My desire for lapband surgery began in the fall of 2006. I'd struggled with being fat for over 10 years and had many health problems including: PCOS, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, sleep apnea and depression.

By doing my research and speaking with my doctors, I'd learned that it was the PCOS that caused my massive weight gain of 100 pounds in a year. It was also PCOS that made it damn near impossible for me to lose weight.

My desire to be healthy and to be able to have children further cemented my resolve to have lapband surgery. I'd done the research and knew all the risks involved. These risks were nothing compared to the ticking timebomb of a heart attack that I'd surely have if I stayed at the weight I was.

We went to a seminar and shortly after I was already done with my surgeon consult, nutrition class and psych evaluation. My family doctor and cardiologist were both on board and had written my letters of support for the surgery.

Now the only road block was our insurance company. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of California had a BMI restriction in their policy. My BMI had to be 49 or less in order for them to approve coverage. Well, needless to say, my BMI was over 49.

I struggled to lose the 15 pounds necessary to qualify for the surgery. If it was easy for me to lose weight, I wouldn't have been trying to get the surgery in the first damn place.

After almost a year, I'd just about given up. Thankfully, my husband checked the insurance policy again and discovered that they had amended the restriction.

So, in November of 2007 we called our insurance company (whose named changed to Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and they confirmed the restriction had been lifted. We then contacted our surgeon to get the ball rolling for approval.

We explained to them that the policy had changed and we should now meet approval for coverage. They stated they would submit the paperwork right away.

But...instead of listening to what we told them, they simply reviewed the printed policy they had in their office and sent us a letter stating the BMI requirement.

So, we had to call them and reiterate the amendment in the policy. Due to their lack of attention, this set us back two weeks. Finally, they submitted the paperwork as they had originally promised and we got our approval. My surgery was scheduled for March 3rd, 2008.

In preparation, I had to spend 4 hours at the hospital for various exams: Upper GI, barium swallow, chest x-ray, blood tests, etc.

The week before was spent gathering everything I would need post-surgery. We also cleaned out our fridge and cabinets, tossing out most everything that would not be allowed on my menu.

My pre-op consult was on February 28th, only a few days before the surgery. He asked if I had questions. I really didn't. We had done so much research that I felt fully prepared.

The truth is that for the two weeks prior to the surgery, I was crying every other hour. I was so worried that something would go wrong. I was envisioning the worst - that I would die during surgery. My concerns revolved around leaving my husband and parents behind. My father has emphysema and COPD and my mother is not as strong as she used to be. I wanted this surgery so that I could be more help to my loved ones - not leave them behind.

My hugs lasted longer. Late at night, tears would roll down my cheeks as my husband slept. I made a point to tell my friends how important they are to me. I tried to make sure everyone knew how much I loved them.

I had a wonderful time saying good-bye to the foods that I loved. T-Bone steaks are one of my first loves. I was also a Coca-Cola addict. Being asian, jasmine rice was a staple at every dinner...this is probably one of the most difficult habits to break. Luckily, I'd become tired of food, so saying good-bye wasn't difficult.

Ultimately, I knew that this was what I needed to do in order to take control of my life and my health. As scary as it was, I was ready.