Hello, I am new!

Can you tell me what to expect as far as pre-op testing, insurance and wait times? I do not want to pester my doctors office to death but I feel like I am being forgotten in all the patients they have!

Here is my progress to date:

7/21 Seminar & Consult w/ MD

7/24 Meet with NUT

7/27 sleep Study

7/30 Psyc Interview

Now what is going on? How long should I wait before I call? I am the most impatient person on the face of the earth! AND what is next?

Also, my bmi was right at 40 and I am feeling really motivated to start adjusting to my new life and cutting out Diet Cokes and eating more protien and smaller amounts. Since I already have my start weight recorded am I okay to loose and fall under 40?

Thank you!

Have you contacted your insurance to see what your coverage is and what their requirements are? That was the first thing I did, even before going to any seminar. This way I knew what to expect, which doctors and hospitals were in- network, etc.

Yes! I confirmed that it was covered. The insurance company (BCBSIL) event sent me the policy. There were only a few requirments: 40 BMI, NUT and Psyc. That was it! or if under 40 BMI 2 co-morbids.

I was told by our nutritionist not to worry about losing weight in the pre-op phase because they go by what you weighed when you first came into the surgeon's office. I was told there was even someone who came in and lost 60 lbs waiting for surgery and only had about 25 more to go and they still were able to do the surgery.

I do not want to pester my doctors office to death but I feel like I am being forgotten in all the patients they have!

kiddo

you are his patient too. doesn't sound like you are approved officially yet - need some paperwork to be done after you psych exam.

you are not pestering his office

dr.s office needs to help you in a timely manner

thats like office people saying sheepishly to you "i'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind paying last months bill?

you are anxious to "get this party started" so you can have WLS

good luck

kathy

I didn't see an appointment with the surgeon. I don't know if every office is the same but I know when I was scheduled for my phyc evaluation, nut and the other appointments they also set up the one with the surgeon.

If I was you I would've called 2 days ago. You don't know if your dr. is going to require you to do more testing and take even longer to get your surgery date. IMO.

Please, do NOT feel like you are pestering them. This is your health care, and you do have some rights and responsibilities. Trust me, I was on the phone at least 3 times a day for the last week or so between the doctors office and the insurance people trying to get things moved along and pushed through. Did I feel like I was crawling up people's butts? Yea, kind of. Did it get things done in a much more timely manner than it likely otherwise would have? Definitely. You have to advocate for yourself, because there are very few people in the office (if there are any) who will do it for you. It doesn't hurt to make a phone call just to touch base with them and see where things are at. Speaking from the point of view of someone who works in health care, sometimes things get kind of crazy and people can use a gentle reminder that you're there. If nothing else, it shows that you're involved in how your journey is going to go and are motivated.