I went to the seminar on July 18th, first appt with surgeon on July 23rd and was given list of pre op stuff to take care of (labwork, xrays, etc.) Got the call today that the insurance had approved everything and that surgery is scheduled for August 22nd! YEA! I have been reading the threads here for the past several weeks but didn't want to join in until I knew a date. Thanks for all the encouragement you all provide and for all the answers to the questions I didn't even know I had yet...lol. I will be banded by Dr Raja at SW General Hospital in San Antonio. Current weight: 334. Can't wait!!!!! Jen