Newbie

Well My name is Asia. I would like to extend a Hello to all on the board. I am actually preparing for my intial appt with Dr Hart's office in Suwannee. It's actually 1/5/07. I think I am a bit nervous as to what is going to happen. My BMI is 48 and I am 5'2. I read somewhere that I am morbidlly obese. WOW...I wonder the office will recommend for me if anything. I have always thought I had a handle on the weight thing then it got outta hand. The biggest thing for me now is the fact that I havent had a menstrual cycle since 10/9/06 and my Dr. relates it to the weight. Kinda scary... But I look forward to sharing my experience with you guys and will listen to all advice that you guys may have for me.

Hi, I have an intial consult with Dr. Hart planned for 1/11/07. I hear that he is a fantastic dr. I know there will be a group meeting of around 5-6 people and then you will see him and his nurse. As for your not having a menstrual cycle that is the story of my life. Its been since Feb 06 since I had one but I have been diagonosed with PCOS. You may get your OB/GYN to check for you for that at least you'll have peace of mind that you know what's causing it. And by the way I was told last week that they are going to be opening a new hospital almost right across the street from them in Feb. Emory John's Creek they are tearing down the other one he used to operate out of. So the good thing is at least when we have surgery it will be at an updated new facility. You can do a search on this message board and find information about Dr. Hart. I did that and everyone seems to praise him. I hope everything goes great on you consult.

Hmmm I wonder on Friday when I go whether or not it will be a group like what you have stated. All I know is that it is planned to be a 2 hour appt. What is PCOS if you dont mind me asking? I asked my PCP did she want to run any other test, she just send me to the surgeon. She feels like its all related to the weight gain. I wish you luck on your visit, I will let you know how mine goes. Asia

My appointment is also going to be around 2 hours. Yeah I'm sure you will have a part that is a group meeting. I spoke with someone at his office for 30 mins last week about the first appointment. She said that you meet in a group, then you meet with him and his nurse separately. Which I would much rather meet in a group of 5 or 6 vs going to one of the actual seminars. I went to one of those for another dr, it was 2 hours long and ran over that time but I left prior to the end of it. I think the group thing that Dr. Hart does is a shortened version of the seminars explaining the differences between Rny and LapBand. Risks and Advantages of each procedure...etc. PCOS is Polycystic Ovary Syndrone, causes weight gain, infertility, lack of menstrual cycles, cysts on the ovaries, too much testosterone, insulin resistance, I'm sure there are more symptoms but I can't remember them right now. You can do a search on the internet and it will list all of them. My ob/gyn was the one that ran all the test to determine that I have PCOS.

The best advice I could give you is be prepared with your medical history. If you have had previous surgeries get the surgical reports, there is a lot of information in those reports. I had had 2 prior surgeries (one was 18 years earlier) and a very serious illness which required 2 hospitalizations. I came with a mountain of paper. I had letters from my gastroenterolgist and endocrinologist. I had recent bloodwork from my pcp. I had written out my previous diet history. I had gotten the new patient paperwork prior to my appointment and had that all filled out. There is a book that he requires all patients to read, I had gotten that and read it. The process is a little different now than when I had surgery with Dr Hart. You do meet in a small group setting and then meet one on one with the dr. They will do pretty basic stuff such as blood pressure, temp, weight and height. Depending on your insurance and the type of surgery you are having they will give you a list of things you will need to do. He does require you to attend a support group meeting. He does have a group meeting the first Wednesday each month at the Atlanta Bariatric Conference Center. The addres is 4500 North Shallowford Road. It is across the street from Emory Dunwoody Hospital. It lasts from 6-7:30. Usually Drs Hart and/or Johnson (his partner) attend. This month's topic will be discussed by the nutritionist Rachel. Most of the office staff also attends. So it is a great way to meet everyone before your appointment. I had lap rny surgery on 12/02/03, my sister had lap rny surgery in 06/06 and my niece had lap band surgery in 08/06. All with Dr Hart. Good luck in your journey! Marie

Well fortunately I haven't had any prior surgeries and no real significant medical history except childbirth. Then you have my obesity and my condition related to that. I am looking forward to my appointment on Friday. Nervous just not knowing what to expect. Now do you decide or the doctor decide which procedure is best for you? And do you recall how long it took after your intial visit before you got your surgery date? I am using my insurance to fund my surgery, its Aetna EPO. Also would I be able to attend the meeting this month eventhough I have not been seen in the office yet? Were you sister's and niece's operation's sucessful? I wonder. Thanks for sharing with me Marie...

I just wanted to say welcome to the board. I have PCOS and have Aetna insurance as well. I totally understand regarding the menstrual cycle and I am surprised that your doctor didn't do any further tests and just said it must be your weight. It seems so many doctors now a days use that as an out. As for the type of surgery, I am sure you're doctor will give you his recommendation. I would suggest you do your research and look at all types of surgeries, which ones you feel would work best for you and prepare questions for each. Along with what one of the other posters said was medical history...having all my stuff together made such a huge difference in my first appointment...having any diet history, weight history, medical history, etc together can really save you some time and ensure you get the information accurate....they will use this in your authorization process. Good luck!

Thank you for your warm welcome..I was suprised she didnt order any other test as well but will see what the surgeon has to say. Now have you had surgery yet? Also was it hard to get approved by Aetna? What was the process like?

I have not had my surgery yet, I am hoping for about 8 weeks from now. I have Aetna POS so I'm not sure how different it is for your plan, but here is a link some basic policy information. http://www.aetna.com/cpb/data/CPBA0157.html "Note: Most Aetna HMO and QPOS plans exclude coverage of surgical operations, procedures or treatment of obesity unless approved by Aetna. Some Aetna plans entirely exclude coverage of surgical treatment of obesity. Please check benefit plan descriptions for details."

I contacted Aetna about my actual coverage and they cover it at 100%, the doctor is in the plan as well. I have called them a few times they actually cover all the procedures. Thats threw my employer. Do you think that I am missing something? Anything I need to sk in paticular that I may be missing?