hedgie
So Here I Am ...
Since the late 90's I'd watched my friends and co-workers jump on the bariatric bandwagon. Back then the surgery was difficult to get approved through insurance, was often done "open," and there were plenty of complaints about the side effects but losing weight through surgery was still all the rage. I even had friends who gained weight just so they could have the surgery. To me, surgery was a last resort so I avoided it thinking that if I didn't lose the weight through surgery, then losing weight was hopeless. I didn't want to be at the end of that rope.
Now, 15 years later, I wonder how different my life might have been had I been at a healthy weight this last decade. Life has just been moving along, with my focus on my job and my family.
One day in June '14 I literally woke up and decided it was time to think about ME, and I called the number for the Bariatric Resource Center provided by my employer. By the end of the day I had been assigned an RN consultant, selected a few surgeons, and scheduled appointments for consultations with a few of the Bariatric Center of Excellence facilities provided by my consultant. The ball has been rolling non-stop since!