A Rant About the Stupidity of Some Medical Rules

Pink Unicorn

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Joined
May 11, 2017
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Location
Marietta, GA
First, thank you for reading this and for listening to me rant. I began my current journey with weight loss surgery on April 24 of this year. I saw the doctor, the dietitian, and the exercise physiologist that Thursday, and I received a binder with loads of information and the critical "Clearances" list. I needed to get all of my clearances done before the office would schedule my surgery. That day, I asked what the timeline looks like for someone new. The doctor told me that it typically takes 3 or more months, but some people get it done earlier. So if the stars aligned properly, I could get the surgery in 2 months.

I took the clearances seriously. The very next day, I attended the mandatory nutrition class. I spent the next four weeks getting everything done, and finished on May 25th. Then I spoke with the program coordinator, who told me that I am in their "program" and I must spend three months in the program before I can get surgery.

When I asked why, I got a convoluted explanation that essentially boiled down to "because we said so". There is no medical reason for me to need three months. I already am following the nutritional advice and exercise advice, which has already made my life better. But because I didn't need extra tests or studies, it didn't take as long for me.

As a side note, I already had a sleep study a few years ago, and they will have to pry my CPAP from my cold dead hands before I give it up. I like sleep, and I love my CPAP. I also had a heart stress test in 2009, and the cardiologist didn't see the need to repeat it since my EKG looked good.

Anyway, I finally heard from the surgery scheduler yesterday, and the first opening for surgery is August 1st. Not too surprising, because I have seen a myriad of people walking around with the white binder. But they might be able to fit me in on July 25th if someone cancels or can't get insurance approval. But they can't get me in earlier.

July 25th is three months exactly from the day I walked into the office. And I don't really believe in coincidences.

So now I'm sitting here, happy to be scheduled, and pissed off because I don't really believe that the doctor doesn't have an opening until August. I'm not going to complain because I don't think anyone there will listen. But dammit! I am ready to get the party started!!! And waiting around an extra month or so because of some stupid, poorly implemented policy drives me crazy. I don't care if three months is the statistically best program time. Statistics are for the masses, not the individual!

AARGHHH

Okay, thank you again for listening to my rant. I will do an official "my surgery date is" post after I get another cup of tea.
 
I talked a lot with my surgeon about scheduling. He gets two slots, twice a month, in OR in the town where I live. I wonder if your surgeon has similar scheduling issues?
 
When I had my DS in Minnesota there was 1 surgeon in the state. My surgery date was 2 YEARS in the future. Seriously! I should have gone to Spain and had surgery in 2 weeks. I wasted 2 years.

But waiting is waiting. And you are right, there are more than a few health care professionals who believe we deserve to be miserable to lose weight.
 
I was sitting on the cash to go to Mexico if Dr Srikanth hadn't been able to get me in. In the end I only lost five or six months going through the pre-surgery protocol.

Two years? I would have gone further insane!
 
When I had my DS in Minnesota there was 1 surgeon in the state. My surgery date was 2 YEARS in the future. Seriously! I should have gone to Spain and had surgery in 2 weeks. I wasted 2 years.

But waiting is waiting. And you are right, there are more than a few health care professionals who believe we deserve to be miserable to lose weight.
Two years!!!! Holey Moley, Batman!
 
You will get there. Waiting is the hardest but use this time to get as healthy as possible (protein, and vitamins). Read and bookmark what you want to remember. (To bookmark, look under the post for the bookmark feature). You can make it private or public. Mine are public as if someone wants to read mine, they are welcome to do so.
 
First, thank you for reading this and for listening to me rant. I began my current journey with weight loss surgery on April 24 of this year. I saw the doctor, the dietitian, and the exercise physiologist that Thursday, and I received a binder with loads of information and the critical "Clearances" list. I needed to get all of my clearances done before the office would schedule my surgery. That day, I asked what the timeline looks like for someone new. The doctor told me that it typically takes 3 or more months, but some people get it done earlier. So if the stars aligned properly, I could get the surgery in 2 months.

I took the clearances seriously. The very next day, I attended the mandatory nutrition class. I spent the next four weeks getting everything done, and finished on May 25th. Then I spoke with the program coordinator, who told me that I am in their "program" and I must spend three months in the program before I can get surgery.

