Sean_B's Profile

Username: Sean_B
Location: Schenectady, NY, USA
Member Since: 9/3/2006
BMI: 21.8
Post Op
Surgery Type: Duodenal Switch (11/14/06)
Surgeon: Paresh Shah, M.D.

Photos

Mine (14)

I'm in (0)

1 week postop - first day home Uploaded on 4/12/08 5:50 pm	preop - day of surgery Uploaded on 4/12/08 5:50 pm
preop - somewhere around 310-320 lbs Uploaded on 4/12/08 5:50 pm	Uploaded on 4/12/08 5:50 pm
preop - around 310-320 Uploaded on 4/12/08 5:50 pm	12/9/07 Uploaded on 12/9/07 8:11 am

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Friends

Sean_B has 72 Friends

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Goals

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Surgeon Testimonial

Paresh Shah, M.D.
very easy to speak to, makes things easy to understand....
and much taller than I had imagined him LOL.
office staff was SUPER friendly and helpful.

Latest Surgery Support Comments

Comment by Anna G. on 10/13/07 5:17 pm

Wow! You zipped right through that surgery! So glad it went well. Hope you have a swift and pain-free recovery!

Comment by LeaAnn on 10/13/07 1:40 pm

Enjoy those percocets my Renegade/Ds Brother! Glad your surgery went well!

Comment by Mis94 on 10/13/07 7:24 am

Hi Sean! Hoping your hernia repair is a breeze! Missy

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36 y/o, married 9 years and have a 5 y/o son
live in Schenectady NY.... a small city just a few minutes west of our state capital (Albany)
LOVE music... I sing in a local cover band (picture MeatLoaf on a bad day LOL... well, not "MeatLoaf" anymore... more like Steven Tyler hehe )
also play guitar... but not good enough to play it in the band.... no problem, I love singing.

last cigarette pre-op was on 9/13/06
first cigarette post-op was 7/23/07 (many stressful pile-ups on me, compounded by a dear friend's accidental death on 7/22/07)
don't give me a hard time... my smoking is MUCH less than it used to be, and I have no issues hiking, singing, exercising, etc. It's really the only "bad" thing I do, so give me that much OK? thanks

6'1" date of surgery - 323.6 LB 6 months post-op - 189.8
stable since August '07 (roughly 9 months post) - 160-165 lb

Sean_B's Blog

7 months and all's well
on June 15, 2007 10:27 pm

well I'm SO glad that the new drug "Alli" has finally been approved for over-the-counter sales, and brought to market so I can try to lose this damn weight (SARCASM PEOPLE..... SARCASM)

OK... so my weight lately has been floating around 175.... almost 150 lbs down from where I started. I'm solidly in a 32 waist pants and MEDIUM shirts!!!
I never would have believed it if you told me this back in November. Also, I didn't think I even HAD a spare 150 lbs... I thought maybe 80-100 lbs, but I feel great and I look much better too except possibly the upper half of my face, though it may be that I'm still not used to it yet. From my Mother's side (Irish and Cherokee) I have very high and prominent cheekbones... with the weight loss, it kind of makes my face (at least from comparison) look a bit sunken. part of it is that I still need to get used to some parts of my change of appearance, the other part is that I've just about leveled off in my weight loss... so if I'm a typical DSer, I'll probably gain back somewhere around 10-20 lbs and that should fill out some low spots. Though I'm sure most of the problem is the fun-house mirror effect... I'm still not used to much of what I'm seeing in the mirror so it still looks strange to me. I had my 6-month followup with Dr Shah last month... he couldn't be happier with my progress as well as with my bloodwork.... everything from the lab came back PERFECT. He even suggested I stop taking the sublingual B12 that I was taking (my B12 levels were so high that the labs couldn't measure that high)... instead, he suggested I take a B-100 or B-150 complex, that I seem to be having no trouble absorbing B12 normally, and that I might notice a better energy boost from the other B vitamins (particularly B1 and B6)... it's only been about 2 weeks (I waited until I finished that bottle of B12) that I've been taking the B-150 and do notice at least a SLIGHT increase in energy and alertness...but since it's only been 2 weeks, it could be other factors as well. Who cares, so long as I don't feel WORSE, right?

