Two info sessions scheduled!

I've signed up for info sessions with two groups! On Sept 10 I'll be going to check out Dr. Keating's session at Mercy in Cedar Rapids, and on Sept 13 I'll go to the meeting at Genesis in Davenport. I'm glad they're back to back...it will give me a good comparison to work from. I still need to tell my husband that I'm going! Oops! He was supportive the first time I brought it up down in Texas, but then started to feel like I was making a hasty decision. I'm not sure how he'll react now because we just moved and I know he wants to just be able to kick back and feel "settled". Also, his father, who just moved to a retirement community near us, is battling cancer and his oncologist is guessing he has 3-6 months. Obviously this complicates things a bit, because I don't want to be recovering from surgery at a time when he needs us, or worse yet, is dying. But then again, I could put this off indefinitely and he could still be here a year from now, which would be great, except I'll still be fat! I think my plan will be to plow ahead, but make it clear to Hubby that if his dad should appear to be in dire straights during what would be my recovery period, I will postpone things. Both groups seem to be running 10-12 weeks until surgery, which would put us in December. I'm not sure that's a great time anyway, so we might be looking at January or so. Now I'm nervous! The ball is rolling!

Alright, Chris, you got that ball rolling for sure. I don't know anyone that has gone through two programs. What a good idea - to thoroughly check out and compare programs. Of course, I am biased! Please be sure to tell us what you think about both programs. God bless, Andrea

Hi Andrea! I'll definitely let you guys know what I think of both programs! Several of you have mentioned what a great aftercare program they have in Davenport, so I felt like they were definitely worth checking out, and I'm still a little intrigued about the possibility of them being able to do lap in a few months. (Although Jesi does have me thinking....!) Dr. Keating up in Cedar Rapids, from what I'm told, is much less structured in terms of aftercare. However, there's something kind of interesting about that as well, to be honest. It seems that if you take a dozen surgeons, they will all have vastly different programs. It sounds silly, but that boggles my mind! I would always be wondering if MY guy was right! In a way, being "left on my own" a bit more would encourage me to do even more research on my own and develop a plan that works for me. I'm rambling, and it's kind of hard to explain, but I guess I just wanted two really opposite programs to compare. I've really heard great things about Dr. Glass**** in Cedar Falls too, but I'd really rather avoid the 90 minute commute. I have a lot of respect for the U of I program too, and it's not so much the wait that bothers me....I would just feel a little "overstructured" I think. Anyway, I'll keep you all posted! Chris C.

Chris, First of all I'm sorry to hear about your father-in-law's ill health - I hope God will guide him to a peaceful place without pain if that is HIS plan. Good luck on your weight loss journey. Weigh (pun intended...lol) all the pros and cons of both clinics and go with the one you feel the most comfortable with. Take Care and God Bless! Carol

Thanks Carol!!!! How are you feeling, by the way?

Best of luck to you Chris. So sorry about Father-in-law. Lost my mom to cancer & they had said 3 to 5 yrs & she was gone a year later. The docs just can't really give a true time, they can guess. We had a friend of the family told 6 months max time & he lived 10 yrs!!! This is in the hand's of the man above. Go forth with your plans, I don't mean to sound callous, but life goes on & you can't put your's on hold. Keep us posted. Carolyn

Thanks Carolyn...you're right...I just feel like I need to get the ball rolling. If he gets really bad, I can always postpone things a couple weeks or months, but at least I won't be starting from scratch. Besides, I guess I'm a little gun shy after getting my insurance changed on me once....I want to get approved as soon as possible so at least that part is out of the way. Chris C.

Hi Chris, Just thought of something....check with your insurance company on this one, but once you are approved you generally have a year window to have your surgery. Just a thought for you. Hugs Carolyn