Experiences before surgery?

Hi everyone! I'm brand new here :)

A few years back I started contemplating weight loss surgery, but instead chose to go a different very unhealthy route in desperate need to lose weight before my wedding. It quickly came back after the wedding, surprise surprise!. I put my research for WLS on hold as I new I wanted to have children soon after marriage. I had my baby 6 months ago (a very healthy 10lb beautiful girl) and have once again started my research and it seems like the Sleeve would be best. We do want another child, but right now I want to focus on myself for a bit and be a healthy new mom. I have a few questions for those who have went through the surgery and I wanted some real life responses and not just some generic Web MB information. And most of all, looking for some guidance and support from those willing to give it.

How long was your process from start until surgery date?

Regrets?

Healthy pregnancies after surgery?

Potential waiting periods AFTER births? (I am finished breastfeeding)

I am actually scheduled for a weight loss seminar next week to learn around the different procedures and what options I may have. I thought this would be a good first step.

Hi!  I think I decided to have surgery in September or October of 2013 and then I had it in March.  Pretty quick - my insurance at the time only required a psych eval, no 3-6 months on a monitored diet.  

ZERO regrets.  VSG is the best gift I've ever given to myself.  Is life perfect?  Hardly.  And getting the stomach/physical side of things has just shown me how much mental work I have to do.  I honestly feel that the mental stuff is the only thing that will ever make the results long term - but I, personally, needed surgery to be able to have the "space" to work on the mental side of things.  

No pregnancies before or after.  But I know many people who have had wonderful pregnancies post-op :)

What I've heard is that you'll be fine if you're not breastfeeding.  And, post-op, it's really important to double up on your birth control methods because you might be SUPER FERTILE.

Welcome! Congratulations on your new addition!

All the insurance companies have different criteria, and have so many plans within them that it's hard to make a guess.

My SO called the insurance company and asked them for a link to the specifications for our plan.  It had recently changed, so I shared that info with my surgeon's office.  

I also made myself a quick checklist based on the requirements, so I could record the date of completion for each item. The sceduler found this helpful when she went to insurance for authorization.

My plan required a note from my primary, a psych eval (not covered!), clearance from cardio and pulmonary, and a 3-month supervised diet (only partially covered).

My surgeon's office suggests a MINIMUM of 18 months post-surgery if you want to have a baby. They caution that fertility goes way up post-surgery, and ask you which method of birth control you'll be using. 

I had the sleeve based on my health history and BMI. The surgeon thought this would be the best tool.

Stick around. This is a great group. :)

How long was your process from start until surgery date?  From seminar to surgery was 112 days.

Regrets?  Not yet.  Possibly wish I had done it earlier.

Thank you so much for the replies! It didn't seem that my insurance had too many pre reqs. It sounded like the most important for coverage was to utilize a doctor within a specific network. I have BCBS MN. I definitely wish this was something I was able to do sooner, but really thought I could get this weight off on my own and tried to stay positive. I also knew that I wanted to have a child first, and it took me about 9 months to do so. What exactly do they look for in the Psych Evaluation, since it seems thats pretty common to have for everyone? Are they just making sure your mentally capable of handling the changes? I look forward to educating myself on the boards!

I started the process in May 2016, but in July the surgeon left the practice without warning. I found a new one and had my consult August 31st. I had all of my records and the results of the tests I had already completed sent over to the new office and they honored them. My insurance does not cover bariatric surgery at all so I paid for it myself..still my surgeon had certain requirements that had to be met and insurance did pay some towards the ekg, chest x-ray, bloodwork, upper gi, and psych evaluation. At my psych evaluation I answered a series of personality questions and met with the psychologist. She just wanted to interview me and see if I might have any issues that might keep me from being successful with the surgery. I had my sleeve Dec. 14th. I have no regrets. I am only a few weeks out but with what I have lost pre op and since surgery I feel better than I have in probably 10-15 years. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me. 

I went to an informational session in September and I'm having the surgery on 1/23/17.

I was told it takes about 4 months but, of course, I thought I could do it faster.  It wasn't a challenge...lol. After the EGD, sleep test, psych eval, dietician, blood work, and classes - she was right. My insurance company approved me in less than 2 weeks.

Good luck and I can't wait to hear how things progress.

Jan