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My journey towards WLS began over two years ago. When I first made the decision that I was way too heavy, and that I needed to take drastic steps towards losing weight and getting healthy. One of my friends was going to have the surgery done, and I decided that I was going to follow him and his progress. While I was following my friend's progress and journey, I continued with my attempts at weight loss.
Everything that I tried on my own ended up being a miserable failure. Well, not an immediate failure, but it always ended in failure. I tried every diet known to man, and it went the same way every time. Depending upon the program I chose, I would show moderate to good progress at first, but as soon as I got just a little bit lazy, I would begin to gain weight back. And then, when the weight came back, it came back mad and with a vengence. Every time I lost weight, I would gain it all back and more. I was still thinking about having the surgery, and I was doing research into the procedure and the different surgeons/centers that I had to choose from.
Finally, in October of last year (2006), I made the decision that there was no way I was ever going to win this battle on my own, and that I needed to seriously consider this surgery. I went to my PCP, who filled me in on the procedure and on the different regulations that I would have to meet to satsify the bean counters at the insurance company. We worked on me quitting smoking, and I began my supervised diet and exercise program. I had limited success with the program, but, as always, as soon as I stopped being hypervigilant, I would begin to gain the weight back. My PCP recommended Dr Gagne and West Penn Bariatric Center, so I went and checked them out.
One of their requirements is that you attend at least one of their pre-op support group meetings, so I went to the February meeting. After that, I scheduled my initial appointment with Dr Gagne, and I was on my way. I went to the appointment, and I was VERY, VERY impressed with Dr Gagne and his entire staff. Dr Gagne is very nice and is extremely knowledgeable. He went out of his way to ensure that I knew everything that there was to know about the surgery, the process, and the risks and side effects.
Besides Dr Gagne, I was also VERY, VERY impressed with Julie (the PA), Cindy and Meghan (the Dieticians), Dr Tom (the shrink), and Lorraine (who does the scheduling). The lady who works with the insurance (I'm sorry, I can't remember her name) was also very nice, making sure that I knew what I had to do to get my insurance company to pay for the surgery. I'm the type of person who is allergic to doctors and hospitals, and I rarely have anything to do with the medical system if I can help it. However, after my first appointment with Dr Gagne, I did not have any reservations with visiting his office, or him, or his staff.
I am extraordinarily lucky that my journey has been relatively smooth. I have not had any of the setbacks that I have heard other people talk about. My insurance company did not give me any problems, and I have not had any significant stumbles along the way. I attribute that to my PCP, Dr Gagne and his staff, and (most of all) to God, who has really helped me along in this journey.
As I write this, I am now approximately 72 hours from my surgery. I just found this site, and I am excited to become a member.
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