perrysmom

Currently looking into the surgery. My insurance covers it at 80% but I don't know about the plastic surgery once I'm done losing weight. And I still need to get a paper in hand that says they'll cover it . Can't see why they wouldn't -- my BMI is well over 40 and I have hypertension and sleep apnea.  Thankfully no diabetes though, but I'm probably a ticking time-bomb as far as that's concerned.
 
I hope to have Dr. Michael Wood (Michigan) do my surgery -- a co-worker had her's done through him and she highly recommended him and his staff. I'm going for the informational seminar on August 11, 2011 and then hope to set up my first consultation to get the process started.
 
I was gung-ho about the surgery until I started reading more about the dietary restrictions people were talking about. I'm still darn sure I need (not want but need) to have the surgery done. I'm not getting younger and I'm still gaining weight. I never feel full so when I diet I always feel the urge. Even tried a higher protein lower carb diet and still felt hungry. I had more energy with that but still felt like I could gnaw my arm off.
 
I'm scared that I will still feel hungry after the surgery when it's just liquid, liquid, and liquid. Can't see how that will fill me up. But I don't want to be one of those overweight women who can't walk and have to use a scooter and oxygen tanks. I want to be able to bend and do things without becoming winded and my back feeling like it was run over by a steamroller.
 
I've tried to lose weight with conventional diets, Weight Watchers took off some of the weight but I was so hungry and every time I would hit a major plateau that went on for months and then I'd start to eat poorly again.
 
I've always had a problem with motivating myself to exercise. I know that as I take off the weight it will become easier, but right now I get exhausted just THINKING about getting on the treadmill.
 
These are major concerns for me, but when I add up all the good things that will come from the surgery they pale in comparison.
 
Lowered blood pressure (hopefully even off the meds!), less depression (she says hopefully), no heart attack or stroke brought on my morbid obesity, reduced back pain, no more hurting hips and knees, no more shopping for plus size clothing and not finding things that fit right (my waist and ankles are not the same width clothing manufacturers!), larger selection of and less expensive shoes (no more triple wide!), larger selection of and less expensive bras (42 DD is hard to find in something that the front doesn't come up to ones neck).
 
I'm trying to stay hopeful, but I'm not foolish to think that this will happen overnight or that I won't have to change how I eat and getting my butt into gear for exercise. It will be hard work so I'm praying I'm up to the task!