From my old profile ~

Jun 03, 2007

I am 57 now (December 2 and 3, 2005). I have loads of hobbies and interests - book arts, beading, belly dancing, drawing, papercrafts, reading, karaoke. Many more than that. My new hobby is to do Japanese sudoku puzzles --love 'em! I also love the Mill Bournes card game and am a definite Mahjong freak. I want to learn traditional Mahjong - not just the computer Mahjong I play now. I love reading my Bible and my favorite book is James.
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This is where my journey begins:

I want this surgery because I want to live. After working and volunteering for years in nursing homes, I looked around one day and realized that no one there was fat like me. It's because they're already DEAD. They're gone. I don't want that to happen to me. My cardiologist, Steven Cantor, says that I will die early if I don't have this procedure done. How early is EARLY?!?!?!? I'M ALREADY 56. Geesh.

I have high blood pressure, diabetes 2, heart disease, sleep apnea, high cholesterol -- all the co-morbidities any insurance company could ever want to see. I am 5'6" and 320 pounds -- My current BMI as of today 4/16/04 is 54. (UPDATE: I'm 5'6", 186 and all co-morbidities are GONE!)

I write children's books: picture books and middle-grade readers for those from ages 2 - 12. I also do writing of non-fiction for children's magazines and am a member of SCBWI - Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators - an international organization. I'm a member of the Arizona Screenwriter's Association. I also write grants for individuals and 501(c)3 non-profit organizations. I took a part-time on-call job with a crisis hotline as a counselor.

I'm usually very positive and upbeat. OK -- I'M HYPER!!!!! But in a positive way! hahahaha!

My insurance is Medicare and AHCCCS - AP-IPA. I fired my last PCP because she said that Medicare and AHCCCS shouldn't have to pay for this surgery. Oh really? But they give HER $157.00 for a 5 minute visit with me and that's ok? I paid my money into the Medicare fund as a hard working real estate broker for 12 years. Before that I broke my butt as a maid in hotels in Las Vegas, as a musician and working in nursing homes. I've worked and paid taxes since I was 17. I should be able to dip into the fund and not have to hear anybody say a word about it. End of rant.

4/18/04 - (I am so serious about this now -- you can tell -- I've started dating my entries!)

I have Dr. Jetly now in Dewey, AZ., and I'm still not satisfied. He wanted to put me on a diet. I told him that I have dieted 46 of my 58 years and I lose a little and gain back a lot. DIETS DON'T WORK!

Do you think he heard me? NO. Plus he gave me a prescription for Neurontin which packs weight on -- I'm not taking it. He also spent his time talking over me and saying there were other people that needed the surgery worse than me - BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! Shut the hell up!

4/30/04 - Dr. Jetly told me I would have a referral to Dr. Juarez in 7-10 days. TODAY MAKES DAY 18. I call every day and bug them about it. I started doing that on day 14. I don't think that's unreasonable. He told me to call his office if I didn't hear anything from them in the 7-10 days time frame. I'll quit calling when I get the referral. I remain steadfast.
(DANG! I sound serious!) And I am.

5/7/04 - Well, I still don't have a referral. My old PCP had not copied my files and sent them on to the new PCP Dr. Jetly. My cardiologist, Dr. Stephen Cantor, and his assistant, Patty Cox, had a letter written for me to pick up that was EXCELLENT so Jetly's office now has a copy of that to work with. So now everything is going the right direction again. EXCEPT for the fact I am now on day 25 and still no referral!

5/12/04 - Well, my files are lost. Mimless' office was supposed to copy them and send them to Dr. Jetly and so far they haven't arrived. DAY 31. I'm still calling everyday --

5/21/04 - Things are back on track. The files have been found and forwarded and my request for an authorization code has been submitted to AHCCCS. I've prayed and thrown so much money in wishing wells, lit so many candles at the church in Los Algodones, Mexico and it finally happened. I was promised the referral within 7-10 days and now we are on day 40 -- BUT at least we're going in the right direction now.

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Somehow I lost some of this profile by accident. I had it updated until 6-1-5 but it seems to have disappeared.

