Nutrition Consult and Pre-op Testing are scheduled. 
I'm totally excited and overwhelmed.

Pre-op: 5’6” 261 lbs. BMI: 42.1 

****EDIT**** I had been keeping this all on a word doc, so everything in this post is chronological, from top to bottom.

 I’ve been heavy since about age 19. Prior to that, I was always extremely active and fairly athletic, but the “Freshman 15” showed up and gradually brought quite a few friends. I’d also been suffering along with major knee pain, but my docs at the time were being very conservative and treating it with prescription NSAIDs and “exercise.”

By the time I actually convinced a doctor to operate, much more arthritis damage had been done to my left knee. Had my first knee surgery 3/12/1998 as Junior in college.

3 months later, I was in a fairly bad car accident. Like most kids with new cars, I was far more worried about my new car than about myself, and ended up with more destruction in my knee, as well as terrible back and neck pain from whiplash and impact that haunts me to this day. I literally had another doctor tell me that “my knees were hurting because I was fat” and didn’t even agree with the Radiologist’s reading of my MRI.

All because some loser kid in an old pickup decided to make a left without looking.

After the wreck, I was terribly depressed. Got on Paxil, gained about 30-50 lbs.

Graduated from College in 99, bought a house, got married, had another knee surgery to undo the damage from the wreck.  Thank goodness my Husband is a very patient guy!

Gained 30 pounds since marriage and now I’m physically miserable!  I have a wonderful husband and family (including great In-Laws) a nice job, good friends, and a generally happy life, if I could just quit lugging around my 110lb shadow!

Initial Dr. Nicholson Seminar: March 28, 2006

LOMN Sent by Vicki: October 2, 2006

UHC can’t find LOMN on 10/13, gave my insurance lady a new number to fax to. She refaxed it the same day.

10/16/2006
Emailed Vicki at Dr Nicholson’s office. The LOMN is now in medical review. Now the real anticipation begins!  I’m really hurting knee-wise today. The right is crackly and somewhat sore, the left is completely on fire and causing me to limp pretty badly today. The weather has been cool and wet, and now partly cloudy and drying up, so I’m sure it’s the barometric pressure and all the stair climbing I did this weekend playing havoc with my joints. The good news is that I’m sleeping much better as of the last couple of days.

10/23/2006

I talked to both my grandmothers this weekend, and let them know I was planning to have WLS. Suprisingly, they were cautious, but supportive. My Mom and Dad and in-laws are concerned because of the risks, but generally on-board. My Dad basically stated that it wasn’t his decision, and he would back whatever decision I made.

He’s been talking to coworkers and people from his church who have had WLS, so I think he’s coming around after hearing such good feedback.

Vicki at Dr. Nicholson’s office got a letter from UHC requesting 3-5 years of info regarding my obesity and other health problems. I’ve got the stuff from my prior PCP, but not my current. I’ll get that requested tomorrow morning and fax what I do have to Vicki.

Now I’m panicking.   I lost 35lbs back in 02 or 03 doing Atkins, but it came back and brought a few more pounds with it. I hope they see it as a failure for the diet, and not a reason to deny because I did actually lose weight.  At least it’s not a denial, not yet, anyway.

10/24/2006
I went to my current PCP’s office and requested all my clinicals from her. They said they legally have two weeks to copy them, and I get to pay $25 for copies of data that is technically already mine. I explained that due to open enrollment, I’m trying to coordinate several things at one time and potentially make an insurance change if there’s an issue with my WLS request, so anything they could do to speed up the process would be helpful. I’m curious to see what is in my file as I did about 5 months of supervised diet and exercise with this doc, and she’s dead set against me doing WLS, stating that I could do it on my own with Atkins. Fingers are crossed that they have the info this week and I can get everything submitted soon.  Poor Vicki at Dr. Nicholson’s office: I’m sure she thinks I’m terribly high-maintenance.

I’m exhausted and the day just seems to be dragging. My left knee and ankle are really burning/aching today. I guess it’s because the weather is changing, and rain is forecast for tomorrow. I’m going to try to go to the gym tonight, and get some laundry done and the bills paid.

My coworker who went to the initial seminar with me and had her surgery on 6/17 is now wearing a size 6 (down from 20/22) I’m going to go through some of my old bras and see if I can find her anything that would fit, as she’s still pretty chesty. She looks AWESOME!

10/26/2006
I finally got all my old clinicals from my old Dr. Sent over to Vicki yesterday. It was about 40 pages, so after several trials and errors, I broke it up into smaller bits, imaged, and emailed them.   Finally got the CC of the letter from UHC asking for 3 years of failed diets. I’m not sure what they’re really looking for, but I’m assuming it’s written the way it is in order to make you give up. Well, I’m not giving up.

