First step in the process

[nrbradley0 5]

Hello all! I met with the bariatric surgeon on July 13th for my initial consultation and am compleeeeetely overwhelmed. I am having an endoscopy done on July 24th and I will need to see a cardiologist, pulmonologist, psychiatrist, and get a letter of necessity from a family doctor. On top of all of that, I will need to do 6 months of classes. The surgeon said all of this is normal and is also usually required by insurance (BCBS EPO). So I guess I was looking to see if anyone else is this early in their journey, or any seasoned vets who have pearls of wisdom they would like to share. Thanks!

Edited July 19, 2018 by nrbradley0

[Matt Z 4,139]

15 minutes ago, nrbradley0 said:

Hello all! I met with the bariatric surgeon on July 13th for my initial consultation and am compleeeeetely overwhelmed. I am having an endoscopy done on July 24th and I will need to see a cardiologist, pulmonologist, psychiatrist, and get a letter of necessity from a family doctor. On top of all of that, I will need to do 6 months of classes. The surgeon said all of this is normal and is also usually required by insurance (BCBS EPO). So I guess I was looking to see if anyone else is this early in their journey, or any seasoned vets who have pearls of wisdom they would like to share. Thanks!

Sounds just like my revision. My band had a lot of that, but didn't need the diet. The revision to the band had all that junk as well required. Totally normal. Just make your appointments, follow your instructions as you get them and keep in mind, this whole process sucks for a while, both before and after surgery. But, it DOES get better and it is very much worth it.

[_Shane_ 63]

Can't the surgeon's office help you coordinate all that?

[Bootscraper 56]

I'm With Bcbs EPO also. I have some of the same stuff.

-1 year of monthly call in appointments with a nurse to discuss nutrition, moderating eating habits.

-psych assessment. I just did mine yesterday and it was a breeze, but maybe I just lucked out with my evaluator.

-letter from my primary care Dr. (my Dr was OK with it as long as I said I knew the risks)

-recommended support group classes for pre/post op patients at the hospital.

-blood work, no other tests though.

-one on one with nutrition at least once.

I have six months left, then the surgery group will submit for approval *fingers crossed * I'll be eligible by February 2019. You'll do fine, just write it down, keep track of appointments and do as much add you can to show that you're committed to going through with the surgery.

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[nrbradley0 5]

Thanks for the responses! To _Shane_, the office was able to help out to a degree, but the bariatric surgeon is located an hour away from me and the specialists he specifically referred me to are out of network for me, so I had to have them change the referral to someone local and in network.

[Frustr8 7,886]

And in my mind, as you go through your consults with those specialists and your classes you are going to learn so much you may wonder,how you are going to remember everything but you will, and a lot of it is very important things you will remember forever. Long twisty road ahead of you but it is worth the journey, for at the end you will have an,operation that will. change life forever in a good way.
Welcome and hang with ys, it will worth. the struggles to get there

[AEdoesRnY 531]

I was totally overwhelmed after my first appointment with the list of people I needed to see and things I needed to get done. Since you have six months of classes, it seems like you have time to take it one at a time. Choose two of the appointments you need to do and schedule those, and then just chop away at them. Use my chart if your clinic/GP have them to communicate with clinic and primary docs to get referrals for things. You can do this!!

[ALEandVSG 51]

I had my first apt. on May 1st I was also overwhelmed by the huge list of to do's before I was approved for my surgery but I think it's pretty normal for bariatric doctors to have coordinators. The coord. In my doctors office did all the scheduling for me so and requested the medical necessity letter from my primary so all I had to do is show up to all the apts. and classes. Last week was my last apt. I already got approval from Ins. Company so now I'm just waiting on my date, she said it will be sometime in August. It's all really fast but I can't wait, I'm super excited! I hope this helps you, good luck.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Did anybody else have a separate appointment to talk to anesthesia before,their surgery? I have an appointment with a Dr Patel on August 24th, that's like 10 days before my September 5th surgery. Has anybody else,had a separate appointment like this?

[GreenTealael 25,359]

Did anybody else have a separate appointment to talk to anesthesia before,their surgery? I have an appointment with a Dr Patel on August 24th, that's like 10 days before my September 5th surgery. Has anybody else,had a separate appointment like this?

No, not a whole meeting just a brief meet and greet the day before I can think when I picked up the special pre surgery soap and weighed in signed releases

VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 167

[Wanda247 908]

@nrbradkey0 I felt like that for a few days in the beginning but was actually very happy after it all sank in, my insurance required me to have 4 months of nutrionist visits, and my group gave me a list of requirements to get done, pretty much similar to yours, lots of blood work, psych visit, a copy of my endo report because I had recently had one done...me personally I needed that time to take everything in, research etc, etc...the time flew by and now as of Friday 7/19/18 I’m waiting for my approval from my insurance company and feeling sooooo nervous and excited. It seems like a lot but you have the time to space out your appointments, it will go by fast...in the mean time keep reading and asking questions on this site, you will learn so much!! The people here are so friendly and helpful...by being on this site it has helped my time to go by fast and I’ve learned so much and made some nice friends as well.

Good luck!

[KristinOlivia 35]

I was also VERY overwhelmed after my first visit. My surgeons office gave me a list of the things I needed to do - Psych consult, gastro clearance (with endoscopy), pulmonologist (which included chest xray and sleep study), and cardio consult (only EKG needed), as well as 2 months of nutrition visits. The coordinators only scheduled nutrition visits and the rest was up to me.

My advice would be to get a calender book/agenda (or print out calender pages) and plan out your visits for the docs.That helped me visualize how much time I needed to complete things. Also - schedule in advance...even if you can't get your cardiac clearance until closer to the surgery - still get on their schedule as soon as possible. I had a cardiologist in my last 3 weeks to surgery tell me he "just didn't have any time to complete my necessary testing" - of course this was after he took my copay. Thankfully found a new cardiologist and was back on my way. Anyway, have a backup plan for docs if you don't already have a regular cardio/pulmonolist/gastro doc.

And lastly be patient with yourself. Over the 6 months you will learn A LOT. It's a process but it's all about changing for the better.

[newmebithebypass 713]

So I am at the veeeeery end like I have my date and we submitted to insurance already. My best advice become best of friends with that nutritionist. Have her email memorized. We’re special in our group because of our Facebook page where we can private message her at anytime. Also learn your way around your kitchen. Just basic stuff. My favorite new gadget is my air fryer it makes everything.

[GreenTealael 25,359]

I after my consult I called EVERY doctor and scheduled EVERY visit, same day ( I was ridiculous) that way I just had to go when the time came. No more worries. There were two doctors that were contacted by my team so I never had to worry about those, I just showed up when they told me to.
Safe Journey !

VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 167