Connie Tyler, Certified Personal Trainer for WLS Patien

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/w3zbw3e/]
[img]http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w3zbw3e/weight.png[/img]
[/url]

 

 

 I have been considering WLS for about a year and a half now, and spending some significant time researching and soliciting stories from those who have already had the surgery. I have decided it was the right choice for me, but I wanted to have a realistic idea of what to expect. I am currently in the process for the surgery through my doctor. My company changed insurance carriers as of August 2005, so when I made my first appointment with my new doctor, she asked "so what brings you here today?" and I said "well, I thought I should get a papsmear because it has been a while, and I wanted to get some skin tags removed and lastly I would like to ask about Gastric Bypass Surgery" and she said "so you are ready to get some of this weight off?" and I explained to her that I had been researching this option for some time and that I was ready to get started and she said "wait here" and was gone for about 20 minutes. She came back with some referrals for an upper GI and an abdominal ultrasound. She said "this will get you started. You will still have to get a psychiatric evaluation and a colonoscopy, but you need approval for that so we will let you know as soon as we get them". I was shocked. I didn't expect her to get me started so soon. She asked me to write a letter detailing my diet history and reasons I feel this surgery is necessary and drop it off in the next few weeks. Needless to say, I went home and wrote it that night. I dropped it off the next day. She called and said "I just wanted to tell you the letter you wrote was perfect and I wanted your permission to use it as an example for other patients" and naturally I was happy to say "ofcourse". So, to date, I have completed the upper GI, the abdominal ultrasound, and the psychiatric evaluation. I have my colonoscopy on February 7, 2006 and then my doc will give me a referral to Dr. Krahn's office. I am so excited that I am under way, but I am so nervous that I will not be approved. Wish me luck!



1/20/06

Ok so today is my appointment with the Psychiatrist to review my test results. I am nervous! Not because I fear I am not mentally stable enough for this decision......on the contrary, I think I am one of the most logical and strongest people that I know, but the nervousness comes from the idea that maybe this psychiatrist is against this surgery and will make it hard on me to move forward. I would not have thought of this except I have been reading so many profiles lately and I have read this has happened to people more than once. I just want everything to go smoothly. I am so ready to make this change in my life and I don't want any kinks in the works. I will be leaving work in about 45 minutes to head out to the psyciatrist's office for the evaluation. I hope all goes well. I emailed my current (pre-op ofcourse and NOT at my highest weight) photo to OH.com to post on my profile. Hopefully it will be up soon!!!




1/23/06

Well, I had my appointment with the Psychiatrist. It was very interesting. I am still not sure quite what to make of it. Anyway, she walked me into her office and sat down with me and (after she took a personal call on her cell phone) we discussed the results of my test. She said there was concern because my answers were "too perfect" and I thought to myself "what the hell?". She said that she thought I was trying to answer the questions as perfectly as I could as to not affect her decision regarding my surgery. I told her, "no, I answered them honestly, I do not hear voices, I do not think people watch me sleeping, I AM afraid of snakes, I would not like the work of a construction worker, I never feel like hurting myself or others, so on and so forth". She then said "Well, let me ask you some questions" and she proceeded to ask me about drug abuse, alcohol abuse, emotional eating, relationships, family...........once we discussed those things, she was frustrated that NOTHING was coming out and basically insinuated that there has to be SOMETHING wrong with be because people don't get fat without some sort of issue. I told her as nicely as I could that "I am generally a happy person, I get along with most people, I have great self esteem, I excell in my business, my family is close and I love them very much, I have alot of friends and love life. I just want to be healthier." The ironic part of her interview with me is that she is also an overweight person. I found that a bit hard to swallow because I felt like she was trying to gain a client more than anything else, and in the end of the interview she said "well, I am going to go ahead and say you are ok for surgery, but I am suggesting a sleep study for you". Then she proceeded to tell me that after I have my surgery, should I still struggle with food issues to make sure I give her a call and she will give me some "medication". I said "I will pay close attention to those things" and she let me go. I could tell she was not advocate for this surgery and was trying to encourage me to change my mind but realized she couldn't. Maybe that was the test all along, to see how easy it would be to influence me one way or another. Oh well, either way, she said she will approve me for surgery. I called my Doc today and said I needed a sleep study. She said she will get right on it and give me a call. So now not only do I have to do a colonoscopy (uuuugggmmmpphh) but also a sleep study, THEN MAYBE I can get somewhere with this whole process. Days go by.........



