Hi to everyone here. I've been reading the posts here and working up the nerve to post my intentions. I am 59 years old today and have had a weight problem all my life. I have been underweight,overweight,obese, and morbidly obese. I am currently 285 lbs after being at an all time high of 350 lbs. I did loose down to 240 lbs, but back up again to 285 lbs. I know this yo-yoing back and forth is not healthy and I truely want to do this banding procedure to get my health back. I was taking medication for type 2 diabetes while at 350 lbs and after loosing down to 240 lbs I no longer needed the medication. I'm afraid that it won't be long till I'm back on the meds. How do I get this procedure started? I have Capital Blue Cross PPO ins. in Pennsylvania(Lehigh Valley area). I haven't approached my PCP yet but I do have an appt. scheduled in July. Any and all help from you all here would be deeply appreciated. Thanks to you all in advance for you concideration.:cursing:

I think that you might want to contact your PCP soon to find out how yur insurance is about approvals. The whole procedure including the surgery took me about 2 months and 3 weeks to accomplish. You will want a referral for a bariatric surgeon. They may have an informational seminar for you to attend. After my seminar I had an appointment with the surgeon, the dietican, a sleep study, a psychological evaluation and an addtional appointment with the surgeon. It seemed like a long time but I had mine on Thursday and glad it is over....I wish you the best...this weight thing has been such a struggle....Kathleen

Hi!

Well a good place to start is to look up all of the bariatric surgeons in your area, then give them all a call. Most of them will require you to attend a seminar or watch a video about the procedure before you can go any further in the process. Then you will have to fill out an information packet about all of your health issues, previous weight loss attempts, medication, etc. You can then make an appointment with them, and usually they will have a financial counselor who can help you with getting insurance approval or getting financed. I would suggest that you go through this process with several surgeons to see which program feels the most comfortable for you, and which surgeon you like best (eventually you will need to research their statistics including number of procedures performed, complication rates, and read patient reviews). The whole process can seem a little daunting, but most places will help you through the whole process. If you cannot get insurance approval, there are a number of surgeons in ::gasp:: Mexico who are very experienced and have excellent stats. They offer the surgery at a fraction of the cost of American surgeons, but have a much more limited aftercare program. It all depends on your needs and preferences. I am still a newbie here too, but there are loads of people on this site who are very knowledgeable. Definitely you are in the right place, keep asking questions, and good luck in your journey! You are taking the first steps toward a new healthier life...congratulations!!!

Thankyou both for your guidance. I think I'm going to wait and talk with my PCP in July and see who she recommends. There are some very highly recommended surgeons in the area and the best hospital in eastern PA. I'll keep reading here on this forum and keep you all informed of my process. Thanks again.:cursing: