How long from consultation to surgery?

[jjyogalove 5]

Hi all!

I'm meeting with the dr who I hope will become my surgeon, along with the nutritionist, on August 18th. I don't have any health conditions, so insurance won't cover and I will be paying for the surgery out of pocket. In that case, how long does it take between consultation and surgery date? What will it take for me to be approved? What kind of things will I need to do/tests will I need to have? A lot of people of mentioned a pre-op diet-how long are you usually on that?

For reference, I'm 5'4, 257 pounds, 33 years old.

Thanks everyone!!!

[BrownEyedTxGirl 139]

Welcome to the group! All of the questions you have are great questions and will need to be addressed by your surgeon or NUT. You will find that everyone's situation is different.

I was cash pay as well and it took about 10 weeks from my initial consult with my surgeon (I actually met with three total before making a decision) and my surgery date (which was yesterday). My surgeon has a 4-5 week wait time at this point so that was most of the waiting.

Good luck with your journey and remember to write down your questions so you can address with your surgeons office.

[James Marusek 5,244]

In my case, it took about a year from consultation until surgery. But most of the delay was caused by my insurance.

Some insurance policies have a 2 tier requirement for approval. For example my policy reads:

Surgical treatment of obesity (bariatric surgery) is covered only if:

- eligible enrollee is 18 or over

- clinical records support a body mass index of 40 or greater (or 35-40 when there is at least one co-morbidity related to obesity).

So in your case with a BMI of 43.9 you would qualify for the surgery even without a medical condition (co-morbidity) if you had my insurance policy.

If you are paying for the surgery out of pocket, it will cut down on most of the delays. Generally after your initial consultation with the surgeon, these are the following steps:

Visit with the psychologist

Half day of pre-op tests

Half day of bariatric surgery classes

Second round of pre-op tests with specialist in the field if any problems uncovered in the first round of pre-op testing.

Pre-op diet and then surgery.

My pre-op diet was very short, only a couple days. But some doctors require a week or two.

If you are trying to prepare for gastric bypass surgery, I would recommend the following:

Begin a walking regime of 30 minutes per day. It will significantly help with the recovery process.

Give up caffeine and carbonated beverages. If you use caffeine, you may suffer withdrawal syndrome (severe headaches/body aches) that might last a week because of the addition.

[jjyogalove 5]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the info! I'll keep you posted…..

[Knitchic 97]

Great question. I am self pay as well. I got to the nutritionist and psych evaluation next Tuesday and I am dying to know when I will be scheduled. Hopefully in September.

[jjyogalove 5]

Crossing my fingers for you, ndmiller!!! I am hoping for the beginning of October, but I don't know if that is too good to be true. My consultation is on August 18th.

[Knitchic 97]

Crossing my fingers for you, ndmiller!!! I am hoping for the beginning of October, but I don't know if that is too good to be true. My consultation is on August 18th.

Are you doing sleeve or bypass?

[jjyogalove 5]

I'm hoping to do bypass. I have a lot of acid reflux issues, so I think that would be the best choice for me. I'm going to wait and see what the surgeon says, though.