Wow, what a day! I had my first surgeon consult today and I was there for 2 hours...it flew by too...I was starving though and my stomach was rumbly and I was getting dizzy feeling, so that was kind of ironic lol. Overall it went well, however things will not be progressing as quickly as I had hoped, which is disappointing but not much else I can do. I guess I will go in order of the events so I don't leave anything out and so everything makes sense! So to start with, I ended up driving myself to the clinic since it was super close to my Dad's office which I do know how to get to..found it right away and was 10 mins early, so went in anyways. The clinic is in an office building which houses a dentist, plastic surgeon, and this bariatric center...(hilarious right...a total one-stop-shop!) The clinic itself was super nice and cozy and newer...I instantly felt comfortable and my nerves went away. The chairs were also super huge and plush, which I was like score, no more trying to squeeze my ass in a tiny hard plastic chair lol. The office staff ladies were really nice, and surprisingly one was obese, which I found to be semi-odd, because of the nature of her work..I figured she would utilize the facility, but obviously there is more to it than that. ( I blame my naive 23-year old thinking :) ) Anyways, they took all my forms and had me fill out that annoying HIPPA form...they were super impressed with how organized I was and how thorough I had filled everything out..I told them it was one beneficial thing I learned in school! I then waited for like 20 minutes, and the waiting room got pretty full...all women, who had just had surgery a few weeks ago. Then the nurse came to get me and weighed me with my clothes and shoes on..it was like upper 60's today but I made sure to wear jeans and a heavy sweater....and my official weight was...251! OMG I kind of felt depressed a little..I literally JUST weighed 243 like a week ago..I don't know if it was their scale, all my clothes, or what...but that increase is crazy. And my BMI is 42. But good from the standpoint of there is no weigh (ha!) my insurance can deny me based on my weight...so after that the nurse and I talked for awhile and she asked me some questions, collected my paperwork, and explained all the requirements I will need to do BEFORE the insurance paperwork is submitted for approval. I was under the impression that the meeting and the information she collected today would be submitted to the insurance...but I was wrong. So here's where the delay in this whole thing comes in.
First I guess I had better explain all the requirements. I need a physical therapy appointment, EKG, pulmonary function test (whatever that is..), psych evaluation, labwork & stool sample *yay* pooping in a cup.., 2 dietician meetings, 1 support group meeting, a support letter from my primary doctor, and diet records (6 month supervised diet requirement..) So going over all that, raised some issues. The first is that starting in 2009 I did a medically supervised weight loss program, which should count for the supervised diet requirement, but since it is semi-outdated, the nurse didn't know for sure. Well that wouldn't be a problem to wait and see, if they didn't want to get alllll these other requirements out of the way before submitting it all to my insurance. Which wouldn't be a problem also if my deductible wasn't $6,000 and it is approaching the end of the year...but, unfortunately it is. So I asked her what she thought and she said she couldn't guarantee I would be able to get all these tests done, insurance approval, and surgery done by the end of December, especially because the end of the year is very busy and the doctors are on vacation....so this is what I decided after I left for the day. First and foremost, I am going to have to postpone all the testing/requirements and surgery until after January 1, 2012. I financially can't take the risk that I would pay $6,000 toward testing, and then another $6,000 toward the surgery. I know it sucks to have to wait, but I figure I have lived with it this long I can wait some more time. I can get everything set up and scheduled now for after January 1, and then have something to look forward to. One nice thing is there is a central scheduler who schedules everything, so I don't need to call multiple people. The second thing I decided is since I will most likely have to wait till February/March anyways, I am going to get set up to do the 6-month supervised diet starting now. This way I won't risk the insurance denying me based on that, and since I have to wait anyways, I might as well accomplish something in the meantime. So that's my delay..it sucks but not much I can do! I have this awesome health insurance now (aside from the deductible, but hey my monthly premium is really low!) so I should take advantage of it, even if that means waiting longer than I had hoped.
Sooo anyways, back to what was discussed with meeting with the nurse. She first calculated my ideal weight based on my current weight, height, BMI, and bone structure..yes...she asked me what my bone structure was, and thinking I am a big girl I said large. Then she's like well can you wrap your hand around your wrist, which I could no problem..so she laughed and said I was small/medium. UHMM..what!? That means all this time I really AM fat, and can't use the big-boned excuse lol. Ok..sooo my ideal weight is..dun dun dun 130 FREAKING POUNDS! Are you kidding me?! That seems soo incredibly small! I don't think I have EVER weighed that in my teenage/adult life. I can't even imagine what I would look like at 5'5" at 130 lbs...that seems too skinny to me. Maybe that is my warped perception, but still...I mean I would be totally happy at 160-170! But hell, if that's ideal for me I am going for it. I would love to buy adorable clothes at that weight..no clue what the size would translate to..maybe 6-8??
