implicit bias.
It's all very nuanced and hard to navigate. And again, I truly appreciate all the perspectives on both sides.
I am going to send my provider a message and ask the question about why my route is being handled differently than my husband.
Best of luck to all of you on your journeys! Hopefully I'll be joining you soon <3