Hi everyone! My name is Ginger. I am a daughter/wife/mother in Northern Kentucky. I have just joined a lap-band program and am starting my journey.

I currently stand at 5'8.5" and weight 267 pounds. I've always been this size, since high school believe it or not. I have some other issues stemming from my weight - PCOS, diabeties, fibromyalgia but I'm not letting them stop me.

My husband and I have three VERY active daughters, 10, 9 and 7. One is a state ranked runner (has been since K) and my 10 year old is 5'9" (basketball player.) The youngest plays machine pitch baseball with the boys. I am a volunteer basketball coach for my kids school - and I love it! I never knew I was so competitive!! I certainly don't know where my children got their abilities from.. I didn't have them growing up!

We are also an animal loving household. We have 3 dogs (american bulldog, american stafforshire terrior and lab/boxer mix), 4 cats (various) 2 firebelly toads and a leopard gecko. Not sure why you'd need that information, but thought I would provide anyway.

I have had my first meeting with the surgeon, and also had my psych eval yesterday. She said I was "normal"... but wouldn't go as far as giving that to me in writing... gee, wonder why! lol

I look forward to getting to know some people on here, and also look forward to being able to provide a little insight to the people that come behind me.

Anyway... Nice to meet you! :thumbdown:

Hello Ginger! I noticed you are from Northern Kentucky - where are you planning on having your surgery? My name is Lynn and I am from the eastern suburbs of Cincinnati (Anderson/Amelia area). It's just me, my sweetie Russ, and our "baby" - a 3-year old shepherd/hound mix named "Maxine". I just had my surgery yesterday through JourneyLite (Dr. Fegelman) in Cincinnati. I really enjoyed the convenience of using their facility rather than having to go through the hassles of the hospital; and they provide an excellent support system both before and after surgery. I'm hoping to start going to one of their support groups soon. Since you're from the area, I'd love to get to know you... Good luck with everything!

Hi there Lynn! My surgery will be at St. Luke Hospital in florence, KY. I live in Dry Ridge (30 mins south of Florence.) Nice to "meet" someone from the surrounding area!!

I'm excited that you have had your surgery done!! I am hoping for a quick turn around with the insurance. I just had my psych eval yesterday. We'll see - you know how slow insurance can be sometimes! :thumbdown:

I am originally from Flordia, and I think I might know where Anderson is.. are you up 75 or 71?

The Anderson area is about 40 minutes or so away from florence - up 71N to 275E. A few exits past Coney Island if you're familiar with that amusement park.

Good luck with your insurance approval! Mine actually came through much quicker than I expected. I work for the Federal gov't and have their Blue Cross Blue Sheild plan. After my psych eval (they wouldn't give me my results, so who knows exactly how "sane" I am - LOL!) and my physical, JourneyLite took care of all of the paperwork with the insurance company and I got my approval letter in about a month. Then, went through several other doctors visits including some visits with a dietician, and two months later here we are. All together - I started the process with my first introductory seminar in March and had surgery just yesterday.

Hope to hear more from you as you travel down this path!!