APRROVED!

Just got off the phone with my surgeon's office and they received my approval letter today! They had said it could take up to 2 weeks, it was actually 3 days. Now I have to wait for the schedulers to call and get all my pre-op testing done. The person I spoke with today said that would be at least two weeks away. UGH more waiting. She did say I would probably be scheduled for surgery around mid May. I'm good with that.

Next step completed

I had my psych evaluate yesterday. Let me start by saying I'm not a patient person. My appointment was at 6pm yesterday, but I didn't get in until 6:45. UGH!!!!!! The person before me came in from out of town and was late, so I got to wait as well. I wasn't going to leave though, who knows how long it would take to get another appointment, so I waited and waited. It was worth it in the end, he said I am a great candidate for the surgery! Yippee! Now the waiting for insurance approval begings. Did I mention I'm not a patient person? Will try to keep my mind off of if,not sure how well that will work. Things are moving forward, so that's a great thing!

Things are moving along

So I've been waiting for a letter from my doctor's office with a list of items I am required to have done prior to them submitting to my insurance for approval.  I got it yesterday and the only think on it was the psych eval.  I've already got that scheduled for this friday, so hopefully they will be submitting to my insurance next week.  They have said it usually takes about 2 weeks to hear back from the insurance company.  That put's me into April before I can start scheduling all the pre-op testing/nutrician classes.

I am just so ready for this.  I have gone back and forth about how to treat this period of time before banding...do I binge on all the foods I won't be able to eat after, or do I start following the rules and try to lose as much weight as possible? 

I've decided that I won't go crazy, but I won't deny myself anything.  If I want cake I'll have cake, if I want those Girl Scout cookies I'll have them. 

However, I have started preparing myself for after.  I am trying to follow the no drinking while eating. That's tough for me, I never realized how much I drank during a meal before.  I've also upped my walking.  I've been trying to reach the 10,000 steps a day.  This is somehting I've been working on for about 5 months.  My baseline number of steps was only around 3,000.  I have increased that up to about 6-7,000.  Now my goal in the next month is to consistantly be at 8-10,000.

First Post!

I turned 40 recently and I finally realized I need to take control of my health, so  I am starting on a new journey. My biggest (pun intended) problem is my weight.  I was a chubby child, a heavy teen and as an adult I have gained and lost more weight than I care to think about. 

So where does that leave me now?  Somewhere I didn't think I would every get to, but I now realize is the best choice for me.  I am working through the process of getting gastric banding, more commonly called Lap Band surgery. It was not an easy decision for me...why can't I do this on my own, why choose something so drastic?

Well, the fact I need to lose over 100 pounds, actually closer to 200 pounds.  Think about that for a second...I need to lose more than a person, not an easy task.  So I need help, as much help as I can get. Getting the band will be a tool that will (I hope) help me, but I understand I need to make changes to allow it to work for me.

So I begin this journey. Trying to learn as much as possible to make this journey a success.  It's not just about losing weight, it's about making myself healthy.  It's not a quick fix, this is a lifetime journey I am emarking on.