If you think you can get up one morning and have bypass gastric laparoscopic surgery the next day, you are mistaken. The preparation and testing required can be quite extensive and time consuming. This is not a decision you can make and execute quickly, especially if your insurance company is paying for the surgery.
Get ready to spend a minimum of three months doing the things that are required for you to be able to proceed with bypass gastric laparoscopic surgery. Some of the publications I have read list a huge amount of medical tests and other paperwork. Here are some of things I was required to do before my surgery.
1. Completed a lengthy application
2. Complete medical examination
3. Blood work
4. Chest X-ray
5. Five years of dieting history
6. Five years of medical records
7. Meeting with the surgeon
8. Meeting with a psychiatrist
9. Meeting with a nutritionist
10. 6 months of a medically monitored weight loss program
If this looks like it would be a lot of work and would take a long time, you are correct. I felt that they wanted time to pass so that I was positive about the decision to have surgery.
Insurance companies are going to require more testing than a bariatric surgery center where you are paying for your own surgery. There will still be a lot of preparation no matter which alternative you are using. Bariatric surgeons want to see you be successful and that means preparing and educating yourself properly about the surgery.
You have to be prepared for a difference in you life, especially if you have never been thin. Learning to deal with these changes just might be your biggest challenge. Bypass gastric laparoscopic surgery can give you a whole new life. Take the time to do the necessary testing and educating that is required to be successful.