New Mama Mobile

I have been hinting for YEARS that I would LOVE a bike. The hinting grew from subtle to hit him over the head obvious over the last year. Finally, with the help of Miss M, we convinced Hero that mama needed a bike. Yep, yesterday I got a new bike, and YEP my bum HURTS. Along with my new bike we purchased an inexpensive trailer so that I can take Meghan to school while getting exercise, and haul my goods from the Commissary home without paying for a Taxi.

I didn't get a picture of the bike, because my thighs hurt too bad after riding the 1.5 miles home from the PX yesterday. However, here is a picture of the trailer that Meghan is dying to ride in.

Moments 4, 5, & 6

Moment #4:  Despite my constant reminders that, "We only put stickers on paper" she has the ability to express her free agency...a free agency that sometimes gets her in hot water.

Moment #5:  When she tells me that she is mad and going to tell her daddy on me, the knowledge that her father and I present a united front...despite the miles that separate us, I am not doing this alone.

Moment #6:  The quiet opening of my bedroom door in the morning, the heavy breathing of a little girl battling a cold and allergies, the jostling of the bed as she climbs up via the cedar chest, the THUMP of her diving onto me, embracing me in a hug and saying, "Mommy I wakey now!"

Cowboy Logic

While we were in Colorado last weekend (Memorial Day weekend), Phillip and I had the opportunity to go out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. Not being fancy folk we went to a casual steak house, Salt Grass. It was a relaxing dinner with great company and wonderful food, made even better knowing that our daughter was being tended to by loving family members. (I have an extremely difficult time trusting outsiders "non-family" to tend her. Unless it is at the CDC on base, they are regulated and watched pretty good. Seriously, have you ever walked in to any CDC and seen all the monitors?!)

Anyhoo...back to my topic. I noticed on the wall a great quote that I wrote down because I intend to use it in my email signature.

Cowboy Logic:
"Be sure to taste your words before you SPIT them OUT!"

As a favorite comedian of ours is known to say; "I had to tell you that story to tell you this story."

I really struggled whether or not to share this, but decided that since I am still chewing on this one almost five days later that it would probably help to get it off my chest.

Thursday as I was leaving the aquatic center after a good workout I was red faced and sweat drenched. Walking to my car I passed a young family of four. The little boy asked his overweight father, "Daddy why is her face so red?"

The father responded, "She is so big it was probably a workout just to climb the stairs to get to the treadmills" while laughing and elbowing his overweight spouse.

Some who have known me for years will find it hard to believe that I didn't stop and give this gentleman a tongue lashing. I was too mortified! In the days since I have run the full spectrum of emotions.

After the initial shock wore off I was embarrassed. Yes embarrassed, because I am that fat chick you see in gyms with all the body parts that jiggle like a bowl of jelly with every step. Then I was infuriated! How dare somebody who is in the same boat as me as far as being heavy make such a comment. Surely they must have felt the sting of such comments before! And what kind of example are they setting for their children? In stewing over the situation I have tried to put myself in his shoes. What would I have said to Meghan had she posed such a question? I feel rather confidant that I would have said something along the lines of, "She just had a really great workout." After the anger subsided the self doubt tried to settle in, but as I am proud of my accomplishment it didn't last long. I know that what I am doing today will better my future so I will not stop. Finally the pride set in. I am proud of my reaction. I could have unleashed a fury on that man, but then I would have felt guilty later and would have had to repent of my unChristlike actions. I am proud that even though I jiggle when I wiggle I still put on my workout gear and give it my all. I am proud of the subtle changes I am seeing in my body and in my attitude. Still...there is a bit of anger.....I am working on that....

Cowboy logic to live by...taste those words before spitting them out, if they are bitter or nasty tasting to you, imagine how they feel to the person receiving them....

Have you?

Have you ever worked out so hard you wanted to PUKE? That was me today! Suppose that is what I get for opening my big yap about feeling like I could jog longer the other day.

This morning was a busy morning of run here, run there, run every where. Meghan had to be to the Child Development Center at 8:45 because I had a dentist appointment at 9:40. So I take her on base, then make a dash to the dentist's office. Only it didn't take me the twenty minutes I thought it would, so I was 35 minutes early to my appointment. And my prize for being early? You guessed it I got to wait and my appointment started fifteen minutes late. After being tortured, oh I mean having my teeth cleaned I made a dash to the mall for my next appointment.

