catgibson
2/3/06 -
I had my yearly physical today, and told my Dr I'm ready to consider the wls. She referred me to Dr Facundus. I will call his office on Monday 2/6 for an appointment.
2/6/05 -
Called and made an appointment today. March 1st I will meet with Kristi to consult and then the Insurance lady. I read my Insurance policy today, and it says I need 6mos Dr. supervised diet within the last year. I will call the Insur. lady at the surgeons office tomorrow to see what she knows about my insurance, and if I should post-pone my appoint with them until after the diet part?
I will make an appoint. with my PCP on Friday to go discuss this with her to see if I have that diet or not (I've been on a constant diet with her). If not, I will start it on that day.
Bummer, but the insurance co had a good write up as to why they require it. They say it proves my determination, and the ability to stick to a strict way of eating for the rest of my life, after the surgery. They also say if I can loose weight before the surgery, that I will have less problems during the surgery and a lower mortality rate. All good points. I guess. The thought of the surgery is scary to me, but if I blink I will be another year older and it hurts to be this big. I would rather blink and it be a year later and me 100lbs lighter :)
2/7/06 -
Made an appoint with my PCP this Friday to start the 6 mos diet that the Insur requires. I am going to give this diet my all, for a couple reasons. I know if I loose even a little weight, my surgery will go easier on me. I'm so overweight, that at this point, I would have to loose 60lbs before I dropped below the magic 40-BMI point. But I've lost the same 100lbs for the last 20 years, and I always gain it back plus a few more each time.
For me the thought of surgically altering my stomach for the rest of my life- terrifies me! All I know is I cannot continue weighing 300lbs, and I WILL do what it takes (including surgery) to get my weight down permanently.
I talked to the BWI office today to ask if I should post pone the consultation appoint. They said to come on in, that way I can get all my appointments and test out of the way over the next 6 months and then when my 6 mos diet is over, they can apply for approval and then immediately schedule my surgery.
I will also attend my first WLS Group meeting this Saturday.
2/15/06 -
Went to my Regular Dr. last friday, all the blood work came back from from my yearly physical. She said I had high cholest & trigly. and that I had Dibeates II. It was not bad enough yet to put me on meds, but if I didn't loose some weight soon, that could change. I was upset. She started me on my 6 month required diet (for the insur approval), it was an 1800 cal diet. So last Saturday - I started my diet, quit smoking and gave up caffine (cokes) all in the same day. I basically baricaded myself in my home on my days off and luckily, only my dog had to witness the insanity. It's Wednesday now, and so far so good on the smoking (I got the patches and they do work for me) Diet is going good so far, but I had a bad attitude today about it. I'm keeping a food diary and Journal, and am already getting lazy on it. My doctor started me on Zocor to lower my Cholest. and my eye Dr put me on eyedrops for my ocular hypertension. I guess the next big thing for me to write about here on this site, will be my March 1st visit with the Surgeons office. I go in for my first visit, and to talk to the insur lady.
2/28/06 -
Went to my first group last Saturday. I really enjoyed it. It was nice seeing people my size, and people in various stages post-op who are shedding pounds and feeling good. There were people there having the surgery on Monday, someone who had it 2 weeks ago, someone who had it 4 months ago, 7 months ago, 14 months ago, 2 years ago, and 5 years ago. They were a good group and had great info to share.
Today I'm getting ready for my first visit to BWI tomorrow. I have a 1:30pm appointment. I spent 3 hours getting all my paperwork filled out and organized. Half way thru, the phone rang. I had a feeling I shouldn't answer, but I did. The midnight guy called in sick at work, so I have to cover for him (drat!) I will get off work at 7am, come home and sleep for a few hours then go to my appointment at BWI.
3/1/06 - 296 (lost 5 lbs since I started the insur. required diet! BWI says I'm 5'5" so that lowered my BMI form 51.9 to 49.3).
