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2/01/2006- I went to Dr. Davidson's seminar, not sure on what to expect. Presbyterian hospital is easy to find and so was the seminar room. I was greeted by ladies in scrubs, I presume his front office and they gave me a folder with specific information on Gastric Bypass, pre sugery instructions, post surgery instructions, and a calendar of their aftercare program. (They had a Lap Band folder as well) Nicely done! More info the better! A pen too! Yes, a gift...I love gifts! haha!
The doctor arrived, turned on a cd player with Lawrence Welk-type music and sat quietly. I was instantly reminded of my grandfather, he loves the golden oldies and so I felt a bit more comfortable. It might sound weird, but it was a nice touch to me. The doctor immediately started the seminar with a powerpoint presentation and discussed every aspect of both surgeries, pros and cons, research studies, and a question and answer period. Very professional and educational. To top it off! He does RNY Laproscopically! YES! His nutritionist then discussed nutrition and the aftercare program. Very good! I love the fact that there is a 3 year aftercare program, I will not be left alone after the surgery!
I will HAVE monthly nutrition meetings, occassional grocery store visits as a group, fun excersions as a group, and a support network that is available to me forever! YES!YES!YES! I was thrilled! Then one of the ladies in scrubs spoke about her experience with RNY-Lap and Dr. Davidson. She had the surgery in 2003 and couldn't be happier....Happy enough to quit her job to work for Dr. Davidson in the front office. She asked us to look at a pamphlet that was in our folders, and sure enough...there she was with a before and after picture. Very cool! I feel good about this doctor AND his front office! A doctor that has been in Big D magazine as one of the BEST weight loss surgeons in Dallas, a confident and professional manner, a highly informational seminar, and NO RED FLAGS! Wow! My first wow moment! I signed up right after the seminar and my appointment is 2/10/2006! I cannot wait!

1/18/2006- I researched surgeons on Obesityhelp.com and found three that I am interested in....Dr. Kuhn at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Dr. Rodriquez at Methodist Hospital in Oak Cliff, and Dr. Davidson at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. I called and found out that Dr. Kuhn doesn't accept Aetna currently, Dr. Rodriquez wants $150.00 just to ATTEND his seminar, and I checked out Dr. Davidson's website and it looked good, so I entered my info on the website to schedule a seminar, and was promptly emailed back by his office to ask a few questions and then gave me instructions on what to do before the seminar and the date. I was scheduled for an evening seminar on 2/01/2006. I was advised on how to fill out my medical history on the website and found it to be lenghty, but fairly easy. I prefer online to telephone and the actually give you the choice! I received an email with the seminar date and driving directions, as well. Good! Simple! Professional! Done!

1/17/2006- I attended my first "CURVES- 6 WEEK CHALLENGE" class! I sat on the front row so I could soak up all of the information. I want to learn everything I can about nutrition and healthy eating. P.S. Everytime I come in to workout, I am attended to by a counseler who shows me how to correctly use the equipment and just to answer any questions I might have. They are very nice and seem to genuinely care about me.

1/14/2006- I joined Curves! I walked in, I exercised and signed up right then and there! It was great! I was not embarressed at all......There are no mirrors, no barbies, and most importantly it wasn't that hard! The staff was welcoming and happy to help me! They weighed me, measured me, and gave me the grand tour! I thought to myself, I AM worth $30.00 a month....this is about MY health &  happiness....It is okay to spend money on an gym, because I need it to become a healthier person. I also signed up for their 6 WEEK CHALLENGE! It is basically a high protein diet plan that initially lasts for six weeks with weekly classes, then it is a diet plan that I can supposedly live with forever.

1/13/2006- I attended a night seminar for Dr. Joseph Cribbins, a weight loss surgeon at Presbyterian hospital in Plano. I did not know what to expect, but I knew I wanted to go alone, no distractions. I had general driving directions, but no instructions on how to find the seminar room, I walked around and around, and finally found other large people and decided to just follow them. We found the seminar room and I was given a folder with pre op instructions, sleep study information, and insurance information. At the bottom of the page in bold letters...Dr. Cribbins does not accept Aetna! He accepts Aetna patients that will pay for his services out of pocket! I was in shock, this cannot be.....I asked over & over if he was in network! Then, the seminar began. I listened intently to what the doctor had to say, he made a diagram of both surgeries, listed the pros and cons, and had a question and answer period. He asked who was there for lap band and almost eveyone raised their hands....except for me. Then I found out that he does RNY....OPEN! Yikes! Scary! I must say red flags went up several times, for instance.....1st flag- No required diet, post week liquid diet or evening fast before the surgery...what? Even I know it is better to lose some weight before the surgery, it helps remove fat from you're liver, therefore reducing liver complications. 2nd flag- The doctor basically drew each procedure on large paper on an easel! Not too professional! 3rd flag-He forgot to introduce one of his patients that had lost 150 lbs and he told us his story and how his life has improved etc.... That was cool. 4th flag- The seminar lasted less than 1 hour! 5th flag- I asked about hair loss, gall stones, and teeth problems and he seemed irritated that I asked and he basically explained them all away, but never mentioned preventive care! 6th flag- I triple checked that Dr. Cribbins accepted Aetna and was told by Aetna and his office that he did. I got there and sure enough he DID NOT accept Aetna, only the hospital did! I felt lied to by his office and when I called his office the next day, they were very unprofessional and blamed it on Aetna! But of course, they wanted me to make an appt and pay the Surgeon fees, because it was the least expensive cost pertaining to the surgery! What!?!?!?! I immediately called Aetna and they said Dr. Cribbins was still IN-NETWORK and if he no longer accepted Aetna he hasn't alerted them! Sounds fishy to me....
I did not like Dr. Cribbins seminar, I thought it was crude, lacked professionalism, and was rushed. I did not like his front office, they lied to me to get me to the seminar and were very unprofessional!
Maybe Dr. Cribbins is a great doctor, but I left and did not look back! Too many red flags for me.....Time to look for another Surgeon!

1/12/2006- I had an appointment with my PCP doctor to discuss my weight loss attempts and gastric bypass surgery. I had wrote  and mailed a letter to him before my appt about my intentions and that I needed his support, as well as a copy of my medical records. I wanted to let him know the full extent of my health issues and problems that I was experincing because I could not say the words without crying.  This worked for me because he knew everything that I had kept hidden from him in the past because previously I did not want to hear the "lose weight" talk. He was very understanding and said that he had alot of experience with gastric bypass patients and would help in any way he could, including a letter of support to my insurance company when the time came. I have a new respect for my pcp doctor, he is pretty cool! We made a plan to have a monthly appt to weigh in to discuss my diet and exercise plan and any problems that I might be having. I also received a copy of my medical records for the last 25 years for $15.00. This is VERY necessary for approval from my insurance company because it shows my weight history proving that I have been morbidly obese for a very long time.