My educational whatever thing is next week, but I can't wait that long! The reality of this thing is starting to set in and I've got some questions.

1) How long is the pre op diet? What is it like? Did you take anything to curb your appetite?

2) How long before your consult did you have to wait until your surgery date?

3) Did it take a while to get in with the psych and dietician?

Katie

Each clinic is different. I went to my first seminar in Dec 07. Approached them about the process in Mar 08. I got my surgery date of 20 Aug on 10 Jul, as soon as the insurance okay'd me. I have seen the nutritionist 3 times, the psych once, the surgeon once the nurse once, the pharmasist once and the Rec therapist. I still have to see the physical therapist, the psych again, the pre-surgery instruction nurse and the surgeon again before 20 Aug. My Pre-op diet is only 2 weeks of no carbs--to shrink the liver and make it more pilable in order for the surgeon to move it out of the way during surgery. IThey have expected me to keep my weight steady or even losing through the entire process.

So, it just depends on your clinic. Good luck and it is worth the wait.

I had no pre-op diet at all. I went to a seminar on July 3rd. Saw the doctor that day and he said my BMI was over 40 and I shouldn't have any problems with my insurance. I got called 1 1/2 weeks later that my insurance was approved 100% and my surgery was on July 31st. I had no problems at all. I am so glad I had the insurance I have because some of the stories are nightmares on what people have to go thru.

Kaytie~

The pre-op diet really does vary from clinic to clinic. Some people are on a 2 week diet to none at all. It just depends. I was required to lose 10 lbs before surgery. I followed the nutrition guide for post-banding to help lose weight. They weren't strict about having a liquid only diet, which was kind of nice. I did have to be on Clear Liquids the day before, which wasn't bad at all.

My process was really quick. I started in June and just had my surgery on Aug 5th. I was self-pay so I did not have to jump through any insurance hoops.

I was able to get into all of the pre-op appts pretty quickly. Because I was self-pay I was on a waiting list for the dietician and was moved up really quickly, in fact I ended up seeing her the day of the seminar. My psych eval was about 2 weeks later. I also had to have an endoscopy (sp) to check the stomach and esophogas and be seen by the sleep clinic. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I felt like I was moving from appt to appt and then real quick it was surgery day!

Good luck in the process!

sassytracy,

what insurance do you have?