Deanna34

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I had an appointment with my PCP yesterday and I was so nervous to ask him if he would recommend WSL for me. He was so nice and said he would be willing to do whatever I needed in order for me to reach a healthy weight. I was so happy! A part of me knew he would be supportive but I was so scared to even ask. Now I need to contact our insurance and find out the specifics to the criteria they have before they will approve me. I know I have to do a 6-month regimen and I must lose 5% of my weight. But I want to have the exact details so I am armed to jump through their hoops!

Well, where do I even begin! I've been lurking on OH for a couple months now. My husband recently found out that our insurance will begin coving RNY in 2006 and I immediately got online and started researching! In the past I never even considered surgery because our insurance would not even consider covering it and there was no way we could afford to pay out of pocket for it. When I went online, I found OH and immediately felt at home here.

I've been dieting for years; ever since I can remember. I was chubby as a child and always remember my parents trying to get me to lose weight. My Mom put me on Slim Fast in highschool but then had a candy bar waiting for me everyday when I got home. Go figure! Anyway, I've tried just about every diet known to man ... I've lost weight and regained, plus more. I've gone up and down in weight but I've remained in the high-200s since I was in college. I don't even remember weighing less than 200!

What I am most excited about is that I found out that the Corvallis Hospital has a Bariatric Surgery program. I attended the first informational class which covered all the paperwork and insurance issues. The second class was last night and it was the technical information given by Dr. Read. The most amazing thing happened to me last night! I went to the informational class with my husband and I walked into the room and felt "normal!" Usually when I walk into a room, I scan around looking for other heavy people. But this time, I was average! There were people slightly smaller than me and people slightly larger than me. I was average! I was average! Everyone seemed very nice and happy to be there. For the first time in my life I felt like I fit in with a whole room full of people! I sat and listened to Dr. Read for 1 1/2 hours and felt totally at ease. He is down to earth, compassionate, and easy to understand. Not once did I feel judged by him. He was very patient in explaining the details of surgery and aftercare and he happily answered every question without making anyone feel out of place. I was so happy!

By the time the class ended, I wanted to run (I don't normally feel the urge to run!) out of the hospital screaming and shouting that I finally found my calling! I just had this amazing feeling in my soul that this surgery is meant for me. I know it's not a miracle that will automatically made me thin. But it's a stepping stone towards normalcy. A way for me to start over. The most amazing sense of "hope" consumed me and I felt so excited all night long. That feeling of hope is very powerful to me right now ... to have hope of being "normal" is so amazing! I cannot wait!