April is almost here!!!

I first told my husband then my mom about wanting surgery. I started the process in Sept 2005, after finishing my test ect. got insurance approval in one week, was suppose to have surgery in Nov. Things did not go as planned because of problem with surgeon. I changed surgeons within one week and had to do some additional requirements with him which prolonged my wait, since I had already been approved that was not an issue. I ended up having my surgery April 5, 2006. When I woke up. I thought, this was not too bad( meaning the pain). I was not scared about eating or drinking, but was very cautious The best thing for me was my escape from chronic pain, a leaky bladder and being able to shop on foot and not need to ride electric store cart. This next year, well it's a toss up replace my right knee or TT. It had been a great year of changes. Sher

1. Who did you first tell that you were considering WLS? my mom and dad sat me down and said, 'we are concerned about your weight and health issues, you either need to loose weight or have surgery' as i had a dr's appt the next am, i said mom will you come with me to talk to the dr about getting a referral for surgery.....that was march 28 2005 2. How long did it take to get approval? saw pcp on above mentioned date, saw surgeon lecture in april 05, had consult in may 05, got original surgery date of sept 05, insurance denied me due to needing 6 month supervised diet, re submitted late feb, too 3 weeks for approval....had surgery a month later april 17 2006....total time 54/55 weeks 3. What was the first thing you thought when you woke up? OUCH, i can feel where my tummy is cut in half..... 4. Were you scared to eat/drink after surgery? nope, i was so thirsty, but was only allowed to sip sip si 5. What is the coolest, most bestest thing about having lived thru this past year? wow so many things.....i think the biggest thing is being able to shop in regular sizes (still the top end of them but getting better as the days go by) 6. What does the next year bring? who knows but hopping for the best.....next year (2008) planing for reconstruction Ruth Ann

1. Who did you first tell that you were considering WLS? Don't remember probably my girlfriend. 2. How long did it take to get approval? April 2005 to January 2006. Most of that was because according to the insurance didn't cover it and the center wouldn't submit the paperwork. Finally the insurance covered it beginning in January 2006. Paperwork submitted on January 5 and approved January 10th. 3. What was the first thing you thought when you woke up? That the epidural wasn't working and that they didn't do the surgery. 4. Were you scared to eat/drink after surgery? For about 6 weeks. 5. What is the coolest, most bestest thing about having lived thru this past year? Getting the compliments and discovering a new me. 6. What does the next year bring? Continued improvement of diabetes, sleep apnea and my self confidence. Wish me luck as I run for a Division Governor for my Toastmasters district. Also, starting a support group for sleep apnea. Jeanne

1. I discussed it first with DH. 2. From the time everything was submitted less than 4 weeks. 3. I think I'm gonna hurl, then thank God I didn't die on the table. 4. No 5. How awesome our sex life is, and when people don't recognize me. 6. The loss of my last 50lbs, and I want to run again. Jenn