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It is now February 2, 2007 - a little more than 8 months since my surgery.  I am down an amazing 95 lbs and I have never felt better in my life. I finally have my life back!  I am forever grateful to Dr. Gellman and his staff, and to my wonderful family and friends for all their support.  Having this surgery was the best thing I ever did for myself.  I truly think of May 24th (my surgery date) as my new birthday.  

Take a look at the new pictures of me! (Below is my old profile):

I'm so excited - got my surgery date for May 24th (this is the second time it was scheduled, because I was denied by my insurance company the first time). Now I know this will happen because I won my appeal!

I am all set - psyched up emotionally for the surgery. I have also begun walking with my sisters and I'm doing a 3 mile trail in the park about 2 to 3 times a week. That way, my lung capacity will be better for surgery. I'm also training for the Avon Breast Cancer walk in October, and I hope that after I heal from the surgery I will have much more stamina to do the walk.

5/22- 2 days to go! So excited. Today is my last day at work for a few weeks. Everyone has been very supportive and I am so grateful for that. Tomorrow is my "prep" which I'm not looking forward to, but it will be worth it.

5/23/06- ok- got through my "prep", have been on clear liquids all day. Everyone has been calling to give me their support, and I am so thankful for that. I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow morning. I'll keep everyone posted. Thank you all so much for your love and support. It means so much to me.

6/2/06- Surgery went very well and I am thankful to be home. Getting stronger each day. Doing very well on the protein liquids and purees. I've been trying to "mix it up" at each meal, switching between protein shakes, sugar free puddings, very thin oatmeal, yogurt, etc. I add Pro Cel to almost everything I eat, and I've been very diligent about my vitamins. I really feel good, with very little pain. Went for my post op today- lost almost 14 lbs since 5/24! Can't believe it.

6/23/04 - went back to see my surgeon- everything went very well. Lost 24 lbs in the first four weeks after surgery. I'm able to tolerate soft solids and having no problems. I just get tired, but I fell really good.

7/21/06- back for my 2 month check up- everything went great. Now weigh 227 (yeah- finally under 230)!




10/10/06- Haven't posted in a while- had a super busy summer getting my daughter off to college. I feel great and am down to my lowest weight since before my daughter was born 18 years ago! I did post that i'm having a major problem with hair loss and I hope that turns around soon (before I go bald!). but overall, I'm so happy and feeling great. I even walked a marathon this past weekend in the Avon Walk For Breast Cancer - that's right - I walked 26.2 miles over 2 days! There is no way I could have done that before my surgery!




10/18/06- went to the doctor for my flu shot- everything is great. I'm down 75 lbs!!! That's in almost 5 months! Can't believe how great I feel. The only downside is my hair (thinning out), but I got a great short haircut and it looks great. Besides, the way I feel is well worth the hair loss.






Photos



Surgeon Info:
Surgeon: Larry Gellman, M.D.
Insurer Info:
Guardian Heathnet
My insurance company, Healthnet, is terrible. First they denied me because they claimed I did not have any co-morbidity problems that could not be controlled, and since my BMI is under 40, I did not qualify. However, I proved that I DO have co-morbidity problems, and then they denied me because they claimed I did not prove that I tried a "medically supervised dietary program for six months". So, in essence they changed the criteria in the middle of my appeal. Well, I appealed to the NYS Insurance Department and I won! The insurance department said Healthnet cannot create their own standards which do not meet the national standards for weight loss surgery. So now I plan to have the surgery, but Healthnet set me back six months, cost me a lot of money and cost their own company a lot of time and money!