Introducing myself

[VSG AJH 499]

Hi all -- love the threads! So much good information and conversation.

My name is Amanda. I'm a 37yo homeschooling mom to six kiddos, and I'm hoping to be a December sleever. Having been overweight since late childhood, I've been hoping for bariatric surgery since seeing a documentary about RNY fourteen years ago. I've not had insurance coverage for bariatric surgery before last year, and even then, it came as a surprise. I would check at the beginning of each year when we'd renew our benefits, and my husband's company would not only not cover it, they would specifically exclude it. The surgeons I'd call would tell me that exclusion would make an appeal impossible. Anyway, last January I didn't bother checking because I assumed after years of exclusions, there would be no change. I've been looking at the VSG for about a year now and lurking here on these boards, and I began exploring cash-pay options with surgeons in the U.S. and abroad. At the end of last summer, just as I was making a plan to go to Mexico for surgery, my husband double-checked our benefits, and LO AND BEHOLD, our insurance now covered bariatric surgery just like any other surgery -- standard deductible and 20% copay with a few other minor costs here and there up to a $5000 max. Thrilled, at the end of September I made an appointment with a bariatric surgery group just down the highway from our house. I then cancelled in early October because we discovered I was pregnant with my sixth babe.

I was told to call back after six weeks of post-delivery recovery, and for those weeks after baby, I wrestled with the choice to call the WLS. Maybe this would be the time I could get the weight off. Forget the fact that I've been over 100 pounds overweight since middle school and have tried every single diet and pill and plan under the sun -- maybe this would be the year. In retrospect, I was terrified of seeing the doctor because I was afraid he'd reject me for WLS. It had always been the option in my pocket, the secret bullet for the day when I realized I really couldn't do it on my own. If the doctor rejected me, I would truly be without options and hope for real weight loss and health. Despite being severely overweight, I felt like I was in pretty decent health and would be rejected because of a lack of serious comorbidities. I have prediabetes and have had gestational diabetes when pregnant -- both of which increase my chances of Type 2, a disease that killed my grandmother. My mom died of cancer last year, and my obesity increases the risk of my developing cancer. My dad had high cholesterol and HBP. Stroke and heart disease run in my family. I also have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and while that's not caused by my obesity, it complicates any effort at weight loss. Other than that, I have neuropathy in my feet and weight-bearing bone problems in my feet. I'm prone to injury and have to see the podiatrist several times a year for medical care. I also have numbness in my arms and hands, and I'm concerned it's moving towards a total loss of feeling like my feet. My knees and back ache, and getting up and down and moving around a lot is exhausting -- a real problem when you're with six kiddos all the time! So, while I don't have a large number of documented medical comorbidities, I'm feeling the chronic effects of a lifetime of obesity beginning to creep up on me, and I just don't like it. Additionally, my mom died from a type of cancer she could have avoided (lung cancer specific to smokers), and her grief was complicated by the fact that she could have made different choices all the years she smoked and maybe lived longer. I don't want that to be me. I don't mind dying at 56 like she did, but I'd rather die from falling off a mountain I've just climbed or because the chute didn't open when I went skydiving, not because I chose a habit that destroyed me, and I never got a handle on it.

After that brief post-baby wrestling period, I decided to pursue surgery, and if by some miraculous chance I lose 100 pounds between now and my surgery date (ha!), I'll call off my surgery. I saw the surgeon on August 5 -- my 13th wedding anniversary -- and not only did he not reject me, he said I was the perfect candidate. (He probably says that to all the girls. *wink*) I weighed 262 at the appointment, and I'm now 5'7" (was 5'10" before my weight began destroying the bones in my feet -- sigh.) My BMI was 41.1, thanks to my new shorter stature.

I'm still very new to all of this, and while I have a few hoops to jump through, they don't seem all that complicated to me. Maybe I'm missing something. My insurance (Cigna) requires a 3 month diet with the nutritionist (4 total meetings), and I see her this coming Tuesday -- just a week after my first appointment. I also attend my first support group at that time. I'll have three more nutrition meetings and one or two more monthly support group. I've already had initial labs drawn, and I'll see my PCP on Monday for a physical (per his request) to have him write the letter of recommendation my insurance requires. The surgeon requires a physical therapy evaluation, which I also already have scheduled on Tuesday. Besides that, I'll do an EGD and a psych evaluation, and that's it. It doesn't seem like a lot to me, and the fact that half of the requirements will be completed within a month of my initial meeting with the surgeon blows my mind. It's impossible for me to believe that after 25+ years of obesity and 14+ years of researching bariatric surgery, MY day is coming.

[gmanbat 5,889]

WELCOME!!! :)

[Miz B 6]

I've been reclusive since I started this process, so I'm already about six months out from my surgery. I've had some setbacks due to a second surgery, but i'm going to hang in there. I'm in the medical profession, but I've found out how little I know about nutrition for my situation. One would think I would have done all kinds of research before surgery, which I did, but it was mostly about the surgery itself. Now I see that one of the biggest challenges is getting that Protein in and staying organized so you provide yourself with that daily nutritional support, as well as activity (more difficult for me since I enjoy sedentary activities and my job is very sedentary). The support on this site is wonderful. Just a few days ago, I was in a panic about my Hair loss, and I came to this site and found great support and suggestions. I am going to consult a colleague also about the problem, but there's nothing like someone who's actually been there.

[SuzyB 182]

Welcome and good luck