Got insurance approval today!!!

I got a phone call today from the program coordinator saying they got insurance approval. I've already met all my insurance requirements, but I've only just begun the program requirements. As I've written before the program requirements are quite extensive. In the research I've done I've not found any other program that comes near to the preparation as the one my surgeon has. They check for insurance approval or at least coverage before they schedule the initial consult. When I went to the seminar last week they gave us a packet of paper work to fill out, which had to be returned before they start checking into your insurance. The packet included a multi-page medical history questionnaire which asks some very detailed questions. It even went into mental/emotional/sexual abuse history and asked if the weight gain occurred after those events.

My consult is on the 30th at 1pm!!  I'm excited to get the ball rolling. I just realized I forgot to update everyone on my stress echocardiogram results. The cardiologist said my heart is very strong and very healthy. My dad died at the age of 49 from a heart attack but my cardiologist said I am not at an increased risk for heart disease because my dad's heart attack was brought on by heavy smoking, drinking and the stress from his gambling addiction.

I fell like I'm at an ideal time in my life to get this process going. I don't have any major health issues due to my weight, I have insurance that will cover everything 100%, my job is flexible and getting time off is never an issue and probably most important I've worked through most of the emotional issues caused from my abuse history. I have a great relationship with my therapist who will be there to support me through this process. Just because I've worked through the issues doesn't mean they won't rear their ugly heads again. I'd be surprised if they didn't. I won't have the ability to stuff down the emotions by mindlessly eating a bunch of junk. I know my therapist will increase the frequency of my visits (I'm every 4 weeks now) just to make sure we stay on top of things. If something pops up between visits and can't work through it on my own she'll make room in her schedule to see me.

I've been doing some Pinterest searching and have a board started for recipes and tips. I am planning to go mostly organic post-surgery. Since the volume of food I'll be eating is so much less I'll be able to afford the increased cost. Plus, I'm the only human who lives here.

This is starting to really happen!!

Congratulations! I'm so excited for you! ^_^ You're going to rock!

You are now on the path to an exciting journey to your health!  Woo hoo!

Congratulations on getting your insurance approval.  Sounds like your process is similar to ours.

Yay rah!  Congrats on approval!!!  

I love your justification for going organic, it makes total sense.  

I can justify anything   but going organic doesn't really need justification, it just makes good sense. My monthly food spending will most likely still be less than it is now. Fast food has it's grip on me, it's too easy to go get a meal and not have to deal with the preparation and clean up. I know it will be hard and I'll go through some nasty withdrawals. I've got to remind myself, I've already been through hell, several times, so with the tools surgery gives me I can conquer this beast too. Once I go through withdrawals and start to feel better, I know I can never eat fast food again. It's a major trigger!!  I find I'm not really enjoying eating anymore, I do it because I feel compelled. I think I've watched all the episodes of Intervention multiple times and I've heard so many of the addicts say they don't like doing the drugs anymore, they do them because they need to.  It isn't until recently that I've looked at food, for me, as an addiction. There is a huge addiction history on my dad's side of the family. Most of them took the form of smoking, drinking and gambling. I've always given myself a big pat on the back because I've never touched those things, but I now realize cheap crappy food is my addiction and it deserves the same intensity of treatment as other addicts get.