TinaRe

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Ahh 2007.. the year of TINA... LOL

Well I need to catch up on my posts.  I have just (last week) completed all required testing. They managed to squeeze in my PHYSC EVAL. so that was weird and new to go thru. LOL  Now I am just waiting on that to be written up and put in my file as well as getting some past doc history (basically that will show my weight history 5 yrs back) My PA says it's not a must have but can only help. So I am thinking by the end of Jan the appeal will get sent off.

I have love 12 more pounds since Dr Broussard asked me to lose 40 more. So that is a good thing. 7 of those LBS I lost in DEC. So I am happy about that. I have been a little distracted this month with other things and need to keep myself in check! This ice has put a wrinkle in my exercise and just getting out and about. YEESSH and we about to get more snow! I will get cabin fever I know it. I am sick this week too. I just haven't been able to shake whatever I have and working in an office where the A/C never cuts off hasn't helped. I am really worried about that POST OP.  They are working on moving me away from a vent at least so that is something. 

Whew okay that is enough for now...
HAPPY 2007

Well a lot has taken place since my last post. I have completed all the other appts with WeightWise - now all I have left is to continue to see them monthly and follow up with the NUT. and Exercise rep. I am on a 1400 cal. diet so we can try to drop some more weight before the surgery. I have lost 5 more. So I was excited about that. So since May of this year that makes 47lbs.  I just need to lose 35 more per the Doc and I was pleased with all of my appts at WW Clinic. The staff is great and I am sending them a Xmas card! That is a lot considering I hardly ever do that.

Tara,the PA, told me that the letter of medical ness. was already sent out and now we wait. Aetna can either say you are approved and with that the 3 month plan I am on would just get shortened since I've met all other requirements and we would work on it until the date given for WLS. Or they will say what they need. To my surprise the denial letter(s) came the next day, So WeightWise is on the ball and must have already sent the letter a while back. 

The denial reasons listed were that I didn't have the 6 mo doc supervised diet - WHICH I DO. So I left a msg with my advocate at the clinic and she called me back right away. She explained that they don't send all the records first time out and this is normal. So I am glad to hear that. Now they will send everything Aetna listed. In a sense it's a smart move because it allows Aetna to paint themselves in a corner and now they have sent written docs stating they will pay as long as we provide X Y Z. And we have that so it's all looking pretty positive. 

I gotta keep working on my diet and making sure I don't fall off the horse and gain wgt b4 surgery. Here is to hoping it's in late Feb and all goes smooth. 

T

12/02/06  almost 1pm

Due to the ice storm that blew thru OKC this week, my nut. appt had to be resch. They call today, on a SAT., which I thought was nice. 

They also told me they had some problems getting my gen docs records. So I called on that since they are also open on Sat. So I am lucky I guess! :) 

So my new dates are for 12/11 @ 12noon my exercise phys. appt
                                                                1pm  for the nut. 

Then sometime in Jan I will do the offical physc consult. 

By then my FSA will be in place with the job and that will cover anymore out of pocket costs. 

Sweet.

I have completed my 6 month pre cert where my ins. asks me to follow a doc supervised diet! I have lost a little over 40 lbs over the 6 months. So that makes me feel better. I haven't really don't it alone. My doc has me on my old friend - Phentermine, and I love it but I always plateau and it's not for long term use anyway. So I have to lose about 40 more LBS before the surgery.  And as I get closer to that time (probably March) I will have to get off the pills. So I need to really start to focus. This month was the first month that I didn't lose.. I stayed the same.

I think it was late April that I finally got up on the scales this year and was so pissed to see 411lbs. I learned through a WLS Surgeon, that I have since opted to not choose as my surgeon, that the program he applied would have me spend on extra night in ICU due to my weight. So I knew then and there I wanted to start the pre cert diet even if the surgery didn't come through. The first 50 to 60 lbs are usually a breeze and then it starts to get hard. So I am sure that is what I am starting to see again. But I wanted to make sure I do all I can to hold up my end of the bargin and have the best surgery I can. So since I count on my docs to hold up their end of the bargin, so shall I! :)
 
So let's see through the 6 months, I have tried to mock some of the habits I will have to adopt after the surgery like: 
*Not drinking when I eat which sounds simple but that is a true habit!. So atleast now I can sit down to eat and not panic that I haven't made a big glass of whatever I want to drink.
*Drink more water and tea and less diet soda. That monkey needs to find a new back, I know there are debates but I agree that I can't have it POST OP.
*Moving more, I walk more than I have in a few years now that I have a dog. So thanks Simon - my pooch!
*The one thing that I am really trying to do now is to eat s l o w e r. I think I eat too fast anyway. So that has been hard to just focus and say chew chew chew and chew some more. But I know that it will be key post op so I will keep trying to make it a habit. 

