new and need advice please

[rgkelley87 3]

Hi my name is Reyna and im new im currently 26yo and weigh 235 and 5'2 tall i have been contemplating over 2 years which procedure to have.. my choice.. lapband. i have a blood clotting disorder called MTHFR c677t which means i have a double copy. anyway.. on tueday im going to the seminarand to meet with mycoordinator im kind of freaking out im scared and a little overwhelmed since im scared of surgery. i really want this bad.

can anyone give me any advice on what to expect how many seminars i have to attend and what happens before surgery and how long usually takes to get banded after the classes. i will be seeing dr peter leport in fountain valley ca. any help or advice will be greatly appreciated

[JULESDARLN 26]

Welcome! Well, I don't know anything about the blood disorder or which one would be best for you, that will be between you and your doctor. For me, I only had to go to one seminar, then I decided to go ahead with the lapband. I made an appt to see the doctor, they took all of my insurance info and told me that with my insurance, United Healthcare, that I would have to have a 5yr history of being obese, 6mths of dr visits, 6mths of nutrition classes, a pysc eval, and an EGD. I have one month left til I can submitt all this to the insurance company and hopefully get approved. Oh, also, my dr made me lose 60lbs before he would do the surgery, because I weigh so much and he wants my liver to shrink. Everyone is different and each insurance company wants different things.

Good luck!

[mrsto 2,925]

I went to one seminar, and had my insurance verified the next day. I was approved immediately. Then I scheduled all of the prescreening appointments; psych evaluation, meeting with the nutritionist, stress test, sleep evaluation, and 2-3 classes (don't remember exactly). There was also lab work, and a general checkup. For me, I had surgery about 2.5 months after the initial seminar. But as Jules said, every doctor is a little different. It also depends on how quickly you can get through all of the above. I took one day & scheduled as much as I feasibly could in that day. Even still, there was a lot more to do after that.

Good luck!

[BandtoSleevechick 171]

i had to get bloodwork, 3 months nutrition, psych eval, and a barium swallow because i had acid reflux.. at the seminar my surgeon explained all of the surgeries ( even tho he just preforms the lapband).it was a couple hours .. he went over everything which i liked.. i was 5 months from initial seminar because of insurance goodluck!

[mrsto 2,925]

Oh yeah......forgot about the GI swallow. I had that, too.

[gowalking 10,790]

One seminar, one visit with the surgeon, one visit with the nutritionist, one psych eval, 3 months documented weight recording by the PCP, bloodwork, cardiac stress test, documented history of weight loss attempts, surgery postponed due to hospital closing from Hurricane Sandy. Start to finish...6 months from seminar to surgery. Totally worth the hassle and wait. Am 5 months banded and have lost nearly 68 lbs. including two week pre-surg. diet.

[BandtoSleevechick 171]

That's great gowalking! Keep up the goodwork!!

[klober 6]

myself I had to go to two meetings required saw the doctor and had to write a letter discussing why I wanted the surgery had to see the dietitian which had to pay for then saw the crazy doctor to make sure im ok which I had to pay for then waited about 3 months until I heard from them then talked to doctor again then his office set up the date then paid for the Protein Drinks all about 4 months