7/30/06- Made the decision that I was going to look into getting surgery for MO. I have had enough of this being "FAT for many years and having to live with the limitations that it has caused me for many years.(See Below). Joined OH on the date below but just wanted to post this as my beginning point of deciding to get surgery for weight intervention.

8/1/06-First of all let me introduce myself to you. I am 22, 5'2" and right around 235 lbs(as of 9/2/07)(was 310 when started the bariatric surgery program at Adirondack Medical Center). I have been up to 330 lbs at my heaviest and have suffered with obesity for most of my life. I was always " very large" for my age and size in school and could not participate in sports or activities that required exertion(due to me becoming winded very easily and short of breath). I also seemed to take forever to do the "Physical Fitness" test and was always the last one to finish certain tasks. Could never run the "trail" outside the elementary school, but could walk it (even though it seemed to take forever and usually everyone else in gym class were back inside by the time I came strolling in). On occasion was picked on about my weight, but could usually ignore the remarks, even though they would bother me on the inside, but would never let anyone, and I MEAN ANYONE touch or poke me because of the weight problem. I did have that happen to me one time and trust me.....I let him have it!!! The kid who did it was VERY SCARED of me after what I said and did to him(gave him a lovetap(as I would call it) in the chest with my fist and told him next time would require a trip to the ER!!!!!!). Sorry for that, but I am the type that stands my ground if I get pushed "over the limits"!!! He pushed me to my breaking point because he was putting black and blue marks on me from poking me!!! He almost never put a finger on me again after that ordeal!! Only once can I remember that he did and all I had to say was "hey..... stop that!!!!!!!" to him and he did!!

Also had problems with standing on my feet at college for more than 6 hours(but sometimes less than 4 in which labs lasted this long so by the time I got out, I was in really bad pain(mostly the back and feet). Can't even imagine how I could stand it If I got a full time job in the Culinary field.  Could go on forever like this but figure I have told you enough of my "problems"! Never really considered WLS(always put the idea out of my head because I never thought I would have to get it) until recent health issues as well as being sick and tired of being "FAT"! Also am sick and tired of being limited on what I can't accomplish at this age(ex. No drivers liscense, no car, no job, no family of my own, etc.(due to being uncomfortable and embarrassed with the circumstances of being extremely overweight).

So, I am currently researching my options for weight loss surgery due to having been diagnosed with a skin condition called Acanthosis Nigricans(A.K.A: AN). It is harmless, (but can sometimes can be related to an underlying condition such as a malignant tumor), but mine is caused by insulin resistance due to extreme obesity, and is a warning sign of the impending start of type 2 Diabetes. Acanthosis Nigricans is just a yellow-brownish darkening and thickening of the skin caused by hyperpigmentation of the cells in the skin and elevated insulin levels. My insulin levels are high (last check, 35.9- which is double the norm for my size and age from what I heard) and I have insulin resistance, however I am not diabetic at the present time. I would have been referred to a diabeties center in syracuse in november of last year(2006), but now that I have entered the surgical weight loss program at Adirondack Medical Center, it is not going to happen.  I also have had mild hypertension in the past but was never put on medication since it has been good ever since. Have tried everything(ex: Weight Watchers, Dietition, home dieting-even considered Diet Pills, but talked to the doctors and they did not recommend them) but nothing worked. So now am looking into the option of having either Gastric Bypass Surgery or the Biliopancreatic Diversion with a Duodenal Swich as a weight loss option for Morbid Obesity. Pediatric Endocrine NP in Syracuse recommends that surgery would be the best option for me, as well as me having considered it for the past year and a half. She did warn though that it requires major commitment and a lifetime followup in which I knew already! LOL!! In the process of establishing a PCP and talking this over with them. Will keep you updated as I go!!

8/3/06- Got an appointment with a PCP. Will discuss my options for weight loss including the possibility of having surgery with them.  Have to meet with dietition before meeting with my PCP, will get her opinion on my very determined idea to start seeking surgery as my weight loss option, as well as discussing what kind of post-op diet is necessary for my sucess.

