Okay, I had my first appointment at Emory on October 23. My insurance requries a 3 month supervised diet.

I go back to the surgeon on November 26, which is about a month after the first visit. That means one month is done with the diet, two more to go.

That means at December 2x appointment, I will finish month two and January 2x appointment, I will finish month three.

At that point, I should be able to send off insurance information and have surgery shortly after, sometime in February or early March..

BUT why are people telling me that a 3 month supervised diet actually means 4 months? And why did the front desk lady say that my supervised diet doesn't start until my second appointment?

x

Three 30 day periods of supervised weight loss require 4 visits. Even though they weigh you at the first one, the time before it wasnt supervised.

Okay, but by what you are both saying, I am right and not the lady at the front desk?

October - visit 0

November - visit 1

December - visit 2

January - visit 3 and finished, move on to filing insurance and pre-op diet for surgery...

The worst part of this whole journey is that you have to jump through the hoops of the insurance companies. The doctor office is at their mercy too!

I had my first appointment on June 9, 2013 and I was sleeved on September 12, 2013. I was lucky because I had actually been working with a dietitian for 6 months prior to looking into the sleeve. I still had to wait and they counted the 6 months as my medically supervised weight loss period.

Good luck and I promise it is worth the wait and whatever hoops you have to jump through I could not be happier!!!!

x

Was October your initial consultation or a designated "diet" appointment?

I'm not sure. It was my first appointment at the surgeon's office, but the doctor said the diet started that day, front desk said next month, which was where the confusion came in at.

I saw my PCP on the same day, and he is taking notes of my diet, excersize and everything insurance requires to, so I have a second doctor doing the supervision at the same time incase something happens. If I knew that insurance required it to be explicitly listed as being on a supervised diet, my PCP would have been writing it in my files for the last year, because I've been doing it with him, but I only see him every 2 months, not every month, and insurance requires monthly visits, so now doing that with him too.

Of which of course this may not matter, because there is a giant possibility that my insurance is going to change in January because of the whole Obamacare/my father changing jobs/I turn 26 in July.

x

The only thing that would make you wrong is if that first October visit only counts as the initial consultation. Sadly, that could be the case.

I am in the waiting period too and I think the only way to deal with this stage is to set aside any sense of urgency to get to the procedure. That's what I am doing, anyway.

Just try to relax and know that each day you are becoming more and more prepared for what's to come and are one day closer to that new stage in your life.

ETA: Have you checked to see if your state is covering WLS under Obamacare? Since you are turning 26 are you saying you will have to purchase insurance before getting the sleeve?

Yeah, I'm trying to look at it that way and I've already made changes for the better, I just worry because of the coming insurance situation. I talked to the doctor about it that day, and he was the one that said it started, but then the front desk upset me. I think I'll still be okay since my PCP also started making notes the same day, but there's not much I can do except know that even if I change insurance, as long as I still do it within a year, these three supervised months will still be good and not have to be repeated.

EDIT: just saw your adding about Obamacare. I'm in Georgia. Georgia didn't take on ANYTHING helpful. I am unemployed right now, so I don't have to have Obamacare, and should be eligible for Medicare, BUT Georgia denied coverage. They also denied coverage for WLS, so even if I have to get it if I find a job soon, it's not covered. O_O

EDIT2: I should just move! LOL

x

I have insurance (individual, not through work) but it doesn't cover WLS. I decided to have VSG last winter, and had previously been saving for a new truck. So I researched surgery in Mexico, nixed the new truck (a 1999 F150 isn't so bad ) and have continued to save up. I just scheduled a surgery date for Dec 20, which gives me 9 days off work over what would be my Christmas vacation to recover. So essentially I've gone through way more than a 3-6 month waiting period the insurance company would require....For those self-payers, where there's a will there's a way, and for those covered by insurance, be grateful and patient.

BTW, I've spent the last 9 months "preparing" for my post op life... Adding a new "habit" each month....Cut out caffeine, started taking vitamins, not drinking with meals, making healthy food choices, and researching the h..ll out of this procedure.