:cool: Hi everyone.... my name is Tanya and i am 28 y/o from N.Y. currently in CT. I am obese i am still not comfortable admitting that...lol...but i'm working on it. I am planning to do my surgery asap. I have done the first portion of exams and now i am currently waiting the appt with the therapist that the insurance needs to approve. I am doing my surgery in westchester ny with Dr. Dominique Artuso. Does anyone know him or have had there procedure with him? Just curious... I am pretty sure that this is the right choice for me but i am constantly seeking information. I feel there's never enough. I am totally glad i found a forum to speak to different ppl that are going through or have been through my current situation. I hope to meet many ppl and i am always glad to get info... i am new to this so if i am doing something wrong please tell me...lol... i'm learning !! ok i guess that's enough rambling for now... till later ...bye !

--tanya

Hi Tanya, I'm also from CT but I'm doing my surgery in Norwalk. I'm obsese but when I mention it to others I always mention that I'm a little chubby. I don't know about your doctor but I can share about what I have gone through so far...

I began this process in June. I've gone through 6 months of doctor/nutritionist supervised weight loss visits. Although at each one they both said don't lose weight the bigger you are the better. I've only lost 3 pounds. I have gone through the mental health and the nutritionist appointist that go through the actual diet. Although reading here I've noticed that everyone has a different diet. My surgeon will have me on a 2 week preop diet. I also needed my gallbladder out, I did that in July. Now I feel like I've jumped through enough hoops and I'm waiting for insurance. Hopefully it will come soon. My original idea was to get the surgery done in August (I'm a teacher) as you see that didn't happen but I'm still optimistic. I'm hoping for a New Year surgery.

Hi there Jen,

wow, it's crazy to hear how long it takes. I am hoping for the new year as well. I am at what i feel is a stand still. I need the mental health clearance and i have been to one and she was so against banding i didn't go back. She was like that she isn't for it, I got pretty annoyed that she was trying to force her opinion on me so i just sat patiently through the 1 hour annoying appt and i never went back. lol.. but i'm doing research trying to find someone that isn't going to try to convince me not to go through with what i feel is very necessary in my life. I have type II diabetes and i recently had back surgery. That's why my pcp recommended lap band. I really hope to have everything done by 2009 so i can celebrate the new year with a new me perspective. If you know of any mental health I can go to i would appreciate the info.... being i'm new over here in CT. I will travel because at this point i might be going into ny for it...lol..I wish you the best and thanks for being the first to actually reply to me. It took me forever to figure out how i write back...lmaoo !:cool:

I used Anne Mata in Norwalk for my Mental Health evaluation. She works with Fairfield County Bariatrics (they are surgeons I'm using...they also did my gallbladder). I thought she was really good. She wanted to make sure that I was going through this for the right reasons and wanted to make sure that my family was on board.

I've had no problems with anyone at my doctors or people they recommended me to so far. Anne was for mental health. She has a website www.annemata.com - Anne Mata LPC, NCC, CCMHC psychotherapist 94 East Avenue Norwalk, CT 06851 (2 The nutrionist was Lynn and she is right at the doctor's office. Both Anne and Lynn run the monthly support groups after surgery.

My insurance required 6 months of medically supervised nutrition/weight management. If I knew that I would have made sure I went on the scale everytime I went to my pcp. I've been going to him for weight loss for years...sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't. I even went to him while trying weight watchers (which insurance doesn't count as proof you're trying to lose weight).