Wow, that was fast (and other questions)

I thought I'd answer several questions which people have asked. Hopefully this helps others considering getting a Lap Band.

Q.) How did you manage to have surgery the week after you saw the doctor.
A.) A lot of arm twisting. :) I had attended two seminars that the clinic, Northwest Weight Loss Surgery, had hosted and had met with the doctor and asked lots of questions there. Once I decided to get the Lap Band the clinic required me to have a meeting with a Psychologist (I guess to make sure I was committed to the program... or maybe to figure out whether I should be committed. ;) ). I also had a meeting with a nurse to go over the whole process including what to expect, what to eat before and after surgery, nutrition, etc. And finally I had the appointment with the doctor. He remembered me from the seminars. The doctor required me to have a sleep study which I really didn't want to do. The doctor's office actually called a sleep clinic for me and there was an opening so I could have that sleep study that night (Thursday, May 6th). I had the review of the test on the next Monday and walked out with a CPAP machine the same day. The doctor wanted me to bring the CPAP with me when I had the surgery just in case. The doctor, nurse, and psychologist took thorough health histories. The only other requirement was that the doctor wanted me to lose 10 lbs the week before surgery. After meeting with the doctor I was cleared to have the surgery and I told the scheduling people I wanted to do it as soon as possible (I'm going on vacation in July and wanted to be healed and have had a Lap Band adjustment before then.) They managed to juggle schedules and created an opening a week later for me to get the surgery. Since I was self paying I just had to whip out my credit card and put the charges on it and not have to worry about getting all the insurance approvals (my insurance has very clear wording that they don't cover weight loss surgery in any form.)

Q.) You didn't have to do any routine tests?
A.) Other than what I mentioned above there were no other tests. I'm in good health and don't have high blood pressure, diabetes, or anything else.

Q.) In 1 week you were able to get the money from your mortgage? How did you manage that?
A.) I took out a home equity line of credit from my credit union. It took about two weeks. It's a lot faster than refinancing a mortgage and still tax deductible too. The rate is 4.99% so it's very reasonable. Once I attended the first seminar the clinic held I decided I would get a Lap Band. After looking at all sorts of funding options I decided to contact my bank and apply for a HELOC. The value of my house has fallen so much that I only qualified for a little more than the costs of the Lap Band system. I called up the bank to apply for the HELOC and was approved the same day. Then, I had to go in and sign the papers then wait 3 days for the account to be available. I paid for the Lap Band system with my credit card but plan to use the money from the HELOC to pay my credit card off. That's one way to get lots of frequent flier miles. :)