Hoping to get a Sept. date for the banding - the informational is on wed (today is mon) and I think they do a preliminary acceptance there - maybe. I am hoping that insurance will pay for it :eek:- So if the Sept. date goes thru..... The other hurdle will be figuring out this website:)

Good luck tmg0100 - keep us posted on your informational thingy! Good luck we would love to have you banded with us in Sept!!!

Just for anyone who might be interested in how this works at Silver Cross in Joliet - interesting perhaps because it is classified as a "Center of Excellence" - from what I can gather, that is a designation from Medicare (??) and is quite significant. There are only six of those types of "Centers..." in the state of Illinois. The informational meeting lasted almost two hours and carefully explained the various types of bariatric procedures and then the process that needs to be completed before the operation (in my case, it will be banding). The surgeon led the session so ALL questions were answered and many people had many questions - there were around 50 people there. Medicare covers it - which is great because in my case I have Medicare disability - so all that I will have to wait to find out is if my supplemental insurance will pick up the other 20%. I am guessing that they will based on the information I got tonight. The one observation I have to make is about all the discussion concerning the quantity of food that is typically consumed afterwards - some people seemed shocked by the small amount. But --- any of the naturally thin people I know eat those minuscule amounts on a daily basis, so why would we be any different?

That is so true tmg0100! We have reprogrammed our minds to think we need bigger portions! Won't it be nice to go out and eat and still have the meal for two other meals as well! It will be so much cheaper too! What is your next step? Did they set up an individual appointment to discuss your case? To weigh in? Talk about payments? Did they turn the paperwork into Medicare for you? Good luck, keep us updated!