Started to "Gulp"

I submit my information to Insurance on 1/4/16 and I am starting to get nervous. How long will it take for me to get approved? Do I have to start my liquid diet right away? Am I going to be able to go thru with the surgery? My brain won't turn off. This is real. This is going to happen. By Feb. I could be on an operating table. 

*GULP*

Being nervous is normal.  I know it's not the answer you are looking for but every insurance is different to get the right information give them a call and ask those questions. Also, check with your surgery too as they my be familiar with your insurance company and can help you with the time frame.

Congratulations on the beginning of your journey!  Be sure and post on your surgery type forum if you know what surgery you are having.

Keep us posted  

Congrats Mel!!! I went on YouTube and watched about 2 hours worth of videos of people before and after their surgery! There was something comforting about doing that haha. I am 6 weeks post surgery now and can finally say it was worth it! It is tough and not easy but I am glad I did it!! The numbers going down is really a weird thing to see! I keep thinking about why I wanted to lose the weight....that really helps keep me focused!

Fingers crossed!! 

My insurance said they could take up to 2 weeks. 

The liquid diet will depend on the dr. I only had a 1 week liquid with a bowel cleanse at the end the night before surgery.

They called me and said they got a tentative approval from ins and went ahead and scheduled my surgery for 2 weeks out from there. 

Best of luck

Not you "could" - You're going to!  That's exciting!  Start cleaning house now! Stock your shelves with your new vitamins, protein powders - Celebrate with new water bottles for sipping!  Make yourself some bone broth.  Introduce yourself to your local support group.

The surgery is really nothing.  They're going to knock you out and give you pain meds later.  The surgery itself is not the hard part of this.  Get ready for life after this!  

Repeat after me "That looks delicious Grandma, But no thank you!"

We're all rooting for you! 

Be as nervous as you like, that's normal, but also use this time to get clear on why you are doing it.  Most likely your reasons are more than your appearance. I would suggest making a list and then you can check them off over the next months and have motivation to keep the weight off.  For what it's worth, here is the logic I had for surgery: 

   1 - My knee is messed-up and if I do not get the weight off, I will be looking at knee surgery.

   2 - I just lost 100+ pounds with a conventional diet and put 90% of it back on within 2 years, so I am not one of the lucky 3-5% who will keep the weight off.

   3 - WLS is easier to recover from than knee surgery.

   4 - WLS was (and is) the right option for me. 

   5- Things that will be better:  enjoying the outdoors, clothes, . . .

I was more than nervous - before surgery I updated my will, changed my insurance benficiaries, had everything notarized, made sure a lawyer-friend had a folder with all my important papers, (I had the advanced directives form to fill out but I did not get around to it).  That is just me - be prepared.  But, now all that stuff is done. 

But, when it was all said and done, and I was in pre-op and felt the first wave of sedative kick in, I looked at the clock and my reaction was - 7:42, my new lucky number!  I had difficult times - most of us had, but pre-op clarity will help you get through a lot of post-op crap.

May I humbly suggest you generate a list and write down your motivations for surgery.  It might help you prevent 'buyers remorse' and give you focus to get through any difficult times. And give you something to do while you are waiting for the insurance approval. 

Best of Luck, or more currently, MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!

Well enjoy the time you have left to gulp, cuz in a couple weeks you'll be stuck with sipping!  

I keep having these quick little moments of panic. For a few minutes I am driving myself crazy thinking about it but then I get distracted with every day life and forget for a while.

Getting my Will done and getting all of my paperwork for FMLA are my Top 2 priorities. Can't think of anything better to do with all this nervous energy. I feel like I am going to crawl out of my skin and those will give me something super important to focus on.