ObesityHelp

I am 32 years old, 5'4, and weigh 295 lbs. I'm hoping to have WLS as I have tried many diets in the past with zero weight loss or 20-30 lb weight loss only to gain it all back and then some more. Its really taking a toll on me as I have high blood presure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, menstrual problems, and lots of lower back pain whenever I walk even short distances. I have Care Choices HMO, which says they exclude this type of surgery unless the member has exhausted all other methods of weight control, and they only cover RNY and vertical banded gastroplasty. If there is anyone out there who could help me that would be wonderful.

9-16-02
Switched insurances to Blue Cross/Blue Shield as of 9-1-02. I have already had my psych eval. I have my consult scheduled at Bariatric Treatment Center on 9-24-02. I just have to write out my diet history and obtain my medical records from my primary physician. Let the fun begin!

10-7-02
Well, Annie from BTC called me today and Iam APPROVED!!!! Now all I have to do is get my pulmonary function test, sleep study, and stress test, and I'm getting all of that done this week and next. Oh, I'm so happy!!! I'm a little nervous about having surgery, but I'm looking forward to having all of this excess weight off FOREVER!!! I also want to be able to play with my kids without getting back pain or short of breath. I just want to be healthy.

10-19-02
Almost everything is done now. I had my pulmonary function test done on the 9th, my sleep study done on the 10th, and I had my stress test done yesterday. Only one more thing to do and that is to go for my 2nd sleep study on the 22nd. I found out at my other sleep study that I have severe sleep apnea so this one is for the CPAP mask. I have to wear the mask for 6 weeks and then I can have surgery. I just want to get this testing over with so I can get a dae. We are going to Disney World the first week of March and I want to be recovered by then. Wish me luck!

11-20-02
I finally have a date!!!! Surgery is January 7,2003 at BTC in Ypsilanti, Mich. I go for my preop stuff on Dec 30th and then they call me on Jan 3rd to tell my time to be there on the 7th. I know it's only about 6-7 weeks away but it's probably going to seem like 6-7 years. I guess cause I'm just tired of being the way that I m right now and anxious to be healthy and to be able to play with my kids, go on rides at Cedar Point, buy decent clothes, go on an airplane and not have to get one of those blasted seatbelt extenders....I could go on and on. Well, got to go. See you next time I log on!

1-3-03
Well, It's down to the last few days until surgery. Got a call from BTC today and I go in at 5:30am on Tuesday (wow that's early!!!, but that's ok I don't mind). It's hard to elieve that it's only a few days away. Time went by faster than I thought it would. See all of you on the other side!

1-7-03
Bad news! My surgery got canceled due to developing a very nasty cold at the last minute. Dr. Rogers told me to come back in two weeks but when I called the scheduler about rescheduling she told me he has nothing available until March!!! Im so frustrated!!! I've been in tears all morning!

1-11-03
Well, after calling every day since uesday Sarah from BTC finally called back today and said that Dr. Rogers finally signed off on my chart so now it can go to scheduling again. Hopefully someone from scheduling should be calling by the end of the week she says. I was hoping to be done with all of this by the time I went to Disney World the first week of March. Oh well! Hopefully two months will go by fast. Just hope I don't catch any colds this time. If anyone has so much as a sniffle Im going to tell them to keep away until after my surgery. Just hope that my two little ones don't bring anything home around that time!

1-13-03
Yippee! My surgery date was supposed to be in March, but then Anisha frm BTC called today and said that they had a cancellation for next week. YESSSSSS! I took that date right away. So now my new surgery date is 1-21-03. Wish me luck!

1-20-03
Well, the big day is tomorrow! Its nothing but clear liquids from noon until midnight and then nothing to eat or drink after midnight. That hasn't been too hard so far except my husband and kids just had leftover lasagna and I had to have my chicken broth and apple juice! It's ok though. It will be worth it! See you on the other side!

