Hello everyone,

My name is Kara, I have not been banded yet but I am in the process. I have been wanting this for two years. Last year God blessed me with a beautiful baby girl. So I could not do it then but now I am ready. I have my first counseltation with the surgean on Jan. 31st. I would like to be banded before June, is that a realistic goal?:cry

Hi Kara:

I started my journey last January - had to wait for informational seminar until end of February. Had first consultation with surgeon in April, and had surgery in July. So, your time-frame seems reasonable to me.

Some insurance companies have rules that must be followed, so you might want to check to see what their requirements are if you're using insurance.

Some doctors have some prerequisite tests too. Mine had sleep apnea test, barium swallow, ekg, psychological test, and there may have been a few more tests. I can't remember them all.

Good luck with your journey.

Sue

Hi Kara:

I started my journey last January - had to wait for informational seminar until end of February. Had first consultation with surgeon in April, and had surgery in July. So, your time-frame seems reasonable to me.

Some insurance companies have rules that must be followed, so you might want to check to see what their requirements are if you're using insurance.

Some doctors have some prerequisite tests too. Mine had sleep apnea test, barium swallow, ekg, psychological test, and there may have been a few more tests. I can't remember them all.

Good luck with your journey.

Sue

Are any of these test painful?

You'll probably have to have blood work done. (Just a "stick")

Sleep Apnea test (No pain there...it's kindof interesting actually! You are hooked up to an EEG and then you go to sleep and they monitor your breathing while you sleep)

EKG/Stress Test: Can't remember if they shoot a dye into your arm or something (no worse than any bloodwork). You get on a treadmill and walk for a few minutes and they take your heart rate while you do.

GI Scan (with a barium swallow): no pain. You do have to drink this chalky crap and then stand in front of a screen as they watch it go through your system.

Psych: A psychologist will talk to you about how you feel about your weight and your goals and get an idea of what frame of mind you are in and if you are going about this all for the right reasons.

You'll probably have to have blood work done. (Just a "stick")

Sleep Apnea test (No pain there...it's kindof interesting actually! You are hooked up to an EEG and then you go to sleep and they monitor your breathing while you sleep)

EKG/Stress Test: Can't remember if they shoot a dye into your arm or something (no worse than any bloodwork). You get on a treadmill and walk for a few minutes and they take your heart rate while you do.

GI Scan (with a barium swallow): no pain. You do have to drink this chalky crap and then stand in front of a screen as they watch it go through your system.

Psych: A psychologist will talk to you about how you feel about your weight and your goals and get an idea of what frame of mind you are in and if you are going about this all for the right reasons.

Okay cool sounds painless enough.

I have a sleep apnea test on Jan 8th, I was old this would help with insurance approval. I hope so!

Usually, a BMI of 40 or above meets most insurance company's criteria for bariatric surgery. Alot of company now require a 6 month physician supervised diet prior to approval for surgery. For patients with a BMI less than 30, a comorbidity must exist e.g. unamanageable blood presure, sleep apnea, diabetes.