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Fresh start -- 6-12-05
I have been to everything except the psych eval (which I now have a date for) and done all the tests except arterial blood gas and treadmill. But I am calling Angelia tomorrow because I think they have me mixed up with someone else. I got a call from United Health and I don't even have that insurance!
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I really like Dr. Jetly now except he still thinks that all I have to do is keep dieting -- that has been a battle for 47 years and hasn't worked.
UPDATE: He wrote me an amazing letter for the insurance people! Maybe he's an ok guy under all that. Ya think? I think he's the BEST!!!!!
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July 20 - 2005 - My psychologist's receptionist called and said to move my app't to THIS FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my last hurdle and then things can start rolling.

@@@@ I haven't updated this for awhile -- what's new? The psych said I passed, I GOT APPROVED by insurance and now have a date -- October 19th at 11:30 a.m. at St. Luke's in Phoenix!!!!
UPDATE: The psych - Shelley Doumani - took 30 L-O-N-G days to transcribe my interview with her. On the bright side, the appointment with her was only one hour and she did NOT make me take the 300 question test!!

September 18th -- 2005 -- Trisha J is going to be my angel!!! I admire her so much for all the things she does on this board and with all those groups on Yahoo! (UPDATE: Trisha slept through my entire stay at the hospital. hahahhahhaha!)

9-18-05 - Looks like I may have to do all the pre-op tests again because my PCP sent me to them too early in the game. UGH.
UPDATE: I don't have to do any over!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!

10-2-05 - Tuesday Oct. 4th, I am going to Phoenix (St. Luke's) to do the pre-op stuff. I did the arterial blood gas test here in Prescott because they said that E.J. Shumway got stuck 5 times and fainted and I didn't want that to happen to me! They did stick me four times in the wrist!!! Although I was dizzy and almost blacked out, I didn't have any lasting after effects like soreness and only very slight bruising.
I xeroxed my ID and insurance cards -- and made my meds list and little list of previous surgeries for the pre-op people.

10-14-05 - I have 14 days before surgery. I wake up everyday and yell the number. Today I yelled "14!" and my sister yelled (as usual) from upstairs, "SHUT UP!" hahaha! I do this every day.
I have been on obesityhelp.com a lot -- emailing people with the same surgery date and encouraging others. I'm not anxious about my own surgery. I think of it like a BIG FLU SHOT. When I get the flu shot, I think, 'this will all be over in 1 minute'. So I am floating above this operation and thinking, 'this will all be over in 2 hours'.
I was supposed to have surgery on the 19th -- but they called and moved it to the 28th because Dr. Juarez has to be out of town.

10-23-05 - FIVE MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Geesh! Now it's dragging by -- 5 - 5- 5 - 5- 5- 5 - 5 -5 - 5 - 5- 5- -5 -5 - 5- 5- 5 - !!!
Tuesday Oct. 25th I will go to the pre-op workshop. I don't know how I am going to get up that early. I have to drive 2 hours to Phoenix and there's all that rush hour traffic so I have to leave extra early. SERIOUSLY -- I don't get up until around noon or so and the workshop starts at 8:45 a.m. But this is a sign of my new life -- I will start getting up early, walking and enjoying the day.
Everybody on the Arizona forum of this board has been so terrific --I get so many encouraging emails and so many messages on my surgery sign-in page. Without all of you this wouldn't be happening.
I have received so many tips and ideas of how to get this through insurance and try to pass all that stuff on to others.
I am feeling no fear -- amazing. I did have hypnosis about 6 years ago so I wouldn't be afraid of needles. Maybe that has something to do with it.
My ex hubby, Bobby Cook, is coming to the hospital with my mom and sister. He owns a big karaoke club in Scottsdale, AZ. If any of you would like to go have dinner and karaoke, go to Cook 'N Jacks at Indian School Road and Marshall Way. Everything there is excellent. (UPDATE: Bobby got out of his partnership on the restaurant and the association ended badly. Don't eat there -- they're doing everything 'on the cheap' now.)

