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Happy Halloween! This year I am going to a party tonight dressed as a she-devil in a dress that wore when I was 70 pounds heavier.  I am now down to 320 and still have one more visit of this 6 month supervised diet. My dr is happy with the weight loss and how I am doing. Two Doctors I recently saw didn't submit their evaluations yet. However my surgerons staff is calling and sending out emails etc to them and hopefully they will send those eval soon. I still have a breathing test and an EKG to do in Nov.  On Nov 23rd my last of 6 visits  all my paperwork will be submitted and I get to sit back and wait for my as slow as molasses insurance company to give me the approval I so badly need.  If they do give it, my surgeon will perform the sleeve and will also take out my diseased gallbladder sometime in Jan. I am still waiting for a date.  

I have been following a high protein, low carb diet for the past 4 months and have lost 32 pounds. I now weigh what I use to weigh in 2007. I am still wearing the huge clothing as with the upcoming surgery I know I will be losing during the recovery time. Before I head back to work though I will look through all my old clothing and I am sure I will find clothing that will fit me. So hopefully I will not have to buy anything while losing. I swear I have clothing from size 26 all the way up to 10X. I use to weigh 497 pounds and over many many years have lost down to what I am today. 

Monday I will start going to the Gym as another obese friend has been going and has a pass for a guest.  I use to go to this same gym but was 20 pounds heavier when I left it. I am familar with all the exercises and hope I will be able to get right back into doing them. I want to be in good shape for this surgery so recovery will be easier on me. In addition to being on this site I am on 2 other WLS sites and hope that with  being on three sites I will get all the support I need. I am single so I have no family support other than the 5 people I have told. I will write again when I get closer to a surgery date. 

 

Hope eveyone has a great Halloween and upcoming Thanksgiving.  Stay Happy and healthy

It is July 5, 2015 I haven't been on the boards since 2008 when I was denied the lapband but did have back surgery. Turns out the back surgery was not a success at all. I tried to maintain my weight with WW and Curves but it slowly crept back up to 390. In June of 2014 I started NS again and this time around it has been very slow. In one year I only lost 44 pounds. So I told my PCP I wanted to try and see if my new insurance  would approve of the sleeve. He sent the referral to Dr Vaughan and I meet with him and his nutritionist  in June.  I am one of the lucky ones that gets to jump through all the hoops before I can have surgery. The Dr wants to see me every month and maybe some time in Jan of 2016 I could have the surgery. I told him I once weighed 497 and on my own got down to what his scale said 352. I told him I had been on NS since June of 2014 and was not happy with the weight loss of only 44 pounds.  Dr Vaughan wants me to continue with NS. I told him  I was not happy with the results over the past year on NS. He scheduled an appt for me with is NUT. On June 30th she looked at the 1800 calories they wanted me to eat which consisted of their 3 meals and a snack plus  5 additional carbs and 5 additional proteins.  She said the additional protein was good but to reduce the carbs  to 1 or 2 thus reducing the calories down to about 1,450. So we shall see if this will result in a better loss over the next 6 months. The Dr also asked for a CT as I told him I had a hernia and after he felt my stomach, he said he wanted a better idea of what he would be dealing with during surgery.  

 

I joined MyFitnesspal  and Bariatricpal and on BP I say a posting about OH and remembered I had a blog started here from 2008. So I came back but have forgotten how to get around the site but I am sure it will come back to me. I am sure there must be a way to join or mark the various forums I am interested.  I am thinking they have one for Florida, for over 50 BMI, over 300, and the sleeve. After this I will begin exploring  the forums for research. My room mate is the only one I have told about my plans so I am hoping to also find friends for support.

Well I am sitting here recovering from my my spine surgery known as radio frequency neurotomy wondering what the future holds for me now.  I am some what depressed yet I should be overjoyed. The surgery so I was told was a success and I should start to see postive results in 1-1/2 to 2 weeks which I guess means walking without the 2 canes.  As of today I am walking in the house only (which is short distances as my home is less than 1,000 square feet) with the one cane and I feel I am walking straighter but  my left leg has this clicking sound and popping  going on. Not sure what that is  all about but I am sure it is because for the first time in about 18 years I  am walking straighter. 

