And the waiting begins...

On Thursday I went to my 2nd (and last) pre-op class!  Woo hooo!  I came home to a kitchen filled with paint from I could only assume an art project that Shelby decided to create in the 4 hours she was home alone.  Mind you, she is required to ask me permission when I'm home, so I'm not sure what she was thinkin...  Oh boy!

Friday, I went to see my primary care doctor for my last visit (I gained 3 pounds, stupid pms!).  Okay, probably not the last visit ever, but the last visit before she writes "the letter" that gets sent to the bariatric center and then on to the insurance company so they can consider and then approve my gastric bypass surgery.  Of course they'll approve it!  I've done EVERY SINGLE THING they've asked.  I've also got so many "co-morbidities" (asthma, joint pain, sleep apnea, reflux, barrett's esophagus, hiatal hernia) that it'd be just sad for them to deny me!

So now I wait! 

Here are the things I know for sure.  It will take 2-3 weeks for the insurance company to respond.  Surgery is only on Tuesday, so most likely the surgery will be on a Tuesday in November.  I will be on a liquid only diet for 10 days prior to surgery.  They say the first few days are the hardest, but after that it's just something you need to do and knowing it will end is very helpful.  After surgery, I will be on a clear liquid diet.  I will spend 1-2 nights in the  hospital depending on how I do after surgery.  After the clear liquids, then there is a very slow progression that takes another 5-7 weeks to get back to "real" food.  I should be back to work after 2-3 weeks.  I'm hoping that our Christmas card picture will show the beginnings of a new me (and of course the gorgeousness of Shelby, as always)!

In the meantime, my friend Karen will be traveling from Switzerland to Chicago to visit and take care of me (and entertain Shelby & Wilbur).  I am really looking forward to this.  The only negative is that I won't be eating anything while she's in town.  However, the outcome is TOTALLY worth it!  We will be going to the outlet stores and spending more money than I have.  I really don't enjoy shopping, but shopping with Karen is so fun! 

Oh, I also scheduled a MB's goodbye to gluttony lunch for me & my fantabulous girlfriends at work.  We're going to Bob Chinn's for lunch later this month and I am going to love every last morsel of the filet I'm going to order!  I'm sure some day I will be able to enjoy a bite or two of steak, but this is just my way of saying goodbye to the old MB and hello to the new, improved, healthier MB!

So, the wait has begun.  I'd really appreciate any good thoughts, prayers, kind words you could spare.  Thanks a bunch!

p.s. Fred, I'm thinking about you and praying that this next chapter of your life shows you how wonderful things can be if you let go and let God (or Goddess) :) xo mb