Decisions Made and Date is Set

So last Thursday morning I called my doctor to let them know that I would be doing the duodenal switch instead. (Guess I need to change the name of the blog, huh?) A few days delay to get the insurance approval for the new procedure and Monday I got the call. See the doctor at 10:30 on Wednesday.

So yesterday I went in. Stepped on the scale and I had lost 1 lb since the visit the previous week. I spent some time waiting for the doctor. Just as he was coming in, he got a page for a consultation in the OR. Wait a little longer. Finally he comes in and we talk. I just had a few questions for him:

1. Not that I plan on it anytime soon, but later on down the line, what if I want to have a child? I should not have any problems as long as I talk all the necessary vitamins.

2. Will my tastes change. To some extent yes.

He made sure that I knew all the risks and some side effects. He looked at my stomach as he talked of the procedure. I told him that I had several co-workers who said they would go on the pre-op diet with me. He laughed and said that they probably wouldn't make it. He told me to go on the 2 week diet instead of the 3 week. He left and in came in the dietian.

We talked about the pre-op and post-op diet. Since I'm having the DW instead of the bypass it means a quicker time to eating normal food. Yipee.

After talking to her, in came the assistant to schedule the surgery. August 23rd. I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 am. Surgery will be around 7:30 am and should take about 3 hours. I'll spend roughly 4 days in the hospital.

August 9th is the day I start the pre-op diet. August 11th I go in for pre-admission testing, including having to drink that nasty chalky shit so they can get pictures of my upper GI. Couldn't get through it before, doubt I will be able to again, but we'll see.

So that's it for now. I need to start stocking up on my protein shakes and Lean Cuisine's. Thank God for the sugar-free Popsicles!

Dr visit requires some thinking

I yesterday I met with my surgeon. I was November 2009 since I last saw him. As I had mentioned, I have gained a few pounds since I last saw him. Like 30 pounds. When we sat down and talked he asked what surgery I was considering. I said Gastric Bypass. I also mentioned that I wanted to get down to 200 pounds.

That's where things came to a halt. He asked if I had considered the duodenal switch procedure. He told me that if I had the gastric bypass that I would probably lose about 130 pounds and the rest would be up to me alone.

If I had the duodenal switch, I would be able to lose the weight that I want to lose and be able to maintain the loss.

My other choice would to have the gastric sleeve procedure, then a year and a half to 2 years when I level off, and if the insurance would approve it, I could then have the bypass to get me the rest of the way.

We spent 25 minutes in office talking about options. We checked with the insurance specialist and my new insurance would cover both the switch or the sleeve.

I kept saying that "I want to get down to 200 pounds". At the end of the visit he told me that since I had said that I wanted to get to 200 pounds 3 times since we were talking, that I had probably already decided, but he wanted me to take some time to think things over. He gave me an online class about the sleeve and switch procedures. Last night I watched them. In talking with friends and family, I pretty much decided in telling them about it, but I still took the time to think about it.

Once I made up my mind, I was told to call the office to let then know my decision and we would proceed from there.

I called this morning to tell them that I want to do the switch procedure. The insurance specialist told me that they would let the insurance company know and get approval for the change. Once they get the okay from the insurance company, they would schedule 1 more appointment with the surgeon to go over the specific surgery and then schedule the actual surgery. So I am now back in waiting mode.

I am hoping that since it only took a week for the insurance company to approve the initial surgery, that it won't take long for them to approve the change.

Then the other kicker is that the doctor said he might put me on a 3 week liquid diet instead of a 2 week one because I had gained the additional 30 pounds. Oh goody. So right now I am looking at the middle to end of August for my surgery, all depending on when the change gets approved and how quickly I can see the doctor for that last pre-surgery appointment.

and so the waiting continues.......

Yahoo!

So today I got the good news. The insurance has approved my surgery. It's not that I doubted that I would get approved, it was a matter of when.

I talked with the insurance person at the specialists office the day after may appointment with my primary. It was then that I found out that the specialist was out for the majority of July and that the insurance company has 30 days to approve or deny the surgery.

Last Tuesday, July 6th I had gotten an email from the insurance specialist telling me that they had gotten the notes from the primary about the mandatory 6 months visits and that they would submit it to the insurance company.

This morning I sent an email asking if they had heard anything yet. She said it was on her list to call the insurance company and she would keep me posted.

At 9:30 am I had gotten another email from her telling me that my case was still under review and hopefully it wouldn't be much longer but she would let me know when she heard.

