Probroably a dumb question...

Ok.. so.. I've been going through this whole process since Nov. and I've done EVERYTHING my Dr. has asked me to do.. I had a visit with him 2 weeks ago and he told me that I was doing a "great job" and that I was a "wonderful candidate for WLS", then he said that he was going to write me a referral for the surgeon.. Now.. here comes the dumb question.. lol. Does that officially mean that I'm going to have surgery?  Like if the dr./nut/psych all say that I'm a "wonderful candidate" does that mean that when I meet with the surgeon he's going to be like.. "well what type of procedure were u condsidering?" and "when are u free for surgery?" This whole journey has been intense and I feel like it's starting to become a reality.. but not until I get a surgery date will I be able to breathe.. How have YOUR appt.s with the surgeons gone? If anyone can tell me their experiences .. that would be great.. maybe I can relax lol :)

What you've written about the surgeon's office rings true to me. I showed up there, they asked what kind of surgery was I wanting (lap-band or RNY), checked me over, made sure I knew what I was getting into, and said they'd start the insurance process because my insurance has always been slow for approving this procedure.

I didn't need a referal from my doctor, but I did tell her I was thinking about doing it, and she had no problems with that. I did have to do the 6 months doctor supervised diet as that my insurance required. But after my insurance approval, everything happened really really fast, and I was scheduled for surgery only 2 weeks from that day.

Well, you already know how mine went.  I just wanted to give you hugs because I know how anxious you are.  Keep on your dr. and make sure he follows through with the referral and whatnot.  I don't really know how that process goes but I wish you best of luck and all that jazz.  *hugs*  It will all work out for you.

Your process is much different than mine was - everything was done thru my surgeon... I met with him first then did the nut/psych and all that stuff. My insurance company was who I had to wait on to let me know if I was having surgery or not :-)

My process was well.. interesting to say the least. I actually mentioned the surgery to my dr who told me there was a surgeon in the area who hosted a WLS seminar.  You had to go to the seminar before he would even see you to discuss WLS. (Which sounds odd, but the reality is this is a life changing event.)  Then I had to go through a series of tests and 6 months of seeing my nutritionist going for a psych evaluation all that jazz. Well, after all that they submitted it to my insurance and it turned out that Aetna had REALLY strict policies for doing the surgery. They needed 5 years worth of documentation.. I could only provide 4. So, we waited until my husband was able to switch insurances and then in Feb 07 my surgeon resubmitted for surgery and within two weeks I was approved on BCBS RI.  Then my surgery was scheduled for May 07. I had to do a 4-6 week diet leading up to the event to help lose some weight to make the surgery easier on myself and surgeon. Other than that.. the process itself is simple and all :) Good Luck! ~*Zandra*~

I'm a little confused because it sounds like the process for you is a little bit different then what mine was like...My path to surgery was Early oct - attended seminar and applied for program and scheduled for first appointment oct-nov - went around and got all my initial tests done - arterial blood gas, pulmonary function. upper GI barium swallow, bloodwork....etc... Dec - first appointment - referred to pulmonologist because of poor pulmonary function test jan - saw pulmonologist, sent for sleep study to check for sleep apnea feb - second clnic appointment and off to insurance early march approved and scheduled for surgery three weeks later one week before - met actual surgeon, some more tests March 29th - surgery! Today - I've lost 135 pounds and have been below my goal since November!