As for the WLS the more I read on these boards the more I am convinced  this WLS is not for me. I was going to have it done as I thought in May it was the last recourse for me. At that time I had no idea I would be having the RFN and would get to walk again.   I had lost over 190 pounds with WW and NS and when I stopped NS I was able to keep off 150  of the 190. I am seriously thinking of doing it the WW way again along with Curves and other exercise.   So I suppose I will continue to stay here on the boards but will be moving over to the non surgical weight loss forum.  Thanks to all the friends I meet over the last few months and I do wish you all success in your surgeries but I am probably going to be looking for non surgical weight loss friends now as I will have more in common with them. 
Happy Journey everyone till next time

I have nothing but trouble with all insurance companies, whether it be house or medical.  I just got word today from the WL surgeon that The Medicare Advantage Plan I have with Secure Horizons thru United Health Care has DENIED me the lapband surgery.   How can they do that when Medicare approves it?  I have been talking with Medicare, the Medicare Advantage Plan, the PCP and the WL surgeon most of the morning to try and get this straightened out.   Than later today somewhere on the web I read that Medicare will only pay for one lapband fill.  How in the world are you to get restriction on one fill. I am disabled and can't afford fills.    I am at the point  where I am ready to say F*** this!!! and go back to WW.

HI all
Well here it is September 9th and I am still waiting for my pre op meeting with the Dr and a surgery Date.   I called last week to see what the delay is as I had all my evaluations done and hadn't heard anything.  Turns out the Psych and Cardio evals were not into the Dr . I called those 2 Dr and pleaded for them to get the evals in.  Hopefully they will get ther e soon.

In the mean time I heard back from my Pain Management Dr ( he was moving during the month of August) in regard to the Radio Frequency Neurotomy for my L3, L4 and L5 spine problems.  He would like to do these procedures on September 18th and I am ready for them.  They are going to cut the nerves and hopefully this will allow me to do away with the scooter and once again walk without the canes.  After these procedures are done I will be ready for the WLS and will call again about a date if I don't hear from them soon.  Please wish me luck with the RFN so I can at least get back part of my life.
Happy Journey till next time

Ater the July 22nd visit with Dr Bass I got busy with making appointments for the evaluations. I had 2 weeks off from work so I tried to schedule most of them during that time. On July 24 I had the Psychological evaluation.  July 28th I had the blood work up done again even thougth my PCP had me do it in May. Dr Bass wanted a more up to date report and different tests. July 31st I took both Nutrition classes. Aug 5th I had the Cardiac evaluation and on Aug 12th I had to have a stress test as there was something on my EKG they did like.

My pain management Dr also had me do a sleep apnea test. He was a bit surprised when I told him Dr Bass didn't include that in the evaluations.  The sleep apnea test was doneon Aug 8th  at home by the Doctors Choice Sleep Solutions a new company that started in February of this year. A lady came at 10 pm hooked me up to all the wires, set up the laptop and the web cam, called the company in Fort Lauderdale and they had me do all kinds of movements to make sure everything was hooked up correctly. She left and I went to bed, didn't really sleep much until maybe 4am. When I woke up at 7:30 the laptop and web cam were off and at 8 am the lady came back and took all the stuff away.   It was so nice sleeping in my own bed with my own pillows. 

So now I sit again and wait to hear what the results are of all these evaluations and hope and pray I get a surgery date soon.  The sooner I get this surgery and get this weight off the sooner I can get my hip replaced and I can once again Live Laugh and Love. 
Well until next time Happy Journey Everyone

After waiting for 6 weeks I finally saw the Surgeon on July 22nd. He felt  I would be a godd candidate for the Lap Band. He wants me to take 2 Nutrition classes, get a Psychological Evaluation, a cardiac evaluation (I have no heart problems so not sure why) and bloodwork done. He also wants me to get with my PCP and find something other than Voltaren to take for the pain. Plus I need to get with the Pain management Dr to get off of Lyrica. It seems the Lyrica causes weight gain.

I already had the Psychological Evaluation this week. She also said I was a good candidate and will send the info the Dr BAss ASAP.  She suggected we get together for a few more visits to come up with a plan to work on how to reduced the stress and pressures of life without  binge eating.  I had  the blood work done today and Thursday will be the first Nutrition class. I have the Cardiac evaluation scheduled for Aug 5th. I still need to  schedule the 2nd nutrition class. When the Surgeon's office has all the evaluations I will be able to see him again, get a surgery date, final insurance approval and attend the preop class. When I asked how many more weeks he stated about 6 to 8 weeks. So we are looking at a possible Sept surgery date.

