Newbie needing more information

Hello, I am considering this lap band surgery. I have heard about a Dr. Van Wagner and a Dr. Beretvas from St. Louis, MO. Can anyone tell me more about these Drs.? I called my insurance co. and they approved me 100% today. How long does it take from beginning to end? Do you go in and get out in one day? How can I get all this information I need about this? I am scared even to consider this option, but I believe it is much much better than the bypass. My mother has several concerns regarding it. She still thinks I can lose this terrible amount of weight by just eating less on my own. If I could stick with a diet and not be hungry, man, I could have less weight to carry around and already have done it. My bmi is 45, which is terrible, plus high bp and diabetes, yuk. Does it hurt after it is done? When can you go back to work? Do you have tubes sticking out of you? Thanks for listening...

Hi Zena, I know a lot of us here have had RNY and aren't real well versed in the Lap Band procedure (other than what we learned pre-op when we were making our decisions about surgery). There is a section on the site dedicated to Lap Band.. there's a community message board (like this one) and there's also a place for surgeon reviews. Here's the link: http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/surgtype-forums/LapBand/ Good luck and keep us posted! Stef

Hi Zena, I see that Stef gave you the link to the lap band forum already and I wanted to add that you may want to post your question on the Missouri boards as well since both docs are in St. Louis. Best of luck to you in your journey! Cathy

Thanks to both of you. I thought I was in the Lap Band site. I will definitely post in Missouri. I'm only an hour away from there. Thanks for helping me......