I'm reposting this here to get some other responses :smile2:...

I'm interested to know what everyone's "process" was from the moment they decided to look into the surgery to the actual procedure...how long did it take? Any special diets before surgery? How many different appointments? I"m just begining my journey and i can't get enough information about people's different stories! Thanks for sharing!!

Barbie:thumbup:

I made my decesion in Feb of 07 that I was going to get the lap band

I went to the orientation in April 2007 - I had to convence my husband that this was right for me.

I am a type one diabectic so I had to make a appointment with my diabetic doc and "get his blessings"

Than tehre was teh insurance my BMI was 47 they said it HAD to be 50 before tehy woudl cover it.

My diabectic doc wrote a letter to the insurance company and so did my surgeons office I got the approval

I had to had teh first vist with teh suergon and than a pysh consult (actually two because of my insurance) than I had the dietian

Than teh two week and the one week pre op

It seemed like it took forever BUT my surgery was done on June 19 07

BUt it really was not I have talked to people that it was at least one year because of teh insurance company.

My brother in law is at 6 months he has finally gotten teh approval now it will be just teh appointments than he will be ready.

I think every office is different and every insurance company is different

My dad started teh same time I did and he had his in Oct 07

SO about 4 months longer than me but it is done what is a few months when it is a life changing time

Good luck

Depends on if you are self-pay or using insurance.

I was self-pay. I dallied around with the idea of this surgery for a couple years. In October I got serious and went to a seminar. A couple weeks after that, I had my first appointment (Oct 18). At that appointment, I was scheduled for surgery November 15th. So it all went pretty quick for me. Which is good because I have this instant-gratification problem.

HI.

1/19/08 I went to my free seminar on. LOVED IT! :wub:

2/8/08 1st Dr. Appointment with Dr. Cavazos, Psych eval. and appointment with nutrionist.

2/18/08 Approved by my insurance (BCBS FEP) :thumbup:

2/21/08 Pre-Op appointment with EKG and bunch of lab work. Good to go.

Surgery scheduled for 3/3/08. :ohmy:

Went to a Seminar, liked it. Had an appointment with a Surgeon, was operated on the very next week. Only had 6 days pre-op, surgery on the 7th day. Have dropped 30 pounds in 3 weeks.

I saw a commercial about the band in September, did the seminars etc in October and was banded in November. (self-pay) No regrets!

Dh had surgery in April (he was approved and operated on in less than three weeks from first appt!!!...he's awesome at getting his way)

I went to the dr. in late May and discussed it.

Met with surgeon in late May.

Banded July 10th (had to wait because I was vacationing for three weeks in June)...

Rain

I had learned about it a few years ago but everything I read said you had to be 100 pounds overweight. Sometime last year, I actually went to a lap-band surgeon's site and found that I was a candidate even though I didn't have 100 pounds to lose. On September 21 of last year, while hiking in the mountains southwest of Denver with my husband, two daughters, and one daughter's boyfriend, I mentioned that I was considering getting the surgery. After I told them more about it, everyone was supportive. That's when I started really researching it, including joining this board.

I immediately found out that my insurance doesn't cover bariatric surgery so I decided to self-pay. I considered a doctor in Denver (one daughter lives there) and a doctor in San Antonio, believing the doctors in Austin to be too expensive. But then I found Dr. Ganta and learned more about him and felt like he was the one for me. I met with him on October 19 and scheduled my surgery for November 1. In the next 13 days, I met with the nutritionist, psychologist, surgical hospital, and my GP, who did the pre-op tests such as blood tests, puliminary function test, X-ray, and EKG, plus one more pre-op with Dr. Ganta. I did a low-carb pre-op diet and lost two pounds

I teach at community college and was able to cancel two days of classes, Thursday and Monday. My surgery was on Thursday and I returned Tuesday. A few days longer would have been nice but it was doable and after that second weekend, I felt pretty much back to normal. I've had three fills and have 7ccs in a 10cc band. I've lost just over 28 pounds with 30 to 35 to go.

wow..well congrats to everyone! I'm hearing more and more about people getting approved from insurance and getting the surgery in a short amount of time...that's what I'm expecting! (before I get any lectures, I believe in The Secret -definately read it if you havn't yet-and the law of attraction...if you know about the secret you know why I say I "expect" it)

Thanks for sharing...hoping to hear even more stories and also hear more from all of you on your continued success!!

I'm a self-pay patient so the process went pretty quickly for me. I decided in August that the lapband was what I needed,went to my surgeons seminar in late August, had my evaluations done in early September, when those were 'passed' I got my surgery date of November 19th, then in mid October they called and asked if they could push my date forward because someone else had to cancel and I was all approved so they changed my surgery to October 26th. So in two months the process was complete!

