Tuesday, February 24, 2009

April 6, 2009

You read that right--I finally have a surgery date!

February, though the short month, seems to have lasted forever.  After waiting for 19 days, I got the call from the scheduler with my date with Dr. Williams.  In all honestly, 19 days is not very long at all.  Pretty quick, actually.  It just seems like a long time when you're doing essentially nothing but watching the phone and waiting.

And the countdown begins.  Because I am getting the Realize Band, I use their website to track goals, food diary and so on.  According to them, 41 days until I get "Realized." 

Hmm.  If I thought 19 days was long, 41 should seem like an eternity.  But odds are it'll get here before I know it.  I almost said before I realize it, but that was entirely too cheesy!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Almost there!!!

I called last Thursday and lo and behold, I have been approved for my laparoscopic band surgery!  I found this out by logging onto my insurance site.  They said the status of pre-authorization for me was Approved/Partially Approved.

Huh?  What's the partially part mean?  I called them up and asked and the gal I talked to said there was no partial to it on her screen.  It was approved.  So now I have to sit and wait for my letter to arrive.  The clinic won't take my word for it.  And I don't want to confuse them with the whole "partially approved," thing.  

So here I wait.  And of course today is a federal holiday and thus, NO MAIL.  Oh damn you, Washington and Lincoln!!!

(tapping foot impatiently, waiting for Tuesday night)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Waiting Game Continues

I called BC/BS yesterday and they indeed have my file and it is under review.  Yay!  I hope that they let me know something soon.  March is Dog Show Month and I want to know what I can plan for and what I can't.  Odds are if I get approved, early March is when the surgery will be.

Truth be told, I can't really afford to do much with dog shows (going to Louisville, especially).  I have to pay my bill for surgeon consultation, which was pretty expensive. I was hoping if I held out, insurance would approve me, then I could resubmit that and get it taken care of without having to pay out of pocket.  Gamble? Lost!  Oh well.  I'll take care of it, but will have to not do any non-essential shopping for awhile.  Sniff, sniff.

But it will be well worth it.

My left foot is killing me from plantar fasciitis.  My joints below the waist are all out of whack from favoring that foot.  I need to walk for exercise, but the more I walk the worse the pain is.  And to make matters worse, I busted my ass tripping on a rock on the walk to my car last night.  Ouch.  I'm home today, resting my poor, achy joints and counting the days until the pain stops as the weight continues to come off. 

I've already lost almost 30 pounds and I really don't feel any improvements physically, aside from my clothes being looser.  But it takes time.  And people have been commenting on how they can actually tell the difference.  So it's all good!

And in spite of my pissy mood yesterday, compounded by my trip and fall, I managed to not go to McDonald's!  Last week was a bad week food-wise for me and I'm proud of the fact that I am making better choices this week and staying on track.  Not rushing to get fries at the first sign of stress.

Wow, things can really change!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Slacker, at least when it comes to updating my blog!

I don't know what is up with me, but I have totally ignored the blogosphere.  Oh, wait.  Part of it is because I spend so much time reading posts at Obesity Help.  That's what, at least 8 hours a day, ha ha.

Anyway, the great news is that I should have my chart forwarded to BlueCross/Blue Shield at any time.  This monday, February 2, 2009, I met my insurance weight loss goal.  According to medical center scales (which print out the proof, I might add!) claim that I have lost 30 pounds. Okay, technically 29.5, but I am rounding up.

I have been waiting for days now to hear from my insurance contact, saying she has sent the info.  Nothing yet.  I'll give her a solid 5 work days to complete it before I become a pox on her behind, annoying her.  I hope that if it goes in next week, I'll hear something by the 20th.  I just want to get a surgery date so I can get on with my life and plan some stuff.  March is "dog show season," and I certainly don't want to blow money on dog registration fees if I'm going to be on the couch recovering.  Ya know?  

It just depends on how fast BCBS is and how heavily booked the surgeon is.

All in all, I am quite happy.  It took me 4 months to lose 24 pounds, but I guess that's not all that bad.  And it is very nice to have clothes that are not like tight sausage casings on me!  If I could just get my joint pain to start fading, I'd be a happy camper!  But that will come in due time.

The countdown begins and I hope all goes quickly!