Antez, I also have Anthem Blue Cross and live in CA. I had surgery 5 1/2 weeks from the time I had my initial appointment with the surgeon I chose. I had to have a psych consult (my surgeon has one in his office) and I had to pay $175.00 of the $200.00 she charged. I also quickly made an appointment with my primary MD to get him to write a letter of support. I was quick to get my labs, chest x-ray, and EKG done so I would be ready once the apporoval came. It was approved surprisingly fast. I went in the hospiatl that morning and was out by 3:00. I had a prescription for 20 Darvocets (I'm allergic to Vicodin) and I took them all, but probably didn't need to. I went to work the next day, no heavy lifting for 4-6 weeks. The thing I was not prepared for, was after my 5th day post-op during which time I had no appetite and felt great, eating very little liquid and mush, I then had no restriction at all. The next five weeks I only lost 6 lbs and was anxious to get in and get a fill. I have had two fills now and still am not getting the restriction I think I should. I'm going to call tomorrow to see if I can come in earlier for a fill. My Dr. has you pay for each fill ($150.00), but they also bill the insurance. If the insurance pays, I'll get reimbursed. Get it done! I have only lost 20 pounds since 9/23/09, but that's 20 lbs! I can't wait to get my fill just right, so I can really lose weight a little faster.