New member

 Hello l am also waiting to get VSG soon l met with the surgeon yesterday and l would like to know how long it takes after meeting with the surgeon to get the surgery date. I started in March at the Hamilton General Hospital on the optifast programme and l was 305 pounds then.  After the optifast l was 270 lbs l did not lose as much as l wanted to and l was referred to St Joe in December 2011.  Boy what a lot of appointments and tests and l had given up when the call came last week to meet with the surgeon on the 17 and boy l was scared but all went well.

 Every program is different.  I worked with a program and they required a 100# loss before they'd schedule surgery.  Due to insurances changes, i had to change programs at UCLA.  I met with my doctor 1/2012 and they referred me for scheduling in 3/2012.  

Have patience.  It's worth it!  Wll keep a seat for you on the losers bench!

It depends on your surgeon's requirements and your insurance requirements. For me, I started this journey seriously in early March. It took about a month to get in for a consult with my surgeon on April 11. My insurance at that point was requiring a dr supervised weight managment program for a 6 month period (started that April 11) and signed up for 6 classes meeting once a month through my surgeon.

In May I found out my insurance had changed its requirement to a 3 month supervised program. It's a MIRACLE!! The sun shined and the clouds parted and I heard angels singing!! I called my surgeons office and they didn't even know about the change. They checked into it and sure enough I was right. At that point they gave me a surgery date that hit about a month after I would finish my 3 month requirement for insurance. They scheduled me for a VSG class which I attended last monday. Last friday, they submitted to my insurance for pre-authorization. I am still waiting IMPATIENTLY for insurance to get back to them with approval. I have a pre-op with my surgeon scheduled for Aug 1 and my surgery for Aug 6. I hope that helps you a little with the timing.

It still won't feel real to me until hear that special word "APPROVAL"!!!

Hey Debbie- You can follow up directly with your insurance company...put a little fire under their butts to get the approval moving. Sometimes they have approved but havent sent the approval letter to you/Dr. They can however give you the approval/certification code and you will be good to go! I know from a co-workers experience so that is what I plan on doing once my information is submitted for approval. LOL

Good deal! I will be calling tomorrow to bug them. Thanks!

 Are the any exercises that will help with the loose skin when you lose weight