Hello all!

I've been browsing the forums for a few months now but it's time to make my first post!

I heard about the Lap-Band years ago when they first started their TV ad campaign. At the time, I wasn't ready for it, still in college and still under my mother's roof. Now that I'm on my own, made the move from Iowa to New York to live with my fiancee and hopefully getting married within the next year, and somewhere over 400 lbs (I haven't been weighed in about a year and a half when I was 407, none of my doctors here have scales that go high enough), it's time. I've been researching the band and my insurance coverage, I found a doctor close by that turned out to be out-of-network, then after a little more digging, I found one who accepts my insurance fully, Dr. Philip Weber in White Plains, NY. I have Oxford Freedom, which I've heard is the easiest insurance to get approval for Lap-Band, as well as only a $250 copay for the surgery itself.

My first appointment is March 18. I've already arranged to have whatever medical records I could get sent to the doctor and I'm hoping for the surgery sometime in April. We're moving in the end of March so the timing will be great after we're all settled in and I can finally buy the recliner I'll most likely need after surgery anyway.

Everyone here is so great and I look forward to sharing my stories with you all and hopefully I'll be in Bandland soon enough!

Welcome! Why not check out the Doctors and hospital threads, you might find someone else that has used the same Dr. Or use the advance search at the top right of the forum page and put the Dr's name in to find other threads.

You'll also find threads for groups of people being banded the same month as you or the same age group as you or with the same amount of weight to lose etc.

I've found it helpful to connect with people in a similar place. Just like it's hard for our "thin" friends to understand us, how can someone that started at 200 pounds, understand how you feel at a higher starting weight, but in general everyone on the forum is helpful and supportive no matter what our differences are, we all have the band and being obese in common.

good Luck on your journey.