EmmyK
I've considered WLS since 2007. I was never ready to do the work until now. I've always been the "big girl." When I was about 6 or 7, the neighbors would tease me (I had the slightest layer of baby fat at the time,) that they were going to eat me. (Thanks, a-holes.) Ever since I hit puberty like a brick wall at 11 and got breasts and hips while most of the girls maintained a boyish figure for a few more years, I've been trying to lose weight. Mom was always very thin (typically had one meal a day.) A combination of weight watchers and starvation got me down to goal in high school, but I was not a happy person, at all. I went to college and put on the Freshman 15 and then some.
Working as a nurse, learning to eat slowly is hard. I get short breaks, and eating fast is typical. Luckily, I work part time, and I tend to be the nurse in charge, so I can slip away and get my snacks. I also worked for a medical device company, and the 33K miles I drove in a year meant a lot of eating in the car...fast food and boredom snacking from the finest in fast food and gas station cuisine.
Babies came...but I was always so sick that I maintained my weight during the pregnancy....meaning that I lost a lot as I grew that baby and all that it takes to care for it. I left the hospital both times thinner than I had been in years. However, both of my babies have October birthdays. Both times, just in time for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, EVERYTHING TASTED SO AMAZING! It was like getting over a nasty cold, and being really hungry but x100. I can usually ignore candy, but OMG, HAVE YOU TASTED THIS SNICKERS?! Shamefully, I ate so many Christmas cookies BEFORE family arrived that I had to make them again, because the amount I ate was definitely noticeable. Add to that a failed business that closed right before my second daughter was born, and all of the stress and financial fallout after that...moving from our house into a tiny apartment, depression (well treated, but it was there) and I settled in with a big pile of food and created a nice layer of insulation to guard me from the outside world.
In the last year, I've been trying again, being more active, but I got seriously sidelined by Lyme disease (my right knee blew up so big that I could barely walk, and I've recently been doing physical therapy because I screwed up my gait as a result and everything makes my knee hurt.) So, I had the "A-HA!" moment a few months ago and got serious.
My husband is 100% supportive. I was scared to tell him that I was considering WLS, as he has gone from a couch potato to a marathon runner in 12 months. He fastidiously monitored his food and workouts (he's in tech, so crunching data makes him happy.) He has transformed himself, but I was afraid he'd feel that I just hadn't tried hard enough on my own (I should have known better. That is not his style. That was my inner voice.) When I finally told him, he told me that he thought about suggesting it, but he didn't want to be pushy. He says he would only want me to do it for my health and happiness. If I was healthy and happy where I am now, he'd be fine, but he knows that I'm not happy at all, and that while my comorbidities are not too severe (mild sleep apnea, GERD, and a history of cardiomyopathy that is resolved,) they can get worse. My GERD is so awful and always has been.
A month ago, I went to see two doctors in the area. They are doctors that work at another hospital. I know people who have had surgery with both and are delighted with their care from both. I've chosen my procedure and surgeon, and now we are moving forward.
Today, the psych eval, weight history, sleep studies, cardiac history and GI reports go off to the lovely folks at UHC Choice Plus. They haven't been able to figure out their right hand from their left hand so far, so I decided to have the surgeon submit and see what they say.
I've already been adjusting the way I eat and dropped about 10 pounds (I'm making friends with my protein drinks! I'm having some Wendy's chili for lunch.) As a result, my gallbladder is acting up. Typical. I have all of the "F's" working against me now that I've turned 40. I've pretty much known that I am only renting this thing ever since I started working in the OR. I just match the profile.
I'm hoping that I'm one of the people who get's an answer in a few days...and that it is affirmative.
I'm excited and ready to make this happen. For the first time, I have hope, and that is a frightening, but amazing feeling.
I look forward to the journey and having you all share it with me.
UPDATE!
I had to do the 6 month supervised diet/exercise program. It went fine for 5 of 6 of those months, then we moved to California, but SCORE! I have Anthem BC of CA and they approved me immediately. No need for the sixth month.
This means, I had to find a new surgeon, but I'm settled in, and I think I'm all good.
I also had bouts of diverticulitis over the past two years. I did the Disneyland 10k on Labor Day weekend with diverticulitis. I was in the ER a few days later, and the hospital for a week soon after that. In late October, I had a laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy. (We also decided to accept the offer/make the move to California the day after. It's been a BUSY couple of months.)
The good news is, I feel much better. I also had a huge adbdominal surgery. This meant that I have already dealt with liquid diets, drains, catheters, etc. I've had plenty of GI studies. I had to deal with getting up and walking even if I didn't feel like it (all my idea. I was up walking five hours after I got to the floor.)
The bad? I was on liquids for many days, and I had gotten myself off of soda, but the hospital had just switched from Pepsi to Coke. I have been weaning myself back off of it.
