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on May 10, 2008 8:31 pm
I just want to say that I fully believe that my having surgery was God's Way...There were so many little things that happened that made me believe more and more that this is the truth.
Back in October, I went to the doctor for a checkup. When I stepped on the scale and it said 359 I was humiliated. I just wanted to die as the girl was touching the pen to the paper. I went home and cried about it for days. I started eating better than I had been and decided it was time to do something about this. I made another appointment to see my doctor. I had finally decided I wanted to have WLS. I had been thinking about it for five years. When I was with my husband, he didn't want me to go through with it, so it was put on the backburner and forgotten about. After I left him, I started thinking about it again. Here I was four years later knowing I needed to take care of this now before things got any worse. I prayed about it and things just seemed to start falling into place.
I went to my doctor(whom I've seen since I was about 10 or so) and she said she thought it was a fabulous idea. She referred me to Dr. Bobby Bhasker-Rao. I got on-line that night to research him. I found out that he does WLS seminars and I made reservations for my aunt, my friend, and myself to attend one about a week later. I found so much knowledge and comfort during the seminar. Dr. Bobby had gained my trust before I had even personally talked to him. You could just tell by the way he talked that he truly cares for his patients. We all scheduled appointments with him for the following week.
That Friday when it was time to leave for our appointments with Dr. Bobby, my friend called me and told me she had been doing some "research." She had called our insurance provider and said that Dr. Bobby was not covered in our network. So I started freaking out and was upset because I already had my mind and heart set on him. I called my aunt and told her what was going on. She decided to call his office. The girls in the office said they had gotten Aetna to cover before and that we should just come in. I called my friend back and told her this. I decided that even if I went down there and I couldn't get covered by him, what did I have to lose? So I went. My aunt and I ended up going in the room together for support. Dr. Bobby was so patient and kind. He talked with us about our family medical history. He was throurough about explaining things to us. He gave us lists of everything we would have to do in order to have the surgery. He told me he thought I was a perfect candidate for having WLS. And so my surgery journey began.
The first thing I did was my sleep study on Halloween in 2007. I was sick with a horrible cold and was afraid that I wasn't going to get the right results because of my breathing being affected by this. The girl said it was fine and if I thought I could sleep to be there. I was so tired because I got up for work at 3am that morning that I knew I would have no problem. Everything seemed to go well. I found out that I had mild sleep apnea. Then came the weigh-ins every month. The last thing I did was the psych evaluation because I was so worried that I wouldn't pass because they would think I needed counselling for my eating behaviors and everything would be pushed back. I went in and she asked me why I had waited so long to schedule. I told her that I had been worried. It turned out there was nothing to worry about at all. It was just like talking with an old friend. She asked me questions about everything and I told her everything she wanted to know. That was the last paper I needed before everything was submitted to Aetna for approval. Turns out nobody mentioned the fact that Aetna would want files from the last five years stating my weight over the years. No problem. Those will be easy to get, right?
So I made my way to my PCP's office. I asked about my files and they told me that the had only the one from when I had recently seen the doctor. That's strange, where are my files from when I went to see the Dr. before? Then I realized that when I was with my ex we had switched Dr's offices. Even though I never went to that Dr. my files had still been transfered over. So I contacted that office. The woman was super nice and asked if she could look and call me back. She called me back and let me know there were no files on me at their office. So my next step was to find out if the Dr's office from when I was a child had any files on me. Turns out they didn't either. They failed to tell me until two months later that my files had been destroyed in a flood that happened in their old office. I was at my wits end. I just wanted to scream. Finally, I was talking to my boss one day and he asked me if I had been in the emergency room or to urgent care in the last five years. I hadn't thought of that. So I checked with them. It turned out the emergency room had one from 2003 and 2005. Score! When I went out there to get them they had no weight stated on them...Bummer.
I had been talking to my friend at work and I came to the conclusion that everything happens for a reason. God wasn't allowing this to happen yet for a reason. I knew that it was going to happen because this was where he led me with everything but it just wasn't the time. We decided that maybe something was going to go wrong if I had it sooner or something. There was a reason for the stall. There had to be, there was no other explanation.
