Question:
I have 6 months wait for consult , should I do anything before the visit ?
I have to wait six months until the consult w/surgeon (if I don't find a new one), should I go see anyone before the visit or wait and see what the surgeon wants , besides I have an exclusion , the surgery must be medically needed . I just want to make sure I can get all that is needed to be approved for wls. — patti G. (posted on December 22, 2002)
December 22, 2002
Hello. I know before I could have surgery I needed to lose 10% of my
weight, 30 lbs before they would operate. Plus I needed to see a
nutritionist and get a psych eval. You might want to call you insurance
company and see if they require a psych eval, or anything like that which
you could get done in those 6 months. I would call your surgeons office too
and ask if your surgeon requires any weight loss before he/she will
operate. If so, you could start working on that as well. Good Luck to you!
— Shavonne P.
December 22, 2002
In the monthes you have to wait on, get busy putting a few things together,
that you will need at your first visit. List your diet history, indicate
which attempts were dr supervised or not, dates, amount lost, what kind of
diet,and exercise programs that went along with them. List all the meds you
take. List your history of surgeries you've had. List your family's medical
history, as much as you can find out. Go to your PCP and get him to write
you a letter of referral stating that it is a medical neccessity for you to
have this surgery, give that to your surgeon. Do the same thing with your
GYN, if you have documented your weight with him. All of this will give you
a headstart. ALso, keep a copy of all letters and test results for
yourself. You never know when it will come in handy. Especially if you have
to file an appeal with your insurance company.Good luck.
— Leslie E.
December 23, 2002
Patti, in addition to what the others have mentioned in the two previous
posts, I would make sure that you have had at least one physician
supervised weight loss attempt during the past two years. A lot of
insurance plans require this. This would be the perfect time for you to
see your PCP and get the weight loss attempt documented if you haven't done
so at another point in the past two years. If you have any medical
conditions that require going to a specialist, you should make those
appointments during this time - such as a cardiologist, endocrinologist,
etc. Some surgeons require you to have your yearly gyn. exam as well as
mammogram.
You should also visit the Staple Mates meeting in SA on the 2nd Wednesday
of each month at the Methodist Hospital 5th floor North. I'm not sure
which surgeon you're using (didn't find it on your profile) but, this group
is open to all weight loss patients at all points on their journey
(pre-consultation, pre-op, post-op.) The group is a wealth of information
and support and is facilitated by doctors from the Surgical Consultants of
SA group. Six months will fly by before you know it!
— lezawomack
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