So then after she got that all out of the way, she explained my options..the gastric sleeve isn't covered by my insurance, and the BPDD(I think it's called...not positive though) she said is too drastic for me..so basically it's between Realize Band & Roux en Y Gastric Bypass. So she explained each a little more in depth, and I asked a ton of questions...I told her I was leaning toward the Band more so she went over that a bit more and gave me more info on that, however, after meeting with both her and the surgeon and mulling it over, now I am leaning moreso toward the gastric bypass. So I need to def. think about it more, do more research, and read more blogs! The last thing she did was give me a Realize Band tote bag (I so will be carrying that on campus..not!) and took before pictures of me for their office. The entire office is filled with before and after photos on every wall. It was very inspiring!
So then I met with the surgeon. He was super nice, and made me feel really comfortable. He liked to talk and I didn't feel rushed at all! He also has a son who goes to the same college as me, and told me he has performed surgery on 5 other students who also go to the same college...which is funny since the college I go to is nowhere near this surgery center. He said since it is one of the best in the state people come from all over...he then assured me he would keep everything confidential, which I wasn't worried about but hey reassuring I guess. He first asked questions about my insurance, and then informed me that the insurance I am on doesn't cover fills or any follow-up care if I were to choose the Realize Band. He said I would have to enter into a two-year contract and self-pay for any followup care. That's fine honestly....I don't want the cost to make my decision for me. He then also mentioned that because of the insurance I have, the Realize Band essentially costs them money to perform (and all the additional support groups, hospital stay, etc.), and they don't make any money off of it. I was actually glad he told me this, because I was interested to see if he would try to sway me against the band...thankfully he didn't. He remained completely neutral and very informative, and didn't try to discourage me from that option at all. He then mainly focused on explaining specifics about the gastric bypass and band procedures, and answering some more questions of mine.
So what I learned (this is a semi-record for myself so I don't forget!):
-->Gastric bypass is more risky initially, but lap-band can have issues later on with band slippage, erosion, etc.
-->With GB for the first 6 months I may not be hungry at all, and some foods will completely repulse me because of the hormone changes in my stomach. This was something I didn't know..I kind of figured it would be like the band where you initially aren't hungry, but then after eating only liquids find yourself starving.
-->Based on my BMI if I chose the band, I would only have a 1 week liquid diet.
-->There is 1 night hospital stay for the band, 2-3 nights for the GB.
-->Recovery for GB is 3-4 weeks, Band is 1-2
-->GB I will lose the majority/all of my weight within the first year quickly, and then the next year it will be slower, and then that will be the end of the weight loss, and I may gain from there. Band will be a more slow and steady over 2-3 years.
--> I can travel and have babies with both.
-->I may see/feel the port with movement as I lose weight if I get the band..I guess I never really thought of this. Would it feel really weird doing crunches and feeling it??
-->I need to say goodbye to bread and pasta (my loves.) He didn't really specify for the GB, but for the band he said it would most likely get stuck..but I read a lot of people are able to eat that, so I guess its not a complete deal breaker.
--> Band requires check-ups/maintaining for life. GB requires checkups every year, but in the form of labwork rather than fills.
-->Both surgeries would require me to take supplements/vitamins, but it is more crucial to take them with GB.
-->The pain right after surgery is relatively similar for both.. (OK I don't believe this one..how can tying a band around your stomach be just as painful as stapling your stomach?!)
-->With GB sweets & high fat content foods can give me the runs & stomach pain. With the band, certain foods may cause me to get stuck, upchuck, etc.
-->The reoperation rate with GB is lower than with the band.
-->The mortality rate is higher with GB than with the band (this scares me to a point, but then I think if I keep gaining weight at the rate I am going, I will be dead long before my time anyways.)
Yeah..I learned a lot but probably left a lot out as well. It's hard to absorb everything! I should have recorded it...but I think I retained enough to make a decision with some more research. As it stands I am leaning more toward GB, however I haven't ruled the band out at all. Admittedly, part of the reason I am leaning toward GB moreso is the fact that I feel like I have so much weight to drop, that I am afraid it won't happen with the band. I know obviously it does thanks to the blogs I read, but I feel like it won't for me. Don't ask me why I think that way, I just do! I know both surgeries will require a major lifestyle change, in both diet and exercise, so its moreso the other details about each that I will need to use to make my decision. I was at first very very against GB because it is not reversible. However after thinking about it, if I went with the band, would I really choose to reverse it after I got it done? Probably not, unless there were other underlying health concerns. But even then, my weight I know would shoot back up, causing different health problems. The other thing I didn't think would bother me but after thinking about it more does, is the fact that there's a foreign object in my stomach...would I feel that port?? Ugh..I just wish I knew the answer lol. Maybe divine intervention will happen tonight while sleeping and it will just come to me. But until then, I need to think it through even more.