*Lastly I have gone from 411 to 366 in 6 months. I am not overly excited since I've done it before and I've had help. So I know that it will just help in the future. I'm just scared to do it without the pills. So it's time to step it up. 

And I know that trying all these things will not ensure that I am ultra prepared but I just want try all I can to be ready when it's for real, for real! 

I meet with the nutrist. this Friday and I also found out today my first prelim tests came back good.

No sleep apnea detected, Upper GI & EKG all good. 

Next will be the physc. consult and the exercise physiologist (sp?) so I am amped about that. 

I plan to start seeing a therapist in my own time too, I have been reading and seeing a lot about addiction transfer and just my life in general can only be improved with a little couch time. I have been to therapists' before but never really got to the weight issue so I think it's important. All in all I am sure I look totally geeked out about this stuff.  But it will all be for the better.

I love my general doc, Dr Jerri Ellis, she is also a larger gal like me and she has been great through this whole 6 mo process. I will keep seeing her and she is so fair and open minded. Even tho she wouldn't have WLS she sees both sides.  I had to see her this week anyway since I got a damn staph infection on my leg. Nothing major but she did mention to let my WLS surgeon know about it since this is the second time it's happened to me in as many years. 

Well this post is getting LOOONG so I will wrap it up.  My Dad is having cataract surgery tomorrow so it's a whole surgery fest around here. The ice has made its' way to OKC and it is officially winter in this bitch. 

If anyone is reading this - happy holidays and take care of yourself!  Forgive all the mispellings and such - I should be in bed.  

Tina

11/26/06 @ 11:44am

I like the new changes on the site I had to take a break after a few months of reading the forum posts daily. Sometimes you can get overloaded with all the info hitting you.  I wanted to start blogging so I can have an outlet for all the stuff going on.  I feel like I talk about the surgery too much and after a recent issue where it just hit me how lonely it can be to start the testing by yourself. I am so damn independent that I don't expect to have normal feelings from time to time.  Unless Aetna gives a fight I should have my surgery sometime in the first quarter of '07. I hope to have it in late March. I would like the weather to be better and my money will be right by then and I should have taken off enough weight by then. I am shooting to lose another 40lbs per doctor's orders.

I have had a sleep apnea, EKG,Upper GI and some labs drawn at WEIGHTWISE Clinic about 2 weeks ago. Since the holidays were last week I plan to hear from them soon on those tests and I have lots of appts coming up. I have my weigh in with my gen doc this week along with my first appt with the WeightWise Nutrishst. (sp)  So I am on the ball. I just feel as if my weigh in this week will be the first one where I gain since I started this in May. I just haven't been focused with the eating. But I am back on the horse and the diet pill. I know I will have to get off of that pill soon enough and it is a major help/crutch. Plus it is not intended for long term use anyway.

Wrapping up this entry I will say that I have really tried to keep my mouth shut and just let my actions speak for themselfs with this surgery. I just let a male co worked know about it this week and I get the questions like "Oh are you sure - you really need to do your research" If they only know how much of a nerd I am about this stuff. I am very realistic and know what I am getting into fully. That doesn't mean that I won't go through all the things anyone goes through when then have any surgery. So I am pretty good with everything. I felt even better when I had a conversastion with one of my best friends the other day. She is a RN and I always felt as if she really wasn't so cool with the surgery - I mean she supports me but just worried and I have never had any major health issues. So she knows me so well she probably sees all the things I can't see in myself. So I felt like she wasn't really wanting to hear my mouth. But we started chatting and she told me that she thinks I will be successfull at this and that if anyone could do it it would be me. She said she knew I could make it happen if it's what I want and I know she will be there to kick my ass if I start to forget that fact. So that really made me feel pretty good. I just guess I miss my Mom with this stuff comes up. I wish she were alive to help me through this like only a Mama can. but she is with me in spirit. So on that note I will step down off the soap box. 
Later-T