I participated in a webinar last night and decided to go with that Dr. He was very informative. I've gone to others before, but just kept putting it off. I really wished I had done this last year, but I kept telling myself that I didn't want to wait 6 months and I figured I could get the weight off during that time. Well I haven't made any progress on my own so now and its been a year so now it's on. No more procrastinating...its time to put my foot to the metal and complete the requirements. I'm a very impatient person. I have AETNA and they have a 3 month or 6 month program. I want to see if I qualify for the 3 month program...not sure of the difference. Just made my first appt. with the surgeron for Oct. 22. and we'll go from there. If anyone has any advice as to what I need to be doing in the meantime, please let me know. I am right at the borderline of my BMI beging 35.2. I have sleep apnea and rheumatoid arthritis. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I too have sleep apnea and RA. I too was impatient but had to do the 3 month preliminary process to qualify for my insurance. It's no big deal since it takes that long to jump through all the required hoops. They want you to do a diet to see how well you follow a diet plan and to help your liver shrink to make for a safer surgery. Just do what they ask and it will make your life easier. Get yourself a little notebook and write down questions and concerns you have so you can refer to those when you get a chance to talk to the doctor one on one. Otherwise you will never remember what you wanted to ask. Write down what the doctor, nurses, nutritionists tell you so you can refer to it. There is a lot of information thrown at you in a very short period of time and you can't remember it all so best that it be written down. The doctor will have you start some of the preliminary testings etc.. It's a long process so don't be too impatient. Just start organizing your life to get ready for this awesome process. Are you getting the sleeve? I love mine and I wish you lots of luck.

Thanks for the info. Just got my appt. changed to 10/9 so I'm now even more excited. Last week I contacted my RA/PCP and my SA and requested my medical records, printed out a copy of my insurance brochure, wrote my questions down and went to see my PCP Saturday and got him to recommend it. The ball is rolling. I am going with the Sleeve. How did you get to do the 3 months instead of the 6 months?