- Username: renee617
- Location: Irvine, CA, USA
- Member Since: 3/19/2001
- BMI: 40.0
- Hoping to have surgery
- Surgery Type: RNY
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Member Interests
- Health - Charcot-Marie-Tooth
- Cats - Cats are people too!
- Parenting - I have 3... 2 grown daughters & a teenage son
- Movies - Color Purple, Steele Magnolias, Twlight, Fried Green Tomatoes & many many more
- Music - I love many diff genres... alternative, rock, country, pop, 80's, showtunes
- Grandchildren - 2 grandsons...Being a grandparent is SO much BETTER than parenting
- Autism - My son has Asperger's Syndrome
- WLS in your 30's
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Hi... My name is Renee I'm a 39 yr old Mom & Wife & Tanna (grandma) I hope to one day have weight loss surgery!
They finally called!! on June 3, 2009 8:45 am
6/3/09
Janet, The Coordinator for the Bariatrics program, Finally called me last last week regarding my referral for WLS! She actually called last Tuesday 5/26 a few hours after I posted my last blog entry but this was the 1st chance I've had to update.
Last Tuesday I called Kaiser's appointment center regarding my Pulmonology appt to see if there were any cancellations so I could get in earlier ... after i was done, the rep asked if there was anything else she could help me w/ & i said well as a matter of fact if she could please check the status of my referral for Bariatric surgery that would be great! Well she told me she could see it was still active (i already knew that from the previous 3 calls I had made inquiring on the referral) & she said that it was different from most other types of referrals at Kaiser but there was a phone # (the same # i already had where you leave a message & Janet promises to call back in 24 hrs lol lol lol lol lol) Well i told the rep that my PCP put in the referral on 5/15 & i still hadn't heard a thing at that point 11 days later! So she asked me to hold & several minutes later she came back & said "great news", she'd just spoken to Janet & she said she has been super backed up w/ referrals & promised to call back before 4:00 that day!
Well, Janet kept her word! She called me about 2:30! I had a bunch of questions for her & she patiently answered them 
And NOW I have an appointment on June 15 w/ Dr Nanda... the doc who co-runs the Bariatric program (he's not the surgeon) this will be the 1st appointment in the Bariatric clinic  wooo whooo!
That appt day works out great b/c I see the pulmonologist on the 12th so hopefully I'll get the OK from him, so I can tell Dr Nanda that according to the other doc's that my disability wont be a negative factor so we can move forward toward having surgery.
One thing Janet did say that was frustrating was that the next openings for the Options classes isn't until SEPTEMBER!!! So it'll be '3-4' months before i even start the classes, THEN 5-6 months while taking the classes... which means i probably won't be having surgery until April or May possible even June of NEXT YEAR?!?!?! That sounds like a flipping lifetime away! I've been researching WLS since 2001... I'm sooooo ready now! BUT, I've got to go through the process no matter what it takes!
I'll update again after my upcoming doc appointments I have in the next few weeks.
I will have my day... even if it's not until 2010! 
1 comment | Leave a comment.
1 down... 1 to go! on May 26, 2009 11:17 am
May 26, 2009
Good news...
I saw my neurologist @ Kaiser this morning to get her OK for me to have WLS & she said that in her opinion, there was no reason she could see, from my disability standpoint, why I couldn't have the surgery... and even said she thought it would be be a good idea!
Needless to say, this news was great to hear, but she did say that my pulmonologist's approval would probably be more important, which I already knew. I can't see him until Fri June 12th, but I'm going to try to get in before that... I'm hoping for a cancellation.
I'm more anxious about what he'll say more than anything.
Although 3 yrs ago i did ask him the same thing about WLS he said it was risky, that being intabated was risky for me because my diaphragm was partially paralyzed & he couldn't 'guarantee' that I'd be able to breath on my own after being on a respirator during surgery. He gave me a 'guarded' approval. But he said since i seemed to be educated & was aware of the all risks and wanted the surgery so badly after knowing everything i knew, that he'd give his OK.
I expect to hear a similar response again ( atleast I hope I'll get the OK again) but I'm still nervous... and despite all the extra risks for me... I still want this surgery more than ANYTHING in this world!!!!!
I'll keep you posted
Oh... by the way....
I'm STILL waiting to hear from Kaiser regarding my referral for the WLS clinic...
Still waiting for Janet to call me back too! 
1 comment | Leave a comment.
Referral in... still waiting! on May 23, 2009 12:48 am
May 23, 2009
So my PCP submitted a referral to the WLS clinic on May 15th. I know Kaiser works slow, but what should I expect? Is there anything I can do to speed this along? It’s only been a week but I've yet to hear anything from them at all. All you can do is call & leave a message on some voice mail for a woman named Janet w/ Kaiser's bariatric Options program stating to leave your info & she'll call you back within 24-48 hrs... well it's been 4 days since I called & I'm still waiting Janet. 
I feel kinda like I’m in limbo. I feel like I’m in the dark here until I can be informed so I'll at least know what to expect. I know the surgery itself is a long time off... I’m expecting it to take about 6 months, maybe even not until January 2010. But i really wish someone would call me back so i could just know..