2/3/06

Ok........so I am getting increasingly nervous about my "test" on tuesday. I have a colonoscopy scheduled at Riverside Community Hospital. Yikes. They said they will administer IV sedatives but I am still nervous. Mostly, I have to admit I am embarrASSed....LOL. I don't want anybody up in my business like that. I know I am going to have to get up on a table in a gown with no undies and position myself to invite someone to go exploring and that is mortifying me....... Anyway, I have posted on the message board about it asking if it is painful and most answered that the worst part of it is the prep.........LOL. I have taken Phospo Soda before, but not in the quantity that I have to take on Monday to prepare for the test on Tuesday.......anyway. I am sure I will survive without too much damage to my pride, and it's not like I am a particularly modest person, I am just shy when it comes to these type of things............. Anyway, I took a RealAge test today. It is a questionairre about lifestyle, diet, etc.. and it tells you what the real age of your body is in the physical sense. I came out to be 33.5 which isn't too bad considering I will actually be 33 in a few weeks......... It gives you a plan at the end to improve your RealAge. I thought I might include the link! Have a great day! OH! PS:.........I put a counter on my profile yesterday and I see that 3 people have read my profile. YAY! It is so much fun to see that people are reading about me and want to know how my process is going, so THANKS! Here's the link:

http://www.realage.com/reg/regvar/st1.aspx?mod=LONGFORM



2/3/06

Feel Free to view my Picture Page or use the bravenet button to create your own!!!! Pictures added/updated often!

Or.............click this photo stamp to see more!!!!





2/6/06

Well..................today is the PREP day.......ugggghh. I work until about 12:30pm and then I go home to start my prep for my colonoscopy. From what I hear, the prep part is the worst of it, so I am going to be home for that........FOR SURE!!!! I can't eat anything today and I am already hungry so this is going to be a long day..... I can have clear liquids, jello and popsicles so that will be fun............(not really :-< ). The hospital just called and said I need to check in at 7:00am................OUCH!!! The bad news is, HELLO! its 7:00am, but the good news is that I won't have to sit around hungry and waiting all day tomorrow, so that is good! Anyway, my mom has to come pick me up in the morning because of the sedatives, they won't let me drive home. I read on the appointment instruction sheet that the colonscope instrument is about the width of a finger................WELL THAT WAS A VISUAL I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT! I guess you're probably thinking the same thing right now.............sorry! Anyway, I don't know why I am so nervous.............I guess I am just embarassed by it all............. I will update on Wednesday! Until then.......



2/7/06

Ok............well, it is all over. I checked in this morning at 7:00am like they asked me to and they took me back as soon as I got there. My mom hadn't even made it into the lobby before they were ready for me. I did my prep yesterday like I was supposed to. I was kind of surprised because I took 1.5 oz of Phospho Soda at 1:00pm, then another 1.5 oz at 5:00pm. Nothing happened until about 6:30. At that point the damn broke. I called my mom and laughingly told her "the volcanoe has erupted. Get to higher ground. Run for your life!!!!!!!". Knowing my sick sense of humor, she laughed hysterically. Anyway, the prep part wasn't horrible. Once it all started to happen, it was over pretty quick. I hardly had anything in my mouth all day. I had a cup of chicken broth, some water and a sugar free pinapple popsicle (my favorite). The hunger part didn't turn out to be as bad as I thought. I was nervous this morning when I woke up though........and when they took me back and told me to sit on the bed I started biting my lip....yep! That's the first sign of me being nervous. The made me sign a bunch of "what if" papers and told me to change into a gown. I looked at the nurse and said "is this one big enough for me?" and she said "hmmm..... let me go get another one". She brought it to me and I changed in the bathroom. When I came out, she got me to lay down in the bed and put in the IV. That is one of the major reasons I was nervous because they always put it in the top of my hand and that is EXACTLY where she put it. She was very gentle though so it was ok. Then I sat there for awhile waiting for the doctor to come in. The nurses were great. I was the only one in there so they were talking to me quite a bit. Somehow they already knew this was a pre-op test for gastric bypass and they asked who my surgeon would be and when, etc... One of the nurses said her sister weighed over 400 pounds and she has lost over 140 pounds and looks great. They were very positive and told me how great I am going to feel afterward. They asked me if it was ok for 2 nursing students to observe my exam and I said "as long as I don't remember anything, you can invite the 3rd floor, order pizza, and bring in a disco ball".........they laughed..........and thanked me. Then the male nurse (a fat guy) wheeled my hospital bed into the room for the screening. He started telling me that he didn't think I look that heavy and that I should try traditional ways to lose wieght and asked if I was sure this is what I wanted......... I started to get irritated and said "Sir, please don't be offended, but I already had the psyciatric evaluation. My mind is made up. I didn't come here to discuss options, okay?" and he said "I'm sorry" and I said "that's ok. I'm a pretty smart girl. I have read and researched and I have made an informed decision. It's a personal one that I don't want to discuss right here. No harm done" and then the doctor came in. All of a sudden I was waking up in the recovery room and I was confused because it seemed like I never went to sleep.......then the nurse said "You're all done!" and I looked around and there was my mom ready to help me get dressed. SSSSOOOO wierd. I can't remember anything THANK GOD!!! I was so worried about nuthin!



