Part 2

The Next step was a consultation, it lasted about 40 minutes, the doctor called and talked about the gastric balloon, the risks, the experience and the journey. We went over all the side effects and then he asked me about my life, health, exercise routine and diet. The staff were helpful and took me through everything step by step. I had to wait a bit as I knew I didn’t want to book my appointment until September and it was June. So I set an alarm on my phone for 6 weeks before I wanted to have my balloon done and put it out of my mind. When the time came to book the appointment everything happened quickly. I was sent a deposit request which was for $1000.00 once this is paid they will hold your date and send you the rest of the information (The total cost is $8814.00) plus the cost for me to fly there and spend 4 nights in a hotel twice. I was also contacted by a patient coordinator and a Registered Dietitian. 

In one of the many emails I was sent almost everything I would need, I got a Pre-Op Form, Gastric Balloon Insertion and Removal Consent Form, Patient Care Contact, Patient Registration Form, Patient Pharmacy Information, Points to review Before Gastric Balloon  Instructions After Gastric Balloon, and a Booking Agreement. After filling out all the paper work I had a few questions, Kim at SmartShape was happy to answer them quickly. Next I called and made an appointment with my doctor to get the forms filled out ($72.00), booked my hotel and plane tickets and then started looking for blogs again to see if there was anything new (there wasn’t). All that was left to do was to sit and wait for the next 2 weeks.