Melissa N.
OLD Profile Story - November 2005 to January 2006
November 24, 2005
I am 24yrs old. I have been struggling with my weight since I was very young but was not considered obese until the fall of year 2000. I have been researching this surgery for a few years but hesitant to move forward because I wanted to try other options first. I have tried many other options. They all failed and now I am at my all time high for my weight. I truly want to be healthy again. After reviewing some other member's profiles, I realized I am not the only one that is worrying about fitting into chairs at restaurants, work, doctor’s offices, etc. Reading other stories truly helps me so that I do not feel alone in my struggle. I am trying to educate myself as much as possible about this surgery. I have made my decision; I am going to make this happen.
STATS 11/24/05: TOO BIG!!!......LOL
Weight: 382lbs (I can't believe I am posting this for everyone to see!)
Height 5'7''
Age: 24
November 28th, 2005
I am getting anxious about the seminar on December 6th. I am trying to get all my information ready to fill out the packet of papers they hand out. I will be filling them out that night! LOL. In the mean time, I have been keeping busy with school, kids, and hubby.
December 7th, 2005
I went to the information seminar last night for the Park Nicollet Program. The nurses were really nice and helpful. I enjoyed the information that they gave me. I am also thrilled that they do not make an incision in your thigh; like some other surgeons do. I filled out most of the paperwork as soon as I got home. LOL. They informed me that I will have to have a sleep apnea test done even though I do not have any symptoms. This is a new procedure they are doing if you have a BMI over 50. I will be meeting my regular doctor today to discuss some swelling in my ankles, and to get the dates for all of my trial and error attempts at loosing weight. Park Nicollet also requires that you have an ultrasound done of your gall bladder to check for stones before your surgery. I think I just had one done about a month ago. I asked the wonderful nurses that gave the presentation if I would have to have another one done, and she stated that as long as its within six months of my surgery date I should be fine. So that is another date I am going to have to get from my regular doc. I have class in a few minutes so I will update more when I have more info. THANKS TO EVERYONE ON THIS OH WEBSITE. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING PEOPLE!
December 7th, 2005
Another update for today. I am trying to get things moving as fast as possible. I just got home from an appointment with my primary doctor. She helped me pin down dates of all the weight loss that I have tried. She also pinpointed the date for my gall bladder c-scan. October 15th 2005! YES! That means that as long as my surgery is before April 15th 2006 I shouldn't have to have the ultrasound done. My doctor is very supportive of me having this surgery. It's great! She set up an appointment for the sleep apnea test. FEBRUARY 2nd!, and that is just the date for the consult! The neurologist then sets the date for the actual test at that appt. I know they don't need this test to send my information to insurance for approval, just need to have it done before surgery. I hope that this isn't the reason I would be held up for a surgery date though. So now all I have to finish in my packet is to have my doctor fax me the referral, and I need to finish typing my letter of why I think this surgery would benefit me.
I forgot to mention that last night I met Mustang Sally! She is a super energetic person. I will be seeing her a lot because she is from around my area, and is helping me get set up with some support groups down here.
December 12th, 2005
What a couple of hectic days. I am in college and its FINALS time! I finished my letter for surgery. That was the only thing I was waiting for to send in my packet to Park Nicollet. So now it's mailed! Yahoo! I am starting the whole waiting game. I will post a copy of my letter to my insurance company for your viewing pleasure! LOL.
To Whom It May Concern:
Thank you for your consideration regarding my request for weight loss surgery. I need this surgery to better my health. I need to lose weight because of health issues, mental well-being, and comfort issues.
I have been overweight since early childhood. High school was very hard because I was overweight and kids like to tease. I was never morbidly obese until my 19th birthday. I gave birth to my son a few months before my 19th birthday, and I have been gaining weight ever since. I haven’t weighed less than 265 pounds since August of 2000. I struggled with depression due to the increase in weight. I have tried many different diets. Some of my diets have been supervised by my physicians and some have not. I am currently taking Meridia for appetite suppressant and I have a gym membership. I am at the gym 5-6 days a week. I am now 24 years old, and I have a BMI of 59.8. I am 5’7” and I now weigh 382 pounds. I believe I am severely morbidly obese.
