joianya

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

[img]http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wB2yJjA/weight.png[/img]
[/url]


http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wB2yJjA/">
http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wB2yJjA/weight.png">>

http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wB2yJjA/">
http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wB2yJjA/weight.png">>

It has been a month since my RNY surgery. It seems like only a couple weeks. I have lost a total of 34 lbs since I started the two week pre-surgery diet. That is 8 lbs lost during the diet and 26 lbs since surgery!!! I weigh 228 right now and I started at 262. I have not been in the 220's in more than ten years. I started out  in a size 22 pants now, I can wear some 18's!! 

Something I have noticed is I have been experiancing alot more gas on my tummy than before surgery. My doctor says it is normal and that Gas-X should help, but it takes a while to make the gas stop. I think my family is ready for me to move!

On Weds, Feb 25th I had my two week post op visit. Dr. Weaver removed my staples, which didn't hurt, she just picked them out with a pair of tweezers while she was taliking to me. She asked if I had any foods I could not tolerate, I told her that water seems to sit heavy in my pouch. She said that this was normal, and would get better over time. I also told her that I was having trouble belching and having hic-ups after eating. She said that this was normal too, due to the swelling in my abdomen, and that it would soon go away as well.

She told me since I was not having any issues or having trouble with any foods, that I could resume a normal diet! Two weeks out and I can eat what ever I want. Now I realize that certain foods like starches such as breads and pastas will get gummy and heavy in my pouch, I know to stay away from them as well. But I feel so free knowing that I can have what ever I want to eat.

I have to wonder wether or not others are experiancing this same issue as me, I am finding it hard to go out to eat with other people. I hate sitting and watching them shovel appetizers and entrees into their mouth by the loads (like I used to do!) and then there I am sitting eating the smallest bowl of soup they sell, and only eating a half of a cup of it at that! It kinda grosses me out to watch other people stuffing themselves...I guess it's like they say with smokers...an Ex-smoker is the worst critic to other smokers....so I am beginning to feel that same feeling when I watch other overweight people eat so much they are miserable. I want to tell them..." hey slow down, that food ain't going anywhere!"...Going out to eat just doesn't do anything for me any more....it is kinda depressing...I used to get so happy when my husband would recommend going out to eat, instead of me cooking...but now...I could care less about going to a restaraunt. It's like, I know that I am not going to get the same satisfaction from it as others do, so why go??? It's like losing a good friend because you have had a fight...sounds kinda goofy doesn't it?

On Tuesday, Febuary 10th at 4:00 p.m., I was finally able to have my gastric by-pass surgery! I am recooperating now, and healing just fine. I feel better each day! Since I started a special diet, after my two week pre-surgery diet - I had lost 8 pounds! Now I have had the surgery and lost all of the fluids that they pump into you while in the hospital, I have shed another 14 pounds! For a total of 22 pounds!!!!!

The last time I lost 22 pounds was before my wedding, and it took me 2 months and going to the gym 3 times a week. I know that it will not keep falling off like this but it is great while it lasts!

I went to my pre-op appointment today for all of my blood work, x-ray and ekg. i have already had these tests done with my last doctor. But I guess since it has been almost a year, since those tests were done, they neede to have new ones. Next Tuesday I start my 2-week "Liver Shrink Diet". So that means 3 weeks from today is my surgery!!! I am excited but worried that if I let myself get too excited about it, that my bubble might get popped like the last 3 times. So I think once it is a few days before the surgery it will hit me then. I have been getting some things in order at work, like training a couple other girls to do my work while I am out. I will be out 2 -3 weeks. I have a pretty easy job, sitting most of the day. So I hope I can go back without any problems. 

21 days and counting!!!!! 

Ok, lets try this again .... I got (yet another phone call ) with (yet another) new surgery date which has been set for February 10th 2009. I can't even say that I am excited about it. This will be the 4th surgery date and it has been well over a year since I began the journey to start "The Journey"...

So I will move forward ...but I dont think it will even hit me until they are wheeling me back to the O.R. I was so frustrated and upset with the first two reschedules that now when it finally happens I don't think it will even phase me until afterwards. I keep praying for His strength and support, and he always walks me to the other side of lifes storms, so I know He will escort me thru this one too.

Now if my job will just hold out, so I can keep my insurance long enough to have the surgery!

