so, I am just starting this journey and with my insurance, I will have to participate in a weight loss program for 6 months. With that, it will be mid-July once I finish the supervised program and then I assume I will have to wait for approval from the insurance company. Anyone have to participate in this long of a program? how long after you completed it did you have to wait for the actual approval and surgery?

I have to admit that I have contemplated self pay rather than having to wait what sounds like it will be a year but I don't know that I can afford it. Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated

thanks

I live in Canada. I waited 4 years. Now it is a 7-10 year wait.....

It may seem like a long time, but it goes by fast. It's important to go through the process and learn all that you can to be best prepared for the changes ahead of you. Best of luck!

@ I only did 3 months but most insurance company's legally have 30 days to make a decision. Mine took 6..I think

Started the process in April, went through my 3 month doctor supervised diet and had surgery August 22. So about 4 months. I just lucked out because my doctor usually has a 6 week waiting period for surgery and he happened to have an almost immediate opening after I was approved.

Five months...then i had an emergency had to change the date twice....

Six months from first orientation meeting to surgery.

I was self pay in Mexico but still had to wait 6 months until I could schedule the time off (a whole week!) from work.

Having sleep apnea immediately qualified me for WLS. My insurance is bariatric friendly and I was approved 1 week after my initial consult with the doctor.

I thought it might be the universe trying to tell me something - When I called my ins. company to find out how to qualify for WLS, the lady I was speaking with was 1 year out from VSG surgery. Coincidence, I think NOT!

I had to wait 7 months. The approval takes awhile and that was with no diet restrictions like some people have for 6 months.! Take care

The process for me took 10 months. I had to do the 6-month supervised diet, plus wait for a surgery date.

I live in Canada. I waited 4 years. Now it is a 7-10 year wait.....

My goodness, where in Canada is the wait that long?? Poor you!

that 7-10 year wait is almost ungodly; especially if someone wanting to do it is literally going to die without the surgery. what a shame.

that 7-10 year wait is almost ungodly; especially if someone wanting to do it is literally going to die without the surgery. what a shame.

My parents have a good friend from Canada who has heart health issues. He actually travels to the US to see a cardiologist because the wait in Canada is so long when he has problems. He'd be dead by the time he got in to his regular doctor.

But get used to it folks....that's where we are headed with our national healthcare system. And that's just for the procedures the insurance companies will actually approve. If some pencil pushing bureaucrat doesn't think you need an MRI or myelogram CT to diagnose neurologic deficits in your neck or a fecal transplant to cure a C. diff infection or WLS surgery to cure obesity, then you aren't getting them. Unless you pay for everything yourself and prove they were necessary and successful, but then what's the point of insurance? Oh, yea, so the pencil pushing bureaucrat can get a paycheck!

My process was rather quick - 3 months from the first consultation to the time of surgery.

Edited January 15, 201511 yr by igotthis98

I started my process in June of 2013 and was banded in November, so about five months. I am impatient by nature and was going nuts with all those hoops to hurdle but in hindsight I realize how good it was for me to have that time to process everything. I got a notebook -- just one of those marble covered composition books kids use -- and took lots of notes, recorded all the appointments I had to do, pre-op and post-op thoughts, plus what I was feeling. Any fears or worries I had plus a big list of all the things I looked forward to once I lost weight. I also got a therapist to go through the process with me -- an objective third-party. We really worked on all the food issues and that was helpful for me. Breaking down behaviors, identifying triggers. It's not like I hadn't done all that before (I'm 53) but this time the self-honesty it took to make the decision to have weight loss surgery made a big difference. No more being a victim of this or that -- this time I was taking responsibility and ready to face myself in a new way. Also prior to surgery I upped my exercising. I didn't want to but I'm really glad I did as that gave me something to step right into after surgery. Good luck and you are in the right place for support. I am very grateful for this forum. If you stumble on any negativity I recommend just moving right along. Best wishes!