Kelly K.
09-15-06 New insurance...
Oct 15, 2006
9-15-06
Wow! A lot has changed since my last update. As it turned out, my
'asthma' problems were actually much worse than I thought. A few days
after my last update I ended up in the hospital for a week. I was seen by
a pulmonologist while there that walked in the door to my hospital room
and proceeded to tell me that my problem with my breathing is that I'm
fat and I need to get up and move around and stop eating. Well,
needless to say, I was upset with that. As it turns out, he was completely
wrong and apologized later. I filed a complaint with the patient
advocate in the hospital about him.
After being discharged from the hospital I found a really good
pulmonologist that diagnosed me with Sarcoidosis, Sjogren's syndrome and now
steroid induced diabetes and myositis. I have since spent three more
weeks in the hospital being treated with high dose steroids. The
Sarcoidosis causes pneumonia and I have a lot of difficulty breathing. I had
to leave work on short term disability and my company couldn't hold my
position so now I'm unemployed. My long term disability claim was
denied because they say it is a pre-existing condition. I'm appealing that
decision. In the meantime I'm looking for part time work that I can do
on a flexible schedule. I generally have 6-10 doctor's appointments
per week.
I've gained a tremendous amount of weight since the beginning of the
year. I weigh more now than I have ever weighed in my life. It is
incredibly frustrating. It's mostly caused by the steroids and we're trying
to get rid of them but it's really hard. I was taking chemotherapy
drugs for a while but had to stop because of my liver. The chemo was
supposed to help me wean off the steroids. we're now back to square one.
We'll try again shortly.
Wow! A lot has changed since my last update. As it turned out, my
'asthma' problems were actually much worse than I thought. A few days
after my last update I ended up in the hospital for a week. I was seen by
a pulmonologist while there that walked in the door to my hospital room
and proceeded to tell me that my problem with my breathing is that I'm
fat and I need to get up and move around and stop eating. Well,
needless to say, I was upset with that. As it turns out, he was completely
wrong and apologized later. I filed a complaint with the patient
advocate in the hospital about him.
After being discharged from the hospital I found a really good
pulmonologist that diagnosed me with Sarcoidosis, Sjogren's syndrome and now
steroid induced diabetes and myositis. I have since spent three more
weeks in the hospital being treated with high dose steroids. The
Sarcoidosis causes pneumonia and I have a lot of difficulty breathing. I had
to leave work on short term disability and my company couldn't hold my
position so now I'm unemployed. My long term disability claim was
denied because they say it is a pre-existing condition. I'm appealing that
decision. In the meantime I'm looking for part time work that I can do
on a flexible schedule. I generally have 6-10 doctor's appointments
per week.
I've gained a tremendous amount of weight since the beginning of the
year. I weigh more now than I have ever weighed in my life. It is
incredibly frustrating. It's mostly caused by the steroids and we're trying
to get rid of them but it's really hard. I was taking chemotherapy
drugs for a while but had to stop because of my liver. The chemo was
supposed to help me wean off the steroids. we're now back to square one.
We'll try again shortly.
03-03-06 Many changes...
Oct 15, 2006
3-3-06 Wow! It's been a loooooong time since I've updated my profile.
A lot has changed in the last year. First, I've gained about 40 pounds
in the last three months. This is really extreme and I've been seeing
different doctors to try and understand the weight gain. My
endocrinologist basically said that there's no way to control it since I don't
have a thyroid and the only way I'm going to be able to lose weight (or
at least not continue to gain) is to have WLS. However, he thinks the
only surgery that will be helpful to me is the duodenal switch since
after tracking my diet very closely for an entire month and doing a bunch
of tests, he has determined that I don't eat too much at all. I
average about 1500-1600 calories per day. With the DS, I will be able to
eat more normally than with the RNY and yet lose more weight.
My company is self insured and they just randomly have decided not to
cover weight loss surgery at all. There is nothing in writing that says
they don't, they just said they won't. I KNOW if I took this to court
I would win. The problem is that since the company is self insured,
it's not like suing an insurance company, I'm actually suing my company.
I really like my job so I'm uncomfortable with the idea.
