It's Me - Hi!

 Disclosure -"The information provided on this blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.  I am not responsible for any actions taken or decisions made based on the content of this blog;   Always seek the advice of a qualified professional for any specific questions or concerns.  This blog is a personal opinionated blog and doesn't reflect the opinions of any organizations I may be affiliated with."

I thought I'd tell you a little bit about who I am, what I love, what I struggle with and why I have chosen to better my life through bariatric (weight loss) surgery.  Please be sure you have read the above disclaimer and understand that I am in no way a professional and am sharing my journey in an effort to support others and build community.

Hello!   I'm Emilee :-).   

If you already know me, welcome back!   And if you are new to my blog, thanks for checking me out and taking time to get to know me,

I mentioned in my first post that I was born 12 weeks prematurely.   That caused many health issues that continue to this day.   Sometimes they throw me, but, for the most part, I tend to roll with the punches.

Childhood was pretty normal and mostly happy.   I was an only child until I was 8 and then my brother, Austin, was born.   When we were younger having an 8 year age difference seemed like a century.   It was rough at times.   But we made it through and the older we have become - the more we are understanding of each other and very supportive of each other and our families.

I absolutely adored school - I still love learning.   My mom always told me if I could have been a student my entire life, I probably would be!   But you know, there is that pesky thing called tuition that seems to get more expensive as every year goes by.  But I am thankful for my primary and secondary education and very proud that I do hold a Bachelor of Business Administration emphasis in Health Services Administration from Davenport University in Caledonia, Michigan.   I also obtained my CPC (Certified Professional Coder) certification and CPB (Certified Professional Biller) certification through AAPC in 2021 and 2022 respectively.   I am hoping to begin my RCMS (Revenue Cycle Management Specialist) credentialing through AAPC in January 2026.

Being a student was easy peasy for me.   But being in school with my peers wasn't always clear cut.   I guess if I had to put a name to groups of children - I wasn't popular but I wasn't unpopular either.   I fell somewhere in the middle.   I was bullied quite badly especially in late elementary school and middle school.   I can remember coming home and crying the biggest tears just being so upset.   I constantly compared my body to my peers and I was naturally just a "bigger boned" girl.   I guess maybe you could call it "husky" too - which was a term used back then as well.   I wasn't overweight but I also was no where near a size zero.   And I had big feet!   So that part of school was really tough for me.  I am very thankful that there wasn't social media back then!

In 7th grade my parents divorced.   Things at home hadn't been well at all and there was constant fighting between Mom and Dad.   My Dad wasn't home a lot as he was a beef farmer, auctioneer and purchased beef cattle for the consumer market.   He tended to make it to school events that were a little more relevant to him - marching band during football or downhill skiing in the winter.   Obviously he made it to high school and college graduations - but not a whole lot of other functions.   That was unfortunate for both of us.   Mom and my Grandma stepped in a lot during these functions.   But no one really replaces your dad.

But I can tell you the day my dad actually moved out/left the house for good.   He peeled out of the driveway in his red truck and I just sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.   I was so heart broken and angry at how in the world MY parents could do this.   Now I was going to be the student in middle school with the asterisk (*) by my name indicating my parents were divorced/separated.   I only remember seeing that astrisk by a handful of other students during my time at my middle school.

I remember having to move with Mom to a town about 15 minutes away.   I had to move to a different school system.   I had to leave all of my friends that had been with me since Kindergarten.   That was difficult.   Heartbreakingly difficult.   And although I was a mere miles away - it seemed like an ocean away to me.   But, eventually I made new friends at Grandville Middle School and had an enjoyable 8th grade year.   

I am going to pause my life story there for today to bring you some updates regarding my bariatric program.

I spoke on the phone with my coordinator this morning and I meet with the dietician tomorrow.  I also meet with the exercise specialist and behavioralist next week.   I have my pre op clearance the first week of April.   So things are starting to move along.

I have to go through all of these appointments so that there is sufficient documentation for the prior authorization they are sending to my insurance carrier.   I also will have to have an EGD done.   This is a procedure where they put a scope down your esophagus into your stomach and the very beginning of your intestines to check for any issues.   The biggest thing they need to check for is if I have a hiatal hernia.   If I do, then that will also be fixed during my surgery.   I do have an issue with EGD and Colonoscopies - I am a very difficult sedater.   So typically I require MAC anesthesia for these procedures.   So I am assuming that I'll be hearing from that time to discuss this more in depth.   But for now I don't have an appointment set up for this.

So that's where we are at for todays update.

Go out and stand on the grass/ground with no shoes on and feel the energy and the connection in grounding yourself.

Emilee