8/15/06- Met with dietition today. Meeting went very well, she seems to support the idea of me getting GBS(SHE suggested it to me which was kind of a suprise, but then again not a suprise because I was going to tell her about me VERY HIGHLY considering GBS). She had me on a 1900 cal/day "plan" and I tried it for 2 weeks and then gave up on it because I thought it was no use and was not going to help me lose the amount of weight that I needed to lose. She agreed with me on the reasoning and said that she thinks that I need to get the procedure(gastric bypass surgery). She is going to send a letter to my new PCP. Will go and discuss this with her(Samantha Ludwig-My new PCP) at my appointment(8/29/06). Will post after I meet with her.

8/29/06-Well I went to meet with my new PCP(Dr. Ludwig) today. The meeting went very well. She supports my decision to get GBS done and is willing to send a referral for surgery to Adirondack Medical Center ( the center that I chose to go for my surgery) in Saranac Lake. Will be making an appointment with them after I attend the Informational meeting that is required for entering their program.

9/2/06- No update on when I can get a reservation.... Will be calling them on Monday or Tuesday to see if I can get a reservation to come up for their informational meeting on Tuesday September 12th(? on if this is the right date so I may change this date!). I will also be calling the nurse coordinator to set up an appointment with the NP to start their program.

9/5/06- Called Adirondack Medical Center today and made a reservation for their Informational Meeting on the 12th of September.  Also called my Social Worker and was told that if the surgery was "Medically Necessary" that it would be covered(In which I already pretty much knew lol:-) Just wanted to be safe rather than sorry. AND SO MY JOURNEY BEGINS(most likely) after the informational meeting. Will be calling to make my first appt after I attend the meeting on the 12th. Will update after the informational meeting. Probably won't update until the 13th though cause the damn meeting is at 7:30PM!!!(lol)  And I live quite a distance away...so as you can see it will be VERY LATE when I get home...

9/12/06- Going to Informationional meeting tonight!

9/13/06- Went to informational meeting last night(9/12/06), was very interesting and convincing. AMC's Bariatric Program sounds very structured and very tough, but I am more determined than ever to get this surgery and will be continuing this process. I recieved a lot of paperwork that would have to be filled out before my initial visit. Will be calling very soon(within the next week) to make my initial appointment with the bariatric staff at AMC.

9/18/06- Called AMC today and got my initial appt. I would have to  say that that phone call was probably the hardest phone call I have ever made (even though I had to leave a message on the answering machine.....LOL!!!) to this day because I knew what I would be getting myself into by making it. I have to do this for my health and life though, so I did it!! I will be going up for a evaluation (history and Physical) on October 5th. So I can say that the JOURNEY HAS NEARLY BEGUN!! Also called my dietician and asked her for a letter of support as well as sending out a letter to my PCP requesting some things from her(Physical Therapy Request Form, as well as a letter requesting Medical Records, etc from her) as well as a personal letter asking her too for a letter of support. Also called the my Ped. Endocrine NP from Syracuse(who called me back while driving back to syracuse from Ithaca)(BIG NO NO.......LOL!!!). She was really SUPRISED and VERY PLEASED that I "took the bull by the horns and did this" (as my mother would say!! lol.). She was really proud and impressed on how much research that I have done and is willing to support me in getting this surgery as well. I asked her for a letter of support as well. Can't wait to see her in November because I know that she is going to be very pleased to hear that I have started the process towards getting GBS. She has been mentioning it to me for the past year and a half now!! (Sorry, I like to ramble on and on.........lol)

9/23/06-Happy Birthday to me today! Very important birthday for me because this is the year my life will change forever(hopefully if this program doesn't go for 2 years as what some people I have heard of had happen to them)!!! Will update after my initial appt with AMC Bariatric Center.

10/05/06-Well, Now I can say my journey has OFFICIALLY BEGUN. YAHOO!! The consultation with Karen and Dr. Hixon went really well. Both are very supportive and and offered a lot of encouragement. Both are very nice, caring and compassionate individuals to meet with.

When I met with Karen Hixon, she asked a million questions( As expected...LOL!), did the medical history as well as a dietary history. She then described the program to me a little more in detail, then did the physical part of the evalutation and then told me that she was going to get all the paperwork filled out for my testing that has to be completed before surgery which I expected anyways. I found her to be very straight forward with what the program requires and what she wants you to do. She was very interested in helping me out with my weight problem and offered me some great tips on things that I could do to increase my execrise output and ways to start good eating habits(ONE WAS CUT THE SWEETS OUT!!!).

