1stReneeMarie

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So I was wondering what's happening to me and where is my excitement because I have misplaced it. No, I am not backing out, having 2nd thoughts or wondering if I am making a mistake. I actually have good news. As a few of you know I have absolutely climbed the walls with worry and fret and now Dr. Choban's office has finally sent all my paperwork to the Ins. company!! Woohoo. And......after calling them repeatedly I finally talked to an RN and I am definitely approved, they just need to get the paperwork through a system which has just been revamped and they are all learning it ( just my luck) and after that they will get the letter to the Doc and they will then set the date. Sooooooooo......I am indeed much further ahead and much closer and yet.....I feel so far far away!
I need to know what to get before surgery and no I don't mean * the grocery list*, I mean like I did go and get me one of those good scales they call the
** Doctors Scale**, that gives you weight,bmi,fat, and water %.I held out and found it On Sale for a great price! And one of my big concerns right now is replacing my rocker/recliner that had to be finally laid to rest a few months ago. My home is 113 year old 2 story house and though I put $40 thousand in remodel and upgrades a couple years ago the stairs are very steep. Soooooo, speaking from experience when I had my back surgery I know I will NOT be able to get up those stairs for awhile and lay down flat to sleep. Not with my back the way it is and my belly cut open also.!!! So...I know I will have to have a recliner to sleep in. Well now I am on SS disability and I am broke beyond broke.And with the upfront fees that they say Ins. won't cover for filing and the NUT classes I am actually in trouble with my mortgage for the first time ever since I bought it in 1999!
I know, I know whine whine whine. There are so many others out there that are suffering terribly.I am blessed to have what I have.And I am grateful.
The other thing that has me pulling the hairs up top is that my sister Lynda from Arizona who had the Lap RNY in 2004 is coming here to be with me for my surgery. Well, she has a developmentally disabled son who she is trying to make specific arrangements for while she is here. Though he has the mind of an 8 year old, he is turning 18 on March 24, duh...big boy, so it's a special situation all the way around.She doesn't have a lot of options. Well....it's hard to put all that together when you don't even know when you are gonna need to be gone! AND, lets not forget that getting airfare is cheaper when you have plenty of advance notice.And the fact that I said I would pay half her ticket! Yes....I am pulling my hair out, chewing my nails off,not sleeping( even with the CPAP ) and now I think I have irritated a friend on these boards as I haven't heard from her!
Well.....I don't normally throw my troubles in the wind but this is like the 3rd time I have done it today! Oh well. I sure could use a few kind words.

GOOOOOOOD Morning TO EVERYONE!!!! I SLEPT!!
Wow....I can't begin to explain  this for ME, because most of you know the sleep apnea routine.BUT......when I had my follow-up , Doc said
""" when I hit REM, my body fell apart"""exact words he used. Knowing how terribly rough I have been feeling for the last............2 years or so, and trying to just
~~~ LIVE WITH IT~~~~~~, thinking it was a normal thing with all the surgeries I have been through ,blah blah blah..., I am PLEASANTLY surprised after last night. Let me back up.
Yesterday was a rough one....I was fed up with everyone pushing me around and bot responding to me etc....I am not sure at all where these new found kahona's came from but I started making phone calls. I am the QUEEN of people losing my paperwork,getting missed, misplaced, forgotten, misfiled, can't find chart, never got faxed, waiting on a report,.... BULLSHIT!!!! ahhh, that feels better.  Sooooooo.....finally they sent someone with my CPAP! Oh, lest we not forget, ....when I was talking to them , they said, we'll get HIM out there today! UUURRRRCCCKKKK, That was a brake sound ,...hee hee.....and I said , uh, uumm, I would prefer you to send a female nurse and they laughed at me.
Yesterday was the wrong day to laugh at me......I AM THE PATIENT.......I PAY THE BILLS..
IN ALL THIS ECONOMY, BE GLAD YOU HAVE A JOB AND DO NOT LAUGH AT ME!
No I didn't say all that to them.
Bottom line....a woman and her trainee came with my CPAP.
And I slept well last night for the 1st time in a long time and I am grateful.
BUT wait...there's more! Don't I sound like I am gonna sell you something for $ 19.99! lol
After 3 days , and 3 voice mails, to the so called bariatric ADVOCATE......I finally received
a call back....I asked her a few simple questions, and then I asked the BIG one. When will my paperwork that is all COMPLETED be sent to my insurance????
And she said the end of this week.............O M G .....I was standing during the call and I am telling you I felt like I was going to pass out. I am really close now as I myself spoke to the insurance and they are waiting for it and will be right on it! Unless of course the doc's office sends something that will shoot me down. I pray not............
Here's something else......This is my life, my future and this is what I wrote to my dear friend......................
....I don't have any choice in the matter of all this. It seems we have no control or say so in any of it.If I don't just laugh about all my frustration I would be doomed as smashing,crashing,throwing things and calling the cats every name but cute is only gonna age me, raise my BP. give me more wrinkles, send me to therapy and worst case scenario , have my daughter bail me out of jail!
It just amazes me at the ignorance, unprofessional, and lack of respect,kindness or consideration of some people that work for these doc's etc...
But here is the most amazing thing I have learned. There are bari docs that see ya once and cut ya open and there are those that give you there private number and email before you ever get through your pre- req testing.
I have my own opinion, this is the USA, I should be able to say what I want.
My sister said something last night that really has me thinking.
