Doctors doctors and more doctors

In the past 2 weeks I have seen a Psychologist and a  Pulminologist.  I have had a ultrasound as well as taken a 585 true or false test to determine if I am sane enough for this procedure.  I have attended a seminar to show me what I will and wont be able to eat and another seminar to remind me that its ok to be sad  about not eating mt favorite foods anymore. I have more doctors appointments coming up including a potential sleep study that could possibly delay my surgery even more.  This waiting is killing me because I just want this done and done now.  I want to be able to move on and start my new life and it seems that weeks are passing by only to not be any closer to my goal.  I will not even have a scheduled surgery date until I am cleared by all of these doctors.   I know these doctors approvals are needed for my own safety but it seems sometimes that its nothing more than a chance for these doctors to make a few more bucks for 10 minutes of their time.  travel and waiting rooms have taken up a large portion of my time the last 2 weeks with a very small fraction of that time actually seeing a doctor face to face.  I have had more quality time with the same  Time magazine in the doctors waiting room than with my own doctor.   I received the bill in the mail for the initial 10 minute “meeting” with the doctor and saw that he billed the insurance company 345.00.  I KNEW I should have went to medical school.  a ten minute visit at 345.00 per equals 2070.00 per hour.   Multiply that by 8 hours per day thats 16,560.00 per day.  82,800.00 per week!!  Ok So maybe I am making more of this than it is but can you imagine billing your time at that rate?  No wonder insurance rates are through the roof these days.

Starting the ball rolling

The Tom Petty song comes to mind today….”The waiting is the hardest part”.

The 1st step to the weight loss surgery was a seminar that was mandatory for anyone considering this type of procedure. Surrounded by 50 overweight people while a doctor in a expensive suit describes in gory detail what he intends to do with our insides was only made better by the fact there were 5 former fat people standing in front of us showing us the clothing they used to wear just a year or 2 previous. Weight loss with this procedure is dramatic and this was driven home as we passed pictures of our 5 speakers as we heard them speak about how this procedure changed their lives. Did they miss oreo’s and ice cream? Pepsi and McDonalds? Did they still date their best girl, Little Debbie?

To a person they swore that these temptations were no longer something that caused them to drive into the fast food lane and order a extra value meal with a diet Pepsi! Besides the fact that their stomach was about the size of their thumb they all said they no longer needed these foods and were enjoying the freedom that not carrying 200+ pounds on their frame gave them.

Questions were asked of the surgeon and paper work was filled out. The 1st doctors appointment was scheduled to determine if I was a right fit for this surgery. I walked out of the seminar with some hope but refused to let myself get excited for fear that this procedure would not happen for me.