WeGettingThere

Trust me I was the same way at first but just need to take it one day at a time and do everything they ask as soon as possible

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For me it's been 6 months and have my surgery date for Feb 6

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Hah! Say it 3 times fast!
TBH, you're super lucky with the 3 visits. That time flies AND you just have one more to go. You'll be in the ER in no time

I went and talked to my doctor about it and it was a done deal 8 months later which seemed like an eternity. Of course when you look back, it was nothing.

I'm still in the pre-op process, but my insurance is Anthem Blue Cross (California - even though I live in Texas). My only requirement is to complete 6 monthly dietician visits and a psych eval although we'll be doing an EGD (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) to check for any existing stomach issues and H. Pylori. My first surgeon meeting on 12/03/18 counts as my first dietician visit so I should be ready to submit by early May. Not sure how long the wait will be from approval to the O.R., so I'm curious about that as well.

Mine was almost exactly 6 months from my first appointment to my surgery date. 6 months is what my Cigna insurance required.

I'm obsessing over this right now. I've had a first doctor visit Jan 10th and did an overnight oximetry test last night at home. On Jan 29th I have 3 appointments. First is a consult with the surgeon and metabolic testing. Second is a DXA scan and third is a nutrition consult. At the first appointment I had, I expressed my hope to get this done ASAP since my line of work gets extremely busy after March. I called my insurance Co. (Capital Blue/BCBS) and asked two different times to find out if there was a 6 month medically documented weight loss needed and I was told both times that it didn't appear so and that it depends on the surgeon. I feel like it could go either way based on the wording in my policy. This is snipped directly from my policy:
"The patient must have documented failure to respond to >6 months of conservative measures for weight reduction prior to consideration of bariatric surgery, and these attempts must be reviewed by the practitioner prior to seeking approval for the surgical procedure. Some centers require active participation in a formal weight reduction program that includes frequent documentation of weight, dietary regimen, and exercise."

I have almost 2 years of documented weight loss attempts and a whole list of things I've tried. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that it's enough, but won't be shocked if it's not.

From submitting my paperwork to apply for WLS program to surgery 7 months. FEP BCBS insurance. 3 months of medically supervised diet. It took long for me because of availability of appointments to see necessary providers.

I started the process in December 2016 and had surgery October 2018. I work for the state of West Virginia and our insurance required a 12 month medically supervised diet and 10% of your original weight lost. Took me more like 20 months to lose it. Once that was done, the pre-auth, denial, appeal, approval, labs, psych eval, nutrition classes took about three months all together. So if you don't count my diet period, only a few months. Hope yours goes fast! Mine was so drawn out that I had surgeons change in the practice I was going to, lol!

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From consult to surgery, it took just under 7 months. My employer has a custom plan through BCBS. The amount of time is mainly determined by if your insurance or surgeon has a required supervised diet program. That should give you an idea of about how long it will take you.

It was about ten months for me, as my insurance required me to go through four months of sessions with a dietitian. There was also a lot of testing and education programs I had to go through. Good luck!

This is more dependent upon your insurance carrier, not state.
May appointment with surgeon, December surgery.

I’ve heard that BMI isn’t really a good indicator. Most BMIs are unrealistic. Does anyone else have other scales?

Listen guys, I knew I wanted this surgery for a long time. I know I want to lose weight so that I'm not diabetic anymore.
I went to my second weight management class last week and filled out some paperwork.
One of the questions asked what our goal weight was.
I have no freaking clue! I'm about to be 22, and I'm a 5 foot 2 female.
I weigh 205 pounds now. No clue what I would be happy with?
How did you all decide your goal weight? Did you let your doctor decide for you?
Thanks

Woah... Thanks everyone. I never thought about my goal weight until I saw the question on the page.
Now I can't get it outta my head!

Listen guys, I knew I wanted this surgery for a long time. I know I want to lose weight so that I'm not diabetic anymore.
I went to my second weight management class last week and filled out some paperwork.
One of the questions asked what our goal weight was.
I have no freaking clue! I'm about to be 22, and I'm a 5 foot 2 female.
I weigh 205 pounds now. No clue what I would be happy with?
How did you all decide your goal weight? Did you let your doctor decide for you?
Thanks

I don't know what my final goal weight is. I set my first goal as losing 60% of my excess weight, which is average for the sleeve. Once I reach that, I'll see how I feel at each 10lbs or so. I know myself well enough to know that if I set it low and don't achieve it, I would feel like a failure. So, I set my mindset that if I lose 60% EWL, I'll be significantly more healthy than I am now and, while still fairly overweight, will be happy with that.

I just had my second weight management class! Looking for friends who might get their surgeries in the spring! I'm new here.
I live in the Bronx, but any friends would be accepted lol