I just can't get a break. I have been trying to get my first appt w/ the surgeon for 4 weeks now. I have done my homework, and attended the required seminar. I have gone to the Dr's for referral, but their referral person has been sitting on it forever! I have been bugging the Bariatric center every day to see if they have faxed it, YET, after the Dr's office insists they did- they had the wrong fax #. Then I called Bariatrics back, and the @#%$ Dr office had put the name of another Dr in another center in the state as being referred to!!! To top it all off, the only thing she sent was my insurance info- none of my records or items they needed- back to square one! I am just about to give up on this whole thing... Sorry to vent, I just can't believe it's taking so much just for the initial appointment!!! HELP!!!

Go pick up the stuff you need and hand carry it to the Bariatrics office yourself. It may cost you a little $ for the copies, and the gas to the Dr's but it would alleviate some of this stress.

Call your PCP and tell them exactly what you need. Then tell them you'll be there tomorrow ( or whatever day you can get there) to pick them up.

It's not a high priority for them to get records ready, but if they know you're coming for them it could help.

AND get the person's name you speak to.

thanx- I just received a call from Dr's office- they faxed to correct dr this time- I called Bariatrics, they were taking it off the fax as we spoke- they will call me at work in the morning to set up appt- they need to review and make sure they have everything-

will it make me more qualified for lapband if I have an elevated glucose and cholesterol for "fasting bloodwork" or are they just looking for my normal levels?

Thanks for helping!

Some Dr offices won't make medical record copies for other doctors. They will give you access (they have to), but will not reproduce. Faith's advice is spot-on. Request a copy FOR YOURSELF of your records, or go there and request they be released to the WLS office. If they will copy, fine, if not, deliver your own copy. If it's something you want, never let "when we get to it" get in the way when you can take the matter into your own hands.

Most preliminary bloodwork (in fact, all - I think) is fasting. That's standard. The pre-op blood work doesn't need to be fasting, usually. High cholesterol can qualify as a comorbidity, but whether or not it makes you "more qualified" depends on your insurance company (e.g., comorbs weren't required for my approval, so it wouldn't have mattered for me).

The best thing you can do is stay on top of them. Call everyday if you have to. Hand carry things, fax whatever you have to do. Unfortunately, this is "just another referral" for you PCP to process. "Offer" to help them in anyway to facilitate the process.

I attended the seminar on 10/20, saw my PCP on 10/22, and had the surgery on 1/10/08. You must keep on them. Good Luck.