How long is the wait for surgery after first doctors visit?

[Angelsoul219 6]

I just saw my bariatric surgeon for the first time on November 12th. I'm hoping surgery isn't going to be too far off, like 6 months. What are the next steps? They already told me my insurance will cover 80%. Is that good? Sorry for all the questions. Excited and scared!

[Amy Wolfe 49]

Its completely different for everyone. I have uhc. I saw my surgeon for the first time on oct 5th. I have surgery on 12/14. I busted my ass to get everything done and i was required a 6 month medically supervised diet, however i got lucky that they accepted my 80 pound loss from a year ago. Yes, i lost 80 on my own. And gained back 90. That was my last straw.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

To many variables to tell. It all depends on when you see your surgeon, what sort of pre-op testing he wants, what sort of pre-op testing insurance requires and how fast he schedules. It could be as short a 1 mth and as long as 1 year.

[MarciaN 391]

I have waited almost 9 months. At first I was SO bummed but now I am so glad that I had this time to prepare. Each person's journey is unique to them. So is the journey of how much weight we lose and the amount of time it takes us. The important thing is to support each other and remember that if we do what we are asked to do, we will all make it to the goal line. After we get there and maintain for a few years, the differences in how long or short it took us to get there won't seem that important. Just that we made it and stay there! Good luck on your individual, unique journey.

[Miss Mac 6,262]

Quickest ways to get it done are self-pay or go to Mexico.

With my insurance, I had my first consultation in late August, then 3 months supervised diet and pre-op testing, the app sent in to insurance (BCBS Federal Employee). I was approved in two days (which is fast - some people agonize for weeks with an insurance delay here), then scheduled on the surgeon's first available date, which was three weeks out. So altogether, it took from late August to late December, four months.

Everybody's insurance is different, depending upon what your employer has arranged.

[livvsmum 2,369]

Congrats on taking the first step. For me, it took about 8 months for me to meet all of the requirements for my surgery. It just depends what your insurance requires (most require a 6-month "monitored weight loss" program with your surgeon's office as a minimum) and also how far out your surgeon is scheduling. Once I met all my insurance requirements I had the surgery scheduled within the next month. Good luck! And yes, I think insurance covering 80% is great seeing as a lot of policies won't cover it at all.