ChubbyCyclist

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FINALLY........my surgeon's office said that they received my psychological evaluation.  Thank goodness.  I'm not sure if I'll let myself get excited again, at least until I hear that I've got the insurance company's approval.  Hopefully, I will hear within a week.

Okay.  Five weeks and still waiting for the psychologist, Dr. Carter.  I don't know what to do at this point.  I have called the office at least once a week and they don't have any idea what's going on with my psych evaluation.  I wrote to my insurance company and asked them for advice.

I sure wish I had some wls info to write about...........

When I started this whole process back in December, I did everything I was supposed to do quickly.  I thought I would have had my surgery by now.  Well, that didn't happen. 

One reason I wanted to have surgery by this time was that we are going on a kayaking trip for a week during Spring Break.  I wanted to make sure that I fit in the boat!  So, I've figured that if I do Jillian Michael's "30 Day Shred" and do the Medifast diet, I'd be relatively okay.  Today is day number 8 in the diet/shred and I have lost about 7 pounds.  Hopefully by the time we go on our trip, I will have lost 25 pounds. THEN, hopefully, after that, I will have my surgery lined up, and I won't regain those 25.

Fingers crossed.

CHECK OUT YOUR SHRINK BEFORE YOU SIGN ON WITH THEM!!!!!!!!!!!

Ask around for a referral before you see someone.  This guy approved me over four weeks ago.  He promised he'd have my report in a week but still hasn't produced.  My first meeting with him was almost two months ago. 

Still waiting on Dr. Edwin Carter's office to get my psych evaluation sent to the surgeon.  I'm befuddled on how to get his office to do what other practices take 2 weeks to do.  It's been a month now since he said he would send a postive evaluation in for me.  They must type reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally slowly there.  It's been almost 2 months since my initial meeting at his office.  Nice.

Well, the psychologist told me that I would have the written form of my psych evaluation Wednesday a week ago.  If I hadn't gotten it by the following Wednesday (yesterday...two weeks after I saw him in person) I was supposed to call to see what the problem was. So, I called.  He won't be in the office til next Tuesday.  Nice.

I am starting to get a little depressed.  Maybe I got too charged up in the first place.  I had all my ducks in a row in about a week, except for the psychological evaluation.  This part of the process has taken a month.  I met with him a week ago yesterday, to hear him tell me that he's giving me the go ahead.  He said that he would have the letter to me in a week....or two.  What in the heck is taking so long???  I usually am a patient person, but this part of the process seems as though it would be the quickest part. 

At this point I am feeling lethargic and just wanting to sleep.  All my normal activities are feeling uninteresting.  I guess I shouldn't have put so much hope in that this process would be swift.  And I haven't even gotten to the tough part yet.  The insurance approval.  Sheesh.  

It seems wrong that the one part that is depressing me is the part with the psychologist.

I went back to the psychologist today to hear his evaluation of my readiness for surgery.  Short story, shorter, he said that I would be a good candidate for the surgery.  He also said that he would send it to me in written form within the next two weeks.  Two weeks.  Tick.     Tick.      Tick.    So far, the psychological evaluation has been the part that has taken the most time.  I guess it will have been a month from the first visit to the completed evaluation.  That doesn't seem to have been everyone's experience.  If I had it to do over again, I would have asked at the surgeon's office which psychologists would get this done in a more timely fashion.  I guess mine was thorough. 

I keep figuring out dates on my calendar.  If they surgeon gets my psych stuff a week from today....and then the insurance replies within a few days, I'll possibly be in surgery by the end of Feb.  That's my hope anyway.

To try and get my weight down a bit, I'm pretending I'm already on a prosurgery sort of diet.  I'm doing Medifast, which I really do like.  I do their oatmeal for breakfast; shakes during the day; and a green and lean meal for dinner.  After two days I was fully acclaimated to it.  I've dropped 10 pounds in the last week.  It comes off fast with Medifast.  I just have had problems keeping it off after weeks of being on it and then off.

I have been enjoying a podcast on the whole lap band experience.  It has been highly informative about every stage of the process.  You can find it on iTunes and can listen right from there.  The title is "Banded Together"  and the facilitator is Cher Ewing or "Coach Cher."  I'd say it has been invaluable.

I've been asking my professionals (shrink...nutritionist..nurses) whether or not to tell folks about the lap band surgery.  My inclination is to be open about it while not shouting it out with a bullhorn.  At school today I mentioned it to a colleague who was telling me about her health issues.  I guess I was just dipping my toes in the water, so to speak, to see what I can expect.  She looked horrified!  And scared!  I told her that I was excited, but she didn't seem to alter her expression.  I dropped the subject and moved on.  It hasn't changed my mind any, but I guess I will not expect people to react with the same excitement that I feel.

Five days til I see the shrink...and then just wait for him to submit my paperwork...then finally this ball will really get rolling.

I had a meeting with the psychologist yesterday.  I was shocked to hear that I will be meeting with him multiple times.  ????  Wha????  I've looked around and have seen that different people have different experiences with their psych. eval.  Yesterday was a "talking" meeting.  Monday I go back for a "testing" meeting.  

I felt fine about the session with the shrink.  At the end he told me that mostly they were looking to make sure I didn't have unrealistic expectations about weight loss surgery....which I don't.  He also said that optimistic people usually do better than skittish ones.  Most of my life is lived optimistically, so no worries there.

I'm getting the feeling inside that I want to start getting ready for surgery and recovery, so I'm trying to be better about working out.  Something I read said that surgeons like patients who are more fit.  I want all this to go as well as possible and if working out more accomplishes that, then that's what I'll be doing.