Is it normal or common practice

[bufbills 316]

to meet with the nutritionist and behavioral analyst before having a consultation with the surgeon? I feel like I'm having to earn a visit with him like he's the Wizzard of Oz or something. I was told that after I have satisfied the nutritionist and behavioral person, I would then be scheduled to meet with the surgeon. Does this sound right?

[drawingdami 34]

Yes, that is right.The behavioral analyst just wants to make sure you are mentally stable. Even if you deal with depression, as long as you are managing it with therapy and/or medication, that shouldn't be an issue. Really it's just to make sure there aren't any real red flags that have to be dealt with before proceeding. Same with the nutritionist. It is a meeting to get a general feel of how your diet is right now, and to start to talk about what your diet will be in the future. This is what happened when I started, they were the first two things I had to do.

[bufbills 316]

6 minutes ago, drawingdami said:

Yes, that is right.The behavioral analyst just wants to make sure you are mentally stable. Even if you deal with depression, as long as you are managing it with therapy and/or medication, that shouldn't be an issue. Really it's just to make sure there aren't any real red flags that have to be dealt with before proceeding. Same with the nutritionist. It is a meeting to get a general feel of how your diet is right now, and to start to talk about what your diet will be in the future. This is what happened when I started, they were the first two things I had to do.

Thanks for your reply. I honestly wasn't sure. Both meetings went well, and I am getting anxious I guess. The appointments were yesterday morning, back to back, so I hope to hear something soon.

[STLoser 1,099]

I actually met my surgeon first on the same day I did the psych and dietitian, and lab, chest xray, etc.
I was self pay, so I don't know if that made any difference.

Sent from my moto g(6) using BariatricPal mobile app

[BayougirlMrsS 3,934]

12 hours ago, bufbills said:

to meet with the nutritionist and behavioral analyst before having a consultation with the surgeon? I feel like I'm having to earn a visit with him like he's the Wizzard of Oz or something. I was told that after I have satisfied the nutritionist and behavioral person, I would then be scheduled to meet with the surgeon. Does this sound right?

Not sure if it common, but i met with the SX first with both. Two different dr. With the band (2009) i actually had to go to his seminar, call about insurance, then i made an appt with him. After he felt i would qualify and felt i would be a great candidate, his staff made all the other pre op appointments.
Sleeve (one year tomorrow) i called and met with him to talk to see if he would do a revision. It had been 2.5 years since that band had been removed and i gained 30lbs (paid 14k). I had to do a NUT & Phyic appt.

[catwoman7 11,213]

yes. Many clinics want to make sure you're ready to make the changes you need to make before they commit to doing the surgery, since you do need to be in the right mindset and understand the life changes you'll need to make to be successful with this. This usually includes meeting with a counselor or health psychologist and a dietitian early in the process. Plus they'll usually want you to start working on changing your eating habits long before surgery.

[bufbills 316]

1 minute ago, catwoman7 said:

yes. Many clinics want to make sure you're ready to make the changes you need to make before they commit to doing the surgery, since you do need to be in the right mindset and understand the life changes you'll need to make to be successful with this. This usually includes meeting with a counselor or health psychologist and a dietitian early in the process. Plus they'll usually want you to start working on changing your eating habits long before surgery.

Yep. I get it. I've been tracking food and am making the required changes. My concern is jumping through all of the hoops and not feeling comfortable with the surgeon, and having to start again with another facility. I just don't like the template they follow. That said, I'm all in.

[Mr Alley Gator 263]

12 hours ago, bufbills said:

o meet with the nutritionist and behavioral analyst before having a consultation with the surgeon? I

Yes very common May be a requirement from you insurance company. The Nutra person is the best you can have for this type of surgery. Mine saved my ass big time and made it much easier. As a guy I do not follow direction well so she just laid it all out and handled it for me

[drawingdami 34]

4 hours ago, bufbills said:

Yep. I get it. I've been tracking food and am making the required changes. My concern is jumping through all of the hoops and not feeling comfortable with the surgeon, and having to start again with another facility. I just don't like the template they follow. That said, I'm all in.

That is very understandable. If you do feel uncomfortable with anyone, ask to switch. They can always transfer test and lab results to other facilities in a timely manner so you shouldn't have to do them again. Hopefully you know the name of your surgeon by now. Research as much as you can, and even check with your state's medical board to see if they have any infractions or flags.

Good luck to you!

[tarotcardreader 196]

17 hours ago, bufbills said:

to meet with the nutritionist and behavioral analyst before having a consultation with the surgeon? I feel like I'm having to earn a visit with him like he's the Wizzard of Oz or something. I was told that after I have satisfied the nutritionist and behavioral person, I would then be scheduled to meet with the surgeon. Does this sound right?

No for me i met with the surgeon first so we could ask each other questions. Mortality rate of your surgeons surgeries should be high up on your list! There are many places doing the shrgery so feel free to shop around if problems also if they are this rigid now how rigid will they be when there are problems down the road good luck!

[bufbills 316]

9 minutes ago, tarotcardreader said:

No for me i met with the surgeon first so we could ask each other questions. Mortality rate of your surgeons surgeries should be high up on your list! There are many places doing the shrgery so feel free to shop around if problems also if they are this rigid now how rigid will they be when there are problems down the road good luck!

Yep, one of my my concerns. Thanks for posting. If my next appointment is not with the surgeon, I may start making calls.

[bufbills 316]

Update

So I heard back, and it would be another 6 weeks to meet with the surgeon. They wanted follow ups with the nutritionist before meeting with him. That is just unacceptable for my needs. Im going to, and have been doing do my part, but I dont understand not being able to at least meet and question the guy who will be performing the surgery. I started fresh with a different facility, and am so far, very happy. I met with the surgeon yesterday and before the day was over, all of my pre op appointments were made, minus a sleep study. I felt great after speaking with my new "team" and am very excited again.

[niclovesjustice 9]

I met with the surgeon before meeting with the psychiatrist and other specialists.