The next day (Monday, March 10th) I decided to call Aetna. I didn't know what else to do. Fortunately, when I got on the phone with one of their operators it was a super nice guy. I told him what was going on and how people had been leaving me hanging for two months. I told him how I had tried finding my files and they were non-existent. To my advantage, he told me a story of how he went through the same thing when he needed to have surgery. I knew He had been all along, but God was totally with me that day. Seriously, how in the world did I happen to talk to the one guy at Aetna that this exact thing had happened to? I thank God for that phone call(well, more than that, but it's one of many things). What a miracle.
In the meantime I was trying to figure out where I was going to come up with my share of cost. I had to pay 20% which I figured was going to be around $10,000. I applied for a loan and was denied. I prayed and asked to find a way to get the means to have this surgery. I let go of it and put my faith where it should be. My mom had an insurance policy on my Grandpa for when he passed. He passed shortly before my applying for the loan and my mom had already told me I could have the money for my surgery. It was supposed to be $5,000. It turns out that they considered my Grandpa's death accidental and we got another $10,000 for the accidental death clause. It was exactly the amount I needed and we had money left over for my mom to have. Of course she did take me shopping for some clothes to look forward to! It was the most amazing thing my mom could have done for me. I know that I couldn't have done this without her.
On Friday, March 14th I asked my friend, Tiffany, if I could take her out to lunch after work. We went to Islands and I was a good girl and had a salad. In the middle of lunch I got a phone call from Dr. Bobby's office. It was Kristen. She asked me what was going on with the Dr's files. I told her what was going on and how I had called Aetna because I didn't know what to do. I told her that I was still in the same situation and didn't have what they wanted. She said that's funny because Aetna called and said they approved you. Oh my! Did I want to jump for joy right there in the middle of the restaraunt! She asked me when I wanted to have my surgery and I said as soon as I could but if I had to wait I would be patient. She asked me how was April 8th. I told her I would love to do it then but I needed to ask my boss about approval for the time off. She scheduled me and told me to call her back and let her know. I went to my work to talk to my boss and let him know what was going on. We had a long talk and he told me he was proud of me and that it would be perfect timing.
The rest of March went by quickly. About a week before my surgery I started telling my customers at work that I would be gone for about a month and they were all concerned. I let them know where my life was being led and that I had chose to have RNY. Everyone in my life was so supportive of me. I only had one person that thought I needed to have counselling before the surgery to "get my head in the right place." I told my mom that I honestly thought that I could do this with the surgery and if I couldn't go it alone I would get counselling later. She agreed with me that I would be fine. It turned out that person was super supportive after I had my surgery.
April 7th was my first day off from work. I had my Pre-Op at Desert Regional Medical Center. Everything went smoothly until I went home. Then I got to do the wonderful bowel cleansing with the Fleets...I swear that was the worst part of my whole surgery experience. Well, it's a toss up between that and the pre-op diet soup I had to consume. LMAO. That night I was so excited that I couldn't go to bed. I stayed up way too late for having to get up at 4 in the morning.
4 am on April 8th came around quickly. I got up and showered. I made sure I had all of my things packed. My best friend came over a few minutes before 5. My mom showed up and you could tell that she was worried. We made the 45 minute trip from my house to DRMC. I got all signed in at the hospital and they sent me into the pre-op room. I got to wear the pretty gown and they put these cute little socks on me. Then they put the cap on to cover my hair and my mom was cracking up. Three different people came in and explained to me what would happen when Dr. Bobby showed up. One of them was Marsha. She came over and it was a comfort to see someone that I knew. I can honestly say that I never got nervous though. I laid everything in God's hands. I knew that this is what he had led me to and that whether I was to live or die it was what was supposed to be. I knew that all was going to be fine though. I had so much faith.
