The Process

• After the seminar I had to fill out all the paperwork and turn it into the clinic. 
• They checked with my insurance company to see about coverage and as I figured, they will not cover the procedure.  They were offering a "special" for self-pay patience which will help quite a bit.
• I then met with my surgeon, Dr. Kowalski.  He seemed very nice and was extremely informative. 
• I then met with the psychologist and with the dietician.  I have to go back to the psychologist to take a paper/pencil test and talk with him further. 
• I went for my EGD which was pretty uneventful except I kept trying to talk while they were putting a tube down my throat.  I was desperate for conversation ;-) 
• My surgery is tenatively scheduled for 5/26/10 as long as all paperwork and referrals come back fine.