Going for consult in May - self pay VSG. What to expect?

32 year old mama of 2 here.

My husband and I have been saving for a while for the VSG surgery. As we inch closer, I scheduled a consultation for May 24th.

What should I expect at the consultation? My BMI is high - 59 - so between now and then I will be on a diet and starting to exercise to get my BMI down some. Any other advice or things I maybe haven't thought about?

At my consultation, the doctor and I really had a good conversation about my health history, my goals, and my expectations for post-op life. I filled out paperwork talking about my comorbidities (sleep apnea, high blood pressure, that sort of thing), as well as my weight history and previous attempts at dieting and losing weight. We discussed the different surgeries to figure out which would be best for me, and he offered his thoughts on why I could be successful, as well as the challenges I could expect to face.

As far as pre-op advice goes, I would suggest that you get into the habit of weighing, measuring, and logging your food. That's a habit that will help you be successful, so no matter what your nutritional goals are before surgery, it's a good routine to get into!

Well.. the good news is that you don't need to call your insurance to find out what their requirements for surgery are!

It might be wise to call your surgeon's office and ask if they have requirements of their own if you haven't already. For example, my surgeon required that I have an endoscopy prior to surgery, and if you're self-pay, that's definitely a cost to be aware of. My insurance required that I have a psych eval and my understanding is that some surgeon's require this as well. So it might be a good idea just to find out.

My consult was basically just determining if WLS was a good fit for me based on my health history and my expectations. I felt comfortable with my surgeon immediately and that was the primary thing I was looking for as a potential patient. Your surgeon should go over the different types of WLS that are available because one of the other surgeries might be a better option for you.

I remember being super nervous about my consult and feeling really awesome afterward :)

Sara congratulations on your decision. I didn't have a VSG but I was a mostly self pay and my process from consult to surgery was about a month. Though my other issues were severe, even without that factor your whole preop travels will be much faster than those with insurance coverage. Most have at least six months from consult to surgery; many have a year or more.

Just wanted to give you a heads up on the finances. Whoever you decide to use surgically and whatever your eventual procedure, contact their business office right up front and get their quotes in writing. Then call back or talk to them again to tell them you'll be paying cash and negotiate a better deal. Do it for every pre-op testing requirement as well.

The cost of capital is a very real consideration for all involved. Even if you were to pay by credit card they would "lose" a minimum of 2% fee to the credit card company. I'd strongly suggest getting some of that back for yourself. If they refuse, make sure you talk to a manager just to double check.

It wouldn't be a deal buster for me if I wanted a particular surgeon but you may as well try and make the cash pay as much of an advantage for you as possible.

also, realize right up front that if you go in as a cash pay and have a straight WLS procedure, any future gastro problems may be declined by your insurance as well. in my case, they took my gall bladder out at the same time, which was medically advised so I've been ok. I can't imagine having everything post op not covered by insurance though. You'd easily hit six figures very quickly with complications. good luck, and congrats again.

Good Luck to you!

Questions to ask your surgeon