When I met with Dr. Hixon, he asked me some questions, and described what he wants me to do over the next few months(LOSE weight). He also described the two prcedures that would best fit my case(the RNY Gastric Bypass and Duodenal Switch). Then he told me that I should try and lose 10%, but he wants to at least see me losing weight and is not going to push that number. Basically put, he wants me to lose as much as I can before surgery, so I wll have to buckle down and get exercising! Haven't told him that I would prefer the GBS, but am not going to rush it. Have heard that the Duodenal Switch is a much better surgery than the GBS, so am researching that type of surgery currently to see if I would want either the GBS or the Duodenal Switch. Other than that it was a "get to know you" type of meeting and it just went really well and I enjoyed meeting with them.

I have been scheduled to go back to AMC on election day(November7th) for a number of tests and evaluations.

Tests for Nov 7th are as follows:
-I have FASTING bloodwork drawn between 6-7am(don't need an appointment for this.)
-a Gallbladder Ultrasound(which requires a "non-fat" diet 24 hours before and fasting from midinght on) at 8am
-chest x-rays to follow that (about 8:30am)
-then have to meet with the Physical Therapist at 9am( hear that this is a pretty rough evaluation!!!
-after that have to meet with the dietician at 10am
-then after that have to go to the Cardiopulmonary Department and have a EKG(POSSIBLY) and PFT tests done at 11:00am

WHEW is that going to be a LONG day for me! If it doesn't get any worse(lol) than that, I have to go to Syracuse on the 9th of November for a check up with my Endocrine NP, then have to back to visit Dr. Hixon on Nov. 16th. NOVEMBER IS SHAPING UP TO BE VERY BUSY FOR ME!!!! LOL! But I am ready for it! Have to be since now I am committed to doing this!!!

Also I have to get a Stress EKG(This is going to be REALLY FUN(YEAH RIGHT!!!!), if you know what I mean....... LOL!!) and a Sleep Study done here at home(Gouverneur-stress test)(Sleep Study will be at Canton-Potsdam Hospital) as if the upcoming testing up at AMC wasn't enough already, and then have to complete a mental health evaluation with a mental health professional qualified in dealing with Bariatric Patients. LOL! The next couple months are going to be like going to hell and back, but I am prepared to do so since I have to now that I am in with AMC's bariatric program.  I will update more later when I find out the dates that I can have the testing done here at home. As well as the date for my evaluation with a psychiatrist to see if I am nuts or not!! LOL!! Until I update again....keep posted for further updates!

So far I would highly recommend anyone with this type of problem(MO or SMO) to look into going to AMC for their program. I know it is early yet but I think that I will get along with the staff at AMC very well!! It is a very good program to check out if you have severe obesity and need some help losing weight through surgical means.

10/25/06-  Was Scheduled for a Stress test with the Heart Center at E J Noble Hospital in Gouverner from what I thought, but I did NOT have the stress test, was just a consultation visit and EKG(Do not know why they did it, probably because of me saying that this consultation was for cardiac clearance.) My PCP set this up as a consultation visit, and not for a stress test I found out at the appointment. WAS SUPPOST TO HAVE AN EKG AT AMC, but oh well, mabye I won't have to have another EKG at AMC, but it won't matter if I do or don't).  Meeting with Dr. Slezka went well, he seems a little hesitant about me getting this surgery though. I think that he was this way because he may have thought I have not done much research(Truth is, I have done EXTENSIVE research and thought about this for quite a while) and was worried about the potential complications that are assoicated with such a extreme procedure. He did tell me to think about it a little more in which I have already done this(but still have plenty of time to think more on my decision) and decided that must get it(the surgery) for my future health and well being!!! EKG was normal and no heart problems(such as a Heart Murmur, etc.) as far as he could see(from checking my heart obviously...lol). He did tell me that he thought I did not need a stress test, but did not know I had a perscription for it(MY FAULT FOR NOT TELLING HIM THAT THE FIRST THING.....OOPS!!!) until I said something to him about it and showed it to him. Stress Test Date TBD. Next in line is my psych test to see if I am nuts or sane!! LOL!! Will place that in my story soon!!