2/9/06

No progress to report but I have some things to vent about. Last night my girlfriend and I (yes, my girlfriend...........did I forget to mention that? Yes, I am in a same sex relationship) went to Olive Garden for dinner. I was so exited to tell her that I found Amy William's profile on OH (MTV did a "True Life: I'm Obese" story on her and her WLS and she's lost like 300 pounds or something). My GF and I had watched the MTV special together a couple of times and I thought she would be as excited as I was to see how she looks now. As I was so enthusiasticly telling her how much weight Amy has lost, she quickly cut me off and said "Yes I know, you will get down to like 120 pounds and I will be the fat one. You will leave me and I will be lonely and fat". OK, SHE WEIGHS 140 POUNDS. SHE IS HARDLY FAT. SHE HAS SIX PACK ABS AND SHE IS THIN AND BEAUTIFUL. I was so hurt. It seemed that she was being so supportive and that she finally understood my desire for this surgery. I guess not. I told her that I really need her support throughout this process. She is so insecure about it because she thinks I am going to lose weight and leave her. She told me last night that she thinks I am settling for her now but later I will find something better. That doesn't say much for her opinion of me, or herself for that matter. I keep telling her that nothing means more to me than her support in my decision for WLS, and the fact that she loved me regardless of my weight. I guess I can only wait and see.............
On a good note: My boss took a few of us to lunch today and we got on the subject of prescription drugs and how they relate to drug testing, etc.... One of my female co-workers jokingly who knows about my WLS process said "yeah Connie, that morphine you will get may get you in trouble". I have been VERY open about my decision for WLS with co-workers and friends and family, but I had NOT told my boss yet because I wanted to wait until I had a approval and a solid date. Well, I figured I might as well say something now. So I said "boss, I guess I didn't tell you but I will probably be having surgery sometime this year" and he was very concerned and asked "surgery from your car accident?" (I was in a nasty car accident about 3 months ago.......still recovering from that so it was a natural assumption).........I said "no, completely unrelated. I am in the process with my Doctor for Gastric Bypass". He said "WOW! Good for you!", ofcourse followed by the expected "How long will you be out?".......I explained that I would probably be out for 4-6 weeks but that I don't even know yet if I am approved for the surgery or not. I was really happy that he was (in his own way) supportive. I was unhappy however that he told me that we will probably be changing medical coverage again at the end of this year. D@M^/IT!!!!! We FINALLY got coverage without an exclusion for WLS and now i only have 10 months to get this done. I am feeling like I have to rush everything now. I feel like I need to call call call my PCP and make sure results and referrals don't sit around for too long. She is famous for that. I just talked with Vanessa at Riverside Psychiatric and she said that my psych eval report is not done yet and it might be another 11 days until it is done. D@M^/IT!!!!!!!!!! Ok, so I am putting it on my calendar to call my PCP on 2/20 to see if the report has been sent because I can't get a referral for a sleep study until they recieve her report. I think I will call Vanessa back and ask her if they can call in the sleep study request to my PCP in the meantime. Probably not...............they don't seem very co-operative over there..........GGGGGRRRRRR.....



