Question

Hey Tia!  Well you are the 4th vote for Ranessa...lol  Hope I can get to see her.  And after reading your responses and the others, I'm just going to sit back and wait for April 21st to see the surgeon and see what he says because I would hate to start doing things now and they have to re-do things again.  Thanks for responding!

I was given a list of doctors to go to for the psych eval. They have docotrs that know the needs for wls patients.

oh ok, well hopefully Ranessa McNally will be on the list because she seems to be highly recommended for others on this board.  I'll keep my fingers cross for Dr. McNally...lol

Ranessa is not on Dr. Moein's list. However, the list is not all inclusive. You are allowed to see anyone, as long as it is not a therapist that you have an existing relationship with. I wanted to make sure that I was covered by insurance, and all of the therapists/doctors on Dr. Moein's list were rediculously far away. So, I called my company EAP and got a referral. It was a free visit, and she turned out to be a perfect match for me. She is not a surgery alumnus, but she has had patients who had the surgery before, so she strives to understand the challenges. I think you've already decided to do this, but I would wait on most diagnostics until after you meet with Dr. Moein. For me, he only required a few tests. I got as many completed at GBMC as possible (Aetna doesn't use GBMC radiology) so that the records would be shared easily. I had no problem scheduling all of them within a month of seeing Dr. M for my first visit. I will further caution you about seeing your pcp pre-op. You need to complete labs, chest x-rays and EKG within 30 days of your surgery date (I think it's 30).So, make sure any doc you see only does what Dr. M orders. My PCP did a complete physical 3 months pre-op, and when he sat me in his office for results, he tells me "I'll need to repeat this in a couple months for your pre admin. testing". I was ready to spit fire after I went through all the tests, and paid a copay. He knew I was having surgery before he insisted I schedule a physical, so he could have advised me to wait to do the physical and pre-admin testing in the same appointment. Aetna was wonderful for me to work with. They paid all bills timely. My copay for specialists is $35, which I think is high ($20 for primary care). My surgery copay is $500 for everything (except TV, lol). So, I'm quite pleased with how things have worked out with Aetna, and I can never say enough great things about Dr. Moein. He may seem a little quiet at first. Prior to surgery, your time with him is fairly limited. I did tons of research, and didn't have a lot of questions for him. But, I will tell you from the minute I saw him the morning of my surgery, to my time in recovery, and post-op and all of my follow up appointments, he is my partner in my weight loss journey. He's my cheerleader, he's demanding when I need it. He's compassionate, gentle, sharp and on point. Just everything great! From what I hear, and see on our board, we all have wonderful surgeons. But, I've paid particular attention to fellow patients at GBMC, and we all have had mostly outstanding successes. Dr. Moein is able to send many of his patients home after only 1 night in the hospital, sometimes 24 hours ahead of schedule. I was up and out of bed the morning after I came home from the hospital. I made a road trip 250 miles away 18 days post-op. I didn't even lay in bed at the hospital, I sat up, or walked around. If it wasn't for incisions, and diminished appetite, I still wouldn't be convinced I had a major surgery. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, as I sure everyone else is too. Having others to share your journey with makes it all even that much more worthwhile.

Wow!  Kathy, thank you so much for sharing all that.  Dr. Moein sounds great.  I'm so ready to have my 1st appointment with him (only 20 more days)...lol  I have already put my sick leave in to my boss and now I just have to wait.  As for all the tests, I know definitely I need a Psych eval.  The other tests I'm unsure of.  I have collected all my medical records for the last 10 years.  I have blood work done ever month, so I have copies of that too.  I just want to do things right and I would for things to go as smooth as possible for me.  Please, everybody keep their fingers crossed for me.  Thanks again Kathy for responding.