All sorted out and back on the path

Well, the health insurance problem is all sorted out now. I had no idea (probably because the expiration date isn't actually printed on the card) that my health insurance was about to expire. After a majorly huge crying jag (it was more like sobbing really) on the phone with the insurance company and the poor lady at the hospital, I got it fixed. I had to drive downtown in rush hour traffic to fill out a form for transitional insurance which will get me through until I am employed. Worst part, not all of the surgery is covered. I will end up paying $5,500, which frankly is better than $30,000.

I also went shopping a bit tonight for my delicious clear liquids, medical supplies, and so on. I still have some shopping to do. I still need the vitamins, the ice pops, and a few other things. But that can wait until next week.

Health Insurance

Just got a call from the hospital. Seems that my health insurance expires today! If that is true, the surgery may be off because I can't afford to pay for it on my own. I'm trying not to freak out. I'm trying not to cry. I'm trying not to hyperventilate.

Insurance company is so busy with phone calls that they have to call me back. WHY?????? Why does this shit have to happen to me? I've busted my ass getting all of this crap taken care of and was told that an August 7th surgery date would get me there in time for insurance to cover the costs. I'm a nice person most of the time, why is it that this kind of crap has to happen to me? What have I done to deserve this?

I'll update again later, once I hear back from those who hold the scalpel.

The Back Story

Height: 5' 1.75"
Weight: 243 lbs

My name is Tiffany. I am 29 years old and about to have a 2nd birthday. I am going to be reborn at the hands of Dr. George Eid and his excellent surgical staff. I am scheduled to have a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery on August 7th, 2008. From here on out, I will be calling this day, my birthday. The day that I am reborn to a life renewed. A healthier, more fulfilling life. A life in which I can feel comfortable about myself, about my body, and finally be comfortable in my body.
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My story begins in preschool. I was a normal child. Blond, cute, of average height and weight. I moved on to Kindergarten with very little change. I believe I was a pretty average child all the way up through 2nd grade. But somewhere, I believe, in the summer between 2nd and 3rd grade...something started happening. I didn't really notice it myself, but boy when school started again I knew something had changed for sure. I was being picked on constantly. Almost everyone picked on me, boys and girls of all ages. A certain gym teacher even picked on me about eating too many Twinkies (which by the way I never ate, I hate the stupid things even now!). Worst of all, my father got on my case. Now I don't want everyone thinking that I blame it all on him, because I don't, but he certainly had a part in the drama that was my formative years.

He would notice that I was going to the refrigerator, not even knowing what I was after, and tell me I was too 'heavy' and didn't need whatever I was going to get. For all he knew it could have been a glass of milk, or a drink from the cold water pitcher.

Sometimes the things that he and I did together were the complete opposite of the activity that would have helped me with my weight. For example, we had weekly spelling tests in my grade school days. Every Friday if I had received 100% or better (bonus words) on my test, he would take me to Stewart's Drive-In for a root beer float and a chili dog. Talk about reinforcing the wrong message! Rewarding good behavior with food?!? Especially when a pat on the back and a good ol' thata girl would have been sufficient. (Of course, he knows now, that what he was doing only served to make my problem even worse. Now he's got his lips under control, most of the time. When he does open up, I let him talk for a minute or so, then I tell him that what he is doing is the total opposite of help. He usually gets the message. I digress.)

It's not that we ate terribly unhealthy foods when I was a child. We had lots of fruit and vegetables, good lean proteins and so on. Sure we had pizza from a local shop on Friday's, but it was NJ! Who didn't have Friday pizza dinner?

I was no lazy slump of a child either. During the summer, as soon as mom or dad got home from work I was in the pool until or even after the sun went down (boy those slugs I stepped on after dark in my bare feet were nasty!). We would take family bike rides around the little block and more often around the big block (I don't think we ever measured the actual mileage of them). I was in gymnastics and a twirling club called Spotswood Sparklers. Ballet and tap for 2 years and played indoor soccer for a year. Once I got to highschool I tried out for the lady charger soccer team and was cut from the team which made me mad. So I started running a mile after school ever day and lost a good bit of weight but then tried out for the winter track team. I was allowed on the team, but I was never allowed to participate in meets. This turned out just fine because it was the winter track season of 93 (or maybe 94) which never really got off the ground because of the massive snow storms that kept closing down the state of NJ. I ended up quitting the team because I wasn't given the opportunity to participate.

So, after high school, things just went on. I had a boyfriend, who became a fiance, a husband, and finally an ex-husband. In 2007, I received a bachelors degree in history from Shepherd University.

When I came to Pittsburgh in the Fall of 2007, I started this journey to gastric bypass surgery. I struggled through most of the 6 month (which for me was more like 7 or 8) mandatory visits with the nutritionist and bariatric prep people. My weight was constantly doing the yo-yo, which of course is why I felt surgery was a good option.

In January of 2008, I found out that my father has stage 4 bone, prostate, and lymph cancer. This made my surgery even more important to me. I figured, how can I possible take care of him, if I am unable to take care of myself? How can I maneuver him if I ever need to when I am so overweight ? The bariatric surgery, which already very important to me, took on even more importance with the news of my fathers condition.

I was finally able to get the nutritionist to sign off on my surgical recommendation, and after a few weeks heard from my wonderful surgeon that the surgery had been approved by my health insurance company.

I had my pre-op appointment on Friday the 25th of July and was a bit spooked when I was told that caffeinated beverages from now until the end of time would be a no no. No aspirin or derivatives thereof. No alcohol in general, but a little bit now and then might not kill me (I hope). So now I must face up to a few weeks of post-operative recovery, pain medications, and clear liquids. Then its on to cloudy liquids, pureed foods, soft foods, then NORMALCY! At least in the sense that I can eat almost anything in severely reduced portions. Since I already eat only half of what is brought to me at restaurants, eating a quarter of what is brought to me shouldn't be an issue. I just need to plan accordingly and bring my own container. (I'm a green girl!)

And so...here I am. One day left before I finish my Masters in Library and Information Science. Nine days until my surgery and nine days until my new birthday.

Let my life begin anew!!!