Countdown

In a little less than twenty-four hours I will be going into my lap band surgery.  I will be a “bandie”.  Today I’m stuck with broth, jello, yogurt, water, and popsicles.  So basically a two year old’s diet sans cookies and mac n’cheese. 

I’ve got a bit of a constant headache but I’m not sure if that is from the construction in our office or the lack of real food.  However I know that my days here are numbered and that makes it worth the hassle.  Is it bad that I’m looking at the next two weeks as more of a vacation from work and not as recovery?  Oh well.  It will be a nice bit of both I think. 

I’ll let you all know how tomorrow goes.  Wish me luck!

What Anxiety?

9 days left and counting

As I’ve said before in other posts I’m a worrier.  Since my divorce I’m much better but it’s still there.  Nothing that will stop me from functioning during the day but it’s there when I try to sleep.  Usually my anxieties are manifested in my dreams.  I’ve got some pretty vivid dreams to start with but the anxiety variety are especially strange. 

My latest is about my surgery.  Not about the surgery not going well or that I’ll be scarred or anything like that.  More about being awake during the surgery and no one noticing.  Yeah, I know it’s a risk but a super tiny one.  So logically I know I should be fine.  Does that stop the crazy dreams? Nope.  Do I still feel panicked?  You bet.  Oh well.  It’s all part of the process.

Losing My Mind

It’s official.  I’m losing my mind.  It seems that with all of the prep going into having this upcoming surgery I’ve become really lost.  I can be sitting there struggling with what I’ve forgotten to do for the day.  The sad part is that I rarely come up with what I’ve forgotten.

Enter the to do list.  As I’ve said before I’m not a list making schedule following kind of person.  However for the next two weeks I fear I have no choice. 

I’ve got all of my appointments written down as well as all of my pre-surgery dinner dates with friends.  I realized that I totally forgot that my grandmother will be in town next week so I had to add time for visiting with her so I wouldn’t forget again.  Ugh.  Overwhelmed doesn’t even begin to cover what I’m experiencing. 

So, please if I’m snapping at you or I’ve forgotten something important forgive me.  Pretty please?  I promise I will be back to my only-sort-of scatter-brained self after surgery.

Dancing at the Mail Box

It’s official.  I have insurance approval for the surgery!  For those that are unaware the nightmare of an insurance company it is very much like trying to make a phone call on a phone that has no battery.  You do a lot of talking but no one hears you.  So for this to not only have worked in my favor but in such a short time is about as mind blowing as the government actually functioning well. 

I was told that the paperwork would be submitted on 9/3/09 (the Thursday before Labor day) and I received my approval letter dated 9/8/09 (the day after Labor day).  I’m still stunned. 

So now my little to do list looks like this…

1. Attend bariatric seminar/ info session
2. Fill out 9 pages of history and mail to surgeon’s office
3. Arrange five years of medical records to be mailed to surgeon’s office
4. Meet with surgeon
5. Meet with psychologist
6. Meet with Dietitian — appointment 9/23
7. Follow up meeting with psychologist — appointment 9/23
8. Surgeon’s office sends in approval paperwork to insurance — APPROVED
9. Second meeting with surgeon – appointment 9/22 
10. Have labs drawn — appointment 9/17
11. Take a bariatric class on what to expect at hospital and shortly after surgery — appointment 9/17
12. SURGERY — 9/30

This still doesn’t seem real yet.  I liken it to planning a wedding.  You work hard to pull it all off only to sit back after it’s finished to say “wow, I’m actually married.”

Almost Official

The surgeon’s office called me today with and official surgery date.  Not the November date we were thinking… not even October… Nope!  I’m going to be banded September 30.  That’s a measly 26 days! 

If you remember from my post the other day there are just a few things I have to get done before progressing. 

1. Attend bariatric seminar/ info session
2. Fill out 9 pages of history and mail to surgeon’s office
3. Arrange five years of medical records to be mailed to surgeon’s office
4. Meet with surgeon
5. Meet with psychologist
6. Meet with Dietitian — appointment 9/23
7. Follow up meeting with psychologist — appointment 9/23
8. Surgeon’s office sends in approval paperwork to insurance — TODAY
9. Second meeting with surgeon – appointment 9/22 
10. Have labs drawn — appointment 9/17
11. Take a bariatric class on what to expect at hospital and shortly after surgery — appointment 9/17
12. SURGERY — 9/30

As you can see the surgeon’s office staff are super at what they do.  I didn’t have to make any of these appointments.  I do, however, have to worry about getting the leave worked out at my office.  I’m hopeful that will be just as easy as the rest of this process.  I just keep thinking that I will never again be this heavy.  It’s a great thought!

 

“Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”  Winston Churchill