Dawn414

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Today, I am officially one month out and 31 pounds down (more if you count the pre-surgery weight loss)..  HURRAY!  When I began the journey in October, my BMI was 44 and I was morbidly obese.  Now, it's 37.6 and I'm just 'obese'.   Obviously, I still have a long way to go, but it's nice to see that this tool is working so well.  It's a great motivator to see the scale drop.

I'm just about one week out  from my Lap RNY and doing pretty well.  I get to start full liquids in a day or so and the scale is already going down.  Of course, I'm living on sugar free jello, broth and popsicles so how can you not lose?  I get the doctor 'official' on Thursday, but it's exciting to see it moving in the right direction already.   I'm an official 'loser' and I couldn't be happier.   As a sidebar, two of my support group buddies (Ruth & Bridget) also recently joined the loser's bench...they had lapband.  I'm very happy for them as well and look forward to all of us (including the others I've gotten to know online) becoming the persons we want to be.

I try to have profound or 'witty' titles for my blog, but I just can't think of anything right now.  Anywho, I am officially one week out.  HURRAY!  It's hard to believe that I am just 7 days from beginning a new life.  Although I know my process was shorter than many (and longer than some), it still seems like it has been forever since I started this.  Thankfully, I have been SO busy at work that I barely have time to breathe nevermind spend time THINKING about all the emotions I could be having.  I am very much ready for this, but other than that anticipation, I don't have a whole lot of emotions.  I imagine as my work week winds down and I start handing things off to my back-up, that'll change.  I've had surgeries before, but nothing of this magnitude.  I am wondering when the reality of it will really hit me.  Until then I am calm and just patiently waiting.   I look forward to joining the many of you on the losers bench...including some of my new friends from Group.  Save me a spot!

I think Tom Petty has a song out there called, "Waiting is the hardest part".  Man...ain't it the truth!  Three weeks from today is when I have my surgery.  It seems like SO long ago since I first met with my PCP and started this journey even though in reality it's been not quite 4 months.  In that time, I"ve lost about 12 pounds and 1.8 off my BMI.  I've already begun getting things for post-surgery life and have already partially packed my hospital bag.  Thank goodness work is crazy busy.  Otherwise, these next 3 weeks would be torture!

Loser's Bench here I come!!!   Got my surgery date today...Feb 13, 2007!!!  Yipee!

Once again, I'm amazed at the gloriousness that is our Insurance company.  Normally, I have very few issues with them.  I don't have to deal w/ deductibles and stuff like that.  I pay my co-pay ($10) and I'm done.  BUT...this past month of approvals and whatnot has been just wracking on the brain.  Thank GOD I am as resilient as I am...otherwise, I might have had a nervous breakdown.   I got a letter on Saturday stating the insurance company didn't have what they needed,...couldn't approve me...etc.  I didn't panic other than a heavy sigh.  I KNEW I was approved...I had the approval number for pete's sake!  Of course on Saturday, you cannot call them so first this this morning, I called customer service...yup, I'm approved.  Called my surgeon's office...yup, they verified, I am approved.  Called the # on the letter...still approved.  So, it seems that it is a function of signals crossed, letter going out prematurely, etc.  But in the meantime for a brief period, I was back in the boat of wondering if this was going to happen now (versus later).  I still don't know if I'll believe it until they're wheeling me into the OR.  I suppose then it'll REALLY be a reality.  (ha ha).

If I live to be 100, I will NEVER understand insurance companies.  After both they and the doctor's office told me that I was required to do a 6-month supervised diet, I sucked it up (not like I had a choice) and got my mind around the fact that I wouldn't have surgery until the May timeframe.  Well...I got a call today and they obtained additional information from my PCP's office (dying to know what) and I have an approval.  WHOO HOO!  Of course, I don't think it's actually sunk in yet.  It'll probably hit home after I meet with the surgeon (on the 17th of Jan) to get my surgery date (which I'm hoping for mid-February).  So...seems the Grinch's isn't such a bad guy...Happy New Year!

OK, truth be told, I got a lot of nice things for Christmas...even managed to talk my husband into an elliptical machine   But the one thing I truly wanted didn't come.   Because of my perserverence with the insurance company, I actually knew ahead of time, but alas, it didn't make me feel a whole lot better.  Turns out all the main thing the insurance company wants is the 6-month diet.  I have 3 months.  So...I will try again after I get the next 3 months and ultimately (assuming that is really the only other hoop I need to jump through), my surgery would be in the May 2007 timeframe.  Seems like a million years away, but I've been heavy this long so I imagine another few months won't matter a whole lot.  And on the positive side I won't have to count protein and ounces of water on my cruise and Disney World trip.  I truly believe things happen the way they're meant to so I am hoping that after the additional 3 months, it'll be my time.  Until then...

Dear Santa...All I want for Christmas is insurance approval so that I can get my surgery date in January.  My paperwork was faxed in on 12/11 so anything you can do to help me get that approval BEFORE Christmas would be appreciated.  I've been a VERY good girl this year....THANKS.  Dawn McG

I was so excited about being able to see the finish line only to be held up by the stress test.  Ok, so I'm one of those that tries to get over things pretty quickly when I don't have control over them, but it just seems that the timeline that I have worked so hard at maintaining is falling apart.  I talked to the surgeon's office yesterday.  They informed me that it's usually 1-2 weeks before we get an answer.  (I will be on them like WHITE ON RICE here).  Then another week-two weeks to get back into the surgeon's office (which by my calculations is EXACTLY when I'll be on a business trip) and then another 3ish weeks to set up a surgery date (which won't be set up until I see the surgeon again and THAT appt won't be set up until I'm approved by insurance).    Sigh.  I'm trying really hard NOT to obsess about this because it's just stressing me out.  I'm normally REALLY good at handling stress, but right now, I'm not doing so hot.  That coupled with my Mom 'hearing' every bad story possible and telling me how concerned she is about me...just really down right now.  I could really stand to get a break in this process and some good news--(like some of those folks that say they're approved in a day...yeah, that would certainly lift my spirits).  Guess we'll see.