Well, yesterday was a good day, I think!! In terms of getting to insurance approval at least... My dr. office called and said my sleep study results show I stop breathing or slow down enough that my oxygen level drops at night but it's not obstructive sleep apnea. But when I look at my ins requirements, it looks like if the Dr diagnosis is some kind of sleep apnea, it will qualify me. The Dr prescribed oxygen for night time, which seems drastic but it's better than having a CPAP machine from what I've heard. And maybe it will prevent me from falling asleep at my desk a couple times a day. :smile: SO, since it looked like I may have a good chance for preauthorization, I faxed all of my releases, health history, family history, weightloss history, insurance cards, everything I could think of over to my surgeon. Now, mind you, my appointment isn't until 6/2/09, so I'm thinking the surgeon is either going to think I'm very thorough or obsessive!!!!

All I know is, if this thing gets approved, and believe me, I will do everything in my power to make it happen, I want to move ON. I just want to get going. I'm finding myself without a lot of people to talk to about this because I've only told a few very supportive friends who will not spill the beans, so I may be posting a lot!!! I don't want to wear my friends out talking about this or with my excitement. So this is a good place to put it all down. Thanks for all the people that post encouragement here. I may not have pursued this if I hadn't read about 2000 posts worth of it.... So happy there is a place to write and to document my journey.

Whooooot!!! I'm so glad you failed your test!!! That's awesome! You'll get approval for sure now! Make sure you get a copy of your bariatric policy yet from insurance, just to make sure you've met the requirements (like many require the 3-6 mo. diet). I see you have your MD's recommendation and your surgeon consult scheduled. You're really on your way now!!!

We have something in common...I had 100 pounds to lose too...and was banded the week of my 50th birthday...but you'll be at goal by then! Keep me posted on your progress...I'm cheering you on!!! -BG

Ooops- Just posted this to your visitor messages, then I saw your blog!

Thank you, thank you!! I have one regret...that I didn't get this done sooner, but then...I may not have qualified sooner. So maybe this is just meant to be, NOW! BG, yes I saw we had some similar stats, and it's so hard for me to believe when I write "I have 100 lbs to lose". I was a state champion gymnast weighing 105 of nothing but muscle at 18, and after giving birth only weighed 10lbs more than that. I always said when i was young that I wasn't going to follow the genetic pattern of my family because I made it to 30+ without being overweight. But I had one of those "years from hell" come along in my life where so many things happened that drilled through me that maybe I'm not perpetually lucky (like I really believed I was) and I nearly cracked and had to go on anti-depressants for several years and have never been the same since. The weight just kept coming despite all my successful attempts to lose. Even after getting off the antidepressants. Finding out about this LapBand solution has probably been the biggest uplifting thing I have found in years and this site is the very best for finding encouragement, information, ideas, etc. I never would have considered gastric bypass as it seemed too radical to me and so permanent if there's complications.

And by the way, my sleep study wasnt scheduled till 5/18 but they had a cancellation so I got a call that I could do it the 5th if I wanted to...?...uh, I wanted to say "I'll be there in 5 minutes!! and believe me, I'm tired. I just fell asleep at my desk!!" so that night I did the study. Glad to have gotten it done early because now I'm making some headway on this. And I'm going on vacation for a week which will help keep my mind occupied until my appt. Trouble is...it's a family reunion, and people I haven't seen since I was a little skinny kid will see me this big. Oh well, it will be the last time they see me this way!! I have a 30th class reunion in Oct. If I'm able to get a surgery date that's soon, and make significant progress before then (which I will because I've been having to try hard to stay above qualifying weight and really tired of eating) I may actually go to it! My spirits are high. Hopefully, I'm not on the emotional rollercoaster I suspect I'm on, I just want to stay up here. But I am SO looking forward to gittin er done!!!