Question:
I am new to this...how do I get started?

My name is Camille, and after reading about Carnie Wilson, I decided to do it! I'm tired of being the only person wearing pants during the summer! I have made up my mind,I am having the surgery! I just don't know where to start. Who do I call first? What do I do? My family and I are moving to AZ in January. Can I get things started here in VA, and roll them over on AZ? Should I just wait until I get to AZ? I have Aetna insurance-PPO. Any and all help would be appreciated! My email is [email protected] Thnaks!    — camiam (posted on November 22, 2000)

November 22, 2000
Hi, Barb made a good point. I would also suggest really researching some more. Carnie is very inspirational to a lot of us but you need to know that the lifestyle change you will need to make is one you can live with. Look into the different types of surgery and find the one that is right for you. This is a great site to find out most of what you want to know. Do that until you get settled in AZ. No need to confuse your insurance company. Once you chose a Dr. you will need to see him in order to get the ball rolling with the Insurance Co. You will need to be in AZ to do that. Go to www.asbs.org and look for a surgeon in AZ. Once you find him come back here and ask about him. See if anyone here will recommend a surgeon for you. Look up peers in your state here under Peers on the home page. Lots of info there too.Make sure you have a BMI of at least 35 and are 100 pounds overweight I think it is (someone please check me if I am wrong here). Start writing down all, and I mean ALL of the diets you have tried, a doctor supervised diet is good too. If at all possible this would be a good time to get the letters Barb was speaking of. Any one in the medical field who can say "Camille is at risk for more serious health problems other than those she already has and is need of this surgery" type thing. It MUST be medically needed. Write down every ache and pain. This should keep you busy till you get moved. You are going to need to be in contact with that Dr. so move first but you have plenty to do until then. E-mail me if you like, I would be happy to help. Trina [email protected]
   — Courtrina Amur W.

November 23, 2000
I would say the first step is deciding exactly what kind of weight loss surgery you want. There are several types. To check out the procedure I plan to have go to http://www.duodenalswitch.com Then find a surgeon you're comfortable with, that is covered by your insurance. I wish you the best on your journery into wls-land.
   — TJSmith

November 24, 2000
First you should check out ALL surgery types. You dont want to have surgery,then realize you should have had a different one. What is right for one person, may not be right for everyone. The more common types are: RNY(Carnie), Fobi Pouch (Rosanne), Duodenal Switch (Me!), VBG. If you would like to read my story, you can go to <a href="http://www.mywls.com">My Home Page</a>. Good luck in your research! Take care for now...
   — [Deactivated Member]