ObesityHelp

Well I'm on the other side. Everything went well. Went in on a Friday and left on a Sunday morning. Would've been able to leave Saturday night but the surgeon was tied up and couldn't make it back to the hospital. Had LOTS of gas pains but it was definitely manageable. I did lots of walking in the hospital. Just kept making loops on the floor as they wouldn't let me leave the floor. Sleeping wasn't really that great because the bed sucked and the nurses are in every so often for vitals and meds.

In two more days I'll be 6 wks post op. Have an appointment Friday with the NUT. I think I'm doing ok. Not exercising as much as I should and this will change. I'm thinking about joining a gym. Always loved going. Just have to find one that is convienient to my house/schedule. I'm feeling great. The first couple of weeks were rough and I had absolutely NO ENERGY but now it's a complete 180. I'm thankful for this tool. Just hope everything continues on a downward spiral (weightwise that is).

After jumping through all the hoops and arguing with insurance and doctor's office, all preop tests have been completed. Started off with a group of surgeons in my area. Come to find out they aren't covered by my insurance as a Center of Excellence even though they are a COE. It was a surprise to me and to their office as well. So I contacted my insurance office to find out where I could go. Come to find out there are none in the state so I had a choice between LA, TN, AL. After reviewing all the programs, I chose Memphis TN, Dr. Wegner.

I met with him Feb. 29 and he gave me a list of things I needed to complete. Mainly, 2 nutrition classes, cardiac clearnace (EKG, Echo), Upper GI, blood work. His insurance staff told me I would need to complete 6 months supervised weight loss as I have UHC. I explained to her that was not required and we basically argued for about a week. Finally she relented and said she would submit and let the chips fall where they may. A week later, I was approved. My insurance pays 100% not subject to the deductible so I am blessed beyond measure!

Fast forward a couple of weeks, I had my final nutrition class on 4/24, and then had my consultation with Dr. Wegner and his NP on 4/25. They set a date of May 11, 2012 and sent me to have all my preop testing done that morning. He did ask me if I would be ok with having a VSG if he got in there and was unable to preform the RNY because of an appendectomy scar I had from years ago. I told him yes.

Today, I start my liver shrink diet. I hope to be sucessful with this. I've lived my entire life overweight and I'm tired of fighting it. Here's to starting this journey and praying it's very sucessful!