In recent news:

I have made the decision to have the VSG procedure. Why? Well....My insurance requires me to lose 10% of my body weight before they will approve me for any surgery. And I've been struggling with this for about 6 months now.

During this mission to lose the weight, I've realized that I *CAN* watch what I eat and limit myself when it involves getting something I want. And as much as I would like to think, "Oh, I don't need surgery! I can do this on my own.", it's not true. I CAN'T sustain the healthy eating habits. One week, every thing's great and the next I'm back to old eating habits. It's just too damn easy to sit down and stuff my face. Which is why I need HELP. Hence, where weight loss surgery comes in to play. Here's my reasoning:

1. I'm young. I don't like the severity of the after-care procedures of the Duodenal Switch . Granted, I'm going to have to take some kind of vitamins with ANY surgery but it just seems much more extreme with the DS. With the DS, there is no "forgetting" to take your vitamins. If you do, you risk the chance of DEATH or losing limbs, etc. and I don't want to have to worry about that for the next 50+ years of my life. Why do the DS now when, if need be, I could have the VSG turned into the DS later in life?....

Which brings me to....

2. Revision. The motto for DS patients is "Think twice. Cut once." While I totally agree..I would be okay with getting a revision to the Duodenal Switch later in life if need be. I don't think there will be a need but if for whatever reason, I'd be okay with it. The DS is just too extreme at this stage of my life.

3. Family. I would like to have children someday faaaarrr in the future and, while I'm sure it's totally possible with the DS, I'd like to know my baby is getting everything it needs and can be as healthy as possible.

4. Restriction. I can make the right food choices when I have to...I've proved that to myself recently. I just eat a lot. And it's so EASY to eat a LOT of the "bad" foods. With the VSG, I won't be able to eat anywhere NEAR as much as I do. And I can still enjoy *bad* choices (like eating a pizza, or going to a fast food restaurant) every once and a while because I won't be able to eat but a very tiny amount and I'll be full. I know I can't eat it every day. And I won't. But every once and a while won't be detrimental, right?

5. Less complications. You get the weight-loss benefit similar to the RNY with the minimal complications similar to the Lap-Band. The VSG is a happy median.

While I know, ideally, I've got roughly 300 pounds to lose; it's not about how skinny I can be. I just want to be healthy. I'm only eighteen years old and I'm on medication for acid reflux, high blood pressure, fluid retention, irregularity (period--PCOS), and various vitamin deficiencies. I also have a BiPap machine to sleep with at night due to the early on-set of Sleep Apnea. And I'm EIGHTEEN! That's the scariest part. I just want to be healthy. I don't care about the "ideal" weight. I like my curves. I've never been a size two a day in my damn life. Maybe the day I was born, but that's it. HA! It's just about being healthy. And I think with a new attitude and a little help from the surgery, I can get healthy. :D

So what's next now that I've finally made up my mind?

Same old, same old. Surgery won't be happening any quicker. :( HUGE bummer, I know. BUT at my last doctor's appointment I lost another 5 pounds which brings my total pounds lost up to 27. Subtract that from the 44 pounds I've got to lose and I've got 17 more pounds to go till this rotten 10% is GONE!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

And after that's taken care of all I'll have to do is the psyche evals that my insurance company requires I take and then all my paperwork will be sent off to my insurance company for (hopefully) approval!

Then we play the waiting game. How long? I have nooo idea. It can take anywhere from a week to a month to approve me for surgery. Did I mention I have ZERO patience? Yeah. This part should be just wonderful. >:|

And there's a strong possibility they could DENY my claim. However, I hope that, with the condition my health is in at my age and a very persuasive letter from the surgeon, we will be able to convince them! :)

If everything goes well, after I am approved by insurance, we will have our consultation with the surgeon where we will discuss the best option for me. I highly doubt anything he says will change my mind as far as which surgery to have. I think my mind is made up. But who knows what he'll think. Only time will tell. We'll also pick the surgery date.

And viola! It will be official.

However, I've got a loooong way to go yet. I'm hoping we'll get all the insurance crap taken care of by the end of this month. Then we'll have December to wait for approval, and do the consultation. And then hopefully I'll have a surgery date in January and my mom will only have to cobra my insurance for one month. BUT that's if everything goes according to plan. God knows, nothing EVER goes according to plan. ha! We just gotta take it one day at a time. We'll see where it goes from here. :)