Newbie, made my 1st appt

Hi all. I've been lurking and researching for a while now and wanted to say hi. I made the appt today for my initial consultation with Dr Evanson. I'm a little scared as I don't know what the timeline or the chain of events is at this clinic. I understand the surgery and the risks but not what it takes to get there. Soo excited and scared at the same time.

Hello,

Welcome, and CONGRATS on taking the first step towards your new healthier life! It is an amazing journey, sometimes smooth, sometimes bumpy! Keep researching, reading and posting! Someone can help! I did not have my surgery through Dr E or his clinic, but many on here did, and I am sure they may post you some advice that may help you along your path! Just wanted to say hello and good luck to you!

Hugz Dawn

Where at in Indiana are you from?

We are having an ornament exchange on DEC 6th, you are welcome to join in and meet some of us and ask as many questions as you'd like! There is suppose to be 50+ in attendance, from pre-op to several years post-op, lots of advice, and  socialization! Hope to see/meet ya soon!

Welcome!! 

It is absolutely normal to feel what your feeling!  It's a major decision that will impact the rest of our lives!  Stick around, hopefully you will find education/support.  There is a great bunch of folks right here willing to pitch in and help most anytime!  Good luck on your journey!   

I am also in the same boat as you I went for my first Dr. visit a week ago and there is alot to do. I am feeling as if all of my friends are against it they tell me oh you are not that big. My husband was not really with it till he went with me to the Dr. visit and he now understands that it has to be done for me to feel better. For my insurance I have to see a Dr. for 6 months and WW does cont and I have a few months with them, you need to contact your Insurance carrier and find out what all is needed I have my Psych. consult in Dec and my first Dr. appt. for the 6 month next week. It takes alot, but you have to be willing to keep going....

Hi Ayreka
I love your name!!  What a cool way to spell it!!  Welcome and congratulations on taking a big step.  Please feel free to share your feelings, thoughts and fears. 
I love your picture too!
Looking forward to hearing more from you!

Welcome. I am having surgery with Dr. E on the 17th. I can give you a little insight. When you go for te initial consultation, you will initially be called back to get weighed, measured by the nurse. Then you sit and wait while everyone else has the same thing done. Finally you will all be called back into the large classroom. The insurance lady will give you a little insight into what is needed/required. Then the dietician gives a little talk. Then finally, Dr. E will come in and go over the various surgery options and their pros and cons. There will be time for questions and answers. Then anyone who is interested can have a one on one talk with Dr. E in a separate little office. You will discuss the surgery type you want, answer questions, talk about your medical issues, etc. You are told to be at the consultation at 4, we didn't leave until after 8. We were one of the last ones there though, so we were the last one taken back for our one on one.

Then you head out. Next step is scheduling a psychological evaluation at the bariatric center. This appt takes about 1 hour. Then approval from insurance is the next step. This step can take a long time for some people. I was very blessed in that it only took a few days for me. After you have been approved, the office will schedule your surgery, preop testing, and preop class (all day class). And you're on your way. I would highly recommend starting to go to support groups now if you can. They have them all over the area. You can get a list of dates/times from the bariatric center or I'd be happy to tell you where they are in your area. I gained a wealth of knowledge from mine.

Any other questions I didn't answer, please don't hesitate to ask. It's very exciting process, but lots to do before you actually have the surgery. Good luck!

Hi and welcome!  Dr. Evanson is doing my surgery on 12/9.  Melissa already gave you the rundown on what happens.  I'll just add a few things to what she said.

First of all - the consultation.  This is one time when it pays to arrive early.  I found out that you are called back for your one on one consult with Dr. E in the order in which you signed in before the group session.  A good thing to know if you have to pick kids up from sitter, etc.

Just to give you an idea - I had my consult with Dr. E on September 8th.  My surgery is December 9th.  Now, keep in mind that I wasn't required to do any kind of pre op diet for insurance, and that my insurance approved me within 24 hours of submission.  Your results may vary!

Do yourself a favor and schedule your psych exam immediately after you finish the one on one with Dr. E.  They'll schedule it for you at the desk.  That way you can get that out of the way quickly. 

The best way to communicate with Dr. E's staff is by e-mail.  They respond quite quickly.

Good luck to you, and check in here frequently.  There's always someone that can answer your questions.  Support groups are great also.  I love the groups I've attended.  There aren't any in December, though.  They won't start up again till January.

thank you all for the info and support. i think i'm really going to like it here.

You'll love it here.  We're so glad to have you with us!