Fat, Sick, Tired & Feeling Nearly Dead - Kansas City, MO

This is my first post but I have been reading a lot of post for the last 3 months. I am 25++ (;))married with 2 children. I am very much over weight & need all the help & support that I can get. I've had my initial consultation with a surgeon & nutritionist but I have to wait until the end of this month before my next visit. This infuriates me because all I have to do is these 2 appts. & then I can schedule my surgery! For this second appt it has taken a month and a half to get it. I also have another surgery scheduled for my hip & knee but I would like to have my sleeve done first. I am nervous about the surgery but so excited to have a healthier life. Also, I don't want anyone to really know because of how judgemental people are. I started gaining weight when I was in my mid twenties & I was placed on lots of steroids & other medications for my autoimmune disease. I then got pregnant & was placed on bed rest for the whole time therefore gaining 80 lbs. I never dropped any of that weight instead I have continued to gain. Last year I was paralyzed on my left side due to arthritis in my spine & the bones sitting & injuring the nerves. I gained 65 lbs during this time. I finally took my chances & had surgery. That gave me some relief & I only have numbness in my feet & partial in my legs. ...but I can walk..it's painful but I can walk. So I'm hoping that with this surgery I can decrease the weight on my bones & tighten up my core to help my back. I'm needing to be PAIN FREE!!!

So, I have had my second consult today. It was with the therapist & the nutritionist. I am so impatient! Lol I feel like this was a waste of time & money to see them today, again. I'm just so ready to have this surgery. I feel like they are stretching out the info for more appointments. But over all, I know that some people need all these visits & reminders. I know that I will need all the help I can get, lol, but just hurry up already! Lol
So, my PCP has been running test on me. I have had blood work, PFT (which should restriction ????), EKG, Echo, chest X-ray, emg, CT, & MRI. I am scheduled for a sleep study at the end of April. Bummer. I'm hoping that I can tell the Dr & find another location to get it done sooner. It has to be a home sleep study per my insurance! Never heard of that but the place states that that is what insurance is doing to a lot of people. ????

The surgeon's office states that I now have to wait for my primary insurance to deny the claim & then they will submit to my secondary insurance. They will cover a portion of it but I can expect to wait another MONTH before I hear anything. After they get approval then I will be scheduled to come back to meet with the nutritionist again & advised of the liquid diet & post op info. Again, did I say that I'm impatient & they want me to wait one whole month!!!!! Uuuuggggghhhh in my Charlie Brown voice! ????
So, since I first when in I have gained weight, which is sad. I purchased a scale. Lord knows I haven't had a scale in at least 17 years because my daughter was like I have never seen one in our house before. ...lol
I am scheduled for hip & knee surgery at the end of April. Now, that is the artery I'm afraid about. I want to be able to walk without pain but I'm afraid that it will still be there afterwards since I have major neuropathy in my leg.
OK so I have been afraid to take pictures & don't really have any to post nor am I at a point where I could just do a selfish right now. I'm trying to overcome this ASAP so that I can have before & after pics. Pray for me as I will be praying for all of you guys. I've got to get over this!

Current weight.....262
Height.....5' 7"
BMI. ..41 (I think)
Within the last week I have now been placed on high blood pressure medicine & told that I have high cholesterol. This surgey is definitely needed.