wendy78

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Today I am 6 months post op. I feel great. Saturday I officially hit 40 lbs lost. What a great feeling it is! I have started wearing clothes I haven't been able to in years! I can do my Leslie Sansone 3 mile walk with no problem. Working my way to the 4 mile walk now! hitting 40 lbs gone gives me so much motivation to get to 50 lbs lost. I am determined to make it there but the middle of May. I know I can do this!

OK so I am 164 days post op. I have dropped 36 lbs. I am really feeling great! Some days I get frustrated but I know that I am losing weight at a healthy rate and can keep up with it. I go to Curves and do videos at home. I am down almost 2 clothes sizes. I am wearing clothes I haven't worn in years. As I getting too small for clothes I am getting them out of my house.
I love getting compliments from people about my appearance. I love seeing a difference in all parts of my body.
Some days are still very hard. I miss being able to eat a sandwich, hoagies and cheesesteaks especially. I choose my food wisely and most days I don't eat a regular dinner. I have stared having a protein bar. I am not hungry and don't want to make myself eat. Lunch is usually my main meal of the day.
I have the lap Band and it can hold 9cc of saline. I am at 4.5cc right now. I feel I am in the 'Green Zone'. My last fill was 12/29. I am happy to know I was able to find the green zone so quickly.
I am hoping to reach to 40lb mark this month!!

I had my Lap Band surgery 2 weeks ago. My recovery was not bad at all. I am feeling great. I am down 14 pounds from the day i started my pre op liquid diet, 4 days before surgery. I am so thankful for this oppurtunity to better my life for myself and my family. I feel as though as I have been given a second chance to live. I have a great family and great friends whom support me with my decision to have the surgery. I am already noticing a difference in my clothes. I cleaned out all my summer clothes and boxed them away to bring out next year and see that they are too big for me. I have sizes 26 - 20 in my closet right now. i can't wait to wear my size 20 jeans that still have the tags on them from 3 years ago! So many changes are going to come my way.

Well Monday I had my Pre Admission testing. Met with a nurse and the anesthesiologist. Done in a half hour. On my ride hope I was thinking I was ready, I did all I had to do now I was just waiting for the approval. It was dirving me nuts not knowing if a week from them if I would or would not be having the surgery. When I got home i got my mail and saw another EOB from the insurance, but the envelope was a little different. I tore it opened and scanned the paper looked for 'Approved'. I saw it. it said Medically Approved. It was such a relief. Now I had to get ready. 2 days left to eat normally. Thursday I start my 4 day liquid diet. Go everything I need for that. Contacted my HR and got the paperwork for leave of absence. Called in my claim for short term disablitliy.
Now I have to make it through the rest of this week.

Ok so yesterday around 1:30 i got a call from Tracy from the WMC. The insurance called and wants some additionaly weight history not while I was pregnant. Ok so I panic. In 2007 I didn't go to my family doctor at all. I went to my midwife every month. So I call my doctor again to see if there is anything we can do. They don't open till 3:30, when I get off work. Ok so go there after work and plead with the receptionist/nurse, who knows me since I have been going there for just about my whole like, so check my file. Well we worked out some dates in 2008 since I had my daughter in January 2008 but nothing from 2007 since I was pregnant most of the year. So i scramble to find a fax to fax it to her. Leave 2 messages and hope I hear fom her in the morning. Oh and she said the ladt from my insurance said they needed it TODAY, very nasty. So i try to set my mind at ease and be positive.
This morning I was so antsy to get a call. Not till 12:45 did I hear from Tracy. She faxed the papers in and sounded very positive about it all, which has lifted my spirits greatly. So now I am even more anxious for my phone to ring. Getting my shopping list ready. One week from tomorrow and I will be starting my liquid PRE OP diet.

Ok so I have been through the  6 months supervised diet to find out that my insurance may require more time with the dietician. Well the patient advocate said let's just move forward and we will take it from there. So.. I had my Pre-Op appt with the surgeon on 9/4. Got my surgery date 10/5 and now just waiting to hear from the insurance. I did get my pre admission testing packet and appt for 9/28.
Everyone is asking if I am nervous or scared for the surgery. My honest answer 'No'. I feel very good about this decision and know I can finally suceed with this. I am getting the LAP Band. seeing my mom loose 60 pounds in the past year by doing Weight Watchers has made me very happy for her but feel bad for myself that I just can't do it that way. I have done so much research and been to all the seminars that I feel very comfortable with this. My husband is scared only because it is surgery, but out patient and I will not be out of work very long.
I am so thankful to have a great support system and home with family and friends as well as at work with co workers and managers. It is a great feeling to have that support.

Ok so. I have my appointment with Dr. Ku on December 16 to get things started. Then I have to meet with the dietician to start my 6 month supervised diet. It seems like a long time but time goes by so fast anyway. I have lost 14 lbs with Weight Wathchers so far. So this is giving me a good start. Maybe I will loose weight this way and not have the surgery, but I am not going to not see if I will be approved for it. It woudl be a great tool and motivation to have it.

Back to work.

So the seminar was a great start. The Patient Advocate will contact me with in a week to start my scheduling of required appointments after verifying my insurance and what I need to do. I have run into the first bump in the road though. Found out through my insurance that there is a $2000.00 co pay for surgery. That is a big bummer. But it seems that if I am approved once I fulfill the requirements and submit all the info to the ins. it will be tax refund time (as long as we still get that with the economy the way it is). My husband agrees that it will be an investment in myself and our family. I do feel as though weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that I see the steps that have to be taken and the help I will have at the hospital. i must say I slept better than I have in weeks last night. I hope I get good news what I hear from Tracy. I will post again then.

On Thursday October 9 I am taking the first step to what I am hoping is my weightloss journey.
I am attending a weight loss seminar at Reading Hospital. I am hoping to leave with enough info to make a an appointment with one of the doctors there to start the process if not make an appt while I am there if that is possible.