Sooooooo......I'm going to Brazil to have the DS with Dr. Marchesini. :) I've had
my first email conversation with him and he seems wonderful. I have
only read great things about him and feel confident that I'm chosing the
right surgeon. I only wish that I didn't have to go all the way to
Brazil. Ah well, it's an adventure. :)
I also FINALLY quit smoking!!! Yeah me! I haven't smoked since
December 30th, 2005. It's a beautiful thing. :) I'm looking forward to
being soooooo much healthier. Right now that isn't the case since for some
strange reason as soon as I quit smoking my asthma went nuts and I've
been having major problems with it. I've been in the ER four times
since the first of January because of it. I'm sure it will settle down
soon. My doctors seem to think it's the weight gain that's effecting my
asthma.
I'm going to try to be better about updating my profile. I want to
have a good record of my thoughts and feelings as the process goes on.
Currently, I am very ready to have the surgery. I know this is my only
option and it will change my life for the better. I'm hoping to have
the surgery in June. It just depends on when Dr. M can do it.
A lot has changed in the last year. First, I've gained about 40 pounds
in the last three months. This is really extreme and I've been seeing
different doctors to try and understand the weight gain. My
endocrinologist basically said that there's no way to control it since I don't
have a thyroid and the only way I'm going to be able to lose weight (or
at least not continue to gain) is to have WLS. However, he thinks the
only surgery that will be helpful to me is the duodenal switch since
after tracking my diet very closely for an entire month and doing a bunch
of tests, he has determined that I don't eat too much at all. I
average about 1500-1600 calories per day. With the DS, I will be able to
eat more normally than with the RNY and yet lose more weight.
My company is self insured and they just randomly have decided not to
cover weight loss surgery at all. There is nothing in writing that says
they don't, they just said they won't. I KNOW if I took this to court
I would win. The problem is that since the company is self insured,
it's not like suing an insurance company, I'm actually suing my company.
I really like my job so I'm uncomfortable with the idea.
Sooooooo......I'm going to Brazil to have the DS with Dr. Marchesini. :) I've had
my first email conversation with him and he seems wonderful. I have
only read great things about him and feel confident that I'm chosing the
right surgeon. I only wish that I didn't have to go all the way to
Brazil. Ah well, it's an adventure. :)
I also FINALLY quit smoking!!! Yeah me! I haven't smoked since
December 30th, 2005. It's a beautiful thing. :) I'm looking forward to
being soooooo much healthier. Right now that isn't the case since for some
strange reason as soon as I quit smoking my asthma went nuts and I've
been having major problems with it. I've been in the ER four times
since the first of January because of it. I'm sure it will settle down
soon. My doctors seem to think it's the weight gain that's effecting my
asthma.
I'm going to try to be better about updating my profile. I want to
have a good record of my thoughts and feelings as the process goes on.
Currently, I am very ready to have the surgery. I know this is my only
option and it will change my life for the better. I'm hoping to have
the surgery in June. It just depends on when Dr. M can do it.
01-06-05 Denial...
Oct 15, 2006
1-6-05 Sorry I haven't updated in quite a while. Everything is sort
of on hold for now. I received a denial letter from my insurance
company because they wanted additional information from my PCP regarding my
six months of supervised weightloss attempts. Unfortunately, my doctor
left the practice so I'm starting with a new one. This means that I'll
have to redo the entire six months. It's OK though. I'm not really in
a hurry anyway.
Here's my latest concern. I've been following the diet that my surgeon
put me on. I've been doing well and have lost 15 pounds. My problem
is that if I lose much more weight I won't qualify for the surgery. My
BMI is barely 40 now. Sometimes I think that's a great thing but other
times I think that this is just one of those times when I'm losing the
weight but I'll end up gaining it all back. I guess I'm just going to
have to take it as it comes. If I don't qualify for the surgery
anymore then I guess I'll just have to fight it out to lose the weight on my
own.
I guess I'll have to trust God on this one. I'm sure He'll show me
the right path. :)
of on hold for now. I received a denial letter from my insurance
company because they wanted additional information from my PCP regarding my
six months of supervised weightloss attempts. Unfortunately, my doctor
left the practice so I'm starting with a new one. This means that I'll
have to redo the entire six months. It's OK though. I'm not really in
a hurry anyway.
Here's my latest concern. I've been following the diet that my surgeon
put me on. I've been doing well and have lost 15 pounds. My problem
is that if I lose much more weight I won't qualify for the surgery. My
BMI is barely 40 now. Sometimes I think that's a great thing but other
times I think that this is just one of those times when I'm losing the
weight but I'll end up gaining it all back. I guess I'm just going to
have to take it as it comes. If I don't qualify for the surgery
anymore then I guess I'll just have to fight it out to lose the weight on my
own.
I guess I'll have to trust God on this one. I'm sure He'll show me
the right path. :)
11-04-04 Waiting is hard....
