t1m1a1c

I have always struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. As a kid  in grade school I remember making pacts with friends about eating healthy or exercising, but it never lasted long. The funny part is when I look back now I dont see someone who is overweight. I see someone who was not thin, but looked healthy. I always perceived myself as being overweight because others had different shapes but no matter how I tried could never be that way because my body just wasnt shaped that way. Unfortunately I never saw it that way until a few years ago.  I dont recall anyone telling me that we all have different shaped bodies and I am ok the way I am.None the less, this began my life long journey of yo-yo dieting and striving for something that was never accessable to me. I tried unhealthy diets, regular diets which lead to binging and so on. I am probably like everyone else out there who has lost and gained hundreds of pounds over the years.I tried a few year ago to get the lapband but the insurance I had didnt cover this type of surgery. Then in 2008 I got a new job with new health insurance. At that time I had met with my sleep apnea doctor. We discussed how I was at the highest setting on my c-pap machine before I would need to go to a bi-pap machine. I discussed my struggle with weight and how shameful it is. I told him how I wanted to have the surgery but the insurance wouldnt cover it. He was really great supporting me and that it shouldnt be so shameful, but it is for so many people. He also said that he thought there was a new ruling in NH that recently passed about making it mandatory for insurances to cover surgery, if it is deemed medically necessary.  I researched and found that out the rule was real. I was so excited!! I researched my options and began the process. I felt so relieved and hopeful that there was a possibility for me! That feeling was short lived when I found out the the hospital I worked for was "self insured" and they were exempt from that law.  I was pretty devastated about this and eventually moved on. In talking with my PCP she thought there had been a policy change with the exemption of the hospital covering the surgery. She wasnt postive but she would  try to find the letter and let me know.   I didn't want to get my hopes up again so I just forgot about it until over the past (2009) holiday season when my father whispered to me that he was looking into the lapband. We started talking about it  That was all it took to get me looking into it again. I thought I should just make the call to the HR person to find out once and for all.  Yes! the policy had changed and so began my journey.  I dont have a surgery date yet. I am going through the hitchcock bariatric program