Hey everyone. My name is Malia and I'm 30 years old.

I've been lurking here all day and was scared to post anything. However, the doctor's office called back this evening and I was able to schedule my consultation (with Dr. Cirangle) on Monday April 6th. Yay! I think that is a good start.

I'm super excited and totally nervous at the same time. :ohmy: My insurance is HMSA (ppo) and the nice lady on the phone said that I qualify for Lap-Band Surgery. So I have coverage, but how many hoops am I going to have to jump through to get approval? Yikes! I think the waiting will be the hard part (for now).

Anyhoo, I thought I would introduce myself and say hello. I look forward to being an active member in these forums.

Welcome cammogirl. The waiting is ALWAYS the hardest part, lol. Here's hoping that you won't have to wait very long!!

welcome Malia, Im sure the time will fly by for you, once you are baded you will feel so much happier, just listen to what they tell you & do everything right, you cant go far wrong,

glad you took the courage to write in here, look forward to reading more posts from you

Hi Malia! I used Dr Cirangle too, so you are in good hands.

Be advised, his bedside manner can be a bit funky. He can seem sort of odd or cranky, and it was, for me at first, almost off putting. But honestly, he's a decent guy and a good surgeon. He's done a TON of bands, so he knows 'em in and out.

No, I'm not getting paid by the doctors and I have no vested interest. I just really wanted you to know that Dr. C can be really weird when you first meet him and I don't want that to make you shy away from getting the band.

BEST OF LUCK!!!!! Let us know how it goes!

Dr. C is awesome! And he firmly believes in having you jump through as few hoops as possible so you don't have to spend a minute more in an unhealthy state (i.e., being obese) than you have to.

Here is what I love about him:

-he truly cares about his patients (though not always in a warm & fuzzy way)

-he loves what he does

-he's an amazing surgeon with a really low complication rate

-he's very data oriented (as am I)

-he will call you out if you aren't doing what you are supposed to instead of babying you

-if you need him (medically speaking), he will be there for you

He does have his faults, but most of them amuse me.

On top of that, the program is fantastic. I have access to a dietician and counselor on staff as much as I need them and the surgeons run the support groups. I've gotten the best advice from them in terms of post-op life too. (Some programs gives out the funkiest nutritional advice.) I'm very happy I went with LapSF and with Dr. C in particular.