First Appointment

[swinglifeaway 64]

Hello,

I am sure that this has been asked, but I cannot find any threads with my question. I've made my first appointment after the seminar. I have no idea what to expect. Can anyone tell me what your first appointment was like?

Thanks!

[karen091866 120]

You will likely encounter a wide variety of people, with an assortment of comorbid conditions- asthma, sleep apnea, diabetes, high cholesterol, mobility issues.....conditions we are all familiar with or have been warned about.

My first seminar was conducted by a team of Bariatric surgeons - and they did a detailed PowerPoint presentation, giving an overview of the procedures that they offered (everything BUT Lap-Band, as it is somewhat obsolete in my area, and other procedures offer more successes), explaining risks versus benefits of each surgery.

They had a rep from their office that had underwent WLS years ago who then spoke to the group, sharing about her journey. She spoke more on a personal level to everyone.

We were all given informational binders and had the opportunity to speak with an insurance rep and schedule an appointment if we felt ready.

Those that were "ready" then started their required Nutritionist visits, labs, psychiatric evaluation, etc---all of the prerequisite items each individual insurance had set forth---and we went along our merry ways---Early on, I had to get baseline labwork, have a general physical exam & of course, the psychiatric eval....Every program is different, and the sequnce of when the appointments take place varies from person to person, I'm sure.

The monthly Nutritionist appointments are information-packed, seeing how as there are different requirements (# of sessions, based on insurances)---they weigh everyone, present the information to the group & allow time for questions.---The real work is, of course, on us---because I had to set and meet goals each month leading up to my approval and surgery.

Once you meet all of your insurance requirements, you get that wonderful approval letter and schedule your surgery date!

Edited December 10, 2015 by karen091866

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I think it varies by program. From what I remember, my first appointment included: a group class to go over the program requirements; individual appointments with NUT, psychologist, finance/insurance person; and a physical exam by a PA.

[dlappjr 467]

After the seminar, at my first apt. with the Surgeon, I spoke to a nurse first, who explained what would happen that day and who I would see. The whole appointment was about an hour and I met the nurse first, then the ins. person who handles all the paperwork and approval, etc., then I spoke to the surgeon directly, with a med student present. We went over options and what the dr. thought the best option would be for me. Then they explained what paperwork I would be required to fill out, what other procedures I would need to do before approval. This is where I found out what type of psych eval I needed and other requirements I had to meet both for my ins. co. as well as the surgeons requirements.

Best of luck!