First Doctor Visit

So today was the first visit with the Dr. This doctor seems to have the most patients and seems to have a very good success rate. One of the things I found interesting was it seems as several nurses and office staff seem to have had one form of weight loss surgery, with some pretty amazing results.

So after filling out paperwork, I got called back to fill out more paperwork and talk with the nurse before actually talking with the doctor. Of course there was the dreaded scale check. I have decided I like the scales in this doctor's office better than the scale in my PCP. According to the special scales, today I weighed 396. I knew I liked this scale! Of course I have been sick with a sinus infection so that may have something to do with it. That and the fact that I have not drank a full can of Pepsi since I got sick last week. All I have had is a few sips from the fountain soda machine at work. Not even a full glass!

So before the nurse left I told her that I was hoping to have the surgery by the end of the year due to a change in insurance. When the doctor came in he didn't give me a definite yes, we can get it done by the end of the year, but he did say that I should tell the lady who handles the insurance to save a space for me in December, which I of course forgot to do. I need to remember to email her.

It was interesting meeting the doctor. I guess I was a little different than most of his patients because I really didn't have any questions for him. I told him that most of the questions I had got answered at the support group meeting. There was something about his manner that I just couldn't quite put my finger on. It was almost as if he really didn't like being around fat people. He just seemed a little distant. Maybe it was me.

After about 15 minutes with the doctor it was time to move on. Next I met with the office dietitian. She gave me some information about the surgery to read and answered a couple of questions that I had concerning the pre-op/post-op diet. She did let me know that it would be about 6 months after surgery before I would be able to eat beef. Okay, I guess I can deal with that.

After talking with her for about 10 minutes, it was time to meet with the next consultation.

Time to talk with the exercise physiologist. Talk over what type of exercise I've done previously, what I like to do for exercise, what limitations I may have, etc...

After 10 minutes talking with him, it was time to leave. Before leaving I talked briefly with the insurance lady and got the questionnaire for the psychiatric evaluation. 340 questions that repeated themselves, just asking it a different way. One of the questions that was hard to answer was Do people annoy you? Well, let's see...are you talking about people in general, or the people that ask the stupid questions over the phone, or the co-workers who wait to the last minute to bring you something that they want you to drop everything you may be doing to work on their stuff? If the answer is yes, then hell yes they annoy me! How does an normal person answer that question? I answered some of the time.

So I answered the 340 questions to the best of my ability and turned it in. Now it's a waiting game to hear from the Psychiatrist to go over the questions.

The next step for me is to attend the 2nd support group meeting, follow up emails with the dietitian and exercise physiologist and push and prod my PCP to send in the proper paperwork so that I can meet with the doctor a final time to schedule the surgery in December.

So until then, it's reading over everything that I have gotten, take the online class and mentally prepare myself for this journey.