My first visit at BWI today. I took my Metobolic test. Met Kristy (I also met her at the group last Saturday). She was nice. She explained things well. I had researched so much that nothing came as a surprise (which I'm happy about). Kristy said my metobolic rate was high, which was good because it meant that I could loose a lot of weight on this program. She said the dietician will talk to me more about it when I meet with him. They scheduled my meeting with the dietician on March 16th at 10am and they also scheduled my first consultation with Dr Facundus on the same day at 3pm! Then I met with the Insur lady - Stephanie, she was really nice and explained all the processes. I'm very pleased with staff I've met so far. They are professional, nice, smart and don't rush you thru the consults. Makes me sure that I'm with the right people. Also, I found out today that Dr. Facundus and I attend the same church (now I know I'm in the right hands!)
Total money paid today was $150 (not covered by insur but they will file it anyway. -$100 consult fee $50 Metabolic test)
My next appointment this month is with my PCP on March 10th for my 1 month checkup on the Dr suppervised diet.
3/10/06 - 295
I had my 2nd of 6 diet visits with my PCP today. Nothing much to report. I logged a 5lb weight loss, and my doctor logged that she was disappointed in this low of a loss. My back has been killing me, so she logged the visit as back pain.
3/11/06 -
Went to my 2nd group meeting today. It was nice. My son went with me and afterwards he said he was glad he went, that he felt better about the surgery now and was excited for me. I got to see some of the same people from last group and saw a girl that was having surgery the Monday following the last group, so she was 2 weeks out. She looked great and said she felt great. She had lost 25lbs since the surgery! She said she really only got her strength back over the last 3 days, but she suspected it was because she increased her b-12 to once a day. After the meeting, several of us went to eat at Logans Steak house. I wanted to see what everyone ate. They ordered the childs steak tips, but was unable to finish it, so they took doggie bags home. I have my first visit with the dietician and Dr Facundus this Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to that.
3/15/06 - Well it's Wednesday. I got up excited to meet the surgeon today. My son got up and said "No, your appointment isn't until tomorrow!" I checked, and he's right! DRAT! I have to wait one more day... :(
3/16/06 - I met the Nutritionist (Hunter) and Dr Facundus today. At 10am I met Hunter for a consult on the pre and post surgery diet. Hunter was extremely nice and took the time to answer all my questions. He gave me lots of info and some handouts to take home. He also gave me his email address and told me to call or send him an email if I had any questions or problems.
At 3pm, I took the H-Pylori test (it came back negative). For this test I could'nt eat or drink for 1 hour before the test (and no reflux meds for 4 days prior), they have you take a deep breath, hold it for 4 seconds and then blow into a blue bag. Then they have you drink a couple oz of a lemonade tasting liquid, and let you sit for 15 minutes (while your stomach rumbles) then again take a deep breath and hold it for 4 seconds and blow it into a pink bag. You get the results back in approx 5 minutes, while you wait.
While I was waiting the 15 minutes between breaths for the H-Pylori test, Dr Facundus came in for my consult. First let me say, I've heard other patients say he was nice looking, but man o man, what beautiful eyes! He was very kind. He looked me in the eye the entire time he went over the procedure, possible complications, follow up care, and told me that while some patients had to loose weight before the surgery, that I was not to that point yet. He did tell me that if I gained anymore weight than what I weighed today (301 lbs), that he would cancel my surgery, so for me not to gain any more weight! He went into detail as to why nicotine has a bad effect on this procedure and can cause leaking or ulcers so I needed to NEVER start smoking again. I needed to be done with the Nicotine patches at least a couple weeks before surgery (I should be done with them by the first week of April). He asked me to send him the results of my endoscopy and cardiac cath (which was done in 2004) and a copy of my recent mammogram (has to be less than a year old - mine is scheduled for April 28th). Dr Facundus said the next time I would see him would be after my Insurance approval, at my pre-surgery check-up.
Today I paid $125 for the Nutritionist consult and $225 for Dr Facundus consult. Next thing on my schedule is my 3rd (of 7) visit with my PCP for the Dr. Supervised diet on April 10th. I took Stephanie (insur lady) a copy of my last 2 records that my PCP had filled out for my Dr supervised diet. Stephanie said they looked good, that they were exactly what was needed. She scanned the records into my file, and gave me the copies to keep.
