Crazeru

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Okay, so I've been very lax about updating, so here goes:

I'm 15mo out from my DS.  I've lost almost 65lbs and have been hovering between 140-142 since Jan when I lost the last 8lbs.  I still have way too many BMs, but the chia seeds that I started in Oct of 2008, cured my 5mo of diarrhea.  My diabetes is gone, bp is normal and my cholesterol is below where it was when I was taking prescription meds.  I do have problems keeping my HDL up though.  My iron was sliding down so started tender irons in Sept 08.  I was only taking 6 tenders and 1 poly, w/vit c and copper.  In December, I added 6 more tender irons.  Come April 09, I added 1 Proferrin ES, so will see how my next labs go.  My A was dropping taking 50k, so upped to 75k/day.  My D I'm still trying to get above 80 so I'm up to 150k/day. 

I've been rollerskating twice w/my grandson.  I had a ball, the first time took 5-6 laps before I could let go of the wall, the 2nd only took 2 laps, can't wait to go back again.  I've played 2 games of softball, what a blast!  I was sore for 3 days afterwards, but it was worth it.  I hit all the rollercoasters at Knotts Berry Farm in an afternoon.  Walked all over on our day trip to Catalina.  I want to go scuba diving again. 

I do need to watch the white flour, but I do get gas even if I don't eat it.  I take Flagyl 3x/week to keep the gas at bay.  All in all, the DS was the best thing that I've done for myself.  I went from a 1-2X and 18W pants, to size 8/9's and generally large tops now.

I do eat +100g of protein a day, and always get at least 64oz of water.  I'm healthier than I've been for years.  I'm hoping that I'm getting back the 15 yrs that diabetes was going to take away from me.

Hi everyone,  

Crazeru asked me to post a message to let everyone know that she made it through surgery and she's currently in recovery.  She went in around 1:30 this afternoon and we received word around 6 p.m. that she was out of surgery and in recovery.

I'll post again once we've heard more.

Melissa
(her daugher-in-law)

Taxes are done and filed!!!  Yippee!!!
I always plan to get them done early, but it never happens.  

Clothes are drying (so I can pack)!  My mom got back - took mom and daughter to Logan's Roadhouse for my last real meal for a while.  Yes, I did enjoy the two rolls that I had, salad, baked potato (ate 1/2), and most of my NY steak.  When we got home, my mom wanted to highlight my hair so now I've dark brown hair w/lots of blonde streaks.  We'll do pics tomorrow for before pics.  I'll post new pics later.
Have to go clean off the bed so I can crash.  Leaving by 930 for San Francisco.

My niece's golden retriever is having puppies and I'm running over to check out the 6 babies now...lucky for me they live about 2 miles away.  I'll be tired tomorrow, but less to be nervous! 37hrs to go.

Spent almost 90min at Kaiser trying to get a copy of the graph for my EKG and to sign another release of information.  I think I now have everything that the office needs for my surgery!  Yeah!!!!

Danee, mommy furbaby headed north this morning w/my mom, she'll be staying w/son & DIL.  Mom will bring her back before my first dr appt on the 28th.  

Work - taxes tonight, work tomorrow & pack!

Ok, it's Sunday, April 13, 2008.  My surgery is on the 17th.  My mom is coming up from the desert in a couple of hrs.  Then she's off for Yreka to unload her car and then back down to Sacramento on Tue.  We leave on Wed for San Francisco around 930am.  Have to be at St Mary's for my 1230pm admitting/blood tests.  Then over to Rabkin's office at 315pm for pre-surgery appt.  Thur, have to be at St Mary's by 11am for 1pm surgery.  

Today I'm working on my daughter's taxes then mine.  I know I always procrastinate doing my taxes.  I had to work at the office yesterday, trying to get a database working for an upgrade.  Two more days of work then off until 5/19.  

No freak out yet, but Danee (furbaby mommy) is coming into season and so the boys are locked outside.  She's still healing from having her spleen removed 3/24/08.  Plus, she had two litters and needs to wait for 1 or 2 seasons and then see how she's doing.  So, now I have to find someone to keep her for the couple days that my daughter will be in SF, then she can go over to her house.    

Still have to get a few things together for the hospital, chap stick & a back scratcher!  Not much to pack there.  Also, have to get before pictures!  I'll put up a new avie too.

Back to taxes.

http://picasaweb.google.com/crazeru/080306

for latest pics of the babies...

