Hi Laura, I'm just jumping in on your post since I am a newbie too. My surgery date was 12/18/07. I'm still a little sore but doing okay. I hope I don't hit the stall yet. I know one day i didn't lose my pound but I made up for it the next day. I started this over a year ago but was stalled due to insurance. I was approved at the end of Nov. 07 and have lost a total of 35 lbs. total. I think I've lost 20 lbs since surgery. It's very exciting. Have you been able to eat anything yet? I can't wait to try out my pouch. Donna, Good luck tomorrow. :-)

Welcome Home!!! Now starts the fun!!

I have Aetna HMO. I was required to do either 6 month diet or 3 months diet and exercise. Needless to say, I opted for the 3 months! My surgeons office did everything, they submitted 3 months worth of office notes, weight history showing that I had been obese for at least 5 years, psych evaluation, and labs. Your BMI must be at least 40, or 35 if you have at least 3 co-morbidities (sleep apnea, hyper-tension, adema, etc.) I met the requirements by BMI alone. My approval took awhile, almost a month. But, it was all worth it. I'm 25 days post-op, and feel like a million bucks. My state has a law requiring insurance companies to cover this surgery. I wish you luck for a speedy approval, an uneventful surgery and a quick recovery.

Wow .... =) goodluck tomorrow .... And save some room for me (01/10/08) =)

I have Aetna HMO and my doctor pretty much did everything ! If you call or go on the website it will give you the requirements for the surgery ... You have to be 100lbs over your weight (which by the freakin' chart that they have at the doctors everyone is overweight) lol ... Anyhow and also have 3 health problems ... Hope this helps