Well, I talked to Jeff at the tripler bariatric center. He told me what all would be required of me, etc. I cannot go there till Jan. because that is when my tricare prime will be active. He said the whole process can take 9months-2 yrs. I dunno how long it will really take but I am going to follow the program to a tee. I figure either I'll end up with the surgery or I'll lose enough weight to not need the surgery....how great would that be. I don't see that happening though. So I will keep you all update once my journey actually starts. Thanks for asking, Shel

Hi Shelley, I did respond to your other posts. But I just wanted to share my experience with Dr. Cirangle and the procedure I chose. I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy and I am very happy with it. I felt very confident in Dr. Cirangle and his ability to perform any one of the WLS that I chose. I also felt confident that if something was to go wrong during surgery, he would be knowledgable and experienced enough to know what to do and be able to do it. Once I learned of the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, I knew there was no other surgery for me. I feel that it is my best choice because I do not have the maintenance of the band or the malabsorbtion of the RNY, which can cause many other health problems down the road if enough nutrients are not absorbed. I also liked the fact that the hormone grehlin is removed with my stomach, so I do not feel that constant hunger. This has beed the easiest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I want to say that I was not persuaded to chose one surgery type over another, I was only given the option and the education that this procedure existed. I am very thankful to Dr. Cirangle for educating me in all of the surgeries.

Thank you Pat. I hope you find your holidays extra special and all of your holiday wishes come true.

Hey Pat~~ Happy Holidays to you too And I hope the board gets more active too! Dana

Hey Shel... It is a quiet board...but the ladies are very sweet. It was soooo cold at my house yesterday....it stays cold until about noon and then I have to open up the doors and let some fresh air in. I've been in Hawaii so long that I'm not used to the cold now...lol. Good luck with whoever you choose to go through for your WLS...it goes by really quickly once you get through the initial appointments. Did you get to make it to the Queen's seminar on Wednesday...or did you just get them on the phone? It was a small turn out but there were a lot of ladies up front who talked about having the surgery. Dana