My hair...I went from having an adorable angled bob all last fall until just after Miss M's birthday to SHORT hair. I HATED (did I mention I HATED) my haircut. The stylist and I were obviously on two different pages and NOT speaking the same language. I spent the last six weeks debating whether to grow it out or own my short locks. My epiphany came while indulging in my guilty pleasure, "Real Housewives of New Jersey." (I like them all, but New York is my absolute fav!) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Caroline's short hair, I LOVE the color too...but the last time I went red it wasn't pretty. I decided to OWN my short hair. So today I went to a local Aveda Salon and had my monstrosity fixed. I LOVE my new cut. It is SHORT, but that is okay, I am OWNING it, I will WORK it. The stylist had it styled so fun and spiky, but I had to take a shower when I got home...so what you see is my styling. This style is so quick and easy to do!

After the mall I decided that since the CDC had Meghan scheduled until 2:30 I would take full advantage of it and go to the gym. This is where the puking comes in. Today was workout number two of the couch to 5K training. The first one was easier than expected, this one...not so much. I started with the five minute warm-up. Then I transitioned into the 20 minutes of 60/90 intervals, 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking. After about the third running interval I just wanted to quit but I held on. By the sixth running interval I was feeling the burn, not just in my legs but everywhere. By the time I finished I felt like I could easily worship at the thrown of the almighty porcelain god. Just the thought of sipping my water has my head spinning.

Hobbling to the car I begin the dash home to shower and change before heading back on base to pick Meghan up from the CDC. Once home I have a few minutes to lay on my bed and sip G2(low calorie Gatorade). My quick shower felt awesome, but was just that. Thankfully my new "do" took literally less than five minutes to fix, got dressed and out the door.

Four hours after my workout my calves and ankles smart a bit. I have a feeling the pain is going to get a lot worse before it gets better...thank goodness tomorrow is an off day for 5K training...I think Meghan and I will just walk to the park for exercise instead.

Couch to 5K

Today was my proverbial Monday. You know, "I'll start that diet on Monday" or "I'll start exercising on Monday." While I have been exercising fairly regularly since I was approved to start exercising after being banded, today I started training to run a 5K. Why is that significant you ask? Because today is the first time I have run for any significant amount since I played volleyball as a Junior in High School. That was back in 1990 people! So yes, it has been almost TWO decades since this lazy bum has run for anything but life saving measures.

Not sure which organized 5K will be my first real race. But I can tell you this;

1. I will be ready to run a 5K in about 2 months (9 weeks if I follow the plan to the T)
2. I will finish the race, but will most likely be last.
3. I will be proud of my accomplishment.

The first week of the couch to 5K plan is to run 60 seconds and then walk for 90 seconds for 20 minutes. I thought before I started that I would DIE before my 60 seconds were up. Before I knew it, the 60 seconds were up and I was feeling like I could go for another 30 seconds, but I knew that was setting myself up for failure. Meaning, I wouldn't have been able to keep that up for the full 20 minutes. I successfully completed my first day of training...here's to 26 more training sessions!

Husbands!

Hero has decided that he needs to lose 5 to 10 pounds. He has also decided that the way to do this is to do PT five days a week instead of three. Because of this he has a night time ritual of packing his PT bag before he goes to bed. Tonight we had an interesting conversation.

Hero: Have you done any laundry this week? (As he trips over the mounding laundry basket that I asked him to carry down the two flights of stairs three days ago.)

Mama: No. All the laundry was done by your mom before she left on Tuesday. Why?

Hero: No reason. (As he is rummaging through his sock drawer obviously looking for something. Then proceeds to trip over that basket, again.)

Mama: You are obviously looking for something, how can I help you?

Hero: It's okay. I bet that basket is all the laundry and is waiting for me.

Mama: Yes, how much do you think that basket weighs? (I ask this to see if he will catch a hint)

Hero: More than you should be carrying right now. But don't worry about it. (He says this as he begins to dig through the basket for a suitable pair of running socks, sniffing as he goes. Ewww)

So where is that basket almost three hours later you ask? Still waiting by the bed. That is where it will probably stay until I can lift it.

