Hurry Up and Wait!

[Misty Marie 5]

I am wondering how long it took everyone from the time you initially talked to your doctor about wanting to get the surgery to how long you had to wait.

I started this journey at the beginning of the year. My first conversation with the surgeon was on January 5th. I did not like her, as she was pretentious and rude. She kept saying, "Someone of your size" cannot get the gastric bypass, so I debated just not doing any of the procedures. I tried to explain to her (as we were doing this as a telehealth visit) that she was misjudging my size by only looking at the numbers. I hold my weight way too well. In high school, I outweighed girls my height and clothing size by 60-80 pounds, but was a state-placing cross country runner. My actual body fat composition was low when tested, versus weight/height ratio. Came to find out that she doesn't like doing bypasses, so she tried to convince all her patients to do the sleeve. After reading up on both, I decided I would actually prefer the sleeve, but not for any of the reasons she gave. I have had three visits with my primary, done the blood tests, and am now waiting on the surgeon's office for my psychology appointment and my final dietician appointment (which is over a month out.) Once I have those, along with an EKG from my primary and getting my paperwork signed off, I then have to wait for insurance to give the final approval. After that, I then wait. So what started on January 5th will take until a minimum of May 15th (final appointment) to even have everything completed... and then two to three weeks for insurance. Then, as my surgeon explained in January, it takes up to 6 weeks for the surgery to scheduled. I am a school teacher with my youngest heading off to college in August, so I am not going to miss taking her. I am majorly concerned that by the time I finally get the surgery, the summer will be over and I won't be able to get time off at the beginning of the school year for this surgery. I am debating talking to my doctor and telling her that I just won't have the surgery because this process is just taking way too long. I have already lost 22 pounds since I first weighed in at the beginning of the year from changing my diet. I am thinking I will be down another 20 by the time I finally get this surgery... or if I can get this surgery.

[Brandiwine77 53]

Hey there. It can be a process. I met with my surgeon on Dec. 2, 2022. Dec. 4 I ended up in the ER with a gallbladder that was about to rupture Had that removed on the 5th, and out of the hospital on the 6th. So I wasn't even thinking about WLS at that moment. Then the holidays happened, and then the new year. On Jan 9 I started back to grad school to get my MBA. On Jan. 11 my Mom passed away. So wasn't in the forefront of things again. But a little time passed and I started back with my requirements. I have my bloodwork next week with my PCP, and my final nutrition class on 5/3. I already got the final approval letter from my insurance, so I'll schedule right after that, and the coordinator said it would just be a few weeks (like she made it seem like I would JUST have time to do the 1 week diet before) and I'd have surgery. I'm just trying to time it correctly with work, school, etc. Plus, I'm NOT telling my coworkers, as they are, well, not nice people and are nosy and want to be in your business.

[catwoman7 10,867]

I decided to have surgery during the summer of 2014, but I had to change insurance policies to one that covered it - and that wouldn't take effect until January 2015. The new company required a six- month supervised diet as part of its list of requirements for bariatric surgery, but they said I could do that before I switched over to them if I wanted, and it would still count - so I decided to at least do that much while I was waiting to be switched over. So I officially started up in the bariatric program as soon as my new insurance kicked in, in January 2015 (with my six-month diet already under my belt). I got through all the other requirements by late March, I think - and they said I could have surgery in late April/early May, but since I worked at a university, my supervisor wanted me to wait until the spring semester was over, so I had it June 3. So in other words, it was six months from the time I entered the program until I had my surgery - but I could have had it about four months after starting the program if it wasn't for work. But again, I'd already had my six-month supervised diet requirement finished before I started the program (not all insurance companies require the supervised diet, though...but many do)

[Misty Marie 5]

1 hour ago, Brandiwine77 said:

Hey there. It can be a process. I met with my surgeon on Dec. 2, 2022. Dec. 4 I ended up in the ER with a gallbladder that was about to rupture Had that removed on the 5th, and out of the hospital on the 6th. So I wasn't even thinking about WLS at that moment. Then the holidays happened, and then the new year. On Jan 9 I started back to grad school to get my MBA. On Jan. 11 my Mom passed away. So wasn't in the forefront of things again. But a little time passed and I started back with my requirements. I have my bloodwork next week with my PCP, and my final nutrition class on 5/3. I already got the final approval letter from my insurance, so I'll schedule right after that, and the coordinator said it would just be a few weeks (like she made it seem like I would JUST have time to do the 1 week diet before) and I'd have surgery. I'm just trying to time it correctly with work, school, etc. Plus, I'm NOT telling my coworkers, as they are, well, not nice people and are nosy and want to be in your business.

I have pretty swollen legs from too much Fluid build up, so I've told my co-workers I need surgery for that, but I haven't told them what type of surgery. I am sure they will figure it out when I start dropping weight. That being said... sorry for the loss of your mother. Congrats on going back to grad school. I am knee deep in my dissertation right now, hoping to get approval any day from my university to start my research so I can finally get my degree finished. I am not even thinking about how I am going to juggle all that too once I finally get approval. Your timeline looks much faster than mine, which is frustrating, as I was told my insurance is the "easiest" to work with (as in least amount of requirements). Grrrr. I wish I could this process to move faster. Honestly, it SUCKS having to diet for months, only to lose a small amount, knowing that once the surgery happens, dieting will work so much better. Wishing you the best on your surgery and success of the weight loss.