2/9/06

By the way Y'all.............This Pisces has pasted some daily horoscope fun for you. Click here to read your daily horoscope!!!








2/17/06

I got a call today from my PCP office. They wanted to tell me they got the approval for my sleep study. This is good news because it seemed like it was going to take forever. Ofcourse I called right away and they scheduled me in for March 7. I go in at 8:30pm and leave at 5:00am. It is wierd to think that Im going to have a solo slumber party in a hospital room for a night with a bunch of wires and stuff connected to me. I know this is necessary though, and I am almost positive I have sleep apnea. My girlfriend (now my ex) could never sleep next to me, she said I snore too loud. I remember a few times waking up gasping for breath. Never thought it was serious though, because anybody I have told about that said they have done it to. Anyway, if I do have sleep apnea, this will only help me get surgery sooner. So, I will update about that time and give the details.....again, wish me luck!




2/23/06
Ok, so I got a call from the sleep study center. They want to rescheduled my appointment. .........it "seems that all of our techs have a seminar to go to that day". I thought: GREAT!! A SOONER APPOINTMENT!!! No such luck. Call me crazy, but i have never been to an overnight seminar. I said "ok.....then when?" She moved my appointment to March 15, 2006. You see, that is the day after my birthday and I kinda wanted to continue the festivities the whole week, but I guess I will have to give up one night. Oh well.............that is my update for now.





3/2/06
Well, I had an appointment yesterday with an orthopedic specialist which initially had nothing to do with my WLS, however it turned out to be very relevant by the end of the appoinment. You see, I was referred to the OS by my attorney. I was in a nasty car accident on 11/16/05 where my truck was totalled and i had a few very painful injuries. Long story short, I have been in therapy for the usual neck and back, etc, but I had been having serious pain in both knees and the right hip since the accident. The OS did some x-rays of my knees and hip and said that he thinks the pain is caused by severe inflammation at the impact sites, however there is "visible narrowing of joint space in both knees due to obesity". As far as the inflammation, he ordered anti inflammatories for the next few weeks..yeah yeah yeah. I did ask him if he intended to included the narrowing in his report and he said he would only if I wanted him to. I told him that I am in the pre-approval stage for WLS and that these findings should definately help with my medical necessity case. He said that he would include the findings and that the report would state that "drastic weight reduction is absolutely imperative to avoid futher deterioration of the weight bearing joints". It should be ready in about 30 days. I guess this is good news and bad news all at the same time. I am glad that there are no fractures, and I am glad that I have been made aware that there is a problem, and I am glad that it may help me with my medical necessity, but I am not glad that the damage has been done. I believe that in some ways my car accident happened for a reason............that reason being to help prepare me and lead me to WLS both emotionally and financially. Hopefully my case will settle soon, and eventhough it will probably be quite minimal, I am hoping the settlement amount will cover the out of pocket portion of expenses for the surgery and hopefully some supplies/clothing afterward. Also, going through the extreme pain and recovery from my accident can only help me prepare for the pain and recovery of surgery. AND, some of the medical findings will help prove my need for surgery. AND the accident helped me to be more appreciative of the days I have been given, and the friends and family who love me, and that I want to live life in a healthy, energetic, unbound body. These are the reasons I believe my accident happened. My life always has a way of working itself out. So, again, Wish Me Luck!!! (P.S.... my sleep study is on 3/15......then my doc will give me a referral to the surgeon!!!! YAY!!!)




3/15/06
Well, Yesterday was my 33rd birthday. I have been so down lately because my breakup has taken a horrible turn. My ex has a new girlfriend now and it is so painful. We have broken up so many times over the last 3 years and gotten back together that I was completely unprepared. Anyway, so I decided to hold the "2006 Connie's Birthday Olympics".....Medals were given out in order that they called to wish me a happy birthday........... once they said "happy birthday!" they were informed of their placement in the birthday olympics standings...." you are lucky number 15". The fun part of that is next year, they will try really hard to improve their standings next year! It was alot of fun!
So now that my birthday is over, I am finally at the date I have been waiting for. Tonight is my sleep study. I have to report to the hospital at 8:30pm to get connected to all the sensors and wires, etc. and then it's off to sleep! I know it's not a big deal, but I am having anxiety for really silly reasons. I am afraid that I have sleep apnea for the obvious reasons. It is a dangerous condition and I feel that if I find out I have it (which I believe I DO) then I will be afraid to sleep cause now I know...........but I am also afraid that maybe I DON'T have it and that my insurance will deny the surgery because I don't have any major comorbs. Anyway, I am going tonight and getting it over with. Tomorrow I will know what the results are and then I will move forward regardless if the news is good or bad. I am hoping that either way, the surgery will be approved and go off without a hitch! Hopefully, if I am persistant, I can get the sleep technician to get the report over to my PCP by friday and then I will annoy my PCP every single day until she gives me the referral to see Dr. Krahn! They seem to get more done when you bug them every day! So for now, thanks for reading my journey and send me positive vibes and best wishes! And I wish the same for you!