4/10/06 - Had my 3rd of 7 PCP diet visit today (half way there!). There are 7 visits required for the 6 month diet because you have to go back at the end of your 6th month on the diet for your final visit. I lost another 2 lbs, so I'm down to 293. She retested my blood to check my iron levels, cholesterol and liver function, since I have been on iron supplements and zocor for high triglycerides. She gave me copies of my endoscopy report and cardiac cath that I had 2 years ago. Dr F. asked for these on my last visit with him. I took them by Dr Facundus office, and they scanned them into my records. I also took them my signed attendance report from my required group session. And a copy of my 3rd diet visit medical record from my PCP.
6/14/06 - My son had his WLS today! It went well, and I can't wait to follow his progress while waiting for my surgery.
I had my 5th of 7 Dr Diet visit's on Tuesday this week. I still have 2 months to go I can't wait...
July 26, 2006 - I can't believe the time is finally approaching! I could be within a month of having my surgery now, depending on how fast the insurance gets approved. My last diet visit will be on August 10th then I can send away for approval. I will post again on that day.
August 10, 2006 - Finished my diet requirement today and rushed the files needed over to Dr Facundus office. Stephanie faxed the file to BCBS and so the waiting for approval begins! My son was approved in 8 days, and there was a woman in the support group who sent her file in on Friday, and was approved on Monday... so I'm hoping for a speedy approval. I've arranged my work schedule, but need to work one more week anyway, before I can take some time off, so I'm hoping for a surgery date of Aug 23rd or 24th. My next post here will be when I'm approved and have a surgery date!
Friday Sept. 1, 2006 (start of Labor day weekend)- WOOOOOPPPEEEEEEE! I found out today that I was approved! It has been 3 weeks and 1 day, so I was starting to get paranoid and think that they were going to deny me...I guess someone wanted to clear their desk before the Labor Day Holiday, and finally approved me!!! Now of course I have to wait some more... Monday is a holiday both for the mail and Dr Facundus office, but by next week sometime I should know my surgery date!
I called Stephanie at Dr Facundus and told her I was approved. She will call when she gets her letter, to let me know she got it... or for me to call when I got my letter - then she would forward my chart on to Melinda (Dr Facundus nurse) for review. Melinda would then call and schedule me a pre-op appointment. Stephanie said Melinda normally reviews charts on Mon, Wed & Friday only since she is in clinic the other 2 days. I asked Stephanie what days Dr Facundus does his Gastric surgeries and she said he only does gastric on Mondays and Wednesdays (he does other types of surgery on Fridays).
I will write again when I find out my surgery date. Praise Jesus!
By the way - We faxed the info to BCBS on August 10th (after my diet was complete) and it turns out they sat on it for a week because the review board did not receive it until Aug 17th, so technically it took 2 weeks and a day to get approved (but it was 3 weeks and a day from the time we faxed it to them). BCBS said it took a week to get the info into their computer system.
Thursday Sept. 7, 2006 - I HAVE A DATE!!! Melinda just called me and set me up for surgery on September 25th! I have to go to Crestwood hospital and pre-regisiter tomorrow and have them do my nicotine test (which takes almost 2 weeks to get back). Then on Wednesday Sept 20th, I will have my pre-op visit with Dr Forman, then surgery on Monday September 25th! I'm so excited. I will write more later...I have some phone calls to make.
Sunday Sept 10, 2006 - Thought I would catch you up on things. I'll be having surgery 2 weeks from tomorrow! I'm spending this 2 weeks getting ready for the re-birth. Taking my measurements, Getting Photo's taken, re-reading what I read 6 months ago on the surgery so I will be etched in my brain :)
I went and Pre-registered at Crestwood Hospital on Friday 9/8/06. They weighed me (301#) did an EKG, took blood, and made me pee in a cup for the nicotine test. I paid $50 for the Hospital Surgical co-pay.
