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Dot W. Spokane, WA, USA Post Op - BMI: 27.0 Member ID: Walmer925495099 Surgeon: Mark A. Vierra, MD |
Click here for Dot's surgery support page Click here to print Dot's cards (You can print your own cards, and if you're good at it, you can help print cards for your friends as well!) |
I have an appointment with Dr. Mark Vierra at Stanford for a consultation on July 2, 1999. I have not yet had my psych. consult or my dietary consult. I am trying to arrange them now. I have severe arthritis and have a lot of trouble getting around. "They" say I am borderline with my weight, but I feel it is a problem. I cannot exercise except swim and it has not helped with the weight loss at all. My insurance is Cigna and I hope it will be covered. Any information, support, etc is greatly appreciated. Thank you for this web site.
7/2/99
My appointment was yesterday--it all went okay. I found Dr. Vierra a little hard to talk to but I was extremely stressed. I think he had a hard time understanding that. He approved me for surgery on 9/22/99. It is a long time to wait but that is okay with me because I would prefer starting when my kids are all in school. He did say I was borderline for the surgery and one of the smallest he has considered but felt my medical conditions warranted it. I have seen many other people here who are about the same weight who have had surgery. I feel it is the best solution for me. My next hurdle is to see if insurance will approve it.
8/16/99
I received the call today that I am approved for surgery on 9/22. I am so excited but also very anxious. I believe my Insurance went through easily because my PCP initiated the thought of surgery in the first place and thus got it approved.
10/21/99
I was reminded on today's postings to keep our files updated. I didn't realize I had not in so long. My surgery went without a hitch on 9/22. I was in the hospital for 2 days. I have 7 very small incisions (one in my navel) which are all healing well. To date I think I have lost 351bs. The first 3 weeks the weight fell of so fast. Now it has slowed down just a little. I am very please with the loss. I was on clear liquids until about 5 days post-op and then my doc moved me to full liquids and now pureed food also for another 2 weeks. (I am 4 weeks post-op). I am tiring of the this soft food stage, but am also hesitant to move to regular food. I have not vomited and have only had one incident of what I think was dumpiing. I feel very fortunate for this. Overall, I am extremely happy I had the surgery.
12/30/99
I am about 13 weeks post op and wanted to post at the end of 1999. This has been an amazing year--especially the last 3 months. I am so happy with my decision for surgery. I have lost 53 lbs. to date. I have not started regular exercise yet due to pain from arthritis, but am starting now. I will go very slow. I am having some relief from the arthritis, but I am hopeful I will get much more after I lose another 50+ lbs. I am now basically out of clothes in my closet (from sizes I have kept over the years) and plan to take in some and buy a few to keep me feeling great. I wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR and my best wishes for success and happiness in the new millinnium!! HAPPY 2000!!! THIS IS MY YEAR TO HEALTH!
1/5/2000
I happened to go to the doctor yesterday for another reason and was able to weigh myself! I am down to 193--58lbs lost forever. I updated my BMI today also (32.2). Finally, I am off the morbidly obese scale and am in the very overweight category.
4/9/2000
Today I am down a total of 75 lbs and my BMI is now 28.2. This is after almost 6 1/2 months!! The weight loss has been very slow, but all of it has been without additional exercise. I walk much easier and with much less pain although my Rheumatologist will not yet let me walk for exercise--soon I hope. I can swim, but just haven't gotten into the pool yet. I went on vacation last month and freely wore a bathing suit without feeling terrible. I still have 25-35 more lbs. to lose, but I feel so good now. I am thankful everyday for this surgery.
7/30/2000
My weight loss is at a crawl now but my BMI is now 27.0. I am only 2 points away from "ideal" weight! It has been 10 months since surgery and I can now walk for exercise--slowly. I feel so "normal" now and have had friends comment on how healthy I now look. I am very comfortable at this weight so I haven't been working as hard on the weight loss. I will be soon as I don't want to lose the window of opportunity for weight loss. One of the biggest successes for me has been the return of my self esteem. I was not really aware I had lost it until many friends have told both my husband and myself how I've changed. I feel I am like I was about 10 years ago. It is surprising how much major weight loss can help your emotional life. I will never say it makes everything in my life great again, but it sure helps. Of course, there are new issues to deal with, but now I have the energy and desire to deal with them. I feel as if I have been re-born and totally recommend this surgery to those who need it.
7/2/99
My appointment was yesterday--it all went okay. I found Dr. Vierra a little hard to talk to but I was extremely stressed. I think he had a hard time understanding that. He approved me for surgery on 9/22/99. It is a long time to wait but that is okay with me because I would prefer starting when my kids are all in school. He did say I was borderline for the surgery and one of the smallest he has considered but felt my medical conditions warranted it. I have seen many other people here who are about the same weight who have had surgery. I feel it is the best solution for me. My next hurdle is to see if insurance will approve it.
