Have to make a decision about RNY right NOW, panicking!

[BMC blogger 38]

I am looking for guidance. I sort of have a gun to my head right now to have my RNY gastric bypass before the end of the year due to insurance reasons, but I am still not absolutely sure I want to have the surgery. Some of it is fear, but some of it is also the fact that I feel like I haven't tried hard enough to lose it naturally.
So, I currently have BCBSM, and after Jan 1 I will be switched to United Healthcare due to an acquisition of my company. I was told by more surgeon that it is highly unlikely that I will get approved by UHC if I wait to have the surgery, but BCBSM will definitely cover it and I have already met all my deductibles for the year. Today I set a surgery date for 12/18/17 out of sheer panic, and all I have to do before surgery is get an EKG and a signature from my PCP.
My dilemma is this: I am a 5'6" female, age 30, currently weighting 228 lbs. I have a BMI of 37, starting weight was 255 (BMI 41) at the beginning of my mandatory 6 month diet. During month 4, I saw an endocrinologist and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). She put me on Metformin and Synthroid, and I immediately felt like I had more energy and the weight started coming off way quicker than before. I feel less hungry, less depressed, and better able to make healthy choices. I am wondering if I can just follow a healthier diet on my own now that my thyroid isn't ruining everything! I talked to my surgeon today and he told me that the chances of me succeeding in losing more than 50 lbs without surgery was about 3%. My weight loss with the Metformin and Synthroid is starting to plateau now, but I am not sure if it is just because I have been making bad eating choices since Thanksgiving or if it is because my body is now used to the medicine and I will go back to struggling to lose weight even when eating sensibly. My PCP is against me having the surgery and thinks I just need to put my mind to it, but he is a skinny dude and not an expert in the field. My endocrinologist thinks the hormone changes from RNY would help with my Hashimoto's and PCOS, so she is for it. My surgeon says I am obviously not going to die without surgery because my BMI is not super high, but he doesn't think based on my genetics/family history/comorbidities that I will be able to get below 200 lbs on my own. He says he has done surgeries on women like me and they were very happy with their decision.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Is a RNY too much of a nuclear option for me? I can't do the sleeve because of my history of reflux and ulcers, so I am torn.

I’m in a slightly similar boat. Same weight and have BCBS. I was actually thinking about switching to UHC because my pcp is going out of network with BCBS, I was told the same and that I should leave it alone especially given the different requirements. I just asked the same question about backing on a different group and folks came back with helpful feedback:

1. Everyone thinks about backing out at some point. It’s surgery at the end of the day!

2. A lot of folks starts to think “I can do this on my own” but how many times have you dieted only to regain.

3. Will this help resolve current or future commodities? Natural weigh loss will obviously help but the amount of loss needed to make a dent on GERD, diabetes, etc might be more than you can accomplish alone.

I’m not saying one way or another, but I would really reflect on all the pieces. Personally I’m moving forward, I just feel that I would regret not taking the steps.

[BMC blogger 38]

Thanks for all of your thoughts and advice everyone. I am going to move forward with surgery. My official date now is 12/20/2017, and I feel relieved now that I have committed to a decision. Starting to get excited too!

Congrats!!! Mine is on the 19th!