At 10:30 am my phone at work rang and it was her telling me that she had gotten the okay from the insurance company and to schedule the appointment with the specialist. I had a choice of 7/21 or 7/28 for the appointment. Uh, I've been waiting since September of last year, do you really think I want to wait until the 28th? Hell no! So next Wednesday I see the specialist.

That should mean all I have is the 2 week liquid diet and then the surgery.

As I told my friends at work, I kept getting the same question, Are you nervous? Hell no! I'm more in "Oh Shit" mode. Oh Shit, there is a lot I need to get done at work so my coworkers aren't left with a mess while I'm gone. Oh shit, I really haven't started buying the necessary stuff to get ready for the 2 week liquid diet and the post surgery diet.

But as far as the actual surgery, BRING IT ON! I am so ready to find the skinny person inside.

So soon I will take the pre-surgery pictures, but I'm going to enjoy taking the post-surgery plateau point pictures more. ;o)

Now the Waiting Begins

I have had my last visit with my PCP. Now the waiting begins. Waiting for my PCP to send his notes to the specialist. Waiting for the specialist's office to call to schedule an appointment. Waiting for the surgery to be scheduled.

On my last visit, my PCP and I were talking about the surgery and my reasons for having it. My knee pain, my newly diagnosed foot pain, the heart disease that runs in the family, the cancer that runs in the family.

I knew that those were all good reasons to have the surgery. All reasons to improve my health.

Today I found out a co-worker died yesterday. He was 46 years old. To my knowledge he wasn't on any medicine. He wasn't overweight. He didn't smoke. He didn't drink to excess. He did leave behind a wife and 2 young daughters under the age of 6. Gone in an instant.

If that doesn't provide me with yet another reason to have the surgery to improve my health, I don't know what does. But his death does prove that when it is your time to go, there is nothing that can be done to stop it.

God bless him and his family and may he rest in peace.

In 2 months

I can't believe that in 2 months I should finally be starting on my weight loss journey. In December, July seemed so far away. Now it seems just around the corner.

I have so many things to do to try to get ready. I need to start buying the slim fast and protein powders. Start buying some books, cookbooks and regular to start mentally getting ready.

This Wednesday I have appointment #5 with my PCP. After I schedule #6 with the PCP I will call my gastric doctor and schedule the appointment with him. Hoping by mid July I will be undergoing the surgery to change my life forever.

I do plan on taking some pictures to post for the pre-surgery body....God help the world! I'll be looking forward to posting the after surgery pictures. I'm gonna be even happier to go to my favorite theme park, maybe as early as this fall, next summer and ride all those roller coasters my fat butt can't fit on now.

The journey is getting closer and I am getting more and more excited.

Update

So I have had doctor visit #4 with my primary doctor of the 6 visits that my new insurance requires before I can have the gastric bypass surgery.

Since I have started these monthly visits my weight has gone up. I am now at 413 according to my PCP's scale. So I could use the normal excuses....winter, busy.....etc

Let's be honest though, shall we? I just haven't really cared about watching what I eat at this point. So I've been eating whatever I want.

Ice cream, Cadbury mini eggs (my Easter favorite), Girl Scout cookies, etc.

I've got 2 more monthly visits with my primary doctor before I can schedule an appointment with the specialist. So as of right now, it appears that I am on track to have my surgery sometime in July I am guessing.

I can't wait for next summer!

Time away to come to acceptance

So after realizing that I was going to have to postpone my surgery due to lack of funds, it has taken a long time to get over the depression, the hurt, and the anger.

I am still dealing with the disappointment. I had all these "scenes" in my head. Me surprising my uppity aunts at the family reunion in July with my new skinnier self. Having a blast riding the roller coasters I've always wanted to ride but am too big to fit in the seats in at my favorite amusement park.

So the new year has dawned and so now I begin having to deal with the 6 month wait that is required with the new insurance.

After sending a copy of my new insurance card to the insurance specialist at the doctor's office, I discovered that all of the requirements that were required with the previous insurance (psych eval, 5 year history, meeting with the nutritionist) the only thing that I have to get/do is a 6 month doctor monitored weight loss "program" with documentation.

Since that is all I need I have booked the first appointment for Thursday. Hopefully the 6 months will go by as quickly as last year has gone.

My hope is that by July or August at the latest I will have my surgery and will start the fall of 2010 losing most of this weight.

Well, the journey is taking a little longer than I planned, but the journey is back on again.