cathy in maryland

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November 6 2004

I can't believe I didn't update when I got my CPAP machine! After all the panic attacks and having to do my sleep study 3 times I have to admit...I LOVE how I'm feeling since I started on my CPAP machine! Granted i hate the cpap machine itself but the results are well worth using it. I wake up every morning headache free,something i haven't done in YEARS....I don't find myself sleepy in the afternoon ....I can stay up to finish a movie with my hubby and kids without falling asleep off and on throughout the whole thing but best of all...I'm not cranky anymore! It had reached a point where I didn't even recognize my own personality anymore. I'd lose patience over everything and found myself snapping at the silliest things. One of my 10 yr old sons made the comment the other day that he hadn't seen me in such a good mood in the morning without my coffee in a long time. Out of the mouths of babes huh? I still have to use an Ambien in order to use my CPAP but to me it's so worth it.

November 11, 2004

I went to my first WLS support group meeting the other day and I really enjoyed it which surprised me. My first consultation with Dr S was scheduled for this past Wednesday but I had to cancel it because 1 hour before I was to be there my daughter took a fall out of my van. I spent the entire afternoon in the same hospital i was to have my consultation in except I was in the ER! Thank God my daughter was fine,she scared me to death! They did a CAT scan on her head(she landed on it when she fell!) and she was so good and so brave for a 4 yr old. The staff was amazing with her (a good sign since this is the same hospital I will have the surgery in!)She was thrilled to be able to go back to Pre K and tell them she saw a picture of her brain and eyeballs....kids! I've been rescheduled for Dec 15th at 8am and just found somebody on the message board this morning going the same day,how cool is that!?!?!

October 5, 2004
Wow I started all of this in April? Where did the time go? So much and so little has happened in the 6 months. I was in the process of trying to get WLS done when hubby announced he could possibly be getting orders to go over seas for up to 18 months. That kinda stalled things because I didn't want to be ready to go to surgery and have him say "ooops sorry I have to go".With 4 kids and being here away from family surgery didn't seem like a possiblility.Then when the orders didn't immediately come through we discussed trying to get stationed back in Virginia so IF/WHEN he gets sent over to Iraq I'd be around our entire family for support with my surgery. We found out last week that re-assignment to Va won't be possible sooooo I've decided I'm doing this and whatever happens happens. I've already done my psych evaluation and seen a nutritionist. I've also already done a sleep study and been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. Now to find a surgeon..lol although yesterday Tricare assigned me a surgeon just not one that does WLS. I called them yesterday and the lady on the phone seemed so confused as to how that could happen. Today I called them to find out how I go about finding a surgeon in the tricare network and explained how I received a bill for the first surgeon I saw. This woman asked me for a surgeons name...ummm isn't that HER job to give ME a name?!?!?!

Oct 8,2004
Ok i think the WLS gods are out to get me or something. I FINALLY got somebody that could tell me why Tricare assigned me a general surgeon that doesn't do WLS instead of one that does...BIG surprise,the military doc didn't specicify BARIATRIC surgeon when she referred me for bariatric surgery. So I went immediately to the clinic and while my doctor was off I did find an extremly helpful doctor on duty( Thanks Dr.C!!!!) and he rewrote my referral for me. He typed BARIATRIC SURGEON( lol in caps even) at least 6 times on this newest referral,handed it back to me and said'ok there's NO WAY I could have made it any more clear then that!". I hand delivered it to the patient admin.(She's a sweetie and her daughter just got a referral from Dr C for WLS too)who immediately faxed it to Healthnet/Tricare for me. Being the ever impatient person i am I called yesterday and Tricare didn't have a clue what I was talking about...they didn't reeive a fax. Grrrrr I HATE when I know something for a fact happened and people act like I'm clueless! So AGAIN yesterday i had the patient admin re-fax it to Tricare. I just got off the phone with a rep and he said it was in but had not been approved yet. Wait a second...I was ALREADY approved,THEY screwed up and gave me the wrong surgeon WHY do I have to wait 10-14 days AGAIN!?!?! Anwser is fairly simple...because they can.So,here I sit Patiently(yeah right) waiting again for yet another screw up? or maybe they'll approve it again and assign the right surgeon...who knows.

October 18,2004

I finally got somebody at my ins company that could answer my questions for me last week. I gave him the name of a surgeon that has been suggested to me by 3 different people,he looked him up and he's not in the Tricare Prime network(which sucked!).However,he was really sweet and explained to me how they have to contact this surgeon and try and negotiate an acceptable price for the surgery. If the surgeon is willing to accept what my ins company will pay him then I should be getting a letter in a week to ten days. If for some reason he doesn't accept it though I have to try and find yet another surgeon in the area that will accept their offer. Odd how I'm 20 mins from Baltimore and yet can't seem to find a surgeon in the Tricare prime network. No fear though because thanks to a really sweet woman on the Maryland msg board I now know that they DO have WLS being done at Walter Reed even though one of my ins reps told me they didn't. If all else fails I'll go through Walter Reed and simply endure the waiting list. This surgery is SO worth the wait that I can't even bring myself to complain about it.

October 20, 2004
Wooohooo! i got a letter in the mail from Tricare,they approved my consultation with a gastric bypass surgeon. I contacted a surgeons office right up the road from me,the one from my previous update and he's accepting new patients! I filled out an online survey kinda form asking about medical history,diet history and stuff like that. The woman I spoke to at his office also said she'd be mailing me out forms I needed to fill out and mail back to her ASAP. She said that right now she's booking 1st consultation appointments for the first half of November. I asked her "THIS November!?!?!" and she just chuckled and said "yes THIS November". i was amazed! Everything I've heard about getting appointments made me assume I'd be lucky if i saw him by the 1st of the year. i know I qualify for this surgery,how could i not? I'm 5ft4 and have a BMI I'm too ashamed to even admit to. Keep your fingers crossed for me and hopefully I'll start my New Year off on the losing side!

October 25,2004
I just got off the phone with Dr. S's office and have my consult scheduled for November 10th at 1:00.I was told if all goes well I should be ready for surgery in January sometime.YES!!!!!!!!!

Well here goes nothing...or should I really say here goes everything? I've researched WLS off and on for about a year now but have made the final decision in the last few months that this is something I have to do. I'm married and a mom to 4 great kids(3 yrs old,10 yr old twins and a 14 yr old)and needless to say they keep me VERY busy. Also needless to say ,because I'm sure anybody reading this can relate, being overweight keeps me from keeping up with them the way I'd like. I've been fighting my weight my entire life and I've finally decided no more letting it win, I'M going to kick butt and lose this weight before it kills me.