A blog? Really? Me?

Dec 28, 2010

For some reason I've always felt like blogging is...what's the word...self-absorbish?  Ok, so that's not a word.  I guess I'm not the type to go on and on about myself but I felt that maybe THIS type of blog would benefit myself as well as possibly help others.  After all, I am a medical trainwreck and I made it through the surgery in one piece!

I began my WLS journey last July after I decided that I couldn't afford my insulin anymore and I pretty much hated the way I looked.  There was a huge disconnect in how I felt on the inside versus how I looked on the outside.  Thanks to the much loved/hated drug Prednisone, I had gained 80 lbs and there were times when I ran into people that hadn't seen me in awhile and they didn't even recognize me. 

I had basically accepted that my inside and outside looks would never mesh, until one day my friend and I were sitting on the beach at the lake and I said, "I hate myself.  I hate the way I look and I have to do something about it because I feel out of control."  Her response was the same as everyones, "it's not your fault, it's the prednisone that makes you eat all the time and you have to take it to keep your lupus from flaring."  Never one to conform, I went home later on and googled "weight loss and lupus" hoping there would be some miracle drug or diet that I could try.  I ended up reading a post that someone put here, on Obesity Help, saying that she had lupus, and she was getting the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy.

What the heck is that?  So I proceeded to do research, making sure that all of my medical issues, including taking prednisone were acceptable in this never-before-heard-of-procedure for me.  One bad thing:  there were few places that did the surgery because it was experimental, and insurance was not likely to cover it.  Damn!

I ended up going to the website of my local healthcare place and by golly it said they do lap band, RYN and VSG.  No kidding?  I don't live in a big city in California or New York so I was pretty shocked.  I signed up for an information session the next week.  At the info session I gave the surgeon the 3rd degree and pretty much took over the whole meeting with questions about how this procedure and was he SURE that people with lupus could have it and was he SURE that people taking 15 meds a day could have it? 

I later went to Amazon.com and downloaded every book available to my Kindle about WLS.  I watched HOURS of You Tube videos about the VSG, and I found this website which has been a life saver.  I even managed to connect with a lady in Arizona who, just like me, has lupus and other issues with meds. 

I fulfilled the requirements of the nutritionist, food classes, psych exam, the whole nine yards, then met with the surgeon.  He submitted a request for pre-approval from my insurance agency.  I attached a 2 page personal letter explaining why I felt the sleeve was the best, and only, option for me.  Two weeks later - approved!

I did have some delays with getting my surgery.  Was initially scheduled for Nov 1 and then realized my work schedule would jive much better if I waited until Nov 11.  Then right before surgery I had emergency dental surgery and got an infection so had to postpone until November 30.  Then I got a dang cold and again had to postpone until Dec 22.  The day came, I got my sleeve, they took out my gallbladder, fixed my hiatal hernia, and hallelujia, here I goooooo!

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