Hi I’m Mandy! I’m just starting this whole journey. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, but am finally ready to take the steps. I’m currently waiting for a consultation appointment, since my insurance requires referrals and such. Any advice on good questions to ask during a consultation?

I should add: I’ve done the orientation videos, and had a “phone consult” already. Just waiting on approval for in-office.

I am just starting my journey also, I have an appointment on Oct 11 to see the Bartiatric Dr.

Start a list of questions and take them with you because the appointments seem to go so fast. My first question would be whether you have to do the 3 or 6 months of medically managed weight loss attempt (to prove to insurance you can’t do it on your own). If you do ask if you do it with them. If so, you will have lots of visits to get your questions answered by the team so that takes off a bit of the pressure to think of everything this one time. Although you may still only meet with the surgeon once so try to be prepared for that visit if you have questions for them. Have you decided on which surgery you would like to have? They will most likely have a recommendation for you. Especially if you have a medical reason to choose one over the other but some people get a choice.

Thanks Shoppgirl! I'm trying to think of everything I can for my appt. I'm thinking the sleeve would be the best for me but I'll listen to the Dr's advice of course. How long is the wait in your experience from first appt to actual surgery. I know tests are required etc...I have researched the heck out of this lol!

3 minutes ago, DianaMB said:

Thanks Shoppgirl! I'm trying to think of everything I can for my appt. I'm thinking the sleeve would be the best for me but I'll listen to the Dr's advice of course. How long is the wait in your experience from first appt to actual surgery. I know tests are required etc...I have researched the heck out of this lol!

I had to do 6 visits of medically managed weight loss which took 5 months after my initial consultation so my first appt to surgery was just about 6 months. Not everyone is required to do that though and some require only 3 months.

Edited October 2, 20223 yr by ShoppGirl

Hi! Thanks for the recommendations Shoppgirl ! My insurance paperwork says it will cover the Gastric Bypass only, so that’s what I’m looking at, as there’s no way I could afford it otherwise. Everything is through the surgeons office, they covered that in the phone call.

2 minutes ago, Manda1031 said:

Hi! Thanks for the recommendations Shoppgirl ! My insurance paperwork says it will cover the Gastric Bypass only, so that’s what I’m looking at, as there’s no way I could afford it otherwise. Everything is through the surgeons office, they covered that in the phone call.

The bypass is an excellent surgery. To be honest that was my first choice but I have bipolar disorder and a lot of the meds don’t absorb as well post bypass so with all other things being equal I went with the sleeve because of that. What I did was start a list of questions in the notepad of my phone because I would think of things at the most random times that I wanted to ask them. Some of your questions you can ask here and we can answer but some of them will be more specific to your team.

Starting my journey also, my consultant is tomorrow and also doing my stress test

5 hours ago, maybelle said:

Starting my journey also, my consultant is tomorrow and also doing my stress test

Congrats on getting the process started.

Honestly i lurked so much on these forums prior to having my first consult I felt like people here had answered most of my questions! Maybe ask how their pre-op process works- any things that would make them not go ahead with surgery, etc. what the pre op diet will look like, and the post-op diet phases. Those can vary from surgeon to surgeon. But read a lot of the forums here, they’ll answer a ton of your questions. I felt so much better prepared because I had spent so much time here. And I’m still here lurking around 2 years later, haha

I too am in the pre op phase. I’ve had nutrition and behavioral consults / therapy sessions and have been passed off by the psychologist. Now need nutrition to pass me off and then I can get a surgical consult. I’ve been at this since the end of June

Me too, my second nutrition class is in number, I have to do 3 months of supervised diet

Hi everyone!

I am just getting started, I have my first consult on November 8th, and I think my insurance is going to require a 4-month supervised diet, however, I am hoping that I can appeal that because I have been doing medically supervised weight loss for at least 6 months with medications and no results. If not I guess I am in for 4 months more of medicine and appointments. Either way, I am excited to get started.

1 hour ago, OKmommax4 said:

Hi everyone!

I am just getting started, I have my first consult on November 8th, and I think my insurance is going to require a 4-month supervised diet, however, I am hoping that I can appeal that because I have been doing medically supervised weight loss for at least 6 months with medications and no results. If not I guess I am in for 4 months more of medicine and appointments. Either way, I am excited to get started.

Well, hopefully you won’t have to do it but if upu do it will just give you a little more time to get your head ready. There is a lot of information to take on about the post op diet and all that and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to have a little time to mentally prepare.

Update: insurance finally approved the in-office visit and I have an appointment scheduled for January.