Consult date with Dr John Rabkin is set for 3/21 - will spend part of the day w/consult and the rest w/DD, DIL, GD in SF.  They'll have 3-4 hrs to mess around in Golden Gate Park, the zoo, Chinatown, or Fisherman's Wharf.

SURGERY - 4/17 at CPMC.  Preop 4/16.  My mom is heading home from the desert on the 13th, and will go down w/me.  My DD and sister probably will come down on the 17th, sister to stay through the weekend I think.  4/17 will be a year from the first insulin shot, and hopefully my last!

I am so excited and so ready for this.  Not to feel like a truck has hit me for the few days after, but to start resolving my diabetes, bp, cholesterol...and losing weight!

I've been doing extra vitamins and will bump up my protein intake.  If I can get back to using the treadmill w/o being chronically fatigued...  that will be a good thing.

I can actually start doing some exercising in my living room, my laminate floor is in, no furniture moved back in, so lots of room except for the box with the puppies.  My carpet was just too yucky to get on the floor.  My kitchen floor is finished, and now just have to find a vanity and toilet for my bath and get the floor done there too.  Of course most of my kitchen is in my living room, so now I have to dust off, purge, throw out, separate stuff for my niece and then put back the edibles, cookware...  There are food stuff that I won't be eating for quite a while, 3 bags of marshmellows for rice krispy treats, a jar of marshmellow cream, a few bags of choc chips...  all bad stuff out.  Need room for the protein drinks, protein bullets, sf pudding, sf jello and VITAMINS.

Lots to do 45 more days until surgery!

Jan 14 my Independent Medical Review (IMR) went to the reviewer for my DS.  Feb 11, the IMR overturned Kaiser's denial of my DS!!!!  Kaiser took 2-1/2 weeks to decide not to contract with Dr Husted for my DS, keeping in place the contract with Dr Rabkin.  I did my 2 week out freak.  I'd had several things going on and was stressed out.  I was pissed at Kaiser and questioned everyone about Dr Rabkin and the hospitals.  After my head stopped spinning, it's back on straight and February is over - thank goodness.  Puppies, home improvement, family down, Kaiser/IMR was just a bit much.  My blood pressure is back to normal (w/meds), my microalbumin is down from 51.9 to 38.5 yippy...I'd been so wanting surgery scheduled to stop the damage to my kidneys and the protein leak is getting better w/o ACE inhibitors.

 

AARRRRGGGG - I just lost 45 min of ranting.
May it was a good lesson to finish the blog before I hit any other buttons.

I started my WLS quest in Sept.  I inhaled all the info that I could find.  I didn't like the thought of the RNY, and wasn't sure that my body would accept a LapBand.  I came across the DS on both OH and the DSZone.  Then, I'm reading papers from Hess, Gagner, Scopinaro, medzone, where ever my searches led.  I joined DSZone, OH, the yahoo groups.  I discovered that the DS cures diabetes, I was diagnosed Apr 07.  I'm 55 and insulin dependent, taking metformin, BP, cholesterol meds.  I've been very compliant with my diet and my BS is under control, my BP is generally in the normal range w/atenolol, except when I blow a gasket.  End of Oct, I ask my PCP for a referral to Kaiser's WLS group, of course I add that the DS is the best operation for me and she can get more info at http://www.duodenalswitch.com   She informs me that she can't refer me out of network, do I still want the referral.  YES - by this time I know that I have to get accepted into Kaiser's program for the RNY, then request the DS, appeal, appeal, appeal, then take it to DMHC.  12/12, I haven't heard a peep from the Bariatric program or my PCP, so I pop her a quick email - who do I call to rattle their chain, I haven't heard anything for 6 weeks.  Her email back asks - my height & weight.  The surgeon doesn't think that you are big enough for the surgery.  I ABSOLUTELY GO BALISTIC - when I've peeled myself off the ceiling, I fire back. 5'1" 198-205lbs - BMI 37-38, w/comorbids of insulin dependent diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and that I meet the NIH criteria of >35 BMI w/comorbids.  Immediately put it out on OH and DSZone, great feedback.  Cool down a couple of hrs later and send another email, she answers that she'll do all she can, but this is out of her hands (12/13).  On Sun, 16th, I submit a gievance w/Kaiser due to the not big enough email.  On the 18th I receive a voice message with good news call Fern.  That night I also find out that Dr Husted has an appt open at 11am on the 19th.  I was already planning on attending the Rabkin support group in San Jose at 6pm, so took all of Wed off and headed to SF after 8am.  Called Fern to learn that I'd been accepted in Kaiser's South SF Bariatric Program on the 13th of Dec.  Humm I though, I'll play along.  Fern mentioned that she'd had to do a little investigation as it said I was 61 - if I was 6'1" 200 would be ok.  Oh I was only 5'1".  The only way she'd have had the 61" was from my grievance on the 16th.  So, how could I have been approved on the 13th.  I file it away for future need.  She talked about the orientation that I get an appt in 12-16 weeks - no, no, no - that's not acceptable.  My health is going downhill, I'd just found out that I have protein leaking from my kidneys and a microalbumin level of 51.9 normal 0-29.9.  I discovered that at 1130pm on the 15th.  Spent 3+ hrs until 3am researching microalbumin.  That was part of the reason for the grievance on the 16th.  Oh I regressed...back to Fern.  She told me about the letter that had been sent on the 13th, the orientation, psych eval, dietary, physician exam.  I'm thinking 5 days to receive a letter.  I haven't received it.  She says she has it on her computer.  Can you email it to me?  Of course.  Wonderful, I'll have it when I get home around 11pm.  Then she talks about her wonderful experience with her WLS she's lost 100lbs with her RNY, best thing she's ever done.  What problems did you have.  Nothing much.  Ok, sure let that one go too.  Tells, me they can try to do all my appts on one day to save me several trips to SF from Sacramento.  Call if I have any questions... I call my contact at DMHC and let her know what's going on.  