Even though I know what hell that office has put me through, she thinks that perhaps they are going to the doc and saying things that are not true.I personally don't think my surgeon wants to hear any babbling, but who knows. I just know in my heart I have never said or done anything to provoke them to treat me the way they do.I am a patient with feeling  and though I don't want any one there to wipe my fricken nose for me I do think there should be some compassion and empathy with their patients.
So.......................................................I WAIT!And wait.................
I need a HUG!!!!!!!!!!

Garden Sanctuary
You who walk,
Maybe with troubled thoughts,
Come, enter here and rest;
And may the sweet serenity of growing things,
And the heavenly peace
Be mirrored in your soul.

Good Morning World! Today I woke up and as I thanked God for another day I also thought and wow...I am but one day closer to my new BIRTHDAY!I am trying so hard to keep my chin up and breathe! Today I have a follow up with my pulmonary doc that I saw before the sleep study. I need to find out why NO ONE has contacted me about getting my CPAP. Anyway....I keep checking online at my BC/BS to see if any paperwork has been sent from my surgeons office and nothing yet.Arrrgggggg!I wish wish wish wish wish I knew what was going on and where they are at! I know this might sound nutty but I feel like because I feel I have irritated them they are just pushing me to the bottom of the pile. I mean come on,it could be.....people have done these things before.I am not a paranoid person!Just anxious.....
I hope all the new post-ops are healing and getting stronger each day and for those of you that are in my shoes..........
WE WAIT****************** Have a beautiful day everyone...

Well, My group Nutrtion class was tonight with the R.D. Andrea. She was great. I look fwd to working with her for my nut needs. She says those of us that were finished with everything, that all our paperwork will be sent to the office in am so we will here from them when they get a date.I think I'm gonna go crazy waiting!
I consider myself organized and this not knowing so I can prepare is painful for me! lol
It even affects my sleep! Gosh does this make me a bad canidate?
Well... I learned alot tonight at the class and I know I am but 1 step closer to my new life!

Hoooooooray! My 2nd sleep study is over. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.And it really helped that the sleep tech I had THIS TIME was a doll. She was so nice! Very professional, and kind and generous. She was patient and explained everything.I was told the 1st time after it was over ...." ok then, bye now"
I was like, uh, may I have some coffee? And she said ," oh I'm sorry but we don't have anything like that here". And yet this morning I was brought a huge cup of coffee and some cereal bars at my bedside!
I mean hello????? What a difference! Any way, Home Health will be out soon with my space gear and my follow-up to chat with the sleep doc is on the 17th. So..................All I have left is Monday and Friday, my 2 Nutritional classes and then the paperwork will be all done and I can FINALLY get a date.
It seems like I have all these little things going wrong at home to bring me down....my stove burner broke,my sink sprayer broke,I have a pipe leaking in my laundry room, my jeep's brand new shocks and tires are making a weird noise, the roof on my garage needs repaired, my porch light shorted out tonight/......Arrrggghhhhhh
There is no other half,My Daddy is in Heaven,my brother in law lives in Michigan,
my only man neighbor moved, and I am very independent but some times ya just get worn out from always being on top of everything and trust me, right now I am OVERWHELMED! And extremely BROKE. But not broken. There is always Faith and no one or nothing can take that.

Well....tonights the night! My 2nd sleep study. I just want to get it over with.
I am at the end of a sinus infection and hope I am not too stuffed up tonight. Heck if I can't breath through my nose then how can I wear a mask or a nose mask?
At least I kind of know what to expect tonight as to where it's at, what it's like, the wires, etc........
Well , gotta start my day, so bye for now!

Well, last night was the sleep study and holy cow, they could not have fit one more wire anywhere if they wanted to!
I NEVER thought I would be able to sleep but they gave me a little green pill and I actually did sleep for a few hours. Only got up once to go to the little girls room. I did get another couple hours in after that and when it was over my hair looked like my grandkids had a paste and elmers glue party! Ewhhhhhhy! No one came running in my room to throw a mask on me so I figured I did good. Then today I received a phone call and they sai I did indeed stop breathing aprox. 20-30 times per hour!! And my oxygen level dropped as low as below 50 %. So crapsky...I do have to go and have the second one next Thursday.
They faxed the results to my surgeon also. I hope this is no way effects my surgery date. I would hate to have it postponed!
Other than that all I can think of please please please God don't let me get nauseated after the surgery. My tummy is so sensitive. Yes, my Upper GI was normal. Thank God.
So I am off to beddy bye and hope I don't lay there all freaked out about stopping breathing! lol Hope all my O.H. buddies have a good night! I am so glad I found you all. I guess we really are not alone heh?! Bye for now.

Well, 1st off I wish I would have found this OH site awhile back. I have had many questions and I have been researching WLS for over a year.I have indeed found a surgeon. Dr. Patricia Choban. After much searching and inquiring I believe she will be the best for me.
I am almost ready now for the BIG day. I have completed all the requirements. Well, my sleep study is tomorrow and then my mandatory Nutritional appts are both next week and I'll be done and ready.
I am very excited, anxious, happy and all that but I am irritated about something. My sister is coming from Arizona for my surgery. She has to make special arrangements for her DD son and of course there's the * trying to get a decent deal on a airline ticket thing *, and I can't get the scheduler of surgery dates to give me a date yet. I have read of people all over the country having dates before they even start their tests!
If we could get that date set then we could move forward on getting her affairs in order and getting a ticket AND getting my own affairs in order here at home with my own life! When I called and spoke to Charlene Epps
( Bariatric Advocate ), she said I was doing great and after all the tests are completed and results are back then they set the date. I am VERY frustrated about this! Anyone else out there have any words of advice.?