I wasn't always overweight. Growing up, my family actually called me "skinny minnie." As a matter of fact, up until I reached high school, I was an average weight, an average size, an average girl. After high school, that all ended.
From the time I entered college until today, I have gained and lost and gained and lost over 100 pounds. But, I never took the initiative to really do anything about it. Sure, I dieted. I have tried almost every diet fad, program, and product that is out there. But, nothing gave me real results, and they never lasted very long.
I have always heard that when you are truly ready to make a change, you will, and sometimes you need a good swift kick in the behind to steer you in the right direction. My swift kick in the behind came in the form of a 4-year-old girl.
It was a typical family Thanksgiving. Too many people in a space that really couldn't fit us all. But, we love each other, so it never bothered us! My parents were so happy to have all three of their children there with all of the grandchildren. My 4-year-old niece was among all of the children. She has always adored me (the feeling is mutual) and has never made any indication that I was anything less than perfect in her eyes, at least up until that point. As I was setting the table for dinner, she walked up to me and said, "Aunt Amanda, why do you have two stomachs?" I felt like someone had just punched me in the gut.
They say that small children are the most honest people you will meet. They don't yet know what it means to truly deceive you or be malicious. It was an honest comment from a young girl, who didn't realize that the very question she was asking had made me feel as small as her. It was that night that I told my husband that I needed to do something.
I am a very lucky woman. I am married to a wonderful man who thinks that I am beautiful and perfect exactly how I am, but, who supports me in any decision I make regarding my well-being. So, I started brainstorming with him ways that I could lose the weight, be healthier and happier, and keep it off! It was my husband who ultimately made the suggestion to look into the lap-band. I am so grateful that he did.
For anyone who thinks that they can just open a phone book, call a doctor and schedule a lap band procedure, I am sorry to tell you that you are sadly mistaken. We began researching local doctors and the different gastric banding options and I immediately became overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that I was ingesting. Luckily, I found a doctor here in my hometown who begins the journey with a seminar at their office. I immediately scheduled myself an appointment to go and see what they had to offer.
This may sound selfish, but I was relieved when I walked into the doctors office for the first time. Never had I been sitting in a room with so many people who were just like me. It was a group session and we all were treated to a good hours worth of information regarding the procedure. Everything from what the band looks like (we got to hold one,) what the surgery is like, what type of results patients typically see, and what is involved in getting started.
For me, getting started meant the beginning of jumping through a lot of hoops. If you decide to pursue this surgery, the next steps are all solely dependent on your insurance company. In my case, I had to do 6 months of supervised weight loss, a session with a nutritionist, a visit with a fitness expert, a psychological evaluation, numerous blood tests, an EKG, a chest X-Ray, a letter from my primary care physician stating this was medically necessary, 5 years of weight and medical history, and the list goes on. All of these items had to be completed in order for the doctors office to even submit my case to my insurance company. The feeling of dread began to set in and I was ready to give up already. I was ready now, not 6 or 7 months from now. How could I wait? Would I be able to do everything they wanted from me?
Once I met my doctor for the first time, my confidence in myself rose. He is a tall and fit man, who used to be fat. He understands how I feel, because he has been there. Now, he leads his life doing what he can to help people like you and me become healthier and happier.
Tomorrow, I am going to post about everything I learned in regards to the diet that I had to conform to and the 6 month journey that I made to accomplish all of the tasks that the doctors office needed me to complete in order to submit to the insurance company, and what has ultimately become of that request....I hope to see you tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment