Beginning a New Journey!
Alright. Time for some serious updating on my life. And a big step I am about to take and embark on. This past Monday, May 11. I went for a physical with my Doctor. And I had her make a referral for me to see a Bariatric Surgeon. A what? A Surgeon that specializes in weight loss surgery. That's right. I am going to be beginning the process of having Gastric Bypass Surgery.
For those of you who don't know, I have struggled with my weight for most of my life. I have seen Endocrinologists, Dietitians, Nutritionists, done different weight lost programs such as Weight Watchers, I did one called MPower, and another one called Weigh Down Workshop. I have tried many things. Some of them would be successful in the beginning and I would start off losing weight, and then at some point I would fall off the bandwagon and gain it back. And I have had my doctors recommend Gastric Bypass to me before, several times. But I didn't want to have surgery and would just ignore the suggestion.
Well, over the last couple of years, I have been wrestling with the idea, and have been doing research, talking to people who have had the surgery, and seeing some videos on youtube of people who have the had surgery. It was actually early on last fall that I finally made the decision I wanted to have it done. But then when my mom was going to have her gall bladder removed, I decided I would wait until after she was healed from that surgery and back on her feet to really talk to her about it. But then she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, and I immediately decided I couldn't bring it up and that it was not even an option. But, then my mom and my Aunt came and talked to me sometime in March. And they told me they wanted to help me in life, so my mom would not have to worry about me, and to help me feel more confident so I can become more independent. And that is when they told me it would be ok to look into the surgery. So, I finally had my confirmation. And the very next day, I got on the phone to set up a physical with my family doctor.
So now, the referral has been made, and I am now just waiting on the insurance company to approve the referral, so the Bariatric Surgeon's office can call me and we can set up an appointment. Which, the first appointment will involve a seminar that the doctors will all be at to go over all the options, the risks, benefits, things like that, and also the insurance company will be there to talk to as well about costs and paying for it and how that will all work. And then things will go from there. My family doctor told me, that my specific insurance company quite often likes to put the patient on like a 6 month diet regimen just to see if they have much success or not. But, because of my extensive medical history, that could potentially be waived. That will all be up to the insurance company. But what ever the choice is, I will do what I have to do in order to have the surgery and be successful. So, how fast this whole process goes, will depend a lot on what the insurance company wants me to do in order to approve of the surgery. So the actual surgery could be up to 6 months down the road, or it could be sooner. We will just have to see.
Now, my reasons why I want this done? Well, there are a lot. Obviously, health reasons, I am extremely over weight, my weight at the doctor was 401 pounds, and I am 21 year old 5 foot 7 female. There are so many risks involved with me being this big. Heck, being what I am now, I could be dead within 5-10 years. I do have a slightly high blood pressure, too. But on top of that. I just want to feel good and be able to do more and have more energy. I want to be able to ride theme park rides that I am too big to go on now. I want to be able climb stairs without being super winded. I want to have the energy to run around and play with my nieces and nephews. I want to not have to worry about weight limits, and not worry about breaking things when I sit or stand on them. I want a guy to look at me, and think I am beautiful and attractive. I want to go in for a job interview and not be looked at like I am not capable of doing the job. I want to be able to get pregnant and have kids without being considered a high risk pregnancy, and be able to have a smooth pregnancy. I want to be able to wear smaller size clothes that are more in style. I want to be able to cross my legs when I sit in a chair, and have more of a lap for kids to sit on. I want to be able to not worry about whether or not I will fit in theater chairs. I want to feel more comfortable in a bathing suit when I am at the beach. I want to be pretty and attractive. Over all, I want a 100 times better quality of life, and I want to know that I will live a long time. I want the life I know I can have and deserve to have.
I know some of you may think "you are being selfish doing this while your mom is dealing with cancer!" But, I am doing this also for my mom. So that way she knows I will live a long time and be ok and not die of being over weight. You also might think "you are taking the easy way out!" Well, that is not true, either. This is going to be a very long, very difficult journey for me. But I am ready for it. I serve a big God, and with Him on my side, and the love, support, and prayers of my friends and family, I know I will be able to get through this. I am determined to lead a better, healthier life, and that is what I am going to do!