[catwoman7 10,867]

P.S. some surgeons prefer doing the sleeve because it's easier to do. If you decide you really want RNY, though - be persistent - or find a surgeon who'll do it (although you said you're OK with the sleeve now...)

[Misty Marie 5]

3 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

P.S. some surgeons prefer doing the sleeve because it's easier to do. If you decide you really want RNY, though - be persistent - or find a surgeon who'll do it (although you said you're OK with the sleeve now...)

After doing research and considering quality of life post-weight loss, I decided I did not want to have to worry about not getting enough nutrients for the rest of my life. Even if I do take Vitamins and such, I don't want to have to worry about not having enough absorption if I forget to take them all the time. I also have read of more complications with the RNY and I am not even remotely diabetic, so that surgery seemed more geared for that than just weight loss. My mom had the lap-band and she ended up almost dying from complications years later, so that was out as well. I have to admit that the video appointment I had with my surgeon was demeaning. She definitely came across as someone who was in this for the money (Louis Vuitton bag draped across her desk was a bit much), and looked down on those who couldn't lose weight without surgery. She also admitted that she was new to the practice, having switched specialties recently. That made me question if I really wanted her to be my surgeon as well, but I figured six month more experience, she should be good to go by the time she got around to mine.

[Brandiwine77 53]

9 minutes ago, Misty Marie said:

I have pretty swollen legs from too much Fluid build up, so I've told my co-workers I need surgery for that, but I haven't told them what type of surgery. I am sure they will figure it out when I start dropping weight. That being said... sorry for the loss of your mother. Congrats on going back to grad school. I am knee deep in my dissertation right now, hoping to get approval any day from my university to start my research so I can finally get my degree finished. I am not even thinking about how I am going to juggle all that too once I finally get approval. Your timeline looks much faster than mine, which is frustrating, as I was told my insurance is the "easiest" to work with (as in least amount of requirements). Grrrr. I wish I could this process to move faster. Honestly, it SUCKS having to diet for months, only to lose a small amount, knowing that once the surgery happens, dieting will work so much better. Wishing you the best on your surgery and success of the weight loss.

Hopefully you can get the approval to start research asap! That's so exciting. Yeah, my coworkers are both 65+, and sisters. It's actually my really good friends mom and aunt, so you would think that would be cool. But NO! It's awful mean girl mentality with them. To the point that they ran off a MALE coworker a few months ago. So yeah, it is bad. So no one personally knows, other than my husband and a lifelong friend who had bypass about a year and a half ago. I have a pretty sedentary job, so hopefully can come back as quickly as I did with my thryoidectomy and gallbladder, so that they won't have a clue, lol. And my insurance didn't have a whole lot of requirements. I had to do bloodwork and primary clearance, psych eval, their required nutrition class, and then the nutrition class with my dr office they require. So not much at all, for which I am grateful.

[Misty Marie 5]

2 minutes ago, Brandiwine77 said:

Hopefully you can get the approval to start research asap! That's so exciting. Yeah, my coworkers are both 65+, and sisters. It's actually my really good friends mom and aunt, so you would think that would be cool. But NO! It's awful mean girl mentality with them. To the point that they ran off a MALE coworker a few months ago. So yeah, it is bad. So no one personally knows, other than my husband and a lifelong friend who had bypass about a year and a half ago. I have a pretty sedentary job, so hopefully can come back as quickly as I did with my thryoidectomy and gallbladder, so that they won't have a clue, lol. And my insurance didn't have a whole lot of requirements. I had to do bloodwork and primary clearance, psych eval, their required nutrition class, and then the nutrition class with my dr office they require. So not much at all, for which I am grateful.

Sounds like you should be looking for a different job! Working with difficult people is so stressful.

Because I turned 50 a couple of weeks ago, I have to have an EKG before I can do the surgery. The dietician was booked out two months, so I have to have 3 months of a diet/exercise record with my primary before I could do the surgery or even schedule the dietician. I have my last doctor's appointment next week and my psych eval as well, so just waiting... waiting... waiting.

I teach middle school, so I could see my students being in one of two camps... either totally supportive, or nasty about it. Next year, they will see the weight drop, but I am not going to say a word to them. My daughter heads off to college where I just applied to teach as a distance learning professor. I want to move where she is attending so I can get a full-time teaching position at her university. However, at my weight, I am worried they will dismiss me because I am too heavy. I cannot even comfortably sit in a theater chair and do not fly at all, which I would need to be able to do.

[Brandiwine77 53]

17 minutes ago, Misty Marie said:

Sounds like you should be looking for a different job! Working with difficult people is so stressful.

Because I turned 50 a couple of weeks ago, I have to have an EKG before I can do the surgery. The dietician was booked out two months, so I have to have 3 months of a diet/exercise record with my primary before I could do the surgery or even schedule the dietician. I have my last doctor's appointment next week and my psych eval as well, so just waiting... waiting... waiting.

