I cant believe it....IM APPROVED!!!!!!

So, Ive been playing this "waiting" game for about a month now. I know thats not that long, but it feels like forever!!!! So i got impatient and decided I would call my insurance company today and ask them what the status was....and they said I was APPROVED!!!!!! I am so excited!!!!! And nervous, and scared, and excited all at the same time! So I emailed Lynn and Chris today and now I am waiting for Debi to call me with my date for pre-op and surgery...Lynn says they will give me the soonest available appointment!!! OMG...im soooo excited!!! :D

Yeah for you!  I am waiting to hear from Debi too, but I know she was on vacation until today or through today something like that.  I'm sure I'll hear soon and hey, maybe we'll be there together having our surgery.  Keep posting on your progress!

That's awesome!!! I wish I would've had more time to talk to you on Tuesday, sorry! Hopefully I'll see you next month.  I just got back from the support group meeting at Mercy in Cedar Rapids, it is a totally different group! It's really neat, you should try to get to that one too, I don't know how far that is for you though. 

I know huh, I wanted to stay and talk to you more...you look great by the way, especially for being 3 weeks out of surgery!! But that guy, I cant think of his name, told me he lives in Kalona, and so I told him that I work for the school there, and it turns out I work with his wife!!! OMG, I didnt even know that her husband had this surgery let alone that I would ironically be meeting him that night!!! Its great to have common ground with people though!! So ya, were talking while walking down to the 2nd floor and then went seperate ways, and i was like, i shoulda stayed up there and chatted with Michelle!! So, I made the call to my insurance, and im excited, but as soon as i hung up the phone I was soooo nervous to call the hospital and talk to them...it makes it so REAL!! But everyone at that group seemed very happy with everything, and looked great which is really re-assuring to me. I got waaaay more out of talking to you guys afterwards than the actual info in the meeting. Seems like there really wasnt anything said that I didnt already read in a book or online. Although, im sure you get more out of that type of topic after having the surgery since you have people to talk to that are going thru the same things. Maybe by the next meeting i will be post op too!! How often is the one in CR? I might have to try that one, you will have to give me more info on it when/if you have it. Thanks for the support, its great to have a "community" of great people online to relate too!!

PS..I added you to my myspace friends list.

CONGRATS!  I'm so excited for you.  I had all the emotions swirling through me too.  I actually started shaking when I first read the letter.  LOL  Good luck and keep me posted.

Thanks for all of your support everyone!! I truely appreciate it!! I ordered 3 more books to read and got them in the mail today! Im already half way through one of them!!

Michele- the two books the one lady passed around at the support group meeting the other night...the blue one "Before * After" I already had and read, but I ordered the other one "The real skinny on weight loss surgery" it looks interesting.

Then I also got a book by Dr. Garth Davis, he is the Dr who does the show on TLC "Big Medicine" (well its re-runs now) but anyhow, I LOVE that show, and when i saw that he had a book out I had to get it!! Its pretty good in the fact that it goes over the pro's and con's of all the different types of WLS out there, and he gives his opinion on what he believes works the best. Lets just say, im glad Ive decided on RNY and not LapBand...but that is for my situation, im not knocking LapBand for anyone who does it! Then there is another one called "Weight Loss Surgery" and the author claims to have the top rated book for people who are considering or have had the surgery?! SO i thought i would check it out!

Alrighty well enough rambling for me, Thanks again for all the support!

Another book I've really liked is Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery..by Patt Levine & Michele Bontempo-Saray, it has a ton of great recipes in it, and tells you how to make them for the different stages!

I have the book "Weight Loss Surgery: Finding the Thin Person Hiding Inside You" and it is realy good.  The author is to the point and factual based on her experience.  I know that she isn't the only one with "an experience" and have talked with others who have gone through the RNY surgery, but she gives a walk-through of the whole process and it's really informative.  I'd like to get that book Michelle referenced for after..........I need more recipes but of course, I'll probably by like I was before..........eating the same things over and over again.  

Thanks for the information and lets keep on hanging in there.  We'll hear from Debi very soon!

Carolia--That is the book I got...i forgot to add the "finding the thin person hiding inside you" part to the title...it looked good online, and I cant wait to dig into it!

Michele--Ive seen that book online and i think at Barnes and Nobles...it looks good too...that may just be my next purchase as far as books go!

I got my actual approval in the mail today!! Its officially official!! LOL! I cant wait! I got some gift cards/certificates for christmas that I have decided to wait to use until I drop a size or two or three!! It will be sooo fun to go shopping for new clothes!!

Michele, are you using any kind of protien shakes/supplements? I ordered some from bariatriceating.com its just a sample package and it has tons of samples of all kinds of protein...but i wasnt really sure what Amy has said about this or if the hospital recommends them after surgery. What are your thoughts on this?

~Jennifer

Jennifer, my husband got me a gift card from Kohl's for my "after surgery" wardrobe.  I think I'll be shopping at the American Cancer Society Resale Shop until my size stabilzes though!  Isn't it funny how we are thinking about our new size already?   

I'd be interested in hearing about the protein shakes too.  Also, will they tell me where to get my vitamin supplements because right now I just get my vitamins, etc at Walgreens.

I am still patiently waiting..................okay, maybe not so patiently waiting.  I'm waiting to hear about my date.

Keep posting............I need you guys!