just_Rach83

My mom had gastric sleeve 8 years ago and my aunt had gastric bypass 12 years ago. My mom wasn’t very successful due to underlying health issues that didn’t make themselves known until she was post-op. My aunt lost over 150 pounds. I researched for years and would bounce back and forth with the idea to go forth with it and I’d always back out. I finally decided that for my health and my children’s sake, this would be the best option for me. I would have mental talks, and journal about my ideas and thoughts on surgery, the pros and cons, what I needed to do to prepare myself and my family. I talked it over with the adults in my family and then talked it over with my kids, because it will affect them as well. When I realized the support I have that will improve my success rate, I couldn’t back down this time.

inhave one more dietary appointment before I can schedule my surgery and I couldn’t be more excited. Yes, it’s scary because it’s such a major surgery and many things in your life will change. I have two of my friends who now are going through the process as well and we will be each other’s coach and accountability partners.

Remember, those leaps thats are the scariest are usually the ones most worth it.

Every surgeon/office/insurance is different, so I’m not sure that anyone here can give you concrete answers. My office provided a folder with all of the information about moving forward, checklists of what is to be done and when, and lists of providers who can help me with those things - like psychological exams, etc. My folder was specific to my insurance plan (I am *** and it was the only office that my insurance works with in my area, so they see a lot of people with my insurance). If I were you, I would ask which procedure is recommended by your physician and discuss why you have your preference. I would also discuss seeing any additional doctors that are not required by insurance to make sure everything is planned out and safe. I had to see a vascular specialist. You may want to discuss COVID plans too. My office switched people to outpatient instead of overnight stay if they were young, which I would not have agreed to, because you have to go the ER then if something is wrong, and who wants to sit in a waiting room full of potential COVID patients when they just got out of surgery? Other than that, you will probably have questions as they go through the material during the appointment. If not, most offices are great at answering questions if they come up later. Your success is their success, so I have heard more often than not that doctors/teams are extremely responsive (mine definitely was/is). Bring a notepad to take notes just in case. Good luck!

So I completed my initial webinar tonight to move forward with gastric sleeve. My mom had it years ago but with her multitude of health problems, it didn’t work for her.

My next step is to get my referral and insurance coverage verified. What should I expect on my first visit? What specific questions should I ask? I know the procedures, the diet and risks. I just feel like I’m missing something.