Baby(less) steps...

Went to my OB/GYN to have an IUD placed today. I had tried the copper one, Paragard, last year. I didn't think it was possible for my periods to get worse due to my PCOS and endometriosis, but ta dah- they did! They're actually had me in the emergency room a few times for 7+ hours while they tried to get my pain and hemorrhaging under control. My OB/GYN swears that Mirena and the progesterone in it will make them better. I'm focusing on getting things in order before surgery. Birth control is one of them.

According to Dr. Northup, women with PCOS become fertile myrtles after surgery due to the dramatic weight loss. It's not advisable to become pregnant within the first year after surgery. For me, someone who has no desire to have children, it's not advisable AT ALL. So, fingers crossed that the Mirena works out.

Part of my insurance approving me for the surgery is that my doctors advise/clear me for it. Because PCOS is considered a comorbidity, I asked my OB/GYN is she would be willing to write one recommending that I have the surgery. She did...ON THE SPOT (Dr. Magner is awesome if anyone in the Cincinnati area needs an OB/GYN). So that's one letter. I have an appointment with my primary care doc tomorrow (which I will now refer to as my PCP- it's healthcare lingo). My blood pressure the last few times I've had it taken was in the 140's/90's. Today at the OB/GYN- 158/110(!!!) So I'm meeting my PCP tomorrow to talk to her about my blood pressure and see if she'll write my letter of recommendation for the surgery. Wednesday, after a training class for work, I'm gonna swing by the weight loss doc I went to for copies of my charts.

At this rate, I'm gonna have every single thing they need from me before my appointment next month.

Also, I've been researching other issues that arise after surgery; depression and divorce.

There's a phenomenon known as "Bariatric divorce". Divorce rates are already high; for those who have had bariatric surgery, however, they're even higher (like 50% higher).
As one of many articles on the subject points out, it's likely that the marriages that crumble after surgery were ones that had a weak foundation to begin with- http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles-2/weight-loss-surgery/relationship-challenges-before-and-after-weight-loss-surgery.
David and I have been together since time began (ok, fifteen years...feels like forever when you're thirty).

Us in our 30's....seriously

Are we perfect? No. Do we have our issues? Yes- we're normal like that. We're also best friends and have been through a lot. I don't know that I can definitely say no hard times will come from me losing all of this weight. That's why, just to be proactive, I'm gonna start seeing a counselor. One that can see both of us. Another possible side effect of bariatric surgery is, oddly enough, depression! I know- it's hard to imagine being depressed when you're shedding all of this weight that has been physically AND mentally weighing me down all of my life. According to the research I've done though, sometimes the changes the weight loss brings in your life are so sudden, people don't know how to cope. I figure our insurance pays for it so, again, be proactive and stay ahead of the game. 

Update- I just came back from seeing my PCP (I love Dr. Drake, you have no idea). We talked it out and decided that, for now, a low-dose blood pressure medication would be beneficial- my blood pressure was still a bit high today. Plus, another comorbidity doesn't hurt in my favor to have weight-loss surgery. I asked her to write a letter clearing me for surgery and recommending it and she did- right on the spot. She had time while I was blubbering to her about how embarrassed I am about gaining weight back and feeling embarrassed and having a hard time even leaving the house. I never cry- I'm not a crier! I just think I've been holding this in for a while (plus, I did have the Mirena put in yesterday- maybe it's from the progesterone in it? Yeah, I'll blame it on that). 

Now I have two letters of approval from my two docs that I see regularly, I have a couple of comorbidities, a more than qualifying BMI, and the tenacity to see it through:
is it February 26th yet?!?