ladysunbeam

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A few weeks ago I posted that I was at a crossroads and not knowing which direction to go... I was considering moving to Arkansas to live with my son in order to get RNY surgery.  I really did not want to move but I knew I needed to have this surgery to save my life.  My surgeon in Missouri requires you be 350 or below before he will do surgery and the Arkansas group did not have a maximum weight to have the surgery.  So what do you do?

After posting this on the Forum I realized that my gut feeling was right, that I had one other course of action... to try one more time to find a Bariatric doctor in Missouri that would take Medicaid and that did not have weight limit (I currently weigh 480 lbs but at one time I weighed 625 lbs).  I called all over the state and after days of searching finally found a Bariatric program with Washington University in St. Louis (#6 on the top 10 Medical School programs in US) with Dr Eagon, a 27 year veteran Bariatric surgeon and associated with Barnes Jewish Hospital.  After researching their program and attending their seminar this Wednesday night, I know I have found the doctor and program that I was meant to do my RNY surgery.  

I just wanted to follow up and let you all know what direction I decided to take at my crossroads.  I will be staying in Missouri and although I will have to travel 4 hours for this Bariatric program, but it will be well worth it. Thank you for all you comments and support as you helped me explore other options.  

Thank you!!

My first blog post was about being at crossroads and not knowing which direction to go... one road is in Missouri where I now live and the other road leads to Arkansas where my son lives.  Why am I at the crossroads now you might ask...  My current bariatric doctor in Missouri has a weight maximum of 350 lbs and I currently weigh 499 lbs which means I still need to lose 150 lbs before having surgery.  If I was to move to Arkansas I have found a bariatric doctor that has no weight maximum as long as he deems you healthy he will do surgery.  I have already lost 125 lbs on my own and it just seems impossible to lose another 150 lbs.  I am 54, type 2 diabetic, have several co-morbidities due to my being super morbidly obese and I am scare that if I don't have the surgery within the next year that it won't happen at all!  Something has to give as my health is hovering on the edge of going downhill quickly if I don't do something.  My mobility is becoming more limited which scares me to death, I don't want to become wheelchair bound or use a mobility scooter.  I want to LIVE LIFE rather than watch it pass me by, I know you all know what I am feeling as I am sure 90% of you have felt the same way at some time or another.

A friend said to me today that I keep running from state to state to address my weight issue and I am no better off than I was before I moved to Texas and Missouri.  It was hard to hear but she as right.  After attending the bariatric seminar on this past Friday, I realized that I need to work on my physical fitness as it is difficult for me to walk very far without my back killing me.  I also had a reality check that I haven't had my heart in the weight loss process this past 6 months.  I lost my focus... so the seminar rejuventated my focus on what I want and that is to have surgery somewhere in the near future!!  But I have to work on exercising/walking and focus my diet to get some more weight off.  

I would love you opinion on what you would do if you were in my shoes, lose 150 lbs and have surgery in Missouri, even though you have no idea of how long that will take; Or give yourself 6 months to work on your physical fitness and weight loss and move to Arkansas to have surgery sometime this year?  What would you do?