I'm so glad the weather has finally gotten warmer so I can get outside and DO stuff... I'm almost done building my shed (so I can clear out much of the garage and some of my office)... my boat is almost complete (I've been building a fiberglass canoe/kayak hybrid... almost ready for water testing, then final rigging and paint.
Took my family to Great Escape (a 6-flags amusement park here in upstate NY) last weekend and had a BLAST... rode many rides with my 4 y/o. I fit the rides SOO much better than I used to, though there were a couple that I still smashed my knees to get into. funny thing about having WLS... your legs stay the same length

Also the last couple weeks I've been getting out hiking more... averaging 4-5 miles each time. In a week or two, I'll be adding the pack to those hikes, and gradually adding weight to the pack. The way I look at it, my average pack weight for a 3-4 night trip is around 60-70 lbs... 175 plus 70 = 245.... my preop weight was close to 325... so even with a fully loaded pack, I'll be about 80 lbs below my preop weight

I should be able to hike Everest with THAT kind of advantage hehe.
I'm gearing up for a late-August or early September trip with my Dad to hike and summit Mt. Marcy... highest point in NY at 5344 feet, an elevation change of about 3300 ft. Probably not much to those of you living out west, but Marcy ranks second only to Mt Washington in NH for Northeast peaks (and possibly the entire eastern half of the US)
This trip means a lot to me in that first, I haven't been hiking/camping with my dad since he was my scout leader back in 1980... next, my last hiking trip to the Adirondacks, I had to sit out the summit run (along with a small handful of others in my group) because of problems with my knee... so I never, in my mind, got to "finish" that trip... my knee had for a while gotten even worse, but recently has been getting better and now that I've lost so much weight, I haven't so much as felt ANYTHING from my knee since February.
I guess the thing is, as I lost weight, my knee hurt less... with my knee hurting less I've been able to walk more... which both strengthens my knee and promotes more weight loss... both which make my knee hurt even less (and even feel good) which makes my able to walk more... it's a (not so) vicious cycle

guess it's just as well I don't enter something every day, huh? look at all this typing... jeez, I swear they're going to start charging me rent around here.

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overdue update 3/6/07
on March 6, 2007 3:34 pm

I know it's been a while... I guess that's what happens when you can actually get out and LIVE.

I went the other day to Salvation Army to drop off a few bags of clothes... 2x and 3x shirts, 46 and 48 waist pants.... while I was there, I picked up 4 pairs of like-new pants for $14 total... waist sizes were 36 (fit me now), 34 (I could button them, but they were tight) and 32 (I could pull them on and zip half-way... they should fit me in a month or two.
my shirts (depending on the type and cut) are either XL (which fit perfect in the shoulders, but a bit loose in the belly) or LARGE which fit just about perfect in the belly and chest, but are a bit snug in the shoulders... I think I'm always going to be XL in my shirts because of my shoulders, though I may end up needing what they call an "athletic cut".

I'm now a little shy of 4 months out... and am down about 105-110 lbs. I've been (when it hasn't been snowing or blisteringly cold) walking 5+ miles at a time with NO pain to my knees, I've been sledding with my son... yes, I've been posting here and there on the boards, but not so much time to post blogs like I started out doing.

this has been the BEST thing I have EVER done for myself, and would do it a MILLION times over.
my only regret is that I didn't get off my fat ass years ago to get this done... but then, I wouldn't have had the ammo to fight the "experimental" claim my insurance tried to make.

Finally, thanks to our own lovely LeaAnn of the DS boards, I can proudly display this:

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The image “http://home.nycap.rr.com/seanb/images/seancard.JPG” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

WOOHOO!!!
see ya 'round

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stop that truck!!! 11/22/06
on November 22, 2006 5:51 am

Wow! what a ride THAT was
anyone get the plate # of that truck?

it's 4am wed... must still be on my hospital schedule of only sleeping for 3-4 hours at a time, then up for 2-3.... try to get it straightened out by the end of the week.

so... clocks back to last sunday evening: I made my final post and went into phosphosoda hell.
monday 11/13 Dad came and picked me up and we drove down to my brother's house in Westchester... from there, dad and I get a short cab ride to the train station in Peekskill (this will be Dad's new home base for the next week)... got the train down to NYC to start the adventure. Went up to Lenox Hill for my required preadmin testing and a quick talk with the doctor.
Walked across town to the Comfort Inn on West 71st st.... nice walk through Central Park... grabbed some chinese (only soup for me) then back to the room for a shower and rest.

