I went to my first consultation with my surgeon and he mentioned the nutrition and psych visit, but I am reading about everyone getting ugi, sleep studies, cxr, and other testing. I do know that I have to have another visit with him before the procedure. Should I be worried that he has not ordered additional test, should I call to speak with his nurse with questions, or am I jumping the gun?

Every doc is different. I was self pay and I only had to have an EKG, breathing test & labs. More tests are ordered if the doc wants them or if you have a history of heart disease or other serious conditions.. My doc said I could have the EGD test to see if there was a hernia, but he said it wouldn't matter if he knew because he would repair it during surgery anyway. However, there are lots of reasons the doc may order additional tests. It all depends on the doctor

I only needed the nutrition and psch eval, a blood test and an endoscopy. At the surgery center I am going to, additional tests are required if there are pre-existing conditions. It seems like each surgeon requires different things. They will probably provide you with a list of required tests closer to the surgery. I think its good that you are thinking about these things...it is better to be prepared and not worry. If you think calling the office will make you feel better than you should do that

You do the psych eval and nutrition before the tests. I only have to do the tests after I was approved for surgery and had a surgery date.

As you know, every doctor is different, and some require things others don't. For me, the calendar got in the way. The longest waits I had were due to the busy work schedule between my surgeon and I, and the Thanksgiving holiday period. But it still was quick.

My surgeon manages the bariatric surgery department of a very busy Seattle hospital. He has a psych, nutritionist, physician, insurance coordinator, and several medical support nurses right there on staff. I had four back-to-back evaluation appointments all on the same day, right there in his office. When they were done, I had completed everything I needed except an endoscopy and blood work. That was done within two weeks or so. I was approved for surgery within about three weeks of meeting the surgeon for the first time. It went very fast.

My timeline went like this:

Consult Referral from PCM to WL Surgeon 19-Aug-2010

Attended mandatory WL Seminar 25-Aug-2010

Four Appointments and First Consult with Surgeon and Office Staff 29-Sep-2010

Lab Blood Work 1-Oct-2010

Endoscopy 14-Oct-2010

Surgery Request Submitted to Insurance 15-Oct-2010

Surgery Approval Received from Insurance 20-Oct-2010

Consult - Ventral Hernia Repair (to be done during band surgery) 16-Nov-2010

WL Surgeon Second Consult/Sign Surgery Papers 16-Nov-2010

Lap Band Surgery 6-Dec-2010

Achieved 100 Pounds Lost 3-Jul-2011 (209 days after surgery)

Dave, doing the Happy Dance...

The psyche and nutritional consult are part of the approval process primary done for documentation for insurance companies.

Once approved and a surgery date is scheduled, THEN the doctor may order pre-surgical tests like labs and xrays to make sure you are medically healthy enough to survive surgery.