Wait Time....

cutiern · April 25, 2006

hi ya'll,

I've decided to go with dr. spivak and i'm going to be a self-pay patient. I was wondering how long do i have to wait after attending the seminar to schedule the surgery? Do i have to go to a PCP (i don't have one...b/c i never go to the doctor!) to get clearnace and to have tests done?

thanks,

cutiern

JanetC · April 25, 2006

Welcome to LBT! And congrats on picking a surgeon!

It depends on the doctor for wait time... the smallest I've heard of is 7-10 days from seminar to surgery.

Most doctors require some form of pre-op testing or consultations: psychologist, nutritionist, physical therapist, upper GI and/or endoscopy, etc. That varies from doctor to doctor & the time between appointments of course varies as well.

And some doctors have a pre-op diet for a number of days -- ours was 14.

Good luck! Hope it all goes smoothly for you!

Iluvharleys · April 25, 2006

It depends on the doctor himself. I was self pay, so I didn't have to go though all the pre-testing. It's usually the insurance companies that require the additional testing. I had to have updated blood tests though. I also had to make sure my yearly girly testing was up to date too. Good Luck!

GayleTX · May 22, 2006

If you have not had physicals lately is would be wise to go thru one before surgery just as a safety precaution.

cutiern · May 22, 2006

hey!!

i didn't have to have anything done! dr spivak concurred that i'm pretty healthy and no pre-testing was needed. i had my seminar/consult with him on May 3rd...approved for loan on May 4th..and my surgery date is set for june 5th!!! their advise to me pre-op was to follow a low-carb diet. i'm trying really hard!!:phanvan

thanks for ya'lls advise! i'll let you know how everything goes.

cutiern:D

HeatherGurl · May 22, 2006

Congrats!!! I was just about to reply that since you are self pay... you most likely would be good to go soon!

Best of Luck to you!

Jachut · May 22, 2006

It depends on the doctor I think. I cheated. I had an initial consult and my doc said to come back in about a month when I'd thought about it and attended an information seminar and give him my final decision (great, a $140 consultation for something I could have told him the first time I stepped into his office). When I went back he gave me referrals for the blood tests, the respiratory function test etc and told me when I'd had those, to call and schedule the surgery. I went straight out to the front desk and scheduled the surgery, THEN I organised all the tests. They were completed only about 5 days before my surgery, lol, but I wanted in before Christmas becuase I was impatient but also becuase it suited me time wise. So my wait time between the consultation and surgery was about 3 weeks.