DeannaL
2004
Sep 22, 2009
7/30/04 I had an appointment with my PCP. She thinks that WLS would be a good idea for me. She will put in a referral to get a consulation with a surgeon. She warned me not to get my hopes up. She also thinks I have a Ventral Hernia and is putting in a referral to see a surgeon about that8/5/04 Received the authorization for the Hernia consultation. I have an appointment set on 8/9/04.
8/6/04 Received the authorization for a consultation for Gastric Bypass Surgery with UCLA.
8/9/04 Called UCLA and they gave me the website for information and procedures to get a consultation.
8/9/04 I downloaded the questionnaire and filled it out and then faxed it back to UCLA along with a copy of my referral and my insurance ID Card.
8/9/04 I had my appointment regarding my Ventral hernia and the Dr. isn¡¦t sure if I have a hernia or not. He referred me to have a CT Scan.
8/12/04 I received a postcard from UCLA saying they had received my questionnaire and that I need to wait 3 weeks to receive a consultation date.
8/23/04 I had the CT Scan and made a follow up appointment with the Dr.
8/25/05 GOOD NEWS! The Dr. says that there is no hernia. He feels I do have a ripped abdominal muscle and that there is nothing that can be done for it until I lose weight. He feels that I would be a good candidate for WLS.
9/10/04 I received a letter from UCLA with a consultation appointment date and time. It is for 11/22/04 With Dr. Dutson. I need to schedule a psychotherapist evaluation before then and bring all my recent lab results.
9/14/04 I called Dr. Mimi Hunter who is the referred psychotherapist and have an appointment on 10/12/04.
10/12/04 I had my Psych Evaluation today with Dr. Mimi Hunter of UCLA. She was very nice and I felt very comfortable with her. I think it went well and I don't think I said anything to make her think I'm too looney to have the surgery. She did suggest that I need to find out why I overeat at meals and she suggested that I go to Overeaters Annonymous and get a book on behavior modification. I am not thrilled about this, but I'll do whatever it takes to learn better habits. Now I just have to get all my stuff together for my Surgeon consultation on 11/22. That is the appointment I am nervous about. I just don't know what to expect. Will I get approved? Will they make me go through hoops? I know I will have to lose a certain amount of weight, and go to some mandatory classes, and that is ok. The other unknown part is what worries me.
11/20/04: I went to my first Support Group Meeting and sat quietly for the most part just listening to everyone else talk and kind of digested a lot of information. I met a few wonderful people and felt extremely comfortable and welcome. I met Leann there and she just had her surgery a couple of weeks prior at UCLA so she was extremely helpful telling me what to expect on Monday and throughout the rest of the pre-op process. Now I need to pick her brain about the Post-Op.
11/22/04: I went to the Surgery Consult with my husband Dan. The appointmetn was at 7:45am at UCLA. We met with Dr. Dutson and were extremely impressed by his knowledge and easy going manner. It turns out that I don't have another hernia, he felt my tummy and immediately diagnosed me as having a Fatty Lipoma and he said it can be removed during my surgery. He said that I meet all the physical criteria and he wants me to lose 16 lbs, and get some blood tests done, an EKG, and a chest x-ray. Then we met with Debbie who is the Bariatric Program Coordinator and she went over the information and the importance of following all instructions. She scheduled me for classes in February and said if I am on target with my weight loss, then she would schedule me to have my surgery in early March!!!! Holy Moly!!!! I guess that means that I am approved!!!! Yipee!!!!! So now comes the real work, to lose the weight on my own. I am kind of excited to do it. Starting weight is 322. BMI 50.4.
12/7/04: I decided to buy a new scale yesterday, so I got a nice digital one that is supposed to be ultra accurate. I got on it this morning and it said 310.8 which means I am down 12 pounds!!!! I am so happy. I have an appointment with my PCP on Dec. 15th to do an official weigh in and then fax the results over to Debbie at UCLA. If she thinks I am on target, then she said she'll go ahead an schedule my surgery for early March! I finish my education classes on 2/22/05, so the surgery could be any day after that. I am very nervous about the first 12 months post op. I feel confident that I can handle the long term, knowing I can eat whatever I want but in moderation (hopefully my tummy will cooperate with that plan). I am getting ready for the holidays and enjoying the time with my kids.
12/10/04: This time of year is always wonderful because I love to see the joy on my daughters faces with the excitement of all the decorations and holiday fun. I am still a kid at heart so I get into it too.
12/13/04: I just have to write about what an amazing man I married. We have been together for 12 years and have been married for 7. He continues to amaze me with his love and support. Don't get me wrong, things aren't always a bed of roses, especially because we both have pretty sharp thorns at times, but we love each other so much and so unconditionally. We haven't had a lot of "us" time lately, well for about 4 1/2 years since the first baby came. Now we have a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old so by the time things are done at night, the kids are bathed, fed and in bed, I am exhausted and usually watch a little TV or just go to bed while my hubby stays up on the computer for a while. So this makes my wonderful night even more amazing to me. We actually sat and talked for quite a while, like we used to. Not about the kids, but about us. I just opened up to him and expressed a lot of my fears about the surgery, the risks, after the surgery, my recovery, my eating, my fears that he will leave me, that he won't want to deal with my emotions, my moods, my unveiling so to speak. I told him there are a lot of layers to unravel. He just told me that he loves me for who I am, not what I look like, and he will be there with me all the way, layer by layer, and he thinks I am beautiful now, and looks forward to going through this whole thing with me. I just melted. Sigh. Still in love.
12/16/04: I had a check up with my regular doctor yesterday to get my current weight. I am down to 308. She faxed the results to UCLA so I am hoping that they will feel that a 14 pound loss is "on target" to losing the needed 16 pounds. I guess I just have more waiting to do.
12/22/04: I have lost 2 more pounds so I am now down the full 16 pounds as required by UCLA. I am just waiting for that surgery date. I went to another Support group meeting and I had a good time. I love to hear other people's experiences and thoughts.