On 11-13-08, after several attempts to find out why no one has called me to verify that the O.R. date had been scheduled, I was finally able to get in contact with someone who would tell me what was going on. I felt a kind of deja-vu...like I knew that things were not going smoothly and that something was going to happen. I kept telling myself that since I have had so much trouble in the past with the last Doctor that I am only nervous that the surgery isn't going to happen. Now i have a new Doctor and everything will be different now..... Not so much....

I was finally able to get someone to talk to me and explain what is going on, apparently there is yet another problem. My new doctor (the only ONE in the Memphis area who performs Gastric Bypass anymore) has decided to stop working with the internal medicine group she was associated with and work directly with for the Hospital where I will be having my surgery. Her office moved to another floor in the same building. You would think that would no be a big concern for me...Apparently the hospital needs to have "credentialing documents" sent to them for all of the surgeon's patients. The credentialing comes from each patient's insurance carriers. Out of all of the insurance providers that the doctor works with, my insurance (United Health Care) is dragging their feet and are the only ones who have not sent in the required documentation. So everyone who has UHC has been removed from the Surgeons schedule and will have to get a new surgery date once the paperwork arrives!!! Can you freakin' believe my crappy luck???? So I have called my Drs. office every other day to ask wether they have recieved the credentialing or not, and for almost a month now, I get the same response..."not yet, but it should be coming in any day now". I am so aggrivated, I want to scream when they start reciting that same line everytime! I really have to try hard not to get mad and begin ranting to them.
Today I am especially depressed because today is the day I was supposed to start my two-week liver shrink diet. I have been here two other times....
I didn't even cry this time when they told me the bad news...I guess i am getting numb to it. I just don't understand why getting this accomplished is so hard for me...everyone that I know who has had the surgery, was approved and had heir surgery within a couple of months. I was approved on January 2, 2008....what the heck???

December 16th is my new surgery date!! I had my consult with my new surgeon on September 17th. She was nice and alot younger than I had imagined she would be. While I was there in her waiting room, I overheard a conversation from another patient's wife. Apparently she had Gastric Bypass done a few years ago by Dr. Tichanski (my old doctor), she had nothing good to say about the experiance. She was with her husband, who wanted to have bypass surgery as well. She said that after all of her problems that she has tried talking him into having the Lap Band, but he insisits on getting the Bypass. So he was having his consult with Dr Weaver that day like me. She said that after her bypass surgery that she has had kidney stones several times, really big ones too. I dont see how this could be a doctors fault but I guess there were some complications after her surgery and when she would call Tichansky's office they would just tell her to see her Primary care doctor. I didnt hear all of her story but apparently she was not a satisfied customer of his. So maybe this whole changing of surgeons at the last minute is for the best.
I know that God does all things for a reason. Maybe that was a little insight into the reason behind all of my surgery drama.

Anyways...I am once again on the path to a new me! and I have some relief and hope all goes as planned.

On July 15th I recieved (yet another) dissapointing call from my surgeon's office. They called to let me know that my surgeon is moving to another city and will not be doing any more surgeries as of that day.
I know...WHAT???  I was less than a month from (my second) scheduled surgery date. Needless to say...I was devastated.  


I had to fight the urge to go flatten all four tires on his Hummer or Range Rover or Porshe........

So, they said that now there is only ONE doctor in Memphis that does the gastric bypass surgeries. Memphis is a huge city, I could hardly believe that only one doctor is doing this surgery!! My case manager said that they would be sending my records over to the new surgeon and that the new office would be contacting me. I couldn't wait for them to call me...nope...I have been approved with my insurance since the first of the year...I am not sitting around to hope that someone takes the inititive to pick up my records and give me a call. So I called them....and called them...and called them. I got them moving pretty quick with my insurance, because I found out that my insurance requires you to requalify when you change doctors. That took alot less time than I thought it would. Only a few days.

I am now approved to use the new doctor, and have a consult appointment with her on September 17th. I will get my new surgery date when I go to the consult. I am just praying that I can get a surgery date before the end of the year, if not...I will have to start my $1200 deductable over again.

I am getting discouraged and just found the strength today to update my profile. Mainly because I keep getting emails telling me how excited I should be since my surgery is supposed to be tommorrow.... I will change the date to be unknown and will set the surgery date once I get it from the doctor next month.

Anyways I would appreciate any prayers of support you could say for me!! God Bless and good luck to all who are waiting for their surgery along with me.