mljalways

Excuse me, but I'm very new to lapbandtalk and don't know what I'm doing yet.

The process is long and occasionally very frustrating, at least for me. The first meeting is a consutation with Dana, a bandster herself. I advise bringing any paperwork you have and be prepared to fill out a few papers for Dana. They will explain what you need. Dana herself is a very linear personality. She prefers that you let her get through her lecture, even though you may have already heard the same information before. Just bear with her. She'll answer questions afterwards, but refuses to deviate from the "need to know list" of information she's willing to give out at that time. Basically, the most important thing you'll do is fill out the papers so your insurance can be contacted. My insurance is Tricare, and it took about 3 weeks and a couple days for Dana to call me back so we could schedule the next step-- the first visit with the doc.

The first visit with the doc was very, very tedious. They warn you it will take several hours, and they are not exaggerating one bit. Bring a book or an amusement that can last several hours, because there will be periods of waiting and waiting, and did I mention waiting? You'll talk to a lovely young lady named Sandra and the PA named Janet. Both of them are delightful and much more informative. They even give you their emails so you can contact them at leisure. Finally, when you're just about ready to start shredding things, the doc will arrive. Dr. Baptista was who I saw. He's a dapper brown fellow with soulful whiskey colored eyes. He speaks with an accent, so listen very carefully.

Before you leave, they'll set up your meeting with the nutritionist and the personal trainer. However, you have to contact the shrink, imaging center, and labs yourself. (This is the stage I'm at.) The shrink has a very quirky phone system. Be patient. You will eventually get through. The lab and imaging center are your choice and can be local to you there in Melbourne. Things move fairly quickly from this point, so don't be too shocked when you find yourself running to the appointments like a nut case for the next 3-4 weeks. As soon as you've made the appointment with the shrink (this will be the last thing, since they're booked out so far) you can call and schedule you're fourth visit.

I'm told the 4th visit will be another FYI group session. At this point, your packet will be submitted to your insurance for final approval for surgery. When you are scheduled depends on how fast the insurance gets back to them with approval. Most take less than a month, I'm told. At that time, you'll get called for the pre-op appointment scheduling.

From that point, the schedule moves to supersonic speed. The law allows only ten days from your pre-op appointment to the day you are operated upon, so they hustle you through the last part at lightning speed.

That's all I know right now. Any questions?

Lena