Tues 11/14 - DS day
woke up super early as you usually do for things you're excited for. not too much later, Dad was up, so we decided to head out so he can get himself some breakfast that I can drool over. since we had plenty of time, we again walked through the park to the east side... and went into the hospital.... 2nd floor to the cafeteria.... then up to 10th floor surgery check-in. another quick chat with my surgeon and next thing I know I'm waking up in recovery.

I didn't know (or realize) it, but I was a little delayed getting into surgery... so they didn't start until almost 11-11:30 (originally scheduled for 10)

Apparently, my liver had gotten a bit worse in both size and condition, but he says it's still in a reversible stage. I knew I had a fatty liver, confirmed by ultrasound in May, and a biopsy in Aug. but apparently it had gotten bigger than the ultrasound showed, and it was no longer "just fatty", it had become nodular. The weight loss and basic fat malabsorption with the DS should at least halt the progress, if not allow full reversal. Damage isn't irreversible until it reaches advanced fibrosis, so I've got THAT going for me.

What the larger-than-expected liver DID, was make things tougher for him to work around.... he had to slightly modify where he divides the duodenum. he says it's not that big of a deal, only enough to mention that he did it, and that it's a little out of the ordinary. he removed my gall bladder and appendix while he was in there. Because of the modified division, I was left with a duodenostomy tube, which now sticks about 4" out of my belly and will have removed in a couple weeks.

I had a bit of a fever late tues and all of Wed.... because of this, they sent me down for a CAT-scan to rule out any plumbing issues. I actually didn't mind drinking that contrast stuff since it was wet and cold and I was so thirsty. While I was down in radiology, they also did an ultrasound on my legs to make sure there were no clots forming, since I had only been able to get up and walk once so far.... no problems shown on either procedure.

fever went back up and down for another day or two, then finally stabilized slightly below 100... but by now it was sat night and I was thinking I would've been on the way home by now, so I started becoming upset and overly sensitive to many things I probably shouldn't have.

skip ahead and Monday 11/20 I'm feeling 10000% better, yet I'm still in the hospital, and have only been started on clear liquids on Sunday... Finally, with my breakfast chicken broth, is included a menu for lunch and dinner YAYY!!!!!

Doctor comes in and says he wants to see how I'm handling the purees before he lets me go... ok, what's another day at this point? so Tues morning comes, and I get the walking papers I've been waiting for..> WOOHOO!! Dad and my Brother drive down to get me, we drop my brother off at his house in Peekskill, and we head the rest of the way home.

set up my place on the couch, and all is well... figured I'd at least make use of this awake time and let you all know about it.

Thank you all so much for your info and support getting me up to this point. and I'm extra thankful to Melissa Mermaid for taking the time to come see me and bring me that great care package..... and also Marge (?... I think it's Marge), who lurks more than she should. My Dad was blown away by you too, both that you came to visit, but also the results of the surgery I've chosen... he even choked up a little when talking about it.

Finally, you're probably wondering... I know I was... so the first thing I did after greeting my family and pets was to grab the scale.
Monday 11/13 as dad and I are about to hit the road.... 323.6
Tuesday 11/21 (1 week post-op) ...... 299.4

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winning to losing 11/12/06
on November 12, 2006 9:46 am

