Amari

Hi folks, I'm a new member to VST but have been lurking around for a bit, reading so many stories of your journeys with VSG. After reading so many positive reviews, today I scheduled VSG with Dr. Aceves for 09/20/10. When I first considered the surgery, my first response at having surgery in Mexico was "NO WAY am I having surgery in Mexico!" But in reading reviews of Dr. Aceves and the hospital there in Mexicali, any fears I had have been alleviated. It was good to see the stories of several nurses who have gone there for the procedure, as I'm a nurse myself. And I know that if the facility can pass a "Nurse's Inspection", then they definitely are doing the right things. Actually, as I type this, it's at least the third time that I've broken down in tears today (and it's only 12:28 PM!): Tears when I found out my flexible spending account will reimburse me very quickly after submitting the documents.....tears after I scheduled my appointment with Nina at Dr. Aceves office.....and now tears to know my journey finally begins....tears of joy....fear....anticipation. Somehow, I think there are more of those to come. So at 5'4" and 360 pounds, it's a scary proposition to have such a life-changing event happening so soon. So much to do. Pennies to pinch so that I can self-pay....arrangements to make for flights, animal care, a leave of absence from work, and more. I've decided to start a lot of the "self-prep" now....two months out from surgery (actually 49 days....I just counted!....wow). So the Multivitamins are on the way....biotin to try to combat the hair loss...whey-protein shakes sweetened with stevia (it took me a while to hunt those down online, having a long-standing aversion to artificial sweeteners)....inventory of hospital appropriate jammies is underway. lol Along with my joy, there's also a great sense of frustration with the health care system here. I work for a hospital which has a surgical group which performs the VSG.....yet the hospital's own employee health insurance lists the VSG in the infamous "Investigational & Experimental" category. There's a part of me that wants to fight with the insurance company to get them to cover it. But I need to concentrate my efforts on what has essentially become a fight for my life. And I think my high blood pressure, bad knees and hip, and my system in general are probably in agreement that my energy is finally going in the right direction on this. The phrase from that Larry the Cable Guy comes to mind: "Git er done!" (Do you think Nike would have been successful with that phrase which is essentially a different version of "Just Do It"? Sorry....I have random thoughts sometime.) So here we go...on what might be one of the most exciting rides of my life. I'd better put more boxes of tissue on my list! Amari