I appreciate everyone's comments and support, thank you. I read all of them, even if I don't respond! I still need to do that, just have been busy. If anyone could further spread the word and direct me to some other ladies who have had gastric bypass, I would very much appreciate it. I have been so band-focused that I haven't really learned as much as I should about GB. Hope you all have a wonderful week, I can't wait to catch up on all your blogs..and I apologize for the length of this one..I am actually kind of scared to press publish post, in fear my computer will say maximum length reached or something crazy :)
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Nervous & Excited for Tomorrow!
Well tomorrow is my first consult with the bariatric surgeon..I am super excited and nervous as well. Really excited the day is finally tomorrow because I remember back in August when I decided this, how far away September 15 felt, and then when I made this appointment around then, how far away Oct 3 felt! So finally it's here lol. I am afraid he's going to say something like you're young still, let's get you on a diet and get regular exercise before resorting to surgery..or something like that (no clue if they actually say that or not, but still a fear I have!) I just want it to all work out. I have a ton of paperwork to give them...all the forms they sent me, plus lab results, thyroid tests, stress test, ekg, echo, weight history...I don't even remember what else. They told me the appointment will take about 1 1/2 hrs tomorrow and they will discuss with me my surgery options and what they would reccommend for me, so that's all I know so far about what will be talked about! I am assuming he will ask me questions about my weight history and all that jazz as well. Soo hopefully everything goes well. My Dad is driving me just because its in a busy area that I am not familiar with, and I get anxiety when having to drive new places I haven't been before...but his office is located about 10 mins away so I told him he could just go to work and I'd call him when I am done. Soo that's that! I will post a blog about how it goes tomorrow :)
So I have a list of my own questions to ask the surgeon, but is there anything you would reccommend I ask, or any questions you wished you would have asked at your initial consult that you thought about later?
So I have a list of my own questions to ask the surgeon, but is there anything you would reccommend I ask, or any questions you wished you would have asked at your initial consult that you thought about later?
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
New Blog Design??
So I decided my blog looked too summery, so for the transition into Fall I decided to go with this orangey color...but where does everyone get the amazing backgrounds, fonts, pics, etc. for their blogs?? I really want to make mine pretty and fun, and get countdown tickers, etc..but have no idea where to start! I need to get some pictures up here too...any help would be much appreciated :)
Monday, September 26, 2011
Finished with Paperwork..and Negativity.
I finally finished the huge packet of paperwork I was sent for my consultation meeting, and called a bunch of different places to obtain all the medical records I am bringing in..it sounds like I don't need a 5 year weight history, or thyroid/EKG results but I am going to bring them all in anyways, because the more ammunition I have the less likely my insurance will deny me right?! I have to go pick those up later this week when I am back at home..I also had a hormone test done a few years ago that was in my medical file, so I called to get the results of that as well, because I am curious to see if anything is abnormal! So that is what's going on as of today!
I have been thinking about the Band a lot lately and what life will be like with it..specifically what eating will be like with it. Now that it is Fall, I indulge in some of my favorite Fall time treats like homemade banana bread, caramel apples, apple cider, homemade chicken noodle soup...lots of good tasting stuff...and it dawned on me that this could be the potentially last Fall I have some of these things.So that's what I want to ask you ladies with the band....can you still physically eat this kind of stuff if you chose to, or would it make you sick? The other foods I really enjoy are fruit with seeds, like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. etc...and I read somewhere that they may not agree with you..is that true? I am a huge smoothie lover, I just blend frozen/fresh fruit, skim milk, and low fat yogurt and live off of those some days, and was thinking that I may not be able to have those anymore..thoughts? The other thing I live for is PB M&M's...I always read people with the band still need to make good choices about what they are putting into their bodies, and that's why it is no cakewalk. I guess as bad as it sounds, knowing I could still eat those things if I wanted to would make me feel better. I know I need to change my eating habits, but I still want to be able to indulge once in awhile, in moderation of course.
I was talking with my Dad about this, and he brought up the good point of up until this point I have lived to eat, and not ate to live..which is obviously what it should be. Fueling your body with healthy foods, instead of just eating as a hobby..which I think I have done my whole life. I have always enjoyed food...it's been a comfort, and who doesn't like eating a delicious tasty meal? I like the taste of certain snacks and good food, and my family likes to cook and just enjoy a good meal. I guess I am pretty positive that this meal enjoyment feeling is going to go away once I have surgery..because I physically won't be able to sit down and eat as much food as I want because it just tastes so good..and I probably won't be able to eat many of the things I now enjoy. I am trying to wrap my mind around this, and it is hard to think about I guess. How has your experience been with it? I keep telling myself that it's just food, and eating..your life shouldn't revolve around it as much as it has. It makes me so mad in a way. I'm addicted to it. I shouldn't even be thinking about it, I should be going out and living my life, sharing it with others, and doing fun and enjoyable activities..but my addiction to food has caused me to be fat, which has turn caused me to not live my life to the fullest.