We had a mobile driver’s license renewal here at work today. I asked the lady what they had for height and weight for me, and it was 5’8” and 165. I haven’t been 165 since high school, so I laughed pretty hard and had her change it, as well as making me 5’6” since I’ve shrunk as well. I guess acceptance is the first stage of knowing you have a problem, right?   Hopefully in about a year, I’ll be requesting a new picture because I won’t look like I do now, or weigh 260.

Hurray! I take back most of the stuff I said about my PCP’s office taking their sweet time.  They got all my records copied and I picked them up after lunch.  50 FREAKIN dollars, though. It’s all going to be worth it in the end.

11/2/2006
I found out a few days ago that my Dr’s insurance coordinator is leaving. She faxed all my stuff in and sent the information on to another person.  I called UHC, and after being disconnected once, I talked to a nice lady named Audrey who checked some things out for me, noted in my file that the information had been faxed, and told me to check back again in a few days. I’m concerned that the info will have to be resent, because they seem to have a tendency to lose the information the first time it goes in, or at least that’s how it was with my predetermination letter. I tried to email the person in charge of my file, but the address wasn’t working. If I don’t get a result from UHC in a couple of days, I’ll call the main number and see who is taking over Vicki’s position. They didn’t have anyone trained when she left.

Trying SO hard to be patient, so I can be a patient!

11/13/2006
I heard from the new insurance coordinator last week. Her name is Crimson. She seemed very enthusiastic, and re-faxed everything to UHC and is going to bug them until I have approval.  I believe they actually have all my information now, so I hope my approval is forthcoming!

I turned 32 this weekend. Had a bunch of friends from my car club go to dinner at a Teppanyaki-Style Japanese restaurant.  I had a great time, and everyone came back to our house to drink, have dessert and socialize. I had a really nice birthday, but looking forward to a time when my social events can’t revolve around food.

I’m also worried that UHC is going to deny me because I have dipped under the MO mark during the last 5 years. I can lose some weight, but sure as heck can’t keep it off.  I just keep bouncing right around 257-262.  I don’t know. I should really just put it in the hands of a higher power and quit worrying about it. Not in my nature not to worry, though. Maybe I’ll be scheduling a date by Christmas.

11/20/2006
Well, I’m still waiting to hear from UHC. I called last week, and they said a letter was sent out on Monday, 11/13. I’ve been pouncing on the mailbox as soon as I get home each day, but nothing yet. My city has the SLOWEST mail ever.

I had the UHC person give me the gist of the letter, but it really didn’t sound like an approval. It didn’t sound like a denial either, though.

So, I’m trying to stay positive but not overly exited. If I were approved today, I’d try to schedule as soon as possible. I have no vacation left, so I’d like to take advantage of the paid week between Christmas and New Years.  Otherwise I’d have to take a week without pay, and I REALLY don’t want to do that, but I can if I have to.

I’m SO impatient!

11/21/2006
Got my letter from UHC and immediately sent it to Crimson at Baylor.

11/22/2006
Scheduled my surgery consult. Leaving today for Thanksgiving in Del Rio, TX . Del Rio really is the end of the civilized world.

11/27/2006 
Back at work after Thanksgiving. All I can say about Thanksgiving is I’m thankful it’s over. Long Drive, Argument/Turkey/Argument, Long drive home.

My Parents-in-law are awesome.  My MIL’s Father, not so much.

It’s my 7^th Wedding anniversary today. Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday, and sometimes it seems like we’ve been married forever. I love my wonderful husband even if he is sick of hearing about my surgery, ha ha!

I’d marry him all over again.

 My surgery consult is tomorrow. I hope I can go ahead and schedule for Dec. 15^th.

11/28/2006
I have a date! December 15^th it is.

Lots of random emotions here. So much stuff to do in so little time

12/1/2006 
Had an EGD today. It kicked my butt.  I don’t remember much, but my neighbor said that it took twice as much sedative than they were expecting. I was pretty much looped for the rest of the day.  The good news is that I’m totally normal with no esophageal or gastric issues.

12/4/2006
The countdown begins. I still have to schedule pre-op testing and Nutrition Consult. NUT’s office has been ringing busy all day. Had a minor scare while I was out of it on Friday, they were running the potential bill against my old insurance instead of my current insurance. It was going to be painful and out of network. Got that straightened out this morning. I still stressed about it all weekend, even though I was pretty sure it was a non-issue.

I’m very excited, but overwhelmed by all the stuff at home and at work that I’ve got to complete prior to the 15^th, as well as FMLA paperwork and the like.

It’s a freakin’ whirlwind. I can’t wait to be a looser. My Mom’s been calling me a bunch lately I’m sure she’s just worried about me. My folks are behind me regardless, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worried. I think my husband is just ready for me to quit obsessing about it. He’s your typical guy. I don’t think he’ll get freaked out until they start wheeling me into surgery.