OilSooner

So I get a call yesterday that my surgeon wants me to have an endoscopy in the next few days in prep for surgery. Is this normal? If so, what is required as far as a time committment off work? I guess I could get one late in the day, then be back to work the next day. But, it would be a bummer not to be able to eat anything all day.

I def agree that its the smoking (former smoker here). Also, getting into a support group is a great idea. It will fill some of that free time and provide you with positive ways to deal with the problems you are experiencing now. Best of luck!

Well, I'm not real sure. I mean, I know there is the two week pre op diet, and then insurance approval, which could take a month. So, theres 6 weeks tops, and I think the meetings with the psych and what not as well as paperwork would comprise the last two weeks. So, thats 8 weeks. If the insurance should give a pre approval in 1 week or less, I would guess that the surgery date would be two weeks after that (preop diet) which would put total time at 5-6 weeks. I think its all an estimate really.

Thanks for the encouragement, and best of luck to you guys too!

It went really well, and he said I am a good candidate for the sleeve. He also said it was great that I was so well informed (thanks to this site!). Now, I have to get the psych, nut, and exercise eval (which should all be scheduled on the same day), then insurance pre approval, then preop diet. The surgeon said I should be able to get a surgery date within two months. Yay for me!

I'm also BMI of 40, and people dont think I am big enough to have the surgery. Even my parents who, while they wont say so, dont respond if I say something about it, so I know they dont think I am big enough. Oh well, like we say, we are doing it for our own health. And, at least my wife is supportive. And, I know my daughter will be glad I did when she gets old enough to understand what happened and why it happened. Also, I know I will really start to get scared once I get a surgery date, and def the day of. I've already told my wife that its her job to remind me why I am doing this and to gently coax me into the car the day of the surgery!

Yeah, I plan to work the Sunday before, then take off Friday for surgery. I will be in the hospital overnight Friday night, then drive home Saturday (15 minute drive). I hope to be able to go back to work on Monday, but if that doesnt happen then it doesnt. The problem is that all the snow we got really ate into my PTO time, and I only have two weeks for the entire year left. If I take a whole week, I'll only have one week left for the year. That would be a total bummer, but I will do it if I have to. We'll just see how I feel and how it goes I guess....but I'm gonna get up and go to work if I feel it is at all possible. All I do is sit at a computer anyway, so I think it could be done if I am only in moderate pain.

Thanks for the insight, Doc. The less experienced Dr is board certified in surgery, but I didnt see a certification in bariatrics in my online search. I plan to ask him about that in my one-on-one with him Thursday. I want to find a way to be tactful about inquiring into his experience level. As far as my insurance, its BCBS (Empire Blue) that I have through my employer (a major contractor for the gov't). My insurance does require psych eval, nutritionist eval, physical eval, doc approval etc., but changed their policy to exlude a required 6 month Dr supervised diet as of this year (EDIT: Here is the exact language in the policy, and notice they removed the length of non surgical attempts, as well as PCP documentation: The individual must have actively participated in non-surgical methods of weight reduction; these efforts must be fully appraised by the physician requesting authorization for surgery ). I was really happy about that. Oh, and my work also offers Aetna, which is MUCH cheaper, but their coverage and "bucket" scheme was not attractive to me. Of course, management was trying to get everyone on Aetna (cheaper for employer) and they brought in the guy that was working the hard sell from Aetna to get people to switch (Glen Garry anyone?), but myself and many others stayed with BCBS which we've had for years. Yes, the premiums are high, but the insurance is top notch when it comes to work needing to be performed at the hospital level. EDIT: Added verbatim language. Also, the policy requires a BMI of 40 or a BMI of 35 with ONE co-morbidity. I feel thats pretty lenient as well.

I know it will vary a bit from person to person, but for those that have a desk job, how fast were you able to go back to work? If you get the surgery on Friday, is going back to work Monday out of the question?

