BillHewitt
May 10, 2006
I have finally decided to get WLS. My wife and I are having our fifth child. I am concerned about being around for that child and the children I already have. Not only that, because of my weight issues, I have not been the father that I am capable of being. The weight is also starting to affect my job. I have always been given high ratings at work and the weight gain over the last year has really started hindering my ability to do my job at a 100% level. I am ready to gain control of my body.
May 18, 2006
I spoke with a women at work today who had surgery. She is also seeing the same doctor and hospital that I am using. She was very complementary of everyone involved. I remember seeing her a few years ago, and today, wow, she looks great. She was very encouraging to me and let me ask any questions that I wanted to. It was really nice of her to share experience with me.
May 23, 2006
I met with my PCP and discussed the surgery with him. He said he was not for the surgery nor was he against it. He just said that I needed to do something as soon as possible. He also told me that he does not do weight loss programs in his office, so he referred me to the hospital. I need to have at least 6 months of medically supervised diets for my insurance to approve the surgery.
May 31, 2006
I went to check out St. Lukes hospitals diet program. I found out it cost approximately $4100. My insurance will not cover it either. I knew I could not afford that, so I was left wondering what to do.
June 3, 2006
I attended the weight loss surgery seminar. It was very informative. I was impressed by Dr. Glascock and his staff. They emphasize the whole program, life-style change if you will, not just the surgery. I also explained to his director about needing a Dr. that could help me with my medically supervised diet. She said she would be happy to help me out.
June 6, 2006
My wife and I finally found out that we are having a boy in November. We already have three boys and one girl. I also met with my new Dr. to discuss my supervised Diet. Dr. Sakyiama is a wonderful person. His bed-side manner is beyond approach. He actually took about an hour to get to know me, talk bout my weight, and plan a course of action. He is also setting me up with a dietician. The more I think about it, the more happier I am that I have to wait for a few months. I really want to understand everything I can about the body, nutrician, and how it all plays together. I am an engineer, so I can get get pretty anal about things. So my wife says:)
June 8, 2006
I had my sleep study done. What a nightmare. They actually want you to fall asleep with thousands of wires pasted all over your body. About half-way through the night, the nurse came in and hooked me up to the CPAP machine. Oh yeah, that was comfortable. Everytime I opened my mouth, I could fill a hundred ballons. It looks like I have sleep apnea. I will get the results in a couple of weeks.
June 12, 2006
YEAH! I just heard from Dr. Glascocks office that they think I will be a perfect candidate for the surgery. My visit with the surgeon will be June 21st.
I also want to take this time to express my thanks to my manager at work for his total support of my journey. I believe my manager and I have a great working relationship. The thing that makes him stand out from other managers is, not only is he technically qualified, but he has a side to him that actually cares about his employees. Out of a 10, he would rate 8 or 9 with me. Not a 10 because nobody is perfect. He is the type of manager that brings out the best in you. You want to give 110%. I am pretty lucky to have him.
June 13, 2006
I went to my first appointment with the dietician. Another wonderful person. So far I have been very lucky in coming in contact with great people on this journey. She explained things in a way that even an engineer could understand. She was very encouraging about my journey and the way I was going about it. I felt very comfortable in her office. I cant wait for my next visit.
June 21, 2006
I got my Bi-PAP machine last night. It is going to take some getting used to it. I hope this surgery will allow me to not have to use the machine for the rest of my life. I meet with the surgeon today for my one on one consult. I am pretty excited about it. One more step in the journey. I will update more tomorrow with the info that I get from him.
July 10, 2006
I forgot to update my site before we went on vacation. I met with Dr. Shah for my one on one consult. His office staff was extremly friendly and understanding. Dr. Shah was more to the point of the surgery. He wanted to make sure I understand the surgery, possible complications, etc... I then met with the dietician to talk about the diet before and after surgery. The dietician was very friendly and informative. I cant wait for this surgery. It should be around December some time as I have to do my six month medically supervised diet. I have an appointment with him tomorrow to go over my blood test results. Will update after I get back.
July 12th, 2006
I saw my PCP yesterday and we went over my blood test results. Surprisingly everything is perfectly normal. Cholesteral is fine, blood oxygen is fine, everything is fine...except I am 150 lbs overweight!! He told me to keep on my diet and get more exercise in. Well, I am off to the gym. Will write again after I get my psych test completed. I hope I am not CRAZY!!!!!!!!
