Demo402
Hello,
My Story........
As a child, I was very small, (I was told) people thought I was going to die; had Drs./Nurses's concern because I was so small. We were "investigated" to determine if there was neglect. My other 4 siblings were of average height and weight. Needless to say, to fatten me up, I received butter, ice cream and anything to put the weight on. Well it worked........I became the chubby little girl with the pretty smile; the "big girl" teenager with the pretty smile; the 200# plus sized college student with the pretty face; the 300# plus sized "BBW"; now 400# plus female with disabilities associated with morbid obesity.
I am 53 years young and ready to reclaim my life.
I've been reading others' stories regarding weight loss surgery for some time. I have been part of the metabolic program at my medical clinic for several years with little success in losing any significant weight. I have finally decided to go the route of weight loss surgery. Everyone (family, physician, nutritionist and psychologist) was supportive and happy I made this decision. My journey has been difficult. I attended the seminars and had my initial consult with the surgeon (Jan. 09). I was to have the pre-op testing; however several weeks passed while awaiting for referrals to be completed and scheduling. I was not informed that I had to schedule the testing myself; by this time, the referrals had expired and I had to start all over again. Once being notified that the referrals were completed, I proceeded to schedule the needed test only to find out that some of the referrals were incorrect and needed to be done over again. It took me nearly nine months to complete all the testing since the initial visit. Now I am ready!!! Still scared, but this will really help me with my overall health. As I was completing the testing, and ready to schedule my consultation for surgery (Sept. 09), I was informed that my surgeon was not performing surgery at the hospital (associated with my health plan). What do I do now? I really liked the surgeon and wanted to stay with him. Although he was at other hospitals, they were not covered by my insurance. I had to be referred to a new surgeon/hospital. This took a couple of months, finally a consultation was scheduled. The initial consultation was rescheduled as the surgeon had a family emergency; so consultation was postponed for another 3 weeks (Dec.09). I finally met with the new surgeon/hospital (over 35 miles from my home). I was happy with him and we discussed the type of surgery. I left him, with him saying he will review my pre op tests and get back to me. That was December 12, 2009. I have yet to hear from the surgeon or hospital. I have called several times, spoke with office personnel and left messages with no reply or follow up. I am quite discouraged and began to question if I should (or God wanted me to) have this surgery. My PCP says I should continue to call/follow up. Today I have resigned that I need this surgery, my life is currently on hold whether I am waiting for confirmation from surgeon or not. I will continue to pursue and find a new surgeon if needed.
