Shortest wait time

[want2lose 1]

I would love to know what some of the shortest time spans are from the first meeting / consultation / seminar to actual surgery. I know insurance can take a while, but am just curious how quickly some people were able to make it happen.

Thanks!

[mousecrazy 2]

For someone who kinda stumbled onto this surgery (recommended by orthopedic doctor), from idea to surgery, it took one month or so. I was amazed! My insurance did cover it, and I had already been under a doctor's supervision for weight loss, had a few co-morbidities, etc...49 years young, BMI of 45, I fit all the requirements.

[I'mWiththeBand 0]

I attended an information session June 3, 2006. I was really focused on getting this done and let everyone along the way know that. I met with the dietician, physcologist, had a cardiac consult and testing, attended a support group, a presurgical meeting, 5 day modified fast and office vists at my surgeon's office and am now scheduled for July 17, 2006. So, that is about six weeks start to finish.

Hope that helps.

[want2lose 1]

Thanks. I just started researching last week, and am very excited about the possibilities. I'm just hoping it won't take 6 months. I have many years of documented md supervised weight programs, and currently doing ww, so I am covered there. I have a BMI of 36, with high cholesterol, Knee, feet and back pain, asthma, and a mother with breast cancer, HBP, and type 2 diabetes. I don't expect to sail through with insurance, but my plan has a history of quick approvals for WLS. Self pay is not an option for me.

I have spent many hours perusing these boards reading everything possible. They are a wealth of information!

[juliegeraci 7]

Mine was pretty quick. I was able to get into the surgeon within a few days. From there I went to my primary care physician and got all the lab work done. From there I went to have my EKG and simulateously I worked on the phsyco eval and nutrional eval. I think in all total it was abou 6 weeks but it went really fast. Good luck.

[vlb11752 0]

5 weeks from seminar to surgery. I was self pay though. I was also the first patient for the new program at a local hospital. Not my surgeon's first just the first for the new program.

[Elisabethsew 50]

For me, the wait was for the actual surgery time. I completed all the requirements for the surgery but the surgeon is popular and does about 5 cases a day (over 1500 lapband surgeries). Therefore, surgery bookings were 6-8 weeks wait time. It took 3 months from consult to surgery and THAT included fighting the first insurance company's refusal to approve me.

[lisah25 3]

I would love to know what some of the shortest time spans are from the first meeting / consultation / seminar to actual surgery. I know insurance can take a while, but am just curious how quickly some people were able to make it happen.

Thanks!

This question came up in a support group meeting I was in recently, and the Dr. said the shortest he knew of was 4 days, but that person was self-pay.

[Spydr 0]

If I had wanted to, I could have gone from consult to surgery in 10 days. I chose to have 30 days of "last meals" instead. I was covered on Medicare and had got everything scheduled quickly. I enjoyed my last suppers!