I continue on down and have my DS consult with Husted.  He's very supportive, siting my height/weight shape, low metabolism, diabetes cured by the metabolic change with the DS.  Where the insisions would be, the handport, the measuring of the intestines for precise ratios for the limbs.  Because of all my research, I didn't have a lot of questions.  We talked a little about being compliant with me vitamins and labwork, getting DMHC to overrule Kaiser and how soon after we could do the operation.  I felt like I would be in good hands and that he really cares about his patients and the obstacles that we have to go through.  I took off for Pier39 and the crab station for a shrimp & crab sandwichs and a loaf of sourdough bread.  The sandwich's went into the cooler and I put my top down and ate my fish and chips looking out at the bay.  The poor seagulls 
kept trying to get the chips that were on the dash and my windshied was a big deterrant.   Did end up with seagull drool on my window.  Put the top up and headed down to SJ.  Took my time, got there early and searched out a grocery store to pick up something for the potluck.  Found peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies - with the DS that's the great thing you can still have cookies!  

Met nice folks, learned more about post op and one preop had her binder of appeals w/DMHC, so checked it out and still have to finish my table of contents, and have my bound up with tabs.  Easier to get to the info, maybe it will be easier and faster to approve.  

I just looked down and my little boy just chewed up my cat5 cable to my laptop - sent him back to his crate, plugged in a different cable.  Jessee is 4mo old a real cutie, but he's been chewing on the strap to the power adapter and I'd put it up on a chair, but the cat5 was laying on the floor.  I'll add his pic after I finish this.

Ok, back to my story... I get home 11pm, check my email, Fern has sent the 12/13 acceptance letter to me.  Check my mail - no hard copy yet.  Get home on the 20th and I have a letter from the resolution center on my grievance.  It's dated 12/18, mailed 12/19, received 12/20.  The committee has met to review my request and I'm approved.  They put in that an acceptance letter was mailed on 12/13.  Then info for DMHC process.  12/22 I receive the very, very late acceptance letter dated 12/13, mailed 12/20 from SF and just arrived.  I've printed off the letters, and the envelopes with all their dates.  This stinks of coverup.  

Sat I start on my new BP meds and go in to Kaiser for new blood/urine labs + lipids that I requested on Thur.  Sun night I start working on my next grievance with Kaiser that I'll turn in Wed morning when I go in for my new labs.  I brought up the inconsistancy of the letters/dates, that I need the DS and won't settle for the RNY, that with my declining health (ie kidneys), that a 3-4mo wait for orientation is not acceptable.  I don't plan on conforming to Kaiser's mandatory 10% weight loss as it's not required by DMHC.  Also, that I'd been to 2 WLS, 3 support groups, had a consult, and hope to have my psych eval in the next 2 weeks.  Getting all my ducks in a row.  Time to get busy.  check back later