Always4TheMoments

I've always been overweight. I maintained pretty well through high school and my early twenties. It was when I moved to NC when I gained so much weight. When I lived in NY I walked everywhere. Here where I live in NC there are no sidewalks unless you live in town. I didn't have a car until 2017 and still don't have a license (work in progress. So it has been difficult. I also have a torn tendon from multiple old injuries as a teenager. Add the weight and it makes me limited in the amount of exercise I can get. 
About 11/12 years ago I started the process of WLS. I started it with a friend and we were going to do it together. I got as far as doing the seminar and never followed through. My friend ended up going all the way and she looks great now!
About 8 years ago here in NC, I started again. Found a place that seemed great. Did my online seminar, got into the office and did my 1st appt. The dr was great, loved the practice. I then started my pre-op stuff. I went against better judgment and advice of the surgeon and saw a psych outside of the practice. She was horrible, made me feel horrible about my decision to want to go forward with the WLS. So at that point, I stopped and gave up again.
In late 2015 I read that my insurance was continuing the WLS again. However, they wanted 6 consecutive months of documentation with my PCP. The surgeon's office wouldn't even see me until that documentation was sent to their office and then fwd to the insurance. So in 2016, I started that process. Everything was submitted late 2016. I didn't hear anything from the surgeon's office until Feb 2017. 
The first step was to get into the required seminar. I went to that in March I believe it was. A few weeks later I got my first appointment with the surgeon!! I was so excited. I saw him on May 16, 2017. Great staff, the surgeon was also nice. Got all my information and appointments lined up. Came back home and started to freak out! My surgeons' office and everything that had to be done was in a city 1 hour from me. Remember at this point I still don't have a license or a car. With the help of my awesome boss, she calmed me down. My co-worker and friend said she would help me out as well. 
June I started all my preop stuff. My insurance was super strict about some stuff. I had to have 4 consecutive NUT appts, and they had to be 30 days apart. I also had to finish all my preop appts within 6 months. Saw the NUT for the first time in June, and also got my blood work, x-ray and EKG on the same day. I also did my psych later in June (which was told I would be cleared the day of. July I did my 2nd NUT and pulmonary out of the way. In July I also had my sleep study....no seep apnea...yay! August I did my endo and 3rd NUT appt. The endo was super scary, I have anxiety and it just made me super anxious. I for sure don't like the drugs they give as well. LOL I also found out a week later I have a hiatal hernia and h.pylori. H.pylori was a bit difficult to treat since the best drug to treat is penicillin, and I am allergic to that.  Sept. I finished my final NUT appt.  Then I hit some issues. The surgeon office called and said they were missing my Arterial Blood Gases and EKG. The lady I spoke with wasn't very helpful, she said I had to figure it out on my own. OK then. After a few calls, the lab figured out the issue and sent it over to the office. So now I just wanted for my follow up and decision appt. 
Saw the surgeon again for the 2nd time and we went over the surgeries and why I wanted which surgery I wanted. He told me the pros and cons of each. I had decided I wanted the sleeve about 2 years prior. He thought it would be a good idea to get the sleeve since I have issues with my ankle and ibuprofen helps with relief. Ultimately it was my decision since I could have either or. I signed for the sleeve. I also saw the anesthesiologist that day to get clearance for that. Now it was a waiting game. I was advised it would take 6-8 wks to get an answer from insurance. On Nov 30th it would have marked the 8-week mark. A few days before that I didn't hear anything so I made a call, the next day they called me. The nurse said ok get a pen and paper I have a few dates for you to write down. With that, I got my surgery date, a group psych appt date, 2 wk post op and 1-month post op! OMG, I cried. I was happy, anxious, overwhelmed and scared all rolled in one! LOL 
Now here I am. I am exactly 3 wks until surgery. I still feel the same way as Nov 27 when I got my date. Its so surreal. Next week I will start my high protein/low carb diet. I can't wait to be a healthier and better me.