consult w/surgeon:what should I expect?

Heyy Ya'll! I'm 15 years old, and I finally got a consult with a surgeon. It's about a week and a half away! I'm soo excited, but also very nervous. Have any of you had your consults yet? And if you have, what should I expect? Do you have to strip down to your bra and underwear *lol* or is it just a meeting sorta thing? And...another question! In what order did everything go? I mean...I haven't applied for insurance approval yet, but I'm seeing the doc in a few days. So am I doing it right? Help me! Thnx and good luck with your surgery processes! *~!~*MITZI*~!~*

Hey Mitzi Good news on your consult! as far the order you are supposed to do things, it really depends on your insurance, and hopefully yours isn't such a pain in the butt as mine has been!. the order I did mine with Kaiser was, 1.) see your primary physician, 2.) all your ucky blood work and tests 3.) they ship the referall to some other place in charge of approval...Hope that helps..I also asked my boyfriend about the consult things, he had his surgery 2 years ago and he tried to say they strip you down...but he said he's just full of it, they don't really strip ya down...LOL...lets hope they don't make us do it huh? TTYS -Shannon

Mitzi, I think you're doing everything in the right order. For my consult I went in, filled out paperwork, watched a powerpoint presentation on different WLS procedures that included what happens, life afterwards, required supplements, etc. Then I was weighed etc. Then I actually saw my surgeon. We discussed my options and why I was a candidate. He answered questions I had, and he told me he would write a letter to insurance telling them why I qualified for WLS. Then I waited to be approved. I don't remember how long it took me to be approved because I had to wait longer for my actual surgery due to school. Everything went smoothly and I had Lap RNY 5/12/03. Good Luck! Natalie Oh...and no I never had to strip It's not that type of a consult!

Hey Mitzi! My order went (or rather, is going) like this: 1st- talked to normal doctor about it, and got a referral to my surgeon 2nd-went to the meeting with the doctor. Weighed in privately, then me and about 8 other people met with the nutritionist and doctor who told us what to expect, different surgeries, etc. They also gave us a lot of pamphlets and had us fill out paperwork. Each of us each met briefly with ths surgeon who just asked us a few questions i.e. why do you want this surgery, etc 3. Received my date (this is unusual, but because I am a student and must have surgery in the summer, they allowed me to secure a date before the insurance approval) 4. My surgeon submitted a request for coverage from my insurance 5. We heard back from the insurance, saying that i must get a psych test and eval. blah blah, but I jumped through that hoop 6.heard back from the insurance company saying that I needed some bloodwork done. Did that. Now...I'm just waiting for approval! I know that about a week before surgery or something, I am supposed to have a presurgery check up (I think that's the strip down to the underwear thing) but he said that my PCP could do this as well. Sorry so long, but good luck

Heyy Ya'll! Thank you sooo much for your replies! They all helped me alot! And good luck on all of ya'lls upcoming surgeries! Hope everything runs smoothly! *~!~*MITZI*~!~*

Hey Mitzi- At your consult your doctor should tell you exactly what to expect. You should ask him any questions you have. Talk to your parents and make of list of concerns. Be prepared. ..I know its nerve racking but its really not that bad. A consult is basically a discussion of your procedure. Goodluck hun. xxErica 18 years old -170 Pounds [email protected]

Heyy Erica! Thankyou sooo much for your input! It definatly calms my nerves to know that it wasn't too bad for ya! Thnx and congrats on your amazing weight loss! *~!~*MITZI*~!~*