And we're off..

Jul 15, 2013

I officially started this journey towards WLS in June. I knew that I'd have to wait a year for my weight to not be considered a pre-existing condition, and I knew that I'd have to have 6 months supervised medical weight loss prior to surgery. I picked June because that was the half-way mark for my 1 year wait, and I could safely start the 6 months supervised without insurance balking at me. I requested the paperwork, filled it out, and turned it in.

On July 1, I had my first of the 6 visits. It went very well. I was very impressed with the NP that I saw. She is incredibly kind and helpful, and she was very supportive of my decision. On July 3rd, I met with the dietician. She was also incredibly kind and helpful, and she didn't treat me like a moron. She was actually very impressed that I knew quite a bit about nutrition. Of course, when you have been dieting all your life, you learn a few things along the way. On the 3rd, I also had my pre-op EKG. On July 5th, I got a call saying that I needed to see a cardiologist because my EKG was abnormal.

Panic. Disappointment. More panic. I was a bit bitter because, after all, I started this process to become healthier and all of a sudden, I felt like the door was being slammed in my face. It was a tense week, waiting to get in to see the cardiologist. I figured I wasn't going to get my hopes up, because my family history is less than stellar.

Today was the day of reckoning. I went in and saw the cardiologist (very funny man, and very straight-forward and just all kinds of awesome!). He looked at my EKG, listened to my heart, and said, "You're wasting your time here." He also said that if he'd been the one to read my EKG, he would have called it normal. He wished me well, told me not to try to lose too much weight, and said he hoped he'd never have to see me again (but that if I ever did need him for anything, to feel free to call). Whew. I felt like I dodged a bullet.

Today was also my Psych evaluation. I was beyond nervous. I didn't need to be. The psychologist was very friendly, very forthcoming, and she didn't make me wait to know my results. She is clearing me for surgery, and said she was very impressed with how much research I've done, and how realistic I am about my outcomes. She did an IQ test and said that I tested at a genius level, and encouraged me to continue my education.

I feel like I am tooting my own horn, but maybe that's what I need to do occasionally. I was pleasantly surprised by the cardiology visit, and then the psych evaluation added the icing to the cake ( ooh.. cake?! ;) ). I feel very fortunate that I have successfully navigated over the two biggest hurdles thus far. This journey is just beginning, but it's been a long time coming.

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