Anyway, in the meantime I'll be seeing the neurologist this coming Tuesday May 26th so I'll hopefully get my 1st of the 2 ok's that I need for surgery clearance due to my disability. Wish me luck... I'll keep you posted 
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A new start... on May 20, 2009 10:45 pm
May 20, 2008
Well here i am again, with a renewed deteremination to pursue having WLS. I have Kaiser & i've checked w/ my company (i work for Wells Fargo) & they don't have an exclusion regarding weight loss surgery so now begins the long & tedious process. I can't believe that i've been researching & contemplating WLS since the year 2000 That's been more than 10 years!!!
My PCP is 100% behind me, so this is a plus. She was so eager infact she sent in the referral before I had attended the 2 mandatory orientations so the initial referral was rejected, but she resent it last Friday.
I have a few more hoops to jump through i'm afraid than other people wanting this done because I have a disability called called Charcot Marie Tooth disease which is a nueromuscular disease likened to muscular dystrophy. I can't walk & I use a wheelchair to get around. I also have a partially paralyzed diaphragm so being on a ventilator during surgery is risky... so i have to get an ok from my pulmonologist & also my nuerologist before i can move forward. I'll be seeing them within the next few weeks. June 9th i see the nuero & i'm waiting for my referral to see the pulm.
I'm hoping in the meantime my WLS referral will be accepted so I can see the doc's that run the clinic here in The O.C. so i can start the 20 week Options classes.
I'll try like crazy to update & blog as i go through this process. It will be nice to be able to look back after 'surgery' & see the journey.
I pray i get to that point. I hope & pray that I will be approved & get the ok to make my dreams of a healthy weight & more mobility a reality
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A Journey that seems to have stalled :( on February 2, 2007 5:31 pm
The following entries are from my old profile........
Jan 14, 2004
Here I am same place as last entry. Still wanting surgery, still not having it. I will update more throughly soon.
Blessings
Aug 7, 2003
It's been more than a year since I updated my pofile so, here's what's been going on w/ me. I still have NOT had the surgery. I recently received a guarded ok from my pulmonologist for the anastesia part of the procedure, but due to some recent breathing troubles im having I may never be able to have the surgery. I'm very sad yet hopeful that my health will improve enough to go though w/ wls. I desprately want to change my life for the better, but for now i'm in a holding pattern. Wish me luck.
God Bless
6-10-02
its been a while since my last posting. Since then not much has changed. I'm still overweight & still unhappy about it! One major thing that has changed for me though is I'm working now & I really like my job. I work for Wells Fargo in the cust service dept. And I again have Kaiser health ins. I'll be beginning the persuit for wls again too. If i'm not mistaken, i'll have to wait a whole year till Kaiser will consider the surgery? Oh I pray that's not the case. Any suggestions or advice please send them my way. Thank you,
God Bless
2-25-2002
Well here I am still fat and miserable! My husband's job where we had Kaiser coverage didn't work out so he's back
in his preferred trade (which i'm very happy about) but we have the sucky ins that now says WLS is an exclusion!
This is so unfair! Gee if I had an extra $16,000 laying around I'd be all set. NOW WHAT THE #$%& am I
supposed to do, give up? I guess I have no choice but to. Maybe I can sweet talk a surgeon into
donating his talents and perform the surgery for free... yeah like THAT will ever happen, I can fantisize
can't I? Any suggestions PLEASE send them my way!
God Bless
8-29-01
It's been a long time since my last update. Since then however I
have been denied WLS! I was so devistated it send me into a depression. I had given up on WLS all together. But again God showed up and added light to a dark day. My husband left his trade that he's been working in for 12 yrs and started a new job. His new job has different insurance. So beggining 10-01 we'll be covered under Kaiser and I will begin the process of pursuing WLS once again. If anyone out there has any advice at all on dealing w/ Kaiser please feel free to send it my way.
GOD BLESS!
6-4-01
It's been so long since my last update! I have to be honest,I all but decided to not have the surgery. I was
really doing battle with myself emotionally. My appointment w/ Dr. LePort just seemed to take forever
to get here. I waited almost 2 months for my very first appt. and during that time is when I started having
doubts. I stopped researching and stopped chatting in the obesityhelp.com chat room. I never even made it to
a support group meeting. For a couple of weeks I tried to diet. I even tried to eat like a post-op would. I
was trying to convince myself that I could loose the weight w/ out surgery and that I never really gave it
an honest try.
BUT THEN.... I started filling out all the paper work I received in the mail that asked the standard health
questions and diet history. What a totally DEPRESSING walk down memory lane that was!!! I truly didn't
remember all the countless times I truly did try to loose weight. I never actually sat and wrote it all down before.
Things I totally forgot I tried all came rushing back to me. I then relized or remembered or whatever, that I did truly
want this surgery. So last thursday 5-31-01 I went and met w/ Dr. LePort and I took him my medical records like I was
told to and started the ball rolling.