Dr. Bobby came in and said hello to me. He met my mom and my best friend and he explained some things to us. My mom started crying(which made me cry) when he mentioned there was a possiblity of death(even though we already knew, it just sounds so different hearing it from somebody else). Also that there was a chance he may have to do my surgery open instead of laparoscopically. He asked me if I still wanted to go through with the surgery. I said yes and a few minutes later I was telling my mama and my best friend, Susan I loved them and would see them soon.
When they wheeled me into the operating room Marsha was there with me. They were asking me a question and I was literally out in seconds. I woke up in the recovery around 2pm. I remember a bunch of nurses talking to each other. I was trying to get their attention but I felt that I was too weak to say anything. I finally did get their attention and asked how long I had been in there. They said since about 11am. I tried to find out when I would be able to see my mom and Susan. I told them I needed to get up and walk. When they got me up to walk, a male and a female nurse on each side of me, I felt so nauseated. Turns out you can push the pain pump every 6 minutes and I had pushed it 22 times and recieved meds 16 of those 22 times. LOL. This coming from a girl that never even takes asprin!
Dr. Bobby came in to see me and he told me that my mom and Susan were upset because they wanted to see me. They were trying to clear out a room for me but it had yet to happen so he was having them move me to the other side of the recovery room so my mom and Susan could come in. Around 5:30pm they finally got to come in and see me. Then around 6:30 or so I finally got wheeled up to my room. By that point my mom could only stay a little while longer. I asked my nurse if I could get up and walk because my back hurt so bad from being in the bed. She told me that it was their policy to have people get up 2-3 hours after they came up to their floor. I tried to tell her that I needed to walk because the people downstairs were supposed to take me again and didn't. Finally, she got huffy and said fine. So she unhooked me and we started walking. I explained to her that I had been in the recovery room since 11am. She appologized and let me know that she misunderstood and thought that I just had my surgery. When I went back into my room it was time for my mom and Susan to leave. I cried because I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open when they were there but I was finally scared and didn't want them to leave me. I had never been in the hospital before. My mom asked my aunt to come stay the night with me. So Aunt Val came and stayed with me overnight. My mom had called and let everyone know I was ok. Dawn called me and asked if it was ok for her to come see me at 10am the next morning on her way to work. I told her I would love to see her.
I remember waking up in the middle of the night and looking at the clock. Because everything is so lit up in the hospital I thought it was 1pm. I was like why didn't Dawn come to see me? I got upset and went back to sleep. LOL. My aunt ended up leaving in the morning. Dawn came to see me that morning on her way to work. I spent the day mostly by myself. My mom had to work so she couldn't make it to see me. I got a lot of walking in that day...LOL. Tiffany came to see me in the afternoon. While she was there, my boss, Eddie showed up to see me. My brother and the girls were supposed to come see me but by the time he got home it was nearly 8 anyway. Dawn called and asked me if I wanted her to come stay the night with me. I told her it was completely up to her but if she wanted to I would appreciate the company. She came down after she got off work and hung out with me. She ended up going about 1am though because she didn't have her medication. I understood and was ok anyway because I did a lot of sleeping and getting up every few hours to walk. She wouldn't have gotten a good night's sleep there! It's the thought that counts anyway.
I spent most of Thursday all by my lonesome...Which was ok because I was so tired that all I did was a ton of walking and sitting in the comfy chair in my room. I took a lot of naps that day and in the month to follow for that matter...LOL. Dr. Bobby and Kristen came around my room in the late afternoon to take out the jp drain and let me know if I could go home. Fortunately, it was ok for me to go so I called my mom and she was just getting off work so she came down to get me. My mom took me home and everything has flown past since then.
I started back to work about a month and a half later. I've gotten so many complements. Everyone is so supportive and happy to have me back. They all complained to my boss the whole time I was gone so you know I got a lot of crap for not coming back sooner. They all understood that I needed to take the time for myself. I've been told many times that I'm never allowed to leave again. LOL. I never realized how many people's lives that affect me and how many I have an impact on until I went back to work. It's amazing to me to see all of the love and support I've gotten from the obvious my family, friends, and friends/coworkers, but not only them also from people that I connect with every day as I serve them coffee. It's good to feel so loved and cared for. I hope that each and every one of you feels the same.
