woma
Well...I am heading for VSG. I sure didn't think I would ever have WLS. But here I am.
My weight has crept up since I was 18. Sometimes I could lose large amounts and keep it off for awhile, but it always came back. Now at 52 years old I find myself at least 100 lbs overweight with several weight related diseases.
Several months ago my sister (an RN) made a comment that I really should have WLS. I took it very negatively and was hurt. Then in January I went to a new pulmonologist. I was complaining about my CPAP and how much I hated it. He said I should have WLS! I was in shock. Not me! I would never do that to myself. Several days later I went to my gynecologist. He agreed with the other doc. I questioned him alot and all he had to say was good things about WLS. Next was a trip to my PCP. She also thought I should have WLS. Now, I have been overweight for a long time. Never in that time has anyone ever mentioned WLS. Now four medical people strongly suggested it to me. (I really think it is a God Thing!) I talked to my husband and we did alot of research. I found out that WLS was an exclusion on my insurance policy. OK...I could be self pay. It was my future after all. I would probably save the money spent on surgery just by getting my illnesses under control. And it was less than a car. Surely I was worth more than a car!
All I knew about at this point was the RNY and the lap band. I looked up WLS on Aetna's web site (they covered it for other people) to see what doctors were recommended in my area. The first name on the list was Dr. Garth Davis. So I checked him out and realized that he was the Big Medicine doctor. I had seen him on TV. That made me feel a little better. I called the office and they set me up for my orientation session. I went in thinking I wanted lap band. Dr. Garth talked about all the surgeries but said if you were self pay he strongly advised checking out VSG. I did. And I was sold! It sounded like just what I needed. I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Garth for 2/21. Now I have a surgery date of 4/4/08.