Liquid torture

While the adjustable gastric band does not have the malabsorption problems(and benefits) of gastric bypass, you still need to take a multi-vitamin daily as you just won't be eating as much as before the surgery. I got to thinking about the daily vitamin I was taking in pill form. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to swallow that large pill for awhile, I decided to find a liquid vitamin I could take. Looking at several store I soon realized that liquid multi-vitamins do not contain as much calcium as I would need. This lead me to a local health food store to see what they offer.

Last Friday I walked into the local health food store and straight to their vitamin section. Quickly I found the liquid vitamins. They had so many to chose from I didn't know where to begin. An employee approached me asking if there was anything she could help me find. After I explained that I was preparing for bariatric surgery, she told me that she was a gastric bypass patient five years ago. She showed me the vitamin she uses. When I asked her about the calcium thing, she also showed me a good liquid calcium.
Once home I opened the vitamins. Not sure what I was expecting, but I was rather surprised by the most unusual shade of green and blown away by the smell. The bottle says citrus flavored, that is an interesting way to describe the flavor. Recommended dosage is to take two tablespoons daily. That afternoon I swallowed two tablespoons, chased rather quickly with a huge glass of water. Taking it this way won't work after surgery as the most I should drink at one time is 1 ounce. I would have to find another way.

The bottle says that the vitamin can be mixed with water, juice or smoothie. So the next day I mixed the vitamin with an 8 ounce glass of water. This was even worse than the day before because now I had 8 ounces of nastiness to swallow instead of just under 2 ounces. Hero told me to just "chug it." I told him that I shouldn't get into the habit of "chugging it" because after srgery that wouldn't be an option. Two small sips later I decided to chug it and go back to taking it straight like the day before.

Sunday morning I took it straight. With my eyes watering, mouth rebelling, and nose burning I decided that I HAD to find another way.

Today I mixed my lunch protein shake; 32 ounces of raspberry lemonade crystal light with one scoop of unflavored whey protein. I thought, how about if I added my vitamin to this. While this makes the lemonade an interestingly nasty color, at least the vitamin is now palatable.

Thankfully the liquid calcium is tolerable....once you get over the chalky texture. If anyone out there knows of a liquid multivitamin that has at least 100% of all vitamins and tastes good please let me know!

Sad day

Do you have a pair of jammies that you just LOVE? I have several pairs, some are new, some are old, most are worn and comfortable.

Here is one of my all time favorites;
I have had these jammies for at least 14 years. They are worn and soft. They have seen me through years of fluctuating weight and a growing pregnant belly. These jammies have seen me through illness, death in the family, and long separations from Hero. Sadly the elasctic in the waistband had finally given out. I tried a clothes pin, I tried a safety pin....in the end I had to give up and bid them a fond adieu and send them to jammie heaven.

With tears in my eyes I put them in the trash. Now I wish I would have saved them to cut up for rags or a quilt.

Ring phone, ring...

Today at about 2pm the phone finally rang. Seriously, the phone has been in working order but I was waiting for a phone call from the surgeon's office.

I am dancing for joy to be one step closer to being a banded lady! March 3, 2009 will be the first day of a very new life for me.

The lady who does the schedules asked me which band I wanted. Realize band seems to be the band for me. It offers an on-line support system for me to utilize on top of the support offered by my surgeon's practice. Having a lower port profile also appealed to me. I know that I will NEVER be super skinny, and NEVER will be seen in a bikini, but a lower profile port appeal still appeals to me.

For all you other bandsters out there that read my blog; were you given a choice on bands? Which did you chose and why?

Are You a Procrastinator?

If someone to ask me that, I would have to say yes on account of all the unfinished projects I have throughout the house.

This is what the quiz determined...really not news to me.

You Are a Bit of a Procrastinator

You tend to get things done in a timely manner, but you can't help but put off tasks you hate. You have no problem getting the fun or easy stuff done. You generally enjoy taking care of responsibilities. However, if a task arises that you dislike, it might get shelved for a long time. And even though it's human nature to procrastinate, your procrastination is hindering your productivity. Take a look at the things you are putting off doing. Do they really need to be done? Complete any task that's important. The other stuff you're procrastinating is probably not worth doing.

Are You a Procrastinator?

Protein shakes

I debated where to post this...here or on my recipe blog...decided that since I am blogging my journey towards WLS here, this is the place to put it.

Along with a certain phone company being run by satan, I have decided that he is also the creator of that horrible after taste in protein shakes. On my journey towards WLS I decided last month that while I am waiting for surgery, now would be the time to find a protein shake or two, more if I was so lucky, that I can tolerate. I have tried many brands, and many flavors. Funky after taste I have learned is par for the course, some much worse than others, but none that I really thought, "Wow I can drink this everyday for at least two weeks."

