April 25, 2008
Weight:  213

I had my visit today with my cardiologist for pre-op clearance as requested by Dr. Vithiananthian.  Everything went okay.  She said I have some subtle EKG changes since my last visit over a year ago, so she had me do another exercise stress test, which came out a bit lower than my last one in 2006, but she gave me the "okay" clearance for surgery saying that I should be fine.  She is going to take care of sending her approval to my surgeon's office.  Thank God for this!  One step closer to surgery.

I am scheduled to have my psych evaluation next week, May 7.  

After this....  only  two more steps to go.  I am awaiting a call for my upper GI and sleep study to be scheduled.  I'm hoping this is all done before  my next scheduled visit with my surgeon on May 20 so we can get my insurance approval and schedule this surgery.  I'd love to lose some of this weight by the Christmas holiday.

April 24, 2008
Weight:  211

I had my first visit today with the dietician.  She went over everything I needed to know about what to expect and what to / not to eat post-banding.   This visit left me a little unsure of having the banding procedure because of fears of "blockage" if I ate certain things such as white breads, chewing gum, etc.  I don't want to have to go back into surgery again for a blockage.  She also made me aware of complications to the band that could arise from carbonated beverages and caffiene.  Not that I mind giving up the sodas, but my morning coffee?  Yikes.  I'm currently doing more research on Band vs the bypass procedure.  So much to think about.

April 15, 2008 
Weight:  212 pounds
BMI:  38

I have been contemplating having the LapBand procedure for over a year now, after many years of failed attempts at pretty much every diet ever heard of.  

I had my initial consultation with Dr. Vithiananthan April 15, 2008 and found my BMI to be 38, and with co-morbidities of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritic knees, I was pleased to hear him tell me that I was a good candidate for the lap-band and that my insurance will likely cover this.  I have BC/BS of Rhode Island.  I was very impressed with the doctor as well.  He was very professional, friendly, and understanding. He outlined the different options available to me and spend over 2 hours going over things with me. I did not feel rushed or unimportant at any time. I'm glad I chose him for my surgeon and that he is on the Network Providers list for my insurance.  

I have my appointment set-up to meet with the nutritionist next week, my psych evalution in a couple of weeks.  All I need now is to have an upper GI scheduled and my sleep study.  Since I recently had a colonoscopy and exercise-stress test, he said I could just bring him copies of these  resports!!!  Thank God, this will speed things up for me.  I am so excited about this process....  

I return to Dr. V in a month... and if all my workup is complete, I'm hopeful that my surgery will be scheduled at this time so they can get "a definite" approval from my insurance company (my fingers are crossed) and I can get started on this very exciting journey in my life to being a healthy, fit person once and for all.