newbie, help! Where do I start?

I think you must be thinking of a different surgery, possibly the old jejunoileal bypass (JIB)? No one does that one anymore, it's true.  The DS is getting more popular every day, since its post-surgery lifestyle is so amazing (no hideous dumping syndrome, eat anything you want, even desserts and fat, it cures diabetes, and the list goes on and on). Trust your first instinct and check out the DS forum (http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/ds/a,messageboard/board_id ,5357/)  and post any question you like. If you like what you hear, the DS is sooo worth waiting for! You don't want to settle for something and then end up having a revision to the DS after all. Many people have gotten their insurance to pay for the DS and are very willing to share advice. The trick seems to be that if they will pay for you to have WLS in general, you can get them to cover the DS. Particularly if you use the studies out there that show that LapBand and RNY have a higher weight regain rate, etc., compared to the DS. I'm sorry if I sound like an Amway salesperson or something. I am just so darned pleased about my post-DS lifestyle that I want to pay it forward.  Take care. Nicolle