Aug 7th, 2006
It has been awhile since I updated last. I had my pych eval completed. It only took about an hour. We talked about how ready I am for this and if I have a support system in place. We also talked about how I got in this position in the first place. I actually enjoyed the meeting. At the end of the meeting, the doctor mentioned that everything was fine with me and he would forward a positive recommendation.
I have also started back to the gym. I have been going for about a month now. I go 3-5 times a week. I do cardio for about 45-60 minutes per day. Eventually, I will get back into the weights. I have a wonderful trainer at the gym. She is also very supportive of me and my endeavor as long as she sees me trying at the gym. She is full of information, enthusiasm, and overall positive attitude. I am lucky to know her.
I am half way through my six month medically supervised weight loss. I have lost a few punds but nothing to cheer about yet. I have started on Blood Pressure meds because I am a wee bit to high. They don't seem to have any effect on me though. Will talk to the doctor about it.
Thats is for now, I will update again after my next Dr. visit.
August 17th, 2006
I had my fourth month visit with my doctor for my medically supervised diet. I am down 8 lbs. this month. The doctor and the dietician were both pleased. I have been going to the gym on a regular schedule now, so I am sure that helps. I really wish I could get this surgery done now, but I have two more months to go. There are going to a be a lot changes in our household next year. I will be on my journey to weight loss as well as raising our fifth child which is due to be born on Nov. 2nd. I would really like to hear from a few of you and maybe e-mail a few of you for support and to ask a couple of questions. If anyone has some time, and has had the surgery, drop me a line. I will update more after my next doctor visit.
September 8th, 2006
My doctor's appointment is not until next week, but I still wanted to write a few words today. It is a sad day, my NFL team, the Dolphins, lost their first game. I am in mourning right now. On a more serious note, through exercise and the blood pressure medication, my blood pressure seems to be back to normal now. I have told a few more people about my decision to have weight loss surgery and they all have been very supportive of me. After next weeks visit to the doctor, I only have one more visit left for my six month supervised diet. I can then apply to the insurance company for approval. I am going to continue going to the doctor though just to make sure I stay on track. That's it for now. I will write more next week after my doctor's visit.
Sept 19th, 2006
I went for my fifth visit to the doctor for my six month medically supervised diet. The scale showed I lost 12 Lbs. I think we mis-read it though. I only showed a 7 lb weight loss. The scales at the gym also showed a 7 lb loss. I will let them know this at my last meeting so it does not show a weight gain if I only lose four pounds. I am trying to get to 365 before surgery. I started at 395-400 lbs. I am now at 374 lbs. I also am going in for another sleep test to see how I am doing with my machine. At least I know what to expect and I am half way use to the Bi-Pap machine. I also have an appointment with the pulmonogist (sp?) for the end of this month. I will be able to check off the PFT and blood gas box on my road to surgery.
I visit the doctor again on October 10th for my final month of medically supervised weight loss. I will then apply for insurance coverage. The insurance rep at the hospital seems to think I should have no problems getting the OK. I guess we will see. I am shooting for a December surgery date. We have the baby due in the beginning of November and I will need to give my wife time to recover before she has to take care of me:)
October 3, 2006
I completed my second sleep test. This went really well. I think it was because I knew what to expect. The Dr. wanted to zero in on the proper settings for my machine. It wasn't to bad at all. This brings us to the pulmonary test. First off was the blood gas test. This is where they take blood from your artery rather than a vein. Let me just say, I can now freely admit that I am a big wussy. When she hit my artery with that needle, I jumped 10 ft up and 10 ft back. The nurse was laughing so hard. I was jumping around with a syringe coming out of my wrist. She then had to tie my arm down to proceed. I had real tears. There I admitted it, I had tears flowing. I have never felt anything so painful in my life. My blood oxygen content is perfect. The pulmonary tests went great. Again, I was told, you are in great shape, except you are 150 lbs overweight. The story of my life. I have been going to the gym the past six months, so my lungs must be building up somewhat. Anyway, my final medically supervised diet visit is October 10th. I can then apply for insurance coverage. I should know by the end of the month. Until next time.....
October 13th, 2006
Had my last visit for my medically supervised weight loss. I lost another 4 lbs. The doctor and dietician were very pleased with my progress. I handed in all my insurance information to the insurance rep at the clinic. She mailed the info on Wednesday morning. I called this morning and they still have not seen it. They told me to check back in on Monday of next week. The waiting game begins......
