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I met with Dr. Spencer for the first time today.  Everything went great, and I was stressed for no reason.  I really like his nurse and I really like him.  I was a little worried that my mother was getting frustrated with Dr. Spencer because he does mumble when he talks.  I guess he's done his speach about the surgery sooooo many times that he doesn't even think about it.  After I met with Dr. Spencer, I had to schedule all of my pre-op evaluations and testing.  I am already taking next Thursday off becuase I have to get my baseline mammogram done.  I had a breast biopsy a little over a year ago, and breast reduction a year ago.  The surgeon who did my biopsy wants me to have a baseline mammogram, and Dr. Spencer thinks it is a good idea to go ahead and do it.  Anyway, I was able to schedule all of my pre-op evaluations and testing for next Thursday.  That makes my life soooo much easier because trying to get a sub at this time of year can be a little tricky.  Everything is going so fast.  I can't believe it.  The major issue I have now is when I am going to be able to schedule my surgery.  I HAVE to teach summer school this year because we are not getting a step raise or any kind of a raise this year.  Also, the county is taking $250 of the stipen I get for having my masters.  Summer school is going to be the month of July.  Dr. Spencer wants me to have 2 weeks off before I go back to work after the surgery.  There are exactly 2 weeks in between the end of the regular school year and the beginning of summer school.  However, I have to get my classroom ready to teach summer school, and we also have 2 days of inservice prior to the beginning of summer school.  I don't know if I could get out of that or do it at my own pace so that I don't push myself too much.  Summer school is only 4.5 hours a day and 4 days a week, which wouldn't be too stressful.  I can't have the surgery after summer school because our family has already planned our vacation to Florida for a week after summer school ends.  My mother already said she won't leave me and go on vacation right after I have had surgery so staying home is not an option while my family goes on vacation.  I could possibly do it after our vacation, but the county requires teachers to go back to work 2 weeks before the students do, which would be the week following our vacation.  I have the time that I could take those two weeks prior to school starting, but I don't want to risk not being ready for the beginning of the school year.  The first few weeks of school are really stressful and a lot of work especially with first graders.  I don't know what to do.  If there was a way that I could not teach summer school and find some sort of tutoring job or part-time position for the summer or even right now, things would be much easier to schedule.  I had this same problem last summer in trying to schedule my breast reduction.  I ended up not being able to teach summer school.  I would have been perfectly fine by the time summer school started, but the lady in charge said that I couldn't be depnded upon to be ready for the first day.  WHATEVER!  Me not dependable?!  That is absolutely ridiculous.  Anyway, my psych. evaluation is actually at the same office that I see my current shrink at.  I hope that doesn't cause an issue with my insurance or anything because I will be seeing 2 different doctors at the same office.  It shouldn't.  Okay.  Enough rambling for now.  I need to try and turn my brain off and go to sleep.  Another day, another dollar.  

I don't know if I have mentioned before, but my PCP is a good friend of mine.  It is great to have someone in the medical field that I can go to and get a straight answer from.  However, the bad thing is that sometimes she can tell me too much.  I hadn't talked to her in a while, and she stopped after church today to ask if I had made any decisions about my surgery.  I told her that I think I had, but I will really make my final decision on Tuesday when I meet with my surgeon.  She has been a big supporter of the lap-band procedure because it is less invasive.  My surgeon believes that in order to truly shed the excess weight and maintain the loss bypass is the way to go.  Anyway, she asked me what hospital I would be having my surgery in and I told her.  She hugged me and said that she loves me too much to let me go to that hospital.  Granted, the last time I went to this particular hospital I did not have a very good experience.  But I really trust the surgical team and believe that they will make the experience a good one.  However, knowing that my PCP doesn't favor the kind of surgery I am going to hopefully have and the hospital that I am going to have it in doesn't really put my heart in a good place.  She said that if I changed my mind that she would write a referral for me to another surgeons office in the area that she has referred people to before.  Don't know what to think?!

So Thursday I attended my first support group meeting, which is part of the required process by my surgeon before getting a surgery date scheduled.  I was somewhat disappointed in the program.  Basically the whole meeting was a guest speaker on colon cancer.  I asked my mother to go with me.  She was very reluctant to go, but came anyway.  She had a very hard time hearing the speaker and seemed to be very irritated with the whole situation.  Last night at dinner she said the reason she forced herself to go with me to the support group was because the only two people that she has known to have gastric bypass have failed at it.  She is so worried that I am going to fail, and she won't be able to fix me.  I am not her project to fix though.  I need to be a big girl and handle this on my own.  I go to see the surgeon on Tuesday for the first time.  My main concern is to ask him is how the surgery will affect my ADD/depression medication and birth control.  I have managed to find the correct combination of medication to help me maintain a great emotional balance.  It took several years to do this, and sometimes require adjustment.  I want to know for sure that once the post-op hormone imbalance has balanced itself out I will be able to continue to find success with my emotional stability.  Anyway, I am super excited for Tuesday! 

 Soooooooo I was kind of depressed about the whole having to wait thing to find out about insurance stuff and if I'd have to spend 6 months going on a diet before insurance would approve and all that. Well, I get a call this morning in the middle of my language arts block from the insurance people at the surgery center. My insurance will cover everything and no 6 month diet. I meet their requirements because my BMI is so high. I guess that's one good thing for being short?! Anyway, today has been such a good day. I can't wait for my appointment on 05/18 to get the ball moving even further. :)

I went to the Weight Loss Surgery seminar today with my mother.  It was really great to hear a lot of the things that I had already researched validated today.  I am definitely going to go forward with trying to get the gastric bypass surgery.  I have an appointment for an initial consultation with my surgeon on 05/18.  I also completed the on-line medical questionnaire from heck.  Who knew that I would need to know the first time I was diagnosed with sinus issues and when I first when on birth control?  I keep pretty good records, but not that great.  Anyway, my mother and I talked about the seminar afterwards and she said that she had no issues with me having the surgery itself.  What she worries about is that I don't like following directions that other people give me.  I honestly believe that with the surgery I have no other choice, but to follow the plan or get sick.  She is supportive, but knows that if I fail there is nothing that she can do to help me.  Perhaps it is time that we both learn she can't fix all of my mistakes or make me not make any mistakes.