bluesky_in
Hello Everyone! My name is Angela and I am 34 y/o, married and the mother of 2 boys- Kyle (13) and Zachary (11). My husband Karl and I have been married for 6 years and we live in
I am 5’8” and weigh 273 lbs. I have struggled with weight issues the majority of my live and I’m currently at the highest weight I’ve ever been. Like everyone else, I have tried various diets and have lost weight, only to put it (and then some) back on later.
I first became familiar with the WLS through a co-worker of mine. After he had the surgery, I sat back and watched as he was “reborn”. When he went through this process, I was very excited and supportive of him, but I never thought the surgery was right for me. The following year I had another co-worker go through the same process, but I wasn’t as supportive with her. When she had the surgery, I felt as if she was “taking the easy way out” and thought she could never be in as much pain as she claimed. In my eyes, I was heavier than she was and I tried to deal with my pain because I didn’t want to go to the doctor and hear them say “you need to lose weight”. My thinking at that time was if I can handle/deal with the pain, then so should everyone else. Within 6 months of her having this surgery, my mother announced that she was trying to go through the process as well. Although I was supportive to my mom, I still had a lot of doubts and strong opinions on this surgery. Then one day something just clicked! I decided that I needed to attend 1 of the seminars and learn more about this procedure. I left there practically in tears! If I had not attended that seminar, I never would have realized what all is involved in this type of surgery….before, during and after the fact. I came to the realization that this was NOT “the easy way out”! Shortly after learning more about WLS I went into work and apologized to my co-worker that I had not supported in the past. I am thankful that she was open to my apology and has since become someone I can talk to and confide in when I have questions or concerns about surgery.
After a lot of research and soul searching, I decided the quality of my life was important to me and I didn’t want to continue to get bigger and bigger. In Feb. 2007 I started my WLS journey. In June 2007, I thought I had completed all the necessary guidelines to send my paperwork off to the insurance company (BCBS), but how wrong I was! It turns out Dr. Hoekstra’s office needed more documentation on my “doctor followed weight loss program” , but the only thing I had was my approval from my family physician. That meant I had to continue to try and diet for a couple of more months. I was so discouraged and depression set in. Why would I want to continue to diet when it hasn’t worked in the past? How could I diet when I was discouraged and depressed? Since my doctor didn’t have a medically followed diet plan, she suggested I join WW. That following week I took her advice and joined. I was planning on having Dr. Hoekstra submit my file in September, but Tuesday I received a letter from BCBS. IT WAS MY GOLDEN TICKET! 
I was approved for the RNY! WOO HOO!!!!! How could that be……I never submitted any other paperwork? Was someone playing a horrible trick on me? It’s really going to happen!!!! My surgery is scheduled for 10/15……I’m so excited! 