2 comments | Click here to leave a comment.Back in October, I went to the doctor for a checkup. When I stepped on the scale and it said 359 I was humiliated. I just wanted to die as the girl was touching the pen to the paper. I went home and cried about it for days. I started eating better than I had been and decided it was time to do something about this. I made another appointment to see my doctor. I had finally decided I wanted to have WLS. I had been thinking about it for five years. When I was with my husband, he didn't want me to go through with it, so it was put on the backburner and forgotten about. After I left him, I started thinking about it again. Here I was four years later knowing I needed to take care of this now before things got any worse. I prayed about it and things just seemed to start falling into place.
I went to my doctor(whom I've seen since I was about 10 or so) and she said she thought it was a fabulous idea. She referred me to Dr. Bobby Bhasker-Rao. I got on-line that night to research him. I found out that he does WLS seminars and I made reservations for my aunt, my friend, and myself to attend one about a week later. I found so much knowledge and comfort during the seminar. Dr. Bobby had gained my trust before I had even personally talked to him. You could just tell by the way he talked that he truly cares for his patients. We all scheduled appointments with him for the following week.
That Friday when it was time to leave for our appointments with Dr. Bobby, my friend called me and told me she had been doing some "research." She had called our insurance provider and said that Dr. Bobby was not covered in our network. So I started freaking out and was upset because I already had my mind and heart set on him. I called my aunt and told her what was going on. She decided to call his office. The girls in the office said they had gotten Aetna to cover before and that we should just come in. I called my friend back and told her this. I decided that even if I went down there and I couldn't get covered by him, what did I have to lose? So I went. My aunt and I ended up going in the room together for support. Dr. Bobby was so patient and kind. He talked with us about our family medical history. He was throurough about explaining things to us. He gave us lists of everything we would have to do in order to have the surgery. He told me he thought I was a perfect candidate for having WLS. And so my surgery journey began.
The first thing I did was my sleep study on Halloween in 2007. I was sick with a horrible cold and was afraid that I wasn't going to get the right results because of my breathing being affected by this. The girl said it was fine and if I thought I could sleep to be there. I was so tired because I got up for work at 3am that morning that I knew I would have no problem. Everything seemed to go well. I found out that I had mild sleep apnea. Then came the weigh-ins every month. The last thing I did was the psych evaluation because I was so worried that I wouldn't pass because they would think I needed counselling for my eating behaviors and everything would be pushed back. I went in and she asked me why I had waited so long to schedule. I told her that I had been worried. It turned out there was nothing to worry about at all. It was just like talking with an old friend. She asked me questions about everything and I told her everything she wanted to know. That was the last paper I needed before everything was submitted to Aetna for approval. Turns out nobody mentioned the fact that Aetna would want files from the last five years stating my weight over the years. No problem. Those will be easy to get, right?
So I made my way to my PCP's office. I asked about my files and they told me that the had only the one from when I had recently seen the doctor. That's strange, where are my files from when I went to see the Dr. before? Then I realized that when I was with my ex we had switched Dr's offices. Even though I never went to that Dr. my files had still been transfered over. So I contacted that office. The woman was super nice and asked if she could look and call me back. She called me back and let me know there were no files on me at their office. So my next step was to find out if the Dr's office from when I was a child had any files on me. Turns out they didn't either. They failed to tell me until two months later that my files had been destroyed in a flood that happened in their old office. I was at my wits end. I just wanted to scream. Finally, I was talking to my boss one day and he asked me if I had been in the emergency room or to urgent care in the last five years. I hadn't thought of that. So I checked with them. It turned out the emergency room had one from 2003 and 2005. Score! When I went out there to get them they had no weight stated on them...Bummer.
I had been talking to my friend at work and I came to the conclusion that everything happens for a reason. God wasn't allowing this to happen yet for a reason. I knew that it was going to happen because this was where he led me with everything but it just wasn't the time. We decided that maybe something was going to go wrong if I had it sooner or something. There was a reason for the stall. There had to be, there was no other explanation.
