Amy H.

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I was so bummed last Wednesday I didn't even update here.  

As I'd expected and feared, my cough delayed my surgery.  We got to St V's at 10am, and the first nurse who took me back, Kevin, expressed concern about my cough.  I kept saying I felt fine (which I really didn't....I was hoping no one would notice I had a cough...DUH, I'm surrounded by medical professionals!!). He said my temp was slightly elevated, 99.4, which didn't seem like a big deal to me but he said it was cause for concern with surgery.  Then he checked my BP...187/117! WTH??? I was floored.  It was never that high when I was on bedrest with high blood pressure when I was pregnant!

Registration came in and got me signed in, and then Donna, my bariatric nurse, came in and started talking to me about my cold and cough.  She said she didn't think he would do the surgery but was waiting on the anesthesiologist to come over to check me out.  They let my husband come on back, and then she said Dr Evanson was on his way over to see me. 

Dr E was fantastic, but said he couldn't do my surgery with my cough as bad as it was.  I cried, but deep down, I felt better.  My ribs and back hurt from the deep coughing, and I was scared to death of coughing that badly post op.  By 11am we were at Chili's for lunch, and then I went to our family doctor when we got home.

Dr E was right on....I had an ear infection and bronchitis!! Thank God he didn't do my surgery.  I got a 10 day supply of amoxicillin and two inhalers.

Even better...I got my new surgery date today!! It's either April 22 or 23, she said she'll know for sure when he gets back on Friday, but it sounded like the 23rd is more likely.  Not til 2:30pm....ick.  Two more weeks...I can do it!

I'll even have time to put together my daughter's 4th birthday party for the weekend before my surgery.  We'd tentatively planned it for the 26th, but I'll bump it back a week.  Now I can even do her cake (I've done all of the girls' birthday cakes) and I can't wait!

now to figure out how to change my date in my profile....

I am stunned...it's here!! Surgery is less than 14 hours away.  Wow.  I'm feeling pretty good...nervous, excited, a tad overwhelmed...all of which is normal.  I'm still fighting this cold, which now has gone into a cough.  I'm hoping like crazy it doesn't delay my surgery, but that's in God's hands now.  

Today was of course, "day before surgery" diet. Breakfast was pretty typical for me, one fried egg and 1/2 of a whole wheat bagel.  No coffee, I've been off caffeine for almost two weeks now, and had been drinking decaf, but ran out of my favorite creamer on Saturday.  I did have two pieces of DeBrand's chocolate, all that was left in a box my husband brought me from a business trip last week to Ft. Wayne.  Lunch was to be "full liquids" per my yellow sheet, and ice cream was listed, so I splurged on a large chocolate malt from a little mini mart in the next small town up the highway.  They make killer malts, and my throat was sore from coughing.  It tasted incredible, but boy did it give me gas pains and other "issues" for several hours!

Dinner was "clear liquids", so I had some broth and juicy juice.  Took my antibacterial shower, finished up laundry and packed my hospital bag, then had some more chicken broth and water while watching The Biggest Loser.  I finished it off with a sugar free cherry popsicle, and am ready for bed! I'm going to take some Tylenol PM cough, hoping to kick this thing even more.  

I'm really praying my surgery doesn't get delayed...I don't know what we'll do.  We've been paying for COBRA since Feb 1, when my husband changed jobs, and his new job's benefits start May 1.  The new company doesn't cover the surgery without a YEAR of monthly medically supervised diet visits, and even then they rarely cover it.  We can't pay for COBRA beyond May 1...it's $1400/month, and we just can't...it's killing us now.   But, like I said before, it's in God's hands.  

Off to get some rest.  I won't be online in the morning before we leave, but I'll check in once I'm home!

Wow...less than 3 weeks left!!! I am stunned at how fast time has flown by....

Had my pre op class with the dietician and nurse on Tuesday, met some great women who are having surgery the day before and day after me, so we made plans to "walk some laps" together.  The class was very informative, just as I hoped it would be.  Dad went along, and I think the other people really enjoyed seeing a post op patient there, and hearing his experiences.  There have been some significant changes to the post op diet since his surgery in Aug 2006 but that's OK.  It's mainly changed for the first month post op; instead of purees right away, it's full liquids only. 

