And so it begins................

[MIMISAN 404]

On Monday I finally made the step towards starting this process. I met with Dr. Michael Seger in San Antonio, Texas. We discussed several options but decided on definitely going with the gastric sleeve. He feels like I am a great candidate for the surgery.

Now the painstaking part slogging through insurance begins. Apparently my insurance will require six months of documented dieting to allow me to move forward (as if I haven't tried everything in the last 50 years) but ok....I will play. The insurance has assigned me a caseworker and I am going to be conferencing by phone with her on Thursday evening for her to lay out the program etc.

I will also be meeting with a nutritionist on July 1st to actually set out the diet plans for the next month and I will have to meet with her once a month for the next six months. At the end of that time I should be qualified for the surgery and wouldn't you know it would be around CHRISTMAS? That shouldn't make much difference though since I will be dieting then anyway, I may be happy if I get the surgery prior to Christmas. Anyway guys....wish me luck and keep me focused!

[Kimmy0926 22]

Hello! I too had to go through the 6 month supervised visits before my insurance would approve the surgery. It may seem daunting now, but the time will fly and before you know it that approval paperwork will be in your hands. My surgery is Tuesday, only 5 days away!! When starting it seemed like it was going to take forever but it's all well worth it. Good Luck!!

[NikkiDoc 312]

While we are all impatient about the 6 month pre-op diet use it as a tool. Make sure you use a NUT that deals with a lot of bariatric patients and knows what you will be eating after surgery.

Use this time to start changing your bad habits. If your doctor is going to want you to eat 5-6 small meals or 3 meals and 2 Snacks start doing that.

You won't be able to drink during meals and for normally at least 30 minutes after. I can't drink 10 minutes before eating, some surgeons it is 30 minutes before eating. Start doing that.

Wean off of caffeine and carbonated sodas a few weeks before your surgery date.

Start carrying that Water bottle. Get in the habit of drinking at least 64 oz a day or more if that is what your surgeon will require. Figure out if you are okay with plain Water or do you like to add Crystal Lite or MIO?

Order some samples of Protein shakes. Buy some pre-made ones. Don't buy huge amounts of them since you tastes may change after surgery. You will probably need at least some during pre-op diet period.

Use the time to research what to expect during pre-op diet period, immediate post op, the couple of weeks post op, your new low carb eating after surgery. Go to the support meetings to talk to people. Increase your knowledge base. Read the Bariatric Pal book on the sleeve. Ask your doctor what size bougie he is going to use and why. Ask about catheters, drains, will you be on something to prevent gallstones after surgery. How about something for gastric reflux? This is your time to do the research, ask questions and prepare yourself mentally.

You will likely need to get other clearances for both your insurance and surgeon. Psych visit, lab work, upper GI/endoscopy, sleep study, PCP clearance, pulmonary or cardiac clearance, lab work etc.. Each insurance and surgeon has different requirements. Use this time to start getting those done.

Having a couple of counseling sessions to deal with some of the issues many of us have that contributed to our overeating can be helpful.

If you physically can, start walking now. You will be doing a lot of it after surgery. Start that habit now.

There was somebody on this board that just could not deal with the "hoops" he had to jump through for his surgeon and insurance. It made him feel like a lab rat. They were fairly standard pre-op requirements. He gave up on WLS. IMO if he could not deal with the pre-op requirements he probably was not ready for the surgery.

I lost 17 pounds on my 6 month diet. Then due to personal circumstances had to wait an additional 4 months before surgery. I gained 4 pounds back over Thanksgiving and Christmas. But I was still 13 pounds ahead.

If you view this time as a waste of time, it will be a waste of time. If you use this time to start building good habits it will make your transition after your sleeve that much easier.

[MIMISAN 404]

Fortunately I had already heard that many insurance groups require the 6 month supervised dieting so I wasn't shocked, but I was hoping that since I was older with great medical records that have gone through the same insurance company that I might be able to by pass that.

In any case I am looking at it as a time to slowly get my other requirements taken care of and a way to get use to more restrictions. Nikkidoc you must be psychic because earlier today I ordered a sample kit of powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury. I am also going to test other things.

Thanks for the replys so far and it looks like I will have plenty of friends to help me through all of this process.