This is such a newbie question but I'm going out of my mind, ya'll
I'm sure this has been asked three thousand times already...but I'm so impatient.
How long did you guys wait to hear back from the surgeon's office after your initial appointment? I had my first appointment with the surgeon, dietician, nurse practitioner, and psychologist all on December 21st, 2016. At the end of the three hours, there still wasn't any info on what happens next, so I asked when will I know if I'm in the program..which they stated that I already was.
I came to the appointment with my sleep study results (I've been using a CPAP since August of last year), recent labs, ultrasounds, and chest X-ray. My BMI is 60 and I have low to normal blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol. So, even though it's a shoe in that I should be covered by insurance, I called my insurance company a few days before my appointment just to make sure, and they said that I will be covered.
So what's the hold up?
I haven't heard from my doctor's office since the appointment. All they said was to expect a letter detailing what to do next. Did you guys have to wait three weeks before you knew your next step? I understand we had two holidays in the mean time, but was wondering how long you guys had to wait before your official first step towards your surgery.
~I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me--Cary Grant~
Take deep breaths.......yes, it seems to take forever, but you should hear from them soon. Insurance companies take their sweet time before sending all the docs back.......I'm convinced that they plan it that way so that you'll get frustrated and pay out of pocket.
Don't let the stress of waiting make you nutty......they already said you'll be covered, so you're one step up on the plan. In the meanwhile, clear your mind and start getting ready for a healthier new you....and it will be happening before you know the time has passed. Once I got that approval notice I felt like the wait time was forever and then all of a sudden it was the night before my surgery and I was shocked at how quickly the date came up.
Keep your chin up......one day at a time and before you know it, you'll be on the Loser's Bench.
Good friends are like stars.
You don't always see them but you always know they're there. 
Awe, thanks Anita. You're always so sweet. You're a true gem for us in these parts.
But sadly, we haven't even gotten to that point yet. I called the insurance on Friday, thinking maybe the doctor just submitted my file as is, but they don't have anything. I've read that it can be time consuming waiting for the insurance's approval, but geez, we're a long ways away from that it seems. It's just frustrating when I've read from so many here how they knew what they needed to do after that first appointment. I still don't have a clue. I don't know if there'll be more testing or my file will be sent as is.
But you are right. I need patience regardless of where I"m at. I guess they just haven't gotten to me yet. I just didn't think it'd take three weeks or a month just to know what that first step is after the initial exam. I like to think that I'm a patient person, especially when I'm in contact and know what I'm waiting for and what my next step will be, even if it's an ekg test three weeks away. It's just not hearing from them at all that has me worried I got lost in the shuffle. I sent them a follow up email on Friday, just to see if I'm still on point to receive a letter sometime soon of what they need me to do.
But crickets.
~I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me--Cary Grant~
Thanks for the compliment......always feels good to know that I can help someone, even if it's in a small way. I understand the frustration and I suppose most of us can as well, but it will happen and unfortunately some doctor's personnel cannot or will not be rushed.
The first doctor I went to when I was doing a lap-band (10 years ago) had a girl working in the office who was a monumental "B".......she was difficult and worse than that, she was stupid. She refused to return phone calls and I completed all my pre-op stuff to meet the deadline for the date I was scheduled for surgery. I knew she had all the documents in hand because I sent them return receipt requested. I still had not heard anything from her up until 10 days before my scheduled date and when I finally blew my stack and told the office manager that if the girl didn't answer the phone, I was going to have my attorney call them. She finally came to the phone and when I asked her what was happening, she laughed and said that she had forgotten to send in my papers and that we had to reschedule my surgery. I told her not to bother as I was going to go to a different doctor. I sent a letter (personal and confidential) to the doctor with a full explanation of what occurred and why he was losing two patients....me and a friend.....didn't hear back from him either......NOT impressed.
I went to a different doctor and was approved within 2 weeks because I had all my pre-ops done and they were still within the time frame needed. Long story short....had my lap-band in 2006......it became problematic about 16 months ago and I revised to my VSG last June......I am VERY happy.
I'm telling you this story NOT to alarm you, but to let you know that sometimes it takes a little while and sometimes it happens right away. Talk with the insurance person at your doctor's office and see if they can at least give you an idea of where you are in the timing.....it's rare that they are as unpleasant or unprofessional as the B in my original doctor's office....usually they are on the ball and happy to get approvals. Their job is to get those approvals so that their employer has a full schedule of surgeries.
Like I said....breathe........and hang in there! Come here to vent if you need to do so....it's okay, we understand.
Good friends are like stars.
You don't always see them but you always know they're there.
I just wanted to say Cathy--thank you. Thank you for giving me the courage to call. I think I have these remnants left over from child hood of afraid of ******g people off, so I'm not as proactive as I should be.
I actually called today and found out the office coordinator who handles the letters is in Oregon, so they're running two weeks behind. The project assistant who is doing both, the other woman's job and her own, looked at my file to see what will be in the letter and everything she still needs from me. Come to find out, these are things I actually had done and brought with me to my first appointment. It was scanned in by two people that day and it's still not in their system. 
After a half hour of calls, my hospital is faxing her my records directly so she can put them in. She said I should be good to go and someone soon will be calling to schedule my pre-op class. Also, she said there should be no reason I shouldn't get my surgery in February! Now, lets hope everyone does what they say they'll do, and soon I'll be joining you all on the loser's bench in no time.
~I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me--Cary Grant~
Oh, Star, you are very welcome and I am so glad you called!! Yes, I understand the ticking people off thing. But I learned something great from my late mother. She was one of those people who didn't want to make waves all her life. When she was 40 she decided enough was enough, learned to say "No!" when she wanted to, and stopped letting people ignore her and treat her "less than." She instilled that in her daughters as teenagers. It took me a while to embrace it, but by my mid-20s, I was much stronger and more assertive. Now I'm 57...and sometimes people should run for cover! As my grandma used to say "Here she comes, Katy bar the door!" hahahaha
Glad you took the bull by the horns. You avoided a wait of who knows how long to find out essentially nothing. Glad things are moving forward, and can't wait to welcome you to the Loser's Bench!!!
I was one of the lucky ones- my insurance did not require a 6 month waiting period. Even with that and with my jamming in all the appointments as soon as I could, it was about 3 months from my first attending a seminar to surgery date. From the point I completed all of the preop requirements, approval came in about 3 days. I have very responsive insurance though. Once I had approval I was able to talk my way into an appointment just 2 or 3 weeks later so it hit over my holiday break and resulting in no missed school. But that I had to absolutely beg.
Surgeon: Chengelis Surgery on 12/19/2011 A little less carb eating compared to my weight loss phase loose sleever here!
1Mo: -21 2Mo: -16 3Mo: -12 4MO - 13 5MO: -11 6MO: -10 7MO: -10.3 8MO: -6 Goal in 8 months 4 days!! 6' 2'' EWL 103% Starting size 28 or 4x (tight) now size 12 or large, shoe size 12 w to 10.5 150+ pounds lost
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My insurance is great. I feel truly fortunate to have BCBS of IL. They don't require any supervised diet plan either. Just the high BMI or a 35-40 BMI with two co-morbidities. At that first visit, the nurse practitioner did say the doctor was booked up through January. I'm still hoping I could somehow get in one of his February slots.
My pcp who went through this process with a few other patients said not to worry. In the beginning it seems like they forget about you, then suddenly they're bugging the **** out of you to get everything done in a matter of a few weeks. Intellectually I know this..but that drive in me has it's own busy brain.
~I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me--Cary Grant~
