| Sandy_pants, it is a frustrating thing to have to wait after you have made up your mind to do something. I think it does make the wait a little longer being on a Medicare list. Though to get my insurance to cover the procedure it took me over 15 months, so you are NOT alone. Have you given the office a call? It is a good idea to check in with them every week or so and see how things are progressing. Have you found out from Medicare or from the doctors office what the requirements are for Medicare to pay for the surgery? I have no idea what they are, but I ask because most insurances have a requirement of some sort, be it a number of years of documented morbid obesity, monthly visits to the doctor for weight loss for a specified time frame, a certain BMI, comorbid factors, etc. Make sure you've got those things in place or you will be waiting even longer.
One other option is to self-pay and head to Mexico, there are a number of wonderful band surgeons there. There's loads of threads here about how to research them. Don't just go for cheapest, because you do get what you pay for to a degree. The good ones average about $7,000-$10,000. There is a lap band doctor in Denver who does bands for $11,000-Dr. Kirschenbaum. There's a thread here devoted to him, too.
Ya know it sucks, it really does, to be frustrated and be waiting, but be pro-active while you are waiting. Do loads of research. Find out what to expect after banding. Practice life as a Bandster now. I did and it helped immensely. I started eating my lean proteins first, then my vegetables, then if I had room I'd eat fruit or some complex carb (whole grains, NOT white bread or white potatoes). I gave up ALL carbonation and caffeine, I started eating (when I wasn't in public) with baby utensils to practice taking small bites. I practised chewing, chewing, chewing before swallowing, I stopped drinking with my meals and for 1hr after (or as long as I could make it). I got rid of all the refined sugars I could from my diet. I started reading labels and if it had high fructose corn syrup or enriched flour in it, I wouldn't buy it. I started drinking water. Not lots of water, but I never loved it in the first place, so I experimented with True Lemon products so that I could drink something WITHOUT artificial sweeteners like Splenda or NutraSweet in it. I tracked EVERY bite and EVERY sip of anything I put in my body on a FREE intake tracker like fitday.com, mydailyplate,com, sparkpeople.com, etc (there are so many out there). It was eye-opening.
I lost 44lbs making these simple changes, and I didn't feel deprived or stressed in any way. It has made at least the first couple of weeks (so far) after banding go fairly well. You can do so much to get yourself ready for this, take this time and DO IT. The band is NOT a magic fix, it will take work and committment to do it's job, it is merely a tool to help. It is up to us to make it work to the best of it's ability. I think we get into a bad trap if we sit and wait for the band fairy to come and place the band on our bellies and assume that's all it takes.
I wish you luck and hope you get a date soon. Remember you are not alone, we are here and we're here to support each other.
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Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
(When all else fails, play dead) H371/S327/C297
Fell off the wagon in a big way, got back on with my first fill ever 4/29/08
Small AP June 21st, 2007 by Dr. James Wagner @ Hurley in Flint, MI | 
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