Here I am on my 33rd Birthday

Off to Sleep




3/16/06
Well, my sleep study is done. It was a very frustrating situation. I got there early, so I met the technician in the lobby and she took me upstairs to get hooked up and put me to bed. Let me tell you, there are so many wires and glue and tape I don't know how anybody could really sleep that way. There were sensors glued to my scalp (and the glue really smells harsh), taped to my face, chest, legs........elastic bands.........microphones. I couldn't sleep for so many reasons.......mostly the wires and stuff, but the bed was so uncomfortable that I was miserable. At home, I go to sleep with 10 minutes on my super soft double pillow top mattress and soft feather pillows, but this bed was like sleeping on a park bench........literally. The room was not dark enough, and I could hear people starting their engines in the parking lot outside.......car alarms.......etc..... So, I put major pressure on myself to FALL ASLEEP!!!!!!!! But that made it worse.......and I finally dozed off for about 30 minutes but I woke up and remembered that I dreamed about not being able to fall asleep. It was so horribly frustrating. Finally, hours later, I got to sleep for about 3.5 hours. They woke me up at 4:30 and disconnected all the wires and sent me home with glue in my hair and goop on my face and legs. I took a shower and went to bed until about 8:00am cause I had to go to work today. I slept like a baby for the 2.5 hours I had left before getting up for work. I love my bed! All day long I feel so exhausted........probably because even when I did get to sleep I was dreaming that I was trying to fall asleep so I never really got to rest. It was so wierd. I hope I never have to do that again. I don't know the results of the test yet, but I will call my PCP on tuesday to see........anyway I thought I would share my sleep study photo with you:






3/20/06
I got the call today. Confirmed. Moderate sleep apnea. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. They were only able to get a 2 hour reading on me because I had such a problem getting to sleep, so it is very possible if they had a full 8 hour reading that the severity would be worse. This explains so much. It explains the ugly dark circles under my eyes.....it explains the headaches in the morning......it explains why I yawn until 2:00pm everyday..........it explains why my (now ex) girlfriend wouldn't sleep in the same room with me because I snore so badly.........it explains my sleepiness during the day.........it explains my clumsiness..........it explains alot. In a way I am glad, because I feel I will get insurance approval but I am upset for the obvious reasons................I stop breathing when I sleep and that is kinda scary. That is my latest.........I will update when I know more.




3/27/06
I made an appointment with my PCP to go over my sleep apnea results. That (ofcourse) is not until 4/5/06. I swear everythings takes forever to get done with this doctor..........referrals take forever, and it is impossible to get an appointment within a 3 week time frame. GGGGGGGGRRRR! So, I have been told by Dolce (the referral co-ordinator) that my PCP will go over my results, do a mini physical and submit for my consultation referral. I should have it in "a few days" after my appointment. Excuse me for being pessimistic. As it is, I am calling my PCP office every morning to check for a cancellation. If there is one, I can get in that day and try to get ahead in the time line a little bit. I know they are getting irritated with me, but I am sorry! I am dealing with limited time and this is very important to me. I will update again soon!




3/28/06

Well, I called my PCP yesterday afternoon to ask for a cancellation and they got me in at 3:30pm today! Yay! That saves me some time. I feel like I am dealing with such a tight time frame because I believe my medical insurance will change in August of this year, so I figure from today: two weeks to receive consulation referral, 4-6 weeks for consultation scheduled, 2 weeks for approval/denial (insert appeal time here....who knows how long that is), then 45 days to surgery. That pretty much takes me to August. So I am feeling a bit stressed out here. I will explain to my Doc that I am squeezed for time and hopefully she will get on top of it. I am concerned she will want me to treat my sleep apnea for a period of time before she gives me a referral (not that that makes any sense at all or that it would be in any way beneficial, but I am trying to anticipate any delays at this point). I will update tomorrow with how things went today!




