[mamma_buddha]

My insurance company was pretty strict on the requirements before they approved me for surgery. I was glad they did it though. I have seen people who's insurance company didn't require them to do anything before hand, not even a 10 day diet or liquid diet 3 days before hand and they struggle with the phychological side of it. My doctor required a visit with his gatric bypass dietician, a visit with his psychologist, one session with a physical therapist to go over a post surgical exercise plan, the 10 day high protein diet with a 3 day liquid only diet. However my insurance required much more. They are a private insurance run by my husbands employer and they have a whole team dedicated to just weight loss surgery and it's success. They have numerous classes on well being for their employees and spouses as well as fitness centers in all their plant locations. They required me to go on Weight Watchers for 6 months prior to being approved and a 10% weight loss, working out at their fitness facility 3X a week minimum at 30 minutes each time with a plan designed by their local fitness instructor, a 13 week class on eating healthy and other healthy lifestyle changes, I had to meet with a psychologist for 6 one hour sessions and their dietician 4 times. My doctor allowed me to use the 6 psychology visits for his 1 required one, but I still had to see his own dietician because she was specially trained in gastric bypass nutrition. I don't regret a single minute of it. It was hard but I am proud of my accomplishments. I lost my 10% with about a week to spare. I credit Weight Watchers with a huge part of my success as it is structured but so easy to follow. I highly recommend them or any other structured program if you are required to do any weight loss on your own before the surgery is approved. They teach you how to be self disciplined before the surgery because you certainly will need to learn it afterwards. The psychologist helped out in helping me realize what type of eater I was. I learned that I am not an emotional eater, but I use food as a reward and need to practice more self control. The surgery automatically helps you with that as you cannot eat the portions you once could. I would do all of these requirements again if I had to in order to have the surgery. It is so worth it.

[April426]

Wow, it's too bad that all insurance co. don't make it standard procedure for all GB patients. It can be so hard mentally afterwards if your not prepared. Thanks for sharing.:-)

[mamma_buddha]

I think that they should make in mandatory to do psychological appointments afterwards too. A friend had GB done and before I had mine done she warned me about transfer addictions. Not one person in my doctors office even mentioned this. She is now battling an addiction to alcohol. In my mind I think it was something that was there from many years ago and came back. But this is something that people need to be aware of and let their loved ones know it can be a possibility and to be on the watch for. Even with all the psychological appointments I had, you just are never 100% prepared for it until you go through it. I'm not saying it a bad thing to go through, just something different to get used to. And my family has had a 'fun' time with it too. They try to be accomodating when we eat out. My daughter will ask me what I want to eat so we can share something, or I will eat someones side of cole slaw or something like that. However yesterday my husband brought up a very good point. We were out watching the football games and I ordered water and was going to have a little off of the sampler appetizer platter (yeah, not the healthiest, but I made up for it later). He then ordered a burger later on and something else after that. He is not a huge guy by any means. But he said he felt compelled to tell the waiter I had GB just so it doesn't look like he's pigging out. I never thought of it like that. I always just say I'm stuffed. I told him to go for it, I'm not ashamed! But getting back to the mindgames afterwards, it is something you have to get used to doing and a different way of thinking. One think I've learned to do when I go out for lunch, I go to a buffet where their TOGO is weighed. I get a small container and put in there only what I can eat, and only about a half to 3/4 cup of food. They weigh it and my bill is usually under $3! What a deal! Hahaha.

[DocSanae]

I am copying mama buddha's posts about her pre op hoops from where it was originally posted (in what originally is a year old thread) because this is very good information. I wish that all bariatric centers and insurance companies require such thorough programs, because even on this board, I have seen members receiving little information from their surgeons and staff, and struggling a lot.
Granted all of you want the surgery yesterday, and want the weight gone yesterday, but the better you are prepared no matter how much time it takes, the better your chances are for a good and rewarding journey of your life.

[MsVickie]

Mamma Budda,

I want to thank you for your post.

I do agree they do need to make it a bit more strict however I think it should be more left up to the Drs to emplement it in there practice to require it than the insurance companies. Yes the Drs themselfs. If you have a Dr that has done several and has any type of data or follow there patients and treat them as patients not numbers they will see them and what works and what it is they need. I to was required to do things by my own surgeon my insurance company didnt require such as seeing a dietitian and a psycologist before surgery and to detirmine if I was ready to have it done or If i needed more visits and was told if I felt I needed more later after surgery to please come back the door would be open. More or less I had to be cleared before by his own set of rules before he would even submit to my own insurance.

What I have found is transfer addiction starts to rear its ugly head around about the 4-6 month stage give or take a a month either way. Like most addictions most wont let it be known to anyone for a long time if ever. Uless its in your face kinda like smoking even that can be sneaked around. That was mine. I admitted mine. Im a open book most of the time. I just hope and pray and really wish people would really remember what it was like back when they felt when they needed this life saving surgery and why they really did it. What the real reason was. I did it to save my life. Nothing more. The looking better to me is just a really nice side effect.

[Katbeyer]

Between my insurance and the surgeons office I had lots of things to do before I would be approved.
6 month supervised diet, quit smoking, 5 % weight loss, 3 or more psyh. appoints, 5 phone visits with insurance company nurse.
My surgeons office has life time follow up appts. after all of the 1st year appts. then once a year for life.
At the psyh appts I was talked to about afterward and addictions etc. it was recommended that I continue with my regular therapist and or come back to see him.
I can't even remember what I all went thru - but I do know that I learned alot and am glad that I followed thru with it. sure I bitched about it all the way, but hey, thats me.