Fighting Discouragement

I recently told my Dad thatI was planning to have Wls and he told me he was gonna have to buy a new suit... For my funeral. That hurt but my Dad is a Negative Norman :o( My Mom is not in support of the surgery she's overweight herself and has health issues but is afraid of the surgery. My husband and my kids are in favor of whatever it takes. I'm just becoming discouraged day by day 'cause here in Michigan they make you wait 1 year and I only have 4 months under my belt. MY Pcp and the Therapist they require you to see along with my new Cardiologist are willing to write letters to Great Lakes to see if they can get me in earlier due to health issues. The waiting is so hard It's getting harder to walk up and down the stairs and I have edema in my legs and feet that is horrible. I wish I could fast forward time to April 2012. I am normally a Can't get me down person but since I got the 1 year requirement news it ticked me off because my previous Pcp had been telling me for the last 3 years that I had crappy insurance and they didn't cover anything well that was not the case Wls is a covered benefit with Great Lakes always has been but since I do not think my Prior Pcp was a wls supporter he never told me that was an option. So I could have had Wls two years ago. I left his office in tears in December of 2010 after he said he could not see any sweling in my legs and he didn't know what if anything he could do for me I said to myself  I was never coming back I had to run in the hallway bathroom because I felt like I was gonna scream if the tears didn't come. I cried so much during those 15- 20 minutes.  Well In April of this year I found out from my current Pcp that Wls was covered but now I had a gap between being supervised by a doctor for weight issues. 'Cause in Michigan If you go fro 8 months straight and miss month 9 you have to start back over from month 1. Lord my God Help Me to get out of this rut of thinking.

i had to wait 19 months to get surgery . i am due to have it sept 13th... it does come around. time goes by quick. dont give up hope , your turn is right around the corner. i have multiple health issues to . rescently had a stroke. so stay calm and so the best you can until u can get on that table. i thought my day would ever come. now its here and im scared to death. but we have to have faith and patience in this waiting game. sometimes i think its to test you to see how strong we are . hold on.

Just do it.... You will never be closer than you are today!

Get any letter a and reccomendations you can.... The worst case sceneroio is that you have 8 more months.....

You can do this!!

The way your PCP treated you is inexcusable.  I'm so sorry you had to go through this.

Your Dad's comment is simply ignorant and mean.  Ignore it.

Now you know you have to wait until April, 2012, start your new way of eating NOW. 

This is what I did while waiting for my surgery, and I was also going to college at the same
time:

I stopped eating all "white foods", meaning rice, pasta, bread, and potatoes.  I went through
my cupboards and dumped all those things.

I began to focus on eating protein first;  at least 10 grams protein for a meal or serving.  I 
didn't restrict myself to only 3 meals a day.  If I got hungry during the day, I had another
protein shake, or a protein bar.  Same in the evening.  You can get to where the protein
bars can be too easy to use, so plan for them.  The higher protein intake will help keep 
you from snacking. 

I also started trying different protein powder samples;  Vitalady, Bariatriceating.com, Chike,
and Syntrax Nectar all do sample packs.  Some are made with milk, some with water.  I
like the Syntrax Nectars because most can be made with water, and come in cappuccino
and Lemon Tea as well as the regular fruity flavors.  Be aware that post-op your tastes will
probably change and a protein powder you liked pre-op can be absolutely nauseating after
wards!  This happened to me with the Fuzzy Navel!
,
If you eat the Weigh****chers meals or South Beach diet for dinners, you'll get well-rounded
and balanced meals.

Don't weigh yourself.  You'll either lose or you won't lose, but you don't need to torment yourself
with the evil judge peering up between your toes the first thing in the morning.

Start some mild exercise, as much as you can do with your edema.  It will help your mental
outlook, and it can't hurt. (Just imagine my best Yiddish Mama accent here!) 

Hang in there, Kid.  We're all on your side.  Keep coming back here for encouragement.

Best wishes,

I understand that the wait is always difficult, that and the lack of support, but I would encourage you to always look at what you actually do have with gratitude.

So many people who want to have this surgery will never get the opportunity to have it because they do not have insurance to cover it, nor the financial means to self-pay.  For these folks, knowing they could have the surgery in less than a year would be a dream come true... 

With regard to the extended family support, I understand that this would be a huge plus for you, but sometimes we just have to be our own biggest supporter.

You know you're doing the right thing for you, and this is all that should matter.  While it would be nice if mom and dad were on-board, that is likely just not going to happen because parents tend to fear for the safety of their offspring.

What they are likely failing to take into consider is the extreme risk you are at without this surgery... 

Hang in there, embrace each day with gratitude, and you'll find that these months will slip by one by one and before you know, you're gonna be sitting on the losers bench.

Wishing you much success!!!

In addition to all the wonderful advice already given, I'd suggest you contact your insurance company and get a list of all the requirements you need to fulfil prior to surgery and make sure you double check they are done.  

I had to wait a year and I had thought I met all the requirements when the surgeon submitted the request for surgery, but the insurance company denied the initial request.  Here, a step I thought my PCP had done at the start of my journey had never been done/submitted.  It was an intense few weeks, as I had to get that step done and approved before my surgery date.  

A year does seem like a long time to wait, but before you know it, it'll be here.  Keep your head up and do what you can to improve your health now.  Good luck! 

I love what Mary said..."You will never be closer than you are today."   It took me 9 months, and surprisingly it went by fairly quickly.  You might possibly meet quite a few people who do not support this decision - I did.  The important thing is your husband and children support you, and that is what counts most.