Well, steps 2 and 3 are successfully complete. Last month I completed the psychology review. I'm guessing since the men with white coats haven't been chasing me (or caught me), that I must have been deemed normal (or at least less than a bubble off normal).

Today my husband and I met with the surgeon, dietician and physical therapist. The surgeon was very positive and answered every question my husband and I had and explained things until we "got it". My husband went in with some trepidation, but walked out confident in the decision I have made. I'm a good candidate for the sleeve procedure, and with no co-morbidities, the surgery should go smoothly. I've never had surgery, and never been under anesthesia, so everything will be a new experience for me.

The dietician didn't really tell us anything we don't already know. We aren't "health nuts", but we aren't gluttons either. We know how to eat healthy, we just need to eliminate those little "cheats" that tend to pile up as the nights progress and boredom sets in.

The physical therapist was helpful, in a way. We both walk 4 1/2 miles/night together. The hard part is I have a 1 hr commute to work and then home at the end of the day, so squeezing in an hour and a half to walk, get dinner ready, and find time to unwind from the day (and those CRAZY drivers I deal with on the road), we run out of time for anything else and I'm exhausted! He had us walk down a hall way (about 100 ft.) down and back for 6 minutes. He then placed a device on my finger to measure something (I'm guessing this was to see what my oxygen level is when I work out and how quickly I recover from working ou.)

Overall, it wasn't really anything I have not heard all my life as I've endeavored to try and lose weight. I've always been overweight, and I think it's gotten to the point that my brain and body work so effeciently together, that no matter what I try to do, they're always going to get their way. So having the sleeve procedure will throw a MAJOR curve ball at them both and make them do things my way.

Now we're in "wait" mode. The paperwork is being submitted to the insurance company and we are just waiting for the approval. (I called them twice before this appointment and was told all that was required was a BMI of 35+ with no co-morbidities, and a 40 without) an 5 days notice of the procedure. Once the approval is received, the nurse practitioner will call to start the pre-op required testing and that's when I'll get my surgery date as well. According to the surgeon, they are currently scheduling mid-August. FINGERS CROSSED they make that decision quickly!

Last night I was a bit nervous and apprehensive about whether this was what I really wanted to do. After meeting these people and discussing everything, I think it's not only something I want to do, but it's the RIGHT thing to do.