How did I get here?

First of all - Whoa !  I have followers (thank you !) !  Now I just need to learn more about blogging so I can ask YOU questions and be able to read your answers :) Again, thank you ..


So, how did I get here ...
I'll give you the short version ... not how did I get to this point of such extreme that I don't even want to step on the scale ... just 'the how I got from first appointment to surgery'.


My companies medical insurance changed (third time in three years) so now we must 'be healthy' or pay the price.  Part of the 'be healthy' is an annual physical so that's where I'll begin ... Note, for every appointment, I took 'the first available' (just like seating in a restaurant) ...


January - Primary Care Physician and I discuss lap band - get referral for surgeon.
February - surgeon seminar and consult 
February - psych consult (a rip off.  I was back in my car in eight minutes and the price doubled from appointment setting to checkbook in hand)
March - sleep doctor consult
March - stress test - treadmill
March - sleep study - mild sleep apnea during non-REM and severe sleep apena during REM sleep
March - hear from cardiologist - we need to talk
April - appointment with cardiologist - there were two possible blockages, doubtful but lets make sure .... you probably just moved (ding-ding-ding - I definitely moved, I remember moving, it was my first medical test ever.  Why did the soft spoken tech say: try not to move.  Why didn't she say: move under penalty of dragging out approval for lap band which means: DON'T MOVE !)
April - endoscopy - small hernia found
April - heart MRI = fail, can't get a vein (this after a week of beta blockers)
May - heart MRI, take 2 = fail, can't get a vein (this after a week of double dose beta blockers)
May - get fitted for CPAP machine
May - appointment with cardiologist - I come clean.  "Doc, I moved. I know I moved. I had an itch. I scratched it. What can we do??"
May - dobuteral (sp?) MRI of heart = fail (of course I took the 1st available appointment).  The appointment takes 2.5 hours but doc's office only scheduled you for 1 hour .... deep sigh.
June - dobuteral MRI - passed !!
June - talk to surgeon's office and hear: have you seen the nutritionist yet?
June - see the nutritionist


Who would have thought the fastest part of all of this was the paperwork submission to the insurance company who quickly approved the surgery (amen). So, Betty (the lap band) will be born on July 21.