Morbid obesity is affecting my health, mental well-being, and my quality of life. My health is being affected by obesity. Some of my health problems are shortness of breath, swelling, skin yeast infections, kidney stones, increased heart rate, arthritis in knees, less energy, and back pain. Also, I am being tested for sleep apnea. My problems with my mental well-being are occasional depression, no motivation, I blame myself, and I am not as confident in myself as I would like to be. I also have a hard time mentally dealing with public situations. I do not understand why obesity is the last acceptable form of discrimination. The quality of my life has been cut in half since August of 2000. I am never comfortable. I can’t play with my children or clean the house because I get winded too fast. It affects the way people judge me. It will lessen my career opportunities. It affects my everyday activities like taking a bath, fitting into chairs, getting in and out of my car, getting dressed, putting on shoes and socks, getting up to make a meal, getting up to get a drink. It also affects my sexual activities.
I understand the life changes associated with weight loss surgery. I know that my life will be changed forever if I am approved for this surgery. I will have to pay close attention to every ounce of food or drink that goes into my body. This is something I will have to do for the rest of my life not just short term. I will have to take vitamins for the rest of my life. I will also have to make room in my life for me. After this surgery, I expect to be able to be a better mother and wife, feel proud of my choice, do more activities that I have not been able to do for 5 years, and I will be able to help educate others on their choices regarding weight loss surgery.
I believe I am an excellent candidate for this surgery because I am devoted to my choice. I have been researching this surgery for three years. I have a wonderful support system in my family and friends. I want to be healthy, and I know I deserve it. I believe that this surgery is the best option that is available to me. The last reason I think I am a good candidate is because, this surgery will not change my personality, morals, values, and beliefs; it will change my level of fulfillment with life. But most importantly, I believe in this decision, and I believe in myself.
December 16th, 2005
Well, I just got a call from Park Nicollet. They said that they called my insurance company and they didn't have the referral from my PCP. So she said I need to call my PCP and have them call my insurance company to put in a referral. I called my insurance company Blue Plus to see what exactly they needed my doctor to do and they said that my clinic has a system where they can electronically submit a referral. So now I put a message into my PCP's nurse asking her to call me back about the referral. I guess I should have known about this however, I assumed that the sheet that PN includes with their packet was the referral. Guess I was wrong. OH WELL. I have been waiting this long what's another week. The nurse at PN said she would call my insurance company after a few days to see if they put in the referral and then she would give me a call back to set up my first appointment.
December 20th, 2005
I have my consult date with the nurse at PN. Jan. 19th 2006! It is at 2:00pm, but they want me there a little early for registration. The time will fly till then. After the holidays, my husband is having surgery on Jan 5th. Not WLS. Then I start school on Jan 9th. I will be busy enough to keep my mind off of the date. It took a few phone calls to get the referral all straightened out. I hope that this small complication doesn't show how the rest of this is going to go for me.
I am soo tired right now my 9mo old daughter has been staying up till 12am-1am. I have some appts with the doc tomorrow to try to figure this out. Going to try to go to bed now. We will see if Brianna will let me! lol.
January 6th, 2006
Well, Happy New Year! Hopefully it will be a happy new year. My husband had surgery yesterday and everything went fine; except that they were running 2 hours behind schedule. We can home about 5pm. I am super depressed. I can't seem to control my weight. 8 months ago I weighed 328lbs. Yesterday, I stood on a scale they have in the bathroom at the surgery center....392lbs. I keep trying everything to lose weight. It just won't stop. I am worried about what weight I will be at when I actually have this surgery. I don't even know if I will be able to move anymore if I keep gaining weight. My feet are so swollen that I can hardly walk some days. My back hurts if I stand for more than one minute. My BP is rising. My heart isn't doing so well. And all this weight is hurting so bad. I need this surgery sooner rather than later. But it looks like the soonest I can have this surgery is in March.
