secretstolen

Thanks, everyone! So far, everything looks good to go. I filled out all the new patient information with stuff like health history and so forth, and faxed that over on Friday morning. I also called my PCP who signed off on the authorization form that the clinic required from our general physician. I called the insurance again just to double check and was told that if everything is done in my employer's facility (since I work for a non-profit health organization), I won't owe anything and the insurance will cover it all. (Of course I don't think that's true, so I'm planning ahead for deductibles and copays.) Now comes the waiting game. I have to wait for the clinic to call me and let me know if they think I'm a candidate and when I can come in for a consultation. The staff member who spoke at the conference Thursday night said that it usually takes a couple days to review over everything, but if you don't hear anything from them in a week, call to check on it. I'm hoping I'll hear something on Monday. We'll see! Thanks again, you guys! And I'm keeping my fingers crossed for those of you who are going for your first fills and your bands soon! How exciting! :huggie:

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the lovely words and advice! It's nice to have a place where I can go to read up on things and meet others who have gone through this kind of thing. Tonight is the conference where the banding doctor speaks. Our local weight loss clinic (which is new to the area, but the doctors are well experienced.. and I Googled them to read what others had to say about them) doctors require that you attend one of their conferences in the presentation rooms in the hospital before you can set up a consultation. Tonight's the night. I called the office about an hour ago to get an idea of how far out the consulatations are being scheduled, but the girl I spoke with was a little vague, but she told me I could call on Monday and get an appointment. (I'll probably call tomorrow just for good measure.) I've already checked with my insurance and my employer's benefits department and as of 8/1/07, my Aetna insurance covers the procedure as long as it's done by our new bariatric physicians. So, that's a good thing. Plus, the only screening for it is whatever tests/hurdles the bariatric doctors require before surgery. So, I'm hopeful that things are going to be okay. The friends that I've shared the news with have been okay with it. Only one has been exceedingly understanding about it. The others are kind of passive to it, which is fine, I suppose. At the end of the day, the really great question to ask myself is: If I'm active and I'm making healthy choices with my life and my diet and I can't take the weight off, then what's the sense in continuing to be overweight? I'm really lucky because I have low blood pressure, low cholesterol, and I'm in good health - but who's to say one day that won't change and my excess weight won't cause other problems to develop? Eh. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the conference tonight will be very informative and that the doctor will be able to see me soon for a consultation. I'm impatient, I suppose. Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and all the great words of wisdom! I can't wait to make some new friends here.

Hi there, everyone. I'm Secret (obviously not my real name.. heh) and I'm looking into having the lapband procedure done. I'm 23 years old and I've been unable to keep my excess weight off over the past 4 years. Finally, I started seriously considering the lapband surgery and I have a conference to attend on August 23rd, and from there, I can set up a consultation with a local doctor. Basically, the reason why I'm using a goofy alias is because I don't have the most supportive people in my corner. Some friends of mine do not agree with surgical weight loss, and some family members are extremely critical and can be biting at times when it comes to my weight. Despite that, there are others in my life who are wonderful and who understand why I'm doing this. Still, I'd rather keep it on the low to avoid any awkward conversations.. especially when I don't even know that this is going to happen for me. Currently, I'm 247 pounds and I'm 5'8". We'll see what happens though! For now, I'm going to click around here and read everyone's stories and get a decent understanding of what I'm in for! Thanks!