As fate would have it, I stumbled upon my answer in a dream. Yes, you read that right a dream. Flavorless whey protein powder seems to be the way to go for me. I mix one heaping scoop with my favorite Crystal Light. There is still a slight flavor, and you can't get around the smell....but so far it is the protein shake I can handle.

Next experiment.....no-sugar added Chocolate Nesquick, skim milk, and flavorless whey protein, as I am still looking for something tolerable in the chocolate family.

I'll have to let you know how that goes...until then it is bottom's up to my protein enhanced Crystal Light.

Trolling

While trolling the web for digiscrap freebies this morning I came across this challenge to scrap the number one song from an important event; your birth, the birth of your child, your wedding, etc. So I go to the website they linked to find the number one song from when I was born.

Let me tell you that I chuckled when I saw just how appropriate it was! They listed Paul Anka's "(You're)Having my Baby" as the number one song during the week of my birth! So I HAD to hear this song. What do you do when you want to hear something, or what do I do? I youtubed it.

This was the number one song the week of my birth;

What is in a word?

Your Word is "Fearless"

You see life as your one chance to experience everything, and you just go for it! You believe the biggest risk is being afraid and missing out on something amazing. Sometimes your fearlessness means you're daring. You enjoy risky activities. And sometimes your fearlessness means you're courageous. You're brave enough to do the right thing, even when it's scary.

What's Your Word?

EGD

Today I had my EGD. This time it was drastically different than the first one. I was awake! last time it was an emergency EGD to see if I had food stuck in the esophagus so they had to use the larger endoscope in order to remove any obstructions and to take biopsies. Today's EGD was just a quick look see to find out if I have a hiatal hernia before my WLS. I do have a small hiatal hernia, which makes sense with my GERD, that the surgeon will fix when he does my banding.

So now we just wait for the surgeon's office to submit the request for approval of my surgery, and for the insurance company to approve the surgery.

One step closer to a healthier me....

I Broke Miss M

Today I "broke" Miss M. Okay, not literally, but it was a rough morning nonetheless. The morning started out great. Then Miss M decided that she DID NOT want to go "bye-bye", she enforced her views on the issue by using her favorite word repeatedly, "no."

While holding her right hand I was helping her walk down the five steps from the main level into the family room so that we could leave through the garage. I was probably half way down the steps when she, standing on the top decided she wasn't going to walk anymore. You know that famous toddler trick that leads to you holding on to the hand of a dangling child. She started crying, but it wasn't any different from her normal protest cry. I put her in the car seat and then return to the family room to get Emma as our first errand was to drop her off at the groomers.

Miss M fussed off and on all the way to the groomers, Emma whined, it wasn't a pleasant trip. I still did not think Miss M was hurt, just mad that mommy was making her go when she'd rather stay home and antagonize the cat. However, when I went to get her out of the car seat at the groomers she let out a blood curdling scream. This was when I noticed that her right arm was limp at her side. Something was horribly wrong with my baby!

Quickly I got Emma checked into the groomers and left to make the trek through the nasty winter weather to get Miss M to the clinic on base. All the while she is crying because she hurts, I am crying because I don't know how to make it better, and am going over and over the morning's events to try to figure it out. She has done that dangling toddler trick numerous times because we make her hold a hand when in parking lots, what was so different this time. Finally I decide that the elevation change between us due to the steps must have been enough to dislocate something. I KNEW that her arm wasn't broken because her bones are still so pliable that it would have taken major force to break the bones.

After what seems like forever we finally make it to the clinic. My cell phone only has enough power for one call. I call Hero, I barely got the words, "Something is wrong with Miss M's arm" out before I broke down in sobs. He asked where I was, I told him the clinic on base, he assured me that he would be there in a minute. I gingerly take Miss M out of her car seat and take her inside, praying the whole way that I won't slip in the ice and slush and that they will see her and not refer me off base. Our base only has a clinic, even though there is access to radiology and a lab, they can not handle traumas.

