I just found this site and I have been glued to it for 2 weeks. I finally broke down and told my husband that I have been contemplating WLS for a while now. I have never attended a seminar, but I did go ahead and set up an initial consultation with Dr. Glatt. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance and all they said when I called was that my plan does cover if it is deemed medically necessary, and would need a letter from the Dr......... My questions:

1. I do not have a referring family Dr. The only Dr. I see regularly is my Ob/Gyn, I see a small town P.A. for everyday stuff. Will this matter? 2. I do not have any of the "risks" like HBP, diabetes, Apnea, etc..........I am medicated for depression and I know that it is directly related to my weight. Do you think it will be hard to prove WLS is medically necessary for me?? My BMI is over 40, so I feel like a walking time bomb........ 3. How do you know what type of surgery is for you???? I am really thinking Lab Band, why, I don't really know! It seems the least drastic. I'm scared out of my mind and not even sure if WLS is 100% for me. I have been overweight since about 12 years of age, and now am morbidly obese. This scares the crud out of me. I have tried on my own to lose weight. I tried Jenny Craig (lost 30 lbs., then had 2 babies!!) I feel like a failure at everything I've tried. O.k. I will stop for now...........I'm so nervous and can't believe I've even set up an appointment. Of course I couldn't get in until July, so I have time to really research and educate myself,(or put my tail between my legs and run away and hide)

I'm home  and finally through thr firsdt step to a healthly life. Everything went well according to the dr. He saqid that he was proud that I took that step. Not real happy that I came home 7 lbs. heavier than I went in but must be gas bloat,,I hope.. Well off to get some reat..I will keep in touch.

Hey, I had the lap band with Dr. OBrien on Dec. 6, 2006. I have lost about 30 lbs. It has taken several fills to get going, so I feel progress has been somewhat slow. Dr. OBrien is very cautious, which I think is a good thing. I am very pleased with him and his office help. I have about 100lbs to lose total. Of course I wi**** would fall off faster, but it is going o.k. now that I have been filled 4 times. I am going to get it tightened up somemore in June. You wait a month or six weeks inbetween fills, so take that into consideration. It takes time to learn to use your band effectively. miss Cindy Orange City

Only 2 mores days and your wonderful journey will begin!!  Congratulations and good luck on your surgery!!

Hi, I had Open RNY Gastric Bypass in December of '06 and Dr. Harris was my surgeon. He is very serious when he tells you that he feels the open RNY is the best procedure. His reason is that he can tell while he is in there if there are other problems that need to be taken care of and he will fix them right then and there. He can't always see what else is going on in there when doing the laproscopic procedure. When I had the surgery I was 18 years old, and while doing the surgery he discovered problems that would have caused me to have surgery again but instead he was able to fix an umbilical hernia that I didn't even know I had and he also took out a very sick gall bladder. My gall bladder was full of stones like an old person's and without having done the Open procedure I would definitely had had to have that surgically removed. Why go through major surgery twice? When I went into the hospital I had already been diagnosised with PCOS, which means my ovaries were not functioning and hadn't for about three years, I was inscellin resistent, prediabetic and had been fighting a losing battle with my weight since the day I started puberty. My hormones were totally out of wack, and I was having anxiety and panic attacks because of the hormone imbalance I was experienciing. Nothing the Endo Doctor tried was able to get things working again, and the surgery was meant to save my life. I was looking at a stroke or heart attack at a very young age. Dr. Harris and his Team of nurses and his nutritionist are AMAZING! They have always taken the time to answer my questions, and have had great suggestions as well as positive comments. As for the $200 price tag on the nutritionist's class it was well worth it even if I hadn't been approved. I learned a lot that afternoon about what I could do to help myself more than I was. My situation was serious enough that when all of the paperwork was submitted I was approved by my insurance company in just 3 days! I have lost 64 pound since December, and as of two days after surgery, even before I left the hospital ALL of my health issues have disappeared!!!!!!! I owe my life to Dr. Harris and his team. In fact, I finally have a life and although I have a ways to go I know this was the only way my life could be anything close to normal. I love the people at Dakota Surgical for all of their personal attention, and positive feedback. Also, Dr. Harris has had this surgery himself and he is very realistic about what you can expect. Good Luck! Meg