MJ H.
Orientation Happened Today
Jun 20, 2009
Wow.
My biggest stress today comes in the form of the $1350 dollar "out of pocket" cost that comes with "electing" to have this surgery. Sure, it's $50 here, $250 there, $750 at the time the appointment is made...not to mention $350 in food costs, but it adds up to $1350, and I can't possibly see where that money is going to come from. My mom helped me out of a financial pinch not even 3 months ago...I have vowed to pay her back the large lump of money she loaned me in one year's time. That was going to be pinching me anyway. My dad has been without a job for the past 4 months...he's barely making his bills...I couldn't even bear to ask him for a dime.
I had lunch with an extremely supportive friend today, and she offered me $200. It kills me to even accept that, but I don't really feel I have a choice. I am miserable...I need this hernia fixed, and I know I need this bariatric surgery. There is no doubt in my mind the quality of my life would be greatly improved, not to mention my health, my self-esteem...my being.
Her generosity did get me thinking. I could ask 6 people for $200 each...that way it's not one huge financial burden on a single person. If they are willing to wait their turn, I could draw up a schedule and pay people $50 each pay period for 2 months. The catch there is that I could pay someone back July and August, the next person September and October, etc. The final person on the list would have to wait a year to be paid back. And I REFUSE to allow money to be a strain on any of my relationships. I put enough strain on my relationships...I certainly don't need any help creating stress or drama.
I truly feel as though I'm grasping at straws. This needs to happen, I need it to happen as quickly as I can make it happen, and me and my botched up finances are holding me back. Story of my life, it's only me who's holding me back. So, I will pray for peace of mind, and hope for a financial windfall. We shall see what happens.
0 comments
My biggest stress today comes in the form of the $1350 dollar "out of pocket" cost that comes with "electing" to have this surgery. Sure, it's $50 here, $250 there, $750 at the time the appointment is made...not to mention $350 in food costs, but it adds up to $1350, and I can't possibly see where that money is going to come from. My mom helped me out of a financial pinch not even 3 months ago...I have vowed to pay her back the large lump of money she loaned me in one year's time. That was going to be pinching me anyway. My dad has been without a job for the past 4 months...he's barely making his bills...I couldn't even bear to ask him for a dime.
I had lunch with an extremely supportive friend today, and she offered me $200. It kills me to even accept that, but I don't really feel I have a choice. I am miserable...I need this hernia fixed, and I know I need this bariatric surgery. There is no doubt in my mind the quality of my life would be greatly improved, not to mention my health, my self-esteem...my being.
Her generosity did get me thinking. I could ask 6 people for $200 each...that way it's not one huge financial burden on a single person. If they are willing to wait their turn, I could draw up a schedule and pay people $50 each pay period for 2 months. The catch there is that I could pay someone back July and August, the next person September and October, etc. The final person on the list would have to wait a year to be paid back. And I REFUSE to allow money to be a strain on any of my relationships. I put enough strain on my relationships...I certainly don't need any help creating stress or drama.
I truly feel as though I'm grasping at straws. This needs to happen, I need it to happen as quickly as I can make it happen, and me and my botched up finances are holding me back. Story of my life, it's only me who's holding me back. So, I will pray for peace of mind, and hope for a financial windfall. We shall see what happens.
A New Chapter, A New Adventure
Jun 17, 2009
OK, if you have time to blog, raise your hand.
*crickets*
Sure, sure...we all have these incredibly busy lives. But I feel compelled to get this started for myself. I feel like this a-typical person in my own world...29 years old, single, female, morbidly obese. I look around me and see that none of my friends or family fit this bill. And, as INCREDIBLE as my friends and family are, there is no way they are going to be able to understand what I'm about to go through...what this permanent weight loss journey is really going to be like. So, though I know I will get support from those who have supported me my entire life, I would really like to make some friends who are going through this process. Who are going through exactly what I'm going through. OH Community, I hope you welcome me with open arms.
My name is MJ, and I'm no stranger to surgery. When I was 19, I had a 20cm (7.5 inch) tumor encased in my left fallopian tube, which required the removal of the entire tube. Endometrious and tumors and bowel issues lead to 3 more abdominal surgeries, including a complete hysterectomy and an appendectomy. That all happened before I was 26. Here I am, staring down the barrel of 30, and my gastroentronologist found a large embilical hernia which needs to be repaired. But the stress of my extra weight is going to make recovery from that type of surgery very difficult. Therefore, he's recommended gastric bypass.
Let me be perfectly plain, I have thought about gastric bypass for years. Years. I've taken steps to initiate this process twice before, but have not followed through. It's not fear of a new life, or the restrictions or life changes that are going to happen as a result of the surgery, but the prospect of YET ANOTHER SURGERY that have ultimately dissuaded me from taking the steps forward. Now, however, as the prospect of another surgery isn't in question, but a certainty, it only seems right to tackle gastric bypass at the same time as the hernia reconstruction.
So, that's the nuts and bolts. My initial consultation with the bariatric center is on Saturday. This process, which started on Monday, has already found me having taken a gallbladder ultrasound, blood and urine tests, as well as the sleep apnea study overnight (yeah, that was a real treat). Today is Wednesday. 3 days, and I've already accomplished all of that. I feel like this locomotor is tilting at full bore...I'm waiting to see when the "snags" hit. I mean, they are bound to happen, right?
0 comments
*crickets*
Sure, sure...we all have these incredibly busy lives. But I feel compelled to get this started for myself. I feel like this a-typical person in my own world...29 years old, single, female, morbidly obese. I look around me and see that none of my friends or family fit this bill. And, as INCREDIBLE as my friends and family are, there is no way they are going to be able to understand what I'm about to go through...what this permanent weight loss journey is really going to be like. So, though I know I will get support from those who have supported me my entire life, I would really like to make some friends who are going through this process. Who are going through exactly what I'm going through. OH Community, I hope you welcome me with open arms.
My name is MJ, and I'm no stranger to surgery. When I was 19, I had a 20cm (7.5 inch) tumor encased in my left fallopian tube, which required the removal of the entire tube. Endometrious and tumors and bowel issues lead to 3 more abdominal surgeries, including a complete hysterectomy and an appendectomy. That all happened before I was 26. Here I am, staring down the barrel of 30, and my gastroentronologist found a large embilical hernia which needs to be repaired. But the stress of my extra weight is going to make recovery from that type of surgery very difficult. Therefore, he's recommended gastric bypass.
Let me be perfectly plain, I have thought about gastric bypass for years. Years. I've taken steps to initiate this process twice before, but have not followed through. It's not fear of a new life, or the restrictions or life changes that are going to happen as a result of the surgery, but the prospect of YET ANOTHER SURGERY that have ultimately dissuaded me from taking the steps forward. Now, however, as the prospect of another surgery isn't in question, but a certainty, it only seems right to tackle gastric bypass at the same time as the hernia reconstruction.
So, that's the nuts and bolts. My initial consultation with the bariatric center is on Saturday. This process, which started on Monday, has already found me having taken a gallbladder ultrasound, blood and urine tests, as well as the sleep apnea study overnight (yeah, that was a real treat). Today is Wednesday. 3 days, and I've already accomplished all of that. I feel like this locomotor is tilting at full bore...I'm waiting to see when the "snags" hit. I mean, they are bound to happen, right?