Well, guess it's been a couple weeks since an update.
Long story short, I won the appeal through external review, and they agreed to cover the DS.
and here I am... 2 days away from a major life changing experience. Scared? no.... excited? yes... nervous? a little.
morbid (or strange) as this may seem, I'm not one of those who are afraid of not waking up from surgery. In reality, that's the LAST thing a PATIENT should be afraid of. Think about it... you're in surgery... you're knocked out from the anesthesia. If you kick it, you'll never know.
I AM a little apprehensive of waking up.... THAT'S when you start feeling the pain.
anyway... I AM ready for this. Yes, I may be considered a "lightweight" in the field of bariatric surgery... and no, I don't (YET) need to take medicines to control my diabetes... and no, I don't need the assistance of a cane or brace when I walk... but why should I (or anyone) be made to wait that long? I want to take care of those things before they GET to that point. I want to have this done while I'm still young enough to enjoy the benefits.
Due to work, child, and pets, my wife will not be accompanying me down to NYC. My dad will be coming here monday morning to pick me up... from here, drive down to Westchester county and take the metro north train down to NYC. my father will be spending nights at my brother's house and commuting down to see me. If all goes normally, I should be discharged either Friday or Saturday.
Now I'm just going through things over and over seeing if I've got everything I'll want/need.... Jeez, I don't think I took this long to pack for my trip to europe. I'm sure I'll think of something (as I'm laying in my hospital bed)... speaking of which, I hope they have a decent choice of TV channels LOL
well... this will be my last post until after I'm back home at least.
So long for now

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10/26/06 - waiting and fighting
on October 26, 2006 4:43 pm

well, my paperwork was submitted to insurance on 10/13. made a few calls to make sure everything was proceeding ok, and if they needed anything else that might be missing...
get a letter in the mail on Monday 10/23 that I have been denied because their paperwork (which I don't doubt is probably written on original PAPYRUS) tells them that the DS is "Experimental and/or investigational" and that it is (check THIS out...)
"not generally recognized by the medical community as effective or appropriate for the particular diagnosis or treatment of the covered person's particular condition as demonstrated by Reliable Scientific Evidence"
well if I EVER read a crock of crap, THAT was it...
ok... let's break that down a bit...
the particular condition and diagnosis that I'm seeking treatment for is called "Morbid Obesity"
The procedure I'm seeking approval for (the DS) was created by Dr Hess back in 1988 for the sole purpose of treating obesity.
EVERY paper done on the DS reports on its efectiveness, and the effectiveness IS recognized by anyone in the medical community who is at least somewhat familiar with bariatrics.
the ASBS, in 2003, wrote a resolution stating that
"Whereas: Gastric Bypass, Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, Gastric Banding, Duodenal Switch and Biliopancreatic Diversion have withstood appropriate scrutiny through the literature and the experience of surgeons performing these procedures, in the spirit of the specific purpose of the ASBS of the interchange of ideas, information and experience pertaining to bariatric surgery"
Then it goes on....
Whereas: The safety, efficacy and the benefit of the above procedures are well tested and established by such interchange...
Therefore: Be it resolved that the society recognize the above procedures, whether performed open or laparoscopic, as appropriate and accepted remedies in the treatment of clinically significant obesity and its attendant comorbid conditions"

so of course, I promptly filed an appeal (which I was already doing research for anyway).
Monday afternoon, I dropped off at the post office to mail out my appeal package. Of course I included the above ASBS resolution... along with about 200+ other pages worth of similar literature... JAMA articles, various papers authored by such highly regarded surgeons as Hess, Anthone, Baltasar, Rabkin, Gagner, Keshishian, etc, etc.
then just to top it all off... I included the WLS portions of various policies of national insurance companies... Aetna, various branches of BCBS, Unicare.. along with the MEDICARE policy on WLS... ALL include DS as an acceptable procedure.

Speaking with the woman in the Pre-D dept at my insurance co, she actually seemed to be very nice and helpful. As she explained (and I SORT OF understand) she can only go by what is written in the procedure books they have there... but after reading a couple of the items that I sent, she "personally" agrees that I have submitted sufficient evidence... but that now it wasn't up to her, that it was being sent out for external review by a non-affiliated doctor (or doctors) who is familiar with bariatrics. Whether he/she LIKES the DS procedure or not should be irrelevant... only that evidence supports MY stance that the DS is NOT "experimental and/or investigational"

of course I'm a LITTLE concerned with the final determination... but I'm confident that they can't really still make that E&I claim after being presented with the packet I sent... what I'm MORE concerned about, is whether they make final determination early enough that I can keep my originally scheduled 11/14 surgery date.

I'm not into prayer... but I DO believe in positive energy (regardless of what you claim the source to be)... any positive thoughts you can aim in my direction would be appreciated.

Thanks

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