Oct 15, 2006
11-4-04 Well, all of the info has finally been sent to the insurance
company today. The psych eval took forever to get. Now it's just a
matter of waiting for approval or denial. I'm sure this is the hardest
part. On a good note, I've been doing the low carb thing since I saw Dr.
Chebli on the 14th of October and I've lost 10 pounds! :-) I've also
lost a bunch of inches. This might be a good time to give measurements:
Date: 10-15-2004
Weight:281
height:5'7 1/2"
Waist: 49"
Hips: 56 1/2"
Chest: 43
Thigh: 27 1/2
Up. Arm: 15 1/2
Wrist: 6 3/4
Neck: 15
So....that's it for now. I'm definately more excited now then I was
about this surgery. Keeping my fingers crossed and saying lots of
prayers. Thanks for reading!
company today. The psych eval took forever to get. Now it's just a
matter of waiting for approval or denial. I'm sure this is the hardest
part. On a good note, I've been doing the low carb thing since I saw Dr.
Chebli on the 14th of October and I've lost 10 pounds! :-) I've also
lost a bunch of inches. This might be a good time to give measurements:
Date: 10-15-2004
Weight:281
height:5'7 1/2"
Waist: 49"
Hips: 56 1/2"
Chest: 43
Thigh: 27 1/2
Up. Arm: 15 1/2
Wrist: 6 3/4
Neck: 15
So....that's it for now. I'm definately more excited now then I was
about this surgery. Keeping my fingers crossed and saying lots of
prayers. Thanks for reading!
10-21-04 Psych Consult
Oct 15, 2006
10-21-04 281/274/145 I had my psych consult yesterday. The guy was
really nice and very funny. I totally enjoyed talking to him. After I
got back from my appointment with him I had a message from Sue at Dr.
Chebli's office. They had gotten a response from my insurance company
stating that they require the following items:
A letter from my primary care physician showing supervised weightloss
attempts.
Documentation of six months of weightloss attempts.
A psych consult.
Well, that's easy, I have all of that information already so I'm faxing
it over to Sue today and we'll see what happens.
I'm actually suprised it's happening this fast. :)I'm still wondering
if I'm making the right decision but I'm getting closer to thinking this
is a really good thing.
More later.
really nice and very funny. I totally enjoyed talking to him. After I
got back from my appointment with him I had a message from Sue at Dr.
Chebli's office. They had gotten a response from my insurance company
stating that they require the following items:
A letter from my primary care physician showing supervised weightloss
attempts.
Documentation of six months of weightloss attempts.
A psych consult.
Well, that's easy, I have all of that information already so I'm faxing
it over to Sue today and we'll see what happens.
I'm actually suprised it's happening this fast. :)I'm still wondering
if I'm making the right decision but I'm getting closer to thinking this
is a really good thing.
More later.
10-18-04 First visit with Dr. Chebli
Oct 15, 2006
10-18-04 281/276/145 I had my consult with Dr. Chebli last week. He
was very nice and seemed very capable. I've heard rumors of him being
really cute and although he is, he's not my type. ;) I was suprised to
find that I had lost five pounds since I had weighed myself the week
before. I'm now at 276 lbs.
We went over the basics. I appreciated the fact that he didn't feel
as if he had to explain everything to me as if I was a child since I'm a
former medical professional and I've done a tremendous amount of
research on this procedure (RNY). He spoke to me as an intelligent
individual. That was a nice change for a doctor.
He asked me a lot of questions and came to the conclusion that I need a
few extra tests because of some oddities about my body. I have to have
doppler studies of my legs because I had DVT when I was 15 after having
surgery. I'm also having an upper endoscopy because I have reflux and
take medication every day for acid problems. He also wants to do an
echocardiogram since I have been diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse.
We discussed the options of open vs. laproscopic surgery. Of course I
would like to have lap. He said it might be more difficult because I
had open surgery to remove my gall bladder several years ago. He thinks
it's entirely possible to do though, it might just take more time.
So now, I'm on the atkins diet to lose weight before surgery. I
actually like it. I've never tried atkins before because I thought I would
miss bread and pasta too much, but I'm fine. He's told me I have to
quit smoking......that's a tough one. I'm working on it though.
I have my appointment for my psych consult scheduled for Wednesday.
Once I get through that they'll submit all of my info for approval. I'm
lucky enough to have plenty of evidence of weight loss programs and
physician supervision.