I teach middle school, so I could see my students being in one of two camps... either totally supportive, or nasty about it. Next year, they will see the weight drop, but I am not going to say a word to them. My daughter heads off to college where I just applied to teach as a distance learning professor. I want to move where she is attending so I can get a full-time teaching position at her university. However, at my weight, I am worried they will dismiss me because I am too heavy. I cannot even comfortably sit in a theater chair and do not fly at all, which I would need to be able to do.

I'm just waiting for them to retire, LOL!! One is now part time and the other hopefully will either go part time, or just GO, lol. And I feel you about the students. I was a upper elem and middle school teacher previously,but I had to get out. And yeah, they would either be super sweet, or total butts about it. And middle school kids are a breed of their own.

[heatherdbby 70]

2 hours ago, Misty Marie said:

After doing research and considering quality of life post-weight loss, I decided I did not want to have to worry about not getting enough nutrients for the rest of my life. Even if I do take Vitamins and such, I don't want to have to worry about not having enough absorption if I forget to take them all the time. I also have read of more complications with the RNY and I am not even remotely diabetic, so that surgery seemed more geared for that than just weight loss. My mom had the lap-band and she ended up almost dying from complications years later, so that was out as well. I have to admit that the video appointment I had with my surgeon was demeaning. She definitely came across as someone who was in this for the money (Louis Vuitton bag draped across her desk was a bit much), and looked down on those who couldn't lose weight without surgery. She also admitted that she was new to the practice, having switched specialties recently. That made me question if I really wanted her to be my surgeon as well, but I figured six month more experience, she should be good to go by the time she got around to mine.

hace you been checked for reflux/silent reflux?

[heatherdbby 70]

So you got options. But let me start with this advice, that will help you stay sane. Do not judge others journeys against your own. You will go crazy.

I finally had surgery after three attempts, I will lay out each timeline.

First surgeon, Meeting in november, decided to start program in january bc I would meet my deductible and my insurance requirements, I could be done in about 8 weeks, because all I needed was one dietician appt and a physch eval. My insurance added it as a blacklisted item when the year changed over so I didn't get it. This doctor also was heavy on sleeve, and said that bypass wasn't important and he felt was overdone.

Second. Was going to go to mexico. I filled out the only paper, and had a call with a coordinator in 48 hrs with approval. LIterally could have scheduled 2 weeks out, If I had the money in hand. I would have had a 14 day clear diet with them or else they could have gotten me in sooner, lol. Custody battle took my surgery money, so, cancelled.

Third time the charm

My surgeon was heavy bypass. And I am glad bc in my EGD they were able to see I had silent reflux and lots of ulcers. So I needed bypass regardless.

I had my first appt May 2nd, and was given a list of requirements that my surgeon had, and another sheet with my insurance requirements. My Ins reqd a phych eval, a dietician clearance, and a recommendation letter. My surgeons office requires phych eval, 4 dietician classes to be completed 1x a week while on preop diet, 1 dietician meeting a month prior to start preop, EGD, and if needed based on medical records cardio and EKG.

I left the appt on May 2nd with my EGD appoint, that was 6 ish weeks out, mid June. I didn't understand that I was supposed to make the phych appt, so that was kinda stalled, but they sent everything to insurance for approval in mid august. I started the 1 month preop labor day weekend and had surgery Oct 3rd.

But insurance companies can require things that will make it longer, esp if they require a supervising diet.

[mcipanda 121]

I chose a doctor who specializes in this - and only this - with an entire team in his practice dedicated to the same. I was assigned a coordinator who knew exactly what we needed and when. I finished my reqs in a week and insurance approved me in a single day. My biggest hold up was the doctor going on vacation for two weeks 😂 First consult Jan 30, final appointment 2/17, surgery on March 13th.

Note: based on your posts, I wouldn’t let that woman touch me with a ten foot pole unless there was no other option and even the Devil was booked solid. Good luck to you!

[summerseeker 1,852]

I paid all the money. It still took 8 long months. It was during Covid, all the NHS hospitals were filled with Covid patients so many people were paying to go Private for all their surgery needs. I wanted the surgery SO badly that the waiting hurt. I have never been told that I am a patient person

Had I lived in the US, my wait could have been less than a week in some cities.

[MelbaT 28]

My time from initial consult to surgery was ~9 months. My insurance required 2 psych visits, and 6 dietician visits spaced a month apart. Once I got through all of that the surgery team sent it to my insurance and the insurance approved it in one day! I personally went with the RNY as I've had GERD since my teens. He said the sleeve would not help that and could likely worsen it, so I chose the RNY. He also said the number of revisions from the Sleeve to RNY was quite high (I've read so many posts from people having the revision on here and the other support group I belong to). I did not want to risk 2 surgeries. I've been taking supplements for years and years, so I felt it wouldn't be an issue for me to not remember to take them. Good luck to you!!!

[kla7403 49]

This process is very much "hurry up, then wait"! I should have been able to have all my requirements done in three months but I will be six months in when I get my surgery in June. Also if you dont like the DR I would look to find someone else. I have been extremely impressed with my surgeon and his staff this far.