Once I explained the situation to the receptionist she told me that I should have taken Miss M to the ER because they can not do casting. I explain to her that I know her arm is not broken, but that she needs to be seen because something is obviously wrong. She tells me that she doesn't have an appointment until 3pm, but will see if they can "squeeze" her in. The receptionist disappears into the clinic, but quickly returns to tell me that they will squeeze us in as soon as they can. Miss M and I take a seat in the lobby, shortly thereafter my HERO arrives. Just the sight of him strengthens me.

About 15 minutes later a med tech comes out to look at Miss M's arm. She thinks that Miss M may have "Nursemaid's Arm", basically a dislocated elbow. Apparently this happens to A LOT of toddlers. She sends us to the radiology department for x-rays and then tells us when we get back to check back in to the desk so that they take us back to be seen.

We gather up all our gear; my purse, Miss M's diaper bag, water, Hero's hat and gloves, and jackets all around. Once in the radiology department it is time to hurry up and wait again. Finally, Miss M is called back. Hero takes her. He used to be an x-ray technician before he became a Logistics Readiness Officer, so we knew he would be able to hold Miss M in the positions they needed. I sat in the waiting room listening to my precious baby SCREAM in pain, tears running down my cheek.

Miss M's first x-ray

Back to the clinic we trek, only this time we are quickly taken to the back. While they are taking Miss M's vitals we notice that her elbow isn't as swollen as it was and slowly she is starting to use that arm again. By the time the doctor joined us Miss M was lifting my purse with that arm and was her happy self again. The x-rays showed no fracture, just as I thought. Doctor explained that he likes to get films on these cases before he starts manipulating the arm to insure there are no fractures, makes perfect sense to us. The three of us concurred that when Hero was manipulating her arm to get it into position for the x-rays he reduced the dislocated joint.

Now Miss M is back to her happy self and there are no signs of her traumatic morning. I broke her, her daddy fixed her. This experience gave me a glimpse of the pain Heavenly Father must feel when we are hurting. Children are our greatest treasure, our greatest pleasure, and our greatest educator.

Need to catch up....

My, last week was a flurry of activity as I prepared to have family over on Saturday. You know how that goes, clean, clean, clean, and then clean some more. Why is it that whenever we are going to have company we clean super crazy, and clean the things we KNOW NOBODY is going to even see?

Okay so,

Hump Day Hi/Lo:
Hi: Last Wednesday my high was having my initial consult for WLS the next day
Lo: Low was that my WLS consult was the next day.

Not sure why I fretted over it. I'll go into detail about the appointment a little later in this post.

Grateful Friday:
Last week I was grateful;

1. My in-laws are so willing to help out. I love the fact that I have relatives in the area to take Miss M to if I need to go to an appointment. I will miss that when we have to move again.
2. For the opportunity to invite family over and enjoy their company. I have missed having family around, now that they are I intend on enjoying their company often.
3. My husband...there are no words that would do justice for the way I feel about him. But this week he has stood beside me, and behind me to catch me, as I loaded my proverbial plate way past mounding.
4. Miss M, she truly is a special heavenly spirit. Life is so much better with her in it.
5. My home, it is my safe haven from a chaotic world.
   

Family:
Saturday we had family over for dinner and it was so WONDERFUL to enjoy everyone's company. Hero made chili, we had rice, corn muffins, and tossed salad. There were yummy appetizers and desserts as well. Hero's parents brought his grandma Rowley with them, his brother and sister-in-law brought their three daughters. And we had one of his cousins and her husband. Our home was full of laughter, the sound of children playing, and the LOVE of FAMILY. I have missed and yearned for that for so long. When stationed at RAF Lakenheath we had his aunt nearby, and loved being near her. It wasn't until we moved away that we truly appreciated having her and her family near. Having learned our lesson, while stationed here in Utah, near family I intend on taking full advantage of it, fill my cup to overflowing so to speak.

WLS:
Thursday I had my initial consult with the surgeon and his team. I met with a dietitian, exercise physiologist, psychologist, insurance specialist, and the surgeon. Needless to say it was a long morning of "hurry up and wait". I really need to LEARN to LISTEN to the promptings of the HOLY SPIRIT! Something told me as I was rushing out the door to take my book, I thought to myself, "You won't have time to read!"