Oh, geez - ex came to the hospital dressed as a priest to give me the Last Rites right before I went into surgery. Very funny. ha ha.
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POST OP -
Had surgery - That was IT??????????????????? Came through with no problems. NONE at all. Stayed in the hospital two days -- finally farted and they kicked me out. I would have liked to have stayed one more day because I had a two hour drive home that was a bit uncomfortable. Most of the discomfort was due to the fact that my sister drove. She's a really bad driver!
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10/28/'05 - 320 lbs. - I wanted to die but was too chicken to pull the trigger. Surgery was NOOOOOO problem. Took pain meds once.
11/26/'05 - 293 lbs. - 27 pounds gone FOREVER.
12/21/'05 - 282 lbs. - 38 pounds done and over with!
01/22/'06 - 272 lbs. - 48 pounds down the tubes! Bye bye!
02/06/'06 - 265 lbs. - 55 pounds I'll never see again!
02/25/'06 - 260 lbs. - 60 pounds flushed to the beach!
03/20/'06 - 248 lbs. - 72 pounds mailed back to Hell.
04/28/'06 - 235 lbs. - 85 pounds jetted to Afghanistan.
05/11/'06 - 230 lbs. - 90 pounds wished on worst enemy in Oklahoma! hehehehehehehehe
06/06/'06 - 220 lbs.- 100 pounds - aw heck - give my worst enemy this other 10! Don't say I never gave you anything, sweetie!
07/12/'06 - 210 lbs - 110 pounds gone - lugged to Mexico by illegals.
08/10/'06 - 199 lbs -- ONEDERLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
09/01/'06 - 191 lbs. -- loss of 129 pounds so far!
09/22/'06 - 186 LBS. - MAKE THAT 134 LBS!!!!!!!!!!
12/25/'06 - 155 pounds -- Lost 165 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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NOTES:
02/25/06 - I think I'm a failure. Dr. Juarez said I am in danger of not losing any more weight. I'm down 60 pounds and I think that is pretty successful. But he doesn't. I feel very sad. I was so supportive of everybody's losses and here I am -- the failure. We all wondered who it wouldn't work for. It was me.

4/28/06 - I'm losing really well. I left my previous post so I would remember that sometimes doctors are NOT right. I'm keeping up with my Oct. '05 surgery group and I got my confidence back.

5/25/06 -- Now my sister is the BIG sister -- I am down 95 pounds!!!!! She got so mad she moved out! And the BIG clothes she left behind are too big for me! BUMMER <-- about the clothes. hahaha!

6/06/06 -- Down 100 OFFICIAL POUNDS!! I was so excited. Dr. Juarez said I am doing excellent! And Friday night I have a date with Tommy for a BBQ with his friends. UPDATE: a week after the BBQ Tommy decided we would make better friends than lovers -- no problem. That's fine with me -- I've been celibate for 16 years!

8/10/06 - I'm 199 now. Feeling great. Drinking a lot of AchievOne drinks and nectar lemon tea -- Nectar is NOT that great. but it works. The taste is tolerable but it mixes up murky and looks like a chai latte gone bad. <----- I've been hanging out with my laptop at Starbucks -- I order iced tea -- but I SEE THE OTHER DRINKS. Also am watching the regulars gain weight because they order all those dessert type drinks with the whipped cream mess.
Learning to flirt again. There is a very good looking biker that goes to Starbucks on Sunday night I sit and drool over. (Just an old lady wishin' she were 30 years younger!) 

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This is who I worked with during this journey:

Dr. Rejiv Jetly - Prescott Valley office - PCP

Dr. Hilario Juarez - Phoenix - surgeon

Dr. Shelley Doumani - Glendale - psych evaluation (doesn't give that 300 question test -- just interviews you for about an hour. Took 30 days to transcribe our session)

Betsy Freidenhauer - Prescott YRMC - dietician (has you in for three visits over a six month period)

Bradshaw Labs - Prescott - lab work (great for lab work -- except arterial blood gas - then you're a pin cushion)

Dolly Ramirez - Prescott - YRMC lab techician - (got arterial blood gas test on the first try!)

Dr. Stephen Cantor and Patti Cox - Prescott - cardiologist and nurse.

Dr. Ketan Jani - Prescott - pulmonary doctor and also has the sleep clinic where I did the sleep apnea and the pulmonary (lung function) tests.
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PROMISE:  I will start updating now that i have reached my goal.

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About Me
Prescott, AZ
Location
32.9
BMI
RNY
Surgery
10/28/2005
Surgery Date
Feb 17, 2004
Member Since

Friends 18

Latest Blog 2

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