Stupid Question: Can Doctor Fast-track Surgery?

My sister, who had RNY 10 years ago, finally convinced me to pursue WLS. I used to diet and exercise obsessively and neverbreak 200 lbs, and then I got into the fat acceptance thing but hurt my knee and weight was a factor in my recovery.

So to start the process I joined Weigh****chers for the supervised diet and was shocked to discover I weigh 370. I'm only 5'5".

I was born with a heart condition that was corrected by surgery but still monitored, I'm at risk for diabetes, I'm dealing with sleep apnea and now some mysterious chest pain.

What are the chances of getting a doctor to fast track me to surgery? Honestly, my weight terrifies me and the idea of waiting until next spring/summer for surgery scares me.

Has anyone had a doctor reccomend they skip the monitored diet and go straight to surgery?

If you are having chest pain for no apparent reason, you need to get to an ER. Now.

The only way I know to get bumped to the front of the line is to pay cash. I had to pay cash up front and then deal with insurance later. It was way too much money but it did expedite the process.

I had my class/seminar/overview the first week in Nov 2008, and my surgery was Dec 9 of that same year. The requirements for clearances was the same, I just got all of my appointments in over the space of a month. I did not have to do the 6 months of supervised diet.

Many people are afraid of their weight and want their surgery asap. Your surgeon surely has his/her own requirements so you might start by just calling their office and asking.

Good luck. The important thing is that you got the process started.

Survey scheduling depends on two completely independent things: your surgeon's policies, and your insurance company's requirements. From my understanding, it is very rare for an insurance company to bend on a requirement (like the supervised diet), even if there is medical urgency.

If you believe time is of the essence and your insurance company requires a long weight, you may want to consider skipping insurance and paying for the procedure yourself. Many folks who do that end up going to Mexico, where the costs are considerably lower than in the US.

Many of us wanted to get into surgery and have it done with very quickly, for either health or emotional reasons. But WLS is a massive life change that requires new habits and emotional work, both of which can take time to prepare. Having surgery in two weeks may leave you woefully unprepared to use your new tool in a healthy way that will help you be successful.

My carrier did not have a supervised diet with waiting period, but my surgeon did - it was 3 months. Three months flies by as you are getting ready. There are lots of pre-op tests that need to get scheduled and you need to get your head in the right place with the kind of diet you will be following for the rest of your life. And start making plans for movement you can do now and after surgery - e.g. water walking, regular walking, meeting with a trainer to develop an exercise plan you can execute at your weight. Going fast never helped anyone. You didn't get to this weight overnight. Even with surgery you aren't going to lose it overnight. Yes, it will be faster than just dieting and exercise, but those have to be part of your daily routine from this day forward.

As for the sleep apnea, I'm sure you have been dealing with that for a while. If the chest pain is serious, get yourself to the ER.

While waiting, use the time to clean all the junk food out of your house and start getting your head on straight for a high protein low carb lifestyle for most of the rest of your life.

As others pointed out, there are surgeon requirements, insurance company requirements, and hospital requirements. Many of those requirements, like having a very recent physical by your PCP, getting cardiac clearance, attending nutrition classes, etc, are done for your health and safety. Some are done to cover the hospital and surgeons butt in case there are severe complications.

About the best you can likely hope for is having your surgeon expedite various checkups and clearances. Otherwise, you could wait months just for appointments they require.

But, pushing the fact that you are in such bad health that you need surgery right away might make them reject you altogether. Surgeons dislike doing surgery on someone in very bad shape.

Good luck. Really, waiting can be a very good thing for you. There are a lot of things you can be doing so that you have a good running start going into surgery -- things that will make you more successful long term.

Ditto to what everyone said but I wanted to add that I felt the same way. It took me forever to decide to have surgery and when I did I wanted it done and done ASAP otherwise I would chicken out. When I found a surgeon and program I liked I asked him how fast can we get this done and he chuckled and said if you want speed then I am not for you. It can take up to 6 months to a year. I was in tears, seriously in tears. He explained to me that if I didn't have issues other than what I put in my mouth I would not weight 330 pounds. You have to get it right between the ears before you re-arrange your plumbing.

I sucked it up and took all the classes and did everything that was required of me including attending support group meetings and I swear going through that prepared me and had me in the right mind set. I credit taking that time to getting below goal (my lowest was 114) and maintaining 125-130 for 14 years.

So my advice is if you find a surgeon that will do it right away without preparing you before and support you after, run don't walk out the office.

As for your health issues going on now, please find out what is going on, don't wait Keep us posted how goes!!!

Take care,

Kathy

I agree with what the others say - you're dealing with the policies of three separate entities (surgeon, hospital, insurance). My clinic didn't give a hoot about a six-month supervised diet - that was my insurance company's policy. My surgeon just wanted some clearances (like a sleep study and a stress test - maybe one or two others) and required that we attend four classes - so his requirements would have taken maybe two months or so (well, possibly longer since it took forever to get in for a sleep study - but barring that delay, everything else could be knocked out pretty quickly...).

Thank you to all the constructive responses. I had a bit of a shock at my weigh-in and panicked. I supported my sister through this process years ago, so I understand it's a marathon, not a sprint. I'm going to be fine. I just needed to take stock of my reality.

Thanks again for all the kind and constructive responses!

I was self paid in US and i still had to wait my "spot in line". It took me app 3-4 months to have my surgery. It was faster than people with insurance because I only needed detailed lab work, psychologist and good lab results to get on the list. I had 4 weeks surgeon required pre-op diet. I still was expedited because i was going to lose my "support system" after mid of June. They put me in a cancellation spot for May 14. First time I saw them was mid January.

I would be very worried if my surgeon is not busy enough. I rather wait fora really good one, than speed it up with "first available".

I?m sorry that you?re feeling so scared. Correct me if I?m being presumptuous, but it sounds like you?re ruminating on all these worries and perhaps are spinning a bit? If I?m at all right, try to slow down a little bit?as someone said, this didn?t happen over night and can?t be fixed over night. Consider that health concerns actually might be a good reason to take this decision and this process step by step. I understand that it can be a desperate feeling and it seems like getting the surgery ASAP might feel like taking control. But even without the WLS, you can take control today by taking steps. Find a seminar and a surgeon. Work with them to make a plan. You don?t have to solve this all at once. But If you outline a plan and start ticking things off the list, if you keep in motion, you will feel in control. Time flies when you?re busy. Best of luck.