After your fist consultation how soon was your surgery? My consultation is on the 8th I'm hoping to start my liquid diet the following day and surgery the next week. Fingers crossed!!!

Most insurances and doctors require at least a 2 to 3 month time period before surgery where u have to meet with the dietician and start changing old habits. So if this is your first appointment with the surgeon then you may have a while until the surgery.

I have tricare so they made me do 6 months of supervised diet and exercise before I got approved to see a surgeon. Thanks for the information

My initial consultation is next Monday the 6th...my goal is to have surgery by Halloween.

My consultation is on the 8th, I hope yours go well!!!

Thanks CBRKS!! Make sure you let us know your timeline! My fingers are crossed for a speedy trip to the O.R. for you and me!!

Thank you sunshine!!! I'm just ready for a new life as a fit and in shape women

Well i started in Dec first surgeon visit them i had to do a 6 month diet and I finished in June and scheduled my surgery for July 17 2012 . it came and went to fast

I have tricare . Started April 26 had surgery July 19 . I didn't really have a supervised diet but I did had to see nutritionist 3 times (first time counted) .

August 18

I see my surgeon on the 6th also I'm hoping for October too i have 1 more way in before they can submit to insurance so I'm hoping surgeon will start my pre op testing

I'm a self pay no insurances wonder if I will have to do a 3 or 6 mth . Is that normally a insurances thing iv never thought to ask. I have in mind to have mine done sep 30 or oct 8th . That's when I will have all the money saved up and ready to go

I'm a self pay no insurances wonder if I will have to do a 3 or 6 mth . Is that normally a insurances thing iv never thought to ask. I have in mind to have mine done sep 30 or oct 8th . That's when I will have all the money saved up and ready to go

I had to call and ask right after I posted lol I won't have to as soon as I do the testing I'm good to set what ever date is best for me

Mine will be less than 2 months from initial consult to surgery. Good Luck!!

Wow that's great! I didn't think my insurance would cover mine at first and when I met with my surgeon he said whether I went through insurance or not he requires all of his patients to do the 3 months. But when I found out my insurance would pay (for some of it at least lol) it worked out that I had to do the 3 months for them anyway. Surgery is set for a week from today!

I have Tricare too... I didn't have to do a supervised diet but that may be because I am Tricare North/Standard. I had my first consult June 13th and my surgery is set for August 9th.

What took so long is that at the consult, the surgeon/nurses are going to ask you to get labs done (to make sure you are physically able to withstand the beating your body is going to take from surgery and to make sure you are currently getting the nutrients you need) and see their nutritionist (because the diet after the surgery is graduated back into normal solid food from liquids over a 1 to 2 month time span and they need to know you understand that... also that you understand various problems that may arise if you don't get the nutrients that you need). Also, with Tricare you need to have a referral from a Psychologist the specializes in weight loss surgery (they basically determine if your expectations are realistic with the surgery, if you are emotionally stable to handle all the the changes, and to make sure you don't have any alcohol or drug addictions). After all that (assuming that your surgeon doesn't require any other classes), the surgeon's office needs to send in an insurance "package" with all of the classes, referral letters, and BMI in order to get approval from the insurance company. WLS is one of those surgeries that requires PRIOR approval and they won't cover it if it is just billed to the company after the fact without that approval. Tricare is quick with the approval but slow with sending out the proper documentation to make the approval official to the surgeon's office... mine took 2 days to approve but 2 weeks to get the documentation to my surgeon for the go ahead. PLUS you have to realize these surgeons are booked weeks in advance (and sometimes months in advance) for the surgery... I was lucky and there was a cancellation for two weeks after my surgeon got the approval.

I don't think 2 months of a wait is that bad... but I don't know of anyone that got their surgery in less than a month (and they were all self pay!!!).

Good luck at your consultation and keep us posted... And if you already knew all this information, sorry. I tend to go overboard and give waaaaaayyyy to much information sometimes.