If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask! Thank-you to all who read this, and for any support you are willing to give! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I embark on this wild journey!
For those of you who don't know, I have struggled with my weight for most of my life. I have seen Endocrinologists, Dietitians, Nutritionists, done different weight lost programs such as Weight Watchers, I did one called MPower, and another one called Weigh Down Workshop. I have tried many things. Some of them would be successful in the beginning and I would start off losing weight, and then at some point I would fall off the bandwagon and gain it back. And I have had my doctors recommend Gastric Bypass to me before, several times. But I didn't want to have surgery and would just ignore the suggestion.
Well, over the last couple of years, I have been wrestling with the idea, and have been doing research, talking to people who have had the surgery, and seeing some videos on youtube of people who have the had surgery. It was actually early on last fall that I finally made the decision I wanted to have it done. But then when my mom was going to have her gall bladder removed, I decided I would wait until after she was healed from that surgery and back on her feet to really talk to her about it. But then she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, and I immediately decided I couldn't bring it up and that it was not even an option. But, then my mom and my Aunt came and talked to me sometime in March. And they told me they wanted to help me in life, so my mom would not have to worry about me, and to help me feel more confident so I can become more independent. And that is when they told me it would be ok to look into the surgery. So, I finally had my confirmation. And the very next day, I got on the phone to set up a physical with my family doctor.
So now, the referral has been made, and I am now just waiting on the insurance company to approve the referral, so the Bariatric Surgeon's office can call me and we can set up an appointment. Which, the first appointment will involve a seminar that the doctors will all be at to go over all the options, the risks, benefits, things like that, and also the insurance company will be there to talk to as well about costs and paying for it and how that will all work. And then things will go from there. My family doctor told me, that my specific insurance company quite often likes to put the patient on like a 6 month diet regimen just to see if they have much success or not. But, because of my extensive medical history, that could potentially be waived. That will all be up to the insurance company. But what ever the choice is, I will do what I have to do in order to have the surgery and be successful. So, how fast this whole process goes, will depend a lot on what the insurance company wants me to do in order to approve of the surgery. So the actual surgery could be up to 6 months down the road, or it could be sooner. We will just have to see.
Now, my reasons why I want this done? Well, there are a lot. Obviously, health reasons, I am extremely over weight, my weight at the doctor was 401 pounds, and I am 21 year old 5 foot 7 female. There are so many risks involved with me being this big. Heck, being what I am now, I could be dead within 5-10 years. I do have a slightly high blood pressure, too. But on top of that. I just want to feel good and be able to do more and have more energy. I want to be able to ride theme park rides that I am too big to go on now. I want to be able climb stairs without being super winded. I want to have the energy to run around and play with my nieces and nephews. I want to not have to worry about weight limits, and not worry about breaking things when I sit or stand on them. I want a guy to look at me, and think I am beautiful and attractive. I want to go in for a job interview and not be looked at like I am not capable of doing the job. I want to be able to get pregnant and have kids without being considered a high risk pregnancy, and be able to have a smooth pregnancy. I want to be able to wear smaller size clothes that are more in style. I want to be able to cross my legs when I sit in a chair, and have more of a lap for kids to sit on. I want to be able to not worry about whether or not I will fit in theater chairs. I want to feel more comfortable in a bathing suit when I am at the beach. I want to be pretty and attractive. Over all, I want a 100 times better quality of life, and I want to know that I will live a long time. I want the life I know I can have and deserve to have.
I know some of you may think "you are being selfish doing this while your mom is dealing with cancer!" But, I am doing this also for my mom. So that way she knows I will live a long time and be ok and not die of being over weight. You also might think "you are taking the easy way out!" Well, that is not true, either. This is going to be a very long, very difficult journey for me. But I am ready for it. I serve a big God, and with Him on my side, and the love, support, and prayers of my friends and family, I know I will be able to get through this. I am determined to lead a better, healthier life, and that is what I am going to do!
If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask! Thank-you to all who read this, and for any support you are willing to give! Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I embark on this wild journey!
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