Hello, So this has been a long time coming.. Thursday i am going to a seminar to get the process started to have surgery..

i have been doing a lot of research with what comes along with surgery and etc.. i have Harvard Pilgrim Health Insurance .. i am hoping that my surgery will be covered..

can anyone give me some insight on what basically happens leading up to surgery?

i know there is a chance i might have to lose weight but, how long does the process usually take stuff like that..

i'm an extreme newbie to this.

thank you in advance.

The length of the process is determined by your insurance and your surgeon's requirements. Call your insurance, or check thier website to learn the specifics of your plan.

My seminar was over 5 years ago, so I don't recall details... But like with anything in this journey it will vary a lot from person to person.

I had to get an ultrasound, upper gi, bloodwork and pulmonary clearance before surgery. The doc asked me to lose weight, but nothing specific.

Yes it definitely varies from person to person and like dhrguru says it depends on your insurance.

I attended my seminar in May. I received great information, most of you've probably already researched. My surgeon didn't go in to details regarding the complications. However, I reviewed a 2 hr webinar. He prefers that method because you can bring your questions to your initial appt.

My insurance requires a supervise my diet by a nutritionist for 3 months, psych eval, EGD, and all your blood work and labs to be completed. I have one more NUT appt I'll need to complete my labs 2 weeks prior to surgery. My paperwork will be submitted for approval. Then a waiting period. According to my surgeron I don't have to lose weight, just maintain. I have a 3 day liquid diet, not 2 weeks according to most of the other posts I've read.

Hi - I am in NH also - having surgery on 8/31 at CMC. I went to my first seminar back in December. Went through a series of tests and doctor appointments. Found I had sleep apnea -- which added 2 months to my "wait" time. I think the 8 month wait was actually a good thing. It gave me an opportunity to eat differently, start exercising and read as much as I could.

I was asked to lose 8% of my weight (28 pounds for me) prior to being able to see the medical director. Once I got the okay from the medical director, I was given an appointment to meet with the surgeon. From there, my surgery date was set - about 3 weeks from appointment with surgeon. I needed to attend a 6 week class on creating new eating habits, 2 pre-support meetings and be pre-approved by a psychologist. There were a lot of hoops - but I think all of them were important and worth the time. The only one that didn't seem worthwhile was the pre-support group meetings. It was a zoo. Basically 4 people who had experienced WLS sat in front of the group of about 60-70 people and discussed their experience.

The one piece that I added to CMC's pre-op program was meeting with a therapist. This has proved invaluable for me. It has given me a place to discuss my emotions/thoughts prior to the surgery. We have discussed so many things that I think were important to consider prior to the surgery. I would strongly suggest finding a good therapist during your wait.

Good luck!!!!

Hi - I am in NH also - having surgery on 8/31 at CMC. I went to my first seminar back in December. Went through a series of tests and doctor appointments. Found I had sleep apnea -- which added 2 months to my "wait" time. I think the 8 month wait was actually a good thing. It gave me an opportunity to eat differently, start exercising and read as much as I could.

I was asked to lose 8% of my weight (28 pounds for me) prior to being able to see the medical director. Once I got the okay from the medical director, I was given an appointment to meet with the surgeon. From there, my surgery date was set - about 3 weeks from appointment with surgeon. I needed to attend a 6 week class on creating new eating habits, 2 pre-support meetings and be pre-approved by a psychologist. There were a lot of hoops - but I think all of them were important and worth the time. The only one that didn't seem worthwhile was the pre-support group meetings. It was a zoo. Basically 4 people who had experienced WLS sat in front of the group of about 60-70 people and discussed their experience.

The one piece that I added to CMC's pre-op program was meeting with a therapist. This has proved invaluable for me. It has given me a place to discuss my emotions/thoughts prior to the surgery. We have discussed so many things that I think were important to consider prior to the surgery. I would strongly suggest finding a good therapist during your wait.

Good luck!!!!

Hey I noticed you had your surgery on Monday. How are you feeling? How's your recovery been? What's it like since you've been home? I hope all is well with you.

Figured I'd do an update from my seminar.

So I've already had my initial apt with the nurse to get my journey started. I have my one on one with the therapist on Friday and my first apt with the nutritionist next Friday. I still have 5 group sessions with the therapist and 1 more with the nutritionist and have to go to physical therapy and I have to lose 17 pounds before I can see the surgeon.

To me it seems like it's moving pretty fast. The only thing that's going to take time is the group sessions which will be every wed starting on the 16th.

Every day I'm getting closer to happiness.