October 18th, 2006
The surgery office sent my insurance application in by mail. It was entered into the system at Blue Cross/Blue Shield at 1:30 pm on Monday October 16th. I called three times on Tuesday with no luck. I called Wednesday morning October 18th and they told me that I was APPROVED FOR SURGERY on Tuesday night. One days time. How cool is that? Ok-now I am really excited and getting more nervous. But what a ride. You kow, I always loved the roller coaster ride. Some people go through life that compares to a merry-go-round. That is boring, it justs goes round and round. I prefer the roller coaster side of life. Yes, there are many ups and downs but it is an exciting ride, (besides the barfing:). I have a call in to get my scheduled date.
October 20th, 2006
It looks like I will have my surgery scheduled for December 12th. I need to have an EKG, Echocardiogram, and ultrasound done on Tuesday, October 24th. I will also have bood taken at this time. I am really excited now that this is moving forward, but nervous at the same time. We have about two weeks before the arrival of our fifth child. I am really excited about that. I will keep everyone posted as we get closer to the date.
October 25th, 2006
I had my EKG, Echocardiogram, and Ultasounds done. I think everything went well. Dr. Glascocks office called me and said there was a note in my chest x-ray from the hospital that a small mass was seen. They want me to get my pulmonary doctor to give them the OK again. I called him up on the phone and the nurse said it was probably scar tissue from my bouts of pneumonia, but that she would have the doctor look at it again. A little worried but I am sure it is ok. I will update as I find out.
Nov 8th, 2006
The surgeon wants me to get a CT Scan on the tissue on my lung. After those results I should be good to go. Still no baby yet, he was due Nov 4th. We are inducing him tomorrow.
Nov 9th, 2006
Jayce William Hewitt has finally arrived. Both mother and child are doing great. He was 9 Lbs, 7 oz and 22 inches long. It has been a long day, so I will write more later.
Nov 15th, 2006
The surgeons office finally received all my information from the CT Scan. It still says probably scar tissue, will chk again in three months, patient is fit for surgery. Hopefully I will lock in my Dec 12th surgery date before the end of the day.
Nov 16th, 2006
My first surgeon refused to do my surgery unless I had a biopsy performed on the nodule on my lung. The problem is that my pulmonogist said it was so small that the chances of a successfull biopsy was low. He said to wait for three months and re-check it. He really thinks that it is just scar tissue anyway. The bariatric surgeon still wanted it done. I called the University of Iowa for a second opinion. By luck they had an opening and could see me tomorrow morning.
Nov 17th, 2006
I showed up at the U of I at 7:30. They checked my lung scan over and agreed with my pulmonologist. Their bariatric surgeon than came in and said why dont you just have it done here. To make a long story short, it was a whirl wind of a day taking more tests, have records transferred, etc... After it was all said and done, the doctor came in and said he was impressed with the year that I have had preparing for this surgey and that he could tell I did my homework and was serious about this. He asked me if I was ready to start my two week liquid diet tomorrow for a surgery date of NOV 28TH, 2006. I was ecstatic to say the least. He did give me a reprieve for Thanksgiving. He said that would be torture. I am off and running. Really excited but nervous. I really feel sorry for my wife though, taking care of a newborn and me. I am going to really have to do something special for her. She does have me, is that not special enough:)
I will write more later to let you know how my liquid diet is going. For now, I will let you go....
Nov 22, 2006
The liquid diet is going fine. I thought it would be a lot harder than it is. I have dropped about 5 lbs in 6 days. I think I will be sick of broth after this. The 28th is coming upon me. I am excited but so very, very nervous. I want to continue to be around for my family. I told my anastesiologist (sp) that I just want to wake up. I can handle anything after that. I told her if something happens she is the first person I am coming back to haunt:) I know this surgery is right for me. I threw my back out a couple of weeks ago, and the healing has been slow. Of course it is, with all this weight bearing down on it. I will write more the day before surgery.
Nov 27th, 2006
Tomorrow is the big day. I am excited but nervous as heck. I have never been put under before, that I can remember. Today is kind of a surreal day. It is going by so fast. I just want to wake up. I think I can handle anything as long as I wake up. I have lost 10 lbs on this week long (1 wk three days) liquid diet. This means I have met my goal of 360 lbs before surgery. I started all this off with a high of 409 lbs. At that point I started back into the gym. At my first Dr's appointment, I weighed in at 390. I am now at 360. That's 40 lbs lost in about six months. I am going to use 390 lbs as my starting weight since that is what I weighed when I officially started this process with the medical community. I will try and write more when I get back home on Thursday or Friday, until then please keep me in your prayers.
