Worried... Surgery for GERD + Lap band + questions

[pinx 18]

First, I have to have a laparoscopic nissen fundoplication for severe GERD in addition to the lap band. Has anyone had both at the same time? Two procedures but one surgery? How long did you have to stay in the hospital and how did everything go? I asked the lady on the phone and she obviously misunderstood my question because she said start to finish she was only in the hospital for 3 hours including registration for both procedures, but online it says an overnight stay is typical for the GERD surgery.

Second, I am only waiting on the psych evaluation for approval. I was told it would take a week max to get the results, but it has been almost two weeks now and the psych office just keeps telling me that they will check with the doctor and see what is causing the delay. I also have checked with my doctor's office and they haven't heard anything but said it is unusual that it takes this long from this psych office. Of course, this has me terrified that I failed the evaluation. How long did it take to get your results back? What happens if I fail? The doctors office had planned on getting me approved by the end of this week, but with the psych eval pending and taking much longer than expected, I doubt that will happen.

I was told to go ahead and start the pre-op diet since it would only take around 2 weeks to get the psych eval back AND approval from insurance (a week for each). I was told to go ahead with that over a week before my psych eval because the longer the pre-op diet, the better. I cannot help but feel cheated by being on this diet for over 3 weeks now while the psych office drags their feet. To make matters worse, my husband travels for work. With the delay from the psych office with no communication regarding the delay, it looks like I may have to wait until the end of March when we were aiming for the beginning. This means I'll be on the pre-op diet for almost 2 months if that happens. I knew this was a commitment from day one. I knew it would be hard work. I know how restrictive the diet is post-op. I can't help it if I feel like I should have been able to have one last brownie or something pre-op, you know? I guess sticking with the diet this long shows my commitment and knowing surgery may be post-poned makes it easy to cheat, but I won't.

Has anyone been through similar issues going in to this? If so, do you have any advice that may ease my mind?

[LadyDreadHead 90]

I understand your frustration. I started the pre-op even though I wasn't approved at that time. It was three days before surgery when I received the approval. I was anxious and feeling like I had wasted money using the Protein Shakes too early. Of course, stress made me wonder if I was going to backslide on the diet. Hang in there! Even if you are not approved as soon as you'd like, the pre-op dieting is helping you to prepare for surgery and the post-op diet.

[pinx 18]

Thank you for the encouragement. My doctor's office called about the psych eval and the only reason it is taking so long is because the person who has to sign off on it is out of town until Friday. I can get approval as early as the 6th now and at most it should be by the 12th. Since I am already on the pre-op diet, I don't have to wait 2 weeks from approval to surgery, so that is a relief. The earliest I would likely have surgery is 2 weeks from today, but with my husbands schedule, it may be 4 weeks out. I am just anxious and ready.

As far as the GERD surgery, this is the second person that confirmed it is outpatient and only adds around 15 minutes to the surgery. Most medical websites say it is a 1-3 day stay, but I trust my doctor. The irony is that it is cheaper for me to be kept overnight though.