Allison B.

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 So I had my initial consult this morning and I think it went really well!  I first met with my surgeon and he was great.  He wasn't the doctor I was hoping for, but I was pleasantly surprised at how nice he was and how easy he was to talk to.  He basically told me that I qualify to have the bypass and I will greatly benefit from it.  He also mentioned that giving my age and size, my risk factors are greatly minimized.  After I spoke with him, the dietitian came in and gave me a packet with all the diet information pre op, post  op, and life time eating.  She was nice but she didn't really tell me anything I hadn't already heard.  After her I spoke with the insurance lady.  This was the most nerve racking part.  She explained to me that self pay is fine but to remember that before surgery, 5,000 is due up front to cover the surgeon and anesthesiologist fees.  Also I must remember that if there are any complications post op, that those will be out of pocket as well.  So I am now considering the insurance option, but I will have to act quick because I will not have insurance coverage after I graduate in December.  Basically it was a great morning, but I have A LOT to do to get ready and not a lot of time to do it in.

 So the receptionist from my surgeons office called this morning and said that they now have my consultation date!  I finally get to actually talk to my surgeon...this is so exciting.  So on Sept. 29th I will have my consultation and hopefully everything will go smoothly and I can start preparing for surgery.  I am hoping to have the surgery on my Thanksgiving break that way I could possibly be down about 25-30 pounds for my college graduation!!!  

I am so thrilled.  I am hoping that the pace picks up since I am a self pay patient.  Im sure they will be more willing to hurry up the process if they know they wont have to deal with insurance.  I just cant wait for it to be over so I can start seeing results and living my life.  

I will let you know how everything goes!

Thanks for reading.

 So on Friday, three days ago, I called my doctors office because I have been waiting for over a week to hear from them to schedule my consultation.  When I called the receptionist was very helpful and nice.  She informed me that the dr. who runs the obesity program had not been in his office but he would be in that day to do his administration work.  So he would have a chance that day to look over my files and ok me for a consultation.  I ask her to clarify for me that if the dr. dose not ok me for a consultation that that means I will have to go some where else for the surgery and she said yes, but that she did not notice anything on my forms that would be a problem.  

So that gave me a small glimmer of hope that once the dr. okays my files that this journey will pick up some speed.  I am still 95% sure that I am going to do the bypass, even though it has some rough side effects.  I have seen it work great and I trust the procedure.  So hopefully I will get a call this week to set up my consultation, and we can get this show on the road!

I have been having skinny visions more frequently.  I can see myself at my goal weight, feeling healthy and attractive and confident.  I feel like once I get this weight off I can actually start living my life to the fullest.  I just hope this blessing is bestowed upon me, because I have been praying every night that this happens for me!

 So I have been waiting about a week now to hear from my surgeons office.  After the intake session that I attended, we were then asked to fill out a medical questionnaire about how diet history, medical history, current medication list, etc.  It was about 5 pages long.  Once I had that filled out, I mailed it to my doctors office and am now waiting to hear from them after my doctor has had a chance to look the forms over.  I guess they do this to make sure that you really need the surgery and if they believe you do, then they will schedule you for a consultation.  It is just so annoying that they say "we will contact you".  So I have the pleasure of waiting by the phone.  I think If I haven't heard from them by Friday, I am going to call and bug them about it. I am nervous that my surgeon wont operate on me with out insurance coverage and if that is the case, I might as well just go somewhere else.  I hate this waiting part because I can vision myself thin and I have all these plans for myself once I start to lose the weight.  I have only told two of my closest friends about this surgery, so I  am glad I have them to vent to, but I also feel like no one really has any idea what is going on in my life.  Not to use it as an excuse, but I want people to see that I am changing..and right now they just see the same fat girl.....


 

 Well lets see, the website says that I have been a member of OH since 2006.  I joined back then because my mother was beginning her journey with the bypass surgery and I was sort of following her foot steps in considering the band for myself.  But after some consideration I decided that at that time, WLS was not for me and I really needed to try the "natural" way one more time and really be serious about it.  So that is what I did.  January 2008 I started Nutrisystem at 257 pounds.  I was excited and at first I was doing everything exactly right and the weight came off, slowly but surely.  I lost about 25 pounds and then I decided to give myself one cheat day a week, which then turned to two cheat days...and well you get the picture.  Before I knew it I was wasting all my money on the Nutrisystem food and I was not even eating it.  I got bored with the program and began to resent the fact that I could not eat what I wanted.  So by this time my mother was almost a year out of her surgery and was down 100 lbs and was feeling fabulous!  Mean while I am over her feeling like a failure and wondering why I cant make diet and exercise work!  Then one of my best friends goes and has the bypass surgery and I have been keeping up with her progress as well!  So here I am, starting my own journey.  I decided that I deserve to be happy too and I know deep in my heart that I need more help than just diet and exercise.  I am a self proclaimed binge eater, and I need something that is going to FORCE me to stick with the program.  I also know that I would do well because I have such a great support system!

So far I have attended an intake session where all the aspects of insurance and what each surgery entails, and I have submitted my forms to my doctor for review.  I am now just waiting to hear from the doctors that I am approved for a consultation with my doctor.  I am hoping to have the bypass sometime around Thanksgiving, but at this rate, it might take a while!  We are not going to even bother with insurance because we are pretty sure they will not cover a 23 yr old with no co-morbidity's for such a risky surgery.  Hopefully my surgeon will operate anyway, but we will just have to wait and see.  

I will keep ya posted!