Wednesday was my pre op lab work, EKG, medical tests and physical history.  That all went well, except the barium.  That was some FUNKY stuff, but I managed to survive. I'm still having some lingering bathroom issues, but I think that might be me trying to fight off a flu bug or something.

Biggest change is I'm weaning myself off caffeine.  That's been HARD, but I know I have to do it.  I've been drinking about 30 oz of coffee each morning, plus another 30 or so ounces of iced tea throughout the day.  Since I couldn't have anything to eat or drink Wednesday morning, and then drank just water after my tests to flush the barium out, I was suffering from a pretty harsh caffeine headache that night.  Thursday was really bad...but I also think I started coming down with this 'bug' that day, as my arms hurt, my neck hurt, legs, abdomen, back...everything ached that night, and my head felt like it was going to explode.  

Decided that going 'cold turkey' off coffee wasn't going to work...not only did I feel awful, but I wasn't being a very patient or nice mommy.  Yesterday morning I had about 5-6 oz of coffee, then water the rest of the day.  Today, I had another 5-6 oz of coffee, and I've had water, juicy juice or milk.  I feel SO much better, and I told my husband this morning I plan to be completely off coffee by next Sunday, 10 days pre op. 

I also started taking a water aerobics class this week at the local Y.  We haven't joined yet, but they have a free two week trial, so I wanted to see if it's something I can commit to doing and fit into my schedule.  I went Thursday night (even as bad as I felt!) and loved it!! I plan to go as much as I can during my two week trial, which is up just days before my surgery.  The nurse told me on Tuesday that I could start water aerobics up again just three weeks post op, which thrilled me.  She said I'd need my surgeon's approval to start lifting weights or taking Zumba classes, but I can be in the pool or on the treadmill until then.

Two and a half weeks...I am stunned....

Wowzers....five weeks from tonight I'll be on the loser's bench!! Hubby put in today for his time off, and we'll get the child care stuff worked out with my parents this weekend.  My surgery is Wednesday April 2, he'll take that whole day off.  I figure we'll drop the girls off at my mom's around 8:30 that morning, so Mom can get Emily to preschool by 9:30.  They'll stay with my parents until that evening whenever Darrell gets back to town.  Then Thursday & Friday, he'll drop them off around 7:30am on his way to work.  He's planning to work just the morning those two days, then pick up the girls around lunch time and come see me.  Hopefully I'll get to come home that Friday night! 

Nutrition class is two weeks out, same with my physical.  Dad's going with me for the nut class, since he's been through this before.  Physical, I'll be on my own that day, but from what my dad told me, it'd be useless to have anyone go with me.  I figure I'll take a good book! 

My husband's been asking me what I want to eat during the month of March, and I honestly don't know.  I have some ideas, but at the same time, I don't think I want to reintroduce some old favorites that I haven't had in a while! I have to confess...so glad my surgery is after Girl Scout Cookie time!  

And I worried for nothing!

Darrell did get the job....WOO!!!! He starts on the 28th, and I am so excited.  I emailed Colleen at Dr Evanson's office Friday around 5:15, figuring I'd hear back by Tuesday at the earliest.  Two hours later I had a response!!! She said that COBRA is extremely expensive (I'm guessing $1000/month? I have no idea, but with two children ages 4 & 5, we HAVE to have it), but if we are getting it anyway, make sure to have it go 1-2 months beyond my surgery.  His insurance wouldn't kick in until a month post op anyway, so I know we'll still have BCBS for that month.  She said that in her experience, Aetna is awful to get approval from, they wouldn't care about my pre-approval letter, and I would need a minimum of 6 months dr supervised diet, nutrition counseling, etc, so I'd be looking at a November date at the earliest!!   

So we'll keep BCBS through COBRA until at least May 1 (one month post op), if not June 1.  She said my 4 week and 4 month appointments will be covered under my surgery fees, and then I won't go back until 8 months, barring complications.  