Hi All, I initially had to do a 6 month Dr supervised weight loss program and a bunch of other hoops. Started jumping through the hoops in September but in December they called me and told me that BCBS no longer required all of that. Just had surgery on Feb 19, feeling fine. Today was the 1st day that I could eat soft proftens and I didn't follow everything like I should. But tomorrow is a new day! I'm happy that I did this!

Thanks for everyone sharing their story!

it sounds like less insurance co's are requiring the 6 month supervised diet...i've heard of people in this area with the same insurance needing different requirements (one needed the 6moth SWL and the other didn't)...it seems like it depends more on the individual? That's the impression that i'm getting...that it's really based a lot on each individual person and their history...

for me, I've been overweight 99% of my life...excluding when I was under 6 yrs old and for a year or two between 2000 and 2002...obesity runs in my family as well as diabetes, heart disease, etc... I don't want gastric bypass like my mom had...i'm just excited to get going...March 13th needs to hurry up and get here

OMG GOD BLESS YOU!! How excited you must be. Would you mind sharing with me how much it cost or directing me to web site that might clearly tell me. My mother is interested and her insurance will not cover it.

For me its going quickly. I just started to look into this less than a week ago, already have approval and surgery scheduled July 8th. Im self pay. Im going ahead and doing it now so I have time before my cruise in Sept to decide if I want my first fill before or after the cruise. I didnt want to wait until after the cruise and put myself back 2 months and need time to heal before I go on the cruise, so Im doing it fast.

I dont know this is the right or wrong thing, I just put back on 80 lbs I lost a year ago on Nutrisystem. My BMI is right at 40 or almost, depending on if Im exactly 5 6 1/2. I do know I need something to stop me from grazing constantly or Ill be dead too early in my life. Belly fat like I have is the worst kind. Mine isnt spread all over my body and neck and back like I hear of, mine is almost all belly fat.

good luck! I've already started my journey and i just found out that i[m going to be able to send in paperwork WAY sooner that I thought to get my approval (that I WILL get the first time)! I'm beyond excited. My psych eval is this week....sleep test in a few weeks. Blood work whenever I get myself over to the lab (which is next to my place of business) and my second appointment is at the end of august..and paperwork will be sent! WOOHOO!

Again, GOODLUCK to everyone on their journey! :ohmy:

Sorry if this is a little bit long, but for me it was all part of the process.....

I had never considered weight loss surgery. Even though my BMI qualified me, I never thought I was "fat enough" and I also thought I had to do it by myself. Then around New Year's I started having hip pain, and after going through a lot of exams, tests, cortisone shot, etc., it was finally discovered I had an injury to my hip, on top of arthritis, and that I needed arthroscopic surgery to repair the injury. When I finally got in to see the surgeon, he was quite blunt. He told me I was too fat for arthroscopic surgery. That the tools he had to use wouldn't reach through all the fat on my thighs to get to the injury. He also said my hip was in worse shape than originally thought and I was probably looking at needing a total hip replacement, but that he would not perform that surgery on me at my current weight. He explained that I'm young for a hip replacement and chances are it would need to be replaced again in my lifetime - and the heavier I am, the faster I would wear it out. Also the riskier the surgery would be and the more difficult my recovery. He said "I strongly suggest you look into weight loss surgery". I cannot tell you how shocked and stunned I was. And humiliated. At first, I thought "I'm not going to tell anyone". Then I realized... they all know I'm fat. In the end I told all of my co-workers, my boss, my HR person -- they were all SO excited and happy for me and so supportive, I am truly fortunate. My family is equally as supportive.

My insurance specifically excludes coverage for weight loss surgery so I started the arrangements for a loan against my 401K. I also started the sleep study process in motion because I knew that would take awhile and I knew a weight loss doctor would require it (the hip surgeon was going to require it too). I started my surgery research. I went to a support group meeting at a local hospital, then a seminar put on by the surgeon I eventually ended up choosing. I was all over the internet reading diaries and blogs of weight loss patients, and watching You Tube video diaries, and I watched the surgery being performed on You Tube. I went back and forth for awhile between bypass and lap band, but being self-pay, I decided bypass was more than I could afford to spend, and I couldn't afford the higher risk of post-surgery complications.

It was mid-March when my hip surgeon recommended I look into weight loss surgery. I had just missed the March support group meeting and seminar, so I had to wait until April for them. In the meantime I got the sleep study done. My appointments with the surgeon, nutritionist and psychiatrist were May 1st and 2nd. My surgery was May 15th.

I still have the hip surgery ahead of me, and in the meantime I live with constant pain, but it has gotten a little more bearable since I've lost 30 pounds and I'm really hopeful that the more weight I lose, the more the pain will diminish and maybe I can postpone the hip replacement, or possibly even get by just with the arthroscopic surgery for now.