The Clash

So, the surgeon yelled at me on the last visit for not being as close to goal as he would like. I appreciate his honesty and passion and I would LOVE to make him happy. But I straight up told him that the first few months having the problems that I did eating proteins totally knocked me off kilter. I think from here on out things will be much better.

People tend to think surgery is the 'easy way out'. I haven't heard anyone say that to my face yet, but I'm sure it's on some peoples' minds. But you know what? This has been a tough road. Now that I'm pretty much able to eat anything (though in moderation) it's actually now more about food choices and preparation than it ever was before. Because the little you can eat must be the sustenance our body needs. I'm confident I can do it.

Oh, and I need to start exercising more to get this loss moving faster. That's the hardest part.

Going Great...

Wow, I just remembered this blog existed. I guess it's time for a quick update.

Well, I'm about 120lbs. down since my re-birthday on 4/27/09. It was quite a struggle the first few months as noted in the last post. But I've been happily eating more proteins for the last several weeks. The only thing that really gives me a hard time is dry poultry. It goes okay if it's moist enough but not so much otherwise. I'll probably be steering clear of the turkey on Thanksgiving (in a few days) but am looking forward to a juicy ham.... mmmmm.

Surgery Done!

Well, I had it done (finally) on the 27th and got back home Friday. I've had just a few woes but overall I know I'll trudge through it.

1. I've just had some abdominal pain (on the left side) which I understand is normal.
2. I've had what feels like major gas backup in my chest. It won't come up and it's quite painful when it cramps my chest about every 10 minutes. Not sure what this is about but I'll ask the doc.
3. The puree diet is killing me. Just the thought of shrimp in a blender makes me want to hurl - yes, I tried it and it's not pretty. I'm sticking to soup.
4. Chewable vitamins are RANCID. I actually gagged on them tonight.

But, those obstacles aside, surgery went well... no complications and I'm sure these too I will pass. It's just a test along the way.

Shawn APPROVED!

Well, I got my approval this week from the insurance. The paperwork went in on Tuesday evening and I received a call Thursday morning of the approval. I was told it may be 2 weeks before we heard back, so this was a shocking surprise. Especially since I was missing some data. Allow me to explain...

My insurance company required (among other things) a 6-month physician supervised diet and 5 CONSECUTIVE years of physician records including weights. Well since I hate going to doctors, I didn't have any reason to go in 2006 and 2007. This left me with a 2-year hole in an otherwise 10 year string of recorded weights. Needless to say, I was worried this would be the one thing to keep me from surgery.

Because of the whole in data, I provided records from Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig to show some kind of data. However, even that only accounted for 2007. But I was hoping it would at least show initiative.

Well, I guess it worked. Because, as mentioned in the title. I am approved.

I know there's still a bunch of steps left including pre-op assessments and tests, but at least that big hurdle is overcome.

I can't wait now to set the date and begin the countdown.

New Job. New Insurance.

Well, I started a new job in January. With that came new insurance. Thankfully, that does not carry the 'we hate fat people' clause.

Additionally, I've gotten my 6-month physician-monitored diet out of the way, recorded and done. That was relatively unsuccessful - like every other diet. But I tried to a realistic degree. By that I mean nothing drastic. In thinking about it I realized that if I try another drastic diet (like I've done countless times before) I'll just be showing unrealistic results. History shows it always comes back and although I probably could have lost a good 15 pounds a week with hardcore dieting - that's just not a sustainable course. Been there. Done that... many times.

So, I'm going to start getting everything together to submit to the insurance and cross my fingers.

I'm Fat. So, Boss Wants To Fire Me.

I was just recalling an article and tv spot on the owner of the company I currently work for. It was the talk of the town when it arose in 2007 causing a big storm of controversy for quite a while - especially internally.

"Anything we can do that is legal and not discriminatory, we will do," Seigel said. "If you are an alcoholic and we have the right to fire you, we will do so. And if you are obese and there is a way for us not to hire you or to fire you, we will do that, too."

Excerpt from Orlando Sentinel

I'd love a sit-down with this ass. Too bad he signs my paycheck - for the moment.

Essentially, what he's saying is that everyone who works for him should do the same kind of things with their free time as he does and have the same habits. But where does it stop? Does it stop at blond hair and blue eyes? I mean, I think we all know how familiar that sounds. But really, does it stop there or somewhere before genocide... like laying off thousands of people right before the holidays (some even the same week of Christmas). Or maybe scamming people into buying crap real estate they don't need for mortgages they clearly can't afford? Damn, now that I say that aloud, isn't that the main reason we're in this economic crisis right now?

Shame on you, sir.

READ the article

Getting Things in Order

As mentioned in my previous post, the company I work for does not cover bariatric surgery. Yes, you read that right - the company I work for... NOT the insurance company. Some greedy assholes care more about saving a nickle on their premium than being part of saving a life. F-him. Oh and his name is David Seigel (click here for info on the schmuck).

With that crushing blow I decided to focus on the silver lining. That, in fact, will be coming next year.

For a number of reasons, I may have to switch my insurance over to my wife's. Unfortunately, that cannot happen until January. So, in the interim, at least now I know the requirements and can be ready with the appropriate items as soon as I get switched over. Primarily that includes a 6-month physician-monitored diet. I might as well get that under way.

Off we go!