3/29/06
Well, I had my appointment yesterday. My doc looked over my sleep study results and said that my saturation levels only dropped a few times and that at this time, I don't need a CPAP machine. WWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOO HHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOO!!!
I was really glad to hear that. I have to be honest and say that I was concerned about having to use a machine because I would be embarrassed. I mean, I am single and if I were to start a new relationship sometime wwwwwaaaaayyyyy in the future, I would probably be self conscious about that. Not probably.......for sure I would. But anyway, I am glad. My doc also went over my other tests with me.........upper GI, abdominal ultrasound, colonoscopy, phychiatric evaluation..........all of which I THOUGHT were fine. Turns out I have a hiatal hernia and GERD. I had no clue. I don't have any of the common symptoms so it was definately news to me. But, according to my doctor, that will also help me get approved for WLS. So hopefully (knock on wood) I should get approved, no problem. So, she decided to do an EKG on me in her office, then I made an appointment for a cardiologist to look at it and clear me for surgery. She said it looked perfectly fine to her so he should not require me to do any other tests. So that appointment is on 4/6/06. Then, FINALLY I can get my consultation referral. I made sure to ask her if the cardiologist is the last step here and she said "yes". So, she was very excited about my upcoming WLS. She said she has seen some wonderful results in her other patients (as well as her own sister), AS LONG AS they have followed the post surgical diet and lifestyle change. I reassured her that this was not a hasty decision for me and that I have spent 2 years researching it before I even brought it to her and that I have every intention of following through correctly. She said "That makes me happy. You would be surprised how many people go into this not knowing what the surgery entails or what to expect in their future. You seem to have the right approach. You being an active person who goes to the gym and having a good understanding of pre-surgery and post-surgery expectations, you should see incredible results". So, me being the pushy,impatient person that I am, I already called the cardiologist to see if they have any cancellations for today. NOPE. But it will for sure try again tomorrow! That's it for now!




4/6/06
Ok, so I bugged the people at the cardiologist office every day to see if they could get me in sooner. Luckily, they got me in last thursday. The cardiologist came in and asked me some questions.....blah blah blah.........then he asked me to lay on a table and listen to my heart. He then said "you have a heart murmer". WHAT? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN I HAVE A HEART MURMER? YOU BETTER LISTEN AGAIN MISTER CAUSE NOBODY HAS EVER TOLD ME THAT I HAD A HEART MURMER!!! Not that I actually said all of this, but I wanted to. I actually said "what does that mean?" and he explained that it is simply a sound that the valve makes in your heart as the blood rushes through it and most of the time, as he believes is the case with me, it proves to be nothing. In some cases, it is from a valve defect. Ofcourse I start to freak out on the inside. Nobody has ever told me I have a heart murmer, and I got scared because what if my valve got torn in my car accident a few months ago? Little by little since then I have calmed down some, but I will get freaked out if I worry about it too much. I have an appointment for an echocardiogram on Tuesday, April 18. We will see then........





4/28/06

Ok, I know it has been a really long time since I have updated my profile, and I am sooooooo sorry about that but my life has been so crazy and busy lately and I have not had the time to dedicate to updating, so HERE I AM!!!

The latest is that I finally recieved my referral for the surgery consultation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 It took for fricken ever, but I finally have a date for consultation: (drum roll)
May 25th, 2006!
To date, I have completed an upper GI, abdominal ultrasound, psyciatric evaluation, colonoscopy, EKG, Echocardiogram. Now it's off to see the wizard! Turns out my referral is not to see Dr. Krahn. It is for a surgeon in Fountain Valley, Ca. I can't wait!

On a more personal note.................I have a new girlfriend. I have met the most amazing, sweet, funny, beautiful girl and I still can't believe how well things are going. She makes me smile like nobody has ever made me smile before. It's like the movies where an average girl meets someone so far out of her leauge and they end up together.......................that is my life right now. She knows about my surgery plans, and she has been so unbelievably supportive and excited for me. She is not overwieght.........she has a beautiful physique, but she thinks I am beautiful the way I am, surgery or no surgery..............but she supports me in my decision just the same. 360 degrees different from my last relationship. I have really learned what I have been missing in the last few years..................

