Sometimes I like to think that I’m a simple kind of girl. It may not always be true but at times, it might be. I spend my days developing websites and answering clients questions for my own company, Kiss My Code and being Mom to my amazing 5 yr old daughter, Zadey Jade.
My wife, Joanne and I have been together over 8 years. And though we have our ups and downs, life and love just keeps getting better. I cannot imagine living my life without Joanne next to me. She has made believe in “forever” and “happily ever after.”
On June 8, 2010 I finally decided to change my life and take control by having Lap-Band surgery. I have never felt so accomplished, in control, and proud of myself. And though this journey has many ups and downs like life, this has by far been one of my best ideas yet!
Beyond work and home life, I’m the very proud Aunt of 9. I’m lucky to be able to spend a lot of time with my sister Morgan’s girls, Cali and Malia. And my brother Cameron’s daughter, Sydney. While I wish I saw the others more often, sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way.
Lastly, I’m the youngest of 6… we’re totally the Brady bunch. I love all my brothers and sisters in very different ways for very different reasons. Each one is incredibly unique and that sometimes makes my family life very interesting!
My Journey to Weight Loss Surgery
I have spent many years debating on weight loss surgery. My first conversation about surgery with my doctor was in early 2004 when I was living in Bakersfield, California. However, shortly after getting the ball rolling I decided to move my life to Las Vegas, Nevada and that ended any thought of surgery.
Years and more than 100 lbs later, weight loss surgery came back to me though I never really gave up hope. I finally took action after seeing a commercial for my surgeon and attended the weight loss seminar with my surgeon on June 15, 2009. My insurance, United Healthcare required that I complete a 6 month “diet” to meet their requirements for bariatric surgery. During this “diet” I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. I declined the opportunity to complete a sleep study though I’m quite sure I would have been diagnosed with sleep apnea if I had completed the study.
My road to surgery was almost crushed in November 2009 when on November 3rd I had a terrible headache. The room was spinning, it hurt to see, it hurt to move. It was quite literally the worst headache of my life. Upon the advisement of the nurse contracted with my insurance, I called 911. What followed was a never ending series of bad to worse and I remained in and out of the hospital the entire month of November. Luckily through the hard work of my primary care physician (PCP) and the physicians assistant seeing me for my 6 month diet, I was able to continue the process. Later I was told by my surgeon that many obese women experience headaches and migraines for no reason and typically after surgery they disappear.
I completed my 6 month “diet” at the end of January 2010. Upon completion I was required to complete a mindful eating class, a psych evaluation, blood work, chest x-ray, more blood work, and obtain clearance from my PCP. When all of that was completed I submitted a letter along with my medical records to my insurance for their final approval.
It is important to note that at this point, I was unable to complete one requirement from my insurance. I needed to provide medical documents of my weight for the last 5 years. See me and doctors, we’re not really friends. And as long as I felt “fine” I saw no need to visit a doctor. Prior to starting my 6 month diet, the last time I saw a doctor was in 2004 in California, as mentioned above. The letter that I submitted with my medical records pleaded my case to the person reviewing my records asking them to consider my comorbidities as the primary reason to approve surgery. I also submitted 5 years of dated pictures as my proof of weight for the last 5 years.
Without question, I was approved with no appeal process. My insurance is 80/20 so my total cost for Lap-Band surgery was $3,040.33 USD. Included with this fee I will not have to pay a co-payment for fills (adjustments) for the next year.
My pre-op appointment was on Wednesday, June 2, 2010. Lap-Band surgery was Tuesday, June 8, 2010. I was the first surgery of the day with my surgeon, Dr. Darren Soong. You can check out the blog of my surgeon Dr. Soong, Dr. Atkinson, and Dr. Tice by visiting The Doctor’s Blog.
Making the choice to have Lap-Band surgery was the best choice of my life. And though I am sure I will have many ups and downs as I learn the roads of my new life, choosing health and life over food and fat is always going to be a better road.