I am actually seeing Dr. Sudan this coming Monday for my inital consult.  I am not sure what to expect at this appointment either.  I went to the seminar on Sept 5.  I started my food diary today and already have my medical records for one year.  I emailed my insurance company asking about benefits and medical requirements.  I was confused by this so I hope that the insurance person that works with Dr. Sudan helps explain it.  I haven't done any of the tests/labs yet.  I have decided to get all my questions answered first as well as make sure that Dr. Sudan thinks that the lap-band is best for me, which is the surgery that I was thinking about. I also want to know how long it takes for insurance to approve or disapprove the surgery.  I am really hoping to do it near a certain date due to holidays and PTO days at work.  I guess we'll see and hope for the best with that part of it. I am excited about the appointment though.  I do feel kind of weird that I don't have many questions...actually only 2 I think besides the insurance stuff. I am engaged and my fiance has been suportive.  He knows my weight loss struggle and my health issues.  I haven't figured out what my parents think.  My mom typically is one that listens to me, thinks about the topic, and then blasts me in an email about a week later.  I don't know why she does this.  She knows it is upsetting to me.  Anyway she hasn't done this yet.  I'm not sure if she is supportive or is waiting until after the consultant to see what else I have learned....possibly both I guess.  My dad on the other hand is the one with all the major health issues - diabetes (and complications from this), a mini stroke about a month ago, many many heart problems including a 5 bypass in Nov 05, 2 stints in Nov 06, another stint in Dec 06, and another one in mid-Aug 07.  I am not sure if the stint happened before the stroke though.  Anyway he knows I do not want to end up like him healthwise.  I am 30 this coming Monday too and to have to talk to dad about things like wills, living wills, POAs, funerals, etc is not something I thought I would be doing at this time in my life.  Many of his health problems stem from weight.  I refuse to be 53 (like he is) and be concerned about passing away at any time.  Like I said, I am engaged and I want to be with him, his 2 sons, and hopefully some little additions.  I don't want to be sick all the time.  I want to be there for everyone.  I don't want to die early and have any of them wish I was there at some special moment.   Anyway I got kind of side tracked...my dad, oddly enough, was the one to put up an immediate wall.  He too was talking about the extreme risks like not making it through the surgery.  I basically didn't listen to him.  All I said was I am gathering information.  I haven't decided if this is right for me.  I just thought you should know and left it at that. I do hope you tell your family soon.  You will need their support. Good luck and take care. Stephanie Omaha, NE

Mona, Your information is not supported by what I'm hearing from people on the DS board, or the information I received from my surgeon. Do you have evidence to back this up? The DS works through both restriction and malabsorption, as does the RNY, only the malabsorption is greater. The side effects MAY include loose stools (usually from too many simple carbs) but  uncontrollable diarrhea is not expected. There is NO dumping syndrome, which seems to me to be a much worse side effect. Please don't discourage people from exploring all possibilities based on a lack of understanding. Had I taken your advice as gospel, I would not be scheduled for a DS. After researching all possible surgeries, I know now that the DS is the one best suited for me. I urge you to follow your own advice and spend some time on the DS board, learning the facts. Many people on this board consider you to be the resident expert, and I urge you to fully educate yourself on this choice, or to simply refer people to the DS board without adding unfounded negatives. Omaha has two of the most well respected DS surgeons, Dr. Anthone, and Dr. Sudan. Their contact information is listed in the "Find a Bariatric Surgeon" area, and I urge anyone interested to check them out. Dr. Sudan works at Creighton, which is a Medicare Center of Excellence. Dr. Anthone is expecting his COE certification soon. RJ

Hi Cindy, WooHoo! Congratulations! You will get a letter stating when to show up for surgery. You need to schedule your pre admission visit for your surgery. The number is 308-630-2700. I am looking forward to talking to you. See you soon. Mona

Congratulations. Barb

I got a date today  Sept 26th. Barb