It's just sad and frustrating that it has come to this point. I am mad at myself and feel like I let myself down. I keep having conflicting thoughts. It makes me mad I feel like surgery is my last option to be healthy and happy. And it makes me mad I won't be able to eat like everyone else after it's done. But then I think, I am not like everyone else at the weight I am now..and SO many other aspects of my life are negatively affected because of my weight..and just sacraficing eating, one small portion of my life (currently HUGE portion of my life..) is completely worth it to be happy and healthy. IDK if this made any sense at all or if it was just me being rambly, but those are my thoughts right now.
Annnd on a different note, my ex called me today and wanted to see if I wanted to hang out sometime. We were actually able to talk decently to each other and be nice..its weird what not living together will do to you. I didn't make any set plans because I don't know if that's what I need right now, but I told him I'd let him know when I am free next. Ugh. Boys, bands, banana bread. Too many thoughts going on right now.
I have been thinking about the Band a lot lately and what life will be like with it..specifically what eating will be like with it. Now that it is Fall, I indulge in some of my favorite Fall time treats like homemade banana bread, caramel apples, apple cider, homemade chicken noodle soup...lots of good tasting stuff...and it dawned on me that this could be the potentially last Fall I have some of these things.So that's what I want to ask you ladies with the band....can you still physically eat this kind of stuff if you chose to, or would it make you sick? The other foods I really enjoy are fruit with seeds, like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. etc...and I read somewhere that they may not agree with you..is that true? I am a huge smoothie lover, I just blend frozen/fresh fruit, skim milk, and low fat yogurt and live off of those some days, and was thinking that I may not be able to have those anymore..thoughts? The other thing I live for is PB M&M's...I always read people with the band still need to make good choices about what they are putting into their bodies, and that's why it is no cakewalk. I guess as bad as it sounds, knowing I could still eat those things if I wanted to would make me feel better. I know I need to change my eating habits, but I still want to be able to indulge once in awhile, in moderation of course.
I was talking with my Dad about this, and he brought up the good point of up until this point I have lived to eat, and not ate to live..which is obviously what it should be. Fueling your body with healthy foods, instead of just eating as a hobby..which I think I have done my whole life. I have always enjoyed food...it's been a comfort, and who doesn't like eating a delicious tasty meal? I like the taste of certain snacks and good food, and my family likes to cook and just enjoy a good meal. I guess I am pretty positive that this meal enjoyment feeling is going to go away once I have surgery..because I physically won't be able to sit down and eat as much food as I want because it just tastes so good..and I probably won't be able to eat many of the things I now enjoy. I am trying to wrap my mind around this, and it is hard to think about I guess. How has your experience been with it? I keep telling myself that it's just food, and eating..your life shouldn't revolve around it as much as it has. It makes me so mad in a way. I'm addicted to it. I shouldn't even be thinking about it, I should be going out and living my life, sharing it with others, and doing fun and enjoyable activities..but my addiction to food has caused me to be fat, which has turn caused me to not live my life to the fullest.
It's just sad and frustrating that it has come to this point. I am mad at myself and feel like I let myself down. I keep having conflicting thoughts. It makes me mad I feel like surgery is my last option to be healthy and happy. And it makes me mad I won't be able to eat like everyone else after it's done. But then I think, I am not like everyone else at the weight I am now..and SO many other aspects of my life are negatively affected because of my weight..and just sacraficing eating, one small portion of my life (currently HUGE portion of my life..) is completely worth it to be happy and healthy. IDK if this made any sense at all or if it was just me being rambly, but those are my thoughts right now.
Annnd on a different note, my ex called me today and wanted to see if I wanted to hang out sometime. We were actually able to talk decently to each other and be nice..its weird what not living together will do to you. I didn't make any set plans because I don't know if that's what I need right now, but I told him I'd let him know when I am free next. Ugh. Boys, bands, banana bread. Too many thoughts going on right now.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Semi-Freaked Out
So it's a crummy, rainy, thundery Sunday here but the good news is I am starting to finally feel much better after my bad cold, AND best of all, it didn't develop into a sinus infection, which always seems to happen!
I received my packet of forms from the Bariatric Center a few days ago and started filling them out yesterday. I also got a huge envelope filled with all my doctor's notes on the WL program I was in, and all the testing I had done, to give to the surgeon when I meet with him on Oct 3, so I hope he thinks the insurance company will deem it worthy of a 6 month diet.
I started reading them all last night and looking at my test results, and it was quite entertaining to read the doctor's notes..it almost felt like something you shouldn't be reading! I saw that I had a thyroid test/ultrasound done because one doctor that examined me thought it felt enlarged, and the results came back normal, so I am hoping that is one less test I will have to have done when it comes to preparing for surgery. I also have metabolic syndrome..normal cholesterol and low blood pressure, however, I have high triglyceride levels, insulin resistance, and waist measurement > 40.