My son had WLS on June 14th with Dr Facundus. Mike has done amazingly well! He went back to work after 6 days, and at almost 3 months post-op he is down approx 65lbs! He said he feels so much better and has so much energy! I hope I recover as fast as he did! It was great being able to go through the procedure with him and "look behind the curtain so to speak" I got to see what to expect and so am at ease with my surgery coming up.
Friday Sept 22, 2006 - Went for my pre-op appointment yesterday, it was with Dr Foreman who does most (if not all) of the pre-op appointments. My nicotine test came back negative, my blood sugar was a little high but he said that would improve with this surgery, He said I have an Incisional hernia (from previous c-section 30+ years ago) which hurt when he pushed around on it...he said he would try to fix it if he could. And so he cleared me for surgery and said the nurses would give me all the info I need for the big day.
The nurses told me to be at the hospital at 9:30 Monday morning. Nothing to drink but clear liquids starting midnight Sunday morning. Then Sunday afternoon at 2pm, I'm to drink 2 bottles of magnesium citrate (which you buy over the counter at the drug store) and stick close to the bathroom for the rest of the afternoon. They told me to also buy a bottle of Hibicleans at the drug store and either take a shower or bath with it before coming to the hospital.
Some notes here:
- My co-pay today was $20 for the pre-op visit
- Magnesium Citrate is available at all drug stores, but some have different options. I went to 3 drug stores. I didn't like the options at CVS (Lemon or Cherry), Rite Aid (Lemon), but at Walgreens the had Grape and Lemon - AND it was on sale buy one get one free! Now I don't know if the grape taste any good, I don't think any of them do...but I have it in the refridge getting cold and will let you know.
- Read the instructions on the Hibicleans bottle - it says No face washing with this stuff, and No genital washing...just thought I'd mention that.
-I noticed from my visit at Dr Facundus yesterday that their scale reads approx 2.5 pounds more than my scale at home, so I made a note and taped it to my scale to remind me of that.
- I asked Dr Foreman when to stop taking my edema pill and he said the day before surgery.
-Someone in one of my groups mentioned for me NOT to let them fix my stomach hernia, since it will be a positive when I seek plastic surgery approval. It hurt when he pushed on it, and I don't know if it will hurt when my belly starts sagging after the weight loss, so I may let him go ahead a fix it.
-The hospital called and said the hospital was pre-approved and will pay 100% (minus my $50 co-pay).
So here I am, the time has finally arrived, and all of a sudden it's coming up too fast! I have 2 days to eat then I fast all day Sunday...if I'm going to get any last minute things done, I have to do them today or Saturday (lawn cut, grocery shop, laundry, changing bed sheets etc), because Sunday I will be fasting and running to the bathroom all day. I still need to take some final "Before pictures", although I did take and chart my measurements the other day.
Guess I will try to boost my protein (with supplements) over the next 2 days so my body will have what it needs to recover from this adventure.
I guess my next entry will be after the surgery... See ya on the other side! Praise Jesus!
Sunday 9/24/06 - The day before surgery - I had to miss my group on Saturday, and I really wanted to be there since it was the last meeting before my surgery on Monday! I check in @ 9:30am (sounds like I will be one of the last) and hopefully, should be in my room by 3pm, A Newly Remodeled woman!
Today, I will start my "bowel prep" dance @ 2pm, so I'm really looking forward to that! While I'm sure they all taste bad, I chose grape for my flavor and will let you know how a very cold bottle or two taste :)
I'm Clear Liquids only today. I haven't cooked in this house in over a week, but my house smells so much like Sunday breakfast today! I swear I can smell bacon, sausage, eggs and bisquits! It got so bad, I ate some orange jell-o and I went back to bed!
2pm arrived so it's Magniesium Citrate time/bowel prep time - Grape tasted good! Like Grape cool-aid with a little salt in it. I may have gotten it too cold. I drank both bottle in 4 minutes with a straw and was worried I was going to get a brain freeze headache…but I didn’t. Thought about puking a couple times after I drank both…but was not too hard not to. Started hitting the toilet approx 30min later, and there after every 10 minutes or so. It coming up on 5 hours later and it has slowed but I can tell it’s not over yet. Oh well…that’s the gory details of my experience.
