ObesityHelp

3/20/01...Just found out my employer is dropping United Health, who denied me, and is signing up with Blue Cross/Blue Shield Care First. After viewing other profiles, I'm cautiously optimistic because of the high approval rate. But before I get too excited, I'll be meeting the the insurance reps when they visit our office on April 4. Of couse, wls and exclusions will be the first thing I'll ask about :) Looks as though there's a chance afterall!

4/12/01 - I attended a wls support group (Dr. Marcus), and I'm ready to go for it! I'm much more optimistic since I discovered a newly passed law requiring wls in the State of Maryland.

5/29/01 - I met with Dr. Marcus today for my consult and boys was I impressed. I feel really comfortable with although I was a little nervous with just the short discussion we had at his support group. I was taken off guard when he discussed the Duodenal switch and it's advantages/disavantages,because I had done so much research with RNY, but that's okay too. Back to the learning board. Now, I'm excited, yet a little uneasy...just thankful to God that our insurance company has a much higher approval rate than with UnitedHealth. Now is the time to start the schedule of tests. Don't think I'll sleep much tonight.

6/30/01 - So far, I've completed the sleep and psych test, and now I'm scheduled for the endoscopy this coming Friday! I'm feeling good that I was able to get everything scheduled so soon because I've known people that have taken a few couple months for the exact thing. I also met this really nice lady at Dr. Marcus' office, and boy could she relate to some of my same issues! As I get closer to actually requesting the surgery with the insurance company, I'm starting to get nervous, but I have faith that it will work out just fine.

7/12/01 - Looks as though I've come upon my first stumbling block. After limping around for about a month now, it seems I'm having a major problem with my knee (again). I saw an orthopaedic surgeon today, and he suspects I have damage to my cartilage. I'm going for an MRI tomorrow to see exactly what's going on. He stop just a hair's lenght short of mentioning surgery. I wouldn't be surprised if it came down to this. Afterall, I am carrying two people around in this one body. I'm anxious to know if this will help or hurt my chances for the surgery. It does make me wonder if I would have had to go through this if our old insurance would have approved the surgery last year around this time. Well see what happens.

7/27/01 - Well, I am now recuperating from arthroscopic surgery to my knee. Turns out the orthopaedist had to remove part of my torn miniscus and a whole bunch of torn cartilage under my knee cap. I am now in physical therapy and told that this can take some time before it's back to "normal" again. Oh well, just another reason to put for the surgery.

8/16/01 - Just had to come to the realization that I have to get help for my depression! I've checked into an intensive day program at the hospital and will be working with a therapist in conjunction with that. I have also started medication to lift my mood and control the crying spells and panick attacks. It's been about two weeks now and I seem to be getting better. I submit my paperwork to Dr. Marcus' office on Monday.

8/22/01 - The Dr's office has received my paperwork and advised me it takes about two weeks for my insurance make a decision. I contacted Capitol Care to "check on the status of everything" and they said they were just waiting for a surgery date, hospital, etc. Well see what happens.

8/28/01 - PRAISE THE LORD! I'M APPROVED. I THANK GOD THAT IT ONLY TOOK ONE WEEK TO GET AN APPROVAL. I WAS PREPARING MYSELF FOR THE WORSE, BUT IT ALL CAME OUT FOR THE BEST. THIS HAS DEFINITELY GIVEN ME AN INCENTIVE TO DO MORE FOR MYSELF AND PAMPER MYSELF. THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

10/11/01 - Such a long time since I've made comments. So far, I've had all but one test done (blood gas), and with ten days away, I'm getting a tad nervous.

I've been spending a lot of "quality" time with the boys and my family, just in case something happens, but I have faith that the Lord will in fact pull me through. So much fear around me from the 9-11 bombing, it's sometimes hard to keep my head up, but I'm doing okay for now. Now, I begin with the "to-do-list" before going into the hospital. Tomorrow, I will call my angel to see if she is able to come to the hospital with me before I go under, depending on how crazy it is for her at work, which is most of the time :). All in all, I'm very thankful... thankful that after a year I'm finally approved, thankful that everything has gone especially well leading up to this, thankful for the arthritis swim classes and the wonderful women I've met there, thankful that my children are doing well with the idea of me going into the hospital for only a short time, thankful that God has allowed this surgery to proceed which will allow me a new way of life and living. It just lets me know he is with me and wants the best for me. THe countdown continues.

11/9/01 - It's been quite some time since I've posted, but here I am 17 days post op, down 17 pounds :) My hospital stay was extended to ten days after some problems with the epidural. I was unable to walk without my legs giving out from under me. Fortunately, after the epi was taken out and after a few rounds with physical therapy, I was able to walk with some assistance. After leaving the hospital, I was back on track. I guess having three boys to chase after gives you no choice :)

So now, I learning about my new stomach and what it can/cannot tolerate in so many quantities. So far, I'm still on soft foods such as eggs, yogurt and juice pops. NO hurry, though. I learned the HARD way that you can't rush this thing. After having an egg with cheese sit on my stomach for the whole day, I learned that I no longer can tell my stomach what is is going to get, but vice versa. However, I'm still excited about things to come. Although I've lost 17 lbs, I can only tell by my hands and feet appearing to be slimmer. Isn't that weird? However, the rest will come off as I continue to do what I'm suppose to do. I'm going to work on hand weights today to work on my upper arms, one of my most difficult areas. In due time, I hope to have this down to an art.

3/22/02 - It's been ages since I've posted on this site, although I go through the message board to read at times. Seems that I've hit this major plateau and have only lost 51 pounds. I have to admit that I haven't done everything that I should, mostly snacking out...dealing with the ex for child support and custody, and most recently a job layoff. However, I woke up today with a new attitute! Even though I haven't lost pounds, the inches are coming off for I can tell with my clothes getting looser and from comments from relatives/friends. More importantly, I had to think about ALL I had to go through for this surgery and have had to recommit myself to this lifestyle change. Most importantly, I've gotte away from visiting this site on a regular basis. It makes all the difference when you can read that someone has gone through or going through some of the same problems and to read that they've handled it. So here I go again. I'm excited and ready to kick this into gear :)

12/28/02 - Happy New Year! Once again, months have gone by since posting to the site..I realize that the support I receive here is paramount to my future succes of my goal weight. I'm dealing again with a plateau, so far I've only lost 84 lbs, with about another 40 to go. I've been working on getting down the protein shakes again, and have committed to drinking only water!!! For exercise, I will begin Taw Kwon Do lessons and truly believe this will kick-start the weight again. All in all, I am encouraged.