[jaxson052311]

Hi All I am attending a WLS seminar tomorrow and but I am very nervous that my insurance will not approve my surgery. I am currently 5 foot 5 and 240lbs, I have high cholesterol, high blood pressure (my dr didnt put me on meds for this she said it wasnt alarmingly high), and possibly sleep apnea (my dr thinks I have it so I am going for a sleep study on 10/24). I worry that because my dr didnt put me on meds for my blood pressure the insurance will deny me. Does anyone have any experience with this? Also looks like I will be sitting through the 3 hour seminar tomorrow by myself everyone I asked to come with me was "busy"

[jiffypop]

breathe. really. breathe. it'll help. a lot depends on how old you are. at 5'5" and 240 pounds, your BMI is 39.9, which is 0.1 % below the BMI of 40 for which a person qualifies for surgery even without comorbid conditions like hypertension and sleep apnea.

go to the seminar. listen to what they have to say. make a couple of friends to sit with and chat with them so you won't feel so alone. ask questions. and keep an open mind. The surgeon will probablly suggest that people go to the post-op support group just to hear what people are saying. plan on doing that.

you're in the 'data collection' phase right now - getting all the information you possibly can to help you make the right decision FOR YOU.

So, keep us posted. and breathe.

[jaxson052311]

Jiffypop thank you so much for the advice! The seminar got rescheduled to next week and thankfully hubby can go with me that day. I guess I am just so nervous because the though of this actually happening and the possibility of finally getting to a healthy weight where I might finally be comfortable in my own body is almost too good to be true. Its excitement and worry all in one!

[jiffypop]

there's A LOT to think about with any of these surgeries [well, with ANY surgery at all]. and it's NOT a decision that you should rush into.

A suggestion: none of us got to the point where we qualified for surgery because we had a healthy, sane relationship with food. ANYTHING you can do before the surgery to get into healthier habits, and a healthier mindset [MOST important!] will help you afterwards. And let's be honest, will help you in general.

For example, with the surgery, we suddenly lose our main way to cope with emotions [sadness, anger, loneliness, frustration, whatever!], and it's really hard to deal with. And it can affect our relationships with our loved ones and friends. Let's face it, if we can't eat our emotions, we have to figure out how to deal with them.

and that's REALLY HARD. After 10+ years, i'm still working on it. Oh it's getting better. but i HATE sitting in some of these emotions without eating. I just keep telling myself that it'll pass and to just hang in there.

[piano lady]

Thanks jiffypop! I am hoping for WLS pending weightloss and having a terrible fight with encouraging good New habits with food. I know things need to change but am so busy enjoying bad habits and thinking "I may as well as I won't be able to eat like this for much longer!" that I forget about trying to make all this a success! I get so cross with myself but things are changing. Small steps.

[jiffypop]

hi there piano lady [i'm assuming you play? i used to - and i miss it!]. Do you mind if i give you some food for thought? well, here goes... surgery is NOT a punishment. turning to surgery doesn't mean that you, or I, or anyone else is a failure. it's about doing what's best FOR US so that we can live.

i promise you - you WILL be able to eat pretty much anything and everything AFTER A YEAR OR SO. and the other promise is that you won't want 'as much' of everything as you do now.

treat yourself gently and with kindness as you change your relationship with food, and start using it as it's intended: as fuel for your body. It's not a fix for emotional turmoil, or a substitute for love, or something to do when you're bored. Doesn't mean it can't taste good or be special or be shared with special people, just that breaking the emotional connection IS HARD.

i wish i could wave a wand and this would be magically fixed - but i can't.

[The Beekeeper]

Jiffy, I just found this thread and your insights are SO on target in dealing with our relationship with food.

Recently, I've realized my confusion in assuming I'm hungry when I'm actually BORED. Big eye-opener there!! Thx for your wisdom in this thread!!