new to board

I just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. I am Patti Williams and am planning to have gastric bypass surgery sometime around the end of July. My husband, Cory will be having surgery on June 28 and our surgeon requires us to be at least a month apart. This has already been a LONG journey for me. About six years ago I started researching and praying. Four years ago I made the dicision that this is necessary to live. However, the insurance companies didn't seem to agree. So, we have been battling for four years to get approval. Well, thru many appeals and many many hoops to jump, my husband was approved a couple of weeks ago and I got my approval last Friday. So, we are now moving onto the next stage of the journey. I am looking forward to getting to know the members of the board and hope that I can be an encouragement to others as I know you all will be a support for me. Patti

HI PATTI, I AM FAIRLY NEW TO THIS BOARD ALSO. I AM SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU AND HUBBY BOTH FINALLY GOT YOUR APPROVAL. I AM 1 YEAR POST OP AND DOWN 110 LBS AND OFF ALL DIABETIC MEDS AND BLOOD PRESSURE MEDS. THE ROAD HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN EASY BUT WELL WORTH IT. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH, AND I AM ANXIOUS TO FOLLOW YOUR JOURNEY. P.S., I HAVE NOTICED THAT PEOPLE DON'T SEEM TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER AS MUCH ON THIS BOARD AS OTHER BOARDS (SAD BUT TRUE), I REALLY TOUGHT WHEN I FINALLY FOUND A CHRISTIAN SUPPORT BOARD THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE ACTION HERE THAN ANYWHERE, MAYBE THAT WILL CHANGE, I SURE PRAY IT DOES BECAUSE WE ALL NEED EACH OTHERS PRAYERS. HUGS, AND HAVE A GREAT DAY, YOU WILL BOTH BE IN MY PRAYERS. TRUDY 267/155/ GOAL IS 150

Hey Patti - I just found this board myself today. I'm excited for you and your husband and it will help to have someone so close going through what you're going through. You'll have a double support system! I pray everything goes well for both of you. Congratulations on winning a long battle for approval. Best wishes, Tina

Hi Patti and Tina Welcome, welcome, wecome! Happy you found us. Patti, I had surgery done in October 2004 and my husband is January 2005. I guess I never asked him if I was supportive during his recovery period. You made me think. I would like to hope that he didn't have any upsetting moments. It's sort of strange to see that the two of us together have lost enough weight to make another whole human being. Email anytime if you have questions. In Jesus, and by no one else! Sally

Sally, (I always smile when I see that name as it is what my youngest brother wanted to name me becuase he was in first grade when I was born and reading Dick and Jane and he thought Sally was the neatest girl in the books!) Good comments about your support of your husband. I know that my darling Cory is much better at supporting me than I am at supporting him. I am going to work VERY HARD at doing all I can to be there for him. One thing that I have committed to doing in this vein is changing my eating when he has to change his even though I am having surgery about a month after him. Our surgeon requires everyone to go on a liquid 1000 calorie "fast" for the month before surgery. Well, Cory is having surgery June 28 so this means he starts his "fast" a week from Saturday. I have committed to doing this with him and then will continue to do it as prep for my own surgery that will come about a month later toward the end of July (waiting for date). Of course, Cory didn't ask me to do that and expected that I would continue to eat normally until it is "my time" but I decided that this is a new life that we are embarking on TOGETHER and that I want to be with him 100% through his journey as I know he will be for mine. One thing that Cory and I have differed on is that he was very hesitant to tell people until the surgery date was actually here as he is still afraid that this will be ripped out from under neath us again... for example, the insurance denied me two days before I was scheduled to have surgery in July of 03' so we are pretty gun shy but this time we have letters that say APPROVED from the insurance instead of just verbal approvals. So, I wanted to tell EVERYONE that we have received this blessing. Because we are in this together he kind of had to agree to that or I couldn't share with others. So, he let me start telling people. He says now that he is so glad that he did as people are so supportive and are praying for us. All told I have only had one person be negative about it at work becuase she knows someone who has a negative experience. I know people who have had a hard time after surgery too but I know that God allowed us to come to this point where we received approval and that whatever else comes our way through the process is under His authority and will work out according to His will. End of story... no one is going to talk me out of it! OK... I am rambling so I will shut up but the bottom line is, thank you for the reminder for all of us to check our level of support that we are giving our spouses (if they have had surgery or if they are the loved one walking beside us... either way... they need our support too!) Blessings! Patti RNY to be in July 05