First Consult

Nov 03, 2012

I had a consultation with Dr. Cirangle this week.  His recommendation for me was the gastric sleeve.  I was interested in the ds as well, which he will do if that's what I want, but I do have concerns about malabsorption and my BMI is not as high as it "should" be for ds.  I do like that I have the option to revise to ds if needed, though.  Things to think about.  He thinks a good goal weight for me is around 130, which means I'd lose a little less than half my body weight.  That seems crazy to me.  I haven't weighed 130 since I was in the 9th grade.  And I thought I was fat then, lol! 

I am consulting with another doctor on Monday who does not perform the ds.  I considered meeting another doctor who does the ds, but he charges a $300 consultation fee which seems to be out of pocket (even though I believe he is in my network).  That just seemed excessive to me for an informational meeting.  They credit it to you if you use him for surgery, but I still think it's kind of slimy.

I was also surprised by the up-front fee for after care.  Part of me thinks it's good because I would have access to my doctor (if I choose Dr. C) for as long as he's in practice, really.  But I went in thinking I'd just be paying my co-pay, so this was totally unexpected.  My husband has no issue with it, though, so I guess I shouldn't, either.

I'm interested to hear what Dr. Zare has to say on Monday.  Then I'll make a decision and get started on the 3 months of supervised medical diet my insurance requires.  Hopefully I can schedule the procedure for February, possibly when my kids are out of school and at my inlaws so I have a good week of recovery without them.

I also have an appointment with my therapist on Monday.  I'm looking forward to seeing her again and sharing all this info with her.  Because my insurance abruptly informed me she was no longer in-network in July, I haven't seen her since then.  Now she's back in network and I plan to continue to see her regularly.  I need to fix both my physical weight problem and my mental food issues.

Crazy that by the end of the school year I could be down 60 lbs (or more if I lose during the pre-op diet), and by the start of the next school year I could be in the 100s.

I'm getting pretty excited.  I mean, I have totally decided I AM going to do wls in some form.  Now I just need to work out the details.

Things I want to do after/during losing weight:

• Stop shopping at Lane Bryant.
• Take a ballet class.  (I took ballet throughout my childhood/adolescence and even danced in college, but am too embarrassed and out of shape to dance in front of people now).
• Not fear walking across a crowded room like a restaurant b/c I am too big to fit between the chairs/people/etc.
• Be in more pictures.
• Not feel like the first thing people think when they see me is "she is fat."
• Stop wondering why my husband would think seeing me naked is a good idea.
• I'm sure there are more, but I need to go do other things.

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