10/31/06- (8:30AM appointment) Mental Health Evaluation at Samaritan Behavioral Health Services in Watertown. Meet with Dr. Richard Oman. Will update tomorrow when I get home, if I am too busy to update tomorrow I will update Wednesday.(This was updated as of Monday Oct 30, 2006!) KEEP POSTED!!!

This will be my biggest "hurdle" to jump over as of yet, and is the appointment that I am most nervous about going to. Will be glad when it is over!! LOL!!!!!

UPDATE:(10/31/06 7:15 pm)- It is over! YAHOO!! My mental health evaluation is complete and I am not nuts I am pleased to say. LOL!! I did not think that I would be anyways. My meeting with Dr. Oman went well. He is different I must say.  He is the quiet type that likes to look you over from head to toe to see if you are uncomfortable answering his questions(and kind of nuts himself, I think...LOL). He was hard of hearing(always would ask me to repeat myself, and was the type who is very difficult to convince!! He was also the type that could be a jerk when he wanted to and got me and my mother riled at some points of the meeting (More toward the end when he brought my mother in to meet with him regarding me). He was a nice guy though, I can't say that he was all that bad. He was just different as I stated before in this update.

My meeting lasted about 2 hours, and boy was I glad to get out of there(lol), and so was my mother(she came in at the end(due to some confidential concerns that he had) and helped me convince Dr. Oman that this surgery was for me and that I could make the changes necessary to lose weight)!!! Basically all that I was asked about was about my life, my family, medical history, eating habits, potential stress factors and how I deal with stressful situations, what I knew about the surgery,  what I knew about the complications of the surgery, and just the usual things that most mental health professionals evaluate when doing an evaluation. For anyone who is viewing this update and have upcoming appointments for your psych evaluation, my advice to you is to be prepared to answer a LOT of questions and be prepped to be stared at to see how your behavior is when they ask you questions. Also some encouragement, just be honest and don't act like you are crazy or talk to yourself(lol- doubt if any of you would anyways) and you should do just fine. Make sure to be persistant that you DO want this surgery and show( either verbally or visually-with documents) them that you have made every effort possible to lose weight without good success. I am sorry about this, but I am not going to go into any more details about my appointment today because some of the things that we talked about were confidential and personal to me and I do not wish to give out any more information than I already have. All I can say is that I am glad it is over and that I can continue the process towards getting this surgery.

My next appointment is next Tuesday, and I will update soon... Until then.... KEEP Posted for further updates!

11/07/06-(UPDATED 11/8/06) My testing at AMC went very well. I first went to get bloodwork. They drew 8 vials of blood out of me! WOW!  I was used to this so it did not bother me to get bloodwork done. Plus I have to get it done on the 9th as well. I also had to have a urinalysis test done as well. My gallbladder Ultrasound went fine, it was interesting to go through a new procedure that I have never been through before. Was suprised at how quickly this test took. I was expecting to get changed into a hospital gown for this test and I did not have to. It was fairly quick and the technician who did it was an expert and found my gallbladder immediately and told me that it looked good and that there were no gallstones. After getting my gallbladder ultrasound, I had my chest  x-rays which went did not take too long. For this they just had me stand in front of this special wall and put my chest up against it and took a picture, then they had me stand facing sideways and put my arms in front of me above my chest and took a picture. After that I headed for the Physical Therapy Department. My meeting with the PT staff went well. Did not get to meet Brendon Olsen who is listed as the PT for the bariatric program, did see him though in the department. I met with one lady(can't remember her name) and did a few routine things with her. She took some measurements, had me do a few activities such as marching in place for 2 minutes, stretching exercises, etc. Then I had to meet with a lady named Donna, she had an assistant with her( I believe his name was Carl, but I am not sure on this). Basically we just talked about my current exercise routine and discussed a few things about the program. Donna showed me some strength training exercises, and gave me this thermaband to do the exercises with. After this I went to meet with my dietician. I did not meet with Sharon Sorgule who I expected to meet and got a suprise. She was not the one who I met with, the lady who I met was Beth Morgan. She was a very nice lady and helped me to understand the importance of changing my eating habits. She also discussed the after care eating plan and gave me some protein samples(UNJURY Strawberry Sorbet, and Uflavored). After this meeting I went and had a Pulmonary Function