I went to my first supervised diet appointment in February 2007. I went to my last one on July 19th,2007. I was told that was it. I would get approved or not then get my paperwork sent to my surgeon, Dr. Laura Machado.

Today, I get a call. You are approved!!! I think yay!!! They give me a number to call and I am a little confused. It is the # for the main hospital that my clinic is attached to. I call the # leave a message. They call back and want to set me up for "Bariatric Screening".

What? I thought I just did that?

I tell them I just went through that. They tell me to call my doctor. I call and I am told that they just started a 6 month exercise program requirement in June of this year. I have to sign up for it though I will not have to wait for the 6 months to be up, because they are not going to make me wait another 6 months, etc. But I have to sign up for it, I have to go through it even though I will probably have surgery prior, if I am approved by my surgeon.

I thought this was going to be easier than Kaiser who sent me to a bartiatric seminar and never told me what to do next. My doctor was against the surgery, they who machine seemed to be against just informing me about it. I left Kaiser.

I had a friend who told me that if I go to her doctor, they will send me straight there,no problems. I siad no, I want to go through the screening. I want to make sure I am ready for this.

I am ready. It's been three years since I have thought about it. Two years since I seriously pursued it. Six months since I changed health plans so that I could go to a local facility and and a little over a week since I finished the 6 month supervised diet.

Now this? This is annoying. I am in the middle of a learning curve and becoming frustrated. I do not want to spend another summer with my skin probllems. It is getting worse and worse and I cannot for the life of me exercise without exacerbating the issue. I have exercised though. I have changed my diet. I have changed my whole outlook on food. I am ready, I have done all they initially asked. This feels like a bait and switc even though I know they are dong this to weed out all of the people who don't really need this surgery.

I know this, yet... I just want to have the surgery before the holidays. I want to start the new year with the life change. I want to do it now that I am ready not when I am beaten down with redtape.

I will do as they say. I will jump through all of the hoops, but by god I hope I don't suffer more than I have to.