Question:
How long does a person usually have to wait for the Dr to schedule surgery?
My insurance approved it right away and the surgeon seems to think I am too eager to have the surgery and will not schedule. Is this normal? — annette N. (posted on December 30, 2002)
December 30, 2002
Hi! - All surgeons are different but I got a surgery date on my first
appointment. Tracy
— tracyr
December 30, 2002
Be persistent! Talk to the doctor's nurse or receptionist if you can't get
an answer from him. Also, follow-up with the doctor and ask him if there's
any other "paperwork" he might need so you can get your date
scheduled. Again, be persistent!
— dolphins94
December 30, 2002
Everybody is anxious that comes in for weight loss surgery, what is he
nuts!?!? He might be saying that because he has a lengthy battery of
tests and consults lined up for you, or he may just have a very long
waiting list for surgery. Ultimately, if he's not giving you the answers
you want, go elsewhere :-) You got your approval. It will be fairly easy
to just switch it onto another surgeon.
— thumpiez
December 30, 2002
From the time of my initial consult till surgery was about 6 weeks.
— Valerie H.
December 31, 2002
I received my appointment the day they received my approval code from
insurance. Surgery was once month later. Of course your excited! Geez,
if you were missing a leg and they were going to give you a new one,
wouldn't you be excited? I don't see the difference here! Maybe you could
point that out to him. If that doesn't work, I'd seriously be seeking a
doctor who better understands me and my needs. Nothing worse than a
post-op with a bad doc/patient relationship.
— [Deactivated Member]
December 31, 2002
It took me 1 year from the time of my initial consult until my surgery. At
the initial consult, the surgeon sent me for some additional tests which
took a long time.
At my monthly support meeting, we had a guest speaker who is one of the
prominent WLS surgeons in our area. He told us that they deliberately make
folks wait until they have a good understanding of the lifestyle changes
that will need to take place after surgery. This improves outcomes. WLS is
not a solution, it is only a tool to assist in weight loss. It is important
for every patient to realize that you MUST change your eating habits after
WLS. I read here about a death yesterday of a 1 year post-op who died of
kidney failure because he was no longer following the eating and drinking
rules that are dictated by WLS. It always breaks my heart when I hear those
stories. It's also discouraging when I hear stories of folks who are eating
inappropriately (lots of carbs, low protein) and complaining that the
surgery "isn't working for them". Use this time to ensure that
you have a good appreciation of the changes you will have to make to ensure
long term success and health!
— JoAnn B.
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