The next day (Monday, March 10th) I decided to call Aetna. I didn't know what else to do. Fortunately, when I got on the phone with one of their operators it was a super nice guy. I told him what was going on and how people had been leaving me hanging for two months. I told him how I had tried finding my files and they were non-existent. To my advantage, he told me a story of how he went through the same thing when he needed to have surgery. I knew He had been all along, but God was totally with me that day. Seriously, how in the world did I happen to talk to the one guy at Aetna that this exact thing had happened to? I thank God for that phone call(well, more than that, but it's one of many things). What a miracle.
In the meantime I was trying to figure out where I was going to come up with my share of cost. I had to pay 20% which I figured was going to be around $10,000. I applied for a loan and was denied. I prayed and asked to find a way to get the means to have this surgery. I let go of it and put my faith where it should be. My mom had an insurance policy on my Grandpa for when he passed. He passed shortly before my applying for the loan and my mom had already told me I could have the money for my surgery. It was supposed to be $5,000. It turns out that they considered my Grandpa's death accidental and we got another $10,000 for the accidental death clause. It was exactly the amount I needed and we had money left over for my mom to have. Of course she did take me shopping for some clothes to look forward to! It was the most amazing thing my mom could have done for me. I know that I couldn't have done this without her.
On Friday, March 14th I asked my friend, Tiffany, if I could take her out to lunch after work. We went to Islands and I was a good girl and had a salad. In the middle of lunch I got a phone call from Dr. Bobby's office. It was Kristen. She asked me what was going on with the Dr's files. I told her what was going on and how I had called Aetna because I didn't know what to do. I told her that I was still in the same situation and didn't have what they wanted. She said that's funny because Aetna called and said they approved you. Oh my! Did I want to jump for joy right there in the middle of the restaraunt! She asked me when I wanted to have my surgery and I said as soon as I could but if I had to wait I would be patient. She asked me how was April 8th. I told her I would love to do it then but I needed to ask my boss about approval for the time off. She scheduled me and told me to call her back and let her know. I went to my work to talk to my boss and let him know what was going on. We had a long talk and he told me he was proud of me and that it would be perfect timing.
The rest of March went by quickly. About a week before my surgery I started telling my customers at work that I would be gone for about a month and they were all concerned. I let them know where my life was being led and that I had chose to have RNY. Everyone in my life was so supportive of me. I only had one person that thought I needed to have counselling before the surgery to "get my head in the right place." I told my mom that I honestly thought that I could do this with the surgery and if I couldn't go it alone I would get counselling later. She agreed with me that I would be fine. It turned out that person was super supportive after I had my surgery.
April 7th was my first day off from work. I had my Pre-Op at Desert Regional Medical Center. Everything went smoothly until I went home. Then I got to do the wonderful bowel cleansing with the Fleets...I swear that was the worst part of my whole surgery experience. Well, it's a toss up between that and the pre-op diet soup I had to consume. LMAO. That night I was so excited that I couldn't go to bed. I stayed up way too late for having to get up at 4 in the morning.
4 am on April 8th came around quickly. I got up and showered. I made sure I had all of my things packed. My best friend came over a few minutes before 5. My mom showed up and you could tell that she was worried. We made the 45 minute trip from my house to DRMC. I got all signed in at the hospital and they sent me into the pre-op room. I got to wear the pretty gown and they put these cute little socks on me. Then they put the cap on to cover my hair and my mom was cracking up. Three different people came in and explained to me what would happen when Dr. Bobby showed up. One of them was Marsha. She came over and it was a comfort to see someone that I knew. I can honestly say that I never got nervous though. I laid everything in God's hands. I knew that this is what he had led me to and that whether I was to live or die it was what was supposed to be. I knew that all was going to be fine though. I had so much faith.
Dr. Bobby came in and said hello to me. He met my mom and my best friend and he explained some things to us. My mom started crying(which made me cry) when he mentioned there was a possiblity of death(even though we already knew, it just sounds so different hearing it from somebody else). Also that there was a chance he may have to do my surgery open instead of laparoscopically. He asked me if I still wanted to go through with the surgery. I said yes and a few minutes later I was telling my mama and my best friend, Susan I loved them and would see them soon.
