HatheryOnHerWay

Reminds me of a clinic I went to once where I had bloodwork done, and the "lab" was just a tiny room full of storage and cardboard boxes. I couldn't believe it. It gave me the creeps so bad, I never went back there again. I think you gotta go with your gut, and if the place gave you the willies you need to find a place you're comfortable with

I was wondering that, too! That is startling!

That's the biggest thing I "fear" when I get down to goal eventually, is the transition to "normal" life afterwards. Seems like a bizarre thing to fear, but not for us with food addictions!

@elinor How do you know if you have a hernia? @Cerenatee THANK YOU for that post! That was tremendously helpful.

I know, it's like I have a roadblock at every turn! I'm determined to make this work, though!

I don't have a 401k. I'm a government employee, so all my retirement is through the state retirement program.

At this point, I think the biggest thing is going to be getting financing. That's really the wildcard!

This literally made me LOL

I think he'll be supportive once I get it done, but it's just getting there that's difficult. He's naturally a very skeptical and anxious person, and the idea of spending money on something and not having it work is just really overwhelming to him. I have a strong tendency to have a lot of ideas about life in general, and then quit when I lose interest. He's reasonably worried that I'll do that with this, too. I was so happy when I lost the 100 pounds--if I could kick my own butt for putting the weight back on, I would. I wish he realized how difficult it is to say "I need help", and that's exactly what I'm doing by wanting this surgery. I am strong-willed and I get what I want in life, but for some reason obesity is the one thing I can't get a hold on. I'm asking for help--I wish he saw it that way. I'm attaching a collage of pics from before and after when I did Medifast. I'm pretty well back to the "before" again :(

Everyone around here says that you can expect a stall at week 3. Just keep doing what your doctor directed, and things should start moving again. Sometimes your body needs a bit of time to adjust. Or so they tell me

I wish it were as easy as that, but I can already hear the responses "Quit trying to sell me on this", "Are you trying to make me mad?", "You always take things too far", bla bla bla. I don't know why this is such a sore subject for him because it means so much to me, but it's just one of those (few) things that are nearly impossible to talk to him about. I think he sees me as a really strong and driven person, and to him this feels like I've given up. But it's the opposite...I'm trying. Really, really hard. I want to have the majority of a vital organ removed VOLUNTARILY. It hardly seems like giving up to me.

I'd be more than happy to go to Mexico, but my husband is absolutely adamant that I will not be doing that. He has the idea I'd be in some back-alley chop shop with dirty medical instruments and untrained doctors. I know this is 100% untrue, but he believes what he wants to believe and really won't research anything (despite my request that he educate himself on this topic.) Since he is so resistant to begin with, I gotta take what I can get! And if he'll be ok w/ a doctor in the US, at least I get the surgery. Who knows though....we might find out we can't finance more than a few thousand, in which case Mexico may be my only option. It'll take some major convincing, but I want this surgery!

I really don't understand their resistance! It just seems like the long-term benefits for them as far as insurance payouts would be substantially less if they just paid for the surgery. I guess when I'm president, I'll change that haha

I just so happen to have a friend who work's for my insurance company, so I'm going to ask her and see if she knows of an backdoors or loopholes like that with my insurance. I have Physician's Plus (I think that might be a Wisconsin thing?) My insurance covers just about everything under the sun, but apparently they don't think fat people are worth helping. Grr.

I'm attaching a screenshot from my insurance policy so you can see the exclusion. What do you think? The places I've found in the US that will do it for less than $10k (or around that) would be Dr. Borland in Louisiana, Dr. Gonzalez in Texas, and Dr. Washington in South Carolina.

That's really disingenuous

Nope, not even gonna get my hopes up until I secure financing! I'm currently in talks w/ my credit union about it. If I can't secure financing, I'm going to have to look into other options (selling my car? selling a kidney? haha)

Yep. It's a 100% exclusion, regardless of medical necessity. Pretty stupid considering how much less they'd end up paying overall if I got rid of my comorbidities!

I didn't think I'd be able to get another insurance because of pre-existing conditions (migraines, high blood pressure, depression, bla bla bla). I have really good insurance, but unfortunately WLS is an exclusion. What is PPACA? (n/m just looked this up! ObamaCare! Forgot it had a real name. hehe)

The main reason I have to involve my husband in this decision is because I'll be self-pay. If my insurance paid for it, I'd be doing it whether he liked it or not. But it requires a bit more spousal cooperation when I'm asking to use $10k that we really don't have He was saying to me yesterday things like "What if something horrible happens? What if you die on the table?" My response was, "If I stay the way I am, there is a 100% chance something horrible will happen and I will die." It's not cosmetic for me. I can deal with how I look, but I can't deal with the way I constantly hurt, the way I have no energy to do anything, the way I sweat like a piglet, etc.

So excited for you!!! :)

Thank you for the recommendation. I'm going to see if the library has that book!

Does everyone get a catheter?? I've never had a catheter before...this is perplexing to me.

Okay, this is a really odd question, but I have to ask...when you're getting surgery, do you have to take out piercings that aren't "in the way" (like nose piercings, etc.) I have a few piercings that are in cartilidge and I would worry that the holes might close, even if the jewelry is out for a short amount of time... I appreciate any input :crying:

Interesting! Thanks for the replies! I guess I would probably put in retainers and if I HAD to, take them out...The bellybutton one would definitely have to come out :thumbup: