Moving forward...

My insurance has been contacted by the surgeon's office and the DS is covered with a 3 mo supervised diet, 2 year weight history and psych evaluation. I have a consultation with the surgeon next week ( Dr. Stewart). What other tests might I expect? What is the usual time frame from the consultation to surgery date? I was told the consultation with the surgeon will last 1 1/2 - 2 hours next week. I've learned so much from all of you I'm not sure what I need to be asking the surgeon? The psych evaluation has me a little freaked as well. Will I need to be prepared to explain why I can't lose the weight and why this surgery is right for me?? I would love to hear from other patients of Dr. Stewart as well as others.

Thanks for your posts and sharing so much with the rest of us.

My psych eval lasted all of about 15 minutes.  I believe it's a CYA issue for the surgeon, that you're stable enough to handle the surgery, not to judge you about why you can't lose weight. Don't sweat it.

I had my intake interview with the practice 1/2/13, and surgery 4/29/13.  So, I would say 3-4 months wait time.

My psych eval non stressful.  Nice psychologist.  One question that had me thinking was "why do you think this will work when all other diets , weight loss programs / tries have failed?".  Of course surgery is more drastic but still requires work and consistency.  So I think of that question often when I have the "head" hunger pains for the forbidden fruit as I call it (the carbs). So very happy you have ins that will pay.  May I ask what company are you with that pays for WLS esp DS? OK if you do not want to answer.  

I have FEPBLUE. It is Federal Employee BCBS.

Thanks for sharing the question posed to you that helps you along your journey. It makes me think about how I would respond.

Thanks for sharing!

It's definitely a CYA for the surgeon. 

But I've also seen a few RNY people that failed and it made me question why someone would give them an RNY when it was so obvious they were a few cards short of a full deck.  These WLS require compliance with rules, changed life style, ability to understand your blood labs, and adjust your vits based on those results, etc.  And I've seen people ( RNY folk) who I wondered how they made it to work every day.  That's the kind of people they are trying to weed out of the programs.

My psych eval was easy.  I took a personality test on paper and answered 3 essay questions.  I faxed her those documents.  She reviewed and then we chatted on the phone for exactly 30 minutes (yea, I was tracking the time).  She was very nice to me, was not aggressive, nor did she 'dig for any hidden truths'.   They are going to ask you why you want this surgery, and what do you hope to gain from it.  They want to know how much you know about the DS - have you done your research on this.  Do you know that you have to do blood labs for the rest of your life?  That you must eat low carb for the rest of your life?  That you need to take a lot of vitamins for the rest of your life?  Have answers to these questions, and you are good to go.

 

I was told the insurance company was requiring it and thought perhaps it was a tactic to discourage you from progressing further. But, I can kinda see why the surgeon would want it. Thanks for the tips on the type of conversation I'm likely to have during the evaluation! I'm not a control freak but I hate the unknown and always feel more comfortable when I know what to expect.

Thanks for posting!!

Just be honest and yourself on the psych eval. 

 

Dr. Stewart is great!

You were just a week or two away from your surgery date when I found this forum. I look forward to your posts and progress. Thanks for sharing!

At my surgery consultation, my surgeon recommended a sleep study for possible apnea (it was a pre-req to be accepted for surgery in my case).  Expensive and troublesome, but after being diagnosed and getting on a CPAP machine, my life has changed for the better before my WLS.  I'm getting quality rest, which only helps with energy levels and ultimately, my weight loss goals.

Depending on any co-morbidities, you may have to get an EKG.  If you haven't had a mammogram/pap smear in a while, you may want to take care of that before surgery, even if it's not required for your your FEHBP plan or surgery program.

Try not to worry about the psych evaluation.  It's standard and necessary.  If you're not in the right "head space" - you may end up not using the WLS tool to its full potential.  

Best of luck!