The other very shocking thing I read that was never even discussed with me, was one doctor who saw me wrote in her notes I had a "Cushingoid appearance." I had no idea what this was, so I looked it up, and it is apparently the appearance of someone who has Cushing's Syndrome. I had never heard of this before, but it is when your body has excess Cortisol in the bloodstream (either from steroid meds or a tumor on your pituitary gland overproducing it) and then you get symptoms, which include weight gain heavily in the midsection, thin arms & legs, larger neck and fat deposits between shoulders, round & red face, stretch marks on stomach, breasts, slow healing of cuts, insulin resistance, skin tags in armpits, migraines, anxiety/depression, and irregular periods (just to name ALL the ones that I have.) So now I am semi-freaked out. I have obviously never been tested for excess cortisol (they do a urine and/or blood test) but I am going to bring it up to the doctor when I meet with him. I mean, am I freaking out for no reason here?? It seems too weird that all these symptoms come together...I keep thinking that what if this has caused my rapid weight gain the past few years..I know I don't always eat right/exercise, but even so, maybe this has contributed to it somehow..or they could also be symptoms of being obese...I just would feel better knowing for sure. Maybe I would be needing a completely different surgery than WL to remove some random pituitary tumor! I don't know, but I am definitely going to pursue finding more information about this. I hope I don't sound like too much of a hypochondriac!
I received my packet of forms from the Bariatric Center a few days ago and started filling them out yesterday. I also got a huge envelope filled with all my doctor's notes on the WL program I was in, and all the testing I had done, to give to the surgeon when I meet with him on Oct 3, so I hope he thinks the insurance company will deem it worthy of a 6 month diet.
I started reading them all last night and looking at my test results, and it was quite entertaining to read the doctor's notes..it almost felt like something you shouldn't be reading! I saw that I had a thyroid test/ultrasound done because one doctor that examined me thought it felt enlarged, and the results came back normal, so I am hoping that is one less test I will have to have done when it comes to preparing for surgery. I also have metabolic syndrome..normal cholesterol and low blood pressure, however, I have high triglyceride levels, insulin resistance, and waist measurement > 40.
The other very shocking thing I read that was never even discussed with me, was one doctor who saw me wrote in her notes I had a "Cushingoid appearance." I had no idea what this was, so I looked it up, and it is apparently the appearance of someone who has Cushing's Syndrome. I had never heard of this before, but it is when your body has excess Cortisol in the bloodstream (either from steroid meds or a tumor on your pituitary gland overproducing it) and then you get symptoms, which include weight gain heavily in the midsection, thin arms & legs, larger neck and fat deposits between shoulders, round & red face, stretch marks on stomach, breasts, slow healing of cuts, insulin resistance, skin tags in armpits, migraines, anxiety/depression, and irregular periods (just to name ALL the ones that I have.) So now I am semi-freaked out. I have obviously never been tested for excess cortisol (they do a urine and/or blood test) but I am going to bring it up to the doctor when I meet with him. I mean, am I freaking out for no reason here?? It seems too weird that all these symptoms come together...I keep thinking that what if this has caused my rapid weight gain the past few years..I know I don't always eat right/exercise, but even so, maybe this has contributed to it somehow..or they could also be symptoms of being obese...I just would feel better knowing for sure. Maybe I would be needing a completely different surgery than WL to remove some random pituitary tumor! I don't know, but I am definitely going to pursue finding more information about this. I hope I don't sound like too much of a hypochondriac!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sick :( & Some More WLS Progress!
Well I am officially sick! I had been fighting the sneezys and sniffles the past few days and ever since last night I have felt like crap..my nose won't stop running and I can't stop sneezing! It is amazing that your body can produce this much crap..I had brought a bunch of those travel sized Kleenex packs to class today, used them all up at around 2:00...class went till 4:30..so here I am digging in my backpack for used tissues as my nose is dripping in class...soo not my produest moment! Then I realized I wasn't even concentrating, all I was doing was focusing on my nose running, so I finally said screw it, got up and went to the bathroom, did one of those amazing nose blows where it sounds like a trumpet is being played, and brought back a handful of TP to class...lets just say that lasted about 10 seconds and then drip..drip..drip..soo annoying! I went straight to Target after I was done with school and loaded up on Puffs with lotion, hand sanatizer, saline nasal spray, Mucinex, and this amazing Vics brand Sinex nasal stuff....I call it my nose douche (so inappropriate I know!) But that stuff is amazing! I am no longer stuffy and can actually breathe, although my nose won't stop running and overall I just feel sick. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow though so I hope I feel at least a little better in the morning. It seems like everyone is sick in BlogLand as well, so I hope everyone feels better soon!