Thanks for all the kind emails. I will write from "the other side" soon.
9-26-06 - Well I made it to the other side! It's the day after surgery and I'm home now.
The day of surgery I fell amazingly well. I could sleep on both my sides in the hospital bed and hardly had any pain when I coughed (which was a lot). The day after though…ouch! I am very tender & sore today. I guess it’s like a car wreck…you always hurt worst the next day.
I woke in recovery with the dry heaves…wanting to vomit so bad. The nurse kept saying to breathe deep or “I’m going to put the tube back in you”. She called the Anesthesia doctor in and he said he was aware of my bad stats (she said I was only reading 29%...whatever that is). He said she could give me a tiny bit of Finagren but only when I got to my room because it would make me sleepy again. So they both stood over me telling me to breathe deep so I did long, deep and loud breathing. After a while, they said ok and I was wheeled to my room where my family awaited me.
Dr F said I had 2 incisional hernia’s (one on top of the other) and that he put a stitch in each to hold it, but he will probably need to go repair it again when it’s time for my plastic surgery. He also repaired a Hiatal hernia. He said my gallbladder was fine, but it was covered in adhesions…but not enough for him to worry about. He said I probably only had a 9% if not lower chance of having problems with my gallbladder, he was very happy with it other than the adhesions. He said most people he could roll the fat layer up to get to the organs below, but with me, he had to slice it open, like a curtain since it was so thick.
Dr F. was great with me and my family while in the hospital. He is such a good doctor and I'm so glad I had access to his talents. Kristy from BWI came by the day after surgery and brought me some goodies. It was so nice and I'm just so impressed with the level of commitment this whole team puts into each individual patient.
Well that’s it for now. I’m tired again and need another nap :)
Friday, 9-29-06 (4 days post-op)
Melinda (Dr. F nurse) called to check on me yesterday. It gave me a chance to ask some questions. I liked that they called and checked on me:)
Everyday is definitely better than the one before. Today I had my first BM since I went in the hospital a week ago. That alone made me feel human again. Today I woke with energy I have not felt for a long time. I want to get out and go walking! I’m amazed at how good I feel today. The sky looks brighter, the leaves look greener, and the air feels cleaner it’s like I was reborn! I can’t put into words how great today is for me. When I realized what was going on, I started crying. I hoped and prayed for a day like this for such a long time, and it is finally here! I will get dressed and go to Walmart for some exercise.
I will only use my scale to reprt my weight instead of confusing you with Dr F. weight, hospital weight, my home weight. I know Dr F. scale reads 2.5#'s heavier than my home scale, but I don't care.
I started @ 301. Today I weigh 292. My goal is 150# I will show this in my post from now on this way - (301/292/150)
Monday 10/2/06 -
1 week Post Op and I'm down 16 pounds! I feel great! I'm having no problems. I still get tired but a nap snaps me back. I started full liquids so I can now have pudding and soup and I love it! It still amazes me that I can eat until I'm full, and I'm so sure the scale is going to go up, but it continually goes down :)
This surgery is absoulutely amazing! I was ready for pain...but there was none. I was ready to be sick, but there was none. I know this is not the same for everyone, because everyone is different...but I am one of the blessed. The only problem I had so far was dry heaves in the recovery room.
Praise Jesus! (301/285/150)
Sunday, Oct 8, 2006 - Tomorrow I will be 2 weeks post-op. I have lost 19# thus far, and I am feeling great! I have had no problems to speak of. I start back to work on Tuesday this week and am looking forward to getting back to a normal routine. I would have gone back to work last week except my elderly dog has been sick and needed my constant care for the last 2 weeks. I think I'm seeing improvement in him, but every time I thought I saw that over the last 2 weeks he has relapsed...so I will have to keep you posted on him.
(301/282/150)
ALL FUTURE ENTRIES WILL BE VIA THE BLOG ABOVE :)
