My first appt is next week - nervous...

Hi to all, I've been lurking on the boards, a post here and there, since November. I finally decided I really wanted to see this thru, so I went to a seminar at Scottsdale Bariatric, got a letter from my very supportive PCP, filled out the 20-page questionnaire and sent it in, crossing my fingers. Well, I got a call from Terry at SBC this afternoon, she said my insurance does have benefits (I had gotten conflicting stories, big surprise...) if you meet "their criteria". So far, so good, I don't have to do the 6-month weight loss thing, because I gave them a 5-year chart from my dr. with my slowly bur surely increasing weights - from 250-ish to 320-ish (ugh ugh ugh). One interesting thing is that Terry said my insurance wanted a 5-year record of having a BMI of 40 or more. Gee, 5 years ago, my BMI was only like 38, now is like 47, so I'm hoping that that will be "good enough" - first time a lower than 40 BMI might be considered a "problem" for me - haha or not so haha -- Anyway, I go next week for the 4 hour consultations - nutritionist, medical, psych - am nervous about the psych for some reason - what kind of questions do they ask? What are they looking for? Of course, I will be honest, but would like to have some prior knowledge of what to expect... Also, bypass vs. LapBand - my dr. says bypass is the 'gold standard', but I'm a little nervous about the severity of the surgery - but does LapBand really work as well? Thoughts/ideas? Thanks for any help!!!!! PS - I have United Health Care and Terry said that they will no longer be accepting UHC after (I think she said...) June 1st 2007, if that matters to anyone out there... Paula

Phycologically they want to make sure you are not going to kill yourself, as they are taking away alot of your emotional devises after surgery. You have to take a pycological test which takes like 2 hours or something. If you really rush you can get thru it in an hour but it's like 300 questions or something. It's long. Then you have to possible see a phycologist for behavioral modifications say if you smoke, drink caffine, or are an emotional eater for 6 sessions with one of their therapist. At least that is what I had to do. Congradulations on your decision and great luck with your insurance. I personally choose to have the RNY because I was self pay and my understanding was the numbers were better with RNY over lap band. So being self pay I had one shot at this so I went with the odds.

Don't be nervous... be EXCITED! This is the start of your journey!!! The pysch test has changed since I took it... a friend of mine just took it at SBC and he was done in 30 minutes. It was only 200-300 statements like "I will not walk into a party by myself" TRUE or FALSE. Then the billing people will come in a talk to you about your insurance and what you will need for documentation also. They told me I didnt need 6 months of dr. supervised weight loss also but then my insurance company asked for it... but if you have a 5-year chart that should be good too. Bring all your documentation with you... make copies for yourself and then give it to them then. Bring any tests results you have had recently... bloodwork, pap smear, etc. Just as long as you have a BMI over 34, Dr. Blackstone feels insurance will cover you. When I first attended the seminar, I wanted to do the Lap-Band... but after the seminar I decided on Gastric Bypass and also my initial consultation with Dr. Kolher, I got more information and decided to go with the RNY. I had my own person reasons for picking the bypass versus the Lap-Band. I knew I would find ways to work around the Lap-Band, didn't want to possibly see the port or feel the contour of the port either when I reached my goal weight. I also HATE needles, so I didnt want to go for fills. Your meeting with the nutiritionst will be short, Cassie is the BEST... but there is Samantha and Nancy also. They will just ask you what your current diet is and eating patterns. Then give you suggestions of what you should start doing. Eating proteins first, no drinking with meals, 30-20-30 rule, etc. Also... check out the Scottsdale Bariatric website, sign up for the newsletter. One was just sent out over the Holiday's. Dr. B put alot of good information in there about the office and upcoming changes. Looks like she is getting new surgeons soon... Another thing... have patience with the office staff, they are so busy that multiple calls have to be done, but overall everyone is extremely friendly and kind. Good Luck!

oh wow i guess they have changed the questions! the one i took was really long.

Yup... thats what I said when he told me. He said it was just one test. Mine was 2 tests that had 300+ statements on it. Took me almost 2 hours to fini****!