Now for some WLS news & progress (yay!) So I attended the first seminar on Sept 15, and then made the decision to go with that bariatric center. I then called to make an appointment first thing the 16th, however their policy is to take your information and check your insurance before they schedule you to come in for an appointment, so basically all I did Friday was give the nurse my insurance information, and she said she'd call me Monday or Tuesday to see if my insurance would cover the surgery. I already knew it did (if I am approved that is...) so it wasn't too big of a surprise when she said I could make an appointment. Their next available was Oct 3, so I took it. Amazingly, this was the only day of the week that worked for me where I wouldn't have to miss classes AND the Dr. I wanted works that day! Yay, something going right already! :) She then told me she was going to mail me a packet of information to fill out, and what medical information I all need to bring with me to that first appointment. I don't really have all that much time to compile everything, so this weekend I am going home and that is going to be my #1 priority! The other thing she mentioned was that my insurance requires a 6-month supervised diet. I believe the supervised weight loss program I already did for 2 years covers it, but when I asked her she said to get all the documentation and medical records from that to show the Dr. when I meet with him to see if he thinks it is even worth submitting to the insurance(it had better be..it was like a $6,000 program complete with EKG's, labwork, Stress Test, psychology meetings, group meetings, dietary, monthly weigh ins, etc. etc..it was very intense!)...which brings me to my little dilemma.
If my insurance counts the supervised WL program I did for the 6-month required diet, then I can get started on tests and things assumingly toward the end of October (if the insurance approval takes about a month as they say it does.) I have already had many of the heart tests and have the results of those, so I may/may not have to have those tests done again, but the ususal dietician, behavioral psychologist, bloodwork, etc. etc. tests I am sure I will need to have done. I have heard that this entire process takes about 3 months to get all these tests done, so that would put the actual surgery around either end of December if they speed it up, or beginning of January. Here is my problem..I have a $6,000 deductible. So if I don't need the diet, and am able to start the tests right away, then I might be spending $6,000 this year, and then if my surgery is in January, another $6,000 toward that, which is verryyy veryy bad! So again, assuming I don't need the 6-month diet, I will probably need to decide if I should begin this process within the next month or so or wait till next year (unless it can be sped-up and I can get everything done during this year.) I really wanted to have this done before X-mas, but now I am just not sure it will be possible. I will be totally bummed if I have to have the 6 month diet, because that is like another half a year of potentially gaining weight or staying around the same, when I could be losing it. Soo that's my issue now :(
The other annoying thing I am dealing with is the paperwork from this WL program. The program moved locations, so now my medical records are in a whole different city. I called over there yesterday explaining what I needed, and they told me to fax over the medical release authorization form. I did that, along with a detailed list I compiled with my Dad (see earlier blogpost regarding this) of what I wanted them to release to me. I then called to see if they had received it, and no one answered so I left a message for them to call me back..this was yesterday afternoon, and then I had to leave last night to get back to school for classes today. Then today, I called my Dad to see if they had called back, which they didn't. But he being the amazing person he is, said that he called the medical records and explained to them everything & they said they didn't receive my fax, but told him he could come in and drop off the forms and they'd release the records to him. So he drove all the way out there, dropped the forms off, and the med records lady told him she coudln't give him the stuff today because she didn't have access to it or something, so he has to go back there tomorrow. I am so thankful that he is so supportive of this and is helping me out so hugely, because I know it would take me twice as long to get it done, since I am not in that area until the weekends. So hopefully everything goes smoothly and I get all my records tomorrow! This was a very rambly blog, but I blame the meds...now to blow my nose and go to bed :)
Now for some WLS news & progress (yay!) So I attended the first seminar on Sept 15, and then made the decision to go with that bariatric center. I then called to make an appointment first thing the 16th, however their policy is to take your information and check your insurance before they schedule you to come in for an appointment, so basically all I did Friday was give the nurse my insurance information, and she said she'd call me Monday or Tuesday to see if my insurance would cover the surgery. I already knew it did (if I am approved that is...) so it wasn't too big of a surprise when she said I could make an appointment. Their next available was Oct 3, so I took it. Amazingly, this was the only day of the week that worked for me where I wouldn't have to miss classes AND the Dr. I wanted works that day! Yay, something going right already! :) She then told me she was going to mail me a packet of information to fill out, and what medical information I all need to bring with me to that first appointment. I don't really have all that much time to compile everything, so this weekend I am going home and that is going to be my #1 priority! The other thing she mentioned was that my insurance requires a 6-month supervised diet. I believe the supervised weight loss program I already did for 2 years covers it, but when I asked her she said to get all the documentation and medical records from that to show the Dr. when I meet with him to see if he thinks it is even worth submitting to the insurance(it had better be..it was like a $6,000 program complete with EKG's, labwork, Stress Test, psychology meetings, group meetings, dietary, monthly weigh ins, etc. etc..it was very intense!)...which brings me to my little dilemma.