One thing that made me kinda nervous is when I told him I was mostly concerned at this time whether my disability would make me unsuitable for surgery, he said, kinda under his breath "oh that should'nt be a problem" then
with full volume of his speaking voice w/out skipping a beat, he said "what type of insurance do you have?"
I was kinda taken aback. I was told on the phone that HE wanted me to get my records together and he'd look at
them and see. Well he NEVER even looked at the things I brought!! However he did say that he would send me to some
other doctors for pulmonary test and all the standard pre-op tests and go from there. Well that's all fine and
good but does this mean I may have to go through ALL OF THIS FOR NOTHING? I mean I still don't know if I can
even have the surgery! I don't even know if my insurance co. is going to fight me on this. AAAAARRRRGGGG!
OK enough venting! But, I was almost under the impression that my disability didn't factor into this at all as
far as the doc was concerned the only issue was if my insurance co would pay him.
PLEASE don't get me wrong, I realy liked the man. He was so personable and spoke to
me like a valued person, he answered my questions and described the surgery in detail. I felt he was a very skilled surgeon. Although there wasn't anything he told me about the surgery that I didn't already know thanks to this web site
and the people here. My overall impression of him was positive. He has not performed too many lap RNY's in fact
he did his 1st one this year in Feb. I think he told me he's performed 10 to date but by the time I could even
get a date for a lap would be september and by then he'll have done many more. That part doesn't bother
me at all.
Well if anyone has actually read all of this I thank you. This is where I'm at. The waiting game. Take care and God
bless you all!
4-9-01
I'm still in the process to find out if I'm even a candidate for WLS due to my disability. I do know however, who I would want to peform my surgery If I 'can' and If I 'decide' to go through
with it, it will be Dr LePort in Fountain Valley, CA. I called his office a few weeks ago and spoke w/ Dee Dee. I explained to her about my disability and she went and asked the doc right then and there! He said for me to get together my medical records and to make an appointment and we'll discuss it. I called today and I have my consultation on May 31, 2001. Geez I wish it was sooner but I'll take whatever I can get!
I'm apprehensive to get excited about it because what if he says that I can't do it because of my CMT {Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which is a form of muscular dystrophy} I will be so disappointed! I guess I'll just have to wait and see! Until
then I'll keep researching and educating myself on this surgery and all the many nooks a crannys that comes w/ it.
3-27-01
Ok I'm not sure what happened but the update I typed here last week has been erased! Oh well, here we go again.
I have studied up on WLS and the different types. I've asked a lot of questions and chatted w/ some post op people too. I am still considering whether or not to go forward w/ the approval process. My next step is to attend the support groups.
I feel the Roux-en-Y procedure would be the way to go for me as long as it could be done lap. An open procedure just seems too drastic. I'm disabled & in a wheelchair {I have a form of muscular dystrophy called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
a.k.a. CMT} and I feel the recovery time and the way I have to move to get in & out of my chair would be too painful, too intense and very inhibiting. I have a call into a surgeon to ask
about my CMT and being a good candidate for surgery. I'm concerned my disability would complicate the surgery but I just don't know.
On a more personal note my hubby is in total support of me having the surgery if I choose to go through w/ it that is. He is so awesome and he's the most loving, wonderful, understanding man on the planet!!! I'm hoping maybe he'll consider the surgery for himself.
I'm 30 years old and feel like my life never started. I am so miserable being overweight. It's bad enough being disabled but being fat is a double whammy! I'm sure you all know what I mean. I have a 9-yr. old son who I love more than life and I fear I won't be around or at least be unable to enjoy him in his youth. There are things that he misses out on because I'm too shy and self-conscience about my appearance. I mean all my fat... not my disability {that’s not too much of an emotional issue for me anymore}. I also have 2 stepdaughters who are 15 & 18. I have raised them since they were 6 & 10. They call me mom and I love
them as if they were my very own blood daughters. They are thin and gorgeous and sometimes I am so envious of them. I wouldn't want to be a teenager again to save my life but wouldn't mind looking like one :o) Sometimes when their friends come over I
feel SOOO self conscience I can't even breath! I really hate this feeling and I desperately want to do something about it. I want to BE NORMAL sized!! I'm just so scared I guess.
If anyone has actually read all of this I thank you and I would appreciate any and all input. Good-Luck to all of you having surgery. May God bless you all and keep you safe!
3-12-01
I'm seriously considering some type of weight loss surgery. Which one, I have no idea. I'm disabled, in a wheelchair and seriously over-weight. I've tried EVERYTHING and I'm desperate.
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My Story I'm 39 years old and feel like my life never started. I am so miserable being overweight. It's bad enough being disabled but being fat is a double whammy! I'm sure you all know what I mean. My hubby is the most wonderful man on earth! He is so supportive & wants me to be healthy & happy. I want to grow old with him...
I also have a son, 17 & 2 daughters who are 23 & 27 & both married, one w/ 2 kids. who I love more than life and I fear I won't be around or at least be unable to enjoy them fully. My grandbaby boys are the loves of my life! I adore them more than anything & I want to be able to see them graduate from college, get married & even have kids! I want so badly to have this surgery so i can fulfill those simple yet priceless dreams 
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