Anyway, wish me luck on my consult!!!!




6/8/06
I went to the consultation on 5/25/06. It wasn't really what I expected. It was a room full of people who listened to a class on Gastric Bypass Surgery. I was surprised at how many people didn't know anything about this surgery.......all they knew is that they wanted it. Anyway, since I have done so much reasearch about it before even asking my doctor for a referral, I knew everything that was discussed already. After the class, they passed out a psychiatric evaluation for everyone to complete. I had already done that with my PCP, so they called me back right away and completed my medical history report, weighed me and took photos and measurments. They scheduled me for the required nutrition class on 5/31. I learned alot about what my surgeon will require immediatly post op, and HIS 3 stage diet. Every surgeon is different in what they require, and Dr. Leport seems to be much more cautious than most others. That is a good thing because I want all of this to go smoothly. I was so happy, I told my girlfriend that I had a nutrition class to go to and she wanted to go with me. That meant so much to me because she knows that this is important to me and she wants to be a part of it. She sat there the whole time and listened to the class and took mental notes about what my life will be like after surgery. The fact that she wants to share this experience with me instead of just standing by me is more than I could have ever asked for in a partner. We are so early on in this relationship and she is showing me all the right things...........I really hope there is a future for us. She makes me feel so good. The thought of her makes me happy. It's been a long time since I have felt this way.... Anyway, Becky is my surgery co-ordinator at Dr. Leport's office. I spoke with her on Monday and she said she received all the necessary documents from my PCP and they will prepare and send the Letter of Medical Necessity out this week. I THOUGHT that meant they were requesting approval from my health insurance. NOPE!!!! They are requesting approval from my medical group first. That makes absolutely no sense to me since my medical group gave me the referral in the first place. GEEEEZE. She said that should take about 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS!!!! Holy crap...................this game gets tiresome sometimes............just waiting it out............



I got the call this monrning....................APPROVED!!!! I asked her what now and she said "we eill be in touch within 10 days to give you your surgery date!!!" I thanked her repeatedly and when I hung up the phone I began to cry like a baby...........so many emotions flowing. This process has taken so long and I can't believe I am finally getting there..........I am so excited. I told myself that as soon as I get approval, I am going to sit down and start writing a list of things I can't wait for..............I am going to do that tonight.............I am so thankful.




I finally got my surgery date. I am crying right now........I can't believe it is finally here!! I just spoke with my surgery co-ordinator who confirmed my date and gave me the good news that I will be covered 100%!!!!! No Co-Pay!!! I have been going through this process nearly a year now and it seemed like it would never come. My surgery is.............>>..................JULY 27!!!!!!


It will be performed by doctor Chin at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley Ca. I am still stunned.............feels like a dream........

I would love to hear from you who had Dr. Chin....................

SO HAPPY...SO HAPPY....SO HAPPY........SO HAPPY........SO HAPPY........SO HAPPY





Ok........time is starting to fly by........I have my Doctor Talk seminar tonight and a support group meeting after that. Then next week, on 7/13 I have my one on one with the surgeon, and my pre-registration for my hospital admission, and more blood work. I just had blood taken yesterday......and let me tell you........it was a nightmare. Usually when I get blood drawn they stick me once and it flows like a river.........not this time. The first girl tried and stuck me in my right arm......didn't get it........pulled it out some and pushed back in at another angle, over and over and over.........still nothing. So, then she put it in my left arm.....in the FOREARM area........which is much more painful........and again pulled it out and moved it around and pushed it back in........still NOTHING. So now, my arms are black and blue and no blood was drawn. The lab slip ordered alot of tests so there were about 10 tubes that needed to be filled and "i got nuthin". So, I said "I will try again tomorrow" thinking it was me and getting freaked out as to why my blood would not come out. I had to go to work, so I went and decided that I would try again later in the afternoon. That meant I couldn't eat all day except for water. I finished my work for the day and told my boss I needed to go back to the lab. I picked up my girlfriend and I went to another Quest Diagnostics in Riverside. I signed in and told them what had happened earlier. She looked to the guy standing there and said "do you want to take her?" and he said "uh......sure?" so I knew already there would be another problem. He took me in and sat me down and began to read through the lab slip. I could tell he was confused. "grrreeeeeaaaaat" I thought. He finally figured out what he was doing and he said "ok....let's see what I can do". He stuck me in the same black and blue swollen place that everybody else did and he got nothing. He said he was going to pass on the order so I asked him to bring me "the best you've got" and he said "ok". He came back and behind him walked in a tall stocky woman with a confidence I could already see. I knew she would be the one to get it. She said "so, you're a hard stick huh?" and I told her that I have never had this problem before.....that I have never been stuck more than once and I didn't know what the problem was........all the while she was feeling for a vein. She said "there it is........feel that" as she motioned to the guy who already tried. Within seconds she stuck me (in a place nobody else had that day might I add) and it poured into the tube like it had every other time before. I took a deep breath and felt so much better. I couldn't believe I got 3 bad phlebotomists in a row. Oh well, it is done and I am bruised but I am still super duper excited about what lies ahead..........again: wish me luck!!!