I've been fighting a lot of demons in my head for the past few days. I
keep reading the profiles on WLS, good and bad, and as the profiles go
so does my emotional status. Sometimes I feel that this is the best
decision I could make for myself, getting healthy, being able to be active
and doing so many things that I can't do now. Other times the fear
kicks in of having major surgery. I ask myself if it's worth it. I
wonder if I really need to do it...I'm not super obese. I wonder if I
should just give one more diet a try.
I've also started thinking about what happens after the surgery. How
will I handle the loss. Like many other obese people, I've had events
in my life that likely contributed to my obesity. I've worked on those
issues and am much stronger now than I have ever been. However, I
still worry about losing that 'protection'. Then I realize that I've come
a long way. I have dealt with those issues and now am married to the
most wonderful, supportive, loving man in the whole world. He gives me
strength that I never thought I could have.
Well, for now, I'm moving forward with the surgery. I want to lose the
weight. I want to keep it off. I think this will work for me as long
as I remember it is a tool and not the answer to all my weight
problems. I know it's going to be hard work and I think I'm up to the
challenge.
So....the journey begins. Wow. I think I just wrote a whole book! :)
was very nice and seemed very capable. I've heard rumors of him being
really cute and although he is, he's not my type. ;) I was suprised to
find that I had lost five pounds since I had weighed myself the week
before. I'm now at 276 lbs.
We went over the basics. I appreciated the fact that he didn't feel
as if he had to explain everything to me as if I was a child since I'm a
former medical professional and I've done a tremendous amount of
research on this procedure (RNY). He spoke to me as an intelligent
individual. That was a nice change for a doctor.
He asked me a lot of questions and came to the conclusion that I need a
few extra tests because of some oddities about my body. I have to have
doppler studies of my legs because I had DVT when I was 15 after having
surgery. I'm also having an upper endoscopy because I have reflux and
take medication every day for acid problems. He also wants to do an
echocardiogram since I have been diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse.
We discussed the options of open vs. laproscopic surgery. Of course I
would like to have lap. He said it might be more difficult because I
had open surgery to remove my gall bladder several years ago. He thinks
it's entirely possible to do though, it might just take more time.
So now, I'm on the atkins diet to lose weight before surgery. I
actually like it. I've never tried atkins before because I thought I would
miss bread and pasta too much, but I'm fine. He's told me I have to
quit smoking......that's a tough one. I'm working on it though.
I have my appointment for my psych consult scheduled for Wednesday.
Once I get through that they'll submit all of my info for approval. I'm
lucky enough to have plenty of evidence of weight loss programs and
physician supervision.
I've been fighting a lot of demons in my head for the past few days. I
keep reading the profiles on WLS, good and bad, and as the profiles go
so does my emotional status. Sometimes I feel that this is the best
decision I could make for myself, getting healthy, being able to be active
and doing so many things that I can't do now. Other times the fear
kicks in of having major surgery. I ask myself if it's worth it. I
wonder if I really need to do it...I'm not super obese. I wonder if I
should just give one more diet a try.
I've also started thinking about what happens after the surgery. How
will I handle the loss. Like many other obese people, I've had events
in my life that likely contributed to my obesity. I've worked on those
issues and am much stronger now than I have ever been. However, I
still worry about losing that 'protection'. Then I realize that I've come
a long way. I have dealt with those issues and now am married to the
most wonderful, supportive, loving man in the whole world. He gives me
strength that I never thought I could have.
Well, for now, I'm moving forward with the surgery. I want to lose the
weight. I want to keep it off. I think this will work for me as long
as I remember it is a tool and not the answer to all my weight
problems. I know it's going to be hard work and I think I'm up to the
challenge.
So....the journey begins. Wow. I think I just wrote a whole book! :)
My first post
Oct 15, 2006
10-10-04 I have my consult with Dr. Chebli this week on the 14th. I'm
very excited! I've spent hours and hours reading all the profiles and
weighing the good and bad. I am more convinced than ever that this is
the right choice for me. I only hope that my lack of a thyroid won't
stop me from having surgery. I guess we'll see. Keeping fingers and
toes crossed :).
very excited! I've spent hours and hours reading all the profiles and
weighing the good and bad. I am more convinced than ever that this is
the right choice for me. I only hope that my lack of a thyroid won't
stop me from having surgery. I guess we'll see. Keeping fingers and
toes crossed :).
About Me
Bristow, VA
Location
56.2
BMI
Surgery
08/06/2007
Surgery Date
Nov 23, 2002
Member Since