1-26-03
Wow, I never thought I would get to say it, but I'm officially a postie! Had my surgery on the 21st and came home on the 24th. I'm pretty sore right now, but I keep telling myself it's going to be worth it. I don't even remember going into the operating room. The last thing I remember is them giving me something through my IV to relax me and the next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery. One thing that happened right before surgery that I don't remember, my husband told me afterward that before they wheeled me in, my blood pressure went way up to 200/90!! Wow that's scary!!! Everything is ok now though. Must have been nerves. Well, going to bed now!! See you all again soon!

2-7-03
Had my two week check up a few days ago! 20 lbs gone so far! Yippee!!!!! Only thing that's driving me nuts right now is the liquid diet! It's hard to see your family eating regular food around you while here you are drinking your instant breakfast! Oh well! It's only temporary, Ill be able to eat again soon enough. See you later!

2-17-03
Well, I've hit one of those lovely plateaus. I haven't lost any more weight so far, I keep having to tell myself that its only temporary. Got some kind of sad news today, my mom and dad had to put their 9 year old black lab to sleep today. He started acting funny on Sunday so my dad took him in to the vet nd found out that he had a huge tumor on his bladder, so big that it was growing into his stomach. Poor dog:(. Well, at least he's up there in heaven not feeling any more pain. I know it's my mom and dad's dog, but I still feel bad. Well, see you when I update again.

2-24-03
Well, this was probably a no-no, but I thought I would weigh myself just to see what I weigh now, and I'm down 6 more pounds. I was 294 when I went into surgery and now I'm down to 268. YEAH!!! Without this surgery there would be no way that I would lose that much weight that fast. It would take me an entire summer to lose that weight and then I would gain it back. I'm still in the same size clothes, but at last they're not so tight now, I'm in a 26/28 in pants and before surgery they were skin tight!!! Shirts even fit better now too.

4-9-03
I went to my 6 week check up a few weeks ago and I was down to 255.9, and when I weighed myself a few days ago I was down to 250! YES! I thought I would be losing my weight just a bit faster than this, but at my 6 week appt, the dietician said my weight at that time was right around where they would have expected me at the 3 month visit, so actually I was doing real well. Dr Rogers told me to join Curves, so I have done that and I go three times a week. So far I love Curves! Whenever I go it's just average sized women there and not the skinny innies you see on a lot of exercise videos, so you don't feel like an absolute cow! One not so nice thing about the surgery, I got my explanation of benefits a couple of weeks ago, my surgery was 48,000, and BCBS only paid 12,000. Doc's bill was over 5,000, they paid a little over 1400 for that, and anesthesia and consult were 1700 and 500, and BCBS isn't covering that, saying that my contract excludes coverage for these services! I'll tell you what, BTC better not make me pay the remainder of that hospital bill, they told me at the time that BCBS was the best insurance to go with regarding payment for this type of surgery, I get approved, and this happens! Well, then I found out a couple of days ago that BCBS is terminating their contract with BTC so no BCBS patients can go there anymore. I'll bet it's because BTC bills BCBS so much!

4-22-03
Went for my 3 month checkup today and I'm 235 lbs, 59 lbs down!!!! Yippee!!!! Dr. Rogers says everything is going great! I feel a lot better now, my back doesn't hurt anymore and my clothes fit a lot better. In fact, some of my clothes are getting a little too big, that hasn't happened in a long time! I'm going to have togo and get some clothes soon
About the insurance problem, I found out later on that whatever BCBS paid BTC, BTC has to accept that as reimbursement. That makes me feel a little better, I was so scared that I was going to have to pay a 36,000 bill. There is the other thing about BCBS not paying for the anesthesia and preop consult. Im going to have to investigate that. Other than that everything is going great.

5-22-03 Well, I weighed myself today and guess what, Iam down to 220 lbs now, so that makes a total of almost 75 lbs lost!!! Yippee!!!! My BMI is now 37.8, so now Iam no longer Morbidly Obese! (I think, Ill have to check into that again) That really makes me happy! Now the next thing will be trying to get to under 200. I know it will take a while, but Ill get there.

