I have been looking through this forum for a while and it seems that everyone knows their surgery dates months in advance and have already met with their surgery Dr. and now I'm thinking I'm somehow behind. I have been referred by my PCP and went to the Options seminar and now have two Options classes left this Friday and next, since I'm hoping to get my surgery at UCLA I went to their seminar last Saturday but still haven't met with the surgeon nor do I have the slightest idea when my surgery will be. Oh and I did my blood work, all is normal so I don't get it. One thing that scared me that I didn't know was that the titanium staples stay in your stomach forever kind of a scary thought but it doesn't deter me. I just wonder why I never came across that fact in my research......

I have been looking through this forum for a while and it seems that everyone knows their surgery dates months in advance and have already met with their surgery Dr. and now I'm thinking I'm somehow behind. I have been referred by my PCP and went to the Options seminar and now have two Options classes left this Friday and next, since I'm hoping to get my surgery at UCLA I went to their seminar last Saturday but still haven't met with the surgeon nor do I have the slightest idea when my surgery will be. Oh and I did my blood work, all is normal so I don't get it. One thing that scared me that I didn't know was that the titanium staples stay in your stomach forever kind of a scary thought but it doesn't deter me. I just wonder why I never came across that fact in my research......

Everyone is different I still don't know my date either but i am going thru pre-op clearence. I went to my sem. first then I had to call and get my appt. and now i am waiting for my clearence. Once I have gotten all my clearence then I can call the surgeon for my second appt. and I started this in Oct 2010.

Good Luck

the process to being approved is a long one in my opinion. Your insurance company has their requirements, and the doctor has their requirements. My doctor required more testing than my insurance, so I found myself rip-running from facility to facility to get tested/examined. On my second appt. with the surgeon, she gave me a date w/o being approved. They do this to keep their schedule in tact with their patients schedule. she also knew the way insurance companies worked and said i would most likely get approved. I knew 2 months before when my surgery date was.

i wouldn't fret, sometimes people get their date and their surgery is two weeks after getting approved, so that's a blessing as well. much luck to you in your journey