How long was your "process"?

I am talking with a few friends of mine and wanted to know how long your process took? My journey was 18 months because of insurance complications/approvals and appeals and I have had a few friends say their process was 3 months... what did you have to do for your surgical journey? If you had a revision, did you have to go through the process again?

Four months because I needed that much to comply with the insurance company 6 month requirement for monthly physician meetings about weightloss (I had seen my PCP for the prior 2 months and discussed it).

Gotcha. Mine was similar, 6 months of supervised weight loss, there were hiccups and insurance made me start over a couple of times... I just used it as ammo to push through and prepare myself for the process.

My pre op journey was a long one - a year or even a little more. I honestly believe the insurance company was trying their best to NOT approve me for some reason or other. Finally my husband's company HR rep got involved - he was an executive there at that time - and they said yes.

An example of the "jumping through hoops" was that when I had a stress test, the results included the phrase "Limited capacity for exercise." Well, that was no news flash, right? I weighed 257 lbs at 53 years old! Insurance then required me to see a pulmanologist. The dr. looked things over and essentially said, "So....what do they need me to say for you?"

Other steps that I recall:

6 months medically supervised diet

Psychological exam

Sleep Study

Referral and medical history by primary care dr

Diet and weight history

Prelim visit with bariatric surgeon

Attend and document bariatric support meetings for a minimum of 4 times

YES! Very similar! my psychological exam (when compared to my current mental health pro) was a joke... Had no idea about weight-related issues... was a marriage and family therapist covered by insurance. So happy I found one who doesn't let me get away with anything! I did not have to do a sleep study, but I did have mild sleep apnea (no CPAP machine needed). I had to go through the medically supervised diet a couple of times because of appointment issues with my PCP/rescheduling and I had no control over. So, jumping through hoops, I feel allowed me to understand my own commitment better.

Dee, ultimately I remember being SO ready for surgery that my greatest fear was what I would do if I was NOT approved. I remember thinking that thought on vacation, on the trip that I use for my before picture.

Once the approval came, my dr. was wonderful and put me straight on her schedule.

About 10 days from Google to surgery. Those were the days when the surgery was relatively new and insurance was cadillac.

I self referred, did a psych test, dietitian and pre-OP testing in that time.

It worked well for me, but I feel today's stipulations somewhat sort the wheat from the chaff, although I'm still incredulous at how some people still manage to get surgery when they're clueless as to how to do this and think it's some kind of surgical miracle or magic.

I still regard it as a surgical miracle! I had to buckle down intensely, true dat, but still - in comparison to all of my other failed attempts, my RnY was a miracle for which I am incredibly grateful.

Good for you. I'll leave you to deal with all the people who have unreal expectations about the surgery doing all the work for them.

This reply of yours will be a lifeline for them

I agree! I have never been so focused in my life! Congrats on your success!