If my insurance counts the supervised WL program I did for the 6-month required diet, then I can get started on tests and things assumingly toward the end of October (if the insurance approval takes about a month as they say it does.) I have already had many of the heart tests and have the results of those, so I may/may not have to have those tests done again, but the ususal dietician, behavioral psychologist, bloodwork, etc. etc. tests I am sure I will need to have done. I have heard that this entire process takes about 3 months to get all these tests done, so that would put the actual surgery around either end of December if they speed it up, or beginning of January. Here is my problem..I have a $6,000 deductible. So if I don't need the diet, and am able to start the tests right away, then I might be spending $6,000 this year, and then if my surgery is in January, another $6,000 toward that, which is verryyy veryy bad! So again, assuming I don't need the 6-month diet, I will probably need to decide if I should begin this process within the next month or so or wait till next year (unless it can be sped-up and I can get everything done during this year.) I really wanted to have this done before X-mas, but now I am just not sure it will be possible. I will be totally bummed if I have to have the 6 month diet, because that is like another half a year of potentially gaining weight or staying around the same, when I could be losing it. Soo that's my issue now :(
The other annoying thing I am dealing with is the paperwork from this WL program. The program moved locations, so now my medical records are in a whole different city. I called over there yesterday explaining what I needed, and they told me to fax over the medical release authorization form. I did that, along with a detailed list I compiled with my Dad (see earlier blogpost regarding this) of what I wanted them to release to me. I then called to see if they had received it, and no one answered so I left a message for them to call me back..this was yesterday afternoon, and then I had to leave last night to get back to school for classes today. Then today, I called my Dad to see if they had called back, which they didn't. But he being the amazing person he is, said that he called the medical records and explained to them everything & they said they didn't receive my fax, but told him he could come in and drop off the forms and they'd release the records to him. So he drove all the way out there, dropped the forms off, and the med records lady told him she coudln't give him the stuff today because she didn't have access to it or something, so he has to go back there tomorrow. I am so thankful that he is so supportive of this and is helping me out so hugely, because I know it would take me twice as long to get it done, since I am not in that area until the weekends. So hopefully everything goes smoothly and I get all my records tomorrow! This was a very rambly blog, but I blame the meds...now to blow my nose and go to bed :)
Thursday, September 15, 2011
My First WLS Seminar Tonight!
So it has been too long since I blogged! Not much had been going on and I started school and we didn't have Internet for awhile, so that is the reason! Not to worry though, have still been reading everyone else's blogs via my phone :) You lovely ladies are so inspiring, and I love reading all about your journeys.
Tonight I went to the first mandatory seminar to have WLS at one of the centers I am considering...I am going to sleep on it, but I think that I am going to stick with this place and cancel my seminar/surgeon consult at the other place I was looking at. What I like about this place is it is an entire center that revolves around Weight-Loss with surgeons, anesthesiologists, office staff, nurses, nutritionists, etc. etc. dedicated ONLY to WLS. There were 4 different surgeons to choose from, and one really stood out to me, and I liked him right off the bat, so I think I am going to schedule to meet with him. The other pros were that they are very highly regarded, closer to home than the other place I was considering, and the facility itself is newer. One of the main cons of the other place I was considering is that it is a teaching hospital, so there is the possibility that during my pre-op, surgery, and post-op I could have a med student looking after me/actually performing parts of the surgery, which really doesn't sit well with me. So I think I have officially decided on this center! There were a few things though that I found out during the seminar that have got me thinking...the surgeons said they generally use the Realize Band on women rather than the Lap Band (which they use moreso on men) because it is smaller...any thoughts on that? I had in my mind I was going to get Lap Band and that it was "better" than the Realize Band, but even after looking online I don't really understand the differences between the two. Does anyone have the Realize Band? What has your experience been with it so far?
The other thing thing I am thinking about is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure. I initially was so so against this because I was too scared to have a major surgery, and have my body permanently changed, but now I don't know. My Dad came along with me and even though he told me it wasn't his place to say anything because it's my decision, I got the vibe that he was leaning more toward that for me if he had to decide. The Dr. brought up the points of that it is still one of the most common & successful LT WLS options out there, and that it has a higher weight loss percentage after 1 year than the LapBand. He also mentioned the LapBand has the highest failure rate because people can gain the weight back quicker, and the weight loss is slower, and it requires lifelong maintaining (which I am assuming is fills, but does anyone know what that means specifically?) So now IDK! If I have surgery I want to be successful at it long term, but I am not sure if I want to permanently alter my body for it..I guess I feel like while I am overweight, I am not as overweight as some people who choose to have WLS, so why pick a more drastic option such as gastric bypass? I am also scared about the malabsorption and deficiences and such. I guess I really only researched lapband, so I need to do more research on the gastric bypass. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts. I see firsthand that the lap band works, so it makes me think that it would be a tool that would work for me as well. I know I probably need to lose 100 lbs to be considered a healthy weight, but the statistics they showed said I would lose only about 45-60 lbs at the end of year 2 with lapband, which isn't really my goal. But then I think about it, and when I look in the mirror I don't feel like I weigh roughly 245 lbs. I feel smaller than that. So if I weighed 100 lbs less, I might be uncomfortably skinny looking (to myself). Ugh! I just don't know! I would love for thoughts and opinions lol. I hope after doing more research and meeting with the surgeon I will be headed in more of the right direction and chose exactly what's right for me.
