Hey all....how long is the wait typically for the surgery? I have just gotten names and numbers from my primary care doctor of the surgeons they work with. I have to make the appointment, but since I have made the decision to have this done, I want it done ASAP. I feel like my life is stalled and I want to begin.

Can any of you give me a typical time line from consultation to surgery> Thanks!

WannaBeMe:crying:

I was self pay- that makes a huge diff.

Seminar to surgery in <60 days.

Seminar in Feb.2007 and surgery was 4-2-07.

Submit everything they need, and stay on top of it!

Good luck.

so you HAVE to go to a seminar? Hmmmmm....I wonder why? Then you have to have some tests right - blood, psychiatric, etc? Good to know it won't take FOREVER! Thanks!

Hi, the time line is differant for all of us. It does depend alot on if your self pay or insurance. I was insurance. I attended the seminar on Aug. 27, 2007 and had surgery on Dec. 26th (almost 4 months). In between the seminar I had a psych. eval, nutritionist eval., met with the cardiologist and the surgeon twice. I also had to get all of my medical records together. If your going through insurance, you might want to call to find out what their requirements are. It seems like most of the insurance companies require 6 months medically supervised weightloss. I had a bmi of 43 when I started, had no co-morbs and didn't have a 5 year weight history but I had 12 months supervised weightloss with my doctor.

Good luck and start looking into the requirements now so you'll be prepared. Having lapband surgery was the best decision of my life!

Jenn

For me I wanted to get info and check out the doc... after online checking. So I went to seminar- very informative!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 visit with coordinator, I went to 2 visits with doc/surgeon, 1 dieti/nutrition visit, 1 exercise consult, 1 day long behavioral class, and 1 psyc. evaluation.

Insurance often requires more, and some docs require less.

I have insurance, and from what I have read they require a BMI of 40 (mine is 42 now) and a comorb (my arthritis is a comorb). I am not sure about the supervised weightloss thing.

My regular doctor is one of these: "you should loose weight."

Me: "yeah, I know, I am doing this, that and the other."

Her: "try Jenny Craig, walk, nutrisystem."

Me: "I exercise, try to eat right, could it be my thyroid?"

Her: "your thyroid is within normal limits."

Me: "how can I feel better?"

Her: "loose weight."

So, you see, for 6 years or more, that has been her supervising me - does that count? LOL

Thanks for the answers!

I went to the mandatory information seminar on 1/18, delivered the application and fee on 1/28 and my first appointment is not until 4/23. To speed up the process, I scheduled an appointment with PCP on 3/4 for the bloodwork, barrium swallow and EKG. I don't know if other tests will be required until I go to my first appointment. I would say plan on 6 months. I wish I could fast forward to surgery day, it's all I can think about. Good luck!

I was self pay, so my process went pretty quickly. I had my first meeting with the doctor (seminar in late Oct. is mandatory) in early November, and had my surgery on Jan. 10. I was very motivated, so I got all my pre-op appointments scheduled within 3 weeks. Then I had to wait for the results of the psych evaluation to get to the surgeon's office, before they would schedule the surgery. Once that report arrived at the office, surgery was scheduled for 2 weeks later. If you are using insurance, the process will probably take closer to 6 months.

I Wanna,

I am in the Auth process right now, the seminar is very informative. I admit I did not want to go at first but after I went I wanted the surgery that much more. This journey is a process, it needs to take a few weeks... gives you time to get prepared with new gadgets and gizmos...you need time to relearn things. Good luck

For me consultation was in March, surgery in June, could have been May if I hadn't insisted on getting the AP Lapband after it's general release date.

HOWEVER, and this is a BIGGIE, I knew EXACTLY what was required by my insurance company for approval, which was:

100lbs + over weight for five years,

BMI greater than 40, or 35+ with TWO co morbidities (not a problem, I was greater than 50),

and documented MONTHLY appointments with my MD and an attempt at weight loss supervised by an MD for ONE YEAR. A letter would not suffice, I had to have monthly visit notes with my MD detailing what all I was doing each month for loss (walking, stair climbing, joined gym, cut carbs, etc)

AND a 5% loss of my EXCESS weight (above the MetLife insurance tables).

I didn't lose the 5% due to a medical condition that crept up in the year of visits and was denied the first month I submitted. I was approved the next time around.

I would advise you to talk with your insurance company and get in writing WHO they'll pay for you to be banded by (mine paid for three places, now they only pay for two and one of them has only done 6 bands!) and EXACTLY what is required so you can be working on it.

Then yes, you MUST go to that info session. You get loads of valuable information there, for example I found out exactly what the surgeon required pre-op and took the couple of months I had between my info session and my consult to obtain it all. That way when I walked in the door for my consult, they had the entire package and were able to sumbit to insurance right away.

Believe me, everyone here wants or wanted it ASAP. I can't imagine a single one of us who said, it's okay if it takes a year...I can wait. Some folks (WasABubbleButt for example) just went and did self-pay to get it done faster. If you can afford that, I'd suggest that route. That's what I'd have done if I had the $$. I'd have been on a plane to sunny Mexico to see Dr. Aceves, or Rumbaut or maybe Ortiz.

GOOD LUCK!!!!