Dec 5th, 2006
Sorry it has taken me so long to update. It has been a rough 7 days. I never thought I could feel this tired but the doctor says it is normal. The surgery itself turned into a 8 hour operation. It was suppose to be 2.5 hours. I guess I was born with a genital hernia of some sort. I wont explain everything they found inside but they had to perform a variant of the rny procedure. A bigger stomach with more malabsorbtion. This is the procedure they perform on patients that are like 500-600 lbs. Not a little guy like me:) Anyway when I was brought back to my room, I had severe reactions to the pain medication. I was seeing a big pink bunny rabbit laughing at me and then he threw me into the ocean to drown. It was the scariest thing I ever lived through. They tried some other narcotics, same thing. I just lived with tylenol after that.
I came home on Friday, went back on Saturday with a possible leak. There was nothing, everything was ok. I am just sitting at home now sipping my water and my skim milk. I go back this thursday to get my drain tubes out, I hope. All is as well as can be expected. I do have a new look on life though. I will explain more later.
Dec 10, 2006
The recovery is going along. I only got one of my drain tubes taken out last thursday. This coming thursday, I will get the others out. I am soooo tired. I just cannot get a good sleep. Oh yeah, I weighed 20 lbs less at the doctors appointment. I now weigh 350 lbs. I started this whole process at 390 lbs. If I wasnt so tired. The Dr. said this will go on for a few more weeks. I have been getting my exercise in by xmas shopping, but it is hard. I think once I have this damn drain tube out and the gastric tube out, I will be better. The eating has been going ok. Pudding has never tasted so good, as well as instant carnation breakfast, all sugar free of course. The water is best when mixed with crystal light. I better get going and take a shower. That is a ritual in itself. Until later........
Dec 14th, 2006
I just got back from the Dr. he removed my second drain tube. I feel like a new man. I also lost another 12 lbs this week. I am now at 337.9 lbs. I am going to have to get some pictures up. I went back to work today and everyone commented how they can see it in my face. It was actually a prett tough day as I am still feeling fatigued. The Dr says that is to be expected for about six weeks. My parents are coming out for Xmas to see the new baby and their favorite child:) I am very excited to see them. As long as we dont talk about poitics, everything should be fine. I am like the blacksheep of the family as I am very conservative and they are very liberal, which goes against their lifestyle, I just dont understand it. How can you go to church and be a liberal, how can you be a hunter and be a liberal, how can you believe in family values and be a liberal, how can you have served in the military and be a liberal. Liberals despise all those things and try to use their power to destroy them. I will never understand it. Anyway that is enough for now....
January 8,2007
Happy new year to everyone. It has been awhile since I updated os I thouhgt I better jump on and update. I amnow down to 320 lbs. I start my exercise program today with my personal trainer. Since I have been eating solid foods the weight has started to come off more slowly. I am hoping no that I am hitting the gym, the weight will come off more quickly. I am pretty much back to normal except that my skin is still a little sore around the incision areas. I have been getting alot of comments and I am wearing cloths that I have not worn for two years. My heaviest last year was about 410 lbs. So if I use that weight, I have lost about 90 lbs in 7 mths. 50 lbs since the operation. The new baby is doing great. He is starting to smile, giggle and make sounds like he is talking to you. I love it. Well, got to go for now, will write more later.
Jan 25th, 2007
The weight is still coming off, I am now down about 100 lbs since my heaviest last year. I am really starting to enjoy this. I love the comments, I talk about my surgery all the time. I am in the gym 3-5 times a week and walking at night. I can pretty much eat anything (except sugars and high fat) only a lot less. There have been a few things that have made me throw up. Onions being one of the major ones. Who knew. The baby is doing great and smililing all the time. Oh yeah, that spot on my lung has gotten smaller so now the doctor thinks it was inflamation from a bout of bronchitus before the surgery. A relief off of my shoulders. The more weight I seem to lose the more my back hurts, I will need to get this checked out. I need to go and will update more later.
March 15, 2007
It has been awhile since I updated. I am feeling wonderful. I have a whole new life. I am coaching my son's basketball team, I completed a Biatholon (sp) (bike -5 miles and run 2 miles). I actually had a pretty good time in the event. I continue to get complements on my changes. People say I am definitely more outgoing. This has been the best decison of my life. I actually think it might have saved my life. I still have a ways to go to get my goal of 225 (about 60 Lbs) but I am on my way. I work out 5 days a week (cardio and weights), have a personal trainer and have forever changed my eating habits. My family is enjoying having me go through this. They are as excited as I am. My wife has seen me skinny before but my children have not. A nurse down at the hospital said to me the other day that my new baby will never have seen me overweight. He will just see me as his "buff" dad:)