I went to this appointment hoping that the process for having a surgery date would be quick, but not so quick that I would be miserable for the holiday. By miserable I mean, doped up on pain meds, not missing out on all the food. I feel for the first time in my life that I am so over that eating until your jeans split open and you feel so sick because you ate too much. Well it doesn't seem like it will be that quick for me. My blood work came back great, I am as healthy as an ox, only I am as big as an ox. However, I have a LARGE umbilical hernia. The surgeon feels that it would be more harmful to fix it now and feels that I will have nothing but problems with it. He says it is better for me to loss the weight and then fix that hernia. What is slowing things up is that he wants to see if I have a Hiatal Hernia because of my GERD before surgery. He needs to perform an EGD to see if I have a Hiatal Hernia. The soonest he has an opening to do that is on,
January 6, 2009.

This means that I will not be miserable for the holidays. They will not submit my paperwork for approval for the Lap-band until after the EGD is performed. Once my paperwork is submitted, the insurance specialist said it takes two to three weeks to be approved or denied. My best guesstimate is the soonest I will have surgery is the first part of February. I told Hero last week that I am so afraid that I will have come this far, and am prepared, but will be denied by the insurance company. Oh well, guess we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Ouchie

So, I have made it no secret that I HATE going to the dentist. Last week I had to go TWICE! My original appointment was on Tuesday at 11am. However, I ended up waiting over thirty minutes because the patient ahead of me ended up needing more time to fix their problem. That meant that the dentist wouldn't have time to do all that I needed done.

Unfortunately, one of my teeth that needed to be worked on was my #20 molar, that's the one in the far, upper back on the left side. I have a small mouth, and the dentist has big hands....this is what happens when that is the case.

This picture really doesn't do justice to how it looks and feels. I feel like I have been split from my lip to my ear. Okay that might be a slight exaggeration. Frustrating thing is that this particular tooth needs more work...so I fear once again I will find myself with a split lip after going to the dentist.

Woe is me....

What a Big Wuss!

Today I had to face one of my biggest fears; the dentist's chair. I can handle nearly losing the tip of my finger in a stand up mixer, smashing all ten of my toes when trapped in a cafeteria bench collapse, being pinned under a 600 pound ATV, giving birth to an eight pounder(that only "smarted a bit"). What I can not handle is the pain of sitting in a dentist's chair.


I so loathe going to the dentist that I put it off for three years. And what did that get me? Nothing but more time in the chair next month! Why do I do this to myself? Am I am masochist? If I had only been less of a wuss, pulled up my big girl panties and gone to the dentist every six months like a normal person.....

Oh well, no time like the present for pulling up them big girl panties!

ABC's of me

Have you ever wondered who you are? Take a trip of self discovery by doing the ABC's of you....here are the ABC's of me. The ABC's of Lynn Adaptable, Air Force Wife, Army Brat, Auntie Barefooted, Book Reader Christian, Conservative Dependable, Daughter Easily perplexed Friend Gracious, Granddaughter Half of a dynamic duo Imperfect, Independent On a great Journey, Joker Kindhearted Lass, Latter Day Saint Mommy, Mischievous Non-Conformist, Niece Obstinate Pet owner Quirky Respectful, Republican Spunky, Sister Traditional Loves Unconditionally Voluptuous Witty, Wife eXpert shopper Young at heart Zany

WLS Saga Continues....

You would not believe what it has been like to schedule a surgical consultation! And I still don't have one. I called the surgeon TriWest listed on the referral. He nor the other surgeon in the office do that surgery. So then I called four other surgeons in the area. The fourth call told me that the only place in the area that did that surgery was the University of Utah Bariatric Unit. I liked the sound of that because before I was just calling general surgeons, and liked the idea of seeing someone who specializes in bariatric surgeries. Called the Triwest phone number on my referral, the lady that I spoke to said that I would have to wait to see if they would let me go out of network since the University of Utah is not a participating provider or if they would want me to go out of state. When I told Hero that he thought it would be best if I did have to go out of state, and could go to Colorado Springs. His thought process was that it would be easier to recover with out having to worry about a toddler who wouldn't understand why mommy couldn't pick her up for a few days. The next day I got a phone call from Triwest saying that they denied my request to be seen out of network since there were qualified providers in the area. So I asked who that was and got contact information. Turns out that there is at least one other bariatric center in Salt Lake City. When I called the Surgical Weight Loss Center of Utah I was told that they would not schedule an appointment until I attended one of their seminars. That threw me for a loop for about 30 seconds. Once I found out that it was free I recovered. So now I am scheduled to attend their next seminar in the area on November 18th......I feel like one step forward, half step back....but still making progress.  Lynn