sbanfield

Like most overweight individuals out there, I've struggled with my weight since I was a kid.  Genetics and poor eating habits growing up atribute to that, I'm convinced.  In January I decided I had reached the point of being completely tired of YO-YO dieting.  I attended a couple of lapband seminars, until I found a doctor that I was comfortable with.  I started my journey in Feburary, seeing an Internalist/Doctor for the first time since my mom took me to a Pediatrician as a kid.  We ran thru all the tests, all while he tried to convince me against getting banded.  We immediately found that I had Hypertension (started meds, immediately), then found I was borderline diabetic & sleep apnea.  Started seeing my Nutrionist in March and then an official office visit to the Surgeon in April.  Mind you, by then I'd researched lapband and my insurance inside and out (thanks to the internet).  Submitted my paperwork to the insurance on June 3rd...then scheduled an appointment with my Gastroenterologist for an EGD.  Going in I knew I had a hiatus hernia, so when I got a call a couple of days later to come in and speak to him I assumed we were going to discuss that.  But no...turns out that I have Helicobacter pylori living in my stomach, eating away at my stomach lining.  So now, I'm on a 6 week wait and 3 nasty pills a day to make these suckers die.  Errgh...it's always something.  Then I get a call from the Surgeon's...the Insurance would like to see a release from my Psychatrist.  So this is where I am now.  I'm hoping that we'll have the release to the Insurance by the middle of the week and approval a couple of weeks out.  All while slowly getting rid of this bacteria in my stomach, to insure this procedure will be successful...without complications.  So I guess I'm about 4 weeks behind schedule.  ADVISE TO FUTURE BANDSTERS...make your appointment with your Gastroenterologist earlier on, to avoid delays.