6-26-03 Well, good news!! I got weighed two days ago at my doctor's office and I am down to 208 lbs! That's 86 pounds down! I have not seen 208 lbs since I was expecting my daughter eight years ago! My blood pressure is down so the doc cut my blood pressure pills in 1/2, and my total cholesterol is now 135 instead of being in the 350's. YES!!!!! I know I still have about 60 lbs to go but Ill get there eventually. What a wonderful tool this surgery is!

11-15-03 It's been a long time since I updated my profile! I weighed myself today,and, Iam down to 159 lbs!!! That means I have lost 135 lbs and Iam only about 10 lbs or so from goal!! YES!!!!! I took my kids trick or treating on Halloween and my sister went along. They could hardly keep up with me! It was the other way around last year! Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday and I am so looking forward to seeing relatives that I havent seen since last year and seeing their reaction to the weight loss. My clothes size has gone way down. I was in a very tight size 28 in pants last year ( in fact, I probably was actually a size 30). I am now down to a size 14-16 in pants and down to about a L in shirts (I was a 3XL before). Oh and also, no more blood pressure medication!! The doc took me off of it. I do have to go back in January for a recheck just to make sure it isnt going back up, but Iam doing great! Everything is going real well with the diet. I can eat most anything, just of course have to have no sugar or fat. I did have one dumping episode when I had two bites of a plain donut right before Halloween. Oh boy never again! For about a half hour I became real nauseated and shaky. That will teach me! At least I know my tool is working.
One big plus to this surgery and losing all this weight, my libido has gone way up!! Doesnt break my heart any! Husband seems happy with it too:).

12-12-03
Well, I have lost a little more weight. Iam down to 153 now so I have only 3 more lbs to lose until goal. The weight is coming off very slowww! At least Im still losing. It hasnt been a good few days lately. My 93 year old grandmother had a heart attack a few days ago and they dont give her much time left. She had a heart attack back this summer. She recovered mostly, but it did leave her a little more frail. Well, she isnt bouncing back from this this time. She is completely out of it, not eating or anything, and docs give her 5 to 7 days left. Good Grief! This would happen right around the holidays. Well, sounds like she will get to see Grandpa this Christmas. Well, getting tired, better go to bed. See you all soon.

12-21-03 Happy holidays to you all! Well, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that I have lost 2 more lbs and I am down to 151. Some size 14's are getting big and the other day I bought a nice pantsuit that was a size 12, which brings me to the bad news. That pantsuit was for my grandmother's funeral last Friday. Once she had that heart attack each day she went downhill more and more. She went in the hospital on the 9th, they transferred her to the hospice on the 14th, and she died last Tuesday night, so it's been a pretty rough couple of weeks, and I have been stress eating a little bit. Christmas is going to be different without her. I live just down the road from her house and everytime I drive by I expect to see her outside getting the mail or her poking her head outside to wave hi to me. Well, at least she isnt in any more pain and she will get to see Grandpa for Christmas. Still isnt easy though:(

2-26-04 Well, now Iam a little bit below goal. Now I sort of hover between 146 and 148 lbs. Doesnt bother me. I am very happy with all of the weight I have lost. I was 294 when I started so I have lost almost 150 lbs total. I went for my 1 year follow up visit yesterday. They say everything is going well. I can cut back on my protein intake a little. It was 65 grams/day now the dietician says I can go with about 50 grams/day. Now Iam looking into getting a tummy tuck and breast lift. I was going to go with a plastic surgeon in Lansing but they didnt seem too interested unless I self paid, which is not an option for me. Iam now going to go see Dr. DiNick who works out of the BTC. I wont be getting the surgery done at the BTC since they dont take BCBS. I will have to go to Providence Hospital in Southfield, which is where his private practice is. That's ok though. Ive heard nothing but good things about Dr. DiNick and I know Providence is a good hospital because Ive had a lot of family members be patients there and they were very happy with the care there. My appt is April 8th, so wish me luck:). 8-10-04 If I read this right, I dont have much more room to make any more updates on this profile, so I guess Ill make up a continuation of this one, Ill make it Kris Tangeman Part 2, see you there!