A seriously stupid thing I have been doing is reverting back to old eating habits, and eating CRAP. I think psychologically I am falling into the "I am having WLS so I won't be able to eat like this anymore, so I better live it up now" trap. I hate that I do this to myself! Pringles, cupcakes, pizza, Oreos, guac & chips, subs...sooo bad! How come you know it's so wrong but you do it anyways??! The other thing that has me screwed up is I have class for 8 1/2 hrs straight, two days a week. I am embarrassed to eat in front of other people in a classroom so I eat like a small breakfast and then am starving by 4:30 when I get done for the day, and just want to eat everything in sight..I pack fruit, veggies, yogurt, and a granola bar and eat some of that throughout the day, but most of it comes home with me...so I probably only eat like 300-400 calories, so am ravenous by the time I get home. So annoying I do this to myself.
Tonight I went to the first mandatory seminar to have WLS at one of the centers I am considering...I am going to sleep on it, but I think that I am going to stick with this place and cancel my seminar/surgeon consult at the other place I was looking at. What I like about this place is it is an entire center that revolves around Weight-Loss with surgeons, anesthesiologists, office staff, nurses, nutritionists, etc. etc. dedicated ONLY to WLS. There were 4 different surgeons to choose from, and one really stood out to me, and I liked him right off the bat, so I think I am going to schedule to meet with him. The other pros were that they are very highly regarded, closer to home than the other place I was considering, and the facility itself is newer. One of the main cons of the other place I was considering is that it is a teaching hospital, so there is the possibility that during my pre-op, surgery, and post-op I could have a med student looking after me/actually performing parts of the surgery, which really doesn't sit well with me. So I think I have officially decided on this center! There were a few things though that I found out during the seminar that have got me thinking...the surgeons said they generally use the Realize Band on women rather than the Lap Band (which they use moreso on men) because it is smaller...any thoughts on that? I had in my mind I was going to get Lap Band and that it was "better" than the Realize Band, but even after looking online I don't really understand the differences between the two. Does anyone have the Realize Band? What has your experience been with it so far?
The other thing thing I am thinking about is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure. I initially was so so against this because I was too scared to have a major surgery, and have my body permanently changed, but now I don't know. My Dad came along with me and even though he told me it wasn't his place to say anything because it's my decision, I got the vibe that he was leaning more toward that for me if he had to decide. The Dr. brought up the points of that it is still one of the most common & successful LT WLS options out there, and that it has a higher weight loss percentage after 1 year than the LapBand. He also mentioned the LapBand has the highest failure rate because people can gain the weight back quicker, and the weight loss is slower, and it requires lifelong maintaining (which I am assuming is fills, but does anyone know what that means specifically?) So now IDK! If I have surgery I want to be successful at it long term, but I am not sure if I want to permanently alter my body for it..I guess I feel like while I am overweight, I am not as overweight as some people who choose to have WLS, so why pick a more drastic option such as gastric bypass? I am also scared about the malabsorption and deficiences and such. I guess I really only researched lapband, so I need to do more research on the gastric bypass. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts. I see firsthand that the lap band works, so it makes me think that it would be a tool that would work for me as well. I know I probably need to lose 100 lbs to be considered a healthy weight, but the statistics they showed said I would lose only about 45-60 lbs at the end of year 2 with lapband, which isn't really my goal. But then I think about it, and when I look in the mirror I don't feel like I weigh roughly 245 lbs. I feel smaller than that. So if I weighed 100 lbs less, I might be uncomfortably skinny looking (to myself). Ugh! I just don't know! I would love for thoughts and opinions lol. I hope after doing more research and meeting with the surgeon I will be headed in more of the right direction and chose exactly what's right for me.
A seriously stupid thing I have been doing is reverting back to old eating habits, and eating CRAP. I think psychologically I am falling into the "I am having WLS so I won't be able to eat like this anymore, so I better live it up now" trap. I hate that I do this to myself! Pringles, cupcakes, pizza, Oreos, guac & chips, subs...sooo bad! How come you know it's so wrong but you do it anyways??! The other thing that has me screwed up is I have class for 8 1/2 hrs straight, two days a week. I am embarrassed to eat in front of other people in a classroom so I eat like a small breakfast and then am starving by 4:30 when I get done for the day, and just want to eat everything in sight..I pack fruit, veggies, yogurt, and a granola bar and eat some of that throughout the day, but most of it comes home with me...so I probably only eat like 300-400 calories, so am ravenous by the time I get home. So annoying I do this to myself.
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