When I asked why, I got a convoluted explanation that essentially boiled down to "because we said so". There is no medical reason for me to need three months. I already am following the nutritional advice and exercise advice, which has already made my life better. But because I didn't need extra tests or studies, it didn't take as long for me.

As a side note, I already had a sleep study a few years ago, and they will have to pry my CPAP from my cold dead hands before I give it up. I like sleep, and I love my CPAP. I also had a heart stress test in 2009, and the cardiologist didn't see the need to repeat it since my EKG looked good.

Anyway, I finally heard from the surgery scheduler yesterday, and the first opening for surgery is August 1st. Not too surprising, because I have seen a myriad of people walking around with the white binder. But they might be able to fit me in on July 25th if someone cancels or can't get insurance approval. But they can't get me in earlier.

July 25th is three months exactly from the day I walked into the office. And I don't really believe in coincidences.

So now I'm sitting here, happy to be scheduled, and pissed off because I don't really believe that the doctor doesn't have an opening until August. I'm not going to complain because I don't think anyone there will listen. But dammit! I am ready to get the party started!!! And waiting around an extra month or so because of some stupid, poorly implemented policy drives me crazy. I don't care if three months is the statistically best program time. Statistics are for the masses, not the individual!

AARGHHH

Okay, thank you again for listening to my rant. I will do an official "my surgery date is" post after I get another cup of tea.

As you lose weight...and if you have an actual CPAP, not a BiPAP or other auto-adjusting piece of equipment...you will need multiple re-testing and adjustments to pressure settings.

If your apnea is due to OBSTRUCTION, as the obstruction resolves, the need for the pressure reduces to zero.
 
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What Spiky said. I was told that too high of a setting is just as bad as too low. It may sound strange, but I do miss the moisture feature and wish I could get it as directly as my CPAP.
 
I feel ya. It seemed like having to go through 6 months on a medically supervised diet was a long wait. Then waiting for approval. Waiting for surgery meant waiting for the semester to end so I could have it and then I had to wait what turned into another month because of the way the surgeon's office requires its diet class, post op visits, and the post op diet. Now that my surgery is just 10 days away, I am kind of freaking out. Your date will get here before you know it! And @Munchkin OMG 2 YEARS?? That's got to be one difficult wait!
 
First, thank you for reading this and for listening to me rant. I began my current journey with weight loss surgery on April 24 of this year. I saw the doctor, the dietitian, and the exercise physiologist that Thursday, and I received a binder with loads of information and the critical "Clearances" list. I needed to get all of my clearances done before the office would schedule my surgery. That day, I asked what the timeline looks like for someone new. The doctor told me that it typically takes 3 or more months, but some people get it done earlier. So if the stars aligned properly, I could get the surgery in 2 months.

I took the clearances seriously. The very next day, I attended the mandatory nutrition class. I spent the next four weeks getting everything done, and finished on May 25th. Then I spoke with the program coordinator, who told me that I am in their "program" and I must spend three months in the program before I can get surgery.

When I asked why, I got a convoluted explanation that essentially boiled down to "because we said so". There is no medical reason for me to need three months. I already am following the nutritional advice and exercise advice, which has already made my life better. But because I didn't need extra tests or studies, it didn't take as long for me.

As a side note, I already had a sleep study a few years ago, and they will have to pry my CPAP from my cold dead hands before I give it up. I like sleep, and I love my CPAP. I also had a heart stress test in 2009, and the cardiologist didn't see the need to repeat it since my EKG looked good.

Anyway, I finally heard from the surgery scheduler yesterday, and the first opening for surgery is August 1st. Not too surprising, because I have seen a myriad of people walking around with the white binder. But they might be able to fit me in on July 25th if someone cancels or can't get insurance approval. But they can't get me in earlier.

July 25th is three months exactly from the day I walked into the office. And I don't really believe in coincidences.

So now I'm sitting here, happy to be scheduled, and pissed off because I don't really believe that the doctor doesn't have an opening until August. I'm not going to complain because I don't think anyone there will listen. But dammit! I am ready to get the party started!!! And waiting around an extra month or so because of some stupid, poorly implemented policy drives me crazy. I don't care if three months is the statistically best program time. Statistics are for the masses, not the individual!

AARGHHH

Okay, thank you again for listening to my rant. I will do an official "my surgery date is" post after I get another cup of tea.

Sounds like someone is doing a study he plans to publish and you have to fit into his 3-month group.
 

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