Fwd: Digest Number 1843 Re: Digest number 1837 Re: Medicare

[Guest guest]

Joannie, all I can say is THERE IS A GOD, THANK YOU LORD and THANK YOU DR.

R!! This surgery has saved my life. Maybe physically, I may could have gone

on existing, but I wouldn't have been living. I actually felt my inner

spirit dying little by little as each day passed. Now, I can actually feel

the real ME emerging for every pound that I lose. This may sound crazy to

some of you, but it is true for myself. Sadly enough, I had gone through so

much pain of trying all desperate measures with diets, etc., and I DID feel

the pain of humiliation with looks and just the general way in which severely

obese (100 lbs. or more overweight) are treated, including my own family,

especially when in comparison to the way I felt and was treated when I was

" normal. " This really bothered me, to such a point of making me recluse

myself and not even want to go out in the public at all. It affected every

single aspect of my entire life, especially the way I felt about me. I am

still bothered by the way " Fat " people are discriminated in every area of

their lives, especially when it comes to job opportunities and promotions,

and sarcastic jokes at random. I am very bothered by the way the general

public perceives that severe obesity is mostly contributed to overeating

" gluttons " that have no control of their lives, and by the way that in

general, overweight women are discriminated more so than the overweight men

in our society, and it is not nearly as severe for an overweight man than for

a woman in an equal circumstance. I am very bothered that children are

taught before they reach adolescence that thin is in, which is why we now

have in epidemic proportions, anorexics and bulimic, beginning at ages 9 and

10 years old. It is unfair that we have laws to protect Race, Creed, Color,

Sex, and Religion, but not Fat people.

I know this surgery isn't for everyone, and it all comes down to being able

to accept yourself and love yourself first. That is the most important, but

as for myself, I simply wasn't able to do that, before my MGB surgery.

I now feel completely different about myself, cuz I know that something has

been done about it. It no longer bothers me to go out in public cuz I know

matters will now be automatically taken care of. It's just a matter of time.

Having already returned back to work, I can already feel and see the

difference in just three weeks following my surgery.

Good luck to all of you out there that may know exactly where I'm coming

from, and just keep praying and be very persistent with Debbie about

your surgery, as I did. Dr. R. is too busy to bother with, until you get

your approval, but I sent Debbie before and after pictures of me,

how it had affected my life since my weight gain, and basically touched her

heart and gave her a visual picture of me as a genuine human being. I also

went through two denials before finally getting a date set, then was called

to have my initial date of 5-17 canceled for another denial. All I did for

three whole month was live and breathe for this MGB surgery, for I knew it

was my only hope left. I cried many a nights, in desperation that things

weren't looking up toward this happening. Then, finally, my persistence paid

off. Debbie e-mailed me to tell me that I was approved and to call

her to set up Surgery date confirmation. I then had to wait another six

weeks for 7-15-00 to come, hoping and praying daily that nothing would

prevent me from doing this. Debbie is Dr. R's right arm, so to all of you

that may feel hopeless right now, or been denied, DON'T GIVE UP AND PRAY PRAY

PRAY!

Best Regards,

Donna Cline

MGB 7/15/00

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