Insurance Fiasco

So I decided to get Gastric bypass surgery. Call the clinic, give them my insurance information, BAM surgery is scheduled, only in another world!! So I had to do lots of stuff to get my insurance to approve my surgery. We were on cobra since Reid was laid off. I had to undergo a psych evaluation, I passed with flying colors (I am sure some were surprised), had to have documentation of all the medications and diet programs I had attempted in the past 5 years, recommendations from the surgeon, list of my comorbidties (my BMI was under 40, which requires at least 2 pre-existing conditions), sleep test results (I have sleep apnea), and a written recommendation from my Doctor. My Doctor actually wrote the letter without any hesitation, I got it from my endo. She actually personally called me and told me that she usually will not write these types of letter for most patients, but out of all of her petients she said I try harder then anyone else. I have done it all and she feels that I can succeed with the WLS (weight loss surgery). So everything was submitted and then we played the waiting game. I am not a very patient person so I was calling my insurance company alot!!!! I am sure they were beyond sick of me :0). After about 4 weeks I got the approval letter in the mail. i had to wait until Barix got all the information straighten out so I could schedule my surgery. While waiting Reid interviewed and accpeted a new job. While this was awesome news, I selfishly thought about my surgery and wondered if it could still happened? Woud we be on cobra or have a new insurance by the time my surgery could get scheduled? At Barix they were scheduling 2 months out for surgery. Anyway Reid got his "packet" from his new job. I called Barix and told them his new insurance. They told me it did not cover WLS. Of course this put my wheels in motion, I talked to the office manager at my surgeons office and got her on board my ship. She worked with scheduling at Barix to get me in while Cobra was still active, before our new insurance took affect. She is great, a savior to me!!!!!

Countdown!!!

I have decided to start a blog to watch the transformation of myself into a new, better, smaller me!!!!

So I am less then a week away from Bariatric surgery. Tomorrow is the day Barix calls to give me the time I have to be there for surgery. I am so very excited about everything. I told Reid that I need to take lots of pictures this weekend and plenty of measurements.

Hear is a brief look into my life and my story......

I am 32 years old and happily married to the best guy ever, Reid. We have 3 wonderful children: Addison 6, Kendall 4, and Kooper 3. The kids keep us super busy, of course parenting has it's ups and down, but I am so thankful and happy with my family. Now being happy with myself is another story!!! I have struggled with my weight ALL of life. It has gotten worse with age and I am close to the biggest I have ever been. I have tried everything possible and to no avail here I am still HUGE and unhappy. I have a disorder called PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). Many people are familiar with it, but many are not so here is some info on it:

What causes polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?
The cause of PCOS is unknown. Most researchers think that more than one factor could play a role in developing PCOS. Genes are thought to be one factor. Women with PCOS tend to have a mother or sister with PCOS. Researchers also think insulin could be linked to PCOS. Insulin is a hormone that controls the change of sugar, starches, and other food into energy for the body to use or store. For many women with PCOS, their bodies have problems using insulin so that too much insulin is in the body. Excess insulin appears to increase production of androgen. This hormone is made in fat cells, the ovaries, and the adrenal gland. Levels of androgen that are higher than normal can lead to acne, excessive hair growth, weight gain, and problems with ovulation.

What is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?
Polycystic (pah-lee-SIS-tik) ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a health problem that can affect a woman's menstrual cycle, ability to have children, hormones, heart, blood vessels, and appearance (obesity). With PCOS, women typically have:
high levels of androgens (AN-druh-junz). These are sometimes called male hormones, although females also make them.
missed or irregular periods
many small cysts (sists) in their ovaries. Cysts are fluid-filled sacs

So there you have it. My Dr. claims that the majority of my symptoms will go away and I will no longer have insulin resistence, so no weight issues (YEAH).