What to expect?

I have a dr appt with my pcp on friday in which i plan to let her know that i would like to go through the wls process. (She has been urging me to do it for a while but i have been too scared.)

How long will the process be leading up to wls, what does it entail, and what can i expect? 

Feeling nervous about this already :(

It depends largely on your insurance company's requirements. Some are significantly lengthier than others. Some require 6 months of a medically supervised diet, others require a long educational program, others approve quickly with few requirements. For me, while I've been thinking about it and researching for a while, my first surgeon's appt was 12/13 and my surgery is 2/22. I have one of the fast insurance co's.

There are various pre-op tests required that can vary by surgeon. I had a psychology clearance, blood tests, an Upper GI and an EKG. Some have added sleep studies or an endoscopy or clearance from other specialties like cardiology. Other require multiple meetings with a psychologist and/or nutritionist and some require attending support groups before and after surgery.  

Nervous is normal and good. It's serious surgery and you need to do lots of research and soul searching to decide for yourself. This site is very helpful to get an understanding of life well after surgery - the good and the challenging. Good luck to you!

The length of time will be dependent on your surgery center and your insurance.  Mine was 2 months from meeting with the surgeon to having the surgery, but I was self pay.

You can expect a bunch of appointments.  This also varies but some might be:

• blood draws for baseline and to determine any potential health issues like diabetes, thyroid, kidney issues
• meeting with a nutritionist one or more times
• a psych eval to determine if you understand the surgery and what your part will be in ensuring success
• possibly a sleep study if you aren't already diagnosed with apnea and have issues with snoring
• possibly an EKG or other heart exam (I had an EKG and nuclear stress test)
• if you have GERD or other issues, maybe something related to that.  I had fluoroscopy showing esophageal spasming, probably because I had a lapband.  Some have an endoscopy.
• Sometimes insurance or the surgery center requires a doctor-supervised diet for a certain length of time.  Or documentation of all your formal diets for the last x years.
• meet with the surgeon him/herself one or more times to discuss surgery options, ask questions, etc.

It's all pretty painless, just takes time.  No need to be nervous!  :)

 

One thing I forgot to mention... even different plans within the same insurance company can have different requirements. For example HMOs and PPOs offered by the same insurance company can have different requirements. So trying to find someone else to compare to is like a needle in a haystack. It's best to go to the source, either your insurance company or your surgeon's insurance coordinator to understand what is required of you.

agree with the others that it can vary a lot depending on your insurance and your surgeon.  I had to change insurance in order for my surgery to be covered, so I did my six-month supervised diet in the mean time.  I started up in the bariatric program right away in January (2015) when my new insurance took effect.  Since I already had the six-month diet out of the way, the surgeon said he could probably get me in for surgery as early as March (I had to go through a month of pre-op classes, plus a lot of tests including a sleep study and a nuclear stress test, so it can take awhile...).  Because I work in education, I waited until June, though.   But I would probably count on two or three months at minimum - more if you have to do a lengthy supervised diet.

Do they do anything painful leading up to the surgery? Just curious what Im in for...

no - I can't think of anything.  I guess getting *****ed by needles would be the most painful (blood draws, IVs), but I don't really find those painful.  The sleep study and the nuclear stress test didn't involve any pain (other than the ***** from an IV needle for the stress test)

Thats a relief! 

I have been traumatized at the dr lately LOL

Thank you for this info, its a lot less scary when I know sort of what to expect. :)

Probably the most painful thing I had to do  (besides pry my wallet open numerous times for copayments) was the blood oxygen test they wanted.  And even that wasn't bad.  They stick you with a needle, and it is not much different than a regular blood sample kind of a thing.  

If you haven't contacted your insurance company I would start there. Many have very specific requirements that you must follow.

 

my insurance required:

1. That I choose a Bariatric Center of Excellence from their approved list
2. That I have a BMI of 40 or a BMI of 35 with at least 2 comorbitities 
3. That I follow a supervised diet for 6 months
4. That I meet with a physcologist 
5. That I meet with a nutritionist 
6. That I meet with physical therapy

Then once you go to your center of Excellence, they have a lot of requirements as well

1. All of the above
2. if I wasn't already tested or treated for sleep apnea, I would need a sleep study 
3. an EDG
4. a stress test
5. support of my PCP
6. support of my in home family members

 

 

it sounds like a lot and it is, but it is worth every single hoop you have to jump through and every bit of pain. It is an emotional roller coaster but it will give you your life back!

 

i started at 315lbs at 5' 10. I was in a 24/26 size. I had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, severe gerd and stage 3 chronic kidney disease.

within 3 months post op many of my illnesses were gone or in remission.

i now weigh 161lbs and I wear a size 8 jeans, 10 pants and dresses. I lost 152lbs total. My lowest weight was 158.

i did this in the first place for my health. Kidney disease scared the crap out of me. What I didn't expect was to feel so awesome and I certainly did not expect to care about how I looked but the more I lost, the more confident I became. I decided last July to begin the next phase of my journey. I had an arm lift in July and 1 month ago today I had a full abdominalplasty, breast lift and augmentation. Everytime I look at my body in the mirror I cry happy tears. I am 53 and my body looks decades younger. I never thought that would be important but somehow every step I take makes me feel like a million bucks.

 

i wish you the very best as you begin your journey. I promise it really is worth it!