I got approved way back in August, of all the things that need to be done I've only finished psych eval and nutrition eval. At this rate I'll be lucky if we're ready by next summer, every appoint I'm scheduled for takes weeks to over a month. Even my visits with psychologist and nutritionist were just to fill out the necessary form and move on to next appointment. Aren't they supposed to explore your reasons for considering surgery or some details of weight problems? I'm finding there is a total disconnect between each eval and how it plays into the surgeon. This is not going as I expected and all it's going to take is one thing going wrong and I'm through with this. Has anyone else had a difficult time to get to surgery? Any suggestions? I'm part of a company health group and they are the only ones who will cover the surgery.

when i started on the road to surgery i had so many health issues blocking my way that i felt very disjointed from the surgery team. but as my health issues resolved and i started the psych eval. and nutritionist eval. i felt a bit more a part of the process. talking with the lead intake member he started to call me every other day making sure i was getting all the different labs and xrays etc. together. my pcp than made his report and had all the stuff needed by the surgeon. and than and only than did i begin to feel like i was having the surgery. i started on 9/11 and had surgery on 5/29/13. good luck to you

I started Oct., 2011 and had the surgery the end of July, 2012. My hospital was taken over by a big Boston one so new doctor, new dietitian, new staff. Don't give up. I am thrilled with my results so far.

I know the weight took years to put on and will take a long time to take off. I figured 2 years to reach a decent weight/size.

Good luck.

When I went through this, it was up to me to get all these things accomplished...and any one eval that was over 6 months old was no good and had to be repeated...

they gave me a list of all the physicians they recommended, The rest was up to me...I did all this during my 6 month required pre=op diet....and I had to repeat my cardiology exam, but I do have a history in that area...

Your type of insurance can make it difficult, staying withing network, etc.....

Wait till the affordable care act kicks in....when the Dr. says you need a MRI, it can take 3 months to get in....at least that's what I'm being told from some patients from Canada...they come down here because of the better healthcare, soon to change.

Hi Vince, I was pretty frustrated this summer when I had made my decision but needed to go through the hoops. Big delay because I had to attend a mandatory info session to kick things off and those are only held every two months (live in a rural area). When I finally got the psych eval and nutritionist appointments (same day in my case) that seemed to trigger the rest and it went quickly from there. I was banded Tuesday -- whole process about five months. My insurance company had no requirements other than BMI. Best wishes to you!

I didnt have many issues with appointments but I got very stressed. First I was freaking out because I had to pay 4000 out of pocket and they wanted it paid off within 6 months and along with my other bills I just could not afford it, after I figured that out....2 weeks before my surgery date I found out that my job was switching insurance companies the day of my surgery!! I was a wreck because I thought anytime something good happened something else went wrong! But my doctor agreed to do the surgery a week earlier and everything turned out great! The stress is well worth it in the long run. When you start losing the weight you will believe it too