So YAY!!! A new job, and my surgery is still on track for April 2...10 weeks and 4 days....wow.....

Just random thoughts running through my head....only 10 weeks 6 days to go, and not sure if I need to postpone or not, or if I'm stressing over something that might be nothing. 

My husband has been job hunting for months, since July of last year.  He had told me that if he didn't have an offer by March 1, then it was on hold until after my surgery.  Well, just this week he's had two interviews with one company, and we are anticipating an offer by Monday.  I am ecstatic...he's seriously under-employed right now, we are on the verge of broke, and he needs a job that uses his skills, knowledge and professionalism and makes him feel fulfilled.  This potential job could do all those things.  However, there is a 90 day wait for insurance coverage, which puts us right around my surgery date.  I do know Aetna would be the insurer, we have BCBS now.  I have my approval letter from BCBS, and I know Aetna would cover it...according to their website policies list, they even have the same pre-requisites as BCBS...so getting the approval transferred hopefully wouldn't be an issue, but it does mean delaying my surgery probably until May. 

We will be getting COBRA to cover us and our kids for the 90 days, so if I do that, would BCBS still cover the surgery? More importantly, would Aetna then cover all my post op care? 

Once things are settled, as in offer made and accepted, then I will contact the office manager at Dr Evanson's office and ask her what she suggests.  I'm expecting to be told to wait until Aetna kicks in....bummer.  However, I'm not going to let it bring me down...the new job would be perfect for him, we need the money desperately, and what's another month.  Really, up until I got my date, I was thinking I still had 6 months of dr visits to go, so even if I don't have surgery until May, that's still sooner than I thought.  

ugh....random thoughts are the worst!! I attended my first support group meeting last night and really enjoyed it, lots of great info there...I'll be back next month!

So now I wait.  I'm not good at this waiting game...I'm ready for my new life to start!!! 

Pre Op Class will be Tuesday March 11, physical will be the next day.  On Monday 12/31, I did call the surgery coordinator at Dr Evanson's office and left a message to see about moving my surgery up to February...I'm just so nervous that my husband is going to get a new job between now and the end of March, and delay my surgery.  She never called me back, so I went ahead and scheduled my class and physical.  I wasn't expecting to get a sooner date...people already scheduled for February have been waiting longer than I have!

My husband was pretty surprised when I told him my surgery was approved by insurance.  He was borderline upset about it...I mean, he knows I want this, and he wants me to be happy, but I think in the back of his mind he was hoping BCBS would say no.  He went through an adjustment period after hearing from Dr Evanson that I'm a good candidate, and now he's going through the adjustment again knowing that BCBS agrees.  He goes back and forth...he's very nervous about me undergoing any surgical procedure.

See, I've had two c sections.  Our first daughter, Emily, was born Jan. 23, 2003....my oldest is about to turn 5! I had a c section following a failed induction of labor...never dilated, nothing.  So my OB did a c section, and I recovered beautifully.  Emily was a perfect baby.  So much so, we were suckered into thinking all babies are easy, and I was pregnant by the time she was 7 months old.   

My second daughter, Molly, was born April 28, 2004 by scheduled c section...but I barely remember her birth.  I have vague impressions of my husband crying and telling me he'd signed a consent in case they had to do a hysterectomy because I wouldn't stop bleeding.  I remember him showing me Molly's face, and telling me goodbye, crying the whole time...and then an anesthesiologist telling me I was going to go to sleep.  She was born at 9am, and I didn't wake up until late afternoon, and still don't remember much of that day.  

What we do know is that it was a freak occurence.  My uterus has a very thin wall in one area, and that happened to be where her placenta attached.  When my OB removed it, I started hemorrhaging, and they couldn't stop the bleeding.  My uterus was essentially sewn shut like a pot roast (dead serious...they showed me the diagram later, and that's what it looked like!), and I ended up getting 7 units of blood, 2 of platelets and one of plasma that day.  I didn't have to have a hysterectomy, but we were told that future children were out of the question.

