First appointment with the surgeon and others, any advice?

I meet the surgeon, nutritionist, psych follow up and internist on Tuesday the 13th. I have made a list of questions but I am wondering what else I should be aware of to ask about. How many appointments are there with each specialist before surgery is usually scheduled? I know there are variations between patients and each case is unique but on average how often is each seen?

It depends on your surgeon. My surgeon gave me a "checklist." He required a cardiology clearance, pulmunologist clearance with sleep study and rheumatologist because I have lupus. Typically, the primary care doc needs to write a letter of support and provide a five-year weight history (sometimes). My cardiologist then required a stress test and the sleep test took a few weeks to set up. I also had some blood work and a barium swallow (radiology) on my checklist. I pushed through the appointments, but it still took from May through October to get all of the work-up done. So, just get that surgeon's requirements, get the insurance requirements and start making appointments! Best wishes on your journey! It will go faster than you think, although it won't feel too fast while you are in it!

By the way, my insurance required six months of nutrition counseling (or weight loss effort) and I saw my surgeon's nutritionist once a month while I was going through the checklist. Your insurance may require six months or three months, but that is a good think to check out! That will give you an idea of how many months it will take - at least!

I don't think there is an average - it really depends on your insurance and your surgeon's requirements.