7/26/06
Ok, so it is 3:10pm and I am getting ready to leave for the hotel in Costa Mesa. My parents and myself and my friend Kelly are going to stay the night out there because I have to check into the hospital at 6:00am. I hate the single digits. Everybody keeps asking me if I am nervous. Right now, I am not. I think maybe tonight before I go to bed it will hit me............maybe not. I think any nerves are cancelled out by excitement and it leaves me feeling a sense of peace. I took my official pre-op picture today. I vow to take one every week in the same outfit (as long as it lasts) in the exact same place each time so it is more obvious of the changes. Anyway, I have to go..............again, wish me luck.




Ok..........so I am one of those people. I always hated it when I would read someone's profile and see that they stopped updating right after they had their surgery. I promised myself I would update immediately after and often. So, here I am......31/2 weeks later but here I am.................................My surgery went perfectly. I had my surgery on 7/27 at about 9:30am with Dr. Phillip Chin at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center. I was so surprised that I never got nervous. Not even in the slightest. My family was there with me. My Mom, Dad, Sister, Neice, and friend Kelly. I was so concerned with making sure they weren't worried that I didn't have time to be worried or nervous myself. I will be honest, when I woke up from surgery I was in alot of pain but they had given me some pain medication and I fell back to sleep not long after that and when I woke up I felt good. I was up and walking within 3 hours of surgery and continued to get up and walk every 2 hours. I can't stress that enough......Walk, Walk, Walk. I had very little pain after that. The most annoying part was that I had to pee constantly because I was on IV fluids so I felt like I really didn't get much sleep, but I was happy to not have any pain and not need to use the morphine button. My recovery has been ideal. I have had no problems with the liquid diet (except boredom). I have not experienced dumping syndrom or throwing up. I have felt extremely good since the day I got home. I am on Phase 2 of the post surgery diet : "soft foods". I am eating alot of soft cheeses, cottage cheese, pureed tuna, refried beans, scrambled eggs. Basically, I am trying to eat things that are densely packed with protien. I am supposed to get a minimum of 40 grams of protien a day, so I find myself calculating with everything I eat and I even try to get protien in with anything I drink except water. I even add protien powder to my low calorie, low sugar orange juice, just to maximize my opportunity to get it all in, plus. I have noticed though that my hair and my nails are growing like crazy. I got my hair colored a little over a week ago and I already have about a 1/4 inch of regrowth. I was shocked. My nails have always been kind of soft and flaky. Right now they seem to be thick and durable. I welcome that as a bonus!!! So, as of this date which is 25 days post op, I have lost between 25 and 30 lbs!!!!!! I can see the areas where I lost the most and I am happy. My face is much thinner, my sides have narrowed out and my spare tire (which happens to be what I have always hated the most) has gotten smaller. My clothes are loose and the ones I bought before surgery that were 2 sizes smaller than what I normally buy are snug but they fit. All of this is still so surreal to me, like it can't possibly be happening. All my life I have wondered about what it would be like to lose significant weight and not worry about the things that I always have like restaurant booths, airplane seats, and a million other things and now I know it is happening.......and fast. People see me and already they can't believe how good I look. I have been overweight all my life and people are seeing it melt away and it blows people away. My experience has been so positive and I only wish I had done this a long time ago!!!!!!!

About Me

---

---

---

Latest Blog 5

---