i am new to all this

hello, i am new to all this. i just wanted to be able to talk to different people about what i should expect. i went to a seminar in my home town to learn more about wls. they had me fill out a paper stating that i was interested, and now i am waiting for the dr. office to call me. they stated that they need to have the last 5 years of my weight from my dr.s office. i have 4 years, what will happen if i am missing a year? another question, when i was born i had open heart surgery, but i haven't had any other kind of problems from my heart since then, will this mess up my chance to have the surgery?? thanks for listening.

Hi Sheli. Congrats for taking the first step. I am still waiting, but all my paperwork is in the hands of my case manager. I am eagerly awaiting submission. Anyway, I would suggest that you look elsewhere for the last year of weights. Call your ob/gyn, any emergency visits, any specialists. There are probably weights out there for that year, you just have to look for them. As far as the open heart surgery goes, I can't imagine it will affect the surgery as long as you pass all your tests. They will probably want to thoroughly check out your heart, since you have a history. But if all seems to be functioning well, then probably it won't mess anything up. Each practice is a little different. Some will accept higher risk patients than others, it's really their call. And, if you think about it, you don't want a doctor doing this kind of operation if he's not comfortable with you. There are hospitals and doctors that will take higher risk patients if that becomes a problem later. However, I think you'll find it won't be. Just be honest about your past history. Good luck with your appointments and keep us updated. ~Ellen

thank you for responding, now that you said ob/gyn I now have the last year that I was missing. I just have to call them tomorrow and try to get what I need. I really don't think that my heart should be a really big factor, I haven't had any problems since my surgery in 81. I am hoping and praying that everything works out for me. Good Luck to you too. sheli

Hi: Welcome! My friend in SC had his surgery in Feb 06, in the past he had congestive heart failure and was on a trac. He came through surgery just fine without any complications. He was in the hospital a bit longer than the average 3-4 days, but other wise than that he didn't say the doctors were worried about his heart problems. In fact they pushed for him to have the surgery more due to the weight and the heart problem. I know I am not a doc. but I hope that bit of info. helps and is encouraging. Best of luck! Hope

I have BCBS of NC they required 5 years docs but you only had to meet their requirements for 4 years. I only had 4 years so I sent that in and nothing was said about it (thankfully!!!!). If yours gets picky about the last year at least you are close to the end of the year and could do a weight for 07!! As long as your heart is healthy now you shouldnt have any issues (that I could see!) for having the surgery. Good luck with everything and we look forward to having you on the loosing side!

thank you for responding, i ended up finding all 5 years. i went to a seminar in my home town. i now waiting for the dr. office to call and set the appointment up. i am praying that my heart isn't going to hold me back on this. i really need it. i am clueless on what happens next. have a good night. sheli