So with that in my surgical history, I can see where Darrell is nervous.  However, the more we have talked about how I feel physically...how I can't run and chase the girls for more than a few minutes at a time, how I get winded going from the basement to the second floor, how I HATE being in confined spaces or crowded areas, how I hate wearing shorts....he's understanding more.  He's a bigger guy, but he's never been more than 40-50 lbs overweight, so he can't relate to being 100+ pounds overweight.  

My parents are thrilled for me.  Dad has been a huge font of information, and I've been studying his post op dietary guidelines book.  He gave me his 1 & 2 oz measuring glasses, as well as his hand held blender thing, so I can get through the pureed stage.  

I'm excited....nervous, but excited.  The timing is in God's hands.  Darrell is still job hunting, and I'm scared to death that after 5 months of job hunting with no prospects, he'll get a new job now that I'm within 90 days of my new life.  If that happens, then I deal with it, and start the process of trying to transfer my approval to a new insurance company.  If I'm meant to start my new life on April 2, then he won't have a new job before then! Either way, God knows the plan, and I'll understand it all much later in life!

Totally random thoughts here...my mind has been racing all afternoon.  Just yesterday I had my first monthly weight check with my family GP, Dr M.  She was awesome, I maintained over the holidays, but my BP was up from 130/82 to 140/90.  She's not real thrilled with that, said I may have to stop taking YAZ (low estrogen BCPs to regulate PMDD symptoms), but that if my BP stays high, it boosts my chances of insurance approval for the surgery.  

Bit of backstory....had my initial consultation with Dr Evanson here in Kokomo in September 2007.  Hubby went along, was adamantly opposed to it, but willing to listen.  After Dr E told us that I am a great candidate, because I'm in good general health, just obese, and relatively young (I'm 36), Darrell started coming around.  My dad had RNY Aug 28, 2006, and has maintained his weight loss (325 down to 170), and my husband sees how much better my dad's quality of life is.  

So we started the approval process.  I knew it would be sticky, as BC/BS said they require 6 months pre op dr records showing unsuccessful WL attempts.  I didn't have that...well, I did, but they were 2 years old.  We just moved this spring, and I hadn't been for a physical in two years.  I still got that to Dr E's staff.  They sent me a letter in October telling me BC/BS needed the psych evaluation, so I met with Dr Stote on Nov 2.  He told me I am an excellent candidate.  Woohoo!!

Then two weeks later I get another letter telling me I needed the psych eval plus the 6 months documentation. Crap.  I'd been hoping for a February surgery date.  Met with Dr M the Monday after Thanksgiving and we drew up our plan of attack...basically, go in every four weeks, hop on the scale and hope there isn't significant change, and meet with a dietician.

Just yesterday I talked to my husband about applying for the local newspaper's Fitness Challenge, for couples...kind of a local Biggest Loser.  I told him that if I was willing to pursue the surgery, I had to wait 6 months anyway, so why not try this and if it worked, I wouldn't have the surgery.  He agreed, and I think he secretly hopes I don't get insurance approval.

So today...my phone rings...it's Dr. E's office calling with my surgery date! I was stunned...I explained to her about the letter I got from them in November, and she said they sent BC/BS my psych eval on 11/29, and BC/BS sent the approval letter on 12/8!! Holy crap!! I called BC/BS to confirm, and she said I should've gotten a copy of the letter, so she's sending one out.  Apparently, they looked at my 2 years' old records and lengthy obesity history and approved me! 

Nervous...my husband is actively job hunting, and I have no clue what will happen to my approval if he changes jobs.  I'm nervous about telling him, because just yesterday I was talking about trying something else...and I still would like to apply for the challenge.  Couples chosen get 3 sessions a week for 13 weeks with a personal trainer, and three months' membership to a local gym.  That alone is worth it to me! However, with my surgery date only three months away, I wouldn't be able to finish the challenge.  

Lots to think about....lots to ponder....I haven't told a SOUL yet...so I figured I'd register here and start a blog so I could get all my brain ramblings out in one spot.  I know my parents will be thrilled, they are paying my OOP expenses (our deductible), and I'm ready to move on with the next NEW phase of my life.  Just think....by next Christmas I could get Victoria's Secret gift cards in my stocking and not just new socks!!