In the mean time on July 17th I had three Thoracic Facet Joint Injections in my spine and have been finally able to do things for the first time in over 10 years. I still have some pain but not the knife stabbing, take away my breath kind of pain. I am walking about 6 to 9 minutes with 2 canes where as before I could barely walk 1 to 2 minutes. Instead of rolling around on the desk chair in the house I am now walking. I am   walking from the living room to the bedroom or laundry room without the canes.  I have been swimming and in the hot tub as I can finally lift my leg high enough to get up the stairs. I have taken day trips down to Fort Lauderdale and loving every minute of the drive. I am finally living and not just existing. I just hope and pray the pain does not come back as I will be even more depressed and upset if it does.
Till next time have a great journey!

I know I said I probably wouldn't post until I met with my WLS Dr. but since I joined WW and Curves in the last week I figured why not write about it.

 Weight Watchers -  OMG how many times have I done this program over the past 40 years. I say 40 years as when I was 12 I was sent to a WW Camp in PA. I believe I weighed around 140 and came home after 2 months weighing around 120.  Of course the weight came back plus more as there were no food changes at home. I truly believe that during parent's day  at the camp they need to educate the parents as to what WW is all about and how  to make food changes at home to help their children keep off the weight.  Maybe now a days they do but  not back in 1968.
ok back to present day I joined June 26th weighing 353 and had my first week weigh in this past Thursday.  Not good,  as I really didn't follow the program. I didn't have the kinds of foods I needed as I was waiting for my disability check to arrive. So I debated do I go or do I stay home.  It took everything I had to go,  but I did I figured face the scale regardless. Surprise I released 1.6 pounds.  Not a whole lot but it was 1.6 pound less.

Curves - I found out that my Medicare advantage plan will pay for the registration and each month so I checked into one. Michelle was so nice and willing to work with me.  It turns out I need to get a form from the insurance company, have it signed by the PCP,(who I see on the 17th) return the form to the insurance company and then they will pay. But Michelle knew I needed to start the exercise now so she stated I could pay no registration fee and just pay for this month and by next month the insurance should be paying.  WOW! how nice of her. While there she helped me to try 10 of the machines. I was able to do 8 of them which is great. But I ran out of energy and still had 2 more to do. Michelle said when I come back on Tuesday we can try them first and then see about doing one circuit. I am going at around 10:30 which seems to be a slow time, which is great as it will take me at least an hour to complete one circuit and I will not hold any one up from getting to the machines.
Happy Journey till next time!

I started this WLS process as soon as I became eligible for Medicare in May of 2008.   I got a list of Lapband Doctors in  South East Florida and the first Dr  I contacted was on my  plan but the hospital was not a Center of Excellence.  Medicare demands that this surgery been done in such a hospital.  Ok, so  I kept looking,  found a hospital they would approve but the Dr is not on the plan. There doesn't seem to be any Dr and hospital in my County that meets Medicares approval. Thank goodness for that Lapband list, as I used it to search for Doctors listed and where these Doctors performed the surgery. 

Over Memorial weekend I finally found Dr. Bass and  The Regional Memorial Hospital  in Hollywood, which is  a Center of Excellence.  I was able to not only register on line but I filled out a 9 page profile. Two days later Tiffany (Co-ordinator) called me. She got the profile and told me about a information seminar on Thursday I needed to attend.  Great the ball is rolling. So come Thursday I get in the van and head down to Hollywood but never made it there.   About 30 minutes into the trip I developed van trouble  Being  handicapped and traveling alone I couldn't take the chance that something would happen even further away from home so I turned around and headed back home.  The next day I called Tiffany and told her of my van troubles. No problem she would get Cindy to send me 5 on line videos I needed to watch and when I did let her know. Well I did watch those and have finally been given my first consultation visit with the Dr. for July 22nd.   In the mean time Tiffany sent me a sample of the medically necessary letter to give to my Doctors.

Dr. Alshon was not willing to write me a letter of medically necessary even though he had a sample letter with all the things he didn't know about me filled in. I find it extremely odd that he would not do this. During my first visit with him for pain management of my back, hip and shoulder he commented "NO Dr. would touch you for surgery on your hip, have you thought about WLS".  during the second visit when I asked him to write this letter, He said  " I don't have the time, you are here for pain management so let's deal with that."  However he did send down a prescription for WLS. Never heard of that being done and I guess Dr. Bass will submit that to insurance.

Dr. Rogovin my PCP is more than willing to write a letter of medically necessary.  I suppose that is because he has seen how I have struggled over the last 14 years with all my problems and he had mentioned WLS many times but my insurance would not allow it at the time.

So now I sit and wait until July 22nd. I suppose that will be he next post I write.  Till than Have a  Happy Journey Everyone!