When they wheeled me into the operating room Marsha was there with me. They were asking me a question and I was literally out in seconds. I woke up in the recovery around 2pm. I remember a bunch of nurses talking to each other. I was trying to get their attention but I felt that I was too weak to say anything. I finally did get their attention and asked how long I had been in there. They said since about 11am. I tried to find out when I would be able to see my mom and Susan. I told them I needed to get up and walk. When they got me up to walk, a male and a female nurse on each side of me, I felt so nauseated. Turns out you can push the pain pump every 6 minutes and I had pushed it 22 times and recieved meds 16 of those 22 times. LOL. This coming from a girl that never even takes asprin!
Dr. Bobby came in to see me and he told me that my mom and Susan were upset because they wanted to see me. They were trying to clear out a room for me but it had yet to happen so he was having them move me to the other side of the recovery room so my mom and Susan could come in. Around 5:30pm they finally got to come in and see me. Then around 6:30 or so I finally got wheeled up to my room. By that point my mom could only stay a little while longer. I asked my nurse if I could get up and walk because my back hurt so bad from being in the bed. She told me that it was their policy to have people get up 2-3 hours after they came up to their floor. I tried to tell her that I needed to walk because the people downstairs were supposed to take me again and didn't. Finally, she got huffy and said fine. So she unhooked me and we started walking. I explained to her that I had been in the recovery room since 11am. She appologized and let me know that she misunderstood and thought that I just had my surgery. When I went back into my room it was time for my mom and Susan to leave. I cried because I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open when they were there but I was finally scared and didn't want them to leave me. I had never been in the hospital before. My mom asked my aunt to come stay the night with me. So Aunt Val came and stayed with me overnight. My mom had called and let everyone know I was ok. Dawn called me and asked if it was ok for her to come see me at 10am the next morning on her way to work. I told her I would love to see her.
I remember waking up in the middle of the night and looking at the clock. Because everything is so lit up in the hospital I thought it was 1pm. I was like why didn't Dawn come to see me? I got upset and went back to sleep. LOL. My aunt ended up leaving in the morning. Dawn came to see me that morning on her way to work. I spent the day mostly by myself. My mom had to work so she couldn't make it to see me. I got a lot of walking in that day...LOL. Tiffany came to see me in the afternoon. While she was there, my boss, Eddie showed up to see me. My brother and the girls were supposed to come see me but by the time he got home it was nearly 8 anyway. Dawn called and asked me if I wanted her to come stay the night with me. I told her it was completely up to her but if she wanted to I would appreciate the company. She came down after she got off work and hung out with me. She ended up going about 1am though because she didn't have her medication. I understood and was ok anyway because I did a lot of sleeping and getting up every few hours to walk. She wouldn't have gotten a good night's sleep there! It's the thought that counts anyway.
I spent most of Thursday all by my lonesome...Which was ok because I was so tired that all I did was a ton of walking and sitting in the comfy chair in my room. I took a lot of naps that day and in the month to follow for that matter...LOL. Dr. Bobby and Kristen came around my room in the late afternoon to take out the jp drain and let me know if I could go home. Fortunately, it was ok for me to go so I called my mom and she was just getting off work so she came down to get me. My mom took me home and everything has flown past since then.
I started back to work about a month and a half later. I've gotten so many complements. Everyone is so supportive and happy to have me back. They all complained to my boss the whole time I was gone so you know I got a lot of crap for not coming back sooner. They all understood that I needed to take the time for myself. I've been told many times that I'm never allowed to leave again. LOL. I never realized how many people's lives that affect me and how many I have an impact on until I went back to work. It's amazing to me to see all of the love and support I've gotten from the obvious my family, friends, and friends/coworkers, but not only them also from people that I connect with every day as I serve them coffee. It's good to feel so loved and cared for. I hope that each and every one of you feels the same.
