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 Just thought I'd update my blog.

My insurance reqs were minimal. Just one nutritional evaluation and one psychological evaluation which were taken care of.

I got my approval in less than 5 business days (I have Aetna BC).

My surgery date is December 19. 

I'm nervous, scared but excited. I've never been a sick person or someone who needed to see a doctor a lot. I've never had any medical procedures performed in a hospital.  

The surgery will take place at Good Sam in San Jose. I live in Las Vegas. So I have to travel there. I will be going alone which is something else that's sort of increases my anxiety.

 Well I can't do Cirangle. He charges a 5k aftercare fee, that insurance doesnt cover. I wont have 5k and travel expenses saved up in time for the surgery.

So I contacted his former partner, Dr. Gregg Jossart. He has the same experience and technique.

I spoke to him on the phone for an initial consultation and he was amazing! Instantly, I knew he was the one. Come hell or high water I'm going to have my VSG done with Jossart.

I still have to schedule my psych and nutritional evaluations. I hope I can get in this week. 

I really want to have my surgery before the end of the year.

 I'm so excited. I've been procrastinating on this. I've had good insurance to cover this since July but have put off contacting doctors until now. I don't know why. Scared I guess.

I've known for a while that there are only two surgeons that I would want to do my VSG Dr. Cirangle or Dr. Aceves.  This is when I thought my only option was self-pay. Well luckily I have health insurance that now covers Dr. Cirangle! I contacted his patient coordinator, and I've already got a phone consultation with the doctor set for next week! The coordinator said that they schedule patients as quickly as possible and I could possibly have my surgery as early as November! I'm so excited right now. I want 2012 to be the start of a new me.

I've considered WLS for years. When I had insurance that would actually cover it back in 2000-2002 I didn't pursue it. A lot has happened in the ten years that I actually had good insurance coverage. I  moved to DC. Went to Law school full-time, finished law school, moved to Nevada, passed the bar. I've had a couple of law firm jobs as a paralegal and now as an attorney. The problem is when you work for smaller law firms the health insurance coverage is not that great. For the past 5 years that I have had insurance, there were always 100% WLS exclusions, so insurance-covered WLS was not an option. I also never really even considered saving for it, because saving 20k for WLS always seemed silly to me, especially when  I could lose weight on my own.

It was only this year that I realized that I categorically need WLS. In January, my mom had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery. Thank god she survived.  It was touch and go for weeks. After that, I knew I have to do something with my weight. My mom has been obese for nearly 40 years. I have been obese since elementary school. I'm around 300lbs now. My highest I saw on a scale was 320 but I know I've been bigger than that. I've been over 250lbs for about 10 years, and over 300lbs for the last five years or so. I've tried everything. Weight loss clinics, OA, Greysheet, hypnosis, prescription pills, very low carb, weight watchers, various diet books. I've had varying success. I try to eat low carb when I eat healthy but I still overeat even on low carb food. I guess I'm just tired.  I just want this weight off. I'm 33 now and don't really want to spend the next 20 some years overweight.

I started saving a bit this year so that I can pay for it out of pocket. Lo and behold in September I got laid off. I'm still looking for a job. I really hope that my next job allows for WLS coverage. If not, I'm saving every penny so that I can have WLS. It is going to be my number 1 priority in 2011.