New to all of this.

Hey guys and gals! I am a 28 year old mother of 3 girls. I am 5'9 and 306lbs,  I have struggled with my weight my entire life but even more so since I have had kids. I have tried everything from dieting to major life style changes to seeing dieticians and hiring personal trainers. Nothing worked, I always lost 20 lbs but then a month or less later gaining it back, I'm always hungry, like I mean I'll eat a full meal and not even 5 mins later feel like I haven't eaten at all. I'm scared for my life, I'm a young mother with 3 girls to take care of and I can't even take care of my self right now. So finally I have decided to speak to my Dr about my options on help. I know this is my last hope in being healthy for myself and my girls. Please if you have any stories or recommendations to give please do so I would love to hear from people in my same position. Also after seeing your doctor how long till things got going for you leading up to surgery?  

Six days. ;o)

But I self paid.

I went to Mexico.  I did a TON of research and after I decided on surgery type and surgeon I called, scheduled, and had surgery six days later.

With ins it can be anywhere from a month to 1 year plus.  It depends mostly on your ins and 2nd on your surgeon.

Like vets said- it can take some time and you have to be dedicated to the process now and forever more. I started in May and had to wait 6 months for my insurance before we could submit it- I had my surgery in Dec 2015. Some take over a year.

Do some searches on this board and you will learn a lot.

Years from now, you'll look back on this moment. And you will see that this was THE turning point in your life. YOUR life means so much to those around you, that you will do this. YOU will do this.

It will go by quickly if you spend some time doing some research along the way. The things you will learn about yourself will enrich your life like you would not believe currently. Once you start seeking help for yourself, people will line up to help you through this. You have a whole new family here now and forever. 

Talk to your PCP and ask about WLS, if that's what you decide to do. Research all of them thoroughly, get your mindset ready to start a new journey. Diets will be no more. Eating to plan is the new norm. The weight will come off, as will the chains. 

I waited until I was 48 to do this. It was still one of the best things I've ever done. You have 20 years on me. Keep your head up. It will fly by, like life itself I guess. Good luck. 

Thank you so much for your kind words, this is such a scary and big step for me to finally ask for help. I am so grateful I have found this site.

My insurance didn't have a 6 month waiting period, but only required that I show obesity for at least 5 years leading up to the surgery.  But even so, it still took me about 7.5 months from first appointment until my surgery date.  I am 9 months post-op and have lost a lot of weight.  I have a 2 year old son, and I'm 43 years old and the weight loss has opened a whole new world to me.

Do your research, find a surgeon and follow the plan and I can promise you that your life will be changed for the better.  I honestly can't even describe how great it feels to be able to run at the park and slide down the slide with my little guy like I did this weekend.

Also just ran my 2nd 5k on Mother's Day!  I'm still losing weight and I have a bit more to go before I hit goal, but even now it's life changing.

Congrats on deciding to change your life.  Surgery is a great tool to help us stay the course and has literally saved my life.

My insurance didn't have any restrictions on a time limit. I just had to meet their criteria. If you are using insurance, call them and get the scoop. You can do that even before you see the doc. At least you'll have an idea of your timeline.

I started with my doctor in early February. My surgery date is May 16th!

Good luck with your decision! Keep us posted :)

OK thank for the info, I will be calling my insurance today then , I have blue cross from my ex fiancé but I am a single mother on income assistance and am wondering if anythingone from them would cover this. I am so new to asking for help that I don't even know where to start