Cricket R.

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

Well we are back from Mexico.  We had a great time but I came to the conclusion that I have been avoiding vacations because I am embarassed about my weight.  I just let go on this trip and had fun.  I am hopeful that this will be my last unhealthy vacation.  I was uncomfortable in a couple of situations but I made the best

too funny.  Just logging on and realized that I stopped writing midsentence.  I was so sick this day.  I was just back from Mexico and had an infection in my colon.  In the morning, I had done all of my psych testing....and then that night I was hospitalized for four days.  I wonder how I did on my tests......

I am so much better.  We totally had a great time on our trip.  I am glad I didn't get really sick until I was home.  I am now soooooo much better.  The great news is that I didn't think about what the dr would write in his report for the surgeon.....He said he would have it to Dr. S sometime the following week and it is almost here.  I am so exicited.  My fingers are crossed that this will all go ok.  

The bad thing is because I had an infection in the colon, it will have to completely heal before I can have surgery.  I will have to have a colonoscopy before I can even considered wls and I will have to wait at least a month before that can happen.....

Oh well.....

I can hardly wait until Jun 4.  It seems like so far away but as soon as I leave on vacation, it will be fine.  I continue to be excited, no that I need to do this and nervous all at the same time.  I am trying to be prepared for anything and not just focused on the positive side of the surgery.  But I may be doing to much research on the possible side effects.  I know that much of my recovery will be pyschological as well as physical.  And to be honest, I truly belive that the postivie energy that you put in will be what comes back out.  I have to believe that I will have an easy recovery and will be successful.  I know that if there are complications that I will make the best of them....that is how I have faced any hardships placed in my path.  That being said, I cannot focus on what might happen.  I need to focus on the best scenario and believe that this will define my experience.  

I am focusing on the tool.  I know this tool will help me be successful in becoming healthy and improving the overall quality of my life.  It will make a difference.  I will make the most of this opportunity because it is what is in my best interest.  My family will also be the better for it and this means everything too.

It has been busy in the last week.  My oldest son graduated and we had family in town.  I had my corradid artery duplex done this week.  I got a letter from the dr's office and it said I also needed cardiac clearance.  I wasn't sure what that meant so I called dr sudan's office and spoke with Charity.  She was able to find out that I do not need to get that.....SOOOO I think I just need the final pysch eval.  I will do that right when I get back from Mexico.

I have been trying to eat better and do some physical activity.  To be honest I am doing better with the eating than I am the activity. 

Last post, I started to discuss being nervous.  I think it would be considered normal fears.  Obviously this is a huge change.  Yesterday we took a bunch of photos....which I normally AVOID.  I looked so big.  It really bothers me.  I still don't see myself as large as I am....and I am sometimes surprised in my photos.  

I know that this is the right decision for me.

I am ready for the next steps.

Just a quick update. I went out to the base hospital and had most of my pre-op testing complete.  I have to do the other 1/2 of my pysch eval and a cooradid aterty duplex....what ever that is.  And then that is it.  I will hopefully be done.  The pysch appointment is not until June 4th.  But this really isn't a big deal.  I have so much going on that it is ok that I have to wait.  

I have to say that I am nervous.  more later

Ok, this morning I had my pysch eval.  I have to admit I felt a bit crazy after this.  I was fine with the talking part but then he started asking weird questions and having me do some strange activities.  I have to go back for the 1 1/2 hours of computer testing in the beginning of June.  

But when I got to the office, I looked up on tricare's website and I am approved.  So I saw Dr Sudan on Monday the 30 and I am approved on May 8th.  That is AMAZING!  I am so excited.  I am doing a bunch of preop testing tomorrow and Thursday.  Charity (Dr. Sudan's nurse) will not discuss a date until all of the pre-op work is done.....so that might be after June 4th for the psych stuff.  That seems so long!!! But the Dr has vacation and then I do......so it really is the best that is available.

My eval is tomorrow....or at least the first part is.  For some reason this is uncomfortable to me.  I am afraid I will say the wrong thing and that he will not think I am a good candidate for the surgery.  Clearly I have food issues.  I wouldn't look like this is I didn't.  I saw a post on the main board about eating fast.  This is a huge problem for me....one I did last night and it made me mad!!

Yesterday was a bad day.  Our basement flooded.  I was annoyed at my husband because I didn't think he was helping as much as he could have.  For a bunch of reasons, we didn't start eating last night until 9:30 AND we had pizza.  I was so hungry (and a bit *itchy) that I just started eating.  I think I ended up eating 4 (yest that is right 4) pieces of pizza.  That is gross.  If I would have eaten earlier or eaten slower, I know I would never have eaten that much.  Clearly the whole take 30 minutes with your meals is going to be meaningful to me!

I made a few phone calls out to the base today and I was AMAZED at how easy it was to make the arrangements for the pre-operative testing that I need.  NOTHING I have done out there has been this easy.  For many of the tests I just need to show up and for a couple I have appointments.  

I am really getting anxious about the insurance submission.  When I saw them on Monday, they said they would have it submitted by sometime next week.  I am very excited and want to logon to the site where I can check my referrals already.  My husband was laughing at me because of course nothing will be there yet.  But what if they were really efficient?  It could be.....RIGHT?

My husband and I both went to see Dr Sudan's WLS seminar.  I really wanted him to have a chance to listen to Dr Sudan's presentation.  He is very supportive and I am very appreciative of this.  I find myself obsessing on the surgery.  I think about it all the time.  I really have to concentrate on talking about something else.  

I called out to the base yesterday to have my PCM order the preoperative testing the Dr Sudan wants done.  They told me just to have him write out a script and then I can take it to the lab and to the cardiac area and the xray area.  This certainly make things much easier!!  I really want to get all this done (or at least scheduled) asap.  I do not want to have this be the reason that I don't get a date.  

My girlfriend is also in the process of getting this surgery.  She is also going to Dr Sudan.  It is nice to have someone who is as focused on this as I am. 

Yesterday I had my meeting with the surgeon.  I also met with the nut and PT.  It was a long appointment but I thought it was good.  I am so excited to have the process started.  My fingers are crossed that this all goes smoothly but I am prepared to have some bumps in the road.  When I was making my psych appt, I was told that Tricare is not easy approving the testing required.  Imagine my surprise when I found out if I self paid that part it would be over $1000.  My husband can give those tests.....oh well.  It makes sense to go to the psych guy that my surgeon recommends.  It would seem that he would understand what the insurance is looking for....

The surgeon's nurse told me that they would file with my insurance next week (without the psych info) and that we should know something by the end of the month at the latest.  My fingers are crossed.  

She will not even discuss a date until all of my pre-op testing is completed.  I started making appointments for this yesterday.  Can hardly wait to be on the losing side.