smryan

8/5/13: I've struggled with my weight off and on for almost 20 years. It's your typical story - got married, gained weight. Had my first child, gained weight. Had another baby, gained more weight. Went on WW, lost 50, gained it all back plus a few more. Did JC, lost a little, gained more...you get the story. Then the depression set in. I'm not sure if it's from the weight gain OR the horrible job I was in but either way, there it was and here it is. In February of this year, my job was eliminated, which was a HUGE blessing. With that, I was given almost 6 months of paid health insurance. Fast forward to the beginning of June, 2013. I took a shot and looked on my insurance web site to see if weight loss surgery was covered. After some digging, I discovered it was - at only 2 locations in the Seattle area. I called the first one on the list for some information and was told about the free seminar that would start the process. Only problem was, the next one was the end of July, unless I could go the very next day. I cleared the deck and attended on June 5th, filled out the paperwork to see if my insurance would cover it, went home "hopeful" and started the waiting game. Finally the call came - I was approved BUT the soonest they could get me for the initial visit was August 15th. I asked to be placed first in line for a cancellation to move the process up. In the mean time, I had already lobbied my docs for support letters, etc. Sure enough, I got a call while I was on vacation that they could see me July 16th. I jumped at it and while there for my initial visit (EKG, nutrition class, psych evaluation) I booked the first available appointment for labs and my endoscopy, which was 2 days later. My endoscopy uncovered gastritis and a hiatal hernia - who knew - as I don't have symptoms. More waiting and then finally the call came that I was 100% approved. My nurse commented that she was shocked at how quickly the approval came from the insurance company. I have 2 more appointments and then my surgery is scheduled for 8/26. As you can see, I'm on a fast-paced roller coaster but I'm grateful that it's going so quickly!