DeafNatural
Where do I began...
Mar 11, 2014
I have been on the website numerous times (though I can never seem to remember my login) in hopes of qualifying for weightloss surgery or being able to finance it through anyone. Of course it was always a challenge because the insurance company that would cover it had requirements that just weren't possible because of my geographic location (they meetings with a nutritionist covered under their plan 3 times a week which was only valid in one county and I lived in a county over 100 miles away) or they wouldn't cover it at all. Receiving financing was a nightmare when you are a college student with minimal income and credit.
I had asked my employer if they would cover it but was denied and jist had no energy to fight it. So in December 2013, I got word that they were starting a pilot program for weight management. All employees were eligible but only a few would be chosen: 265 for Weight Watchers and 20 for weightloss surgery. The only thing you had to do was go to your doctor, have them fill out a physical and return it by February 28, 2014. OK great! I gladly traveled to Daytona from Lakeland to get a physical from my primary care physician because getting the doctors in Lakeland to see me was a nightmare. Fast forward to May 10, 2014 and I just happened to stop by my PO Box to check my mail. In it is a nice shiny letter with a reference number and that those who were eligible would be picked on May 10 at 5pm. I had other plans that day but I just had to be at this meeting. It wasn't required to go to the selection meeting but not knowing was going to kill me and if I was chosen I didn't want to have to wait to find out in the mail.
I stopped for some dinner and off to Bartow I went. I arrived 30 mins early and those 30 mins seemed to pass by quickly. Sitting in a room full of other people anxious to find out if they would be selected, attempting to make jokes here and there to lighten the mood and cut the tension but for me it just wasn't working. My anxiety was only worsened when in walks a woman carrying a hopper (one of those things you spin in a drawing) and sure enough that's how names were going to be selected; by spinning and picking. It was announced that out of the applicants 99 people were actually eligible so the odds are 1 in 5 or a 20% chance of being selected (YAY!). We waited a little bit more until finally they started the drawing. Unbeknownst to me they are selecting by the reference numbers not the names and I left my letter in the car. I whip out my phone and start excitedly taking down the numbers so I can check later. Towards the end of the top 20 I hear a woman scream out. She came with her husband and daughter for support and she tears up because her number has just been called. The room ignites in applause and the drawing continues. The board then announces they will continue selecting until they have chosen all the numbers just in case some of the top 20 change their mind or what have you so I stay and continue to take down the numbers (of course halfway through I get the genius idea of only taking down the numbers of those applications on and around the date I submitted my application since the first part of the numbers were the application received date).
When it's all said and done, some people in the room are a tad upset that they weren't chosen. In fact one woman kept interjecting when she would hear a number called that was a Feb 28th date, the Dec 31st date (because applications weren't emailed until January but it was explained they had been available online since December) and the March 4th date (which was after the cut off date but the app did say mailed apps had to be postmarked by the 28th). She even almost got hostile. In some rights I can understand her frustration. I figured the applicants would be triaged or chosen out of those who perhaps had a more urgent necessity (higher BMI, more co-morbidities, etc). I would have never guest it would be luck of the draw and here was a woman sitting in a wheelchair, morbidly-obese with breathing problems, difficulty walking (I watched her get out of her car as I was coming in) and possibly other ailments. And I say that not to judge her but a surgery of this nature could easily change her life around if not save her life so I completely understand her frustration with not being selected anywhere even close to the top 20 (her number ended up being called in the 60s). But I digress...
A few questions are asked about what's next in the process for the one woman who was chosen and I stay around to get a little information just in case my number is on that list but I leave after about 10 minutes of questions because the anticipation is killing me. I rush to my car as quickly as possible to check my number and what do I see Feb282014003-- the first number chosen was my number. I take about 5 minutes to cry, laugh, smile, get over the shock. Can't wait to get home so I can video chat with my mom and tell her. The only thing I can think it all the denial letters, hurdles, everything has culminated to this point. FINALLY is what I want to scream but at the same time I am pinching myself to make sure I won't wake up later to a cruel joke or that I didn't take the number down wrong. In fact I reached out to the RN over the program today to verify that this was the number chosen and that I didn't mistakenly type something wrong.
I don't know where to go from here. Those selected have 3 options to choose from: Roux en Y, Mini Gastric Bypass or the Lap band. I had previously wanted to have the Duodenal Switch done but unfortunately that is not an option. I have done tons of research and I know that the Lap band is not going to be what's most effective for me. I know what people say about the Roux en Y about it being invasive, dangerous, etc but I've never really done a lot of research and the same goes for the MGB. I am scared about what's going to happen as far as any type of surgery but I am excited for the results I know are to come with dedication. I have a ton of decisions to make once I get over the shock that this is finally happening for me but I know this is definitely the place to start. There has always been really great and supportive people on this site who have been through the approval process, the pre-op, the post-op and the millions of other struggles.
