09.29.07

Beginnings

Posted in wls at 8:34 am by Shari

I made the decision. Or should I say THE DECISION. About 2 weeks ago, after MANY requests from my PCP, I finally decided I’m ready to pursue weight loss surgery (WLS). The time is SO right now. How do I know?

  1. I’m only 46. I can’t keep going as I am. Type 2 diabetes, depression, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, aches in my knees, ankles and feet…. The A1c has gone up this last year, not down. Granted I wasn’t rigid about taking care of it, but there’s too many years ahead that I want to live, not just survive on pills. DD wants to have children and I want to be there as grandma - able to play on the floor with them, see them grow up. Hubby would love for us to be able to get out and DO things - hiking and biking, etc - together.
  2. Dr. K’s been on me for years to consider this. I did, and always said no. About 16 months ago I decided to at least do the research.
  3. I personally know 3 people, 2 of whom I found out by accident, who’ve had the surgery. They are all very encouraging.
  4. After deciding, making the earliest seminar appointment I could (mid December) and telling Dr. K, I starting checking out another doc that Dr. K told me about. Got into his seminar THE VERY NEXT DAY.
  5. I just happened across hubby’s surgeon’s e-mail address while researching and got a very positive recommendation from him for this new doc.
  6. When I called the insurance company to understand coverage and requirements, I just happened to talk to a customer service rep who had also had surgery and was able to provide some pointers and encouragement.
  7. Hubby is supportive of the surgery, which I wasn’t sure of before. Ditto on Mom. I thought they both had reservations when I’ve mentioned it in the past, but they are both very positive about it now.
  8. I’m talking about it to the people around me - friends, co-workers, students - and they are all so supportive of me making this change. I know they’ll be there for me as I go along this path.

So, I have my first appointment with the surgeon on 10/17. My next appt w/ regular doc on 10/15, perfect timing to go over the questionnaire from the surgeon against my medical records to get some dates and details right for that before the 17th.

So…. this is the beginning of my WLS journey. It seemed a good time to begin a blog too, to journal the journey. I’ve thought about blogging my knitting and crafting experiences, so those will begin to appear here as well.