LeahBea
So... you want to know about my journey, which is a story that may be more than what you bargained for! But I'll try to keep it short.
Back in 2005-2006 when I was living in Seattle and going to art school I had a prof that had lap-band and had told me she thought I'd be a great canidate. I was incredibly hurt and promptly told her off for trying to butt into parts of my life she knew nothing about. And then I thought about it for a while and decided that the reason she had mentioned it to me is because she was happy. Happy with what she had done and accomplished and she wanted that for me. So I apologized and explained why it had bothered me so much.
And then I started researching it. Let me explain that I'm the type of person that if I'm going to do ANYTHING I have to research it first. Well, lets say I got slightly obsessive about researching WLS. I wanted to know everything I possibly could before even talking to a doctor. So I researched for nearly 3 years! And then I finally felt ok with what I knew to consult a doctor.
By then I had moved back to Indiana from Seattle (that's a completely different story, but interesting nonetheless... maybe another time) and I consulted the bariatric surgeon nearest me, who happened to have a stellar record. We decided on a RNY and so I started the process of approval for surgery.
Now, let me say that I was probably more surprised than anyone when after doing my 6 month medical weightloss, without much else, insurance said to do it. No fight, no arguements... they just told me to go ahead and do it and they'd cover it. Don't know if you're working with insurance or not, but HOLY SHIT I was excited. That NEVER happens. So we scheduled my surgery for that September so that I would have time to get some other things out of the way before surgery and recovery (what? I don't really remember now). Well, that July my surgeon died. Yeah.... you read that right. Died.
So that kind left me like, "Well, piss. What do I do now?" A couple weeks after he passed his staff sent me my charts and told me that I could go to one of two other programs near by. So I chose the one that had a better rated surgeon and started the process over again. Everything. 6 month medical weightloss again, stupid support classes, NUT appointments... the works. Working with the new surgeon we discussed the possibility of me doing a sleeve instead of RNY which surprisingly without much pushing I decided I was cool with.
And then insurance came back and said that since I was technically out of network they would only go halfsies with me. With the surgeon I was working with a VSG was $50,000. I don't have $25,000 to just be like, ok yeah, lets do that. So, then I was pushed into considering Lap-Band which is absoluetly not what I wanted. So I said dueces to another doctor and decided to look into going to Mexico.
Through OH I met several people who had had surgery in Mexico and had asked all sorts of questions and such. Then I did some more research and decided it was what I wanted to do. I just had to save the money for it. So I did.... which took a while but when I finally got it together I scheduled surgery and did it.
I had my VSG done in Mexico with Dr. Alvarez on the 31st of May. 
So that's my story.... LOL. Sorry if it was too much to read.
But they don't call it a journey for nothin' huh?
Now, the rest of my life begins...
