For stat purposes:

Current Weight - 292

Height - 5'6"

Age - 24

So. . .I had my initial consultation today with Dr Eric Pinnar at Advanced Weight Loss Solutions in Reston, VA. :thumbup: I love the office staff, they're all friendly and 3 of them have been banded by Dr Pinnar, which is pretty cool. The banded staff members are open and honest about pain, complications, etc, and are very willing to answer any specific questions I have now or after I'm banded. It's one thing to have the doctor and staff tell you what you can expect. It's another to get advice from someone who actually experienced it!!! Now I have a pretty lengthy list of pre-op stuff I need to complete. My schedule so far is as follows:

Dec 5th, 2008:

- Barium Swallow

- 3 hr paper psych test

- Group Nutrition Class

Dec 8th, 2008:

- Psych Eval

- Sleep discussion (hopefully I won't have to do the overnight sleep exam)

- Physical Activity Evaluation

TBD:

- Individual Nutrition Class

- Blood work and EKG

Whew, I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do at work as to why I'm taking so much PTO. I'm not telling anyone I'm getting it done except my boyfriend and maybe my parents. . .partly because it's no one else's business, partly because I'm afraid I will fail at this too and don't want to have to explain to everyone why I'm still a lardo after getting surgery. :confused: I'm know I'm being a bit dramatic, but after trying and failing at a million different diets, its hard to wrap my mind around this being a permanent tool that will help me achieve my goals.

Since I'm paying for the band with cash money, I'm hoping I can rush through all of the tests and get it done at the end of December or beginning of January. I work for the government, and everything is slow that time of year so I can justify working from home for a week or so until I feel up to commuting to DC.

Alright, that's all for today.