Thanks for all the great responses. The nurse for the inexperienced Dr called yesterday to go over some information with me prior to my consult on Thurs, and I spoke to her about the concerns I had. She said that the Dr. had gone through a surgical residency, as well as a bariatric residency, and was well qualified. She was very nice about it. She also said that since my insurance doesnt require a 6 month dr supervised diet that I should be able to get surgery within 6 weeks. I really like that. I still plan to go to the information session for the more experienced place on Monday evening. The one thing I seem to have against this place is that they are strict about the 6 month doc supervised diet, and I dont have this. I have dieted on my own forever, but it was never dr supervised. Also, my insurance doesnt require the dr supervised diet, so I dont think it should be in the way of me getting surgery. I really dont want to wait 6 months, as that will give me more time to change my mind. Finally, on the Mexico option, thats just not for me personally. I really want to get someone that is close to where I live, but thats just a personal decision.

Good call. I am going to call the original place and talk to them about the experience of the surgeon there. The good thing about the original place is that they are located at a hospital, thus they have a psychologist, nutritionist, exercise person, sleep study center, etc all on staff/in the same place. And, they said you could get the psych eval, nutritionist, EKG, and lab work all in the same day to be more convienent. So, that is a plus. Another downside of this facility is that they charge a $695 fee to get you into the program which insurance would most likely not cover. The second (better?) place only charges $25, which they call a paper processing fee.

Well, I just made a phone call, and apparently, while the other much more well known place doesnt have it listed on thier website, they do the sleeve as well. I told the lady that answered the phone and told me they did the sleeve that they should put that on the website, as not telling you that could drive business elsewhere. So, I paid my $25 registration fee and will be attending an informational meeting at the better place Monday night. Pretty satisfied with that! :thumbsup:

I feel so much better after your post, feedyoureye. If the sleeve is much easier to perform than RNY, then thats a HUGE plus!

PM sent

I def prefer a surgeon with more experience, and the other facility is much more well known, and the surgeon is very experienced and well reccommended. But (theres always a but!), he doesnt do the sleeve. So, the choices are get an experienced dr., and get the band.... or get an inexperienced dr., and get the sleeve. And, I want the sleeve, not the band. It's a very tough call. Thanks for your repsonse, lilmissdiva!

There are two facilites that offer Bariatric Surgery in my town (Tulsa, OK), and only one of them offers the sleeve. I went to the info session for that one last night, and came away with questions. This was at one of the three major hospitals here (St. Johns), and they have just started a Bariatric Services and Weight Loss Center there. The program (staff, doctors, facilities, etc) are all brand new. In fact, this appeared to be the first info session they had put on (they were asking things that seemed to point to that, i.e. things that could better the session in the future). Also, the surgeon (they only have one at this time) is just out of residency, and appears to have specialized in RNY surgery (he said this is what he had done the most of). I really want to get the sleeve, and this is the only place that has it. The other place is not even officially affilliated with a hospital (though they use one of the other major hospitals in town). Do you think its safe to go with a new program and a young surgeon? It has me a little nervous, but I want the sleeve so I cant decide whether to stick with it. PS, the other place offers the band and RNY, but no sleeve. Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the replies so far, and I guess I should have mentioned that I am a male, which puts my current BMI at 40.5, which is right on the border, as I suspected. I dont think there is any chance of me attaining a "normal" weight (the BMI calculator says "healthy weight" is 155, but I dont think I could ever get that small....175-180 would be comfortable for me) without surgery, so that is my main motivating factor. Plus, I have sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and diabetes runs rampant in my family.

Well, I am 5-8 to 5-9 and weight about 268. I think I want to get the band, but am not sure. I know I weigh WAY too much, and know that I have tried every diet I have ever heard of, with the most success coming from traditional diet and exercise (lasted about 5 months, and I went from about 255 to 220). Now, I weigh more than when I started that diet (2 years ago) and am constantly gaining. I def feel lost with my weight problem (I think I am a binge eater/emotional eater/bored eater), but I dont know if the problem is bad enough to warrant surgery. I dont know if the Doctors are going to say "You're not nearly big enough for bariatric surgery." I mean, I would like to get the surgery if it was available, but I dont know that I will be a candidate. Anyway, I have insurance so that is a plus, and I am scheduled to go to a meeting Thurs night to get a consultation at the local hospital. So, just looking for advice from people who know more about it than I do. Thanks in advance.