8/16/99
I received the call today that I am approved for surgery on 9/22. I am so excited but also very anxious. I believe my Insurance went through easily because my PCP initiated the thought of surgery in the first place and thus got it approved.
10/21/99
I was reminded on today's postings to keep our files updated. I didn't realize I had not in so long. My surgery went without a hitch on 9/22. I was in the hospital for 2 days. I have 7 very small incisions (one in my navel) which are all healing well. To date I think I have lost 351bs. The first 3 weeks the weight fell of so fast. Now it has slowed down just a little. I am very please with the loss. I was on clear liquids until about 5 days post-op and then my doc moved me to full liquids and now pureed food also for another 2 weeks. (I am 4 weeks post-op). I am tiring of the this soft food stage, but am also hesitant to move to regular food. I have not vomited and have only had one incident of what I think was dumpiing. I feel very fortunate for this. Overall, I am extremely happy I had the surgery.
12/30/99
I am about 13 weeks post op and wanted to post at the end of 1999. This has been an amazing year--especially the last 3 months. I am so happy with my decision for surgery. I have lost 53 lbs. to date. I have not started regular exercise yet due to pain from arthritis, but am starting now. I will go very slow. I am having some relief from the arthritis, but I am hopeful I will get much more after I lose another 50+ lbs. I am now basically out of clothes in my closet (from sizes I have kept over the years) and plan to take in some and buy a few to keep me feeling great. I wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR and my best wishes for success and happiness in the new millinnium!! HAPPY 2000!!! THIS IS MY YEAR TO HEALTH!
1/5/2000
I happened to go to the doctor yesterday for another reason and was able to weigh myself! I am down to 193--58lbs lost forever. I updated my BMI today also (32.2). Finally, I am off the morbidly obese scale and am in the very overweight category.
4/9/2000
Today I am down a total of 75 lbs and my BMI is now 28.2. This is after almost 6 1/2 months!! The weight loss has been very slow, but all of it has been without additional exercise. I walk much easier and with much less pain although my Rheumatologist will not yet let me walk for exercise--soon I hope. I can swim, but just haven't gotten into the pool yet. I went on vacation last month and freely wore a bathing suit without feeling terrible. I still have 25-35 more lbs. to lose, but I feel so good now. I am thankful everyday for this surgery.
7/30/2000
My weight loss is at a crawl now but my BMI is now 27.0. I am only 2 points away from "ideal" weight! It has been 10 months since surgery and I can now walk for exercise--slowly. I feel so "normal" now and have had friends comment on how healthy I now look. I am very comfortable at this weight so I haven't been working as hard on the weight loss. I will be soon as I don't want to lose the window of opportunity for weight loss. One of the biggest successes for me has been the return of my self esteem. I was not really aware I had lost it until many friends have told both my husband and myself how I've changed. I feel I am like I was about 10 years ago. It is surprising how much major weight loss can help your emotional life. I will never say it makes everything in my life great again, but it sure helps. Of course, there are new issues to deal with, but now I have the energy and desire to deal with them. I feel as if I have been re-born and totally recommend this surgery to those who need it.
Surgeon Info:
Surgeon: Mark A. Vierra, MD
My first impression of Dr. Vierra was that he was difficult to talk to but, in fairness I was very nervous and also had difficulty explaining myself. I did not see him again after my initial consultation until the morning of my surgery. After surgery, his visits in the hospital were very brief, but I did get my questions answered. My hospital is a teaching hospital so his residents would come in a little more often. His office staff is good although at first I felt like WLS was not a high priority in their eyes. He limits his practice to only 2 per week, but has performed many surgeries. The hospital nurse who did my pre-admitting said he is one of the best in lap. surgeries of the abdomen in this area. I feel he is an excellent surgeon and am extremely happy with the results of my surgery. At my first follow-up appointment, Dr. Vierra finally sat down with me and answered all my questions carefully and made me feel much more relaxed. I believe his ability as a surgeon is far more important than his bedside manner. I think you just have to insist he spend some time with you. I did not communicate that very well in the beginning. Regarding after care, I received information on what to eat (suggestions), but there was not a lot of information. I would say I have received as much or more from this site. I do feel I can call his office for any questions I have. Overall, I would recommend him especially for lap surgery.
Insurer Info:
Cigna Healthcare
Cigna, so far has been excellent. I am told by the hospital that it will pay 100% less my copay of $100. I have surgery on 9/22/99 and will find out for sure then. I have not even had to call the company because they approved it so fast. Since it is an HMO, I had to be referred by my PCP and had to go to her doctor. To me it is well worth it since I have not had to fight to get it covered.
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