Katie Spradlin

I'm getting banded on May 17th, too! Wow, I guess it's a good day for a life change! I'm 24, married, two dogs (Duke and Dutchess), work in retail, starting back to college for my Master's, and I'm so excited for this surgery! I read a blog once where a woman had written down all the things that she wanted to do once she lost weight. It had stuff like 1) Fly on an airplane without having to ask for a seatbelt extender 2) Ride a roller coaster and be able to get the bar down to secure myself 3) Eat in public without having people stare 4) Wear a bathing suit in public 5) Not just a bathing suit, a bikini! 6) Ride on a long car ride comfortably 7) Be on the other side of the camera 8) Sit in a booth at a restaurant 9) Shop by what I like, not by what comes in my size As I kept reading, I started crying. Do you realize the things that I haven't done in my life because my weight (or my perception of my weight) held me back? The people I haven't talked to, the things I haven't done, the experiences I wanted but was to embarassed to try for because I didn't want everyone to stare at me? I can't wait for this surgery. It feels like second chance at life.

Hello everyone! My name is Katie and I'm scheduled for banding on May 17th (and I can't wait for it!) It was really a hassle trying to get all the paperwork to my insurance company, but when we finally got everything in to be submitted, they approved it within 24 hours! I had to call my primary care physician every day, twice a day and leave minute long voicemails for a month before he got my letter written for the insurance company. And then they decided they wanted three years worth of records for my BMI, so that meant calling his nurses twice a day, every day for another week. Sigh. I had my EGD two days ago and found out I have a hernia (caused by excessive abdominal fat, as my surgeon put it) that may cause some difficulties but they will proceed with surgery. You know, I understand that I'm having the surgery because I'm overweight, and that the insurance company is paying for it because they consider me morbidly obese, but I still don't like being told how fat I am at every appointment. It's a little hard sometimes to keep positive about the surgery when I feel like my surgeon is crushing my self esteem at every turn. But whatever! I'm looking forward to getting to know you all over the course of our journey together! Best Wishes! Katie